At the same moment, on the rooftop of a high-rise building not far from the attack site, two young men were also using binoculars to observe the scene.
One of them turned to his companion and asked, “Young Master Wu, these people weren’t arranged by you, were they?”
“Me? How could that be possible?” The young man was none other than Wu De. At this moment, his eyes glinted sharply as he watched Hu Yuanyuan and the others under assault.
According to his original plan, he intended to kidnap Hu Yuanyuan today and then use her against Li Feng. He had not expected someone else to strike before his own men could move. This development was completely beyond his calculations.
“Not you?” The other youth was taken aback and said in puzzlement, “These black-clothed men are highly skilled, and every one of them is an ancient martial artist. Apart from your Wu family, who else in China could dispatch so many powerful fighters at once?”
“Ancient martial artists are hardly rare. There are plenty of forces in China capable of fielding them. Every one of the eight top-tier families possesses that kind of strength. Even first-rate families could easily send out this many ancient martial artists. There’s nothing surprising about it. Li Feng has offended countless people in Tianhai City. It’s only natural that someone would target his woman,” Wu De replied gravely.
“It seems I underestimated the capabilities of you Chinese,” the youth said, a glint flashing in his eyes.
“What do you mean ‘you Chinese’?” Wu De glanced at him and asked coldly, “If your old man heard you say that, he might just break your legs.”
“I was Chinese once. From now on, I’m not,” the youth sneered.
A trace of disdain flickered through Wu De’s eyes, but it was none of his business, so he said nothing more. He lifted the binoculars again and scanned the attack site.
“Young Master Wu, when do we move?” the youth asked.
“No rush,” Wu De shook his head.
At this moment, Wu De displayed a steadiness completely unlike his usual self. If Li Feng were here and saw Wu De like this, he would be utterly shocked. Whether at the resort hotel or at New Century, Wu De had always been arrogant and overbearing, treating everyone with contempt. Yet now, sharp glints occasionally flashed in his eyes. He was calm, collected, and every gesture revealed shrewd intelligence.
This was the real Wu De. The arrogant, domineering playboy he normally presented was merely an act. The Wu family aspired to become the ninth top-tier family. How could they not devote every effort to cultivating their heir? As the eldest young master of the Wu family and the one they focused on most heavily, how could Wu De possibly be a mere spoiled wastrel?
He was simply extremely cunning and knew how to conceal his true nature. In ordinary times, Wu De was the quintessential pampered heir. Only a handful of people knew his real face.
Take this entire affair with Fengyuan Group and Li Feng. To outsiders, it appeared that Wu De, driven by lust for Hu Yuanyuan and his own arrogance, had offended Li Feng. Yet who would guess that all of it had been deliberately orchestrated by Wu De himself?
From the moment Fengyuan Group first announced the development of Intelligent One, Wu De had already begun laying his plans. He first used Boss Jiang, backed by the immense financial power of the Wu family, to become Fengyuan Group’s largest partner. At the same time, he leaked information to Park Song-zi of Xingxing Group and secretly helped Park use influence within China to pressure Fengyuan Group. Then, using Boss Jiang’s position, he informed him that he had taken a fancy to Hu Yuanyuan and instructed Jiang to arrange a dinner with her.
What Wu De had not anticipated was that Hu Yuanyuan would not attend that dinner; only Li Feng showed up. So he changed tactics on the spot. Acting the perfect spoiled heir, he picked a fight with Li Feng. Even Boss Jiang probably believed Wu De was nothing more than a womanising, arrogant fool and had no idea he was being used the entire time.
That night at New Century, he once again played the part of the overbearing playboy and provoked Li Feng. Although he suffered considerably for it, Wu De considered his performance a complete success. Li Feng had been thoroughly deceived and would lower his guard around him. That meant his true plan could now proceed smoothly.
Wu De knew full well that the moment Intelligent One appeared, countless eyes would be watching it. Obtaining it directly would be far from easy. The more arrogantly and contemptibly he behaved in front of Li Feng, the less Li Feng would see him as a threat, and the greater his own chances of securing Intelligent One became.
Of course, his womanising tendencies were not entirely an act. No man was immune to desire; a man who claimed otherwise simply lacked the means to indulge. Moreover, Wu De understood that the best performance mixed truth with falsehood, so no one would suspect he was pretending.
“No rush?” The youth was surprised.
“Do you think those black-clothed men can actually kill Hu Yuanyuan?” A sharp glint passed through Wu De’s eyes.
“Them? I don’t mean to belittle them, but although they currently have the upper hand, killing Hu Yuanyuan will not be easy,” the youth answered seriously.
“Exactly,” Wu De smiled.
“If they cannot kill Hu Yuanyuan, isn’t this the perfect moment for us to act?” Confusion flickered in the youth’s eyes.
