Chapter 47: Li Yunfei Takes Action

No one could persuade Zhang Ziying; she strode quickly up the escalator. As she walked, she pulled out her phone and dialed a number.

“Captain He, there’s an Awakened murder case on the eighth floor of Xiuyuan Tower. Please notify our comrades from Zixiao to provide immediate support…”

“Yes, I’m here right now. Understood.”

Upstairs, people were still rushing down, while those below wanted to head up to see what was happening. Security guards and Fat Tiger’s group blocked those trying to go upstairs for a look, plunging the scene into chaos.

Taking advantage of the confusion, Li Yunfei slipped away toward the emergency stairwell, unnoticed by anyone in the tumult. Once at the fire escape, he broke into a sprint, dashing for the eighth floor with astonishing speed.

When he reached the eighth floor, Zhang Ziying was still two stories below. Peering through the glass in the stairwell door, he saw the lobby ahead: five security guards lay on the ground—three unconscious, two curled up in terror, not daring to make a sound.

No staff or customers remained. All had fled downstairs via elevator or escalator.

In the center of the lobby stood a young man of about twenty-five or six. His features were passable but his clothes utterly nondescript. He gripped the hair of a fashionably dressed woman with a decent figure, bellowing with rage.

“I work myself to death, slaving away and pulling overtime, all to save up the dowry you wanted, to give you a good life after marriage. And this is how you repay me, huh?”

As he spoke, his face twisted with even deeper fury, contorting his features. He slapped the woman lightly—or so he thought. In reality, his newly awakened strength made the blow as forceful as a full-armed swing from an ordinary man.

Her face was already swollen grotesquely, blood at the corners of her mouth, pained howls rising from her throat. The man, only just awakened, had no control over his power. Earlier, he’d intended merely to throw the rich kid against the wall, but misjudged his strength and sent the man crashing through a window to his death.

This was the eighth floor—no one could survive such a fall.

Now, with a life already on his hands, he was past the point of caring. He had nothing left to lose.

“You made a fool of me, cheated on me in front of everyone, called me worthless, ground my face into the floor. Who’s the worthless one now?”

Another slap—two of the woman’s teeth flew out, her wails growing fainter.

“So he had spiritual talent and money—so what? He’s just a corpse now. I’m the Awakened one.”

“Even if I kill you both, who can do anything to me? Would the state really punish an Awakened over two pieces of trash like you?”

“From now on, I’m the one above all others. You’re not even fit to shine my shoes, you wretched woman.”

The man’s mind, like his face, had become utterly twisted. All the grievances and bitterness he’d swallowed in daily life erupted at this moment. The humiliation dealt by this woman and that rich scion was merely the final straw—the one that broke the camel’s back, pushing him to awaken in his rage and disgrace.

He had once been the so-called “honest man,” now embodying the saying: never bully the honest, or you might not live to regret it.

Li Yunfei, for his part, observed coldly. This woman was not worth risking exposure to save. He had rushed up only to ensure Zhang Ziying’s safety.

“Stop!” Zhang Ziying finally arrived, charging to within a few meters of the man and shouting at him.

Bloodshot eyes fixed on her, the man’s voice turned menacing. “Who are you—her friend?”

Zhang Ziying raised her police badge. “I’m a police officer. I have nothing to do with her. Even if you’re Awakened, you can’t just kill at will. Let her go.”

“Help… me…” At the word “police,” the man faltered, loosening his grip on the woman’s hair. She instantly collapsed, raising a feeble hand toward Zhang Ziying, whispering for help, dragging herself in their direction.

But this only seemed to set the man off. Whatever reason he had left was consumed by rage.

He crouched and seized her hair again. “So what if you’re the police? I’m Awakened—the police can’t touch me. Go to hell!”

He yanked her head up and smashed it down hard onto the floor, cracking the tiles. The woman convulsed once—and lay still, lifeless.

Zhang Ziying’s face went pale. He had gone mad, killing before a police officer.

“Bastard! Do you know what you’re doing?” she roared in fury.

The man straightened, laughing with a lunatic’s glee. “What have I done? I've just cleaned up two pieces of trash for society. Want to arrest me? Come on! Try it!”

With that, he strode toward her.

A chill passed over Zhang Ziying’s face as she retreated, warning, “What do you want? Attacking a police officer is a serious crime—think carefully.”

Li Yunfei tensed as well. If Zhang Ziying could stall him until reinforcements arrived, she’d be safe. But with things as they were, he had no choice but to act.

He didn’t rush out immediately. Instead, he drew four talismans, sticking them to his arms and legs. With a thought, a formidable snakescale armor enveloped him—its helmet a full mask, revealing only his eyes. No one could recognize him now; enough, he hoped, to conceal his identity. Whether he’d be found out later was a problem for another time.

He pushed open the fire door and charged, moving so fast he left afterimages in his wake.

Reaching Zhang Ziying’s side, he leapt over her head and launched a flying kick at the man’s chest.

Bang. Bang.

Li Yunfei moved so quickly that neither Zhang Ziying nor the man could react. His kick struck the man square in the chest, sending him crashing into the wall, smashing through tile and concrete.

Zhang Ziying, tense with worry, was stunned by this sudden turn.

Clang, clang—the metallic rasp of scales accompanied Li Yunfei as he strode toward the man.

Blood trickled from the man’s lips, but despite the heavy blow, he was not gravely injured, still capable of resistance.

Clearly, an Awakened of physical strength held an advantage over ordinary cultivators—a powerful body from the moment of awakening.

By Li Yunfei’s estimation, the man’s strength and constitution were at least ten times that of a normal person. Without talismans and spiritual power, Li Yunfei might not have been able to subdue him.

The man stared in terror at the figure before him—like a demon god—voice trembling, “Who are you? Are you with the government?”

Li Yunfei had no interest in conversation. He needed a swift victory, to render the man helpless before reinforcements arrived.

He lunged, becoming a streak of black lightning—vanishing in a flash.