The old doctor entered and turned up the volume on the video playing from his phone.
"Friends, I'll cut to the chase. We're all in the Junk Guild to make money, and now I have a big deal for you."
A man's voice paused before continuing: "Find Wei Jun for me. 10 million USD for information, 100 million for a complete corpse. Whether you get it depends on your effort."
The video ended.
"Don't blame me, Wei Jun." The old doctor shrugged. "The money is just too tempting."
Zhou Tianming immediately grew alert, his eyes scanning for usable weapons.
But Wei Jun just grinned: "When are you planning to sell me out?"
The old doctor checked his golden wristwatch: "In ten minutes."
The two men exchanged smiles. Wei Jun said, "Let Tianming stay with you—"
Zhou Tianming interrupted: "No, I can't stay. If they find out I'm still alive, things will get worse."
Considering they'd witnessed his [Iron Wall] effect, his death would be dismissed as a joke. But if they discovered he survived, the situation would escalate.
He urgently asked: "Did you take care of everyone when rescuing me?"
Wei Jun bared his teeth in a ferocious smile: "Of course."
Zhou Tianming exhaled deeply: "I'm coming with you."
Wei Jun frowned: "Tianming, you can't follow me. What comes next will be even more dangerous."
Shaking his head: "We're already in this together. More people mean better odds, and..."
Zhou Tianming tapped his temple: "You'll need this smart brain of mine."
Not giving Wei Jun a chance to argue, Zhou Tianming took charge and asked the old doctor: "How much to delay for half an hour?"
"10 Million."
"I'll give you 10 Million, but you'll repeat exactly what I say."
"Deal."
The old doctor beamed while raising his phone: "Your scan or mine?"
Zhou Tianming jerked his chin at Wei Jun: "Pay up."
"What? With my money? 10 Million is—"
Under two pairs of disdainful eyes, Wei Jun had no choice but to transfer 10 million from his account to the old doctor.
Then Zhou Tianming had the old doctor bring a Junk Guild map. After scanning it briefly, he circled two locations and numbered them: "Just say these in order later."
The old doctor glanced at the map, then at Wei Jun.
Wei Jun scratched his head, gritted his teeth, and nodded: "Listen to Tianming. That Old Zhou's grandson must be as cunning as him."
Zhou Tianming gave him an expressionless look.
"Alright, I got it," the Old Doctor nodded, then checked his watch again. "You have 23 minutes and 55 seconds left to leave."
Wei Jun picked up Zhou Tianming and placed him on his shoulders. "Hold on tight, we're moving."
Tianming obediently clung to Wei Jun's head, riding on his shoulders as the two quickly departed.
Once outside the underground clinic and onto the street, Tianming pointed ahead. "Go that way, take a left into the alley up ahead. It's usually deserted."
"Hold tight!" Wei Jun broke into a swift run.
Perched atop the towering Wei Jun, Tianming had an excellent vantage point, spotting crowds from afar and warning him to avoid them.
As an elite East Asian soldier, Wei Jun's instincts for counter-surveillance were second nature.
The two smoothly reached their first marked location—an unfinished five-story building, one of the few concrete structures in the area.
"What are we doing here?"
"Setting a trap, of course. A little welcome gift for our pursuers."
Hearing this, Wei Jun's bandaged face twisted into a fierce grin. "What's the plan?"
Tianming directed Wei Jun on how to set things up.
Half an hour later, the two drove off in an unmanned car.
"That brain of yours is definitely Old Zhou's spawn—wicked and cunning."
"Don't like it?"
"It's perfect! I want those bastards to die without a grave!"
...
Not long after they left, a group of fully armed soldiers arrived.
They moved silently, fanning out to scout the area immediately upon arrival.
"Perimeter's clear. Move in."
"Team One and Two, head upstairs. Teams Three and Four, surround the exits—nothing alive leaves. Team Five, sweep the first floor for any basements."
"Copy."
The five teams swiftly carried out their orders.
While searching the first floor, Team Five noticed over a dozen unmanned cars parked in corners, each tied to load-bearing pillars with ropes.
One soldier scoffed. "Such a childish trap? Does that Wei Jun really think these unmanned cars can snap the pillars?"
"Stay sharp. Could be rigged to explode. Check them."
After a moment, the inspecting soldier signaled 'all clear.'
The others relaxed and continued their search.
After scouring the area with no results, the teams regrouped outside the first floor to discuss their next move.
Just then, the sound of car engines echoed throughout the first floor. Everyone turned to look.
One after another, the unmanned cars shot out from the corners, crisscrossing before being yanked back by the ropes tied behind them.
Tires screeched against the ground, wisps of white smoke rising. Soon, the acrid smell of burning rubber filled the air.
The team leader tensed. "Fall back!"
They hurriedly retreated from the building.
Suddenly—snap! snap! snap!—over a dozen ropes snapped, lashing against the walls.
The unmanned cars, now like wild horses freed from their reins, bolted forward.
Accelerated like iron projectiles, they slammed into the load-bearing pillars with thunderous crashes.
Tianming had meticulously calculated every angle and force, and the unmanned cars were the perfect executors.
A dozen pillars took the brunt of the impact simultaneously, and the building shuddered violently.
"Move out!"
The squad leader gasped in shock as everyone rushed outside, only to find the road completely blocked by a dense swarm of Unmanned Cars tightly encircling their vehicles.
At that moment, the building behind them began to collapse toward the street, its dark shadow swallowing the soldiers on the ground as its massive frame came crashing down with a deafening roar.
These soldiers were no amateurs—they swiftly climbed onto the roofs of the Unmanned Cars and sprinted away.
Within seconds, the building collapsed in a thunderous quake, sending clouds of dust billowing outward like rolling yellow sand.
Amid the dust, the soldiers, wearing gas masks, ran frantically. Some misstepped and fell, breaking their legs; others panicked as the dust engulfed them; and still others...
Debris from the collapsing building rained down like hail, clattering against the Unmanned Cars as the soldiers scrambled beneath the vehicles for cover.
After a long moment, the world fell silent. The soldiers crawled out from under the cars, each coated in thick layers of dust.
"Report your status!" Hibiki's voice crackled through their earpieces.
"Team One, all safe. Over."
"Team Two, one injured—broken leg. Over."
"Team Three, safe..."
...
"Hahaha! Wei Jun went to all that trouble, and not a single one of us died."
A mocking voice echoed through the comms.
The squad leader exhaled in relief, a sneer on his face, and didn't bother silencing the chatter.
Seeing their leader's indifference, the other soldiers joined in the jeering.
Then, someone felt a gust of scorching wind—followed by a thunderous explosion as a fireball erupted from the ruins of the collapsed building.
Thick black smoke rolled out as flames licked hungrily at the surroundings.
One after another, the Unmanned Cars exploded into fireballs.
Before the soldiers could react, the temperature around them skyrocketed. Blast waves of fire surged forward, followed by a rain of shrapnel from the vehicles.
In an instant, the soldiers were riddled with metal fragments, while the surrounding Unmanned Cars were torn apart. One shard pierced a battery—flames erupted, then detonated.
The entire street transformed into a fiery serpent writhing on the ground, its roars of explosion unending.
Flames, smoke, and explosions turned the area into hell itself.
The soldiers of Squad 5 shrieked as they became human torches, flailing in panic but finding no escape. In the end, they were reduced to charred corpses, consumed by the inferno.
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