After years of cultivation, Mu Lin had long become proficient in these modern contraptions. He extended his Yuan force, pointing toward several staff members in the telephone exchange room, shutting down the entire programmed telephone calling system before beginning his systematic sweep of the building floor by floor.
As for the weapons and equipment these people carried, Mu Lin collected them all into his ring. Space wasn’t an issue, and perhaps they might come in handy someday. Even if they didn’t, these were all crafted from high-quality steel—perfect for refining into tools or weapons later, saving him the trouble of seeking materials himself. Having seen so many fine items, he had grown somewhat picky and no longer impressed easily.
Floor by floor, Mu Lin advanced, his Yuan force reaching out, methodically sealing the vital energy points of the core members of the Black Tiger Gang. These men would still be able to live normal lives, but they’d never again wield swords or fight effectively. In Mu Lin’s view, every life had the right to exist. As long as they didn’t threaten him or his loved ones, he generally refrained from wiping them out completely—especially since these were his fellow countrymen who had simply chosen the wrong path.
After a brief moment of meditation, he arrived at the underground vault. Here, Mu Lin sensed a large quantity of precious medicinal herbs, so he saved the best for last. Adjacent to the vault was a prison chamber, likely holding enemies of the Black Tiger Gang or kidnapped hostages. He would release them only after completing his mission.
His mental senses penetrated the thick steel door, revealing inside cash, antiques, and jewels. Mu Lin mused inwardly—how typical of the Chinese to prefer keeping their wealth at home, a tradition that even among the underworld hadn’t changed much. Another small fortune gained. Further observation revealed that the majority of the items were various rare medicinal herbs. After careful identification, he found that while some were nourishing tonics, most were ingredients for poisons. A thought crossed his mind with a smirk—so the Black Tiger Gang actually had someone skilled in poison-making? He was eager to meet this person. Ever since mastering his own poison techniques, he hadn’t had a proper chance to test his skills against another practitioner—how would he know how far he’d come?
The vault door was protected by a dual-password system. If the wrong code was entered, the built-in generator inside would send a high-voltage current through the door, instantly incapacitating anyone nearby. Simultaneously, the alarm system would alert the monitoring room. Many so-called martial arts experts had fallen at this very door.
For Mu Lin, however, it posed no real challenge. After carefully studying the security measures, he extended his Yuan force, first shutting down the generator and cutting off the high voltage, then disabling the hidden infrared alarm system embedded in the walls.
After a moment of meditation, he retrieved a concealed block of C4 explosive. When possible, he believed in conserving effort—another principle of his. With a thunderous boom, the door collapsed inward. Without hesitation, he even collected the door itself into his ring. Entering the vault, he looted everything without mercy. The medicinal herbs alone made the trip worthwhile.
Next, Mu Lin headed toward the building where the elders resided. According to the intelligence he had gathered, his two former butlers were now elders of the Black Tiger Gang. The gang’s leader and his deputy were pure martial artists, but the Grand Elder—uncle to the leader—was always shrouded in mystery, his activities unknown to anyone but the leader himself. Mu Lin suspected this Grand Elder was the one responsible for the poison-making.
As for the leader and his deputy, they were merely martial artists. Even a thousand of them would be no different than a thousand rabbits to Mu Lin—just a bit more troublesome to deal with. This thought would soon be tested.
Arriving at the elders’ residence, Mu Lin extended his mental senses around the entire building. The people inside were surprisingly on high alert. Though the number wasn’t large, dozens had gathered together, weapons drawn and aimed at the doors and windows, fully prepared for battle. Mu Lin frowned—how had they detected the intrusion? He had already cut off the telephone and alarm systems in the main building.
He soon realized the Black Tiger Gang employed a proactive defense system. Every hour, the guards in the main building were required to report the current status to the guards stationed in other buildings. If no report came in, it meant something was wrong, prompting immediate assembly and reinforcement of the main building.
It was fortunate that Mu Lin had set up the Dragon Binding Formation in each building. The enemies couldn’t escape, and not knowing the situation, they assumed the attackers had some new weapon. They could only gather together, guns ready, waiting for dawn or reinforcements. Otherwise, Mu Lin would now be facing a full-scale assault by over a thousand Black Tiger members. It was hard to imagine how he would handle that situation.
Mu Lin used his mental senses to scan the other buildings from afar and found that the Black Tiger members inside had all awakened and adopted a passive defensive posture similar to the elders’ building.
In that case, he would proceed according to his original plan. He focused his mental senses back on the elders’ building, this time observing more carefully. The enemies had concentrated their forces on the first, second, and third floors. The first floor had makeshift barricades, with weapons focused on the entrance. The second floor had more personnel and defensive positions set up at the stairwell. The third floor was similar to the first, but seemed to anticipate an attack from above. The top floor also had a defensive presence.
It seemed the Black Tiger Gang actually had someone with formal military training—Mu Lin couldn’t help but shake his head in admiration. He extended his mental senses into the second floor. Since the main defense was concentrated here, the Grand Elder was likely present. At such a critical moment, he would surely reveal his ultimate techniques, Mu Lin thought.
Indeed, his mental senses detected a thin, faint mist lingering on the second floor, seemingly fixed in certain areas. The Black Tiger members carefully avoided those spots. If Mu Lin hadn’t already known something about poison techniques, even he might have unknowingly fallen victim to this trap—let alone an ordinary person.
He carefully analyzed the mist with his mental senses, but couldn’t identify its nature. It appeared to be a type of poison he had never encountered before. A grin spread across his face—no matter what, he had to learn this technique. His cultivation techniques, aside from the fundamental Yuan force training and basic medical and physical exercises taught by his great-uncle, were mostly self-acquired. Talismans, poison arts, alchemy, and weapon forging—he had painstakingly gathered all these skills on his own. Now, encountering such a targeted poison technique, how could he not feel a surge of excitement?
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