Chapter 203: Make a Phone Call
Just when they had gained the upper hand, the situation suddenly took a turn for the worse, leaving everyone momentarily stunned.
"Master!" Hui Lin was the first to cry out, catching Yunmiao as her master's body gradually slumped. Tears welled up in her eyes as the young disciple held her master in grief, dropping her sword from her hand. She seemed unable to believe how things had changed so suddenly!
Yunmiao's face, drained of blood, began to pale, contorting in pain. She rasped, "Hui Lin, the master will be fine for the time being. The poison from his dagger can be suppressed for now. You and the others must eliminate the enemies first, including that shameless traitor!"
"Master, are you okay? I can take you to get the antidote. The antidote pills are in the camp," Hui Lin sobbed.
"Listen to me, Hui Lin. Pick up your sword and don't disappoint your master," Yunmiao clenched her teeth, bloodshot eyes blazing.
But Hui Lin, still young, had never seen her master, whom she relied on, injured before. Now that Yunmiao had suddenly collapsed, she had no heart to pick up her sword and fight.
The others glared angrily at Blade, who had already joined the blue storm's side, their eyes red with rage.
"Blade, you beast! How could you commit such treason!" Kuangfeng, full of youthful vigor, angrily shouted.
"We trusted you, and you turned out to be a traitor!" Hai Xiao, Ye Zi, and the others looked at Blade in disbelief.
Blade smirked, starting to speak in fluent English, "Firstly, you were deceived, trusting me only shows that you are inferior to me. Secondly, I have always been a member of the Blue Storm of the United States. Although I was born in this land, my heart has always belonged to the United States. They can provide better living conditions for me and my family. Only foolish and incompetent people would work for such a dark, ignorant, and backward country. You can hate me, but that's just your pathetic emotions. I don't care at all."
"Blade, you've done well. Headquarters is very pleased with this plan," Judy praised.
Carlos smirked, "Looks like this old woman doesn't have much time left. Blade, your choice of timing for exposure is excellent."
Blade smiled shyly at them, "Thank you, but earning the trust of headquarters is more important than anything else."
With that, Blade tore off the red flag and Dragon Team emblem from his chest, tossing them to the ground. Symbolically, he pinned on a badge with the emblem of the American flag.
This action infuriated the members of the Yanhuang Iron Brigade present!
"I must slaughter him with my own hands!" Tianlong's fists clenched tightly, his hair seemingly moving without wind. His gaze was like that of a fierce tiger, staring straight at Blade. "Although I, Old Dragon, am arrogant, I have never violated the rules of the team or disobeyed the organization's orders. Because I still understand the principle of loyalty to the country. Scum like you aren't even worthy to shine my shoes!"
"Tianlong, don't act rashly. Yunmiao is severely injured, and Hui Lin has abandoned her sword. With just you, me, and Kuangfeng, even if Hai Xiao and Ye Zi combine forces to resist one person, we still don't stand a chance!" Bigfoot said in a low voice.
"Damn it! What about Night Wolf?!" Tianlong roared.
Blade laughed heartily, "Night Wolf? Don't you understand yet? I sent Night Wolf to the cliff to wait for orders to snipe. I wanted him not to get involved so that you would lack one more helper. Night Wolf is an absolutely obedient sniper. If he doesn't receive orders, even if he sees Panlong Academy burning, he won't leave his sniper position."
This news undoubtedly made the situation even worse for those present!
At this moment, Danzhe, who had been silent, suddenly stood up. Despite his old age, his eyes flickered as he looked at the members of the Yanhuang Iron Brigade and said, "Alright, the situation is settled. Gentlemen, there's no need to resist anymore. I will send you all to the Pure Land in the Western Heaven to meet the Buddha."
"Pah! You, a treacherous monk, dare to associate yourself with the Buddha?!" Tianlong spat disdainfully.
Danzhe clasped his hands together, "Tianlong, this monk's actions are for the prosperity of the Buddhist sect. If you and others forcefully intervene and disrupt our Buddha's mission of saving sentient beings, this monk will have no choice but to wield the Buddhist sword. Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva resides in hell, rescuing evil spirits. I, Danzhe, am inferior to Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, but in this lifetime, I will propagate the Esoteric Buddhist teachings overseas. If anyone dares to interfere, I will not show mercy."
