174: Four minutes left

Tian Ming offered no resistance as he was escorted to the detention cell. The place was dim, damp, and filled with an indescribable odor. He was shoved inside, and the squad leader, clutching an electric baton, walked in. With a bang, the door slammed shut.

Tian Ming smirked inwardly, knowing full well that this patrol squad leader was deliberately picking a fight. He leaned against the wall, watching the leader. Besides the leader, the detention cell was filled with other patrol squad members, each holding electric prods, slowly closing in on Tian Ming.

"Do you know who I am?" the squad leader asked coldly.

Tian Ming looked at him impassively and said, "Cut the chatter. If you want to fight, then fight. Didn't you say you were going to teach me a lesson? Come on, start your performance."

Hearing this, the squad leader flew into a rage and swung his baton at Tian Ming's head. Before the electric prod could touch Tian Ming, it vanished into thin air. The squad leader himself was now immobilized.

Everyone was shocked, the squad leader's face turning ashen. Could it be that this person before them, like Brother Long, was also an Ability User?

"Who... who are you?" the squad leader asked in terror.

A slender steel needle appeared in Tian Ming's hand. He walked leisurely over to the squad leader and said, "Who came up with such a chuunibyou name like 'Xuan Long Gang'? Where's the vision?"

The squad leader trembled uncontrollably, the entire detention cell thick with tension.

"You... what do you want?" the squad leader asked, his voice shaking.

Tian Ming smiled faintly and said, "I'm here to rescue people. I know the sins you've committed are not small, but I can give you a chance. Turn away from the darkness, or else..."

With a crack, a powerful current of air twisted the neck of one of the squad members beside the leader. Immediately after, intense heat followed, charring and carbonizing the man in mere tens of seconds.

Tian Ming couldn't directly manipulate living organisms, but by first killing, then charring, and finally decomposing the body, he could still deliver a tremendous shock to the squad leader.

A living person had just vanished into thin air. The squad leader felt a sudden warmth in his lower body, terrified to the point of wetting his pants.

"Boss, please, don't kill me. I'm willing to turn over a new leaf. I'll do whatever you say, exactly as you say."

Tian Ming looked at him calmly. "Good. Later, when we go out, you'll take me to see all the big and small heads of the Xuan Long Gang. Understood?"

Although the squad leader didn't understand Tian Ming's intentions, he nodded without hesitation, repeatedly saying, "No problem, boss. Whatever you say goes."

"Don't try any tricks, or the consequences will be severe."

Tian Ming waved a hand, and the wet patch on the squad leader's pants dried instantly. The urine transformed into a ball of water, which was then purified and evaporated into nothingness.

The squad leader wasn't stupid. The few abilities Tian Ming had just displayed were far more formidable than Brother Long's powers. In a place like this, whoever had the biggest fists held the power. Lackeys like them naturally sided with the stronger.

"Boss, from now on, I'll follow only you. I'd go through fire and water for you without hesitation." Once freed, the squad leader immediately betrayed his Brother Long.

Such opportunistic people understood the importance of choosing sides very well. He guessed that this young man intended to first take control of the management, then become the new leader of the Xuan Long Gang.

Tian Ming smiled slightly, knowing that in such places, opportunists were the most useful. He said, "Let's go. Take me to see the other management members."

The squad leader, bowing and scraping, followed behind Tian Ming. They left the detention cell, and he led Tian Ming to meet the other key figures of the Xuan Long Gang.

With a guide, the takeover became much easier. Subduing the management ensured stability and prevented chaos, allowing Tian Ming to rescue as many people as possible. As for the top echelon of the Xuan Long Gang, Tian Ming planned to deal with them last and eliminate them all, leaving none alive.

Over the next few hours, the squad leader took Tian Ming to visit all the major and minor heads of the Xuan Long Gang. The method was simple: private conversations coupled with intimidation. Those who submitted were recruited; those who resisted were made to disappear without a trace.

Meanwhile, the leader of the Xuan Long Gang, Tyrant Dragon, was conducting his weekly task of converting waste into food, completely unaware that his subordinates were being recruited one by one by Tian Ming.

As the administrator of the humans kept by the Corpse King, Tyrant Dragon was essentially a puppet. But he didn't care. What was wrong with staying alive and doing whatever he pleased?

Bags of coarse grain starch, carried by slaves, were brought into the warehouse. Tyrant Dragon nodded in satisfaction. Although this stuff was converted from excrement, it still required a significant amount of mental energy from him.

After finishing his work, Tyrant Dragon returned to his exclusive large house, thinking to himself that he needed to ask the Corpse King to send zombies to gather food for him. Relying solely on his own conversion would eventually wear him out.

Lying on his bed, Tyrant Dragon picked up his walkie-talkie and said, "Pick two young girls and send them over. I need to unwind. I'm exhausted."

Any young women who were captured and had decent looks would become part of Tyrant Dragon's harem, taking turns. Once he grew tired of them, these women would be turned into slaves for others to enjoy.

Tyrant Dragon took strict precautions. He didn't want any offspring because the Xuan Long Gang was essentially a breeding ground for zombies. Women with children received better treatment, but once born, those children were raised like livestock. Burdened by his heavy sins, he would never leave behind any ties.

Soon, the door opened, and two girls in their twenties walked in. Despite the severe water shortage underground, they had managed to take a bath, their black hair still damp.

"Come here. Whoever serves me well gets an extra chicken leg," Tyrant Dragon said with a lecherous smile, addressing the two girls.

Hearing this, a flicker of hope appeared on their previously numb faces. The girls in the harem lived in constant fear. Each time they were chosen to serve, they feared displeasing Tyrant Dragon. If he grew disgusted with them, they would be reduced to breeding tools or even become piglets for the zombies to devour.

However, just as Tyrant Dragon closed his eyes, ready to indulge, his walkie-talkie suddenly crackled to life.

"Boss, there's a young man who says he wants to see you!"

Tyrant Dragon, in the heat of the moment, replied impatiently, "Who is it? Tell him to wait until I'm done with these two little vixens."

Before he could finish, a scream came through the walkie-talkie, followed by an unfamiliar voice.

"Tyrant Dragon, leader of the Xuan Long Gang, correct?"

"Who are you?"

"Who I am isn't important. You have five minutes to meet me in the management hall. For every minute you're late, I'll kill one of your trusted subordinates." Tian Ming's voice was ice-cold.

Tyrant Dragon was startled. "Who the hell are you? My trusted men are all Ability Users. Killing them won't be so easy."

"Oh, really?" Tian Ming's tone was mocking.

Immediately after, the voice of his trusted subordinate, A'cai, came through the walkie-talkie: "Boss, save me, save me!" Before A'cai could finish, another scream followed.

Tyrant Dragon roared, "Who are you? I'll kill you!"

"Four minutes left," Tian Ming's voice came back, calm and detached.