Chapter 22: The Unveiling of Power

Zi Yanran sat silently in the car, her gaze fixed intently on the group outside the window. Despite knowing Bai Mengqi’s formidable strength, a worried expression involuntarily surfaced on her face.

Instinctively, she picked up her phone, her slender fingers tracing light patterns on the screen. She seemed to be internally debating whether to summon her bodyguards for immediate assistance.

After all, this group approached with an undeniable menace, their presence exuding an air of viciousness that was unmistakable.

Yet, if she truly desired a world for just herself and Bai Mengqi, she needed to gauge Bai Mengqi’s capabilities. Otherwise, the constant presence of outsiders would always feel unsettling.

****

The enhanced individuals advanced, their footsteps a mix of light and heavy, their eyes glinting with either ferocity or cold indifference. They steadily closed in on Bai Mengqi.

As the distance rapidly diminished, they launched their fierce assault without hesitation.

One of them swiftly drew a gleaming dagger, its blade reflecting a chilling light under the dim garage lamps.

Another donned sharp finger claws, which seemed to emanate a subtle yet dangerous aura.

A third assailant brandished an extendable baton, raising it high before viciously striking at Bai Mengqi. The baton whistled through the air, carrying a force that felt capable of tearing flesh.

Bai Mengqi, however, remained perfectly still, a serene and composed expression in her eyes.

As she watched the baton lash out towards her, her reaction was incredibly swift. She instantly raised her hand.

In that instant, pure, dazzling white light emanated from her palm, glowing like the warm sun of winter.

With effortless grace, she caught the fiercely striking baton, her movements fluid and utterly devoid of panic.

“What?” The enhanced individual wielding the baton gasped, their eyes wide with disbelief.

He had never imagined his powerful strike could be caught so easily, with bare hands no less.

He stood frozen, momentarily at a loss, his mind a tangled mess unable to comprehend the situation.

Bai Mengqi, however, granted him no further time for thought. With a sudden surge of strength, she yanked the baton, using its momentum to hurl the enhanced individual violently away.

The assailant shrieked, flying through the air like a ragdoll before crashing heavily onto the ground nearby with a dull thud.

****

The remaining enhanced individuals swarmed forward.

Just then, another female enhanced individual, armed with a knife, seized her opportunity.

The moment her companion was flung aside, she lunged like an agile leopard, her knife thrusting viciously towards Bai Mengqi’s face.

The attack was incredibly cunning, perfectly angled and astonishingly fast.

Inside the car, Zi Yanran’s heart leaped into her throat as she witnessed the scene. Her hands involuntarily clenched in tension, her eyes glued to the unfolding situation outside the window, terrified that Bai Mengqi might suffer a mishap.

Fortunately, just as the knife was about to pierce Bai Mengqi, barely half a foot away, a miraculous event occurred.

An invisible barrier seemed to materialize from thin air, firmly blocking the sharp blade.

The knife struck the barrier, sparking a few faint embers, but could not advance an inch further.

“Impossible?”

The female assailant was utterly stunned, staring blankly at the sight before her. She couldn’t believe her supposedly fatal strike had been so effortlessly neutralized.

Her face was etched with shock, her previously confident gaze now replaced with panic.

Bai Mengqi’s eyes, however, suddenly blazed with dazzling golden light, shimmering like brilliant stars within her gaze. This transformation made her appear akin to a deity, radiating an awe-inspiring majesty.

She simply watched the female assailant. The next moment, her eyes widened sharply, and an invisible surge of energy, like a tumultuous wave, erupted outwards in all directions.

The female assailant and all other enhanced individuals within a ten-meter radius of Bai Mengqi were instantly slammed back, as if struck by a speeding truck. Their bodies flew uncontrollably through the air.

Their bodies tumbled through the air before they crashed heavily onto the ground. Over thirty individuals simultaneously coughed up mouthfuls of fresh blood, which splattered on the concrete like a shocking crimson bloom.

Clearly, they had sustained severe internal injuries. They lay on the ground, groaning in agony, unable to rise for a long time.

****

Inside the car, Zi Yanran, who had been about to call for help, was now utterly stunned by the astonishing scene before her.

In her perception, Bai Mengqi’s body had barely moved, yet such a ferocious surge of pure energy had erupted from her.

Bai Mengqi paid no mind to anyone’s shock. She advanced with steady steps, moving deliberately towards the young man wearing a mask and glasses.

This was the very individual who had been trailing them.

Bai Mengqi reached out and, without hesitation, seized his hair. With a forceful tug, she lifted him as easily as one might hoist a small chicken.

“You’re the one who’s been following us, aren’t you?”

As Bai Mengqi spoke, she reached out and removed his mask and sunglasses. Her gaze was chilling, piercing him as though it could see into his very soul, making the young man feel a prickling sensation along his spine.

The young man’s face was a mask of terror. He had never imagined that so many of them could be defeated by a single strike.

The opponent’s strength far surpassed anything he could have conceived.

He was, after all, an E-rank enhanced individual, a level that commanded a certain degree of power within their hierarchy. The others were all F-rank.

By all logic, their group should have been more than enough to handle one person, yet they now found themselves in such a miserable state.

“You, who exactly are you?” The man asked, his voice trembling with terror, his eyes filled with fear of the unknown.

Bai Mengqi did not answer his question, her face still bearing that cold expression.

“I am the one asking the questions, not you. Tell me, who is your employer?” Bai Mengqi demanded, her tone severe.

She would not easily let go of the individual behind this scheme. She was determined to uncover who was orchestrating these people to target them.

Unconsciously, the safety of Zi Yanran’s family had become something she deeply cared about.

However, these were highly trained enhanced assassins. They were known to be tight-lipped about their employers’ identities and certainly wouldn’t betray such information casually.

“Hmph! No comment.” The man showed a surprising degree of backbone. Despite being terrified internally, he refused to speak.

Unfortunately, the next moment, Bai Mengqi’s hand suddenly clamped onto his arm, then squeezed with force.

A scream, accompanied by the sickening sound of bone cracking, echoed through the underground garage.

“Ah!” The man’s face contorted in agony, large beads of sweat rolling down his forehead.

“Tell me, who is it? If you don’t speak, I’ll crush all your limbs and those of the others, turning you all into cripples. Are you certain you wish to continue concealing the truth?” Bai Mengqi stated coldly, her gaze fixed on the wailing man.

There was not a shred of mercy in her eyes. For those who sought to harm them, she would show no leniency.

Meanwhile, inside the car, Zi Yanran observed Bai Mengqi’s actions through the window. She suddenly realized that this ‘little one’ with whom she had shared intimacy possessed a vastly different personality.

When they were together, Bai Mengqi was like a shy young boy or girl, speaking softly and sometimes blushing over trivial matters.

Yet, once she began to act, she transformed into someone else entirely, becoming so ruthless and decisive, exuding an aura that commanded immediate respect.

Under Bai Mengqi’s iron-blooded intimidation, the enhanced individuals who had come to confront Zi Yanran finally spoke.

After all, no code of conduct was more important than their own future. For martial practitioners like them, having their limbs crippled meant utter ruin, a life confined to a bed, a fate worse than death.

Nevertheless, a series of agonizing screams soon echoed continuously through the underground garage.

Bai Mengqi did not simply let them off the hook just because they had spoken. She broke one foot of each assailant.

She refrained from killing them to avoid unnecessary trouble.

However, this did not mean they could leave unscathed. They had arrived with malicious intent, and thus, a harsh lesson was warranted.