"You talk too much," Ma Zhenbang glared at the butler, who had gotten carried away.
Aware of his slip-up, the butler sheepishly picked up the tiger tally and retreated.
A slow smile spread across Ma Zhenbang's lips, a hint of mockery in his eyes.
"Old ancestor, old ancestor... calling you ancestor, do you really think you are the ancestor of our Ma family?"
"Setting aside that I never believed this story from the moment I first heard it, even if you are truly a monster who has lived for a thousand years, even if you were the benefactor who helped our Ma family rise to power, so what?"
"Don't you know the saying 'a grain of rice given as charity can be forgotten, but a bushel of rice can breed resentment'? You've helped our Ma family grow to this extent, and I really can't think of how to repay you! So I can only kill you."
"To be able to enter my dreams, I believe you must have some abilities. But... this is the 21st century! An age of technology! Scientists have long proven that no carbon-based life on this planet can withstand the attack of modern weaponry!"
"For you, I've even deployed the combat team that the Ma family spent heavily to train. I consider that to be treating you with respect. Rest in peace!"
With that, Ma Zhenbang left his study and headed straight for the living room.
There, over a hundred guests were waiting for him, the birthday boy.
Among them were renowned figures from the political and business circles of S Province, as well as influential clan leaders.
This was precisely one of the important reasons why Ma Zhenbang had decided to eliminate Ying Chen.
Who would want to be summoned and dismissed like a dog in front of so many guests?
Who would want to publicly admit, in front of so many guests, that they were merely a puppet propped up by someone else?
...
In the side hall.
Ying Chen remained calm, admiring the famous paintings from various dynasties on the wall.
He occasionally offered his critiques, as if few of the paintings could truly capture his attention.
*Clang!*
Suddenly, the door was forcefully pushed open.
The butler entered with a fake smile.
"By the master's order, I've come to serve tea to you two. This is top-grade pre-Qingming tea, priceless."
"This tea is harvested before the Qingming Festival. Its fragrance is distant and soul-stirring. A single sip gives one the sensation of their soul leaving their body and wandering in the vastness. Hence, it has another name: 'Yellow Springs Prelude'."
"At this moment and in this setting, serving this tea to you two is most fitting."
As the butler spoke, he placed two cups of tea before Ying Chen and Min Ziqiong.
Upon hearing the name "Yellow Springs Prelude," Min Ziqiong's heart pounded.
Ying Chen, however, remained unfazed. He casually picked up a teacup and took a sip. "Indeed, it's good."
The butler grinned menacingly. "Since it's good, then don't linger. Hurry and be on your way?"
With that, the butler clapped his hands loudly.
The next second, an entire squad, fully armed, appeared like ghosts at the doorway.
Each member of the squad wore a tactical mask, carried tactical gear, and held a latest-model tactical assault rifle.
They moved into the room silently, like specters tasked with harvesting lives.
As the door closed, the light dimmed, and an immeasurable killing intent instantly filled the entire room.
"What... do you think you're doing?"
"This is a society governed by law! Don't do anything rash!"
"Besides, my parents know I'm at the Ma family's. If anything happens to me, they'll report it immediately. Your Ma family will never escape responsibility!"
Min Ziqiong was terrified, her voice trembling with fear as she warned them.
However, the soldiers in the squad remained silent. Their eyes, hidden beneath tactical masks, were cold and emotionless as they fixed their gaze on Min Ziqiong and Ying Chen.
"Your parents? Don't be ridiculous. Everyone in Jianghai knows what your parents are like. Do you believe that if our master so much as hints, your parents will immediately pretend they don't have a daughter like you?"
"Not to mention you are their disgrace, pregnant before marriage, a complete embarrassment. Perhaps if they knew about this, they'd applaud and urge me to act quickly!"
The butler sneered.
Hearing this, Min Ziqiong slumped onto the chair in despair.
The butler was right. Her parents were capable of such a thing!
To curry favor with power, her parents had sold her to Young Master Hu, and they could just as easily sell her to the Ma family!
"I'm sorry... I've implicated you," Min Ziqiong turned to Ying Chen, apologizing.
"May I know your name? If there is a next life, I will surely compensate you."
Ying Chen smiled faintly at Min Ziqiong. "My name is Ying Chen. As for compensation... forget it. Because you will never have a next life."
Min Ziqiong was taken aback.
Why was Ying Chen cursing her?
She was about to die, couldn't he say something comforting?
However, Min Ziqiong had clearly misunderstood Ying Chen's meaning.
Ying Chen's "no next life" meant that Min Ziqiong would not die at all!
"Are you two done with your sweet talk? Please proceed to your fate!"
A ferocious glint flashed in the butler's eyes as he abruptly swung his arm down.
Following the butler's gesture, the entire Ma family combat squad chambered their rounds, raising their weapons and aiming at Ying Chen and Min Ziqiong.
The combat squad formed a tactical arc, ensuring that no matter where Ying Chen and Min Ziqiong tried to escape, they would be caught in the squad's line of fire!
"Is this modern firearms?"
Unexpectedly, in this desperate situation, Ying Chen still had the leisure to ask such a question.
The combat squad leader replied with pride, "This is the latest model MK5 assault rifle. Its effective range is 500 meters, with a rate of fire of 800-980 rounds per minute, and a muzzle velocity of 880 m/s. It can adapt to all kinds of extreme weather conditions, and most importantly..."
"It is equipped with a mini smart fire control system that can automatically adjust the weapon's aim point after locking onto a target, leaving the enemy nowhere to run!"
"To die by such a firearm is a death with honor."
"Impressive, though I don't fully understand," Ying Chen uttered four words after listening to the squad leader's explanation.
His knowledge of modern firearms was limited to memories from seeds and had never truly encountered them.
He knew that compared to ancient crossbows and firearms, the performance had greatly improved, but he was unaware of the specific extent of that improvement.
Therefore, he had always been curious.
Now that he had the opportunity for a firsthand encounter, how could he let it pass?
*Whoosh!*
Ying Chen's figure suddenly vanished from his spot.
The squad leader, who had just been smug,'s eyes widened instantly, his face paling.
The next second, a voice echoed beside the squad leader's ear: "Let me take a look."
Before the squad leader could react, he saw his assault rifle disappear from his hand and reappear in Ying Chen's.
"How... how is this possible?" the squad leader exclaimed in disbelief.
Ying Chen ignored the squad leader's astonishment and began fiddling with the assault rifle.
A moment later, Ying Chen, who had never touched modern firearms before, somehow intuitively disassembled a complex and precise new model assault rifle into a pile of parts!
"Hmm, it's indeed quite interesting. But it's all the same in principle; there's no fundamental difference from ancient firearms."
"As for its complexity, it can be compared to Gongshu Ban's wooden kite. It took me about the same amount of time to dismantle the wooden kite back then."
Gongshu Ban, also known as Lu Ban.
Legend had it that Lu Ban carved a bird from bamboo and wood, launched it into the sky, and it circled for three days and three nights without falling, a feat that would be considered miraculous even today.
However, the method for crafting the wooden kite had long been lost.
Unexpectedly, Ying Chen had not only seen it but also dismantled it!
"Here, take it back."
Ying Chen patted the squad leader on the shoulder and placed something into his hand.
The squad leader looked down and his eyes widened in shock.
It was a perfectly intact assault rifle!
It had been a pile of parts just moments ago!
This meant that Ying Chen had reassembled the assault rifle while they were talking!
"You... Who exactly are you?" The squad leader, who had feared nothing, felt fear for the first time towards a person.