"Your boss is dead! But we've known each other for a long time, so there's no point in discussing it. Besides, our boss is also very keen to know who exactly killed Snakehead.

So, cough up the mastermind! As long as you do, we can all live in peace. You go your way, and I'll go mine; we'll leave you a path to survive in the Underground City!"

The man being hunted nearly vomited blood.

"That's pure crap! A bunch of treacherous sons of bitches! We just didn't see through you before; otherwise, we'd have made you pay! And let me repeat, we didn't do it! Who the hell are you asking me to turn in?"

Facing the tirade of abuse, Tian Qi's men cackled, unconcerned.

"HEH HEH HEH! It's quite simple! We all know Snakehead still has quite a few capable men under him. How about this: name them all, and I'll let you go right now. What do you say?!"

"Piss off..."

With this commotion, it was now impossible for the hunted men to surrender!

If they were to name names—even setting aside whether they knew the whereabouts of those individuals—Tian Qi could subsequently follow the clues to find them and eradicate them completely.

As for those companions who, in days past, were merely carefree and not particularly skilled, they would only look upon him with disdain.

They would no longer respect such an ungrateful, treacherous character who turned traitor at a critical moment.

One should know that although Tian Qi was rising rapidly,

compared to them, he was still just that—nothing to make a fuss about!

Their own boss was still around; he ought to be keeping his tail between his legs.

In the past, though these fellows were slippery as eels and repeatedly evaded their ambushes,

when had they ever dared to confront them head-on? Weren't they always running away with their tails tucked, suppressed by Tian Qi?

But now, they actually dared to come to their doorstep and swagger about—it was simply an outrageous insult!

If not for some nobody suddenly popping up out of nowhere in the Underground City, causing Snakehead to lose his life for no good reason, how would they, his loyal subordinates, have ended up in such a miserable state!

So, one middle-aged man, his expression stern and his arms powerfully built, no longer wished to negotiate.

He just unleashed a torrent of curses.

"Fuck your mother, kid! If you want to kill me, then bring it on! If I so much as flinch, I'm your grandson!"

As former subordinates of Snakehead,

many of them had once been influential figures whom no one dared to provoke.

Now, however, they were being hounded by Tian Qi's men like stray dogs; the fury in their hearts was palpable.

Naturally, their words spared no feelings.

"...If it weren't for that bastard behind the scenes propping up your boss, you'd all just be a bunch of useless mud that can't stick to a wall…"

Immediately, roars, curses, insults, and the clash of swords and knives erupted in this small district, spreading to every nearby nook and cranny.

At the same time, the faces of Tian Qi's followers darkened, their hearts filled with ruthless determination.

Damn it all! Everyone knows it's the truth: if things went by the book, our boss might never have been able to suppress Snakehead in his entire life. But who told Snakehead to be so blind and offend someone he shouldn't have? That being the case, what right do these guys have to act so high and mighty? Can they really blame our boss for snatching an opportunity? And even if he did, you need strength to seize such an opportunity, right? So, in the end, it all comes down to who's stronger!

"Kill him!!"

"Kill, kill, kill!…"

There was no more politeness, no more attempts at persuasion, not even an ounce of mercy held back.

In the blink of an eye, as Snakehead's men tore away Tian Qi's superficial pretense of civility, Tian Qi's followers completely erupted.

BOOM! RUMBLE! CLANG! CLANG! Flashes of blades and the glint of sword shadows filled the air, amidst the desperate roars of battle.

Fight for the status and face of our boss!

Even if blood splattered the long street, even if swords fell to the ground, shattered into pieces, each fragment stained with fresh blood.

Only then did the din of battle finally cease.

However, it was only after Tian Qi's surviving men tallied their losses that they suddenly realized.

"Damn it, these guys have gone mad! Even in death, they want to drag our brothers down with them…"

"A bunch of losers! Weren't they supposed to be so powerful? Now it's our turn; no one gets away…"

"If they're mad, then kill them! So what if they want to drag us down with them? These bastards oppressed us for over a decade, and now their big boss is dead! Do they still expect us to admit defeat? Kill, kill, kill! Kill them until they're wiped out, root and stem! Kill them until no one dares to defy our orders!…"

There were those with heavy hearts, those filled with righteous indignation, and those whose battle cries pierced the heavens—all sorts were present.

And without exception, they all felt an immense fury at this counterattack from Snakehead's men.

Those guys were clearly already in such a state; by what right did they still insist on fighting them to the death?

