Chapter 99: Storming the Lair

Night fell, and the vast darkness draped over the mountains like a sheer veil.

The lights of the Hungry Wolf Mercenary Group's stronghold shone brightly, exceptionally conspicuous amidst the dark mountains, like a guiding beacon.

Under the moonlight, a solitary figure walked step by step toward the military fortress.

As the view drew closer, the figure resolved into a young man with a buzz cut.

Chen Xian looked at the distant fortress. The corner of his mouth curled into a cold smirk as he muttered, "Hungry Wolf Mercenary Group."

When he was still about five kilometers away from the fortress.

*Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!*

Suddenly, over a dozen burly men in camouflage uniforms, armed to the teeth, burst from the surrounding brush. Their dark gun barrels pointed directly at the buzz-cut youth. One of them barked in a gruff voice, "Hands up! Put them behind your head and get on the ground! Otherwise, I'll riddle you with bullets!"

A cold smile played on Chen Xian's lips. "If you want to shoot, be my guest."

In truth, he had detected these hidden sentries of the Hungry Wolf Mercenary Group long ago; he simply hadn't bothered to clear them out.

He had no intention of sneaking around to wipe out the Hungry Wolf Mercenary Group tonight.

Their arsenal was a lethal hazard to others, but to Chen Xian, it was a treasure trove.

He wanted to march straight through the front gates and provoke the mercenaries into a frenzied assault. Only by doing so could he maximize his absorption of the kinetic and explosive energy from their bullets and bombs. This energy would solidify and redden the mysterious, bizarre tree rooted in his mind, allowing it to bear more fruit and yield countless wondrous treasures.

"You're asking for death!" the sentry leader roared. "Boys, open fire!"

*Rat-tat-tat! Bang! Bang! Bang!*

Submachine guns and machine guns spat tongues of fire. Accompanied by the acrid stench of gunpowder, a hail of bullets rained down upon the buzz-cut youth.

Chen Xian did not dodge, nor did he alter his course. He continued forward with a leisurely, measured stride. Each step spanned the exact same distance, as if he were calmly measuring the earth with his feet on his way to the fortress.

*Hummm...*

Crimson vortexes materialized across the surface of his body, stopping the bullets dead in their tracks and absorbing their kinetic energy.

The surrounding sentries stared in wide-eyed horror, their faces pale with shock. It was as if they were looking at a ghost.

All they could do was frantically hold down their triggers, firing blindly.

Yet the buzz-cut youth continued to close the distance, step by step.

Inside the military fortress.

Li Xiong, who was resting in bed, flung off the blanket and sprang to his feet, his face tight with vigilance.

He was completely naked, exposing a lean, muscular physique that rippled with raw power.

Lying on the bed was a Western woman, equally naked, with a voluptuous, sultry figure and sleepy eyes. Finding herself suddenly exposed to the cool air, she hastily covered her full breasts with her hands and glared at Li Xiong reproachfully.

"Xiong, what's gotten into you? Why are you jumping out of bed in the middle of the night instead of sleeping?"

"Larissa, I heard gunfire from the sentries. We're under attack. Get dressed quickly," Li Xiong said as he swiftly pulled on his military fatigue pants and combat boots, then rushed out of the room.

As a master of the Hidden Force martial arts style, his senses were exceptionally sharp; even in deep sleep, gunfire from miles away could not escape his ears.

Inside the room, Larissa, who had just finished an intimate encounter with Li Xiong, swayed her slender hips as she stood up and began dressing, covering her voluptuous figure.

Li Xiong roared to the guards outside, "Sound the alarm! We're under attack!"

*Wail! Wail! Wail!*

Instantly, a piercing siren wailed throughout the entire fortress. All the sleeping mercenaries were jolted awake, scrambling to throw on their clothes, grab their weapons, and rush out of the barracks.

Li Hu also threw his clothes on in a panic, slung a submachine gun over his shoulder, and ran out to the central plaza.

"Commander, what's happening?" the core officers asked, gathering around a grim-faced Li Xiong.

"We're under attack," Li Xiong said coldly. "Machine gun battalion, artillery battalion, tank company, and helicopter squadron, prepare for combat immediately. Recon commander, send two squads to the southeast to scout the situation."

"Yes, Commander!" the mercenaries shouted in unison.

With the orders issued, nearly a thousand mercenaries sprang into action—some manning machine guns, others starting up tanks, piloting helicopters, or preparing their gear.

The sleeping fortress was like a giant beast waking from its slumber.

To the southeast, Chen Xian glanced at the dozen or so corpses scattered on the ground. He raised his hand, and the storage ring on his pinky finger emitted a faint, eerie glow. A slowly spinning vortex materialized, sucking all the corpses inside.

Having cleared the area, Chen Xian resumed his march toward the fortress.

He had already sensed the commotion within the fortress, which was exactly what he wanted. He needed the mercenaries fully awake, their weapons loaded and their blades drawn.

Before long, the two recon squads, totaling about two dozen men, arrived a few hundred meters away from Chen Xian.

They quickly reported back to their commander while opening fire on the buzz-cut youth, who had already spotted them.

Shrouded in a hail of bullets, Chen Xian continued his steady advance.

Without exception, every single bullet was stopped at his skin, its kinetic energy drained by the crimson vortexes.

A few minutes later.

Seeing that their submachine guns were empty and had done absolutely nothing to this terrifying, buzz-cut youth who looked like he had crawled out of hell, the scouts panicked. Reinforcements from the fortress were still minutes away.

The squad leader gritted his teeth and barked a decisive order, "Boys, pull out all your grenades! Let's give this bastard a warm welcome. I refuse to believe he can survive a blast!"

*Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!*

The scouts whipped out their grenades and hurled them at Chen Xian.

*Boom! Boom! Boom!*

Dozens of grenades detonated simultaneously. A massive fireball erupted, illuminating the night like broad daylight, sending a plume of black smoke billowing into the sky as a deafening roar shook the earth.

"Arrogant bastard, enjoy the ride to hell!" the scout leader sneered, watching the raging flames.

The combined blast of dozens of grenades was devastating; it was enough to level a small hill.

In their excitement, however, the scouts failed to notice one crucial detail: despite the massive explosions, there was no shockwave.

"A mere few dozen grenades... The firepower is still too weak."

A calm, indifferent voice drifted out from the center of the blast.

A moment later, the buzz-cut youth emerged from the fire and smoke like a demon god, walking toward them with slow, steady steps.

"He... he's not human! Even someone as powerful as Lord One-Eyed Dragon Mother couldn't survive dozens of grenades point-blank!"

"Run! We can't fight this monster!"

Terrified, the scouts turned on their heels and fled toward the fortress.

Chen Xian looked up, a chilling glint in his eyes and a cold smile playing on his lips. "Every last member of the Hungry Wolf Mercenary Group will die tonight."

With a flash of his silhouette, he left a trail of afterimages behind as he swept toward the fleeing scouts with lightning speed.

In the blink of an eye, Chen Xian closed the distance, appearing behind one of the scouts. He raised his hand and slashed his palm against the man's neck. With a clean slice, the scout's head flew into the air.

The wound was as smooth and clean as if severed by a razor-sharp blade.