Chapter 18: A Great Man Can Bend And Stretch

The atmosphere in the hall was dead silent. The overwhelming display of raw violence caused many of the Scavengers to hold their breath as they slowly shuffled backward.

Li Yu looked down at the snake-pupiled man on the floor. At that moment, the Big-Headed Dwarf was sneaking down the stairs, but Li Yu immediately called out to stop him.

"That... Your Excellency Big-Head..." he called out politely. "What were you doing upstairs?"

"Me?" The Big-Headed Dwarf jumped in fright. His body swayed uncontrollably, seemingly because his massive head was too heavy for his frame to support.

"Nothing at all..." he replied with a fawning smile. Glancing at the snake-pupiled man collapsed on the ground, a shiver ran through his heart.

"From now on... no one is allowed to go upstairs. Anyone who does will face the consequences." Li Yu had no idea if the people upstairs had noticed the commotion down here.

He waited for a moment, but no one came down. Perhaps they thought it was impossible for the trash scavengers downstairs to stir up any real trouble.

And so... he relaxed...

"You..." The snake-pupiled man struggled to sit up. It was only thanks to the snake scales on his chest absorbing the impact that Li Yu's punch had not shattered his heart.

Right now, he had barely recovered enough to force out a few words.

Li Yu shook his head, cutting off whatever the man was about to say. He gently raised his left foot, under the widening pupils of the snake-pupiled man and the expectant gazes of the Scavengers.

Muscles bulging, his foot crashed down like a heavy anvil. The snake-pupiled man was like a piece of iron enduring a thousand strikes, and this time, he could not withstand the test.

Thud! With a muffled sound, the man's chest caved in. Hidden away from everyone's sight, his crimson heart burst apart violently.

A massive amount of blood spewed from his mouth. Before he could even utter a single word, his eyes lost their focus, and his entire body went completely limp.

"Since no one is coming down, I can only say you ran out of luck."

If someone had rushed down the stairs, Li Yu might have kept him alive as leverage to secure an escape. Unfortunately, no one showed up.

He scanned his surroundings. The crowd of Scavengers in the hall had retreated into the corners, trembling in fear. They were terrified that this maniac might suddenly decide to slaughter them all on a whim.

Meanwhile, the occupants of the surrounding rooms had quietly shut their doors, too afraid to even peek outside.

Standing near the wall with his back to Li Yu, Mountain Chicken was paralyzed with terror. He did not dare turn his head, but listening to the sounds behind him, he could already guess what had happened.

Mountain Chicken found it impossible to believe. His cousin, Mad Snake, was a genuine Genetic Warrior! Even if he was only at the E- Rank, the fine snake scales covering his body could deflect Mechanical Kinetic Pistol bullets without leaving a scratch.

His throat bobbed up and down, cold sweat pouring down his forehead. The sensation was agonizing, exactly like waiting for a countdown to his own execution.

Li Yu crouched beside Mad Snake. Hunter was incredibly tense, his eyes locked on the top of the stairs, terrified that four terrifying figures might suddenly appear.

Mo Duo watched Li Yu rummage through Mad Snake's pockets, muttering under his breath. The mood radiating from him carried a distinct trace of dissatisfaction.

"Why does he have nothing on him..." Li Yu muttered as he patted the body down for quite a while before finally fishing out a Mechanical Kinetic Pistol. It was equipped with a Silencer—the exact same Pistol that had been fired at him earlier.

This type of mechanical kinetic weapon had been phased out by the Interstellar Mainstream many years ago. However, it was still quite popular on a Fringe Planet like Heavenly Desolation Star, primarily because of its incredibly low manufacturing and maintenance costs.

It was more than enough to handle most situations. As for Special Kinetic Weapons, setting aside the exorbitant cost of the Guns themselves, even the ammunition was an astronomically expensive consumable.

As Li Yu tucked the Pistol away, Hunter kept his head down and approached closely. "It is time to go. Staying here any longer will lead to massive trouble."

He had just killed Taotie's capable lieutenant. Without a doubt, that old boss was going to completely lose his mind.

"Let us move... Farewell, everyone..."

Li Yu did not delay any further. He turned around and prepared to leave. Hearing the footsteps moving away, Mountain Chicken, still huddled in the corner, finally let out a sigh of relief.

He had never been so grateful to be just an ordinary person as he was in this very moment.

However, before he could celebrate his survival for too long, a spray of crimson splattered against the wall. He lowered his head in utter disbelief, staring at the bloody hole right over his heart, which was rapidly pouring out blood.

"A clean shot right through the heart. Pretty accurate..." Hunter remarked, slightly amazed.

Li Yu nodded calmly and holstered the Pistol. How could he possibly tell Hunter that he had actually been aiming for the head?

Exiting through the main doors, they found the surrounding area eerily quiet. After clarifying the direction of the Tyron Chamber of Commerce with Hunter, Li Yu gave a nod and immediately broke into a dead sprint.

Hunter froze for a second, cursed under his breath, and quickened his pace to catch up. Back in the hall, Li Yu had certainly put on quite the composed act!

Mo Duo could not help but laugh as she followed suit. In mere moments, the three of them vanished from the block.

Inside the hall, the Scavengers could only look at each other in dismay. Everyone knew that something monumental had just occurred as they stared at the snake-pupiled man's lifeless body on the ground.

Some of the more far-sighted Veteran Scavengers had already opened their doors and slipped away unnoticed.

Li Yu had fled, which meant someone else would have to bear the brunt of Taotie's fury, and these trash scavengers were the perfect punching bags.

As for Third Fatty? Nobody actually expected him to stick his neck out and protect them.

Only a few reckless fools, their eyes darting around shiftily, started walking up the stairs, harboring the idiotic idea of being the first to report the news to gain favor.

Ten minutes later, the hall presented a drastically different scene. Burly men stood guard in the corners, scanning the area with high alert.

Four figures of varying heights and builds stood in a circle around the snake-pupiled man, looking down at his already cold corpse.

The air around them felt even colder than the outside. The Man in a Black Overcoat glared with the predatory and ferocious eyes of a savage beast, thick red veins spreading across his sclera.

"Brother Taotie, the guy has already left. Here is the surveillance footage..." A subordinate walked up, holding a tablet. The screen displayed the exact scene of Li Yu brutally killing the snake-pupiled man.

When the four leaders saw Li Yu immediately break into a frantic sprint the moment he stepped out the door, their expressions shifted slightly.

Taotie's expression was freezing cold. "What the hell were the guards watching the monitors doing at the time?!"

"Well..." The subordinate hesitated. "Brother Taotie, they assumed that this group... posed no real threat, so they slipped out to have some fun."

"Have some fun? Heh..." Taotie suddenly let out a laugh, though his icy eyes remained completely devoid of any emotion.

"There are still a few buyers from the No Man's Land System looking for hearts. Tell them we found their transplant donors."

The subordinate shivered uncontrollably, nodded frantically, and hurried away.

The Pale-Faced Middle-Aged Man stared at the screen, a trace of appreciation in his voice. "To display such overwhelming strength against Mad Snake, he must be at the E+ rank. Coupled with his complete lack of hesitation to flee, this guy is quite the character."

"Hehe..." The only woman among them let out a seductive giggle. "This boy certainly knows that a great man can bend and stretch. He is quite handsome too, with such fair and tender skin..."

She licked her crimson lips, her eyes trailing like fine silk. However, upon noticing a particular murderous glare directed at her, she feigned fear and clutched her ample chest.

"Second Brother, don't look at me like that. I am not the one who killed your little snake. This man..." The woman paused, her voice turning coy and sweet. "He has absolutely nothing to do with me."