“Easy does it, harmonize your internal energy, keep your mind clear—only then can it serve me.” Fatty Lin repeated the words in surprise, a slight grin splitting his lips. “Brother Yi, are we starting?”

“Yanran, ready up!”

“Already prepared.” Feng Shi smiled faintly in response. When it came to the art of high-speed driving, she dared claim the top spot, and no one else would dare challenge her, not even Yang Yi.

Hearing this, Yang Yi glanced in the rearview mirror. Seeing a sniper already positioned in the large van behind them, he let out a cold chuckle. “Begin!”

“Thump!” “Whoosh!”………

Fatty Lin braced one hand on the sunroof of the car roof and flung his hand out, sending a throwing knife tracing a perfect arc.

“Crack!” “Bang!” A strange sound preceded the gunfire.

“Bastard!” The man holding the sniper rifle cursed roundly before retreating into the van. “Boss, that kid…”

“I saw it!” The middle-aged man addressed as ‘Boss’ pondered for a moment, narrowing his eyes. “The opponent knows how to throw knives. Although that throw didn't hit you directly, it broke your chance to fire a clean shot. It seems our opponent is not simple.”

“Boss, shall we both go at him?”

“Yes! But be careful. We don’t know how many throwing knives that kid has on him.”

“Understood!”

“Damn it, Brother Yi…” A bead of sweat surfaced on Fatty Lin’s palm. He seemed genuinely embarrassed by his earlier miss, and his heart instantly tensed up.

“You missed once; remember that lesson. But if you can’t overcome this hurdle, then…” Yang Yi stared at Fatty Lin, an icy chill flickering in his eyes. Heaven knew what that look meant.

Seeing Yang Yi’s gaze, Fatty Lin’s heart skipped a beat. He took a deep breath, seemingly trying to compose his suddenly tense mood, then managed, “I understand.”

“They’re coming. Two this time. Remember, if you miss again, what you lose won’t be a throwing knife, but your life!”

“To hell with them.” Fatty Lin jolted. He clamped his legs around the seat cushion and drew two throwing knives, channeling his internal energy into them as Yang Yi had instructed, pouring his Neixi into the blades.

“Swish!” “Swish!” The two knives cut through the air with a strange sound.

“Bang!” “Crack!” A bullet was fired, surprisingly missing its mark, while another grazed the side of the car, sparking but failing to hit a target. At the exact same moment, a muffled groan and a ghostly howl echoed.

“Sniper!” the black-suited middle-aged man exclaimed, rushing to support the sniper who had just been pierced by a throwing knife. He then looked at the groaning gunman and asked, “Are you alright?”

“My hand… my hand…” The gunman, who had been so arrogant moments before, now had a contorted face, his eyes wide with disbelief, veins bulging on his forehead.

The black-suited man beside him quickly stripped off his outer garment and wrapped it around the gunman whose wrist had just been severed by a throwing knife.

“Very good…” Yang Yi smiled coldly. “One down, one hand disabled. To achieve such precision on the second attempt—not bad!”

“Crap, can’t take him out!” Although Fatty Lin was being praised by Yang Yi, he felt utterly frustrated. However, the tension from before had completely vanished. Moreover, his Neixi seemed to be slowly flooding his meridians, making his whole body feel hot!

“Keep calm; that’s what I told you long ago,” Yang Yi noticed Fatty Lin’s agitation and immediately added, “The calmer your heart, the more freely you can control your inner force. Man is alive, the knife is dead. If you want to bring the knife to life, you must infuse your life force into it!”

“Infuse life force into the knife?” Fatty Lin took a deep breath and asked, “How do I infuse it?”

“Ever heard of the Little Li Flying Dagger?” Yang Yi asked, a wicked, captivating arc curving his lips.

“Little Li Flying Dagger? The guy who never missed?”

“Correct. That man professionally practiced throwing knives. He placed his Yijing—his artistic conception—onto the knife, not his hand! As the saying goes: Intent rests in the blade, power rests in the hand!”

“Perhaps I should handle this?” Xuanyuan Bing asked Yang Yi, seeking his counsel. “I can finish them off easily!”

“Heh, some people can certainly be killed easily. But if killing these people provides lessons that he might never learn in his lifetime, then those who die will have meaning—meaning for us,” Yang Yi smiled faintly, a smile darker than a demon’s. It seemed as if he wasn't handling an ambush but toying with those who were hunting him.

“You want to mold him into a modern version of the Little Li Flying Dagger?” Xuanyuan Bing looked at the serious expression on Fatty Lin’s face and remarked.

“Fatty, how many throwing knives do you have left?” Yang Yi asked.

“Three!” Fatty Lin replied.

“They have one man down and one injured. Accounting for that, you’ve already used up one knife. Fire all three at once, take out three men!”

“Impossible!” Xuanyuan Bing was the first to object. She tilted her head, looking at Yang Yi with clear confusion. “Let’s not even discuss them being inside the vehicle; we’re on a road, the wind resistance alone…” She trailed off, looking at Yang Yi’s eerie smile, suddenly feeling that perhaps anything considered impossible might become achievable under his command.

