chapter 10 Just because of that man!

Time seemed to slow, the scene froze. At the entrance of Zhen Manor, Nick stood with his hands behind his back. Meanwhile, the once overconfident Bart was sent flying like a kite with a snapped string. In mid-air, his lips were stained red with blood, half of his face had collapsed completely, revealing stark white bones piercing through the flesh, smeared with blood, a pitiful sight. "Bart got hit?" Seeing this scene, the Zhen family members led by Andy widened their eyes and dropped their jaws, looking like vivid wooden sculptures. "Bang!" Their response was a muffled sound. Bart's body slammed fiercely onto the ground, causing the brick-paved surface to instantly crack, like a dense spiderweb. "You... dare to strike me?" Bart lay on the ground, staring at Nick with a mixture of shock and anger. "Do you know what it means to challenge the authority of the Long Country Armed Forces?" "You should consider yourself lucky to be alive." Nick said coldly, then took out his phone, and in a commanding tone, said, "Bill, call your grandfather right now." Before waiting for a response, Nick ended the call directly. Huh? Seeing this, Bart snapped back to reality and quickly pulled out his phone, wanting to call Barry, the person in charge of the Armed Forces in Jiangnan Province, for help. "Don't waste your energy. I'll wait here for the envoy from the Armed Forces in Jiangnan Province, Barry, or even the Eastern war-god, Bob!" Immediately, before Bart could dial the number, Nick spoke again. The Long Country Armed Forces were divided into five regions: North, South, East, West, and Central, each with a legion. A war-god presided over each legion, responsible for managing and securing the warriors in the various provinces within the region. Each province had an Armed Forces branch. In the secular world, the heads of the Armed Forces branches in each province were referred to as "branch chiefs," but in the martial arts world, warriors preferred to call them envoys. "Uh..." Upon hearing this, Bart couldn't help but pause, looking at Nick with a face of bewilderment. Suddenly, he felt a sense of unease. In his view, it was normal for Nick, a Ninth rank warrior, to know Barry and Bob Qin. But waiting for the two of them to come here was abnormal! Because Nick, along with Wenzler, not only crippled Sampson and Philip, but also attacked Bart! In all these years, there was only one person who dared to lay hands on a member of the Armed Forces and didn't end up punished. That person was Leo! "Who... who are you really?" Amidst his unease, Bart couldn't help but ask. Reason told him that Nick, aside from having terrifying combat prowess that belied his age, had an identity far from as simple as the Zhen family claimed. Otherwise, he wouldn't have attacked Bart with such confidence, even disregarding Eastern war-god, Bob Qin! "It doesn't matter who I am. What I want to know is, can someone like you, who bends the law for personal gain and abuses your power, truly represent the Long Country Armed Forces?" Nick answered with a question, then sat cross-legged, closed his eyes, and waited for the answer. Seeing this, Bart wore a face of both shock and horror. Meanwhile, not far away, Wenzler's mind was as clear as a mirror. He knew very well that according to Nick's style, if Bart wasn't a member of the Armed Forces, at the moment Nick attacked him, he would have turned into a corpse. The reason Nick didn't do so wasn't because he was afraid of the Long Country Armed Forces, but because he was leaving the decision to them. All because of one person. Leo. The man who became a war-god at the age of twenty-eight, creating a legend in the global Budo community, hailed as a pride of the Long Country Armed Forces and the future of men! ... On the other side, Bill Qin had been driving towards Guishan. After receiving Nick's call, he pulled over and took out his phone, dialing Bob's number with a complex expression. He had been away from the Qin family and the Long Country for five years. In these five years, he hadn't contacted any of the Qin family members, including Bob. If it weren't for Nick's command, he might have never made this call in his entire life. "Who is this?" The call was quickly answered, and a steady and powerful voice came through the receiver. "Grandfather, it's me." Bill sighed. "Bill, you disgraceful wretch, how dare you call me?" On the other end of the phone, Bob immediately recognized Bill's voice and berated him in anger. "Grandfather, if you want to scold me, do it