Chapter 149: Super Expert (Part 1)

Deep within an elegantly landscaped garden stood a complex of ancient palaces. Inside the main hall, a dozen or so people stood trembling with fear. Ahead of them stretched a flight of stairs, rising ever higher. To catch a glimpse of the uppermost section, one had to tilt their head back and look up.

A voice, carrying a hint of anger and displeasure, rang out: "Today's events are a lesson. A local gang from Country M actually dared to storm our grounds. I want you to remember this forever. Now, capture them for me first. I want that fat man alive; I want to see what kind of person has the audacity to pull this off."

The subordinates below hurriedly acknowledged the order and scrambled outside. Staying here for even another minute was agonizingly uncomfortable. The oppressive atmosphere constricted their chests, making it difficult to breathe, as if their hearts were being continuously squeezed, leaving their entire bodies gripped by a debilitating fatigue.

Seated upon a throne resembling that of an emperor, the figure looked down at the scrambling subordinates and let out a cold, chilling hum: "A bunch of useless trash."

The command was swiftly relayed. The newly formed encirclement units of the Cherry Blossom Group received orders to press forward at all costs, eliminate the opposition, and capture the fat man alive.

"Damn it... Fast enough not to even give a man time to smoke a cigarette." The Grand Steward tossed away his cigar, instantly shifting into sniper mode. Ignoring the ordinary foot soldiers, he hunted exclusively for experts.

King Kong stood by, waiting, anticipating close-quarters combat. The Grand Steward took down several enemy experts in rapid succession, a thrill surging through his heart. He thought to themselves that these bastards must have lost their minds to keep charging forward like this.

Having received strict orders, the members of the Cherry Blossom Group began charging from all directions. Because of the snipers' positions, the chances of a counterattack were virtually zero. The enemy had snipers of their own, but the Grand Steward had dealt with them in just a few shots.

Although they held various tactical advantages, the enemy simply had too many men. Even with the Grand Steward and his people numbering around several dozen and firing continuously, they could not completely seal off the area, and a good number of intruders broke through.

Outside, Xiao Tianci received the report and immediately sent word to the Russian and Country M factions, telling them he had already left the building and that the situation outside was chaotic, advising them to head out and meet up. They had already heard the gunfire outside—it was a chaotic mess. Yet the guards specifically assigned to watch over them had continuously placated them.

When they learned that the very people they were supposed to protect were now outside, panic set in among them as well. They rushed outward just as the newly penetrated Cherry Blossom Group operatives were flooding into these very towers. Under such circumstances, there was nothing left to say; battle broke out instantly upon contact.

Hearing the reports from his subordinates, Xiao Tianci was quite satisfied. *Damn it, trashy as they might be, they can still hold the line for a while.*

Nearby, the fat man thought it over carefully, a lingering sense of dread creeping into his heart. They truly had been far too arrogant and self-righteous at the start; now they risked losing the chicken they used as bait only to lose the grain as well. With this thought, he said, "Number Five, the situation doesn't look right. It seems I underestimated the enemy. I think we should retreat now."

Xiao Tianci turned his head to look at the fat man, surprised that he would suggest a retreat. Still, under the current circumstances, Xiao Tianci reassured him: "Don't worry, Fat Man. We anticipated this kind of scenario. Let's stick to our original plan—inflict as much damage on the enemy as we possibly can."

The fat man pondered for a moment and muttered, "Tsk, it's probably not that simple anymore. Maybe it's because of these unexpected setbacks, but I keep feeling like something is wrong—terribly wrong. It's giving me an inexplicable sense of unease and dread."

Observing that the fat man's spirits were quite low, Xiao Tianci could understand. After all, the people he had painstakingly cultivated were suffering losses all at once. Most importantly, without achieving his ultimate goal, he must be feeling utterly defeated right now.

"Don't worry, I'll handle things here. You should go get some rest," Xiao Tianci said, glancing at his watch as he silently calculated the time.

The battlefield situation shifted by the split second. Amidst the bustling metropolis, the two sides were locked in a life-or-death struggle. Because the Grand Steward, Lin Jian, had taken out quite a few experts in the first wave of intruders, virtually no high-level fighters had managed to breach the inner perimeter.

As a result, the intruders ran straight into the two groups of bodyguards. Those guards quickly eliminated the breakthrough forces and, following the path indicated by Xiao Tianci, immediately began giving chase—right toward the enemy's main force.

Things got lively then. Without a second word, fighting erupted on both sides once more. Although these men were not all exceptionally formidable, they fought as a cohesive unit and were accustomed to coordinated combat, making their combined destructive power formidable. Especially since the initial opponents they encountered were ordinary foot soldiers, whom they mercilessly slaughtered, turning the tide against the enemy.