“Why stop talking?” Yang Yi prompted her.

“Unless he can truly control them with intent, just like Li Xunhuan’s Little Li Flying Dagger. But that’s impossible; that man practiced for decades…”

“There is nothing in this world that cannot be done, only things you don’t want to do!”

“Brother Yi, I’m ready,” Fatty Lin declared, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

“Good. Three shots simultaneously, take out three targets!”

“Understood!”

After agreeing, Fatty Lin climbed out of the sunroof, his face icy as he stared at the van behind them. Seeing that they appeared to be making no immediate move, he suddenly pulled a strange, cold smirk and held three throwing knives in one hand.

“What is that kid trying to do? Hurry, make the van swerve!” the Boss in the passenger seat shouted, his face drastically changing.

“Tch!” A strange sound, scraped by tires, constantly emanated from the direction of the van.

“Three shots simultaneously, none shall miss!” Fatty Lin closed his eyes and murmured this cryptic phrase. Suddenly, he tensed, a sharp glint flashing across his eyes, and the three throwing knives flew from his hands with bizarre speed.

“Quick, turn!” The Boss felt a sudden, inexplicable prickling sensation in his ears. He could recognize the strange sound of those knives cutting the air, a sound he felt he had encountered somewhere before. He shuddered and yelled.

“Thwack!” “Thwack!” “Thwack!”

“Agh, agh, agh!” Three wretched cries sounded. The van began to shake violently, but this shaking wasn't caused by the driver; it was the result of the vehicle being uncontrolled.

“Quick, jump out!” the black-suited middle-aged Boss exclaimed, immediately shoving open the door and leaping out. The black-suited men behind him also jumped out, carrying their weapons.

“Rumble!” The sound echoed as the entire van slammed into the guardrail on the side of the road, billowing white smoke.

“Success!” Fatty Lin excitedly scrambled back into their car and looked at Yang Yi. “Brother Yi, I succeeded.”

“Mm, commendable technique. You should carry more spare knives in the future,” Yang Yi smiled calmly. Their car came to a halt at that moment. “Let’s go. Now we need to deal with the last few, but be careful. Don't underestimate them; they still have guns.”

“Got it!” everyone responded, and they immediately got out of the car.

“Boss!” The four remaining men in black suits who had safely jumped out of the van raised their guns and called out to the black-suited middle-aged man who had just managed to stand up.

“I’m fine. They’re coming.” The black-suited middle-aged man stared fixedly at the four figures descending from the car, his hand unconsciously tightening. He immediately raised his pistol and roared, “Fire!”

“Bang! Bang! Bang!” A barrage of scorching gunfire erupted.

“Swish! Swish! Swish!” Several figures ghosted their way past the bullets with phantom-like grace. Yang Yi let out a cold laugh. “Swish! Swish! Swish!” Three throwing knives flew out simultaneously.

“Watch out!” The black-suited middle-aged man flinched, rolled sideways, and glanced behind him. “Bastard!”

“Bang! Bang!” Only two gunshots rang out. Indeed, Yang Yi’s throwing knives were different from Fatty Lin’s; his knives could curve, and the degree of curvature was comparable to the legendary Li Xunhuan.

“Seal the World with Ice!” Xuanyuan Bing uttered these two words coldly from her lips, instantly stopping Fatty Lin and Feng Shi, who had been preparing to charge forward to seize the black-suited middle-aged man’s life. They turned around, looking at Xuanyuan Bing with utter disbelief.

“I told you, finishing these sorts of problems is very simple for me,” Xuanyuan Bing retorted smugly.

“Hah—the advantages of an Esper are indeed many. Capable of both long-range attacks and instantly taking lives without effort!” Fatty Lin said, unsure if he was mocking himself or praising Xuanyuan Bing.

“Let’s go,” Yang Yi said calmly after glancing at the two men who had tried to kill him now frozen solid, his lips twitching for some unknown reason.

Espers were certainly excellent allies; of course, the higher their Esper Index, the stronger their ability. A typical Grandmaster would need to unleash their Grandmaster Domain to deal with a high-level Esper. Thus, seeing Xuanyuan Bing display her ability forced Yang Yi to become serious. He was thinking something, and whatever it was, it certainly wasn't pleasant. After all, if China possessed a family of Espers like the Xuanyuan family, and if everyone in that family possessed a high level like Xuanyuan Bing, and if the Xuanyuan family happened to become an enemy of his, Yang Yi, that would be the last thing he wanted.

It could be said that Fatty Lin had possibly realized this as well, which was why he uttered those words. Although what he said sounded a bit harsh to Xuanyuan Bing’s ears, she didn't say anything and followed Yang Yi and the others back into the car.

“Young Master, where are we heading?”

“Repulse Bay!” Yang Yi replied flatly.

“Yes!”