The walls, designed to withstand heavy artillery, crumbled under Qin Fen’s charged palm, fragile as decaying wood. They didn't even have the chance to register the fierce impact before the hand resting against the concrete instantly pulverized the structure through a shockwave of Zhenqi.

Concrete, interwoven with rebar, collapsed with a deafening crash. Qin Fen, hands clasped behind his back, casually stepped over the breach as if strolling through his own backyard. He calmly looked at Zuo Lin, "You can try. See if your finger hits the escape button faster than my speed."

Zuo Lin’s hand, which had been stealthily inching toward an inconspicuous button on the desk, suddenly trembled. Then, Qin Fen’s confident voice drifted over slowly, "Li Ming was racing me for speed. He lost, so he paid with his life. If you think you’re stronger than Li Ming, we can make the same wager."

The extended arm of Zuo Lin slowly retracted. He laced his fingers together, his composure already returning from the initial shock and surprise. He narrowed his eyes, a faint smile playing on his lips as he looked at Qin Fen entering the room, "You arrived fast. I’m quite surprised. To think you could actually find me here. It seems I underestimated you."

Qin Fen frowned slightly at Zuo Lin’s smiling expression. He took a stride forward, shattering the desk separating them with one kick, and threw a curved, crescent-moon uppercut toward Zuo Lin with his right fist.

This punch was startlingly sudden, completely unheralded before the strike. Zuo Lin instinctively crossed his arms to guard his abdomen, but he watched helplessly as Qin Fen’s punch—delivered at the fourteen-star strength level—pierced through the crossed defense and slammed brutally into his lower belly.

Bang! A sound like a wooden club striking raw meat erupted in the room. Zuo Lin’s military uniform violently ballooned outward, instantly shredding to expose skin the size of a fist. The pale skin immediately showed a large crimson patch, and agonizing pain, like a thousand knives tearing and slicing simultaneously, ripped through his internal organs. The sheer force lifted his rear end high off the seat.

Instantly, Zuo Lin’s handsome face turned ghastly pale, beads of sweat the size of beans covering his forehead and cheeks. The highly absorbent colonel’s uniform looked as if it had just been drenched by a torrential downpour.

Pain! Zuo Lin couldn't recall the last time he felt such agony. The violent throbbing assaulted every nerve in his body, like the Yangtze River bursting its banks, unleashing a flood that churned his entire stomach as if someone were stirring it with a club.

The pinpointed pain seemed to transmit information everywhere, rapidly spreading from the origin point along every meridian in his body, like millions of insects devouring and gnawing at him from all directions.

Thud! Zuo Lin, who had been flung high off his seat by the punch, crashed heavily back onto it. The muscles in his face twitched violently. The steadfast smile he wore moments before was gone, replaced only by boundless suffering etched into every millimeter of his facial musculature.

The twitching, which had started in Zuo Lin’s cheek muscles, quickly spread to shake his entire body.

Zuo Lin slowly lifted his head. Beyond the sheer endurance required to bear the pain, his eyes held astonishment and fury. Qin Fen dared to strike him? And he had only used fourteen-star strength—a fair fight, yet Zuo Lin couldn't even defend against the attack. His prized Golden Web Invulnerability technique, purchased at great expense, had proven utterly useless, shattered by the opponent’s blow.

Qin Fen slowly retracted his fist, gripped the back collar of Zuo Lin’s uniform—who was curled like a shrimp—and casually tossed him onto the guest sofa. Qin Fen then leisurely sat down in Zuo Lin’s former executive chair.

"I really hate that smile of yours." Ad break time!

Qin Fen looked at Zuo Lin, who was curled over, enduring the pain, his face deathly pale.

"Hah... Hah..." Zuo Lin tried to regulate his breathing, blinking slightly to squeeze out the cold sweat rolling into his eyes, controlling the corners of his lips that spasmed due to the pain. With a hint of surprise, he said, "Did you really kill Li Ming from Jianzhou?"

