The funeral dirges echoed throughout the Heroes Hall Mortuary, as one by one, high-ranking government officials, army generals, and even War God-level martial artists paid their respects. The national television station meticulously recorded the entire scene, the reporter describing the events live before the cameras. Soon, it was time for Luo Feng and his companions.

Following the stream of mourners, the five members of the Fire Hammer Squad soon entered the mortuary hall.

The memorial service area held only a massive photograph.

"Just a photo, not even a body," Luo Feng sighed inwardly. Facing that endless tide of rats, once one perished, there truly would be nothing left but scattered remains! Amidst the mournful music, Luo Feng and the others solemnly bowed three times. Nearby, the wife and children of the War God-level expert, Lu Gang, knelt in silent grief.

Soon after, Luo Feng and his group exited the main hall.

The atmosphere outside the hall was noticeably lighter, far less oppressive than within.

"Senior Lu Gang was just unlucky," Gao Feng shook his head with a sigh. "He happened to get trapped right in the center of the rat tide. And the leader of that endless tide must have specifically targeted Senior Lu Gang, knowing he was a top-tier human expert, hence the desperate effort to kill him! Once a rat tide is determined to sacrifice everything, if you get caught, there's no escaping."

Luo Feng murmured, "I heard about the satellite footage from that day; in his desperate struggle, dozens of high-rise buildings collapsed, and over a million rat-beasts were slain. You can imagine the scene."

Previously, he, Wan Dong, and the others were only chased by a small contingent of the rat tide—tens of thousands of rat-beasts.

And even in that small group, there weren't any Beast General level creatures, otherwise, how could they have failed to catch Wan Dong and the others purely on speed? Yet, even that small contingent put immense pressure on Luo Feng. Thinking of hundreds of millions of rat-beasts besieging a place sent shivers down his spine! For a War God-level expert to kill over a million rat-beasts in such a short time frame—that was truly formidable power.

"If Senior Lu Gang had been a bit more cautious initially, avoided the core of the rat tide, he wouldn't have died," Gao Feng lamented softly.

...

The cold outside the mortuary was biting. The streets were crowded with figures from the martial arts circles, political figures, the military, and leaders of family conglomerates.

"Luo Feng." A voice called out.

Luo Feng turned and saw Xu Xin standing not far away, dressed entirely in black. This attire gave her an air of cold detachment.

"Xu Xin, you don't have class today?" Luo Feng asked.

"It's Saturday, silly. I came with my family," Xu Xin replied with a slight smile.

Luo Feng paused, then gave a self-deprecating laugh. "Saturday. Ah... when you're not in school, you really forget what day of the week it is." Becoming a martial artist truly makes one stop caring about the days of the week. Back in school, remembering weekends was paramount.

"Classmate Luo Feng is a martial artist now, different from the rest of us classmates," Xu Xin said deliberately.

Luo Feng and Xu Xin spoke beside the street like this.

Meanwhile, in the distance, Xu Gang was conversing with a middle-aged woman. But when his gaze landed on Luo Feng and Xu Xin talking in the distance, his brow knitted slightly. He apologized to the woman beside him, "Director Zhang, I have something I must attend to. We can discuss the profit share later."

The middle-aged woman smiled and nodded.

Xu Gang walked a short distance away, his peripheral vision fixed on Luo Feng and Xu Xin. With Xu Gang's eyesight, he could clearly make out their expressions and demeanor. It was obvious they were engaged in a rather pleasant conversation, which only made Xu Gang's face turn uglier: "My sister is quite a proud person, she rarely interacts with young men her own age. How did she get involved with this Luo Feng..."

His sister, Xu Xin, had reached the legal age for marriage, so Xu Gang paid close attention to her romantic involvements.

No matter what... he held very low expectations for Luo Feng.

"A martial artist who could die any day, trying to entangle himself with my sister? The deeper he gets involved, the more suffering my sister will endure in the future!" Xu Gang fumed internally. "This Luo Feng, I already hinted to him subtly last time. If he had any sense, he would keep his distance from my sister. He truly is ungrateful of kindness!"

Xu Gang was clearly furious, but what could his anger achieve?

He wouldn't be foolish enough to stride over there directly.

"Hmm?" Xu Gang's gaze suddenly landed on someone nearby, and a thought sparked in his mind. "Let's give Luo Feng a hard time so he knows when to back off!"

