Xiao Ming returned to Xinglin Grass Hall, carrying a cleaver. Luan Jiping dispatched over a dozen people to monitor the Hao Lailai Restaurant day and night, waiting for Long Xiao's appearance.
Lin Xuan also soon learned of Long Xiao's disappearance. She came to Xinglin Grass Hall, inquired from Xiao Ming how Long Xiao had gone missing, and then, with Xin Yifei and Xin Sihai, went to the Hao Lailai Restaurant.
The restaurant was completely destroyed, with traces of fire everywhere. Even pedestrians passing by gave it a wide berth.
Lin Xuan stood before the burnt-out Hao Lailai Restaurant, gazing at the ruins with a pang of sadness in her heart.
Xin Yifei quickly stepped forward and said, "General Manager Lin, Brother Long might have been delayed by something, which is why he didn't return. A common fire wouldn't be able to kill him."
"This place is utterly destroyed. He didn't come out, so what do you think happened?"
"General Manager Lin, I called the fire department. They said there were no casualties in this fire," Xin Sihai reported.
"No casualties? That means he might be alright, just hiding. Or perhaps he went somewhere without phone signal to do something," Lin Xuan inquired.
Xin Sihai nodded and said, "That should be the case."
The three of them circled the ruins of Hao Lailai Restaurant twice without discovering anything, so they had to leave.
News of Long Xiao's disappearance quickly spread throughout Donghai. Some worried for Long Xiao, while others were excited.
Upon hearing of Long Xiao's disappearance, Long Nian immediately relayed the news to Nangong Yue.
Nangong Yue refused to believe Long Nian's words, saying, "How could Long Xiao disappear? This fellow must be hiding."
Upon hearing that Long Xiao had gone missing, Gui Tian Qiu Er excitedly summoned his subordinates, preparing to move against the other forces in Donghai.
Gui Tian Qiu Er feared only Long Xiao; he held no regard for any other forces in Donghai. In recent days, the pharmaceutical factories and hospitals had experienced incidents one after another, clearly indicating someone was targeting the Daihe Overseas Development Company.
After much deliberation, Gui Tian Qiu Er's subordinates unanimously agreed to deal with Luan Jiping first.
Long Xiao called Luan Jiping "sister." Among the Three Dragons, Two Tigers, and One God of Wealth, she was the closest to Long Xiao. By taking advantage of Long Xiao's disappearance, eliminating Luan Jiping first would deal the biggest blow to Long Xiao.
Long Xiao walked down the cave, traveling for over ten li each time, encountering a vast space filled with piles of bones reaching toward the sky.
He observed as he walked, encountering eight such piles of bones. Long Xiao took out his phone and opened an electronic map. This area was in the Qian position. This location should be one of the three construction sites.
Long Xiao circled the bone piles and soon found a man-made tunnel leading outside.
He followed the tunnel upwards, this time encountering no door but a wall. The wall was damp, clearly having been recently poured.
Long Xiao pressed his ear to the wall and listened. People were talking outside, workers discussing how to install the piping.
Long Xiao decided to exit from here. He stood by the wall, gathered his strength, and punched the wall.
With a loud bang, a large hole was smashed through the wall, big enough for a person to pass through.
Hearing the tremendous noise, the workers outside looked towards the source. Long Xiao calmly emerged from the newly created opening.
Several migrant workers were stunned. This was the underground parking lot. During its construction, a deep pit was dug, and then the walls were poured with concrete along the pit's edges.
The space behind the wall was not empty, and a wall reinforced with concrete and steel could not be broken even with explosives unless a sufficient amount was used.
Long Xiao looked at the workers and smiled, saying, "Hello, can you tell me where this is?"
Seeing Long Xiao approaching, one worker panicked and retreated a few steps, saying, "This is the underground parking lot construction site for the stadium."
Long Xiao nodded and said, "Got it. You can continue with your work."
As Long Xiao was about to leave, four Japanese men in suits approached.
Upon seeing the hole Long Xiao had created, the four Japanese men's expressions changed. One of them said, "Kill them. Not a single one should escape."
The four Japanese men lunged at Long Xiao and the workers. The workers were defenseless. The attackers were extremely powerful, and Long Xiao could only focus on himself, unable to save the migrant workers.
Without even a scream, the workers were obliterated, their mangled limbs scattered across the ground.
The Japanese man who charged at Long Xiao intended to shatter him with a single punch. Long Xiao met the incoming fist with his 'Violent Dragon Fist.'
With a thunderous roar, both were pushed back several steps. Long Xiao's arm throbbed with pain, and the Japanese man shook his arm, clearly having injured it.
"This kid has some strength. Let's all go at him," the injured Japanese man shouted.
The three other Japanese men, having finished with the workers, surrounded Long Xiao and attacked from all four directions.
This time, Long Xiao did not confront them head-on. He used his 'Chimei Xiaoyao Step' to move rapidly, and all three men's punches missed.
The underground parking lot offered ample space, making the 'Chimei Xiaoyao Step' easy to execute. The four Japanese men chased Long Xiao, but no matter how hard they tried, they couldn't get close.
Long Xiao had several encounters with these four Japanese masters and realized their strength was immense, likely at the peak of the Earth realm.
Direct confrontation would surely lead to his defeat. For now, he could only rely on the agility of the 'Chimei Xiaoyao Step' and the five-elemental qi within him to wear them down, waiting for an opening to strike.
The four men, unable to land a blow despite their pursuit, found Long Xiao as slippery as a loach – seemingly catchable, but always evading their grasp at the last moment.
As time passed, the four men became fatigued, their speed slowing. Supported by his five-elemental qi, Long Xiao maintained his initial speed.
Finally, an opportunity to counter presented itself. Long Xiao accelerated,绕ed behind one of the Japanese men, and unleashed 'Raging Dragon Emerges from the Sea.'
Long Xiao used his left fist, which he hadn't employed for a long time. The punch whistled through the air, followed by a scream. The Japanese man's back caved in, his spine broken by Long Xiao's blow.
The reason Long Xiao had long avoided using his left fist was not because it was ineffective. While his left fist couldn't utilize five-elemental qi, its offensive power was no less than his right.
Long Xiao had always worried that excessive use of his left fist would cause the shadow-like Qilin dormant in his left arm to undergo unfavorable changes.
Since the shadow-like Qilin had settled in Long Xiao's left arm, Long Xiao had frequently observed it. The creature slept soundly every day, as if it were in its own home.
Long Xiao had attempted to communicate with the shadow-like Qilin multiple times, but each attempt had been fruitless. The Qilin simply ignored him.
Having killed one Japanese man with a single punch, the remaining three were stunned. They had always believed Long Xiao's strength was inferior to theirs, which was why they had been so quick to dodge.
Witnessing the power of Long Xiao's punch, they felt a sense of danger and began to focus on defense when attacking Long Xiao. This further slowed their movements.
The 'Chimei Xiaoyao Step' relied on rapid footwork, making one seem as elusive as a phantom.
With the three men being overly cautious and their speed reduced, Long Xiao found even more opportunities to attack.