"Lan Luozi is such a pain," Chen Zheng muttered to himself in his room.

He genuinely wanted to live a peaceful life, but there were always people trying to stir up trouble.

Meanwhile, in Lan Luozi's conference room, a group of executives was gathered.

"We've received word from the Wolf Sky Team! We'll soon have the secret formulas for both the Beauty Cream and Spirit Cleansing Liquid series!"

"Haha, Yan Shuiyu and his people are just kids!"

"Once we get the formulas, we need to replicate their effects immediately. Within a month, we have to take back the market and drive them out of our territory!"

"And we'll conquer their market, too. Huaxia is a rich land, ripe for the picking!"

"To the rise of our enterprise, cheers!"

The Lan Luozi executives erupted in thunderous applause, celebrating prematurely, completely oblivious to the crisis descending upon them like a silent phantom.

「Three days later.」

Stryker had already begun his journey home.

That morning, sunlight bathed the Zhuge family courtyard. Chen Zheng sat on a stone bench, savoring the delicious pastries Zhuge Xiyu had made.

DING! Congratulations, Host. You have completed the task and received the following reward: Enhanced True Qi Cultivation.

The notification sound was as pleasant as music from the heavens.

Immediately, the True Qi in Chen Zheng's body surged like a tide as his power climbed steadily.

BOOM!

A wild force erupted uncontrollably from him.

"Ah!"

Zhuge Xiyu screamed in terror as she was flung into the air like a kite with a severed string.

"Not again…"

Chen Zheng shook his head helplessly. With a light step, he shot toward Zhuge Xiyu like an arrow. He reached out, pulling her into a tight embrace as they landed as gently as feathers on the soft grass.

"I'm sorry," Chen Zheng apologized in a low voice, then slowly released her.

Zhuge Xiyu stood frozen, her heart pounding like a drum and a faint blush coloring her cheeks. In that moment, she felt as if she were in a romantic dream. The warmth of his embrace gave her a sense of peace she had never felt before. But beautiful moments are always fleeting. As Chen Zheng gently released her and returned to his seat, an inexplicable wave of melancholy washed over her.

The tables and chairs around them had been overturned by his True Qi. Zhuge Xiyu quickly summoned the bodyguards to replace the broken furniture. She then brought a steaming hot breakfast from the kitchen, and Chen Zheng began to eat heartily without ceremony.

At the same time, the Lan Luozi headquarters was in a whirlwind of chaos. The senior executives were baffled by Li You's sudden death in his own home and frustrated by their inability to contact anyone from the Wolf Sky Team. Despite discussing it at length, they were no closer to an answer. The executives didn't leave the headquarters until night fell.

However, despite heightened security, fate's cruel hand still reached out for another victim.

"Damn it! It's Stryker, the Wolf Sky Team!" one executive roared. "Fuck, how could that bastard turn on us!"

The conference room once again erupted into a fierce debate.

"Shit! Even if they failed the mission, why would they attack us?" another demanded.

"Post more bounties! Keep posting them! Let the other mercenaries deal with them!"

The roars of the executives filled the room like a raging storm as everyone vented their fury.

"Enough!"

A thunderous voice suddenly silenced the room. The man at the head of the table rose to his feet. Every eye in the room focused on him.

"We don't know what the Wolf Sky Team has been through, nor do we understand why they would rebel against their employer. Now is not the time for bickering!" His voice was as cold and firm as a winter wind. "Our primary task now is to ensure our own safety! Your bodyguards are nothing but paper tigers against a man like Stryker!"

His words stunned everyone into silence. No one even realized Li You was dead until his body was found the next day. And despite his enhanced security, Stryker had vanished without a trace.

The Lan Luozi headquarters was in a country that allowed citizens to own firearms. Even so, dozens of fully armed bodyguards couldn't stop Stryker, which was proof enough that his abilities far surpassed those of an ordinary person. It was a well-known fact that mercenaries possessed extraordinary skills.

"John, what do you suggest?" someone asked, breaking the silence.

John glanced around the room, took a deep breath, and said, "To kill a mercenary, you have to hire a mercenary."

"We've already lost the battle against Yan Shuiyu; there's no denying it," he continued. "Right now, we need to hire a powerful mercenary team to guarantee our safety. Only in a secure environment can we come up with an effective counter-strategy!"

A murmur of agreement went through the crowd. "That's right, only mercenaries can fight mercenaries!"

"If we can find a mercenary squad to protect us, I refuse to believe Stryker will still be a threat!"

With John's words, the group sprang into action.

"Act now!" John's voice thundered.

After a brief period of preparation, the executives left the headquarters in custom-built vehicles, under the tight protection of several dozen bodyguards. They soon boarded a luxury cruise ship and set sail into the vast ocean.

Damn it! They actually hired the Shekui Squad for protection! Stryker watched the cruise ship from a distant skyscraper, his face filled with displeasure.

Although he was wary of the Shekui Squad, his team had already killed two targets, ensuring the safety of Ercha and Ri La. The Shekui Squad was as dangerous as its name suggested. They operated from a base on a small island in the Pacific Ocean known as Shekui Island. The island was armed with high-caliber machine guns with a range of two thousand meters, enough to shoot down fighter jets. Anyone who entered this two-thousand-meter radius would be attacked.

The core members of the Shekui Squad were all elite soldiers, each capable of executing missions independently. Even their regular members were top-tier talent. In the world of mercenaries, the Shekui Squad was legendary. Their deeds were like an epic poem, inspiring countless warriors.

Stryker left the docks and sped across the waves, landing back in Haitian City the next day. He made his way to the Zhuge family's villa and stood respectfully before the entrance like a knight awaiting his lord's summons. In the courtyard, Chen Zheng sat bathed in sunlight, looking like a wise sage, while Zhuge Xiyu stood nearby, poised like a falcon ready to strike.

Stryker reported the results of his mission, informing Chen Zheng that the Lan Luozi executives had hired the Shekui Squad for protection.

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