Zelyenkov launched himself into the air, pouring almost all his strength into a fierce strike aimed at Ling Tian. The punch was astonishing in both power and speed.
Even an armored vehicle would likely not withstand the immense impact of this blow; its power was comparable to an armor-piercing shell!
However, Ling Tian was no fool. He had already assessed the punch's destructive force, so he didn't engage in a direct confrontation. Instead, he instantly entered the Spirit Realm space!
All of this happened in the blink of an eye. Zelyenkov watched in disbelief as his fist connected with Ling Tian, only for Ling Tian to vanish the next moment. Zelyenkov's punch then landed squarely on the ground!
"Boom!"
With a deafening roar, debris flew everywhere. The airport ground was gouged out, forming a crater more than a meter deep!
It was important to remember that airport grounds were hardened concrete, reinforced to withstand the weight of landing aircraft with high-grade cement.
Yet, even this incredibly strong surface could not withstand Zelyenkov's punch, demonstrating its immense power!
Zelyenkov was exceptionally intelligent, seamlessly merging his martial arts with his ability to control compressed air. He used compressed air to accelerate his movements and also employed compressed air walls to protect himself and inflict damage on opponents.
As a result, Zelyenkov had encountered a formidable opponent today, and his strongest attack had missed.
As the dust settled and the rubble fell back to the ground, Zelyenkov, panting heavily, straightened himself from the edge of the massive crater.
The rapid succession of combat had drained him significantly, his powers having been pushed to their limits. He gasped for breath, spun around abruptly, and saw Ling Tian standing more than ten meters behind him, arms crossed, looking relaxed and at ease.
"Who... who exactly are you?"
Zelyenkov now harbored regret, regretting his decision to accept Boris Gustav's commission.
His accumulated assets were all gone, though not entirely. After all, two armed men were still guarding the hostages in the warehouse over there, but with Aurora heading there now, it was likely those two were also in grave danger.
"If you want to know who I am, I can tell you!
But first, you must tell me who you are and who sent you to kill us! As they say, every grievance has its source, and every debt has its debtor!" Ling Tian demanded sternly.
"I am Zelyenkov, remember my name, you bastard!"
"You're just a brute. I have no interest in the name of a dead man. Tell me who sent you!"
"Who sent me? Of course, it was the damned Gustav family!"
In his rage, Zelyenkov unhesitatingly betrayed his employer, the Gustav family.
For professional assassins, there were many unwritten rules, the most important being not to betray their employer.
The issue was that Zelyenkov was not a professional assassin. His group were essentially mercenaries, and mercenaries were known for their lack of principles.
Let alone betraying an employer, they would sometimes even kill their employer if offered a higher price.
He felt no remorse in betraying the Gustav family; on the contrary, Zelyenkov wished for the Gustav family's utter annihilation at that very moment!
Ling Tian understood immediately. At present, only the Gustav family harbored such intense hatred for him and Aurora. Indeed, all love and hate had their reasons.
"I've told you what you wanted to know. Now it's your turn. Who the hell are you?"
Ling Tian sneered, "Two years ago, did you happen to go to Hell Paradise Island?"
"No, I missed it!"
Zelyenkov's statement was not an exaggeration. He had indeed missed it. At that time, Zelyenkov and Zarin had just arrived in the United States, and before they could even settle down, the members of the Scepter of God had already departed.
Furthermore, Zelyenkov and his companions were virtually penniless then, lacking the funds to travel to Hell Paradise Island, located near the Antarctic.
"You must have heard something about what happened on Hell Paradise Island."
"Yes, so what?"
"On Hell Paradise Island, almost all the members of the Scepter of God were killed...
And I was the one who did it!"
Upon hearing this, Zelyenkov's heart was immediately overwhelmed by a tempest!
The events on Hell Paradise Island years ago were no secret in the American supernatural community. A vast number of American supernaturals, many of them the elite of the American supernatural world, had perished on that island.
This incident directly led to the dissolution of the Scepter of God and a massive reshuffling of the entire American supernatural landscape.
As for the cause of the incident, theories abounded. While most attributed the deaths to a volcanic eruption, many also claimed that the eruption was not accidental but man-made!
Today, Ling Tian had openly admitted to it. Zelyenkov never imagined he had provoked such a formidable killer!
He also understood clearly that Ling Tian's willingness to reveal this secret to him was a sign of his confidence. Ling Tian clearly had no fear of Zelyenkov escaping and spreading the information, which meant Ling Tian intended to kill him!
With this thought, Zelyenkov decided to strike first. He suddenly exerted force, and the pockets on his body burst open. Thousands of steel balls, large and small, poured out, floating around Zelyenkov. Zelyenkov locked onto Ling Tian with his mental power and then unleashed all his remaining supernatural energy.
In an instant, the air crackled like popping beans, and then, thousands of steel balls shot towards Ling Tian, even locking down the area several meters around him!
Zelyenkov believed Ling Tian was doomed this time!
Facing the barrage of steel balls like a downpour, a mocking smile crept onto Ling Tian's lips. The next moment, a spatial rift three meters in diameter appeared in front of Ling Tian, and the steel balls shot directly into the spatial rift!
This was not the end. Zelyenkov was unaware that at that very moment, the space behind him suddenly tore open, and another spatial rift appeared!
The next instant, a large number of steel balls emerged from the spatial rift and struck Zelyenkov's body!
Zelyenkov's body was riddled like a sieve. He looked at his body in astonishment, at the steel balls embedded within him, his eyes wide open. Zelyenkov could never have imagined that the steel balls he fired would emerge from behind him and kill him!
He did not know that Ling Tian had summoned two spatial rifts!