Chapter 27: Under Siege

Li Long and his companions had always assumed that Zhang Ji was a native of Shanli Island; after all, it would have been impossible for them to investigate Zhang Ji’s background all the way back in the Dongji Kingdom.

In reality, however, Zhang Ji had only lived there for about half a year. If one were to be precise, he had only suffered slightly for the first month or so before adapting to the environment.

"It's alright," Zhang Ji replied briefly to Zhou Hao.

Zhou Hao, assuming that Zhang Ji did not want to dwell on that part of his past, stopped asking and steered the conversation elsewhere.

"Do you know how the Senior Brother ended up on Shanli Island?" Zhou Hao asked.

"I’m not sure," Zhang Ji shook his head. He only knew vaguely that Li Long had been set up by the Xianshan Sect, but he had never bothered to learn the specific details.

"After the Senior Brother reached the Grandmaster realm, he was invited to attend a banquet..." Zhou Hao began to recount the sequence of events.

Soon, Zhang Ji understood what had happened. It was not complicated. After Li Long reached his new level of cultivation, he attended a banquet where the Xianshan Sect manipulated a young man from a prestigious family. This man, armed with a secret drug provided by the Xianshan Sect, toasted Gu Shuangshuang. Out of respect for the man’s status, Gu Shuangshuang had accepted the drink.

She subsequently fell into trouble, but fortunately, Li Long discovered the situation before anything truly sordid could occur. In a fit of rage, Li Long acted without hesitation, sending the young man to the afterlife with a single palm strike.

It was as simple as that. Usually, killing a young socialite wouldn't be such a major issue for someone like Li Long, but this individual had a unique status. Although he was a spendthrift, he came from a powerful family—his grandmother was a current member of the Council named Yin Daiyu. The Yin family possessed great influence, and the Five-Form Sect couldn't afford to ignore them entirely. After much negotiation, a compromise was reached: Li Long was sent to Shanli Island to serve a symbolic sentence.

"If the Xianshan Sect plotted against them like that, didn't the Yin family react?" Zhang Ji asked Zhou Hao. Even if Li Long was the one who dealt the blow, the Xianshan Sect were the true masterminds, weren't they? Why was it that only the Five-Form Sect suffered in the end?

"That’s hard to say," Zhou Hao chuckled vaguely. In truth, he knew exactly why. The Xianshan Sect was backed by the Lin family, and the Yin and Lin families shared deeper, mutual interests. Even if there was a conflict this time, as long as it wasn't irreconcilable, they would handle it internally rather than escalate it.

However, there was no need to tell this to Zhang Ji. In Zhou Hao’s eyes, Zhang Ji was a budding martial arts talent with a simple heart; he wasn't suited for such political maneuvering, and some things were better left unsaid.

The two chatted for a while longer. Just as Zhang Ji was about to excuse himself to return to his room for practice, the lights in the entire stadium suddenly went black.

"What’s going on? Why did the power go out?"
"Where is the backup power?"
"Everyone, stay calm..."

Seeing the darkness, Zhou Hao’s expression shifted instantly. He pulled out his phone to check the situation, but there was no signal—the device wouldn't even function properly, lagging and freezing. He put the phone aside, calmed the crowd, ordered someone to call the police, and turned to Zhang Ji. "Someone has infiltrated the facility. Their target must be the new drug production plant. Let’s go!"

"Understood!" Zhang Ji nodded.

As they exited the gym, it was pitch black outside. Even flashlights couldn't pierce the darkness, with only distant glimmers visible. Zhang Ji was deeply puzzled by the situation. Under the cover of night, the two hurried toward the pharmaceutical plant. Before long, they were near the site, and the sound of gunfire reached their ears.

"Rat-tat-tat!"

"They’ve opened fire?" Zhou Hao’s expression darkened. A petty thief would never force the Five-Form Sect's security personnel to open fire.

Suddenly, Zhang Ji heard a buzzing sound. It sounded like bees, yet it felt wrong. The next moment, he saw hundreds of black shadows appearing in the sky. These things opened fire in unison, raining bullets down on the area below.

"An armed drone swarm..." Zhou Hao’s face turned grim.

"Watch out!" Zhang Ji warned suddenly as he saw a drone aiming directly at them.

"Rat-tat-tat!" A stream of bullets erupted. Zhang Ji shielded his face with his arms, performed a swift forward roll, and dived behind a nearby building. Zhou Hao was even faster, his body gliding away. As two bullets were about to strike him, he flicked his palm and somehow caught them.

Zhang Ji was more surprised by Zhou Hao’s reaction speed than his ability to catch bullets. If it had been him, he wouldn't have been able to react in time; at such close range, he would have had to rely on his physical toughness to endure the impact.

"Rat-tat-tat!"

Crouched behind a pillar, the two waited as the drone fire continued. Zhou Hao gestured to Zhang Ji, who nodded in agreement. One after another, they dashed out. Zhang Ji drew the drones' attention, and the gunfire followed him. While the drones were focused on Zhang Ji, Zhou Hao surged out. With a flick of his hand, his arm whipped like a lash—*crack!*—and he hurled the bullets he had caught earlier, striking a drone and sending it crashing to the ground.

The drone wasn't very large and appeared to be a foldable model, equipped only with a simple magazine and firing mechanism.

