Chapter Twenty-Three: The Thug 1/3

Almost the moment Wen Li was kicked away, a violent force engulfed the spot where she had been standing.

Fu Qian watched helplessly as Wen Xiuxian’s head swelled like a balloon, followed by his entire body exploding into a mist of red.

Everything happened in the blink of an eye. After kicking Wen Li to safety, Fu Qian stepped forward to block the angle, slamming squarely into the storm of flesh and blood.

A deafening boom shook his very core, the violent impact rattling his internal organs. Furthermore, the storm seemed to be filled with countless tiny, sharp shards, tearing at everything around it with immense kinetic energy.

Three seconds later, the storm dissipated.

Fu Qian lowered his head and raised his left hand.

From the shoulder down, the skin had vanished entirely, and the underlying flesh was riddled with holes, with white, bare bone visible in some places.

I haven't even taken damage this severe in Mortal Kombat!

This thing packs quite a punch!

Within the radius of the flesh storm, nothing remained intact; even the half-wall that had been caught in the blast was now riddled with holes like a honeycomb.

These assassins are truly resourceful to have come up with something so lethal!

Still, while the injuries were severe, they weren't fatal.

With an expressionless face, Fu Qian straightened out the exposed blood vessels.

The next moment, he kicked and shattered the precarious, crumbling wall. Leveraging the recoil of that violent force, he instantly crossed the gap, flashed to the side of a person outside, and delivered a kick.

Found you!

Regardless of whether that was truly Wen Xiuxian, such an attack could not have been executed by a hypnotized ordinary person. Fu Qian did not believe these assassins were so dedicated that they would sacrifice their lives to complete a mission; someone had to be nearby, controlling the situation remotely.

Therefore, while bathing in the flesh storm, he had kept his senses fully open, missing nothing, and eventually locked onto a specific aura.

The owner of that aura was currently blending in with the bodyguards who had rushed to the scene, heading toward the exit.

Boom!

The kick, carrying a surge of violent force, was as fast as lightning and terrifying in its momentum.

The target could no longer maintain his facade. His body twisted, stretching unnaturally for a moment, before dodging the lethal blow with a bizarre maneuver.

However, he was met by a blood-stained, mangled hand.

Pfft!

Like a crushed tomato, the opponent was struck by a real-life "Nine Yin White Bone Claw" from Fu Qian’s nearly fleshless left hand.

[Thug: Digestion Progress 1/3]

[Aggressive as fire, swift as thunder. Congratulations on beginning to master the essence of the Thug.]

As the target in his hand stopped struggling completely, a prompt echoed in Fu Qian’s ears.

At the same time, a surge of heat flowed through his entire body.

The sensation of using the Thug form for the first time returned, only far more intense than before.

After a violent surge of vitality washed through him, his exposed bones even began to emanate a faint, metallic luster.

The next moment, flesh proliferated, the wounds healed rapidly, and in the blink of an eye, the bones were covered once more.

One-third digestion progress?

Fu Qian took a deep breath. He was certain he had undergone a new transformation. If he had to do it again, he was confident he could send that Mr. Ji to his grave within ten seconds.

But according to this logic, his Thug form was only just beginning; even now, he had only digested a portion of it?

"Aggressive as fire, swift as thunder"—did that refer to his performance in taking down that assassin just now?

Or perhaps it referred to everything he had done up to this point.

And these were known as the essence of the Thug.

In that case, the way to digest the Thug form is to become a thug.

Interesting!

If 1/3 provides this much enhancement, I wonder what it will be like once 3/3—total digestion—is achieved.

Fu Qian silently felt a sense of anticipation.

He dropped the corpse to the ground and headed back into the house the way he came.

He glanced at Wen Li, who was struggling to get up from the floor.

The range of the flesh storm hadn't been large, and with him shielding her, she hadn't suffered any real injuries.

However, there seemed to be blood on her forehead—could that have happened when he kicked her away?

He couldn't set his standards too high; he wasn't a professional nanny, and he couldn't guarantee she would be unscathed every single time.

One had to admit, the one who died outside was quite professional, and his concealment skills were excellent.

Earlier, he had just felt that Wen Xiuxian was acting a bit strange, which is why he had paid extra attention to Wen Li.

This girl’s ability allowed her to perceive the emotions of those around her, and having been father and daughter for years, she should have been the first to notice something was off.

Sure enough, even if Wen Li hadn't realized it herself, her confused expression showed that she had subconsciously felt that something was wrong with Wen Xiuxian.

"Are you all right?"

Wen Li leaned against the wall, struggling to stand, and asked Fu Qian with a trembling voice.

"That was..."

"Likely an assassin."

"But he looked like my father."

"It cannot be ruled out that it actually was your father."

Considering that the assassins were skilled in hypnosis and disguise, the probability that they had captured the Wen Xiuxian who left that morning, processed him, and sent him back was quite high.

Wen Li was not a stupid woman; there was no need to offer her empty comfort.

"No... Father shouldn't have been able to return so quickly..."

Wen Li muttered to herself subconsciously, then suddenly froze, her body stiffening as she bent down to pick something up.

It was a watch, mangled by the explosion, riddled with countless tiny, honeycomb-like holes.

A painful, mournful cry rang out, and a familiar prompt echoed in Fu Qian’s ears.

[Containment Failed]

[Mental breakdown. Wen Li has lost the potential for advancement.]

...

You have got to be kidding me!

Back in the warehouse, Fu Qian stared up at the sky in silence for a minute, feeling that the joy of his upgrade had been dampened somewhat.

It failed even though Wen Li didn't die?

Discovering that the deceased was indeed Wen Xiuxian, a mental breakdown was understandable.

But a "mental breakdown"—had she gone completely insane?

Silently selecting the event replay, Fu Qian quickly watched his journey through the mission at high speed, eventually reaching one conclusion.

Escort missions are truly impossible!

Looking back, although this mission didn't feature the werewolves or evil gods of the past, the level of danger was even higher.

The Wen family looked prosperous on the surface, but they were actually surrounded by crises, and Wen Li herself was as fragile as glass; surviving was truly no easy feat.

Now, there was even the possibility of failure without death.

Protecting two people simultaneously was far more difficult than protecting one.

Moreover, neither Wen Li nor her father were the type to be easily manipulated; getting them to follow his arrangements was no small task.

The situation was complex.

Fu Qian stared at the black-and-white cocoons on the fog gate.

When a matter has a thousand threads and is riddled with traps at every turn, the best solution is not to grit your teeth and push forward, but to change your approach.

For instance, the Asura mode.

[Consume 1 SAN point. Attempt containment again.]

[...1%...3%...10%...50%...98%...100%. Containment scene loaded.]

"Don't look around!"

Captain Gu’s familiar voice rang out.

Looking at the unscathed Wen family mansion, Fu Qian took a deep breath.