136: Chapter 135 A Thunderclap from Out of the Blue

Long Tu and Zhang Tianling couldn't help but look back, curious about what matter was so heavy for Cao Xiao.

"Yes!"

Li Quanshuo confirmed Cao Xiao's order and, without delay, opened a thick laptop from his arms, his fingers dancing across the keyboard.

"Intervening in the traffic monitoring network!"

"Automatic link to Pan City's public image resources successful!"

"Correlating all IP terminal image sources within the local area network, successful!"

"Search engine started!"

"No network anomalies!"

"High-similarity data extracted!"

"Caused a delay effect; recovery expected in two minutes!"

"Data anomaly! The other party has noticed!"

"Activating botnets!"

"Data upload complete!"

"Entering satellite communication system!"

"Positioning successful!"

"Call records imported successfully!"

"Disconnecting network connection!"

"Reading main brain data!"

Li Quanshuo operated the computer rapidly, constantly reporting the progress. In less than five minutes, he closed the laptop. Wiping the sweat from his forehead, he said to Cao Xiao with relief, "Mr. Cao, the results are out. It was a close call, but we weren't discovered!"

"Good work, Brother Li! Have you determined the approximate area?" Cao Xiao had been watching tensely, fearing an accident, but fortunately, no mistakes were made.

Li Quanshuo steadied his breathing before speaking, "Li Lanshan and her daughter arrived at the Pan City bus station at 7:00 PM the day before yesterday. At 8:00 PM, they took a private illegal taxi to Baishui Town. They stayed at the Linquan Hotel in Baishui Town that night and left early the next morning, taking a taxi toward Laoque Gou. After that, there's no more image data, and the last communication signal disappeared there as well at 11:00 AM yesterday. Laoque Gou is the location of the Xinyuan Coal Mine."

"Haha! These people really dare! Brother Long, fly to Laoque Gou in Baishui Town at top speed!" Cao Xiao laughed in exasperation at the results. The answer was so direct; those people hadn't even tried to hide it, thinking that with their local influence, they could block all eyes. Unless the government directly intervened with force, it would be difficult for anyone to investigate. But they were wrong; they didn't expect Li Dongping to have a loyal friend like Cao Xiao, and they underestimated Cao Xiao's determination!

"Found the location? Laoque Gou? We've arrived over Baishui Town. Tianling, you lead the way!" Long Tu didn't understand the riddles the others were speaking in; at this moment, he was like a soldier who had received orders from a superior, executing them without hesitation.

"We can use firearms this time. If anyone blocks us, kill them. Don't worry about the consequences! The world is a big place!" Cao Xiao said with a ferocious grit of his teeth.

"Mr. Cao! Calm down! Things haven't reached that point yet. Perhaps their situation isn't that bad; they might just have their freedom restricted. Don't use firearms unless absolutely necessary, or the nature of the situation will change!" Duan Hong saw that Cao Xiao had almost lost his reason and quickly stepped in to advise him.

Since obtaining the industrial mother machine, Cao Xiao had always worried that those around him would get into trouble. But now that it had actually happened, he realized how childish and laughable his previous reservations were! What was the point of having great power if he couldn't even protect the people he cared about? Some things left no room for choice. In that case, it was better to charge forward boldly.

"Brother Duan, don't worry, I know what I'm doing. I want to make a big scene to show these people. To them, it might be a small matter they can forget, but I want to tell them that doing bad things has a price. Ignoring this is shielding a crime. They can overlook anyone, but from now on, no one will be able to ignore me, Cao Xiao! If anything happens to Brother Li's family, no matter the status of those involved, every single one of them will pay a heavy price!"

"Mr. Cao, Laoque Gou is almost here! Shall we land on the spot? The sound of the helicopter might alert the other party," Long Tu requested while hovering the helicopter.

"Go directly to the village to find a landing spot. Wait, do you see the lights over there? Fly there! Fast!" Cao Xiao had been using the Detection Function to search for Li Lanshan and her daughter. He was about to reach Laoque Gou Village and had also found the Xinyuan Coal Mine area, but he hadn't found the two of them. Hearing Long Tu's words, he wanted to check the village for clues, but unexpectedly discovered their location a few kilometers away. Regardless of what others thought, he immediately pointed to a light source a few kilometers away and told Long Tu.

