Top-tier Unruly Master

The Sun Family, where Sun Chao was from, although not ranked among the Four Great Families, had an influence that was hardly less substantial than that of the Four Great Families.

Zhou Mei's family was not well-off; her father had struggled all his life and had just managed to secure a position in the municipal government's car department. Meanwhile, Sun Chao's father was the Deputy Mayor of Yanjing City.

This time, when Zhou Mei and her group were out on a task, Zhou Mei's father had earnestly instructed Zhou Mei to take good care of the young master of the Sun Family.

After all, Zhou Mei's family was just ordinary citizens, and opportunities to curry favor with the Sun Family were extremely rare.

Zhou Mei was quite attractive, and her father thought about using her good looks to gain more favor from Sun Chao, thinking that if she could really marry into the Sun Family, it would be like a wild phoenix rising from its ashes.

Although Zhou Mei didn't harbor any thoughts of clinging to riches and honor, after all, her father did drive for Sun Chao's father. Though reluctant, she ultimately ended up carrying Sun Chao on her back…

Li Yu, on the other hand, did not care about Zhou Mei carrying Sun Chao away, as everyone had their own aspirations. He knew that staying would only lead to a dead end, so he did not insist.

"Ning Qing, you can leave too…"

Li Yu felt that Ye Ningqing was still young and that him being there was enough, but before he could finish, Ye Ningqing immediately shook her head.

"I begged the elder to come save us, and I couldn't do something like abandoning the elder to escape by myself," Ye Ningqing said with a determined expression.

"Alright, then the two of us will stay behind, and share life and death with the elder," Li Yu said as he picked up an AK beside him…

----

"Ninth Master, those people are hiding in the forest below. I've already had my brothers surround them," said an elder with a goatee and round spectacles, respectfully addressing a middle-aged man beside him.

The middle-aged man was massively built and exuded an imposing presence from every angle...

This middle-aged man was the notorious drug lord Jiu Jiao, whom Task Force 3567 intended to encircle this time.

Jiu Jiao, with a cigar in his mouth, let out a hardly audible snort. "These rats think they can evade capture; no matter if they hide at the ends of the earth, I can still dig them out."

"Ninth Master, our previous encirclement was impeccably tight. Since these people managed to escape undetected, they must possess some formidable means," the goatee-bearer said.

Before he could finish, Jiu Jiao cut him off. "They merely took advantage of the darkness and treacherous roads to barely escape… This time they're dead for sure!"

The man with the goatee moved his lips, thinking to say something, but seeing Jiu Jiao so confident, he said nothing further.

Jiu Jiao then took a fierce drag from his cigar. "In Huaxia Country, the special forces always regard 3567 as a model. Today, I, Jiu Jiao, will let them really know how their most boastful 3567 looks in my eyes—it's nothing but crap! Tell the brothers, for every kill I'll give them one hundred thousand US dollars..."

The goatee-bearer nodded. "Ninth Master, I'll arrange it right away…"

----

Li Yu and Ye Ningqing distributed some ammunition, then both took up positions, guarding the meditating Ding Fan.

Not long after their setup, Jiu Jiao's men arrived.

Using their knowledge of the terrain, Li Yu and Ye Ningqing launched an ambush. In just one encounter, they had taken down six of Jiu Jiao's men.

Although Li Yu was a Martial Artist, his marksmanship was exceptional; of these six, four were indeed taken down by Li Yu.

After suffering losses, Jiu Jiao's men did not attack again for a while. Just when Ye Ningqing thought they might have been intimidated and dared not come again, suddenly, sharp sounds sliced through the air from above.

"Shit! Those are cannon shells… Get down!"

This time, Li Yu was truly stunned; he had calculated everything but had not anticipated that Jiu Jiao's men would possess such monstrous equipment as artillery.

Suddenly, artillery shells bombarded everything around Li Yu and Ye Ningqing, also injuring Li Yu's arm.

Afterwards, Jiu Jiao's gunmen launched two more assaults. Although Li Yu and Ye Ningqing repelled them, both were wounded, and what was worse, they were running out of ammunition. If the enemy charged again, they would only be waiting for death.

"You two are going to die!" Just as Li Yu was pondering their next move, a silhouette flickered by and, before he knew when, a man wearing a mask was already standing before him.

The person standing before Li Yu, aside from the striking mask on his face, was draped in a black robe, giving off a somewhat eerie and terrifying appearance…

At this moment, Li Yu did not dare underestimate his opponent; he was of Human Level Third Grade in cultivation, yet he hadn't detected the man approaching. From this point alone, the stranger's cultivation might even surpass his own.

