Tie Xiuqing felt a pang of anxiety. He was very afraid of what the Black Iron Tower might be about to help Wang Zhan verbalize. But the Black Iron Tower suddenly proposed, waving the pack of cigarettes in his hand, "I'll take this pack of cigarettes, and that guy over there wants one too. How about I leave it to you to handle?"

Tie Xiuqing watched him for a long time.

"Okay!"

Without a doubt, both of these men were just following Wang Zhan's orders. Moreover, they had already made their intentions clear, telling Tie Xiuqing directly that if he couldn't bear to act, plenty of others could do the job for him. This was evidence enough to prove that behind the scenes, everything was still being manipulated by that inscrutable Young Master Wang. Therefore, the cigarettes were not a reward but a show of attitude, an indication of Tie Xiuqing's stance. Given this, what options could a lowly Underground City rat like him have?

More importantly, no matter what, these two Black Iron Towers had helped him so much… Perhaps it was the price he was paying for his freedom! Hence, he was willing to buy a pack of cigarettes or even a truckload.

However, having reached this point, Tie Xiuqing fell silent for a few moments, unable to suppress his feelings any longer. After having seen enough, he immediately stepped into the reception room, which was filled with blood that had even congealed into a gruel-like substance. Suppressing the overwhelming urge to vomit from deep within, he persuaded the Grandmaster who was still killing, "Enough."

The Black Iron Tower inside, who was still happily engaged in carnage, turned around and looked at Tie Xiuqing, somewhat puzzled. Then he glanced at his brother, as if to say, "Weren't you the one trying to persuade him? How can you suddenly come over here and tell me to stop?"

The man who had enjoyed nearly half a pack of Tie Xiuqing's cigarettes was equally clueless. How am I supposed to know! Moreover, it's not like I'm the one who gets to make the decisions... So, he hurriedly asked Tie Xiuqing, "Kid, what are you doing? After all I've told you, why is your kindness surfacing again? You should know your performance is only mediocre. If you keep this up, you're going to end up bottom tier in Young Master's eyes. If that happens, don't blame us for not looking out for you and directly intervening to send these nobodies on their way."

Who told these individuals to be so greedy! In the entire Federation, no one knew how many Underground Cities there were, and in these Underground Cities, no one knew how many villains there were. Eradicating one group and, at most, winning over another was enough; this itself was Wang Zhan's plan.

In reality, this pair of brothers was fairly obedient. Even though either of them could easily kill Tie Xiuqing with a slap, since Tie Xiuqing gave the order, and they did belong to the group under Tie Xiuqing's control, they actually did stop their actions. However, they were filled with regret, silently thinking, Dealing with this kind of guy is too mentally exhausting.

Unexpectedly, Tie Xiuqing just shook his head. Then, looking at the five or six people in the field who had escaped disaster, as well as the blood and bodies all over the ground, he spoke softly, "I'm not being merciful or disobedient to Young Master Wang's command. But don't you think that killing like this will never end? Hence, the reason I saved him..."

He slowly squatted down. Looking at one of them, a young man who had been completely terrified, his face pale and his eyes filled with confusion, he said, "...is because I think you will obey my command and faithfully deliver my intentions to the whole of the Underground City, right?"

Immediately, the young man prostrating before Tie Xiuqing, though his face was still filled with boundless panic and fear, still hurriedly began to kowtow to Tie Xiuqing, saying, "Yes, yes, you're right, sir, you're right! From now on, I'm at your bidding, sir. If you tell me to go east, I'll go east..."

At the same time, Tie Xiuqing turned his gaze to the other people whose eyes had already become vacant. Then, one of them, a middle-aged man whose reaction was just like the young man's, who had clearly vomited all over the floor and seemed to be losing awareness, was suddenly jolted awake by Tie Xiuqing and violently roused from his nightmare. Even though he knew there might be even more harrowing nightmares to follow, he still couldn't help but fall to his knees begging for mercy. "The same goes for me, the same goes for me. From this day forward, if sir wishes for me to eat shit, I shall eat shit..."

Though slightly crude, Tie Xiuqing could see clearly. This man who had already begged for mercy once was begging and kowtowing once again because they were genuinely terrified to their core! They had a martial artist's courage, which meant these guys wouldn't be of use anymore in the future even if they were given prominent positions; they could only be sacrificial pawns.

