Chapter 39: Annihilation (Part 2)


    Inside the Martial Arts Academy.


    The academy''s weapon storage was tightly shut. Inside, a man and a woman were locked in a passionate embrace, their lips fervently pressed together.


    "Sherry, your figure is amazing. Stay with me, and I promise no one will ever dare to bully you," the handsome man panted, his hands roaming over the woman''s body.


    The woman, Sherry, responded with equal fervor, whispering, "You know, the others are just for show. You''re the only one I truly care about. Do you believe me?" Inwardly, she sneered, You''re just another plaything. If it weren''t for your pretty face and decent skills, I wouldn''t even let you touch me.


    The man chuckled darkly and pushed Sherry to the ground, eagerly climbing on top of her. His hands fumbled clumsily with her clothes, too impatient to undo them properly.


    "Darling, you''re so cute. Don''t rush, let me do it," Sherry cooed, her cheeks flushed as she began to undress herself. She couldn''t help but admire her own acting skills. To her, these men were nothing more than tools for her amusement, easily manipulated and controlled.


    Clap, clap, clap! A slow, mocking applause echoed through the warehouse. The two lovers froze, their heads snapping toward the sound. There, perched high on a beam, was a young man, grinning as he clapped. It was Han Ming.


    "Bravo, truly bravo. Sorry to interrupt your little moment," Han Ming said, flipping down from the beam and landing gracefully on his feet.


    "Who are you? Sneaking around like a thief! Sherry is mine. Don''t even think about trying to take her from me, or you''ll regret it!" the man declared, puffing out his chest. He wanted to show Sherry his masculine side.


    Han Ming ignored him, turning to the woman with a smile. "Excuse me, are you Sherry Busman?"


    Sherry eyed Han Ming warily. Unlike her clueless lover, she wasn''t fooled by Han Ming''s casual demeanor. The fact that he had been watching them unnoticed from the rafters spoke volumes about his skills. She couldn''t fathom why he was here, but the fact that he knew her name and her family connection meant trouble.


    "Sorry, you''ve got the wrong person," Sherry replied with a charming smile, shaking her head.


    The man, oblivious to Sherry''s lie, puffed up even more. "Sherry, don''t be afraid! I''m here!" he boasted, glaring at Han Ming. "I told you, Sherry is mine. If you want her, you''ll have to go through me first!"


    Sherry seethed inwardly, cursing the idiot for revealing her identity.


    "Good, so I didn''t make a mistake," Han Ming said, his smile widening as he stepped toward Sherry.


    The man, furious at being ignored, reached out to shove Han Ming. But Han Ming sidestepped effortlessly, appearing right in front of Sherry.


    Sherry''s eyes widened in panic, and she turned to run. But she was no match for Han Ming''s speed.


    Before she could take a single step, Han Ming grabbed her ankle and yanked her into the air. With a powerful swing, he slammed her into the ground with a deafening crash, the impact shaking the entire warehouse.


    Han Ming released her ankle, still smiling, and turned to the man. "Next time, choose your women more carefully," he said before walking away.


    The man stood frozen, his hands covering his mouth in horror. The once lively Sherry now lay crushed on the ground, her body mangled beyond recognition. The gruesome sight was too much for him, and he felt a warm wetness spread down his legs as he lost control of his bladder.


    <hr>


    On a main road outside Wild City.


    A convoy of carriages, covered with black cloth, slowly made its way toward the city. Through the gaps in the cloth, one could see the glint of finely crafted weapons. The guards escorting the convoy chatted and laughed as they moved.


    Suddenly, the leader raised his hand, signaling the group to stop.


    The men looked up, confused, to see a slender young man standing in the middle of the road, smiling at them.


    The guards scanned the area cautiously. The road was wide open, with no place to hide. Satisfied that there was no ambush, they relaxed.


    The leader, a middle-aged man, motioned for the convoy to continue. As they approached Han Ming, he barked, "Get out of the way, brat! What are you doing standing in the middle of the road?"


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    Han Ming smiled. "Excuse me, is this the Busman family''s convoy? Are you the leader, Kaela Busman?"


    The man frowned, surprised that Han Ming knew his name. "Who are you?"


    Han Ming''s smile widened. "That''s all I needed to know."


    "What do you mean?" the man asked, confused.


    Without answering, Han Ming kicked Kaela with such force that he flew backward, slamming into one of the carriages and sending it skidding several feet. Kaela landed hard, coughing up blood. Despite the brutal impact, he survived, thanks to his decent strength as the convoy''s leader.


    The guards drew their weapons and charged at Han Ming.


    Han Ming grinned. "I''m Han Ming. Come at me if you want to die."


    The mere mention of his name sent the guards into a panic. They dropped their weapons and fled. Han Ming''s reputation in Wild City''s mercenary circles was legendary. No one wanted to risk their lives for a paycheck.


    Kaela, left alone, clutched his chest and coughed up more blood. "I... I don''t even know you... Why...?"


    Han Ming stomped on Kaela''s head, crushing it instantly. He wiped the blood and brain matter off his shoe on the black cloth covering the carriages and said to the corpse, "You should''ve been born with a different last name."


