Chapter 107: The Identity of the Black-Robed Figures

Rice seized the last of the black-robed assailants by the wrist and, with a sharp twist, hurled him to the ground. In one fluid motion, he clamped the man's arms between his legs, then rotated his body downward with crushing force.

A sickening series of cracks echoed in Xiaofeng's ears—bones snapping like brittle branches. He winced. The man didn't even have time to scream before the pain overwhelmed him and he lost consciousness.

Having dispatched the final enemy, Rice collapsed to the ground, visibly drained. The gash across his chest, torn wider during the recent scuffle, was bleeding profusely. Pale and dizzy from the loss, he sat there, wavering.

Xiaofeng looked at him, shaking his head with a faint smile. "Boss Rice, no matter how tough you are, in the end, a single well-placed blade could still take your life."

"Damn it, don't jinx me," Rice muttered, his voice weak. "I feel like I'm dying. If I really go, the X Mercenary Corps will have to rely on you from now on…"

His voice trailed off—he didn't even have the strength to finish the sentence.

Seeing the seriousness in Rice's face, as if he truly believed death was near, Xiaofeng crouched beside him, grinning. "Don't worry, I've got you. You can go in peace. Start a mercenary squad in hell, and when I arrive, I'll report for duty."

Rice gave a faint glance at the blood soaking his shirt. His eyes rolled back slightly, nearly fainting.

Xiaofeng realized this was no longer the time for jokes. He pressed his palms against Rice's chest, channeling his power to stanch the bleeding and coax the wound into healing.

Seconds ticked by. To Rice's astonishment, the gash across his chest began to vanish. If not for the bloodstains still soaking his shirt, he might've doubted he was ever wounded at all.

"Damn brat," Rice muttered, regaining a sliver of vigor. "Pull something like that again, and I'll roast you like a suckling pig."

"Try it, and I'll turn you into popcorn with one jolt," Xiaofeng shot back, unyielding.

At that moment, a jeep roared up and came to a screeching halt beside them. Xiaofeng recognized it immediately—it was one of the X Mercenary Corps' vehicles, with the rotund Brada behind the wheel.

Brada leapt out nimbly despite his size. "Captain! Xiaofeng! What the hell happened here?"

"Got mauled by a pack of rabid dogs," Rice grunted. "Nearly got torn apart. You bring any rope? Tie these bastards up—every last one of them."

Brada surveyed the battlefield, his eyes narrowing at the black-robed figures. A glance at their gear was enough to confirm—they weren't common thugs. Without delay, he climbed back into the jeep, radioed HQ, and retrieved a thick coil of rope.

Xiaofeng stood and made another round, jolting each of the downed enemies with a mild shock, just in case any of them still had fight left.

Brada, with surprising dexterity for a man his size, began binding the captives with practiced ease. He'd flip them over, loop the rope around their legs twice, then sit on their backs, yanking the bindings tight. In moments, he had their arms and legs trussed together like game ready for transport.

Xiaofeng watched, mildly impressed. Every member of the X Corps had their own unique skill set, it seemed—he'd clearly underestimated them.

Within minutes, all the black-robed figures were securely tied. Their identical robes, white masks, and prone forms made for an almost comical tableau on the ground.

Soon, the entire X Mercenary Corps arrived, engines roaring—two jeeps and three large trucks barreling in, stirred by word that their commander had been injured.

Alice jumped from the lead jeep and rushed to Xiaofeng's side. "Brother, are you okay?"

She immediately noticed the long tear across the back of his shirt and paled with worry.

Xiaofeng grinned. "I'm fine. Don't worry. But your Uncle Rice here—he nearly didn't make it. Maybe go give him some love?"

Alice flushed and turned toward Rice. "Uncle Rice, are you alright? I was so worried about you…"

Rice glanced at her adorable face and could only sigh, swallowing whatever retort he might've had.

Old White, Ivy, and several other members gathered around. White looked them over and asked gravely, "How did you end up crossing paths with these people?"

Ivy, eyeing the strange robes and masks, added, "Who exactly are they?"

Rice shook his head. "I don't know. But they're clearly part of some organization. No point guessing now. Let's take them all in for questioning."

Xiaofeng nodded with a smirk. "Exactly. Once we've rounded them up, we'll pay Lin a visit. Whatever group they belong to—I'll make sure they regret it. Just look at my car… they wrecked it. If they don't replace it with a brand new one, I'll personally remove every last one of their reproductive organs."

Ivy burst out laughing. "Xiaofeng, I love it when you get all ruthless like that…"

As she spoke, a large, snow-white creature nearby let out a soft growl.

Xiaofeng glanced at the beast—it was nearly half a meter tall now. He frowned. "What is that thing?"

Squatting down, Ivy scratched its head affectionately. "You forgot already? That's Little White—the pup. I call him Xiao Bai now."

"No way… he's gotten that big already?" Xiaofeng stared in surprise.

"Yeah, he's been growing like crazy these past few days—two or three kilos a day. At this rate, in three months, he'll be almost as big as his mother."

"Isn't that a bit… dangerous?" Xiaofeng asked warily.

"No worries," Ivy said proudly. "Alice is here. And Xiao Bai's very well-behaved."

"Well, that's good. When we're not around, he'll help keep you safe."

Ivy nodded with a smile.

At that moment, Rice had recovered enough of his spirit to bark out orders once again. "Load them into the trucks. Every last one. Damned bastards had the gall to mess with me—I'll make sure they wish they never crawled out of whatever hole they came from!"

Xiaofeng turned to Brada. "Brada, tow my car back. I'm going to find Lin and the others—time to get to the bottom of this mess."