Phi-Fic Chapter 43 The Blood Fiend Sect's Doomsday Countdown
Chapter 43 The Blood Fiend Sect's Doomsday Countdown
As dawn broke, the abandoned steel plant on the outskirts of Jiangnan City exuded a suffocating stillness—beneath which lay an unconcealable panic and murderous intent.
Outside the factory area, a dozen black SUVs formed a perimeter, their engines still warm, and the tire tracks over gravel clearly visible. Dozens of shirtless, muscular men, with machetes at their waists and modified steel pipes in their hands, patrolled the area like hungry wolves, their eyes burning with vigilance, yet concealing a barely perceptible panic, barely daring to breathe.
Everyone knows that this is the lair of the Blood Fiend Sect, a malignant tumor in the Jiangnan underworld. In the past, this was a forbidden place that struck fear into the hearts of all, but today, even the air is filled with the unease of an impending storm.
In stark contrast to the dilapidated state outside the factory, the interior had been transformed into an opulent and glaringly luxurious space. The weathered steel beams were plated with gold leaf, the floors were covered with imported Persian carpets, and the spaces that were originally used to store steel were now furnished with leather sofas and mahogany desks, clashing with the lingering smell of rust and exuding an air of nouveau riche arrogance.
Lei Bao, the leader of the Blood Fiend Sect, was slumped in a large boss's chair, his short, thick fingers tightly gripping a Cuban cigar, the butt already burning his fingertips, yet he seemed oblivious. His usual arrogance and domineering nature had vanished from his fleshy face, replaced by an inescapable anxiety. His brows were furrowed, and his eyelids twitched uncontrollably, as if he foresaw some impending doom.
On the desk in front of him were three open safes, their golden light dazzling—stuffed with neatly stacked gold bars, bundles of brand-new US dollars piled up like small mountains, and several old ginseng roots, yellowish in color and exuding a strong medicinal fragrance, clearly not ordinary items, obviously all the belongings he was preparing to flee with.
"Sect Master, everything is packed. The private helicopter will be at the suburban helipad in ten minutes, which will definitely bypass the blockade of the Alien Immortal Bureau."
A burly man with a shiny bald head and a scarred face strode in, his back ramrod straight, but he deliberately lowered his voice, unable to hide the panic in his tone. His Adam's apple bobbed as he spoke, as if something was stuck in his throat.
Lei Bao exhaled a thick smoke ring, his eyes growing increasingly sinister through the swirling smoke, his voice hoarse as if sanded through: "Still no news from Cloud Peak Manor?"
The bald man with the scar on his face stiffened abruptly, his face turning deathly pale. His lips trembled, and he couldn't utter a complete sentence for a long time: "No...no news! The Bureau of Extraordinary Immortals has sealed off the entire mountain completely; even birds can't get in, and not a single sound can be heard. But...but last night I heard from the farmers at the foot of the mountain that there was a thunderous explosion on the mountaintop in the middle of the night, followed by the sight of three military helicopters plummeting straight down, without even having time to send a distress signal!"
"Clang—"
Lei Bao's fingers, holding the cigar, trembled violently, and the half-burnt ash fell directly onto his crotch. A searing pain shot through him, but he only dared to shiver violently, lacking even the strength to curse. A chill ran from the soles of his feet to the top of his head, instantly freezing his entire body.
"Damn it! I really can't stay in Jiangnan City anymore!"
He jumped to his feet, his sudden movement knocking over the chair behind him with a loud bang. He slammed the safe lid shut with both hands, his knuckles turning white from the force, his eyes filled with lingering fear.
"That brat surnamed Lu is a complete madman!" Lei Bao gritted his teeth, his voice trembling with sobs. "Who is the Ye family patriarch? He's the kingpin of the Jiangnan underworld! He can mess with us whenever he wants, kill us whenever he wants! Our outer sect elders are all tough guys who can fight and withstand any attack, and they still died at his hands, didn't they? Since he was able to wipe out the Ye family, he'll definitely come after us. Our meager resources aren't even enough to fill his teeth!"