face-to-face when I get back." Bill seemed to have anticipated that contacting Bob would yield this result. He didn't show a trace of surprise, but spoke seriously. "I called you because I want to tell you something extremely important. This matter concerns you, and it concerns the Long Country Armed Forces!" "What is it?" Although Bob really wanted to give a harsh reprimand to his grandson who had once brought shame to the Qin family, upon hearing the words "Long Country Armed Forces," his brow couldn't help but raise. "Grandfather, it's like this..." Bill proceeded to tell Bob about Bart's reckless behavior in Guishan, where he bullied and harassed people. "Are you sure it was Bart condoning the illegal activities of the Zhen family?" Bob inquired. "Grandfather, I assure you that the information I received is accurate." Bill gave a confident response, then added, "Furthermore, I suspect that the Fifth rank warrior named Alan, who serves the Zhen family, has some connection with Bart. Because that Alan was once a wanted criminal by the Long Country Armed Forces!" "I will have someone investigate this matter." Bob pondered for a moment, making a decision, then realized something was off. "Wait, you shouldn't have any ties with Bart or the Zhen family. Why are you telling me this?" "The woman I told you about, Mia, has a younger brother. When that dandy from the Zhen family tried to defile his sister, he crippled him, and then went to settle the score with the Zhen family. Bart arrived and, without distinguishing right from wrong, tried to apprehend him." Bill continued. Tonight, he received two phone calls from Nick in total. The first call, Nick informed him of what happened tonight and what was about to happen, then told him that if he received a second call, it meant Bart was trying to use his authority to oppress others, and he should inform Bob. The second call was merely a prompt, so he didn't even have a chance to speak. "And then?" Bob's brow furrowed tighter. He realized that what followed was the crux of the matter. "Mia's younger brother wants me to ask you if the Long Country Armed Forces will take action against Bart. If they don't, he'll handle it personally." "Heh... He's quite audacious!" Upon hearing this, Bob's anger turned into a wry smile. Even if Bart had issues, it was up to the Long Country Armed Forces to investigate. When did it become the business of outsiders to handle? Moreover, he could sense a threatening tone from Bill's words! "Grandfather, I know him. He always means what he says." Bill reminded. "Who is he? And what's your relationship with him?" Bob's brows furrowed. "Grandfather, he's the Lord of Zhanlong Palace, and also my boss, known as the Ghost-Faced War-God." Bill revealed Nick's identity with a sense of pride. "Him?" Bob couldn't help but be surprised. As the Eastern war-god of the Long Country Armed Forces, Bob naturally knew about Zhanlong Palace, and he had also heard of the reputation of the Ghost-Faced War-God. Furthermore, he knew that the Ghost-Faced War-God led the members of Zhanlong Palace in eradicating eight underground forces overseas, four of which were forces the Long Country Armed Forces had intended to eliminate! "What's his level of strength?" After a brief astonishment, Bob asked again, his tone becoming somewhat solemn. "Grandfather, I don't know how strong he is, but I've seen him kill war-gods, and not just one, but he's killed them in an instant!" Bill spoke, and the scene from that time flashed in his mind. He felt a surge of excitement, as if he had accomplished it himself. "Killing war-gods in an instant?" Bob's complexion changed instantly. "Yeah." Bill confirmed, then added, "Besides, he's only twenty years old." "What... what?" Bob was so shocked that he stood up, his face full of disbelief. "A twenty-year-old war-god, killing war-gods in an instant? Are you joking on an international scale?" "Grandfather, I can guarantee with my own life that everything I just said is true." Bill responded with certainty, even offering his life as a guarantee. "A twenty-year-old war-god, what kind of monster is this? Back in the day, even Leo didn't become a war-god until he was twenty-eight!" Bob muttered in astonishment. If this information hadn't come from his own grandson, he would have thought the other party was insane! Bill didn't waste any more words and hung up the phone. Through his grandfather's reaction, he had already gotten his answer. For Bob and the Long Country Armed Forces, this wasn't a multiple-choice question. It was a mandatory one! ...