"Master Lin, we insist that you leave this man to us!"

The news that Xu Feng was from the Dark Web shocked Guan Chengye. He had never anticipated that Liu Xianhe's disciple could be one of their people.

At this moment, many thoughts crossed Guan Chengye's mind.

"Fine."

Lin Mu certainly had no objections. After all, he knew the Guan Family was tasked with defending River City, which meant rooting out the Dark Web's operatives there. Handing Xu Feng over to them was the best choice.

"However, I have one condition," Lin Mu said, looking at Guan Chengye with a calm expression.

"Please speak, Master Lin."

Lin Mu said, "From now on, I want to be informed of any news regarding the Dark Web."

"This..."

Guan Chengye looked troubled. "Master Lin, these matters are confidential. I..."

"You've already said the Dark Web has many experts. Guan Xinhe is injured and will need several months of bed rest at the very least. How do you plan to deal with the Dark Web?" Lin Mu stated indifferently.

"Hey, kid, are you looking down on the Guan Family Army?" Several men with cold expressions walked over. These individuals had not watched the previous fight; they had only appeared after learning that Xu Feng was from the Dark Web.

Their expressions turned hostile at Lin Mu's words.

Lin Mu glanced at them faintly and remarked, "You lot are not enough."

"You..."

A muscular man spoke up, "Kid, going by what you said, are you implying we're inadequate, but you're capable?"

Lin Mu nodded as if it were only natural. "Only I can."

Hearing Lin Mu's words, one of the men laughed out of pure fury and snorted, "You've got a big mouth. I'd like to see just how capable you really are!"

"Don't!" Guan Chengye's face changed as he started to issue a warning.

"Rest assured, General. We know what we're doing," the leader of the group said with a faint smile, showing little respect for Guan Chengye.

Although they hadn't seen the exchange between Xu Feng and Lin Mu, they had heard the others discussing it.

A Martial Arts Grandmaster? Bullshit. Given his age, forget about being a Grandmaster; it would be impressive if he could take even one punch from my guard.

"Zhang Xifeng, you..."

Guan Chengye looked at the man and sighed heavily.

Although Zhang Xifeng and the Guan Family Army shared the same objective of defending River City from the Dark Web, their responsibilities differed. The Guan Family Army was responsible for combat, while Zhang Xifeng was in charge of intelligence gathering and organization, essentially a logistical role.

Furthermore, Zhang Xifeng hadn't come up through the ranks of the Guan Family Army. The complexities of the situation couldn't be explained in a moment. On this mission, Guan Xinhe would never have been injured if not for an error in the intelligence department's investigation of the Dark Web's stronghold.

Guan Chengye tried to stop them not because he feared Lin Mu would get hurt. On the contrary, he was afraid that Lin Mu, in a fit of rage, would injure Zhang Xifeng's bodyguard.

Zhang Xifeng himself was an ambitious but incompetent fool, and he was the type to hold a grudge over the smallest slight. Making an enemy of Lin Mu would be extremely detrimental to their mission of defending River City.

Zhang Xifeng's expression was serene, his lips even curled into a cold smirk.

So the Guan Family Army thinks it's so great, famous for being daring in battle? Well today, I, Zhang Xifeng, am going to take you all down a peg.

Seeing the look on Zhang Xifeng's face, Guan Chengye was suddenly overcome with a sense of disillusionment.

With vermin like this in our ranks, when will we ever eradicate the Dark Web?

Meanwhile, the other members of the Guan Family Army watched Zhang Xifeng with a strange look.

That pansy... Is he asking to be humiliated?

Zhang Xifeng's bodyguard had already taken a step forward with his right foot. He clenched his fist and charged straight at Lin Mu.

The punch was aimed directly at Lin Mu's face. He intended to humiliate the Guan Family Army right to their faces!

He had joined the army in his teens to temper himself. He could endure hardship, was quick-witted, and possessed some talent for the Martial Way. Because of this, Zhang Xifeng saw his potential and cultivated him with care. Once he had cultivated his True Qi and broken through to the realm of External Strength, he stayed by Zhang Xifeng's side and had been in countless fights.

Moreover, although he was part of the intelligence department, he had also served on the front lines and fought in several tough battles. He couldn't stand the sight of the Guan Family Army acting so haughty around them.

This time, upon hearing that Guan Xinhe was injured and that someone had come to the Guan Family's residence to issue a challenge, they had originally just come to watch the show. They never expected to actually catch a small fry from the Dark Web.

And so, he knew exactly what he had to do.

The members of the Guan Family Army couldn't bear to watch and averted their gazes.

Zhang Xifeng sneered. Can't take it already? We're just getting started.

Then, Zhang Xifeng spoke aloud, "A Long, just a light spar will do. Don't actually kill the guy."

The guard named A Long responded.

"Got it!"

But his attack was anything but slow. True Qi flowed, gathering in his fist.

A Long had practiced a simple set of military boxing to a profound level. He was quite satisfied with this punch.

The young man opposite him, who was about the same age, seemed to be scared stiff, just standing there in a daze.

A Long smirked and smashed his fist downward.

At that moment, his opponent finally seemed to react, slowly raising one hand.

Idiot!

A Long's eyes were filled with contempt. In the army, he was known as a Martial Way prodigy for having cultivated True Qi and broken through to External Strength at such a young age. On top of that, his combat experience was incredibly vast. This single punch would be enough to shatter the other man's hand to pieces.

BANG!

The fist struck the palm, but the expected scream never came. Instead, a searing pain shot from his fist and spread throughout A Long's entire body. Only then did A Long realize that his fist was caught fast in the other man's grasp.

His opponent appeared indifferent, but a flicker of coldness glinted deep within his eyes.

Then, the man's hand tightened slightly.

"Ah!"

A Long's fist felt like it was being crushed in a steel vise. The pain was unbearable, as if his very bones were about to be pulverized.

"Kid, you're looking for death!"

A Long's face flushed red with rage. He violently swung his other leg up, aiming a kick at Lin Mu's head.

Lin Mu's brow furrowed as he swatted with his hand.

CRACK!

The next moment, A Long's leg went completely limp.

"My leg!"

A Long's face contorted as he let out a heart-wrenching scream.

"Spar?"

Lin Mu looked down at him, his voice ice-cold. "Does trash like you think you're worthy?"

"Get lost!"

With a flick of his hand, Lin Mu sent A Long's body flying. He landed in a heap right in front of Zhang Xifeng.

A Long looked up at Lin Mu one last time before his eyes rolled back in his head and he passed out cold.

Lin Mu didn't even glance at Zhang Xifeng. He stated coolly, "What I said before wasn't a negotiation. You're free to refuse. But you will have to bear the consequences yourselves."

Leaving those words behind, Lin Mu walked away.

Only then did Zhang Xifeng snap back to reality, roaring in fury, "That kid is so arrogant! Does he have a death wish?"

Guan Chengye gave him a pitying look. "He's a Grandmaster. If you're not convinced, you're welcome to go and seek revenge."

"Grandmaster?"

Zhang Xifeng froze. A jolt of realization shot through him, and his expression turned incredibly ugly, as if he'd just swallowed a dead fly.

By the time he thought of apologizing to Lin Mu, the man was already gone.

Finally, he glanced down at A Long on the ground. Fear overshadowed his embarrassment, and he kicked the unconscious man's body.

"Useless trash!"

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