Start of Slaughter

"I told you to take off your sunglasses, didn't you hear me? Or are you deaf?!"

The thug, hearing his companion's suspicion about Lu Ting, grew increasingly wary.

Even though Lu Ting wore a hoodie and sunglasses that covered most of his face, the exposed parts of his skin clearly showed that he was neither white nor black.

The yellow skin tone suggested he was likely Asian, just like the woman who had stolen crucial information from their base the previous night.

Under normal circumstances, the thugs wouldn't link these two, but the current situation forced them to be extra cautious about coincidences.

To ensure the woman and any accomplices wouldn't escape right under their noses, the thugs were being extremely careful and vigilant.

When Lu Ting heard the thug ask him to remove his sunglasses, he immediately realized that resolving this peacefully was unlikely.

His gaze, hidden behind the sunglasses, briefly landed on the thug who spoke. After a pause of one or two seconds, he reached up and removed his sunglasses.

In such situations, the more you appear nervous or scared, the more suspicious you become. It was better to face them confidently.

As Lu Ting removed his sunglasses, revealing his true appearance, he noticed the thugs' expressions change as they stared at his face.

"You're Chinese?!"

The thug closest to Lu Ting, with the gun pressed to his neck, asked, scrutinizing his face for any sign of a lie. If he detected even a hint of deception, he wouldn't hesitate to act.

Better to kill wrongly than to let someone go!

Lu Ting's face remained emotionless, his tone calm as he said, "I am Chinese, but not a Chinese national."

"As for the woman in your photo, I haven't seen her. But I did see a lot of blood in the corridor upstairs. Maybe you should check there."

Although Lu Ting's words were half-truths, his calm demeanor made them seem highly credible.

The thugs exchanged uncertain glances. The leader then said, "Bloodstains? Where? Show us!"

They weren't ready to let Lu Ting go, sensing something suspicious about him.

"Buzz, buzz, buzz—!!!"

At that moment,

The thug with the gun pressed to Lu Ting's neck had his phone vibrate in his pocket. He used his free hand to pull it out. Seeing it was a call from their boss, he answered without hesitation.

"Hello, boss?"

"Our boss found out that the woman used a fake identity to enter the country. After coming to Daka, she hired a mercenary on the dark web. That mercenary is likely in the know as well," the voice on the other end said.

"The mercenary's photo and information have been sent to your phone. The boss said, if you encounter him, don't hesitate. Kill him immediately! He wants to see a dead body!"

"Got it, boss!"

After the quick call ended, the thug hung up the phone.

Soon, with another single buzz, a new message arrived on his phone—clearly, the boss had sent over the mercenary's photo and details.

Without any hesitation, the thug opened the message.

As soon as he did, a familiar man's photo appeared on the screen. The Asian face in the photo was unmistakable—it was the same man he was currently holding at gunpoint.

He's the mercenary hired by the Chinese Interpol officer using a fake identity?!

Realizing this, the thug's pupils contracted sharply. He immediately intended to shoot Lu Ting and kill him, just as his boss had ordered—to leave no survivors, only corpses.

But before he could react, his gaze barely moved from the phone screen, and in that instant, a bullet pierced his head effortlessly!

A silenced gunshot echoed in the narrow stairwell.

The thug holding the gun to Lu Ting's neck didn't even get a chance to act before Lu Ting's swift, decisive shot ended his life.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Without hesitating, Lu Ting pulled the trigger three more times, firing three precise 10mm bullets into the heads of the other three thugs, who hadn't even realized what was happening.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

With the sound of three or four heavy objects hitting the ground, the thugs blocking Lu Ting's path collapsed in a pool of blood, dead beyond doubt.

Lu Ting had decided to act because his appearance and identity had been exposed due to the woman. Though he didn't understand the local dialect spoken during the thug's phone call, seeing his photo and information on the thug's phone made him acutely aware that he was now entangled in this mess.

Otherwise, why would they suddenly investigate his details while looking for the woman?

Clearly, they had discovered he was hired and added him to their kill list to ensure no loose ends.

The thug's immediate reaction upon seeing the information confirmed his intent to act, so Lu Ting seized the initiative.

"What was that noise?!"

"Was that a gunshot?!"

"Something's wrong! There's trouble upstairs!"

"Call everyone over!"

After Lu Ting swiftly dealt with the thugs, others nearby heard the commotion and quickly reacted, heading towards the scene.

Soon, Lu Ting heard the chaotic footsteps from the lower floors and the stairwell, indicating a significant number of people approaching.

Despite the silencer on his gun, the shots couldn't be completely muffled.

Realizing he had to abandon this route, Lu Ting turned back and headed towards the other stairwell on the opposite side of the corridor.

In the next moment, Lu Ting, not wasting time, turned and strode back upstairs.

Passing his former room, Lu Ting hesitated briefly but decided to reenter, quickly picking up the storage card that had fallen near the woman's hand.

Yes, Lu Ting had now decided to take on the woman's dying request.

He had initially refused because he knew the task was complicated and didn't want to dive into such a dangerous situation alone, fearing he might end up with nothing.

But now, the situation had changed!

Whether he wanted to or not, he was now targeted by the drug lords the woman had antagonized.

Since he was already involved, as a mercenary, Lu Ting intended to maximize his profit amidst the chaos.

(End of the Chapter)