Thinking this, Xu Gang walked towards the left.

"Young Master Xu," a clean-shaven young man, handsome in appearance, greeted him with a smile.

"Guo Hai." Xu Gang also walked over, smiling. "Didn't expect to see you here, Brother Guo Hai. I thought you were still out in the wilderness."

"Senior Lu Gang's memorial service, this is a major event. How could I not attend?" The handsome bald youth glanced toward the direction of the mortuary hall and shook his head with a sigh. "I once received guidance from Senior Lu Gang. I never imagined that an expert as powerful as him would..."

Xu Gang felt that Guo Hai seemed genuinely saddened and privately scoffed: This Guo Hai doesn't have that much history with the War God Lu Gang; he’s being overly dramatic.

He was a businessman and fundamentally could not understand the bonds between martial artists.

Martial artists who walk the edge of life and death highly value kindness. Guidance from a senior was something unforgettable for a lifetime.

"Guo Hai, my sister is here today too," Xu Gang said with a smile.

"Xu Xin?" Guo Hai's interest was piqued. "Where is she?"

Xu Gang gave a wry smile and gestured subtly in a direction. "There, talking with a young martial artist."

Guo Hai saw Luo Feng and Xu Xin in the distance and frowned slightly, surprised. "From what I know, Miss Xu Xin rarely communicates with other martial artists. This young martial artist must have an unusual relationship with her." Although he harbored feelings for Xu Xin, Guo Hai wasn't so arrogant as to believe that just because he liked her, she must like him back.

"It is unusual," Xu Gang admitted, shaking his head. "They were classmates. My sister has quite a good impression of this kid; otherwise, she wouldn't be talking so much!"

Guo Hai nodded. It was indeed rare for Xu Xin to talk this much with any young man.

Despite his composure, a flicker of jealousy arose in Guo Hai.

"This kid, I warned him once last time to stay away from my sister. But it looks like he has designs on her," Xu Gang glanced at Guo Hai. "This kid doesn't even look at his own status. A Warrior-level martial artist who could die any day. And he dares to pursue my sister! Truly an ugly toad trying to eat swan meat!"

Guo Hai's eyebrows lifted, and a hint of smugness surfaced.

Young people are inherently competitive. Compared to that kid, he was already a Mid-level Warlord! And he was only 21 years old.

"Xu Gang, you're right. A Warrior-level martial artist is indeed very dangerous in the wilderness; he could die doing anything," Guo Hai agreed. "If that kid truly cared for Xu Xin's well-being, he shouldn't be pursuing her."

"That's exactly what I think!" Xu Gang eagerly concurred.

Guo Hai glanced toward Luo Feng in the distance and asked, "By the way, what's his name?"

"His name is Luo Feng, and he only recently became a martial artist," Xu Gang replied.

"Luo Feng?" Guo Hai frowned. "Madman?"

Xu Gang blinked in confusion, looking toward Guo Hai. "What Madman?"

"Madman is his nickname. Only those with genuine strength earn nicknames like that. Most people never acquire one," Guo Hai said, looking at Xu Gang with a slight frown. "This Luo Feng is actually quite famous in our martial arts circles. You underestimated him earlier. Although he only became a martial artist recently, in just two months, he has killed over ten thousand Monster Horde soldiers, and nearly all of them were High-level Soldier level. My estimate is—he should have the strength of an Entry-level Warlord!"

"Killed over ten thousand monsters? In two months?" Xu Gang blinked several times.

"Also, you said he's an Entry-level Warlord? An Entry-level Warlord at eighteen years old?" Xu Gang couldn't help but exclaim in shock.

Guo Hai nodded.

Xu Gang stared wide-eyed, then turned to look at Luo Feng, who was currently chatting happily with Xu Xin. He couldn't help but curse, "Damn it, this kid was pretending to be weak! I didn't realize he was actually someone significant!" An Entry-level Warlord at eighteen years old, compared to a Mid-level Warlord at twenty-one, Luo Feng's potential might even be slightly higher.

Xu Gang's mindset began to shift.

"I didn't realize this 'Madman' also fancies Xu Xin," Guo Hai let out a faint smile. "Interesting, very interesting!"

"Luo Feng, he’s actually called Madman... that nickname."

Xu Gang was still deeply shaken. "But killing over ten thousand monsters in two months! That’s truly mad!"

————