The assassin David Queiroz's sword danced up and down, as if alive, each strike aimed at Ling Tian's vital points.
Queiroz's movements were unadorned yet highly effective. The sword light, in a Z-shaped pattern, continuously slashed towards Ling Tian, displaying a multitude of changes.
Whenever Ling Tian prepared to counter, Queiroz would use his shield to block with perfect timing.
Ling Tian, having no patience for this drawn-out fight, raised his hand and hurled the brick from his left hand directly at Queiroz's face.
Sensing danger, Queiroz immediately ceased his attack and raised his left arm, the round shield, to defend.
"Clang!" The brick struck the round shield with a deafening sound. The immense force transmitted through the shield sent Queiroz staggering back two steps. He was deeply shocked by Ling Tian's strength!
In that instant, Ling Tian surged forward and slammed a palm onto the round shield!
Queiroz, greatly alarmed, raised his sword to slash at Ling Tian's waist. However, Ling Tian gracefully leaped backward, instantly putting over three meters of distance between them.
At this moment, Queiroz realized something was amiss. A yellow talisman paper was stuck to his shield, and it was now emitting green smoke as it burned.
"Boom!"
A violent explosion erupted, throwing Queiroz bodily into the air. The round shield in his hand was blown to smithereens. Queiroz's left arm was twisted into a grotesque shape, a horrific sight.
"Ah!"
Queiroz screamed. The explosion had also caused some concussive shock to his brain, leaving his ears ringing and him unable to hear anything.
He couldn't comprehend how a piece of paper on his shield could cause such a ferocious explosion.
Little did he know, China possessed something called talismans! The one Ling Tian had stuck to his shield was a Burst Talisman!
Unlike the Fire Talismans Ling Tian frequently used, which relied on intense heat generated by rapid combustion to burn opponents, the Burst Talisman's lethality stemmed from the shockwave produced by the explosion.
The shockwave from a Burst Talisman's explosion was comparable to that of a hand grenade, albeit without the shrapnel effect.
The rarity of these talismans was due to their extreme instability; a slight misstep during their creation could trigger an explosion.
Therefore, attempting to refine these talismans without mastery over talisman-making techniques and the application of true essence was akin to suicide.
However, for Ling Tian, manufacturing these talismans presented no difficulty. Moreover, with ample materials at hand, he had crafted a batch of Burst Talismans.
This was his first practical application of a Burst Talisman in combat, and its effectiveness far exceeded his expectations.
Queiroz lay on the ground, utterly bewildered. He felt as if he had been hit by a hand grenade!
This target was nothing like the intelligence suggested or what he had imagined. Was the 20 million US dollar bounty really that easy to claim!
Ling Tian stepped forward, preparing to apprehend Queiroz. Just then, a whistling sound cut through the air. Ling Tian retreated half a step as a cold glint flashed past his cheek – it was a flying dagger.
Ling Tian swiftly reached out and grabbed the dagger's hilt.
It turned out that the female assassin Tina, in her desperation, had thrown the dagger she held like a dart.
Ling Tian flicked his wrist and hurled the dagger back. The sharp blade plunged directly into Tina's thigh.
The woman shrieked and collapsed to the ground!
Ling Tian approached them and, with swift movements, inserted several silver needles into each of them, rendering them immobile.
However, at that moment, a white van was speeding towards Ling Tian.
Two men with ferocious expressions were inside the vehicle; they were the other two assassins from the Queiroz assassin group.
These two had been responsible for staking out Wangjia Village earlier, obtaining the news that Ling Tian had departed.
Seeing their leader and several companions subdued by Ling Tian, they were enraged and drove the van directly at him!
Ling Tian watched the approaching van. Without dodging, he produced a Burst Talisman from his hand.
Ling Tian raised his hand and uttered, "Haste!"
The Burst Talisman shot out, flying towards the van and sticking precisely to the front bumper.
Immediately, a "boom" echoed as the van was sent flying into the air.
The vehicle soared nearly two meters high, flipped once, and then crashed heavily onto the ground.
Ling Tian walked up, roughly yanked open the car door, and dragged out the two near-death occupants.
He took out more silver needles and inserted them into the two men, not to restrain them, but to prevent excessive bleeding and death.
Ling Tian immediately dialed the number for the Bao Jian Bureau, informing them of the incident and that he would be slightly delayed.
To Ling Tian's surprise, after more than twenty minutes, a large contingent of people arrived, not only from official departments but also from the Righteous Path Alliance.
Ling Tian was then taken directly to the airport via a special channel and boarded a plane.
Several hours later, Ling Tian arrived in the capital. As soon as he exited the airport, he saw Xie Liheng, one of the elders of the Righteous Path Alliance.
"Uncle Xie, why are you here?"
"Why shouldn't I be here? With such a major incident, how could we not inquire!"
Xie Liheng's words were entirely accurate; the situation had escalated significantly!
Although on the surface Ling Tian had been attacked, the fact remained: who was Ling Tian? He was an advisor to the Bao Jian Bureau and the attending physician for Elder Meng!
Who was Elder Meng, and what was his standing? To attack the attending physician of Elder Meng was an outrageous act!
There were even suspicions from higher authorities that this incident might have been targeted at Elder Meng.
Especially since these assassins were from abroad, which further fueled speculation among the relevant parties.
Consequently, while Ling Tian was in the air, numerous departments had been working at full capacity to investigate the case.
The identities of the assassins were quickly uncovered: the infamous Queiroz assassin group.
Despite their professional training, when faced with China's special departments, their training seemed as laughable as children's games. Soon, they confessed to all their actions.
These individuals accepted missions through the dark web. However, the dark web, operating in the clandestine underworld for decades, was not easily unraveled.
Therefore, investigators shifted their focus to those who provided intelligence to the Queiroz assassin group.
It was rumored that by following the leads, they were likely to apprehend several high-profile figures.