"It’s modified civilian gear, not military issue. That’s a relief!" Zhou Hao said, exhaling after inspecting the wreckage. As long as it wasn't the regular military, it wasn't a major crisis.

They pressed on and soon arrived outside the plant. The facility had already switched to backup power, and all the machinery was running. When the plant was built, they had accounted for many contingencies. Outside lay many Five-Form Sect disciples dressed in security uniforms. Most were experienced inner-circle disciples and professional fighters, yet they lay dead. Judging by the wounds, many hadn't even been killed by bullets.

The factory gates had already been breached. Zhou Hao and Zhang Ji briefly examined the bodies before rushing inside. After a few paces, they encountered a few surviving security guards. Unwounded but terrified, they were hiding in the corner.

"What’s the situation?" Zhou Hao asked one of them.

"Drones, and two people. One of them is wearing a military-grade exoskeleton..." the guard replied tersely.

"Get out of here and call for reinforcements!" Zhou Hao ordered. He and Zhang Ji continued deeper into the facility. Inside the automated production workshop, the protective doors—which required multiple passwords to unlock—had been rendered useless; they were all wide open.

"Are you afraid?" Zhou Hao asked Zhang Ji.

Zhang Ji glanced at him, clearly sensing a shift in Zhou Hao’s demeanor. He wasn't asking if Zhang Ji was afraid; he was asking because he himself was feeling the pressure. After all, Zhou Hao was no longer just a pure martial artist.

"I’m curious, what exactly is the drug we’re producing? Is it worth the enemy going to such lengths?" Zhang Ji asked, shifting the subject.

"Scarless Fluid," Zhou Hao replied. "It’s a scar-treatment drug. Many martial arts sects have their own versions, but we developed a cheaper alternative that is just as effective and can be mass-produced. It can clear scars from surgeries or burns, and even erase acne marks. Worldwide, there’s a market worth at least a trillion. We can't swallow that market alone, so we’ve shared the profits. This is just one of our factories, one that the Five-Form Sect kept for itself. If we can successfully implement production and sales, a conservative estimate for this region alone is ten billion in annual revenue..."

Hearing this, Zhang Ji understood immediately. A low-cost, side-effect-free scar remover was the core technology for two highly lucrative industries: medicine and aesthetics. If he were a competitor with the capability, he would certainly try to get his hands on the production data. At the very least, he would try to sabotage it to spite the opposition.

***

Meanwhile, inside the factory, by the vat of raw Scarless Fluid, "Bee" was using a drone to extract ten vials of the liquid. "Water Monster" and "Black Hawk" were busy planting explosives.

"Water Monster, two people have stormed in," Bee said over the comms channel.

"Couldn't you stop them?" Black Hawk asked.

"My drone swarm ran out of ammo while providing cover and is still reloading. Only two or three worker drones still have ammunition. They are formidable fighters; these few drones are useless against them," Bee replied. This was the disadvantage of modified civilian equipment—the performance was far inferior to military gear, and the payload was low.

"Fox, are you in position?" Water Monster asked.

"I’ve reached the sniper point. The Law Enforcement drones will be here soon. I’ll provide cover for your retreat once you come out," Fox replied.

"That's enough. Retreat!"

Water Monster placed the final explosive and signaled Black Hawk. The two intended to leave the way they came, but after taking only a few steps with the loot, they froze.

Blocking their path ahead were Zhang Ji and Zhou Hao.

After a momentary pause, Black Hawk and Water Monster opened fire simultaneously.

"Rat-tat-tat-tat!"

As the barrels spat fire, Zhou Hao dove behind nearby cover. He had managed to grab a gun from one of the fallen guards and fired back, but his firepower was clearly inferior to the intruders. Zhang Ji assessed the intensity of the enemy fire and, confirming it didn't exceed his limits, gestured to Zhou Hao.

The next instant, Zhang Ji charged forward.

*Clang, clang, clang!*

In the narrow corridor, the bullets hammered against Zhang Ji, but they only produced the sound of metal striking metal. Zhang Ji’s momentum remained unbroken as he rushed toward Water Monster and Black Hawk.

Black Hawk’s expression changed—he had never encountered this type of fighter before. Water Monster, however, remained calm; as a veteran of many years, there was nothing new under the sun on the battlefield.

As Zhang Ji closed the distance, he leaped into the air and kicked toward Water Monster. Standing two meters tall and wearing a discarded military-grade exoskeleton, Water Monster had no intention of retreating and stood his ground.

*Bang!*

The gun in Water Monster's hand was bent by Zhang Ji’s kick, and while Water Monster was pushed back slightly, he was otherwise unharmed. At the same time, Zhou Hao emerged from the shadows like a viper, striking Black Hawk with a palm.

*Boom!*

Black Hawk, despite his auxiliary exoskeleton, was sent flying by Zhou Hao’s whip-like palm, crashing into the production line machinery.

"You okay?" Water Monster asked, dropping his mangled gun.

"It stings! Are all the martial artists in the Dongji Kingdom superhumans? One palm strike bent the exoskeleton made of G3 material!" Black Hawk grunted.

"Both are fighters at least at the seventh professional rank. I can't take them both down in a short time, and I can't cover you. You're on your own for now!" Water Monster replied after hearing the update over the comms channel, his heart settling.