What kind of place was this? It was the home turf of the Cherry Blossom Group. No matter what, their strength was immense. The moment he learned that the intruders had broken through the first layer of encirclement, Xiao Tianci knew those men were doomed; he could only hope they would take down as many of the enemy with them as possible.

Sure enough, before they could even press further, the enemy's elite experts arrived...

"Damn it, these bastards have all gone mad..." Grand Steward Lin Jian fired his weapon continuously, but the enemy numbers were overwhelming, with more and more flooding in. King Kong knew it was his time to enter the fray.

"I'm heading down to deal with them," King Kong said, his figure blurring as he completed his first transformation.

The Grand Steward had no time to respond, maintaining a relentless barrage of gunfire. As long as the boss gave no order to retreat, he would fight to the very end.

Although many members of the Cherry Blossom Group desperately surged forward, the casualty ratio was steep—ten dying for every one who managed to push through. On the other side, Tang Bing also moved down with a few men, beginning the clearance of the incoming wave.

Among those charging through, only an occasional one or two were passably skilled, and no matter how many of that caliber came, it wasn't enough for King Kong, Tang Bing, and their men to slaughter.

Up in the grand hall, looking down from above, expressions were indistinct. Upon hearing the battle reports and learning that a heavy toll had been paid merely to wipe out the two out-rushing teams, the figure slowly rose from the throne.

According to the initial plan, at least fifty percent of the enemy's core personnel were to be eliminated, after which the survivors would be lured here, their strength wiped out to the maximum extent, and then a rapid retreat executed.

The original concept had been sound, but reality proved far less compliant. Viewed now, while the attrition inflicted on the enemy forces was acceptable, it didn't seem to have dealt a crippling blow to the Cherry Blossom Group as a whole.

At least, it wasn't as effective as taking out several of their key commanders. Xiao Tianci checked the time. He felt somewhat uncertain himself; realizing things had reached this stage, cutting their losses and making a clean getaway was the wisest course of action.

Simultaneously, Xiao Tianci cursed the useless waste sent by Russia and Country M. He had originally expected them to cause some trouble for the adversary, but they had charged out arrogantly, taken out a few low-level lackeys, and then been promptly wiped out the moment they stepped outside.

"Grand Steward, King Kong succeeded. Tang Bing, prepare to retreat. I'll start coordinating your extraction from my end," Xiao Tianci ordered, signaling his forces to launch an auxiliary assault from the perimeter.

Those enemy troops were pressing the attack furiously according to orders, never expecting a sudden stab in the back from behind. As King Kong and the others fell back, they detonated pre-planted explosives to temporarily stall the enemy's advance, already charging outward themselves.

Everyone shouldered their sniper rifles and switched to their preferred close-quarters weapons. The Grand Steward continued firing with both hands, King Kong covered the rear, and Tang Bing took the point. Cutting through the opposition like bamboo, they regrouped and accelerated their pace as the enemy converged upon them in a fan-shaped formation.

This scenario had been factored into their calculations. When Xiao Tianci and his men had pulled back earlier, they had covertly deployed heavy firepower nests and massive caches of explosives at several key points along the route. The moment they boarded their vehicles and evacuated, those entire roadways would be blown to smithereens.

The evacuation proceeded smoothly, executing every detail of the plan. Seeing the Grand Steward and his team return completely unscathed, both Xiao Tianci and the fat man breathed a collective sigh of relief. As long as no further catastrophic losses were incurred, the operation could be counted as a success.

The fat man let out a long breath. "Phew... Good, good, things went well enough. Damn it, at least stirring up this much trouble let the Cherry Blossom Group know that even if they're a tiger's backside, I'll still reach out and slap it."

Xiao Tianci remarked, "Forget it. If you ever want to slap this tiger's backside again in the future, you'd better tame the tiger first. Oh wait—no, you should just kill it outright."

As they spoke, the majority of the personnel were already boarding the vessel. The fat man had secretly spent a fortune under a false front to acquire this ship through the secretary of an important domestic politician. Due to the vessel's unique clearance status, it could slip out even under an initial total lockdown; once they reached international waters, a submarine was already waiting to receive them.

In the midst of the boarding process, the Grand Steward, King Kong, and the others flanked Xiao Tianci. Xiao Tianci knew that upon returning, comprehensive preparations for war would have to begin. The retaliation from the Cherry Blossom Group would undoubtedly be far more ferocious.

*Sigh, nothing to be done about it.* The fat man's underworld business was practically intertwined with his own now; in this current predicament, he simply could not wash his hands of it. Once they got back, he would have to brainstorm alternative strategies.

"Let's go. I've got a bad feeling about this place—something's off. We need to leave," Xiao Tianci said, stepping forward to board the ship.

At that exact moment, a voice echoed from above: "You think you can just walk away like this? What do you take my Cherry Blossom Group for? Today... none of you are leaving this place alive."