"This is all bullshit!" Tianlong couldn't bear it any longer. With a stomp of his foot on the blue brick ground, a large piece of ground sank instantly, and his dragon claws shot like a golden light towards Danzhe!
Danzhe, though appearing aged, moved with remarkable agility. He shifted his body and assumed the Dragon Claw stance, meeting Tianlong's attack head-on.
"The martial arts handed down by the patriarch Bodhidharma are not exclusive to Shaolin. As a thousand-year-old tradition, our martial arts are equally flawless. My Western Dragon Claw technique is in no way inferior to your Shaolin Dragon Claw!" Danzhe proclaimed.
With that, he engaged Tianlong in a fierce exchange of over ten moves. Despite Tianlong's immense internal power from practicing the Xisui Jing, he couldn't shake Danzhe. Danzhe's Dragon Claw technique was vigorous and forceful, pushing Tianlong back step by step!
As Tianlong retreated, he suddenly felt a suffocating pressure in his chest followed by a wave of nausea that made him feel like vomiting. His body went cold, and a chilling realization dawned on him. He exclaimed, "You wretched monk! Did you poison me?"
As soon as Tianlong spoke, Kuangfeng and Bigfoot also began to feel dizzy and nauseated. In their horror, they finally realized that they had indeed been poisoned!
Danzhe and the remaining two Grand Wisdom Bodhisattvas, Dashan and Daci, clasped their hands together and chanted, "Amitabha. You, esteemed martial artists with profound internal power, are susceptible to the poison of the Mandala Dry Leaf Incense of the Western Regions. Unless one uses internal power continuously over a short period, this incense poison would not have acted so quickly."
With Danzhe's explanation, everyone realized that the incense placed under the Buddha statue had been a trap from the moment they entered!
Bigfoot glared menacingly at the unaffected Blade across from him, "Blade, this is another one of your tricks!"
"Indeed," Blade replied with a smug smile. "I took the antidote in advance, so I'm fine. This incense's poison is not very potent, but it is subtle and effective in situations like this. I don't need to kill you with poison; I just need to disable your internal power. Without it, you're no different from regular special forces soldiers."
In an instant, Tianlong, Kuangfeng, and Bigfoot, the only remaining combatants, found themselves at a disadvantage, left helpless and vulnerable. Yezi and Haixiao, though armed with guns, knew that against any of the formidable enemies present, they wouldn't stand a chance. Their only hope lay with the seemingly indifferent figure sitting at the entrance, smoking a cigarette and watching the scene unfold.
Huilin, holding Yunmiao tightly, sobbed in despair, unsure of what to do. Seeing Yezi and Haixiao looking anxiously toward the doorway, she realized there was still someone who might be incredibly powerful and had yet to make a move.
"Hey! Coward! Are you even a man? Are you just here to watch the show?!" Hui Lin shouted at the top of her lungs.
Hearing Hui Lin voice their unspoken thoughts so bluntly, Yezi and Haixiao looked bitter and uncomfortable. They had wanted Yang Chen to step in and help for a while now. Seeing him just sitting there, enjoying the show, made them anxious. Yet, they couldn't muster the courage to ask him for help directly.
Blade's betrayal had made it clear that everything they were experiencing was likely a part of his scheme. They realized that perhaps Blade had used them to deceive Yang Chen, harm those close to him, and force him into a corner. Even though they didn't fully understand Blade's motives, they knew it wasn't to take down Blue Storm, and they hoped that Yang Chen wouldn't be further implicated by their mistakes. They were not heartless; they felt deeply guilty towards Yang Chen.
At this point, even if Yang Chen decided to leave them to their fate, they would have no grounds for complaint. They even hoped that Yang Chen would get away unscathed, blaming only their own naivety for trusting Blade and falling into his trap.
Yang Chen had just smoked half a cigarette when he heard Hui Lin's cries. Smacking his lips, he tossed the cigarette butt to the ground and stomped it out with his foot. He slowly stood up.
Blade sneered, "Hades, I advise you not to move rashly. There's a reason we brought you here today. If you want your woman and mother-in-law to avoid ending up in a vegetative state, you'd better wait until we've dealt with these fools before we have a proper talk."
Yang Chen ignored him, taking out his phone and checking it. There was no signal. He then turned his gaze toward Andy and Punk, speaking in a cheerful tone in English, "You two must be the ones who cut off the signal here. Restore the signal for just a minute. I need to make a call. I promise I won't call the police."