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"Quick, go! Don't mind us!" Miao Jia trembled all over, stealing glances at Wen Zhaoming from time to time.
Wen Zhaoming also wore a troubled expression. "Don't worry about us. You shouldn't have come. Shi Zheng doesn't plan to spare anyone."
Tang Xuhai locked eyes with Shi Zheng, unsurprised by the statement.
Fu Shiwu looked at both of them, puzzled. These two weren't the type to lose hope easily. Why this reaction now?
Fu Shiwu looked closely at the newcomer and suddenly realized something.
"Xuhai, check inside Zhaoming's clothes! There's something!" he hesitantly said. "What is it?"
Tang Xuhai was shocked. Amidst the standoff with Shi Zheng, he raised his head, feeling a sinking sensation.
If they were previously on the brink of danger, now it was absolute peril!
That scoundrel Shi Zheng had strapped a bomb to Wen Zhaoming!
"Scum!" Tang Xuhai burst out. He glared at Shi Zheng. "You have a score with me. I'm here. Release them. Disarm the bomb!"
Shi Zheng spread his legs, hands clasped in front, a sly smile on his face. "You're the one I have a score with, sure. But haven't these people killed my men? Even if you didn't do it personally, standing by is complicity. What makes you think I'd let them go just for you? What gives you the confidence that I'd release these accomplices who killed my men just for you?"
Tang Xuhai closed his eyes. He knew it would end up this way.
At this moment, Horn Ting stepped forward nervously. "What if I said I wanted to join you?"
His statement stunned the people hanging on the wall. However, Fu Shiwu and Tang Xuhai remained unmoved.
Any glimmer of hope was worth a try.
"I'm a hydrokinetic, capable of creating water guns," Horn Ting, pale-faced, said to Shi Zheng. "This ability rivals heavy firearms. Release them, and I'll join your faction."
"Hmph!" Shi Zheng sneered. "Do you think I'd compromise because of your talent?"
This caught Horn Ting off guard. Although he didn't show it, he felt proud of improving the water arrows into water guns.
The hydrokinetic ability was no longer negligible but significantly enhanced in lethality. He was a crucial force when fighting the creatures atop the mountain!
He even believed that with this ability, any survival base would welcome him warmly. But Shi Zheng, the gangster, wasn't buying it!
This was precisely Shi Zheng's charm! Despite his ruthlessness, his subordinates feared him, yet he was remarkable.
Instantly, his men behind him cheered, boosting his popularity and prestige.
Tang Xuhai never expected this hesitation-free refusal.
"Enough talk, Tang Xuhai! Today's your unlucky day!" Shi Zheng pointed at Tang Xuhai sharply.
Tang Xuhai's face turned cold. "Since I dared to come, I've been prepared for this! Shi Zheng, bring it on!"
Swirling his wrists, Tang Xuhai held dual blades, fearless in front of Shi Zheng.
With a wicked grin, Shi Zheng lifted something in his hand. "You think you still have the ability to resist? Do you know what I have here?"
Tang Xuhai's vision was sharp. He recognized what Shi Zheng held in his hand—a remote control.
Gritting his teeth, Tang Xuhai squeezed out words, strained, "Shi Zheng, you're quite something. No need to be so shameless."
Shi Zheng, darkly, faced Tang Xuhai. "Do you have the right to say that? Wasn't it you who set the trap initially? Less talk, victory justifies the means. You better do as I say. Otherwise, I can't guarantee my hand won't accidentally shake and blow your companions sky high."
Fu Shiwu worriedly looked at their friends on the wall, then at the cunning guy, Shi Zheng—a villain!
Taking a deep breath, Tang Xuhai silently faced Shi Zheng.
Satisfied, Shi Zheng lazily said, "First, toss away your swords. No trace of metal on you."
Tang Xuhai reluctantly dropped his blades.
Shi Zheng glanced at the other two. "You, hand over the guns. And you, release 10 tons of water."
Fu Shiwu was shocked and angered. How did Shi Zheng know so much, seemingly controlling everything?
Tang Xuhai gritted his teeth. "Do as he says."
Relatively composed, Fu Shiwu surrendered the handguns, while Horn Ting, expressionless, extended his hand, spurting water, wishing to use the water gun on the people before him.
Unfortunately, Shi Zheng was too vigilant, his finger on the remote.
