Infinite Fighting

Inside a private manor.

A man who looked to be in his thirties was holding a tablet, scrolling through the documents on it.

He was Liu Hetong. Though he was over seventy years old, his appearance remained youthful.

This was thanks to the latest in biotechnology; its anti-aging results were quite remarkable.

The average lifespan of the upper echelon had long since reached the 120-year mark.

"Councilman, the Five Elements Sect has responded." Suddenly, a secretary walked up to Liu Hetong’s side and spoke.

"I’m aware," Liu Hetong replied nonchalantly. "Continue to stay in contact with them. If there’s any way we can accommodate them, do so."

"Understood." The secretary nodded and walked away.

After the secretary had gone, a meaningful smile crept onto Liu Hetong’s lips.

’Those guys finally couldn’t hold back and made their move.’

’Do they really think I prefer a soft approach?’

To him, bringing Shanli Island back under government control was the smallest piece of the pie when it came to political achievements.

The real prize was the leverage he could gain over the councilmen above him.

This was precisely why he had taken action on Shanli Island the moment he took office.

As for the Five Elements Sect, their involvement was merely a convenient coincidence.

However, just getting dirt on those councilmen would only cause them to lose some public favor, which wouldn’t do them too much harm.

After all, the current Eastern Extreme Country was still controlled by the major influential families.

That was why Liu Hetong’s strategy for Shanli Island was to grant it autonomy, and he had not dispatched any personnel to assist with its administration.

This meant that for a considerable period, he would have no control over Shanli Island and wouldn’t even know what was happening there.

The reason for doing this was to bait those councilmen into sending people to clean up their tracks.

If those tracks were found, it would just be a minor inconvenience for them.

But if the councilmen deployed military forces, things would be different.

That would break one of the unwritten rules among the Eastern Extreme Country’s top brass.

Namely, that armed forces could only ever be used for external conflicts, never for internal struggles.

He had also investigated and found that these guys had sent over five suits of active-duty "Bladed Edge" armor. That made the situation even more serious.

’It’s as if they’re afraid I don’t have enough evidence.’

If the people from the Five Elements Sect could just leave behind the wreckage of a single exoskeleton, he could then raise hell in the council.

’Sure enough, a family can’t be made up entirely of smart people. There are always a few who, fearing they’ll be treated as expendable, will make a foolish move. My bait worked.’

’But before that, I can’t let my guard down just yet.’

The people from the Five Elements Sect were certainly powerful, but against those five suits of "Bladed Edge" armor, their chances still seemed a bit slim.

’But on second thought, it probably won’t be a huge problem.’

Even if they could use the "Bladed Edge" armor, there were certain accompanying weapons they could never get their hands on. The requisition process for those weapons was not easy, and once strategic-grade weapons were deployed, the incident would escalate to an uncontrollable level.

At that point, he probably wouldn’t even have to lift a finger; all personnel involved would be collectively targeted by every interest group.

As long as they weren’t equipped with strategic weapons, the Five Elements Sect’s Grandmasters should still be able to put up a fight.

’It’s just a pity I only recently took office. I don’t have many capable people under me, and I can’t afford to leave any loose ends. Otherwise, why would I need to rely on this group of martial artists?’

’Then again, to think they can fight against powered armor with just their bare bodies...’

"There are really too many of these Grandmaster martial artists! Their numbers need to be thinned out a bit!" Liu Hetong muttered.

...

Back at the Five Elements Sect, once the decision was made to head to Shanli Island, they immediately began to organize.

Zheng Chengze quickly mobilized the relevant security personnel. Not a single one was below the professional Third Rank.

This was a moment that showcased the deep-seated power of the Five Elements Sect.

At a single command, over six hundred security personnel of professional Third Rank and above were all assembled.

They were armed with high-powered firearms and wore modified exoskeletons.

Their combat output was comparable to that of an average professional Ninth Rank martial artist.

The very next day, the group assembled on the outskirts of the city closest to Shanli Island and boarded a modified transport ship.

This time, besides Elders Zheng Chengze and Wang Quan, Zhang Ji had also voluntarily come along. Furthermore, as a key figure, Wu Chen was also on board.

The plan was set: they would land at the point closest to Kui District.

From there, they would fight their way to take control of Kui District, first checking if Kratos and the others were safe. Then, they would gather more information from the locals before devising a more detailed plan of attack.

Unlike traveling by helicopter, the ship rocked for the better part of a day. It wasn’t until late at night that they finally saw the silhouette of Shanli Island.

However, this was all part of the plan; they were meant to land late at night.

The security captain woke up the resting personnel and had them suit up in their exoskeletons.

Zhang Ji and the others also made their own preparations.

Wu Chen, having put on his exoskeleton, looked at Zhang Ji, who was still in casual clothes, and asked, "Don’t you need one?"

"That thing isn’t as tough as I am. Wearing it would just be like climbing into an iron coffin," Zhang Ji replied.

Wu Chen was skeptical.

When Zhang Ji had left Shanli Island, although he already possessed considerable Horizontal Training Power, he was definitely not tougher than these advanced exoskeletons back then.

In response to Wu Chen’s doubt, Zhang Ji reached out and pinched the exoskeleton on his arm.

"CRUNCH~!"

A shallow handprint appeared on it.

Wu Chen’s eyes widened, his face a mask of disbelief.

This wasn’t some welded-together tin can from their Shanli Island. This was a super-hard alloy; even a low-yield missile would only dent it.

