"I'm just an ancient relic who has been out of touch with this world for two thousand years!" Ying Chen replied faintly.
The team leader, of course, did not believe him. How could someone out of touch for two thousand years understand the principles of modern firearms at a glance? How could someone out of touch for two thousand years disassemble and reassemble an assault rifle in just over ten seconds? Even the strongest king of soldiers in this world couldn't do that! Only legendary figures who stood at the pinnacle of the world, looking down on all, might be capable of such feats!
"It's over, the Ma family has kicked a steel plate this time!" A sense of despair welled up in the team leader's heart. In the next second, his eyes revealed a hint of grief and solemnity. "Steward Wu, hurry and tell the master that the Ma family has been ambushed! This person is not some troublemaker, but a top expert hired by the Ma family's enemies!" "We can at most..." The team leader glanced at Ying Chen, then continued, "Buy you five minutes! If you can't find a solution within five minutes, then you're on your own!"
The steward, who was originally confident that Ying Chen and the other person were doomed, was instantly stunned. He widened his eyes in disbelief and raised his voice, asking, "What are you talking about? Are you sure your brain isn't waterlogged? Your team was trained by the master with tens of millions! The equipment on each of you is enough to provide a civilian with a lifetime of food and clothing!" "And yet you're telling me that you can only hold out for five minutes against an unarmed person?" "Are you insulting my intelligence, or the money the master invested in you?"
The steward was furious. It was like he had drawn a perfect hand in a card game, only for his teammate to tell him to surrender! It would have been a testament to his good temper if he hadn't slapped his teammate on the spot! "I repeat: not only am I not leaving, but I will watch this person die before my eyes! You will eliminate him now, immediately, and without delay!" "Don't forget who holds the tiger tally!"
The steward roared repeatedly, then revealed the tiger tally he had "accidentally picked up." "..." The team leader finally understood what a so-called "idiot teammate" was like. Just as he was in a difficult predicament, he heard a considerate voice say, "Don't worry, none of you will be leaving." It was Ying Chen! Hearing Ying Chen's arrogant words, however, ignited the team leader's fighting spirit. His gaze gradually turned fierce, and a hint of ferocity erupted from his eyes, "Even if you are a top expert, even if you are the god of soldiers, so what! Even a desperate man dares to pull down an emperor! Today, we will see if we can slay a god!" "All hands, listen to my orders! SSS-level combat readiness!"
Hearing the captain's command, the other members were all startled. SSS-level combat readiness had only one meaning: mutual annihilation! This command was only activated when facing an opponent with no hope of victory! They never expected that their team, trained for less than half a year, would have to bid farewell to this world! Yet, despite their shock and reluctance, all the team members faithfully carried out the order, their faces displaying a look of resolute determination.
Seeing this, Ying Chen nodded in appreciation, "A suicide squad, your courage is commendable." But then Ying Chen added, "Unfortunately, it's useless." "Arro..." Before the team leader could utter the word "gant," there was a crisp snap, and the team leader went limp like a puddle of mud, falling to the ground. He instantly became a corpse!
Hiss! Seeing this, everyone gasped. Those who hadn't understood why the captain had issued the SSS-level order suddenly understood! The move Ying Chen used to kill the captain was something they had never heard of or seen before; they hadn't even seen it clearly! "Could it be... he's a legendary Heaven-tier expert?" Several team members exchanged glances, guessing in horror. "That's impossible, isn't it? In the nine ranks of martial arts, there are only a handful of people in the entire world who can reach the Heaven-tier. How could an expert of this level come to deal with a small Ma family?" "But if not a Heaven-tier expert, how could he have killed the captain so easily!"
Facing the combat team's speculation, Ying Chen frowned. He had never heard of Heaven-tier experts or the nine ranks of martial arts. It seemed that with the decline of spiritual energy and the arrival of the Dharma-ending age, the power system of this world had undergone earth-shattering changes. At least in Ying Chen's era, martial arts were merely the lowest level of cultivation and didn't even deserve nine small realms.
"What's the point of talking about this now? We have served the Ma family for so many years, and it's time to repay them! Our lives are to be sacrificed to protect Steward Wu as he escapes to inform the master! That's what's important!" one of the team members suddenly said with a serious expression. A single remark awakened the dreamers. The other team members immediately stopped their discussion and turned to look at Ying Chen with a look of shared hatred. An intangible and tragic atmosphere rapidly spread throughout the room.
And the steward, who had been shouting "Ying Chen must be killed," finally realized something was wrong. His legs trembled, and he stumbled backward. He reached for the door and pushed it several times, but it wouldn't open. He had been so terrified that he had forgotten that doors should be pulled, not pushed! "Kill!" With a roar from all the members of the combat team, the sound of gunfire echoed throughout the room. They had set their assault rifles to their highest rate of fire, all their muzzles locked onto Ying Chen, and streams of searing fire gushed out, mercilessly licking towards Ying Chen. In the blink of an eye, the room was filled with blinding firelight, and Ying Chen's figure could no longer be seen.
After an unknown amount of time, when the combat team members had fired all their ammunition, they stopped. They looked at their scorching gun barrels, the shell casings on the floor, and the thick smoke, and simultaneously asked, "Is he... dead?" No one answered. And no answer was the best answer. For only the dead cannot answer! "I knew it, how could anyone in this world withstand such fierce gunfire? Unless he's not carbon-based!" one of the team members said with an expression of 'I knew it all along.' But in the next second, a voice sounded from behind him: "Oh?"
The team member's soul was instantly terrified. This voice was none other than Ying Chen's! They had been firing at the area in front of them for so long, but they didn't realize that Ying Chen had already slipped into their midst! And from beginning to end, not a single one of them had noticed, not even the assault rifle's intelligent targeting system had detected him! They had acted like idiots, firing into the air for a full two minutes! "Relying on external forces is ultimately a minor path in this era of declining magic!" Ying Chen sighed as he looked at the team members who had run out of bullets. Then, under the horrified gazes of all the team members, he moved like a walking god of death, taking the life of each team member as he passed by. By the time Ying Chen stopped, all the members of the Ma family's combat team had fallen, without exception! Corpses littered the room, like a grim and deathly ghost mound.