The person surrendering the guns looked at Tang Xuhai with a sneer. "Boss, he's not honest. He still has metal on him!"
Shi Zheng raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"
Tang Xuhai looked at the troublemaker, speaking through clenched teeth, "I've removed all metal from my body."
He even threw away his car keys.
"Isn't your belt buckle metal?" the troublemaker prodded.
This comment prompted raucous laughter. "Hahaha!"
"Yeah, the belt buckle counts! And what about the zipper? That's metal too, right?! Strip!"
"Strip!" "Take it all off! Hahaha!"
Fu Shiwu angrily watched these scoundrels clearly insulting Tang Xuhai!
Now it was Tang Xuhai who remained calm. He methodically took off his belt and even his pants, standing barefoot.
"To make the Wolf Head Shi Zheng so cautious, willing to strip me naked for reassurance, is truly my honor," Tang Xuhai said coldly.
Initially amused, Shi Zheng's smile faded. "Quit the act. Xiaomi, teach him a lesson, let him know the consequence of being overly talkative."
Immediately, a burly man walked forward from Shi Zheng's side and punched Tang Xuhai's face as instructed.
Fu Shiwu wanted to rush but was firmly held back.
He couldn't break free, only helplessly watching Tang Xuhai being assaulted.
Tang Xuhai glanced at him, indicating to stay calm.
He understood Tang Xuhai was waiting for the right moment but feared it might not come before Shi Zheng finished him off.
Wen Zhaoming and the others, lying by the door, couldn't witness what happened inside. The sounds alone made them uncomfortable. Bound by ropes on their wrists, their expressions were complex—anger, fear, guilt, self-loathing.
When Shi Zheng threatened Wen Zhaoming with the bomb earlier, it was a sophisticated device. Only a bomb disposal expert could dismantle it; otherwise, it seemed impossible.
This bomb's remote was in Shi Zheng's hand, capable of detonation. Another monitored Wen Zhaoming's heartbeat—if he died, the bomb would explode. Additionally, the bomb would detonate upon touching any metal wire, devoid of any vulnerabilities.
It was like a scene from TV where cutting a wire could defuse the bomb—simply nonexistent.
Wen Zhaoming
felt utterly hopeless at that moment. Since he was going to die anyway, why involve others? But just that moment of hesitation left him hanging on the wall, a bargaining chip for Shi Zheng against Tang Xuhai and Fu Shiwu.
To impress Shi Zheng, Xiaomi, the enforcer, exerted full force, relentlessly assaulting Tang Xuhai.
Soon, Tang Xuhai's body bore bruises, his face swollen, his eyes barely open.
"Enough, don't beat him to death. This man killed many of my brothers. He can't get off that easy," Shi Zheng said coldly.
Gasping for air, Xiaomi stopped, delivering one last kick to Tang Xuhai.
Tang Xuhai's head drooped as if he'd passed out.
"Lock Tang Xuhai in a special cell. Tomorrow morning, prepare for his execution to honor my fallen brothers," Shi Zheng looked at Fu Shiwu, who glared back. "Don't worry; you'll join him soon."
Tomorrow morning?
Fu Shiwu pondered silently, unsure if there'd be an alien attack here.
He never imagined he'd one day hope for alien intervention.
Fu Shiwu and Horn Ting were dragged away and thrown into a cell, while Tang Xuhai was locked in a peculiar cell. Its door, a thick stone slab, was operated by an earth elementalist—no trace of metal inside.
It wasn't specifically for Tang Xuhai but designed by Shi Zheng to deal with metal elementalists.
Thrown in like a dead dog, Tang Xuhai was shut in. Through fist-sized vents serving as ventilation, some light penetrated the cell, preventing complete darkness.
When certain they were gone, Tang Xuhai got up. He spat blood on the ground.
Straightening his neck, flexing his limbs, he emitted cracking sounds.
Inspecting his body, he was surprised to find that despite the severe beating from Xiaomi, there were only superficial injuries—no internal damage.
Perplexed, Tang Xuhai looked at his palms. Could it be that after his bones fused with metal, his muscular strength increased significantly?
It seemed plausible. His metallic ability was somewhat different from the metallic elementalists in the central warehouse. His ability seemed more focused on reinforcing himself rather than controlling external metals, like the others.
Tang Xuhai sneered at the stone door. Removing metal didn't mean he was powerless.
With his palm outstretched, a colossal sword slowly materialized from it!
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