"Cousin, what are you doing?" Looking at the kneeling Qin Ming, Lin Mu offered a faint smile. "If my Second Uncle saw you like this, he'd scold me for being disrespectful."

Lin Mu stepped forward as if to help Qin Ming up. "Get up, Cousin. People are watching."

However, just as Lin Mu reached for him, a cold, murderous intent flashed from beneath Qin Ming's lowered eyelids.

"Lin Mu, die!"

Two scalpels slid from Qin Ming's sleeves as he slashed toward Lin Mu's neck. The extremely sharp blades flickered with a cold, eerie light, and they seemed to be coated in a deadly poison. The smile on Qin Ming's face widened, twisting his features into a ferocious mask.

He attacked so suddenly! Even with Lin Mu's quick reflexes, there's no way he could react in time, right?

The other person on the deck was stunned.

A surprise attack from Qin Ming… Even I didn't expect that.

But a moment later, joy filled their heart. As long as Lin Mu is killed, Lord August will become the Corps Leader!

BANG!

A hand appeared from nowhere and seized Qin Ming's wrist. With a light twist, Qin Ming cried out in pain as the scalpels flew from his grasp. Before they could clatter onto the deck, another hand snatched them from the air.

"Tsk, tsk." Lin Mu toyed with a scalpel. "Cousin, were you planning to discuss medical techniques with me?"

But there wasn't a trace of a smile on his face.

Dumbfounded, Qin Ming stared at Lin Mu, too stunned to process what had just happened.

My surprise attack… and Lin Mu still managed to disarm me? Is this guy a monster?

"Don't look at me like that, Cousin," Lin Mu said with a grin. "We're both grown men, after all. What are you implying with that look?"

"Pfft!"

The other person let out a sudden snort of laughter. Judging by the crisp sound, it was a woman. Seeming to realize how inappropriate it was, she quickly covered her mouth, her blue eyes wide with panic. When she saw Lin Mu hadn't noticed her, she breathed a sigh of relief.

"Lin Mu, I have no regrets about being defeated by you," Qin Ming said, gritting his teeth, seemingly aware that he was doomed. "Kill me or torture me. Do as you wish."

Lin Mu nodded. "At least you have some self-awareness."

"However…" Lin Mu patted Qin Ming's shoulder. "Wouldn't killing you just like that be letting you off too easily?"

Qin Ming's pupils dilated in terror. "Lin Mu, what are you going to do?" he stammered.

"Nothing much," Lin Mu chuckled. "Just a small gift for you."

His palm landed lightly on Qin Ming's shoulder.

CRACK!

Qin Ming let out a shrill scream, his face contorting and flushing red as he endured an unimaginable agony. With that single palm strike, Lin Mu had sent his Spiritual Energy into Qin Ming's body, shattering most of his bones. Now, Qin Ming lay on the deck like a boneless man, completely limp.

"Cousin Qin Ming, your medical skills are so profound you could even heal an idiot like Qin Hao. Surely a minor issue like having all your bones shattered is a trivial matter for you, right?"

The woman standing nearby couldn't help but shiver as she watched the cruel smile play on Lin Mu's lips.

This guy… he's a Devil.

Qin Ming lay on the deck, unable to move, only able to let out miserable howls. The pain of having every bone in his body shattered was comparable to the most extreme forms of torture. And as long as he remained alive, that pain would torment him endlessly.

"Lin Mu, just kill me! I'm begging you, please kill me!" Qin Ming howled, his voice echoing across the river's surface.

"Kill you?" Lin Mu sneered. "I told you not to touch my woman. Why didn't you listen?"

Ever since returning from abroad, Qin Ming had been plotting to kill him. If not for Lin Mu's status and power, and people like Li Xiaotian and Cheng Bugui working for him to root out all the spies hidden across River City, Qin Luoli might have been harmed. So, Qin Ming deserved worse than death. But Lin Mu wasn't going to kill him. He wanted his cousin to endure the most excruciating torture in the world before slowly dying.

Ignoring Qin Ming's pleas, Lin Mu slowly walked toward the last person remaining. The person wore baggy clothes and a face mask, keeping their features well hidden. But in Lin Mu's eyes, their identity was crystal clear.

"Alice? That is your name, isn't it?" Lin Mu stood before the foreign woman, his eyes devoid of emotion.

"You… how do you know my name?" Alice trembled, pulling off her mask to reveal a classic oval face and blue eyes flickering with shock.

This Easterner is terrifying! He even knows my name! I changed my name and identity before coming to Huaxia. How did he find out?

"It was easy enough to find out who you are," Lin Mu smiled mockingly. "It seems Jack has really gotten old. He must be over sixty by now. It's rare to see someone last so many years in the Mercenary World."

Alice grew more and more shocked as Lin Mu spoke.

This Easterner, Lin Mu… Is he God? How can he know so much?

"In the Blood Rat Mercenary Corps, besides old Jack, only Ba Di and August are contenders for the position of corps leader," Lin Mu said in a low voice. "Who are you working for?"

Alice's mouth fell open in terror as she stared at him, incredulous. "Oh my God, who are you? You not only know about Commander Jack but also about Lord Ba Di and Lord August!"

"So you're working for August." Lin Mu nodded. "Go back and tell old Jack that if I don't see August's head within three days, he can offer his own in its place."

"Why should I listen to you!" Alice retorted, feeling deeply humiliated.

"You will."

With a gentle wave of Lin Mu's hand, Alice felt as though an invisible hand was gripping her throat. Her face flushed red as her mouth fell open. Lin Mu flicked his finger, and a black insect shot into her mouth.

Alice gagged, her stomach churning violently as she desperately clawed at her throat. "Damn you! What did you make me swallow!"

Her eyes were wide with terror.

"It's just a Gu Insect," Lin Mu said nonchalantly. "If you disobey, it will devour your internal organs until you die, your body rotting from the inside out."

The image made Alice tremble so hard she nearly burst into tears.

What woman doesn't cherish her beauty? Even in death, I want to be beautiful! And a Gu Insect… one of the most mysterious creatures of the East, a thing whose name strikes fear across the world.

"I'll do it! I'll do whatever you say! Just get it out of me, please!" Alice screamed, tears of panic streaming down her face.

"Don't worry, the Gu Insect won't eat you without my permission. But if you disobey," Lin Mu finished with a cold smile, "don't blame me for being ruthless."

He never went easy on women.

"Okay, I'll obey! I'll do as you say, Master!" Alice knelt, kowtowing repeatedly to Lin Mu.

"Good. Now take Qin Ming and leave."

Lin Mu turned and leaped off the boat, his voice carried back by the wind.

"Remember, if you want to live, you'll be obedient."

Startled, Alice hurried to the side of the boat, but when she looked out over the vast expanse of the river, there was no trace of Lin Mu.

BOOM!

At that moment, a deafening clap of thunder echoed through the heavens, and a torrential downpour finally began to fall.

The rain had dared to fall only after Lin Mu had departed.

Alice stared blankly at the scene, her face instantly paling with fright.

Huaxia is too terrifying. Easterners are too powerful.

She broke down sobbing.

I want to go home!

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