Chapter 282: Heavy Hearts

The twenty international mercenaries Xu Zhihong brought back from overseas were not top-notch, not even first-rate, but they all hailed from the regular armies of small South Asian countries. They were seasoned desperados, operating between international waters and disputed territories, fearless despite witnessing Yang Chen's extraordinary skills.

Each held a battered Type 56 semi-automatic assault rifle, a companion that had served them for years, now spitting sparks of imminent death without hesitation.

"Da da da da..."

Twenty rifles, each with nearly a 300-meter range, fired in unison, targeting every part of Yang Chen's body with intense firepower. The thunderous roar of machine gun fire seemed to make the earth tremble.

Zeng Xinlin and Xu Zhihong wore grim, maniacal smiles, confident that Yang Chen would be torn to pieces in the next moment.

Witnessing Yang Chen kill, Lin Ruoxi stood frozen in disbelief, suddenly jolted awake. Panic and confusion vanished, replaced by a bone-chilling palpitation in her heart.

However, contrary to the expected bloody scene, not a single drop of blood spattered as the twenty mercenaries aimed and fired in unison.

Everyone present blinked in disbelief. Where Yang Chen had stood moments ago, there was now nothing but empty space. Behind where Yang Chen had been, the grand hall's black luxury water dispenser had been shredded to pieces by the machine gun fire.

The twenty mercenaries instantly felt disoriented, but following closely behind was an overwhelming wave of chilling intent, suffocating their battle-hardened hearts.

"Snap!"

At the sound of a muted thud, everyone looked towards the edge in astonishment.

I saw Yang Chen, who had somehow moved to the leftmost position among the twenty mercenaries, standing beside the soldier on the far end. With lightning speed, his hand swung out and landed a slap on the sturdy mercenary's head! The soldier had no time to defend himself; his head was struck square-on by the slap.

It was as if a fragile watermelon had been smashed by a massive iron plate, instantly shattering into pieces! The red and white matter, along with various head organs connected with flesh and blood, scattered like a bloody rain, splashing onto the faces and bodies of nearby mercenaries, landing on the green grass.

Everyone widened their eyes in disbelief. Even the hardened mercenaries, accustomed to killing, couldn't fathom such a swift and brutal method of killing.

As the lifeless body of the soldier whose head no longer existed slowly fell to the ground, Yang Chen, his eyes slightly reddened, scanned the others present with a cruel smile curling his lips.

"Do you like this way of dying?"

This question, eerie as if from the depths of hell, sent shivers down everyone's spine, almost prompting them to flee in panic!

Inside the house, Lin Ruoxi, who had just relaxed her guard, covered her mouth with one hand, trying desperately not to scream aloud. The scene was like a horror movie, causing her to forget to breathe and even fear to look at the man who seemed so familiar to her.

Just as everyone was paralyzed by the gruesome display of Yang Chen's methods, he moved again.

Yang Chen's movements were incomprehensible, leaving afterimages due to his incredible speed. Each pause ended with his hand casually crushing the skull of a nearby mercenary from an undefended angle.

The dull "thud" of impact echoed rhythmically in their ears. In the blink of an eye, seven or eight warriors were rendered headless by Yang Chen's nonchalant strikes!

"Devil, devil!" These words echoed in everyone's mind, their legs trembling with weakness. The man's speed was so intimidating that it robbed them of the courage to flee.

A profound sense of helplessness and vulnerability overtook them, suppressing even the emotion of fear itself.

"Rat-a-tat-tat!"

A highly skilled soldier opened fire at Yang Chen's afterimage, inadvertently riddling his own comrade with bullets, leaving him riddled with wounds!

In the next moment, Yang Chen appeared behind the shooter. With a swift slap of his left hand, another life was taken.

The once vast lawn now resembled a battleground of carnage, strewn with flesh and bodies. The crimson blood stained the dry grass vividly under the winter sun. In less than half a minute, where over twenty people had stood, only Yang Chen remained. His hands, dripping with blood, hung at his sides, and his clothes were stained red. He stood before Zeng Xinlin and Xu Zhihong with a smile that was neither friendly nor hostile.

It was then that Zeng Xinlin realized both of her bodyguards had failed to react in time and had their heads crushed by Yang Chen like melons. Blood splattered on her face, carrying a metallic taste.

"You shouldn't have come back. Otherwise, I would consider letting someone else kill you, so you wouldn't die without your heads."

There was a hint of regret on Yang Chen's face, but his crimson eyes grew even more intense. He slowly approached Zeng and Xu.

Zeng Xinlin, despite her background as a special forces soldier, had never encountered such a superhuman display and found her legs trembling in fear, unable to muster the courage to call for help.

Xu Zhihong's eyes widened in shock, completely immobilized. Ever since the death of Mao Qiu, he had been overwhelmed with a profound sense of unease. Now, he stood there like a stake.