"Brother Cao, what is it? What did you find?" Seeing Cao Xiao so excited, Zhang Tianling thought he had found an important clue. He looked curiously at the distant light but saw nothing unusual, asking with both excitement and confusion.

"Tianling, you and Brother Long wait on the helicopter in a bit. You don't need to worry about anything else." Cao Xiao's tone carried a warning.

"Mr. Cao, don't you need our help? My drone can quickly find targets with very little noise. We can scout the situation there without getting close. The drone's noise is minimal and won't be noticed by the other party," Long Tu said, eager to try, knowing Cao Xiao must have discovered something.

"Thanks, Brother Long, but no need for the drone; I've already found the target. Please help me contact the nearest hospital and have them prepare for emergency treatment. After landing, don't shut off the engine; be ready to take off at any time." Cao Xiao tried to calm himself, but his teeth remained gritted as he spoke to Long Tu.

"Brother Duan, the situation is critical. Prepare to assault! Don't hold back!" Cao Xiao almost roared this sentence.

"Yes!"

Although Duan Hong and the others didn't agree with Cao Xiao's use of violent methods, they still executed the order decisively. A black metal box sat in the back of the cabin. They opened it and began taking items out to equip themselves. Before coming to Qian Province, since there were no suitable flights, they had rented a passenger plane without time constraints. Cao Xiao had gone home to bring everything he might need, including weapons. For this purpose, he had specially made a box with an electromagnetic shielding coating, successfully bypassing security checks and bringing it onto the plane without incident.

"Brother Cao, you guys..." Zhang Tianling shuddered when he saw the weapons on the bodyguards, his speech stuttering.

"Mr. Cao, the people on the ground have noticed us and are approaching our intended landing spot. There are eleven of them, carrying knives. Mr. Cao... Mr. Cao, what on earth are you doing? How do you have so many guns? Mr. Cao, you can make as much of a scene as you want today; at worst, I'll just take a beating and have my old man settle it. But you absolutely cannot use guns, or no one will be able to handle the fallout!" Long Tu reported the ground situation while landing. He glanced back and saw everyone fully armed. His gaze froze, and he sucked in a breath of cold air. A majestic aura suddenly rose from him as he stared at Cao Xiao expressionlessly, his tone carrying a hint of a threat.

Narrowing his eyes, Cao Xiao thought he had misjudged him. This Long Tu was likely no ordinary person; such a clear aura wasn't something a typical family scion would possess. But what did that have to do with Cao Xiao? "Brother Long, you don't need to worry about anything else. Just land the helicopter. You weren't here today; what happens here has nothing to do with you or Tianling."

"Cao Xiao, I, Long Tu, am not someone who fears trouble. If you insist on doing this, you must think of a way out first. It's not worth going to prison just to save someone," Long Tu said calmly with a sigh, seeing the determination in Cao Xiao's eyes.

"Protect yourselves." Cao Xiao swung open the helicopter door. Before it even landed, he jumped out from two meters above the ground.

Seeing Duan Hong and the others jump off the helicopter without a word, Zhang Tianling asked Long Tu with a bitter face, "Cousin, what should we do? Once guns are used, a good thing turns bad, and a small matter becomes a big one. My dad will definitely beat me to death!"

Long Tu's small eyes easily performed a standard eye-roll. He said to Zhang Tianling irritably, "What else can we do? I've been screwed over by you again. Call home. Since we're involved, there's no reason to back down. I really don't know what your uncle is doing, letting these people run wild. These remote mining areas are naturally prone to harboring filth. If these places aren't cleaned up, accidents are inevitable. There's nothing to worry about with these people; if you can't settle it, someone will naturally back you up. These guys surrounding us look like desperadoes; there might even be wanted criminals among them! My hands are itching again. Tsk tsk!"

On the lawn outside the mountain villa, eleven men with knives surrounded Cao Xiao's group of seven. Over a dozen flashlights illuminated the area in snow-white, piercing beams shining on their faces.

"Who are you? Drop your weapons immediately, or I'll kill you!" Even seeing Cao Xiao and the others fully armed, the men surrounding them weren't afraid at all because Cao Xiao's group still had their guns slung behind their backs, while they had two cocked Black Star pistols ready to kill at any moment.

"Kill!"