However, upon observing these people, Tie Xiuqing couldn't help but feel his mood grow heavier, rather than experiencing any pleasure. It was because these fools were weak and stupid that they had fallen early in the morning and never been able to rise again, which had ironically saved their lives.

What about Tie Xiuqing himself, though? If he wants to succeed and accomplish the tasks Wang Zhan assigned him, he can't rely on killing alone. He needs to achieve greater results and success on the basis of killing. But, is this really what he wants? Would he eventually fall to the ground like these men, becoming a dead insect? Young Master Wang, can you really be so heartless as to stand at the peak of a mountain forever? He didn't doubt that such a scenario had been within Wang Zhan's considerations all along!

Of course, after seeing Tie Xiuqing's demonstration, the two Black Iron Tower members began to understand. They started to nod and praise him earnestly.

"Young Master Tie's strategy is really impressive!"

"Amazing, amazing!"

"No wonder we can only be martial artists, while people like Young Master Wang and Young Master Tie can reach this point. Indeed, one can't rely on killing alone; one also needs to use their brain..."

"Yes, exactly. After we have subdued these people and the rest are dead, these survivors will inform others of their fate if they dare to disobey; we can kill them directly. In this way, there won't be anyone who dares to resist us; they will cooperate willingly..."

They weren't merely flattering; they had actually grasped a point. At the same time, they were aware of Wang Zhan's training and expectations for Tie Xiuqing, so they made efforts to flatter him mildly. After all, those who had survived were all survivors of this great disaster. If these people could spread word of their killings, especially the fact that even top Martial Generals could fall under their hands, then this would earn them and Wang Zhan considerable reputation.

What did reputation mean in the Underground City, in these lawless places? Reputation represented power, prestige, and the oppressive force that allowed one to rule an area. In this way, isn't the mission of Young Master Wang sure to be easy and inevitable? Therefore, these two seemingly brainless individuals were full of admiration for Tie Xiuqing as they thought about this. They were so impressed, they even changed how they addressed him.

However, even if these two kept agreeing with him, all Tie Xiuqing could do was let out a bitter laugh because he understood. If Wang Zhan could watch from the sidelines with such indifference, even laying out all possible choices… It only proves that he doesn't care at all! Therefore, if Wang Zhan were personally here, he would definitely terminate all who dared to resist without mercy. Then, with his oppressive power, he would completely conquer a city! For that ruthless, bloody, and indifferent young man, it's an incredibly simple task!

However, what Tie Xiuqing did not realize was that if he didn't want to be influenced by Wang Zhan and continued to employ a strategy of going soft, then it wasn't only conquering a city that would become difficult. Even the small gang in front of him would become a huge obstacle in his path. Therefore, without a doubt, the conviction Wang Zhan had instilled in him from behind had already become the strength that enabled him to fight on behalf of Wang Zhan.

This was the beginning of his subjugation! Both the Underground City and he were no exception.

As Tie Xiuqing and his followers cleared the obstacles within the city with irresistible force…

In another city, about hundreds of miles away, another gruesome massacre had occurred from beginning to end. It was far more ruthless than Tie Xiuqing.

「Half an hour ago.」

In the Jiang State Underground City, Yang Zecheng, a man who wasn't as talented as Tie Xiuqing but whose mind was far more decisive and brutal, Xu Xu appeared at the entrance of the Jiang State Underground City. Accompanying him were four Grandmasters, one Grandmaster, and another noble son.

Soundlessly, the group began to gaze at this Underground City that was like a Utopia, uncontrolled by the Federation.

"Zecheng, what should we do next? Negotiate with their leaders or ignore them and sneak in?" the noble son asked softly.

He came from a monopolized industry in Jing State. Even though his passing down of martial arts was nothing special, his family possessed mountains of money. Regrettably, he was unrelated to all of these, which had forced him to abandon Jing State and accept Yang Zecheng's invitation.

Little did he realize that in response to his suggestion, Yang Zecheng flashed a cunning smile. "Young Master Hu, your two options might work if we were doing our own business, but if it were Young Master Wang, they would be grave mistakes!"

This Young Master Hu immediately became interested. "Oh? How does Young Master Wang usually do business then? I've heard he loved extorting noble families and rich people back in Jing State, but I'm not sure how exactly he does it."

Yang Zecheng laughed lightly and looked at him with deep implications, saying, "You'll know in a moment."

Immediately, Yang Zecheng gestured. He instructed the Grandmaster-level experts accompanying him to come forward; there were six in total, two of whom were Grandmasters.

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