"Quickly! Notify all the brothers to evacuate Jiangnan in three batches and run overseas, the farther the better! Even if we have to give up all the territory and interests here, we must save our lives!" Lei Bao roared, his despair almost overflowing in his voice—he had lived most of his life, dominating the Jiangnan underworld, and had never been so afraid of anyone.
Before the words were finished, an extremely piercing metallic creak suddenly shattered the deathly silence of the factory!
"Bang--!!!"
A deafening roar, like a thunderclap, filled the air. The two massive steel doors of the factory, each weighing several tons, dented and deformed instantly, as if struck by an out-of-control heavy truck, before collapsing with a thunderous crash. A cloud of dust and rust filled the air, and the resounding impact made the entire factory tremble slightly. Dust fell from the ceiling, landing on the safes, creating a blinding contrast with the golden light.
Lei Bao shuddered, almost reflexively drawing the specially made pistol from his waist, pointing it firmly at the door, his finger on the trigger, his knuckles white, his muscles taut, his eyes filled with terror—he knew all too well that whoever could kick open this steel door was no pushover.
What terrified him even more was that the dozens of brothers who had been patrolling outside the factory were now all lying stiffly on the ground, without even having time to scream. Their eyes were wide open, and each of them had a small blood hole in their chest, with blood slowly flowing down the cracks in the rubble, staining the ground red.
As the smoke and dust gradually dissipated, a young man dressed in simple casual clothes slowly walked in. He was tall and straight, with an unusually youthful face, yet his eyes and brows carried an innate coldness and pressure, as if the surrounding bloodshed and chaos had nothing to do with him. Every step he took carried an invisible aura that made the air in the entire factory stagnant.
Behind him followed a timid, trembling middle-aged fat man, none other than Zhao Tiancheng, whom Lu Yuan had subdued the previous night. At this moment, Zhao Tiancheng's face was ashen, his legs were shaking like a sieve, and he didn't even have the courage to raise his head, afraid of being affected by the bloody scene before him.
"You...you're Lu Yuan?!"
Lei Bao stared at that excessively young face, and the rumors about Lu Yuan flashed through his mind—single-handedly wiping out the Ye family elites, dismantling a helicopter with his bare hands, ruthless and unpredictable. A chill instantly ran from his head to his toes, his scalp tingled, and his blood seemed to freeze. He almost dropped the pistol from his hand.
Lu Yuan didn't even lift his eyelids, completely ignoring Lei Bao's gun pointed at him. His gaze fell directly on the old ginseng on his desk. His brows furrowed slightly, and his tone carried a hint of impatient disdain, as if he were commenting on some insignificant trash: "Too young, at most a hundred years old. It can barely be used to refine a few batches of low-grade Qi Gathering Pills, better than nothing."
These words struck Lei Bao like a thunderclap! He was stunned for a moment, then engulfed by overwhelming rage and fear—the old ginseng he treasured and used to save his life was nothing more than scrap material for alchemy in this kid's eyes? This was a blatant insult!
"Open fire! Kill him! Shoot him to death!"
Lei Bao went completely mad. He roared hysterically and pulled the trigger without hesitation, bullets whistling towards Lu Yuan. At the same time, on the iron platform on the second floor of the factory, more than a dozen gunmen who had been lying in ambush also pulled their triggers instantly. Dense bullets intertwined into an impenetrable net of fire, whistling through the air as they poured down on Lu Yuan, leaving not even a sliver of room to dodge.
Zhao Tiancheng was so frightened that his legs went weak and he collapsed to the ground, clutching his head tightly with both hands and muttering prayers. He didn't even dare to open his eyes, fearing that he would be hit by a stray bullet and be smashed to pieces.
Lu Yuan, however, did not pause in his steps, nor did he even frown; his face remained indifferent and calm. He didn't even use his protective inner energy; he simply raised his right hand and casually drew a semicircle in the air, his movements unhurried, as if he were merely shooing away a fly.