Qin Fen felt a flicker of regret; he had been too thorough when killing Li Ming, leaving not even a single shred of evidence. Everything was left to speculation, even Zuo Dongting’s grandson could only rely on past events for inference.

"Then," Qin Fen interlaced his fingers on his crossed legs, "you should understand me by now."

Zuo Lin slowly nodded. "I understand."

"Very good." Qin Fen raised his palm slightly, making a gesture of invitation.

Smart people don't need many words. Zuo Lin wasn't an idiot; he had simply misjudged Qin Fen's capability, completely failing to anticipate his sudden appearance here instead of the expected rescue of Morade in Hohhot.

Zuo Lin slowly raised his wrist. His projection watch was there. In the minute since Qin Fen walked in, no guards had rushed to the rescue. He knew the guards outside were likely dead or unconscious.

Qin Fen could sit there so calmly, unafraid, perhaps because someone outside was keeping watch, allowing him this relaxed demeanor.

Waiting for rescue was futile. Zuo Lin stopped stalling and directly connected the call to Hohhot.

"Young Master, you—"

On the other end, a young man with a purple face, a long beard, and wearing a green robe looked at Zuo Lin in the projection with great shock.

The usually handsome and perpetually composed Zuo Lin was gone. The young man in the projection looked utterly dejected, clearly having suffered some abuse.

"You don't need to continue the ambush anymore. Qin Fen isn't going there," Zuo Lin said weakly, his expression revealing a thread of malice, "He found his way here."

"What?"

"Old Uncle Li, you don't need to worry either. I am temporarily his captive now." Zuo Lin struggled to sit up, leaning against the soft backrest of the sofa, gasping for air. "He won't kill me immediately because I still have some use—as leverage to exchange for Morade."

Zuo Lin twisted his body, his peripheral vision secretly glancing at Qin Fen. He was inwardly astonished again by Qin Fen’s punch. At the same fourteen-star level, a single blow had inflicted damage that, even after resting this long and continuously activating his family’s recovery technique, showed no sign of lessening.

"I’ll switch the camera to Qin Fen now. You can speak with him yourself. Hear what else he wants..."

Zuo Lin flicked his watch, and Qin Fen immediately saw a middle-aged man in the projection, his face contorted in anger, veins bulging on his neck and forehead, enveloped in a faint violet aura.

"Kid! You have some nerve—"

Smash! The middle-aged man’s words abruptly stopped mid-sentence, his roar cut short. His two furious eyes flashed with stunned disbelief as he stared intently at Qin Fen’s action in the office.

Before the threat could be fully voiced, Qin Fen suddenly moved, shooting forward in a single bound to stand before Zuo Lin. Without uttering a single word, he delivered a vicious kick straight to Zuo Lin’s face.

Old Uncle Li never imagined that just as he was about to utter a threat, the other party would use swift action to display his attitude.

"How is my nerve?"

Qin Fen stood with his hands behind his back, his foot pressing down on Zuo Lin’s head, coldly challenging Old Uncle Li’s near-murderous gaze, "I hate hearing nonsense. Exchange the hostage."

Zuo Lin’s head was pressed against the sofa cushion, intimately coupled with the sole of Qin Fen’s foot. Venomous hatred spewed from his eyes. He inwardly cursed his carelessness this time; in his eagerness to capture Qin Fen and complete the subjugation, he had deployed all his chips and neglected his own security defenses and Qin Fen’s actual strength.

Zuo Lin raised an eyebrow, secretly glancing at Qin Fen, channeling more resentment toward him. This surprise attack felt particularly unjust. How could the status of a descendant of the Zuo family be compared to some Lieutenant Generals in the Shizhu Military Region? Qin Fen had charged in uninvited, completely disregarding any future consequences!

The sense of humiliation, like boiling volcanic magma, coursed through Zuo Lin’s blood.

"Fine! No problem!" Old Uncle Li dared not hesitate. He saw the eager anticipation in Qin Fen’s eyes; if he showed the slightest hesitation or attempted to bargain, Zuo Lin would certainly be attacked and abused again. Qin Fen ignored Old Uncle Li, shifting his gaze to Zuo Lin underfoot, and suddenly asked, "How much do you have?"