’Leaving a print with his bare hand?’

’And it looked like he wasn’t even using his full strength!’

’Is he a monster?’

Zhang Ji had no intention of explaining. Instead, he finished his preparations and walked over to Li Long.

Li Long, for his part, was wearing a lightweight suit of exoskeleton armor. Zheng Chengze and Wang Quan had them too. They were all custom models, designed to better facilitate the use of their own power.

If Zhang Ji had wanted one, he could have gotten a set as well, but this incident had happened too suddenly for him to have one made. As for the standard-issue exoskeletons, he was better off without them, as they would only hinder his flexibility.

Soon, the transport ship docked smoothly.

They went undetected because they hadn’t chosen to land at the port.

Instead, they landed on the other side of the island.

However, the drones had already spotted the enemy’s ship at the port.

"It’s an old model ship, doesn’t look like it’s from our country. Can’t tell its origin, but it looks more like a pirate ship. The crew remaining on board don’t look like our countrymen either," a professional technician reported.

"It’s normal for them to be in disguise. They wouldn’t dare operate openly under an official banner," Zheng Chengze said with a nod.

"Let’s make landfall!"

Li Long gave the command after receiving the intel on the terrain.

A ramp then extended from the ship, connecting to the island. The men moved out quickly in formation and secured advantageous positions, after which all-terrain armored vehicles rolled out one by one.

Zhang Ji and the others were in one of the vehicles, all of which then headed toward Kui District.

Returning to a familiar place after so long, a strange feeling stirred in Zhang Ji’s heart.

He was struck by the strange feeling that he was returning home in triumph.

But this wasn’t a triumphant return; they were here to sort things out.

Before they even reached Kui District, fist-sized micro-drones relayed reconnaissance data from the area.

Thermal imaging roughly revealed the figures within.

There were fewer than ten armed personnel there, and they had no counter-surveillance measures.

Furthermore, they seemed to be indulging themselves. There were no sentries on guard, and it looked like they were inside, messing around with women and carousing wantonly?

"Hm? Could they really be pirates? So undisciplined!"

"Most of them are probably real pirates, but the core personnel should be government agents."

Before the armored vehicles reached Kui District, a team had already infiltrated the area. The lead unit of the vanguard then rammed the main gate, and the few pirates still carousing inside were instantly brought under control.

In less than ten minutes, the entire Kui District had been brought under the Five Elements Sect’s control.

The captured pirates spoke Roman.

Li Long had someone who understood Roman go and interrogate them.

The pirates didn’t have much willpower. After having two of their fingers chopped off and a bit of questioning, they spilled everything.

"Not everyone was killed. Three of them were useful because they had some information, so they were locked up! These guys were just left behind to stand guard and loot valuables while waiting for the return trip," the Five Elements Sect disciple who conducted the interrogation told Zhang Ji and the others.

"Where are they being held?"

"The dungeon!"

...

"SCREECH~!"

The large iron door of the dungeon was pushed open, and Zhang Ji and Wu Chen strode inside.

A foul stench assaulted them. Zhang Ji flipped a switch, and a dim, orange-red, old-fashioned light bulb flickered on.

Kratos, who was lying on a cot, had his attention drawn. He shielded his eyes for a moment, then looked at the two of them. He opened his mouth and asked, "What’s going on?"

"The Five Elements Sect has taken over," Zhang Ji answered, then stared at Kratos’s bare right arm. "Old man, how’d you end up in such a miserable state?"

"If you’re just here to gloat, you can save your breath," Kratos said irritably as he sat up.

Zhang Ji tossed him a box of cigars. Kratos’s left hand shot out and caught it. He took one out, and Wu Chen quickly stepped forward to light it for him.

Kratos took a deep drag and said, "Damn, I’ve missed this taste!"

"Didn’t you organize a resistance? Where are the others?" Zhang Ji asked.

"A lot of them were killed, but there are two left. Right next door to me!"

As Kratos spoke, he knocked hard on the wall.

Almost immediately after he knocked, a voice rang out.

"Zhao Kui, what the fuck are you knocking for in the middle of the night? Are you trying to die?!"

It was Hong Kang’s voice.

To think that after fighting each other to the death back in the day, they were now resisting together as fellow prisoners.

"What about the other one?" Zhang Ji asked.

"Fatty, someone’s here for you!" Kratos yelled.

"Who? Who’s looking for me? I’m sleepy!" Fat Bear mumbled in response.

’They’re all familiar faces.’

"Tell me what happened. What’s the situation, how many of them are there, and where did they go?" Zhang Ji asked.

...

「Elsewhere.」

The pirates were enjoying the spoils of their plunder, wantonly indulging their desires.

But five men among them, clad in silver-white exoskeleton armor, seemed out of place.

They were actual regular soldiers, sent on a secret mission while mixed in with the pirates.

Just then, they also received intelligence that the Five Elements Sect had arrived.

"Someone’s made landfall. It’s a group from the martial arts world, including three Grandmasters..."

The person who received the intel was very detailed. The Five Elements Sect’s movements were so overt that it was easy for them to investigate. Besides, not everyone within the Five Elements Sect was truly one of their own.

"Captain, what are the orders from above?"

"We have a lead. We’re to find what we’re looking for and retreat immediately. Try to avoid engaging them. If we run into them, kill them if we can. If not, prioritize extracting the mission item."

"Should we tell the pirates?"

"The pirates? Hah! It’s best if they all die here!!"