Even if Snakehead weren't dead, Tian Qi now had a Martial King backing him. Couldn't he suppress them?

Therefore, this realization made Tian Qi's men even angrier.

Since Snakehead had already lost, he should have stayed defeated. Anyone who dared to offer stubborn resistance—death!

However, some with clearer minds noticed something amiss in the situation.

For instance, the extent of the losses on Tian Qi's side.

"Something's not right with Snakehead's men! Even with Snakehead dead, they're still sticking together! We were initially chasing just a few of them, but now it's become over a dozen, and many of our own brothers have been temporarily disabled. There must be some other secret behind this..."

These individuals, just by looking at the corpses on the ground

and the sight of their own brothers lying there, helpless,

would immediately grasp the situation and quickly understand.

This matter had to be reported to Boss Tian Qi immediately.

Because, if there were still secrets behind Snakehead, then this affair would certainly not end here; there would be much greater conflict.

At that point, only Tian Qi would be able to keep things under control.

「At the same time.」

The innocent residents of the Underground City, who had been affected by the turmoil, had also thoroughly realized the situation.

Over the past two days, although the Underground City had been noisy everywhere, Tian Qi's men had, in fact, managed to exercise some restraint.

But upon encountering Snakehead's subordinates, the pent-up resentment in their hearts completely exploded.

This was the unreserved consequence of Snakehead's prolonged oppression of Tian Qi in the past. Because Tian Qi's men were also human, and no human would remain indifferent to their own suffering.

Unfortunately, these poor inhabitants not only became witnesses to Tian Qi's fury but were also likely to soon witness the escalating conflict between the two major factions.

So, someone, no longer able to hold back, quickly warned,

"We have to leave! If we stay any longer, I'm afraid no one will escape being implicated…"

"Tian Qi has gone mad, his men are starting to go mad, and those guys who've lost their boss are even crazier... Damn it, why is it always us, the ones who don't want to go mad, who are being driven to madness by them? We're all innocent…"

"The problem is, even if we run, where can we run to? This isn't the Federation's territory; this is the Underground City! Once you're in the city, you're a prisoner of this city. The Federation will never just let us leave…"

Fortunately, someone quickly made a key connection.

"The Federation won't let us leave? That's perfect! Then we'll go to the Federation, to the Internal Affairs Department! Aren't they unwilling to intervene? We don't need them to intervene. But now we're about to die, we're all innocent, we need protection, and we shouldn't be dragged into this any longer!…"

In short, these were all their most genuine reasons.

Yes, they were all innocent, and they paid taxes.

That being the case, even if the Underground City wasn't officially recognized Federation territory, the Federation was still the de facto administrator, wasn't it?

So, why couldn't they go and seek protection?

In fact, those who had this idea weren't just this small group; their numbers totaled nearly several thousand.

One should know that the current Federation was a lax Federation, an uncontrolled Federation.

Laxity meant that the significance of the law was continually diminishing in people's minds; being uncontrolled meant that more and more people dared to break the rules.

This was especially true today, with the revival of Spiritual Energy and the increasing number of Martial Artists.

Therefore, after Tian Qi's and Snakehead's men once again began their countless clashes and wrought widespread destruction,

the Underground City, long silent like a pool of stagnant water, finally saw countless 'fish,' big and small, stirred up for the first time. As if by a tacit understanding, they all gathered outside the Internal Affairs Department, continuously explaining to the staff:

"We don't want to fight; we need peace!"

"They are wreaking havoc in the Underground City! As a member of the Underground City, I request your immediate intervention! Give us back a peaceful and tranquil world!"

"Even if you are unwilling to intervene, please don't drive us away. We don't want conflict, nor do we wish to enter the Internal Affairs Department's territory. We just want to live; we are all innocent!"

One plea after another, wave upon wave.

Some of the more articulate individuals had already gathered, chanting their demands.

They appeared like insignificant snowflakes drifting along in the wake of two massive avalanches.

If seen by an uninformed observer, they might even be mistaken for pitiful victims suffering the ravages of war.

But how could the Internal Affairs Department not know?

These guys clearly just don't want to get caught in the crossfire or get involved, so they've run over here to freeload under our protection. If word of this got out to other black markets, many might even approve of this tactic. But in the eyes of orthodox Federation people, this is utterly ridiculous. If you're all sheep, then what does that make us? Rabbits? This isn't just about the rats of the Underground City; it's about everyone in the Federation. Because these rats could have had the chance to live like proper people, but...

"Get lost!"

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