"Huh?" Zuo Lin flinched, immediately feeling the foot pressing down harder on his cheek, his head nearly sinking into the sofa cushion. His resentful, hateful eyes darted around his pupils, "Fifty million!"

Zuo Lin spat the figure out resentfully—the total liquid assets he could mobilize in the short term. For the immensely wealthy Zuo family, fifty million wasn't much, but most of their wealth was tied up in assets, not readily available cash. Furthermore, with Zuo Dongting managing the family affairs, Zuo Lin’s own liquid funds were not vast.

Qin Fen looked up at Old Uncle Li in the projection, "I want to see Morade."

"He is currently—"

"Now. Immediately!" Qin Fen’s voice brooked no argument. Zuo Lin’s head sank further into the sofa, boundless humiliation flooding his bloodstream.

"Alright!" Old Uncle Li roared, turning and running, "Wait for me! Immediately!"

Qin Fen looked down at Zuo Lin, whose head felt like it could be crushed at any second. His eyebrows twitched a few times. Setting aside their adversarial positions, Zuo Lin was certainly tough. From the moment he took the punch until now, he hadn't uttered a single scream, painful cry, or even a muffled groan.

The projection screen shifted again. In an underground iron cell, Morade sat listlessly strapped into a super electric chair, his body immobilized by various metal restraints. The sharp intensity in his pupils was gone.

"I have memorized his injuries," Qin Fen said coolly. "During the exchange, if he has even one more scratch on him, I will chop off Zuo Lin’s head."

"You—" Old Uncle Li's veins bulged under the strain of his rage, seemingly about to burst through his bronze skin. The sounds of his bones and sinews clattering suggested hundreds of gears grinding against each other without oil. In all his years, he had never encountered such an arrogant young man, daring to kidnap the grandson of the sleeping lion, Zuo Dongting, and openly threatening to kill Zuo Lin at any moment.

Old Uncle Li looked at Zuo Lin under Qin Fen's foot. He took a long, deep breath, suppressing the fury in his heart. Only then did he slowly nod at Qin Fen, "But you must guarantee—"

Old Uncle Li’s attempt to negotiate abruptly ceased. In the projection, Qin Fen had hoisted Zuo Lin up high and, without mercy, began raining down punches and kicks on every part of Zuo Lin’s body.

In the blink of an eye, Zuo Lin’s handsome nose bridge was flattened, his entire face turning bluish-black with bruises. More than half of his neat row of teeth were broken and gone. He dropped to the floor like a sack filled with sand, landing with a dull thud.

"You!" Old Uncle Li froze for a second, then an enraged roar erupted from his throat, "You're courting death!"

Qin Fen spared Old Uncle Li a glance, flicked his ankle, kicking Zuo Lin’s abdomen and sending him flying into the adjacent intact wall. The violent impact shook a valuable scroll painting off the wall, sending it to the floor. Zuo Lin tumbled several times before stopping. His swollen eyelids strained to open, revealing only a thin slit. Ad break time!

Old Uncle Li’s towering rage was instantly extinguished, like a fire meeting the strongest monsoon rain. His anger could only flicker in his pupils. He was too far from the real Qin Fen; further displays of fury would only provoke Qin Fen to escalate the beating.

Old Uncle Li calmed his rage. His pupils held more confusion than anger. "Why?"

Qin Fen pointed at Morade in the projection, his expression so chilling it seemed to freeze the moisture in the air, "He wasn't this badly injured a short while ago."

Old Uncle Li felt his blood pressure rising. Morade was a fifteen-star Martial Arts Master. If he hadn't been severely wounded, this special chair, equipped with instantaneous poison injection and high-voltage electricity release, couldn't have restrained him.

"Prepare fifty million, and a fully recovered Morade," Qin Fen said calmly, holding Zuo Lin up. "I will tell you the exchange location. If you value his life highly, you can try sending rescuers to see whose speed is faster: theirs, or my executioner's."