    <hr>


    That night, Han Ming sat quietly in his room at the mercenary inn, absorbing energy from magic crystals. He felt no remorse for his actions. To him, the Busman family deserved everything that was coming to them. He had no quarrel with those unrelated to the family, but anyone bearing the name Busman would not be spared. He would not show mercy, just as Kelwin had shown none when he killed Han Ming''s companions, and just as Bodie had shown none when he deceived Big Head. Some people had to pay for their sins.


    As the saying goes, "Where there''s a reward, there''s a brave man." Among the mercenaries passing through Wild City, there were bound to be a few skilled individuals.


    Saben, a newly promoted first-tier Battle Maniac, was one such individual. He had been passing through Wild City with no intention of staying, but when he heard about the 10,000 gold bounty on someone''s head, he couldn''t resist. Ten thousand gold was a fortune that would take an ordinary person a thousand years to earn. Even for someone as powerful as Saben, the offer was too tempting to ignore. As a third-tier Battle Maniac, he was confident he could complete the task.


    Standing outside Wild City, Saben looked down at the slender young man before him and said calmly, "You know why I''m here."


    Han Ming nodded solemnly. He had heard about the Busman family''s bounty on his head. At first, he hadn''t been too concerned. He knew the mercenaries in Wild City well, and none of them posed a real threat to him. But he hadn''t expected a Battle Maniac to show up at such a time. This required caution.


    Saben nodded in approval. "I don''t like wasting words. We have no personal grudge, but for the sake of money, I have to kill you. Prepare yourself."


    Saben had done some research on Han Ming''s abilities and knew the young man before him was far from weak. He unleashed his full power, his aura surging and scattering the dust on the ground.


    The battlefield outside Wild City was a scene of devastation. Trees were shattered, and even a massive hundred-meter-tall tree with a five-meter diameter had been cleanly sliced in half, the cut so smooth it looked almost polished. The sheer power behind the strike was terrifying.


    Han Ming sat on the ground, breathing heavily. Beside him lay his massive battle axe, forged from the wood of the World Tree. Next to the axe was a deep pit containing a set of ridiculously heavy jewelry. Han Ming''s body was covered in deep wounds, one arm hanging limp as blood dripped onto the ground. Nearby, Saben''s body lay in two pieces, cleanly bisected.


    Saben had been strong, but he was no match for Bardel, the commander of Wild City''s garrison. Though both were third-tier Battle Maniacs, Saben had only recently reached that level, and his combat experience paled in comparison to Bardel''s. Bardel was a seasoned warrior who had survived countless battles, and Han Ming had sensed the overwhelming killing intent radiating from him. Saben lacked that aura, and it made all the difference.


    Even so, defeating Saben had pushed Han Ming to his limits. Saben''s defensive aura had reflected half of Han Ming''s attacks, and his offensive strikes had nearly shattered Han Ming''s internal organs. In the end, Han Ming had to remove all his weighted jewelry and wield his massive axe to barely secure the victory. Without the axe, the outcome might have been different.


    <hr>


    In the Busman family''s council hall.


    Bodie stared at the mutilated bodies of his family members laid out before him. Some had their bones crushed, others had their organs ripped out, and a few were so mangled they were unrecognizable without their personal belongings. One body had been torn into five or six pieces.


    Bodie''s eyes were bloodshot, and he looked years older. The sight of his family''s gruesome deaths was too much for him to bear. His body swayed, and he collapsed backward. Servants rushed to catch him, gently placing him in a chair. They fanned him, pinched his philtrum, and brought him a bowl of medicinal soup. The entire household was in chaos.


    After a while, Bodie slowly regained consciousness. Tears streamed down his face as he mourned. He couldn''t understand why Han Ming had done this. What had the Busman family done to deserve such cruelty? Was it because of the black-scaled beast? No, that couldn''t be it. He had questioned every family member, but none of them had ever interacted with Han Ming.


    "Uncle, don''t grieve too much. We''ve already hired a third-tier Battle Maniac to deal with Han Ming. We even paid him 10,000 gold in advance. There''s no way Han Ming will survive tonight. We won''t let this go. We''ll find out who he is and make him pay. Tomorrow night, your son Kelwin will return with that esteemed second-tier Fire Mage. They''ll take care of this. We''ll make sure Han Ming''s entire family suffers the same fate!" a young family member said, clenching his fists in anger.


    Bodie nodded weakly.


    "Report!"


    A servant rushed into the hall, panting and panicked. "Master! All of our family''s businesses in Wild City... they''ve been burned to the ground! They say... they say Han Ming hired every mercenary in the city to do it!"


    Bodie''s eyes widened, and he stood up abruptly. A wave of dizziness hit him, and he vomited a mouthful of blood.


    At the same time, a round object rolled into the center of the hall. It was Saben''s head.


    A cold, menacing voice echoed from the darkness outside.


    "The Busman family will be erased from this world. Not a single person with the name Busman will survive. Rest well... I''ll be back tomorrow."