The sound of heavy boots stomping through the forest floor grew louder. Ye Chen turned his head slightly, his divine senses already locking onto the incoming threat.
From between the trees, over a dozen men dressed in black tactical gear emerged. They wore face coverings, and all of them held assault rifles pointed directly at Ye Chen. Their eyes scanned the area with practiced sharpness, quickly noticing their two unconscious comrades lying in the dirt.
Despite the tense situation, Ye Chen showed no signs of fear or concern. Instead, a calm smile played at his lips. "Please, lower your weapons. There's no need for unnecessary bloodshed.
We can talk this out peacefully, can't we?" His voice was polite, almost teasing.
The mercenaries exchanged confused glances. One of them stepped forward. He was clearly their leader
a burly, bald man with a large scorpion tattoo etched into the side of his face. His muscular arms were crossed, and his eyes narrowed at the sight of the fallen soldiers.
He pointed a thick finger at Ye Chen. "You did this?"
Ye Chen shrugged casually. "Me? How could I? I don't even have a weapon. You think someone like me could overpower two armed men?"
The bald man scoffed. "Don't play games with me, kid.
I heard the gunshots myself. You're the only one here, and my men are unconscious. You're either a very lucky civilian... or a very stupid one."
He waved a hand behind him. "Kill him. Then feed his corpse to the wild dogs."
At the command, several of the mercenaries raised their weapons, fingers curling on the triggers.
Ye Chen's smile faded. His expression grew colder. "You've made a mistake."
Before a single shot could be fired, the mercenaries felt a crushing force slam into their chests like they were being struck by invisible sledgehammers. One by one, they flew backward, their bodies crashing into trees and bushes with sickening thuds.
Their weapons scattered into the foliage.
The bald man blinked, stunned. There had been no gunfire, no movement
yet all his men were now sprawled on the ground, moaning and coughing up blood.
He looked back to where Ye Chen stood. The young man hadn't moved a step.
"What… what the hell are you?" the bald man asked, his voice shaking.
Ye Chen tilted his head. "I warned you. That was the wrath of the heavens for threatening an innocent man."
Of course, it wasn't divine intervention. It was Ye Chen's Nine Shadow Steps a movement technique so fast and deceptive it left behind multiple afterimages.
While the mercenaries were distracted by his calm demeanor, Ye Chen had already moved, attacking each of them with surgical precision in the span of two seconds before returning to his original position.
They never even saw him move.
Still frozen with shock, the bald man reached behind his back and pulled out two gleaming scimitars. He took a combat stance. "You think you're a god? Let's see how you handle this!"
Without waiting for a reply, the mercenary leader charged. His left scimitar swung in a horizontal arc, aiming straight for Ye Chen's neck.
Ye Chen didn't move he simply raised his hand and pinched the blade between his thumb and forefinger. The weapon halted instantly.
The bald man's eyes widened. "W-what!?"
Panicked, he brought his second scimitar down with full force. Ye Chen calmly caught the man's wrist with his free hand and squeezed.
CRACK!
The sound of bones snapping echoed through the silent forest. The bald man howled in pain, dropping his weapons.
Ye Chen threw him aside like a sack of grain. The bald man crashed to the ground, writhing and clutching his broken wrist.
Ye Chen walked forward slowly, his steps measured. The bald man scrambled back in fear, dragging his injured body away. "S-Stay back! Don't come any closer! I I was wrong, okay!? I give up! Please!"
Ye Chen's voice was calm, but cold. "You wanted to feed me to the dogs, remember? Now you beg like a worm?"
"I was joking! I swear, I won't do it again! Please, just spare me!" The mercenary's voice cracked with desperation. All the bravado from earlier had completely vanished.
Ye Chen shook his head. "If I let you go, you'll just go back to your old ways. People like you don't change unless they're forced to."
He stepped on the man's leg.
CRACK!
Another scream ripped through the forest as the bone in the mercenary's calf shattered.
"Mercy! Please! I'll never harm anyone again! I swear!"
Ye Chen leaned down, his voice a whisper in the man's ear. "You say that now, but you've likely caused pain to many who begged for their lives too. Did you ever show them mercy?"
The bald man was sobbing. "No… I… I was wrong! Just kill me and end it!"
Ye Chen straightened up. "Death would be too easy. Living with the consequences will suit you better."
He stepped again, this time on the man's other leg. The cracking of bones was followed by another ear-splitting scream.
"Just wait… my organization… they'll come for you! You're dead! You're a dead man!" the mercenary spat through gritted teeth.
Ye Chen raised an eyebrow. "Your organization? I'll destroy them too if they dare follow me. Just like you, they'll taste karma."
He turned his back on the man, leaving him broken, humiliated, and barely conscious.
The forest had grown eerily silent, broken only by the moans of the injured.
Ye Chen walked back toward the unconscious woman who still lay near the tree where he had first rescued her. He knelt beside her and gently checked her pulse—it was stable, though her breathing was shallow.
"You've been through a lot," he whispered. "Don't worry. You're safe now."
With a wave of his hand, he summoned a warm, healing aura to surround her body. Her wounds slowly began to mend, the bruises fading from her skin. Ye Chen lifted her gently in his arms and rose into the air, leaving behind the broken remnants of the mercenaries.
His expression turned serious as he gazed toward the distant city skyline.
"There's more going on here than I thought. If these mercenaries are roaming the forests with weapons… then Earth has changed more than I expected."
He looked down at the woman in his arms.
"Let's get you somewhere safe. Then… I'll find out who's behind this."