"Alright, young man," Old Uncle Li regained his composure, a rare gentleness in his eyes. "I can agree to your demands. But I must remind you, perhaps you don't realize what you are doing, nor who the person behind him is..."

"My name is Qin Fen."

Five simple words, taking perhaps less than two seconds to utter, yet Old Uncle Li’s face suddenly darkened.

Qin Fen—that name was now one of the most resounding in the world of Martial Arts Masters. Even when facing a gauntlet of opponents at Mount Hanla, he had managed to defeat two powerful Martial Arts Masters...

Qin Fen! The name associated with daring to visit Mount Qilin alone to propose marriage!

Qin Fen! The name associated with the collapse and destruction of Mount Qilin’s main peak shortly after his visit! A martial artist who walked out of Mount Qilin unscathed!

Old Uncle Li clearly understood the true implication behind Qin Fen revealing his name; the subtext stabbed him in the heart like a knife.

"I am Qin Fen! When I became a Martial Arts Master, I wasn't afraid to fight on the home ground of masters who had been famous for years! I am Qin Fen! I dared to defy the words of Qilin itself, and even dared to go to Mount Qilin to propose marriage! If the power behind Zuo Lin is not stronger than Qilin, then do not bother speaking."

Zuo Lin, struggling to open his eyes to the width of a slit, shot a final look of regret. Those simple five words exploded in his mind like a thunderclap, bringing forth a matching phrase: I am Qin Fen! I will never compromise with any force!

Zuo Lin regretted not accepting the first demand immediately when Qin Fen agreed to it without question. If he hadn't been greedy and pushed further, he wouldn't have truly enraged Qin Fen. This young man, driven into a rage, was signaling to everyone who knew the situation, with an almost berserk attitude: I, Qin Fen, will resist any challenge, I will never compromise!

Zuo Lin regretted his current predicament, stemming from overconfidence. He should have deployed his secret weapon immediately to eliminate Qin Fen.

Qin Fen closed the communicator and dragged Zuo Lin, striding through layer after layer of violently damaged walls, soon emerging at the outermost perimeter of the villa.

Xue Tian sat on the ground, cradling his Iai sword. He stood up, brushed the dust from his pants, spat out the blade of grass he’d been chewing, and looked at Qin Fen with a rogueish air, "Old Qin, have you thought through the consequences of doing this?"

Qin Fen looked at the growing crowd gathering around them and nodded slightly, "Saturn. We don't necessarily have to rely on the military to get there."

The others exchanged knowing smiles. The military’s resources were good; if there were an existing platform to conquer Saturn, that would be ideal. But if the military structure wasn't available, was it truly impossible to reach Saturn?

How did the Tianmen Difu originate? They started from scratch, only achieving their current status on Saturn through hard work.

"If others can do it, why can't I?" Yang Lie looked up at the sky, as if he could truly see Saturn. "Without the constraints of military regulations, we should be able to act more freely."

Qin Fen looked at Zuo Lin held in his hand. "He has fifty million. Subtract Morade’s medical expenses. Give the rest to us as seed money."

"Nice move!" Xue Tian happily threw his arm around Qin Fen’s neck. "I never would have guessed, after a few days, you’ve learned robbery and kidnapping. Your first deal is a fifty-million blockbuster!"

Qin Fen smiled, looking seriously at Xue Tian, "This matter probably won't end peacefully. I can only repay Zhao Beard's kindness in other ways now. It looks like we really have to start as mercenaries." Ad break time!

Xue Tian held Qin Fen’s neck with one hand and raised his Iai sword high overhead with the other, letting out a cheerful war cry, "Haha! Mercenaries! A man's profession! My dream is finally coming true!"

"If we're going to Saturn, fifty million probably won't be enough," Caesar lightly shook his fingers. "An organization needs more than just our fighting prowess. It requires the integration of commerce, intelligence, and various talents to achieve success. I heard that before the Heroes Assembly, the Divine Beast martial artists weren't just judged by their combat power. It seems others also look at your leadership skills—whether you have the capacity to govern a planet. While we might not need others’ approval, we can’t just go to Saturn to cause destruction, can we?"