"Speaking of life and death before the fight even starts, you're quite arrogant…" Li Yu said and tossed the AK aside, then pulled out two short knives.

Li Yu, famous within Task Force 3567 for his fast blade technique, faced an opponent whose cultivation was hard to estimate, so he prepared to gamble using his speed.

The masked man chuckled ominously, "Do you still want to try your hand against me?"

Before Li Yu could even respond, the masked man's body suddenly surged forward.

The masked man was incredibly fast; by the time Li Yu realized what was happening, the opponent had already reached him and delivered an elbow strike directly to his chest.

Li Yu spat out a mouthful of blood and his body was thrown backward four or five steps.

"Not even worth one blow…" The masked man glanced at Li Yu with a face full of disdain.

Li Yu was known for his swift blade, but in front of this masked man, he didn't even have the chance to use it, showing just how formidable the opponent's movement technique was.

"Hehe…Still pondering even now? I really want to see what you can figure out," the masked man said as he noticed Ding Fan sitting cross-legged, breathing rhythmically.

With a flick of his right hand, a dagger appeared in the masked man's hand, his lips curling slightly upward as a quiet killing intent began to spread.

Whoosh… A fierce gust suddenly arose; the force was strong enough that the masked man was pushed back several steps.

The masked man snorted lightly. "Do you think you can protect the person meditating? No one targeted by me, the Thousand-Faced Duke, has ever lived to see the next day."

The Thousand-Faced Duke could clearly see that the person who had attacked him was trying to protect the meditator.

Having said this, he suddenly leaped toward Ding Fan, who was still breathing rhythmically.

Smack smack smack... Just as the Thousand-Faced Duke was about to reach Ding Fan, a barrage of fists and feet came crashing down on his face...

The punches were strong, and the Thousand-Faced Duke, not underestimating them due to their suddenness, was thrown into disarray and staggered back several steps.

Having repelled the opponent, Ye Ningqing's beautiful figure then stood protectively in front of the meditating Ding Fan.

"Turns out she's quite the beauty..." Upon seeing Ye Ningqing, the Thousand-Faced Duke issued a series of chilling, strange laughs.

"Ni-Ni-Ning… Ning… Qing… protect our senior…" Li Yu, lying aside, tried to support his body to stand, but regardless of how much he struggled with his severe injuries, he couldn't get up.

At that moment, Ye Ningqing didn't respond to Li Yu, her two fists tightly clenched, her eyes glaring straight at the opponent, making clear her resolve not to let the enemy approach Ding Fan.

"Ignorant fool…" The Thousand-Faced Duke bellowed, and then his body surged forward abruptly.

At that moment, Ye Ningqing only felt a blur before her eyes. By the time she understood what was happening, she suddenly felt an incredibly powerful force striking her.

Ye Ningqing had no time to react; her body was blasted away like a kite with its string cut.

"Haha…I just love seeing the look of despair on others' faces," laughed the Thousand-Faced Duke, his figure already appearing in front of Li Yu.

Li Yu was stunned, not expecting his opponent to come after him.

Bang...

The Thousand-Faced Duke's foot stomped directly on Li Yu's head. An unmatched force made it impossible for Li Yu to resist, and his face was smashed directly into the ground.

"Haha... With people like you in group 3567, the country really must be out of options," the Thousand-Faced Duke sniggered.

"Let him go... let him go..." Ye Ningqing, who also couldn't stand up, struggled to say to the Thousand-Faced Duke.

"You want me to let him go?" the Thousand-Faced Duke asked with a smirk. "If you are willing to kill him right now, I'll let him go!"

While speaking, he pointed at Ding Fan, who was still breathing rhythmically.

Ye Ningqing glanced at Ding Fan, who was still meditating. She well understood what the Thousand-Faced Duke meant: he wanted her to kill Ding Fan to save Li Yu.

Ye Ningqing smiled contemptuously at the Thousand-Faced Duke, "Kill him yourself… My companion and I would rather die than betray our own for the sake of living."

The Thousand-Faced Duke issued another creepy, tittering laugh. "Haha, quite spirited, then let me show you how your companion's head gets crushed by me."

Ye Ningqing slowly closed her eyes, preparing herself for the inevitable, to follow Li Yu in death. As for using Ding Fan's death to save their own lives?

Ye Ningqing had never considered it.

Just when Ye Ningqing believed that both she and Li Yu were doomed, a sharp sound that sliced through the air suddenly resounded.

Squeak...

Then, with her eyes still closed, Ye Ningqing heard a cry of surprise. She hurriedly opened her eyes, and by the time she fully grasped the situation, she was so stunned she couldn't utter a single word...