Without the slightest fear, Cao Xiao's body tensed like a Leopard. He let out a murderous roar, and a Tianxing pistol appeared in his hand. Before the people opposite could react, a bullet drilled into one's forehead. Then, two more loud gunshots broke the night's peace like thunderclaps, and the three men in front of him fell to the ground.

"Kill!"

Immediately after, Duan Hong and the other six also moved. However, they didn't use the assault rifles on their backs. Instead, they gripped metal rods with one hand and swiftly attacked the men in front of them.

"Ah!"

From Cao Xiao's unannounced outburst of gunfire to the rapid killing of three people, less than five seconds had passed. The surrounding men were stunned by the loud gunshots. Before they could react, the metal rods struck out violently. Duan Hong and the others didn't kill, but with one strike, those hit lost their ability to resist, either fainting or wailing on the ground. Within seconds, not one of the eleven men was left standing.

"Leave one person to watch them! The rest, follow me." After speaking, Cao Xiao ran toward the villa without looking back.

It was now late at night, but the villa was still brightly lit. Cao Xiao already knew the layout of the villa like the back of his hand. After bursting into the hall, he didn't stop, nor did his gun. Two more shots rang out, and the wrists of two knife-wielding thugs running down the stairs were hit. Their knives dropped, followed by two more shots hitting their thighs. Unable to steady themselves, they tumbled down the stairs. Cao Xiao ignored them, stepping over their bodies and leaping up the stairs. The villa had only two floors with a simple layout. Cao Xiao lunged toward a door and kicked it with great force. The locked door was kicked flat to the ground. After a loud crash, the scene inside the room was revealed.

"I don't care who you are; you're probably here to save them, right? Let me leave, or I'll die with her!" In the corner of the room, a short, fat, balding middle-aged man grabbed Li Lanshan's arm with one hand and held a cocked pistol to her temple with the other. Seeing Cao Xiao burst in with a gun, he spoke frantically.

"Niece, don't be afraid! Your uncle is here. Close your eyes; everything will be fine in a moment!" Cao Xiao didn't even look at the man. He still didn't lower his gun. Looking at Mrs. Li lying in a pool of blood, he spoke as gently as possible to the vacant-eyed Li Lanshan, his voice trembling.

"Drop the gun! Or I'll kill her!" Seeing Cao Xiao ignoring him, the balding man looked even more frantic, his finger twitching as if he would pull the trigger the next second.

"Hehe!"

Seeing no reaction from Li Lanshan, Cao Xiao suddenly laughed—a brilliant laugh. This small laughter seemed to drain the temperature from the room, and the atmosphere became eerie.

"I told you to drop the gun!" The balding man's hand holding the gun trembled, and he pressed it harder against Li Lanshan's head.

Cao Xiao slowly lowered the gun and tucked it behind his waist, still laughing.

"Kid, shut your mouth! What are you smirking at? Get down!" Seeing Cao Xiao lower the gun, the balding man wasn't as tense. He turned the gun to point at Cao Xiao and ordered loudly.

Cao Xiao seemed not to hear the man. Regardless, he placed his hand on his belt buckle and slowly pulled out a meter-long silver-white soft sword. With a flick of his hand, the soft sword became straight, gleaming coldly under the lights.

"Bang!"

The balding man didn't understand Cao Xiao's actions, but seeing the sharp sword, his heart went cold, and he pulled the trigger without hesitation.

"Clink!"

The bloody scene the balding man imagined didn't occur. Cao Xiao still stood where he was, and a deformed bullet dropped onto the floor tiles with a crisp sound.

The balding man's eyes widened, his face looking as if he had seen a ghost. After two seconds of daze, he saw Cao Xiao rushing toward him at high speed. He fired another shot without hesitation, aiming directly at Cao Xiao's head. But this time, even the bullet disappeared, and Cao Xiao remained unharmed.

The room wasn't large, and Cao Xiao reached the man in a few steps. Just as the balding man was about to fire a third shot, Cao Xiao had already raised the sharp sword high and slashed down fiercely. The balding man's arm holding the gun was severed from the root. Then, with a reverse upward stroke, the balding man's other arm was also sliced off by the peerlessly sharp blade. After that, with a low horizontal sweep, the man's two legs weren't spared either. Without legs to support him, the balding man's body collapsed to the floor.

Cao Xiao's actions took less than five seconds. During that time, blood sprayed from the man's severed limbs, covering the room, but not a single drop landed on Cao Xiao or Li Lanshan.