The next second, a bizarre scene unfolded!
All the bullets aimed at him seemed to hit an invisible wall of steel half a meter from his body, instantly freezing in mid-air, motionless. The bullets emitted a dark red heat from the high-speed friction with the air, scalding the surrounding air and refracting an eerie halo. The bullets just hovered there, as if frozen in place, exceptionally dazzling.
Lei Bao's eyes widened, his mouth gaped open enough to fit a fist, his eyes almost bulging out of their sockets, his face filled with disbelief, and his whole body trembled violently—what the hell was this? This was beyond human capability! Was this some kind of science fiction movie?
"Here you go."
Lu Yuan's voice remained calm and even, without the slightest ripple. He flicked his wrist slightly, the movement as casual as waving his hand.
The next second, the hundreds of bullets that were suspended in mid-air were instantly swept up by an invisible force and reflected back along the same path at ten times the speed they came from! The sound of the bullets cutting through the air was extremely piercing, even more dense and sharper than the gunshots from before!
"Puff puff puff puff—!!!"
A series of muffled thuds of blood rang out in succession. On the second-floor iron platform, bursts of blinding blood mist instantly erupted, staining the surrounding steel supports crimson. The dozen or so gunmen didn't even have time to scream before they tumbled off the platform like rag dolls, crashing heavily to the ground. Their bodies twitched a few times before falling silent. Blood instantly stained the Persian carpet beneath their feet, a juxtaposition of extravagance and bloodshed, exuding a nauseatingly eerie atmosphere.
"Clang—"
Lei Bao's pistol fell to the ground with a "clatter," his legs buckled, and he could no longer support himself. He knelt down with a "thud," his knees hitting the floor with a dull thud. He grimaced in pain, but didn't dare utter a sound.
"Mr. Lu! Grandpa Lu! Spare me! Please spare my life!"
Lei Bao completely broke down. He kowtowed repeatedly, his forehead slamming hard against the floor with loud thuds. In just a few moments, clear bloodstains appeared on the floor, and blood flowed down his forehead, staining his face red. He looked utterly pathetic. At this moment, he was no longer the arrogant leader of the Blood Fiend Sect; he was like a dog wagging its tail and begging for mercy.
"It's all the Ye family's fault! The Ye family forced us to do this!" Lei Bao wailed, his voice hoarse and incoherent. "We, the Blood Fiend Sect, were just doing what we were paid to do. The Ye family paid us to deal with you. We had no choice! Please, have mercy on me and spare my life. I promise I'll never dare to do it again, I'll never set foot in Jiangnan again!"
Lu Yuan slowly walked to the desk, looking down at Lei Bao kneeling on the ground. His eyes were cold and devoid of warmth, and his tone was calm but carried an undeniable authority: "If you're going to do something for money, you have to be prepared to risk your life."
He casually picked up an old ginseng, sniffed it lightly, and then with a flick of his wrist, the ginseng vanished into thin air—it was his Nine Heavens Storage Ring. Having done all this, he lowered his head, his gaze like a knife, piercing straight at Lei Bao: "I ask, you answer. One wrong word, and I'll rip out a wisp of your soul, making you wish you were dead."
Lei Bao trembled like a leaf, his teeth chattering. He didn't even have the courage to look up at Lu Yuan. He could only nod repeatedly, his voice trembling with sobs: "Ask away! Ask away! I'll tell you everything! I won't hide a single word!" He was filled with fear at this moment, and he only wanted to live for one more second. He was willing to betray everyone if it meant that.
"Your Blood Fiend Sect has been rooted in Jiangnan for so many years, have you ever heard of people from Kunlun Mountain operating here?" Lu Yuan's tone was flat, but his eyes became increasingly profound. He came to Jiangnan not only to settle scores with the Ye family, but also primarily to find clues related to Kunlun Mountain, which concerned the whereabouts of his mother.
