Chapter 286: Annihilation

Lin Xiao responded with a cold smile. Just as Fang Haoyan pulled the trigger, Lin Xiao tilted his head slightly. The bullet grazed past his cheek.

Then, he suddenly exerted force, stomping hard on the ground with his foot.

The entire courtyard seemed to tremble from the impact. The solid ground beneath Lin Xiao’s feet instantly collapsed, forming a pit about two feet wide and over a foot deep. Dirt and gravel scattered in all directions.

Using the force of this stomp, Lin Xiao’s body shot forward like an arrow.

As Fang Haoyan finished shouting “Fire!”, Lin Xiao was already in front of him. With his right hand clenched into a fist, he aimed directly at Fang Haoyan’s chest.

As the leader of the Hundred Seats Society, Fang Haoyan was no ordinary person. He was also a martial artist, though his cultivation only reached the level of Bright Force.

Facing Lin Xiao’s lightning-fast punch, Fang Haoyan roared and, without dodging, raised his leg to kick at Lin Xiao while simultaneously aiming his gun at him, ready to fire again.

However, Lin Xiao’s power was far beyond anything Fang Haoyan could have anticipated.

Lin Xiao’s punch landed squarely on Fang Haoyan’s chest, sending his large body flying backward.

Crack!

Fang Haoyan’s clothes tore apart, revealing a white protective suit underneath. However, the protective suit didn’t last long; Lin Xiao’s punch created a hole right in the center of it. Fortunately for Fang Haoyan, the suit absorbed most of the impact. Although he was sent flying, his injuries weren’t too severe.

While mid-air, Fang Haoyan glanced at the damaged protective suit, his eyes flickering with shock and distress. Raising his right hand, he fired several shots at Lin Xiao.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

The bullets whizzed past Lin Xiao, missing him entirely.

Lin Xiao frowned, about to move in for a follow-up attack, when a sudden sense of danger surged within him. His body shifted instantly, dodging to the side with a speed that dazzled the eye.

Boom!

Uncle Wang’s darkly glowing hands swiped through the air where Lin Xiao had just been. The force of his attack created an audible explosion, a testament to his immense power and strength.

From Fang Haoyan firing his gun, to Lin Xiao’s counterattack, to uncle Wang’s ambush—everything happened in the blink of an eye, as swift as lightning and just as intense. The rapid exchange left the surrounding mercenaries and Hundred Seats Hall members frozen in shock.

“What are you standing around for? Open fire!” Fang Haoyan shouted in fury, his voice trembling with urgency.

Despite the protective suit absorbing most of Lin Xiao’s punch, Fang Haoyan’s chest still throbbed with pain. Cold sweat poured down his back as he realized that without the suit, he would have been killed instantly.

‘This man is terrifying!’ Fang Haoyan’s thoughts raced. ‘He must die, or we’re the ones who’ll perish!’

Any arrogance or underestimation he had toward Lin Xiao vanished completely. The power of Lin Xiao’s punch had left a lasting impression—one he wouldn’t forget.

Hearing Fang Haoyan’s command, the mercenaries and thugs snapped back to reality. Their assault rifles roared to life, spitting flames as countless bullets tore through the air toward Lin Xiao.

Lin Xiao stomped his left foot again. His body, which had been moving forward, suddenly reversed direction with impossible speed, dodging all the bullets. They struck the ground where he had stood moments before, leaving it riddled with craters.

The sight stunned everyone.

They could hardly believe a human could move at such speed. It wasn’t just difficult to aim at Lin Xiao, they could barely track him with their eyes.

Lin Xiao darted forward, his figure a blur. In the blink of an eye, he was in front of a mercenary. With a quick movement, he seized the man’s neck and used his body as a shield to rush into the crowd.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The other mercenaries fired wildly, but all their bullets struck their comrade, riddling him with holes. The man didn’t even have time to scream before collapsing, dead.

Lin Xiao tossed the lifeless body aside and, with an icy glint in his eye, lunged at one of the Hundred Seats members.

“Die!”

The thug’s face twisted in a mix of fear and rage. Fumbling, he drew a pistol from his waist, but before he could aim, Lin Xiao seized his neck. A sickening snap echoed through the courtyard. The man’s head twisted 360 degrees, his lifeless body collapsing to the ground. His eyes, still wide with terror, stared blankly ahead.

“Spread out! Aim carefully before firing!” Fang Haoyan barked, his voice tinged with panic.

In a matter of moments, two of their men had been killed. Lin Xiao was completely unharmed. The realization sent a wave of dread through Fang Haoyan.

“We can’t let him get close!”

Fang Haoyan raised his pistol, his expression twisted with murderous resolve.

Meanwhile, Black Fury and uncle Wang kept silent, lurking in the shadows. Their eyes gleamed with cold malice, like venomous snakes waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

Although they didn’t join the fight immediately, Lin Xiao’s incredible display of strength had them on edge, and their sense of danger heightened with each passing moment.

Despite spreading out as instructed, the mercenaries and thugs still couldn’t stop Lin Xiao.

His speed and power were far beyond their reach.

Lin Xiao had made up his mind. He would first deal with the minions, then take care of Fang Haoyan and the other leaders.

In no time, four more bodies hit the ground, each one’s neck snapped by Lin Xiao. Their deaths were swift and brutal.

Fear began to creep into the remaining men. These were hardened fighters, unafraid of death, but they had never seen someone like Lin Xiao slaughtering as effortlessly as cutting grass.

Terror sprouted in their hearts like weeds, growing uncontrollably.

Lin Xiao snapped another neck, lifting the corpse as a shield to block incoming bullets before throwing it aside and rushing at his next target.

One of the mercenaries, seeing Lin Xiao charging toward him, screamed in panic. His hands trembled so much that he couldn’t steady his weapon. Abandoning all thoughts of resistance, he turned and fled.

Lin Xiao raised an eyebrow, surprised by how quickly they had begun to break.

He wasn’t finished.

Even as the enemy fled, Lin Xiao had no intention of letting them go. He had declared his intention from the beginning: not a single one would leave here alive.

And Lin Xiao was a man of his word.

When he said he would annihilate them all, he meant it.