At night, on the outskirts of Lei Jiang City, two men in black stood guard at the entrance of an abandoned warehouse, their gazes sweeping around warily.
On a small hill overlooking the abandoned warehouse, Shu Feng and Ma Jin were dressed in camouflage uniforms, bulletproof vests, and multi-functional ballistic helmets. They had submachine guns slung over their backs, and were also carrying grenades, flashbangs, and various other weapons.
Ma Jin said slowly, "That's their meeting point. It has easy access from all sides, so if there's the slightest hint of trouble, they'll slip out through one of the other exits. Can you command your Void Demon remotely?"
Shu Feng said, "I can manage."
Ma Jin grinned. "Excellent! Wait for them to start the deal. Then you'll have your Void Demon take out both bosses! After that, keep an eye on the money. Kill anyone who goes for it. I'll handle the rest of the grunts."
"Alright! Big Black, go!"
With a wave of Shu Feng's hand, Big Black moved like a phantom cat, silently stalking toward the abandoned warehouse.
'Dominator Mode!'
Shu Feng thought, instantly switching modes. His body dropped to the ground, motionless, as his consciousness attached itself to Big Black.
Like a phantom cat, Big Black slipped silently past the two men in black at the entrance and entered the warehouse.
Inside the warehouse was a long table. Seated on one side was a bald man of average build and plain features. Six other men stood behind him.
Shu Feng commanded Big Black to wait quietly. 'No cash boxes! These must be the sellers.'
Half an hour later, a man in a suit with a beer belly and the smug look of wealth walked in, flanked by ten subordinates. He was smiling. "Brother Baozi, my apologies! Sorry to keep you waiting!"
Brother Baozi said coldly, "Liu the Third. The money."
Liu the Third laughed. "Haha, Brother Baozi, let us check the goods first!"
Brother Baozi waved a hand. One of his men immediately took out a small bag and opened it, revealing blue powder. This was Blue Angel, the latest drug on the market—highly addictive, potent, and expensive.
Liu the Third gestured, and one of his men stepped forward, took a pinch of the powder, and snorted it before giving a slight nod.
"Doing business with you is always a pleasure, Brother Baozi! So direct! Here's the money. Go ahead and count it."
Liu the Third laughed heartily and waved his hand. His men stepped forward and opened several cases, revealing stacks upon stacks of Qianyuan Coins.
Brother Baozi gestured, and a few of his men started counting the Qianyuan Coins with bill counters. This was a deal worth tens of millions; if he got swindled with counterfeit bills, he'd be completely ruined.
"No problems here! A pleasure doing business with you!"
Once the money was counted, Brother Baozi stood up and grinned.
Just then, Big Black, who had been lying in wait, lunged forward. It tackled Brother Baozi to the ground and sank its teeth viciously into his neck, crushing his throat!
To the onlookers, it was as if Brother Baozi had suddenly collapsed, his throat vanishing in an instant as a spray of blood erupted from the wound.
"Fuck! They're double-crossing us!"
Both sides had been wary of each other throughout the deal. Seeing Brother Baozi's bizarre, sudden death, one of his men instantly drew a pistol and fired at Liu the Third.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Caught completely by surprise, Liu the Third was shot dead and collapsed in a pool of his own blood.
Liu the Third's men were just as vicious, immediately drawing their own pistols to return fire.
The two crews erupted into a frantic firefight inside the abandoned factory, slaughtering one another.
The two lookouts from Brother Baozi's crew at the door also drew their weapons and joined the fray.
'This is intense! Brother Baozi's men are tougher. I'll take this one out.'
With a mental command from Shu Feng, Big Black pounced, tackling one of Brother Baozi's men and crushing his windpipe with a single bite.
The two crews were locked in a desperate struggle. When someone suddenly dropped, everyone assumed they'd been hit by a bullet and paid it no mind.
Shu Feng manipulated Big Black, carefully balancing the combat strength of the two sides. Whenever one crew gained a clear advantage, he would order Big Black to sneak in and kill one of their members.
"It's finally over! The money and drugs in here belong to us two brothers now!"
When the gunfire in the warehouse finally ceased, only two of Liu the Third's men remained standing.
Big Black lunged, tackling one of them to the ground. It bit down, severing the man's windpipe as a spray of blood splattered across the floor.
"A ghost! It's a ghost!!"
Fear flashed in the eyes of the last of Liu the Third's men. He fired his gun wildly into the empty air, wasting every bullet.
Big Black circled nimbly behind the man, then lunged, tackling him to the ground and crushing his neck with a single bite.
"It went smoothly. They're all taken care of."
Back on the small hill, Shu Feng's eyes snapped open. He spoke in a low voice, his gaze intense.
"Taken care of? Let's go!"
A flicker of surprise crossed Ma Jin's eyes. With a slight blur of motion, he took off running toward the warehouse.
"Nice work, Ah Feng!"
Ma Jin praised him as he surveyed the corpses strewn across the floor. He then strode toward the spot where the Black Dog Illusion Demon sat.
'An Invisible Void Demon,' he thought, his eyes glinting with fervor as he glanced at the Black Dog Illusion Demon. 'As long as you don't run into a Spiritualist, this kind of Power is terrifying.'
Even within the Guardian Flame, experts capable of binding Void Demons were exceedingly rare. Ma Jin had recognized Shu Feng's potential, which was why he was willing to reach out, befriend him, and invest in his growth.
"Acquired 0.5 Pure Soul Power!"
"..."
Line after line of notifications scrolled through Shu Feng's mind.
Shu Feng mused, 'So I can get Pure Soul Power from killing regular humans, too. But it seems I have to be present to absorb it.'
Pure Soul Power was a resource that could allow Shu Feng to evolve and grow stronger. It could also be used to evolve Big Black. Furthermore, it was an essential resource for synthesizing various types of Warriors.
"Ah Feng, you need to remember this. You can't ever touch this stuff. Anyone who gets involved with it, no matter how much of a genius they are, will be utterly destroyed."
Ma Jin grabbed the bag of Blue Angel, lit it on fire, and tossed it aside with a look of disgust.
"Five years ago, Shuijing High School produced a genius Spiritualist named Yu Wenfei. The moment he awakened, he had a Spiritual Power Value of 65. The Spiritual Energy he awakened was Space Manipulation, an extremely rare Earth-level Upper Grade ability."
"As soon as that guy awakened, he caught the eye of major corporations and won their backing. He spent his days indulging in wine, women, and gambling. Eventually, he got hooked on this stuff, became a complete wreck, and jumped off a building."
"If you ever get mixed up in this, you'll no longer be our friend or our teammate! You'll also be expelled from the Guardian Flame! Do you understand?" Ma Jin said, his expression grave.
Shu Feng smiled slightly. "Don't worry, Brother Ma Jin. I have absolutely no interest in that stuff."
Ma Jin smiled, then casually picked up two of the cases and tossed them to Shu Feng. "Ah Feng, these are yours!"