Lei Bao paused, a blank look on his face, seemingly not understanding Lu Yuan's question. He then quickly shook his head, his tone urgent: "Kunlun Mountain? That...that's the legendary immortal mountain, isn't it? Our lowly gang has never even seen such a place, let alone had any contact with the people of Kunlun Mountain! They are like gods, how could they possibly have anything to do with small fry like us!"
Lu Yuan narrowed his eyes, a cold glint flashing in them—it seemed these Blood Fiend Sect scum were merely peripheral pawns of the Ye family, unaware even of the Ye family's true backer (Kunlun Mountain), let alone having access to its core secrets. Since he couldn't get any clues about Kunlun Mountain, he could only inquire about the Ye family's purpose.
"And what about the Ye family?" Lu Yuan's voice turned colder, the oppressive atmosphere intensifying. "What exactly are they looking for in Jiangnan City lately?"
Lei Bao trembled under the oppressive aura and hurriedly spoke, not daring to hide anything: "I'm looking for... looking for a jade pendant!" He swallowed hard, trying to recall, "Last time I was drinking with Ye Tiannan, he got drunk and casually mentioned that the jade pendant was the key to some kind of secret realm, and... and that jade pendant is in your Lu family's hands! He's looking for you, looking for the Lu family, just for that jade pendant!"
Jade?
A long-forgotten memory flashed through Lu Yuan's mind—his mother had indeed worn an ancient jade pendant close to her body for many years. The jade was dull and unremarkable, but his mother treasured it and never took it off. When his mother was in a car accident and her body was never recovered, the jade pendant also disappeared. He had searched for it for many years without finding a single clue.
It turns out that the Ye family's elaborate scheme to deal with the Lu family and hunt him down was all for this jade pendant!
Lu Yuan's lips curled into a cold smile, his eyes flashing with murderous intent, his tone full of mockery and chill: "So that's what it was for."
He looked at Lei Bao kneeling on the ground, his eyes devoid of any pity: "You can go now."
Lu Yuan slowly raised his hand, a faint yet deadly aura gathering at his fingertips.
Lei Bao stared in terror, his pupils contracting sharply, his face filled with despair. Just as he was about to beg for mercy again, a crisp cracking sound of bone breaking suddenly rang out.
"Click—"
Lu Yuan pinched Lei Bao's head from a distance, and Lei Bao's head exploded like a ripe watermelon with a "bang," splattering blood and brain matter all over the floor, staining the desk and safe red—a scene of extreme gore. The headless corpse swayed, then collapsed heavily into the pool of blood, completely lifeless.
Zhao Tiancheng lay on the ground, smelling the pungent stench of blood in the air. His stomach churned, and waves of nausea rose in his throat, but he held it in, not daring to utter a single dry heave, for fear of angering the demon before him and suffering the same fate as Lei Bao. He didn't even dare to lift his head, only clutching it tightly, his whole body trembling uncontrollably.
Lu Yuan didn't even glance at the corpse on the ground or the terrified Zhao Tiancheng. He turned and walked outside, his tone as indifferent as if he were instructing someone on a trivial matter: "Get up. Pack up the money on the table and the remaining ginseng. Take it back to Qingxue as pocket money."
As he reached the factory gate, he paused, then added without turning around, his tone laced with an undeniable coldness: "And while you're at it, set this place on fire. Burn it down completely. Leave no trace."
Zhao Tiancheng hurriedly responded, scrambling to his feet. Without daring to delay, he quickly gathered the gold bars and US dollars on the table, his eyes filled with awe and fear—he finally understood that the young man in front of him was not human at all, but the real Grim Reaper!
Sunlight streamed through the holes in the factory building, falling on Lu Yuan's tall, straight back, but it did nothing to warm the chill that enveloped him. The Blood Fiend Sect, the underground force of Jiangnan City, would henceforth cease to exist, and the Ye family was about to face its most brutal reckoning.