Chapter 85: The Frenzied Claims Specialist, "Ergou"

"Oh, right! Let me tell you some news by the way. You don't need to wait or search for Lu Fengsheng and his men anymore. Our boss has sent them to see King Yama one by one, lining them up to be judged. They are suffering endless torture in hell, waiting to be reincarnated as beasts."

As soon as these words were spoken, the earlier demands for compensation took on a sinister turn. Everyone in the courtyard, whether it was Tu Guiwu or his underlings, was filled with uncontrollable rage.

"This is going too far! Ah—"

"You're courting death! Kill this traitorous dog!"

"Young Master, give the order! I'll lead the charge to capture that so-called Liang Jing and torture his friends and women right in front of him. This is complete lawlessness..."

They had never encountered such a situation. They were always the ones bullying others; they never expected the feeling of being bullied to be so unbearable. Their hundred or so men had been slaughtered, yet they had only lost one person. For the messenger to come here and demand compensation—wasn't that a slap in the face, mocking their incompetence? It was an act of deliberate humiliation. Tu Guiwu’s face was deathly pale, his chest heaving with suppressed fury. He cut through the roar of his men, his voice calm and devoid of emotion:

"What kind of compensation does Liang Jing want?"

"That’s more like it. For Young Master Tu—ah, Tu Guiwu—these things shouldn’t be a big deal. First, a public apology to us! Then, just two machine cannons, one hundred thousand rounds of ammunition, twenty bulletproof vests, and some bombs..."

As the negotiator, 'Er Gou', rattled off the list of demands, the crowd stopped being angry. They looked at Er Gou as if he were a fool who had discovered something miraculous. In Liang Jing’s eyes, these items shouldn't be much of a problem, as they should be able to acquire them through their connections with the military. However, he didn't realize that the regiment accompanying this group only possessed two machine cannons in total. Because transportation was currently done manually, their ammunition reserves were extremely scarce. It could be said that not only Tu Guiwu’s group but even the military itself could not afford to part with such supplies. They rarely used their machine cannons because the consumption was too high; they were only deployed against monsters that couldn't be dealt with otherwise, serving primarily as a deterrent.

"Seize him! Don't let him die too easily!"

Tu Guiwu had no more patience to play along with this traitor. He understood now; this was simply Liang Jing’s way of disgusting and humiliating him. At best, it served to inform him of the fate of his men and that Liang Jing’s revenge was looming. Things had been going poorly for him lately because of Liang Jing, and he had never hated anyone this much. He wanted to tear this dog to pieces, but he dared not act himself for fear that he wouldn't be able to stop and would grant the man an easy death. More importantly, he needed to figure out how to kill Liang Jing. Facing such retaliation—where even his three Awakened soldiers had been eliminated—Liang Jing’s strength could not be underestimated.

"What are you doing? When two nations are at war, they don't execute the messenger! You dare lay a hand on me!"

Seeing the crowd closing in on him, eager to show their loyalty before Young Master Tu, 'Er Gou' turned deathly pale and shouted.

"Don't push me! I will fight back! Do you dare? Boss Liang Jing won't let you off! Don't you see that your three Awakened warriors are already dead? Do you have the guts? You trash, you only know how to bully the weak while hiding behind the power of others. Pah! You lowly wretches, you’ve done so many evil deeds; wait until you end up without descendants and rot in hell as beasts!"

Watching the man rave like a lunatic, spewing curses and threats, the underlings were deeply unsettled by the mention of the three Awakened warriors' deaths. But as 'Er Gou' continued his insults, they snapped. They could not tolerate such trampling of their dignity, especially in front of their master. If they showed any weakness now, their futures would be over. Suddenly, the underlings acted in unprecedented unison, determined to capture this dog and torture him to prove their worth to the Young Master, regardless of how dangerous Liang Jing might be.

Young Master Tu and Uncle Xie initially felt a chill as they saw their men hesitate under the threats, worrying that these men might become the second or third 'Er Gou'. But when they saw the men’s sudden, united surge of zeal, they felt slightly better, though a nagging sense of unease lingered at the back of their minds.

"Are you really not afraid of death? You trash, you are courting death!"

The underlings were all drawn in by 'Er Gou’s' super-taunt, their faces twisted with excitement, hatred, and fury, desperate to kill the man.

"You're seeking your own deaths! How dare you lay a hand on me? You're finished!..."

As the men closed in, Liang Jing felt a tinge of regret that Tu Guiwu and Uncle Xie were too far away to be caught in the blast. He gave the mental order. Just as they were about to grab 'Er Gou', a cruel, cold sneer appeared on his face. He suddenly tore open his coat, revealing several bottles and a bundle of dynamite strapped to his chest. He pulled the fuse...

"Not good!"

"Get back!..."

The moment 'Er Gou' pulled his coat open, Tu Guiwu and Uncle Xie realized something was wrong. They shouted and reflexively threw themselves to the ground.

Unfortunately, it was too late. A dozen men had crowded tightly around him, eager to prove their loyalty. Those in the front saw the situation and were filled with despair, unable to retreat; those in the back had no idea what was happening, still pushing forward to show their devotion.

BOOM!

A deafening roar erupted in the courtyard! A cloud of grey smoke burst forth, accompanied by shrapnel and human remains. These explosives were the last of the loot seized from Zhang Bao’s men—four charges in total. The blast dismembered everyone nearby, but more importantly, Liang Jing had added a special ingredient to the ceramic bottles: the venom from a Rending Beast!

As the explosion sprayed the contents in every direction, the underlings who had crowded in were not spared. They were struck by the corrosive venom, and even Tu Guiwu and Uncle Xie, who had dived to the ground at a distance, were splattered by drops of the poison.

"Ah! It burns! Stop..."

"My hands, my feet—why is there nothing but bone left? Where did my flesh go? It hurts so much!"

"Ah! I'm dying! My stomach and chest are being eaten away..."

Outside the courtyard, many people arrived to see the survivors writhing in agony as their bodies were rapidly dissolved. The screams and the sight of the carnage chilled them to the bone; the only thought in their minds was: "How terrifying!"

"No! Take off your clothes, quickly!"

Young Master Tu reacted swiftly, tearing off his coat as soon as the venom touched him. Underneath, he had been wearing a bulletproof vest and a metal chest piece, which he tore off and threw to the ground, standing nearly naked. Uncle Xie was luckier; the venom had landed only a centimeter away from him, but he didn't take any chances, quickly stripping down to his underwear. The two men stood there, utterly pathetic, their faces pale with rage, shock, and humiliation.

Regardless of everything, they had never expected this dog to be so insane, willing to throw away his own life. It reminded them of the fanatics in doomsday cults, and a cold shiver ran down their spines.

*Hiss!*

The underlings who had participated in the 'loyal' siege were all dead. Some were mangled corpses, others were nothing but skeletons; the scene was truly miserable, leaving the onlookers chilled. Who could have done this?

"Someone, come and clean this place up!"

Young Master Tu’s face was grim. He immediately ordered his trained family guards to surround the building, setting up heavy machine guns and defensive outposts, with his remaining Awakened soldiers on high alert. The madness of his opponent chilled him; these men were nothing but suicide bombers, and he had to protect himself.

He forbade any news of the event from leaking out. At the same time, he sent out men to hunt for Liang Jing, ordering the immediate execution of anyone who had contact with him. He also contacted Political Commissar Gong to request military assistance in dealing with Liang Jing. This man had exceeded all his expectations; he would not be able to eat or sleep until Liang Jing was dead.

Terrified of another suicide attack—the venom was simply too lethal—Tu Guiwu refused to let any of his remaining underlings get close to him.