Qin Fen nodded repeatedly at Caesar’s words. Caesar shrugged, spreading his arms wide, "So, we need a lot of resources. And what's better than controlling the resources of an entire family?"

"One family isn't enough!" Yang Lie’s eyes glowed with a savage hunger. He slowly looked at the others, noticing the same predatory look in their eyes: a look of plunder. "If we're going to do it, let's go for the biggest score!"

Qin Fen’s usually steady eyes also held a hint of surprise. "You guys want to—"

"Exactly!" Yang Lie took a deep breath, his body trembling as if resisting an unconscious fear. He clenched his fingers into tight fists. "The elders of the family need to retire! Cooperating with Zuo Lin to secure that bit of Saturn's benefits would only slightly expand the family's territory. I think you all are aiming for the Divine Beast status, right?"

Solomon quietly nodded, his eyes as deep as a cold pool suddenly igniting like a fuel tank, burning! Boiling! Erupting!

Zuo Lin forced his swollen eyes open as wide as the slits would allow. Unbelievable shock poured from them. Two idioms flashed through his mind in an instant: Audacious to the extreme! Usurping power!

Crazy! Zuo Lin could only think that Yang Lie and the others had lost their minds. They wanted to seize power within their own families! These people were insane, attacking his home turf to seize control of the clan!

In vast, ancient families, power struggles were not uncommon, but it was rare for twenty-year-olds to initiate such a takeover.

"First, back to Europe," Caesar took a decisive step, his imperial aura suddenly erupting. He slowly tilted his chin up toward the sky, "I am already the head of the Alexandrian family. If I leave now, maybe I can catch the grand election ceremony for the new family head."

Everyone turned their gaze to Qin Fen. It wasn't because they lacked their own initiative, but because the enormous trouble brewing was entirely his doing. Furthermore, leaving the military structure to go independent toward Saturn was his suggestion. How could they proceed with seizing power without his opinion?

Qin Fen met Caesar’s imperial gaze and shrugged, "What belongs to you, you should naturally take back. For what everyone else wants, I will certainly help with all my might."

"Good!"

A unified, joyous roar shot toward the clouds. They were all in the prime of their youth, the pinnacle of their era—daring to think anything, daring to do anything. When such a group converged, what was there they wouldn't dare attempt?

Zuo Lin suddenly realized how little he understood Qin Fen and his cohort. The written profiles vastly diverged from the Qin Fen he had actually encountered; these individuals even dared to attempt something as reckless as usurping authority. Back then, he truly should have deployed the secret weapon to eliminate Qin Fen! Now, held captive by him, he could only contemplate those options for the time being. Once he was truly safe, he would deploy the secret weapon and kill Qin Fen!

Zuo Lin believed that these young powerhouses were all inherently arrogant, likely scorning one another under normal circumstances. The only reason they had temporarily banded together was the presence of Qin Fen, which had tightly bound them like a single rope. If Qin Fen were eliminated, this group would immediately scatter, and the formidable alliance they had forged would instantly collapse.

At the Shengjing Military Headquarters, Zhao Huzi paced restlessly before the window, muttering constantly, "I wonder how Qin Fen is doing now? I wonder who has betrayed him. I truly hope he can quickly recover from the pain of this betrayal by a friend."

Fan: Monthly tickets! I need monthly tickets! Many people say they dislike Zuo Lin, which makes me very happy; at least it means I achieved what I intended for him to do. "Let's celebrate the crazy actions of this bunch of mad youngsters! Monthly tickets for the rise! Double monthly tickets—it’s a waste not to vote! I know many friends like to shower me with monthly tickets at the end of the month; many times, the monthly ticket count for Gao Lou has surged dramatically right at the month's close, but this time, we have the rare double monthly tickets—one counts as two! I’m asking for monthly tickets!