Ethan walked back across the blood-slicked concrete floor to the spot where Agent Alpha lay, twitching from the residual electricity. Ethan kicked him lightly, just enough to bring him violently back to consciousness.

Agent Alpha gasped, his eyes flying open in terror as he looked up at Ethan, who was standing over him, the 9mm pistol still smoking slightly in his hand.

"Up," Ethan commanded. "Before I dump your twitching corpse with your friends."

Agent Alpha scrambled to sit up, holding his ribs.

"Why are you doing this?" Agent Alpha whispered, his voice shaking. "You're just going to abandon the money? Who the hell are you working for?"

Ethan chuckled, a cold, dry sound. "It's quite a fall, Agent Alpha. First, you get degraded by your manager, Axhel Rhodes, and now you're babysitting a couple of screaming women for pocket change. I heard one of mine subordinates mention you survived a close-range burst of gunfire. I'm curious why."

Agent Alpha's eyes widened with sudden, chilling realization. "You... You knew!" he stammered, pointing a shaky finger at Ethan. "It all seemed too much of a coincidence! You are a member of Royal Security! You were tracking us!"

Ethan's amusement deepened into open contempt. "Member of Royal? You have the information, but you still misinterpret the facts. I am not a member of Royal. I am the owner and lord of Royal Security."

Ethan extended his hand, and with an pull, Alpha's shirt and tactical vest ripped away, exposing his torso. The sight was startling: old, jagged scars covered his chest, clearly the marks of multiple healed bullet entry and exit wounds.

Ethan bent down, his voice lowering to a conspiratorial whisper. "It seems you did take those bullets and survived. Interesting."

Ethan raised the pistol, aiming directly at Alpha's chest, and fired.

The sound of the shot echoed through the warehouse. Agent Alpha cried out as the bullet slammed into his pectoral muscle. Blood immediately blossomed across the wound.

"But you still bleed," Ethan observed clinically. "Mmm, what are you?"

Ethan stared intently at the wound. The bleeding, heavy at first, began to slow down far too quickly—almost visibly sealing itself shut.

Surprise flickered across Ethan's face. He fired four more shots into Alpha's chest in rapid succession.

Paff. Paff. Paff. Paff.

Agent Alpha screamed with each impact, falling back onto the floor, his chest now riddled with five fresh wounds. Yet, the bleeding from each new bullet hole began to slow and clot with the same alarming speed.

"Fascinating," Ethan murmured, lowering the pistol.

Agent Alpha realized he was completely exposed and had captured Ethan's full, dangerous attention. The need to continue the charade vanished. He immediately stopped screaming and rose fluidly to his feet, ignoring the holes in his chest. His eyes were now sharp and hostile, devoid of the earlier fear.

Ethan simply smiled and watched him.

"Did you think you could fool me?" Ethan said, his voice laced with mocking amusement. "You might scream like a bitch and pretend pain for the pathetic thugs watching you, but you don't feel it. Nothing can fool my eyes."

Ethan had been using the [Celestial Qi resonance scan] the entire time. He could check Alpha's body down to the smallest detail. When Ethan had aimed the gun or made subtle, threatening movements, Alpha hadn't flinched internally. His body hadn't reacted with the normal adrenaline spike or defensive reflex. Even the "human" reaction of trying to dodge the bullets had been so slow and delayed that it looked clearly acted for the benefit of the now-dead audience.

Agent Alpha grimaced, the blood still oozing from his wounds.

"You saw something you shouldn't have seen, you piece of shit," Agent Alpha said, dropping the pretense entirely.

"Hahaha," Ethan laughed, stepping over one of the executed bodies. "Do you think I bought your pathetic story about being demoted? Do you seriously think I'm that gullible?"

Agent Alpha didn't answer with words. He roared and launched a straight punch aimed at Ethan's head.

Ethan didn't flinch. He intercepted the attack with a swift, subtle hand maneuver, grabbing Alpha's wrist and twisting it with practiced ease. A sharp, sickening snap echoed as the joint was instantly dislocated and crushed.

Agent Alpha barely grunted, immediately jumping backward and using his good hand to roughly yank the dislocated wrist back into place. The bones ground together, and the arm, though damaged, was functional again in seconds.

Incredible regeneration rate, Ethan thought. He needs more than simple bullets.

Ethan launched his own attack, closing the distance instantly. He focused his full power—combining the defensive strength of his Steel Body with the raw energy of the lightning ability and the technique of his [Dao martial technique of the fist].

He slammed his electrically charged, steel-hardened fist directly into Agent Alpha's chest.

The impact was devastating. Alpha's chest caved in, accompanied by the distinct, wet sound of ribs and sternum shattering.

Agent Alpha crashed to the concrete floor, his eyes narrowing to slits as he struggled for breath. Despite the massive internal damage, he wasn't dead. He tried desperately to roll over and rise, but the damage to his torso made him helpless, like a turtle flipped onto its back, only able to writhe weakly.

Ethan walked slowly toward the defeated man, his face a mask of cold fascination. He placed the sole of his boot directly onto Agent Alpha's face, pressing down hard, grinding his cheek into the dusty floor.

"Tell me," Ethan demanded, his voice low and dangerous, pressing the point of his boot harder. "Do you truly feel no pain?"

He adjusted his weight, the pressure increasing. "I am extremely curious about that. How about you tell me what I want to hear before we experiment with your supposed immunity to suffering?"

Agent Alpha, his face contorted against the dirty floor, let out a choked, defiant laugh.

"You won't get a single word from me, Blake," Agent Alpha said. He lifted his chin slightly, looking at Ethan with hatred. "Just shoot me in the head and get this over with."

Ethan smiled, a slow, predatory grin that was far more terrifying than any rage. He released the pressure on Alpha's face.

"Ah," Ethan said, tapping his chin thoughtfully. "So you tell me that your head is your only weakness? Interesting."

Ethan chuckled, shaking his head. "I can't decide if you're a standard idiot, or a very special kind of idiot."

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