Xiao Feng stared at Carey, utterly unprepared for such blistering speed. He hadn't even registered Carey's movement.
With a sharp yank, Xiao Feng wrenched his leg free, unease flickering across his features. With both Carey and Kelly—two psychics—present, his confidence began to waver. His eyes turned cold as he barked to Brada, "This doesn't concern you. Get out of here. Now."
Brada, though rotund, was no fool. He instantly understood Xiao Feng was trying to draw the attention onto himself to shield him from danger. Clenching his fists, Brada growled, "Xiao Feng, brother, I'm not leaving. I won't stand by and let you face them alone. That's not how the X Mercenary Corps does things. Even in death, we do not abandon our own. If I left you here and ran, Rice would kill me himself. I'm fighting beside you!"
Xiao Feng felt a ripple of emotion rise within him. But just as it stirred, Kelly's hand crackled with lightning, and a bolt lanced toward Brada. Though the big man had been on guard, the electric strike was simply too fast. It slammed into his belly, sending sparks dancing across his flesh. With a groan, Brada collapsed backward, limbs convulsing uncontrollably.
The alley now stood nearly silent, with only three figures left standing. A few curious onlookers hovered at the entrance, but none dared approach upon sensing the presence of psychics. They merely watched from a cautious distance.
Xiao Feng cast a worried glance at Brada. Though their acquaintance had been brief, he'd grown fond of the man's blunt honesty. Seeing him twitching in agony on the ground, Xiao Feng's fury ignited. "You've gone too far!" he roared, lashing out at Carey with a powerful punch.
The strike was ferociously fast—too fast for an ordinary man to evade. But Carey ducked low, dodging nimbly, then sprang up and drove an uppercut into Xiao Feng's chin.
The force of the blow lifted Xiao Feng clean off his feet. Dazed, he barely had time to process what had happened before Carey spun and launched a brutal kick into his abdomen, sending him hurtling several meters through the air.
Xiao Feng crashed to the ground, sliding painfully across the pavement before coming to a halt. His jaw throbbed with numbness, sensation utterly gone.
Carey, one hand casually tucked in his pocket, strolled toward him with an icy grin. "So that's all you've got? You crumble with a single hit? I haven't even warmed up yet. And you dared to lay hands on my sister? You must truly have a death wish. Allow me to send you to hell myself!"
But before he could take another step, Carey suddenly froze. He looked down, startled to see Brada's thick, trembling hand clasped tightly around his ankle. Through gritted teeth, Brada snarled, "If you want to hurt my brother… you'll have to step over my corpse first!"
Carey chuckled coldly. He bent slightly, raised his left leg, and declared, "Then I'll just step right over it."
With that, he delivered a savage kick to Brada's gut. Even with nearly two hundred kilograms to his frame, Brada was launched like a sack of meat, slamming into the alley wall before crumpling to the ground in agony.
"Brada! Are you alright?!" Xiao Feng cried out, forcing himself upright.
Carey raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Still standing? Impressive."
Kelly sneered. "Don't underestimate him. If you think one kick will finish him, Carey, you're sorely mistaken."
Carey bent forward, voice laced with disdain. "If one won't do, I'll use two. Three. Today, I'll break him!"
Without warning, Carey lunged, hands still in his pockets, moving so fast that his figure blurred into afterimages. In the blink of an eye, he was before Xiao Feng again.
That was Carey's power—an inhuman, spectral speed. So fast, it defied belief.
But Xiao Feng prided himself on speed as well.
When Carey was only two meters away, Xiao Feng moved. In one swift sidestep, he twisted his body and launched a lightning-quick kick at Carey's abdomen.
Carey dodged with equal agility, veering to the side and swinging a fist toward Xiao Feng's face. But just before impact, he abruptly halted his strike—his gaze dropped.
The tip of Xiao Feng's blade, The Reaper, was pressed firmly against his chest.
Had he taken one more step, the knife would have pierced his heart.
Rubbing his bruised stomach, Xiao Feng said grimly, "In this world, power alone isn't enough to survive. You need—" he tapped his temple, "—brains."
But before he could savor the moment, a searing bolt of electricity struck him squarely in the chest, hurling him back several meters.
Kelly stalked toward Carey, her voice frosty. "I warned you—never underestimate this b*st*rd."
Carey smirked. "I was careless, that's all. Didn't think he'd use a blade."
Flat on his back, Xiao Feng felt pain surge through him like wildfire. He had never been in such a pitiful state—brought down twice in a row. Psychics truly were monsters. Their strength was inhuman.
His chest felt as if it had been cleaved open, his entire body paralyzed, as if his soul had been jarred loose. Even a child could have finished him now.
Yet the paralysis didn't linger. Much to his surprise, his body began to stir again mere seconds later.
All others who had been struck by Kelly's electric fury remained sprawled, unmoving. But Xiao Feng slowly propped himself up. Slowly, he stood.
He cast a scornful glance at the siblings, raising his pinky. "Tch. That's the extent of your power? Pathetic. Now it's my turn."
But before the words left his mouth, Carey surged forward again, fist cocked for another uppercut.
This time, however, the outcome was different. Xiao Feng's body flickered, slipping past Carey's punch with uncanny grace—then returned the favor with an uppercut of his own, aimed squarely at Carey's jaw.