Wang Wei sat in his office, sipping juice. Rather than working, the CEO was watching NewTube on his laptop. Behind him stood his female secretary, Long Xinyue.
A knock sounded at the door. Wang Wei didn't respond, but Long Xinyue commanded, "Enter."
A tall, tan man with red hair stepped inside. Long Xinyue frowned. "Who are you?"
Baki acted nervous. "I-I'm a new employee. I was told to see the CEO."
A club suddenly flew past Baki's head and embedded itself in the wall. Long Xinyue's eyes narrowed. "Don't lie. No such appointment was scheduled. Who are you?"
Baki dropped the act. "I guess the cat's out of the bag. I came to meet your respected and kind president—the one who generously placed a ten-million-dollar bounty on my head."
Wang Wei visibly flinched but maintained confidence in Long Xinyue's abilities. "Xinyue, kill that bastard and bring me his head!"
The office fell silent except for the laptop's hum. Long Xinyue stepped forward, clubs already in hand, rolling her shoulders.
"You made a mistake coming here," she said coldly.
Baki grinned, cracking his knuckles. "We'll see about that."
Long Xinyue struck first. Her eyes flashed blue as she blurred into motion, circling Baki in a whirlwind of strikes. Her clubs whistled through the air, attacking from every angle—left, right, behind, front. The speed made it look like a dozen copies were assaulting him simultaneously.
But Baki's eyes glinted blue, matching her speed. He weaved between the strikes, head bobbing and shoulders twisting. Her clubs cut only air. When she came around again, Baki dropped low and swept his leg in a circular motion, catching her ankle.
Long Xinyue stumbled but recovered quickly, leaping to drive both clubs upward beneath his chin.
Baki leaned back just enough for the clubs to miss by inches. He drove a powerful punch into her exposed ribs.
"Guh!" Long Xinyue gasped, pain shooting through her side. She staggered back, then immediately rushed forward, hooking a club around Baki's ankle to flip him.
Baki's eyes glinted blue. He jumped before she could complete the move, flipping backward through the air. He landed on his feet and immediately launched an overhead axe kick toward her head.
Long Xinyue raised both clubs to block. The impact rattled through her arms. She pushed him back and twirled her clubs, eyes glowing blue. She charged forward with incredible speed, her whole body rotating as she launched into a diagonal tackle.
Baki stood his ground. He caught her mid-tackle with both hands, stopping her momentum completely. The force made him slide backward several feet, his shoes leaving marks on the wooden floor, but he didn't fall.
"What?!" Long Xinyue's eyes widened.
Baki's grip tightened. He spun once and hurled her across the office. She crashed through a bookshelf, books and broken wood raining down.
Long Xinyue pushed herself up, ignoring the pain. She leaped high and descended toward him, spinning her body like a drill.
Baki watched her descent. He simply sidestepped at the last moment. Long Xinyue's spinning attack slammed into the floor where he'd stood, cracking the wood. Before she could recover, Baki's eyes turned red and he delivered a heavy roundhouse kick to her side that sent her tumbling across the room.
She rolled and came up on one knee, breathing hard. She thrust a club straight at his head.
Baki tilted his head slightly. The club passed by his ear. He grabbed her wrist, pulled her forward off-balance, then delivered a quick punch to her chest.
Long Xinyue coughed and stumbled back. She spun, eyes blazing blue, and launched upward in a spiral. Her clubs struck out repeatedly as she ascended—low, middle, high—trying to hit him from different angles.
But Baki's eyes matched her speed. He moved with her, staying just out of range of each strike. When she reached the peak of her spin, Baki jumped up to meet her. He delivered a jumping uppercut that caught her in the stomach.
Long Xinyue's spin stopped completely. She gasped for air as Baki grabbed her shoulders. He delivered a knee strike to her face, then another to her stomach. On the third strike, he kicked upward instead, catching her chin and launching her higher.
She crashed through the ceiling panels, then fell back down.
Long Xinyue managed to twist midair and land on her feet, though she stumbled. She immediately leaped forward, trying to hook both clubs around Baki's neck for a spinning throw.
Baki ducked under her arms as she sailed over him. While she was still airborne above him, he jumped and spun, delivering multiple kicks—stomach, ribs, shoulder, back.
Long Xinyue crashed hard to the floor. She coughed up blood but forced herself to stand. She hopped forward and tried to hammer him with both clubs overhead.
Baki raised one arm. His eyes glinted green as he blocked the downward strike with just his forearm. The clubs hit with a loud crack, but his arm didn't budge. Long Xinyue's eyes widened in shock.
Before she could pull back, Baki's other hand shot forward in a heavy punch that connected with her face. Her head snapped back and she staggered.
She recovered and jumped, trying to strike him twice with her clubs while airborne.
Baki's eyes flashed blue. He leaned back from the first strike and ducked under the second. As Long Xinyue landed, he was already moving. He rushed forward, shoulder lowered, and slammed into her midsection like a battering ram.
Long Xinyue flew backward and crashed into Wang Wei's desk, destroying it completely. Papers exploded everywhere and the CEO yelped, diving behind his chair.
"Xinyue! Get up!" Wang Wei screamed.
Long Xinyue pushed herself up from the wreckage, blood dripping from her mouth. She pivoted forward, attempting to smash Baki's face with both clubs using all her strength.
Baki saw it coming. His eyes glinted blue as he stepped back from the first strike, then sidestepped the second. As she pivoted past him, he grabbed her from behind, fell into a backward roll, planted his foot on her stomach, and launched her over his head.
Long Xinyue flipped through the air and slammed upside down into the wall before crashing to the floor.
She groaned and struggled to her feet. Her body was covered in bruises now, her breathing ragged. But she wasn't finished. She gripped her clubs together and delivered a series of attacks while pivoting forward—left, right, overhead.
Baki's eyes glowed blue. He weaved around the first two strikes with minimal movement. When the overhead strike came down, he caught both clubs with one hand and ripped them from her grip, tossing them aside.
"No!" Long Xinyue reached for them, but Baki was faster.
He delivered a knee strike, extending his leg to hit her a second time with a pushing kick. She stumbled backward. Baki rushed forward with incredible speed, delivering a low kick to her shins that swept her legs out.
Long Xinyue fell but twisted midair, trying to recover. Baki didn't give her the chance. His eyes blazed red as he brought his heel down in an overhead kick that slammed into her shoulder, driving her into the ground.
The floor cracked under the impact. Long Xinyue cried out.
She tried to push herself up, but her arms were shaking. She managed to grab one club that had rolled nearby. With her last burst of strength, eyes glowing blue one more time, she spun herself horizontally across the floor toward Baki, club extended.
Baki simply jumped straight up. Long Xinyue's spinning attack passed harmlessly beneath him. As he came back down, he landed with both feet on her back, driving her flat against the floor. Then he grabbed the back of her shirt and lifted her up. Eyes still red, he pulled her over his shoulder and threw her backward with devastating force.
Long Xinyue flew across the entire office. She crashed through the remaining bookshelf, through a filing cabinet, and slammed into the wall with such force that the impact left a crater in the plaster. She slumped down, her club falling from her hand, and didn't move.
Wang Wei stared in horror. "Xinyue... Xinyue!"
Baki walked slowly across the destroyed office, his footsteps crunching on broken wood and scattered papers. He stopped a few feet from Long Xinyue's unconscious body and looked down at her.
"She's tough," he said quietly. "China has strong women."
He turned to face Wang Wei, who had backed himself against the window, trembling. Baki's face twisted into a demonic smile as he approached.
"Now then," Baki said, his voice calm but cold. "Let's talk about where's the real president?"