Inside the house, Lin Ruoxi watched the scene unfold without comprehension. Tears streamed uncontrollably down her face. For some reason, the brutal scene that initially filled her with fear had now turned her stomach, yet she felt no trace of fear, even amidst the heavy stench of blood in the air.

The silhouette of this man, cold and solemn, seemed like a pale light on a dark stage, both familiar and pitiable.

"Yang Chen! Stop!"

A hurried female voice suddenly shouted from nearby. A black BMW Series 5, speeding at nearly 150-160 kilometers per hour, skidded to a halt in front of the house. Three figures rushed out in a panic.

Yang Chen glanced indifferently at them. It was Cai Ning, Tian Long whom he hadn't seen in a long time, and another tall, thin man whose face was unfamiliar.

"Yang Chen, I'm from the Eight Departments in Yan Capital, Mo Feng!" the tall, thin man shouted loudly. "You can't kill Zeng Xinlin. Provoking the Zeng family will bring you greater trouble!"

Tian Long frowned. "Yang Chen, calm down. Killing isn't the solution to everything."

Yang Chen remained unmoved, his crimson eyes showing no sign of relenting.

However, Zeng Xinlin, who had just been resigned to her impending death, cried out in relief, "Cousin Mo Feng, you've finally come! Please save me!"

Mo Feng solemnly nodded and said to Yang Chen, "Yang Chen, you've already killed so many people. You should be satisfied now. Stop this madness. General instructed Tian Long and me to come from Yan Capital to stop you from killing Zeng Xinlin. It's for your own good. He is highly regarded by the Zeng family patriarch. If you kill him, the Zeng family won't let this go easily."

"Satisfied?" Yang Chen suddenly burst into laughter, his gaze playful as he looked at Mo Feng. "You're Zeng Xinlin's cousin, aren't you?"

"That's right, but my advice is for your own good. Can you really wipe out the entire Zeng family by killing him?" Mo Feng questioned.

Yang Chen looked somewhat enlightened for a moment, then spoke coldly, "Whether I can wipe out everyone is my business. However, since you're his cousin and you've come here willingly, if you dare to obstruct me, I'll kill you first, then him."

"You! Don't be so arrogant!" Mo Feng's face flushed with anger, and out of pride, he wanted to strike at Yang Chen immediately.

But Tian Long, knowing full well the terror of Yang Chen, immediately grabbed Mo Feng and shouted, "You can't go to your death!"

Tian Long's strength as the leader of the Eight Departments was unquestionable, and Mo Feng struggled to break free but couldn't.

Ignoring Mo Feng's interference, Yang Chen teleported again and appeared in front of Zeng Xinlin and Xu Zhihong.

"Since you've come together for revenge against me, you might as well die together," Yang Chen said coldly.

With that, he simultaneously slapped both their heads. Like all those before them, the two former pride of the heavens, their faces filled with final despair, had their heads turned into bloody mists in Yang Chen's palms.

Cai Ning closed her eyes, turning away unable to witness this scene.

Tian Long released the completely stunned Mo Feng. Mo Feng, now red-eyed and stiff all over, seemed unable to believe that all this was happening right before his eyes.

Yang Chen turned back to Mo Feng and asked, "Well, I've finished him off. If you want to die with him, I can help you."

Mo Feng's lips twitched uncontrollably as he hoarsely muttered, "You're a beast, a beast..."

"I am a beast, so I kill beasts too," Yang Chen grinned. "If you want to fight, do it quickly. If you want to curse me, I won't accompany you. If it weren't for the slight acquaintance with the two beside you, I would have killed you already. So, if you want to live, you'd better disappear quickly."

Tian Long glanced at Yang Chen with a complex and resigned look, then pulled Mo Feng away. "Let's go. Your cousin's death is something you can't stop. The General didn't order you to act. We can leave now."

Mo Feng clenched his fist tightly, gave Yang Chen a last look of hatred, and followed Tian Long back to the car.

Cai Ning glanced inside the house, seeing Lin Ruoxi, who looked lost and empty-eyed, sighed softly, and said to Yang Chen, "We'll temporarily seal off this area. No one will enter. I'll have the fight traces covered up. But the Zeng family won't let this go easily. You better prepare yourself. If you cause too much commotion, even if we don't want to, we'll have to intervene."

Yang Chen remained silent.

Cai Ning hesitated for a moment, then added, "She must be finding it very difficult to accept. Go comfort her."

With that, Cai Ning quietly returned to the car, which soon left the scene.

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Yang Chen reached into his coat pocket, took out a small vial, poured out two pills, and quietly swallowed them. He closed his eyes in pain for a moment, then reopened them, the crimson color gradually fading from his eyes.

Taking a long breath, Yang Chen turned back and walked into the house. His mood, however, was heavier than when he had been killing moments ago.