“My goal is to use Hu Yuanyuan against Li Feng, not to see her dead. Since these black-clothed men cannot kill her, we have no need to intervene. For now, we simply watch and wait,” Wu De said gravely, sharp light flashing in his eyes once more. “Besides, I suspect the other side still has cards to play. Moving now would only expose us.”
“Then what do you intend, Young Master Wu?” the youth asked.
“Wait,” Wu De replied.
“Wait?” The youth frowned.
“Yes, wait,” Wu De said, a keen glint in his eyes. “But we will not wait idly.”
“Young Master Wu, you mean…”
“The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind. Once Hu Yuanyuan is attacked, Fengyuan Group and Tianya Pavilion security will rush here immediately. That is our opportunity,” Wu De said meaningfully.
“Young Master Wu wants to intercept them?” The youth was startled, then quickly understood.
“No. I want to destroy Tianya Pavilion,” Wu De declared, cold light flashing in his eyes.
“Destroy Tianya Pavilion?” The youth’s pupils contracted. He had never imagined Wu De harboured such an ambition.
“Precisely.” Wu De nodded. At present, Tianya Pavilion was Li Feng’s headquarters in Tianhai City, more important even than Fengyuan Group. Destroying Tianya Pavilion would deal Li Feng a devastating blow, even if none of his people died. Moreover, razing Tianya Pavilion served another purpose: it would force Li Feng’s Black Eagle squad out of their training base. He could then ambush them on their way into the city and wipe the entire Black Eagle squad out in one stroke.
This plan was top secret. Fewer than three people knew of it. Once the Black Eagle squad was eliminated, Hu Yuanyuan captured, and Intelligent One obtained, he, Wu De, could replace Li Feng in Tianhai City.
That was the true scope of his grand strategy.
Originally, things had not been progressing so smoothly, but now someone else attacking Hu Yuanyuan had conveniently done part of his work for him.
At the crossroads.
The battle had already reached fever pitch.
“Die!”
Grey Eagle watched a Black Eagle squad member beside him get cut down. Rage exploded within him. With a roar, he charged at the black-clothed assailant ahead, throwing two ferocious punches.
The black-clothed man faltered for an instant, shifted his body slightly to dodge the fists, then swung his blade in a counterattack toward Grey Eagle’s back.
Grey Eagle’s expression changed drastically. He threw himself forward. Unfortunately, the strike had been a feint. The moment Grey Eagle hit the ground, the man changed his angle and slashed downward.
If that blow landed, Grey Eagle would be cleaved in two.
Years of mercenary life had honed Grey Eagle’s instincts for danger. The instant he heard the whistle of air behind him, a sensation of imminent death gripped his heart. His face paled. Without thinking, he rolled like a donkey across the ground.
Clang!
The machete grazed past his body and struck the road, sending sparks flying with a sharp ring.
Grey Eagle’s pupils shrank. Had he been a second slower, even if the blade did not kill him outright, he would have been gravely wounded. But there was no time for further thought. Two more black-clothed men were already lunging at him.
If seasoned fighters like Grey Eagle and his men were struggling this much, Wang Jian and his two companions were faring even worse. In less than two minutes of fighting three black-clothed attackers, the two men beside Wang Jian had been killed. Wang Jian himself was in dire straits, a deep gash across his body pouring blood.
Yet even faced with these assailants, Wang Jian refused to retreat. Gritting his teeth against the pain, he stubbornly blocked their attacks. He knew Hu Yuanyuan was directly behind him. If he stepped back, she would die without question. Protecting her was his duty. He would never abandon it, even at the cost of his life.
“Haha, die!”
After parrying a few more blows, Wang Jian took another slash. He could barely remain standing. Seeing he was at the end of his strength, one of the black-clothed men gave a cold laugh and swung his blade with ferocious power.
Blade light flashed like lightning toward Wang Jian. Wang Jian’s face changed. He desperately tried to dodge, but it was too late.
Pfft!
The blade energy carved a bone-deep wound across his chest. His face went white, and he collapsed to the ground.
“Die.” The black-clothed man pressed his advantage, rushing forward and raising his machete high.
Wang Jian’s expression filled with horror. He no longer had the strength to stand, let alone defend himself.
Bang!
At that critical moment, a gunshot rang out. A bloody hole appeared in the attacker’s forehead, and he crashed to the ground.
“What?”
The other two black-clothed men paled. They looked up to see Hu Yuanyuan holding a pistol. Clearly, she had just killed their companion.
“Courting death!” Furious, the pair realised the gun still posed a lethal threat. If Hu Yuanyuan fired again, the next to die could be them.
With that thought, they split left and right and charged straight at Hu Yuanyuan without hesitation.
“Young Miss, run…” Wang Jian cried out, his face drained of colour.
“Too late.” One of the black-clothed men sneered. His machete was already raised high, poised to cut Hu Yuanyuan down in a single stroke.
