Chapter 352: King Kong’s Intention
No one in their right mind would be bold enough to disagree with King Kong; besides his intimidating power, he was, after all, at the very top of the hierarchy. Therefore, Ren Maohua did not dare to even whimper in response to King Kong, but he did put up a show of resistance for his NSA colleagues’ benefit, attempting to show them all that he was still fighting for his dignity despite King Kong’s reproach.
“You must be King Kong, one of the two Grade-S agents of the NSA?” Xiao Luo asked.
“Yes, indeed, I am!”
King King turned toward Xiao Luo, straightened up, and looked at Xiao Luo impassively. “Long have I heard of your name. You single-handedly vanquished the Dragon Gang, a malignant tumor of the underworld in Jiangcheng City, and more than a few hundred have already perished either directly or indirectly through your hands. I have to say that you’re undoubtedly a devil, and thankfully, the NSA provides shelter to devils. So, no matter what horrific acts you may have committed, in this place, all of us are only called by one unified name—we are fighters, defenders of the nation.”
His deep, hoarse voice thundered across the open field, and he spoke with an innate confidence that put fear into those who heard him.
The NSA fighters in the crowd straightened their backs with pride on hearing those words, but at the same time, broke out in cold sweat as they looked at Xiao Luo in awe. “What, he killed a few hundred people all by himself… is he really such a dangerous man?”
Then King Kong smiled and softening his tone, he said, “You may let go of him now. He has already paid the price for his foolish behavior. That’s enough.”
Xiao Luo eyed Ren Maohua, whose head was still trapped beneath Xiao Luo’s foot and struggling to break free. At that very instant, much of Xiao Luo’s anger had already passed and adhering to the principle of “the less trouble, the better,” he decided not to go overboard with Ren Maohua.
“Okay then, I’ll spare you.”
Xiao Luo took his foot off Ren Maohua’s head, and as Ren Maohao tried to storm off, Xiao Luo suddenly delivered a kick directly to his chest.
Ren Maohua’s eyes bulged from the excruciating pain as he felt all of his internal organs shift violently. The force of the kick caused him to slide and tumble along the hard ground for some six to seven meters before he crumpled into a heap. He gasped for air once, then spurted out a mouthful of blood before passing out cold.
“GASP!”
The crowd gasped in horror, as after King Kong had intervened, they had all expected Xiao Luo to release Ren Maohua without further incident. Who would’ve thought that Xiao Luo would actually kick Ren Maohua again so heavily that he passed out?
He’s a barbarian! An absolute barbarian!
Many of the shocked soldiers made it a point to etch Xiao Luo’s image deep in their minds, for were they to run into this person in the future, they would do well to walk around him.
Unlike her colleagues, Ji Siying felt a great sense of relief, for no one understood Xiao Luo’s temper better than her. Once Xiao Luo was provoked beyond a certain point, it did not matter who, but that person would have to pay a painful price for the transgression. And, given that Ren Maohua had initiated the conflict and infuriated him, Xiao Luo was already benevolent by not resorting to more extreme measures. Ji Siying could say this with certainty as she had witnessed how Xiao Luo had dealt with the leader of Cobra Corps—so, this was not harsh at all.
“Mr. Mie, let’s go and meet the directors.”
In the presence of NSA personnel, Ji Siying only addressed Xiao Luo, as “Mie.” She had hurried over to Xiao Luo after arranging for the NSA’s paramedics to treat Ren Maohua and was hoping that this incident would end without further incident.
Xiao Luo nodded, with his anger now appeased he did not wish to escalate the situation as well. Xiao Luo ran his fingers over the wound on his face, inflicted by Ren Maohua. While it was merely a flesh wound, it was somehow causing searing pain like a wound inflicted by sharp fangs.
Ji Siying quickly took a sheet of clean paper towel from her pocket and handed it to him.
“Thank you.”
Xiao Luo used the paper towel to gently cover the wound like a piece of gauze. Fortunately, it would not leave him disfigured, or else, he would certainly have crippled Ren Maohao.
They both now started to make their way to the office building to meet the directors.
Suddenly, King Kong lifted his left arm to block Xiao Luo’s way. He wore a grim expression, gone was the smile and gentle demeanor, as King Kong lifted his chin and stared intensely to a distant point without blinking. His tone of voice was harsh and cold, and he scowled, “I asked you to release him, not kick him!”
King Kong emphasized the last three words as he menacingly turned his head toward Xiao Luo, glaring directly into his eyes with a glower.
Xiao Luo, looking a little confused, stared back into King Kong’s angry eyes and deep furrows formed between his eyebrows—he had mixed emotions; on the one hand, he preferred that this conflict would be ended quickly, while on the other, he was ready to take on any further threats.
The crowd of NSA fighters murmured in fear and trepidation as they noticed King Kong’s sudden change in expression, and expected that he would strike out at Xiao Luo.
None of them had witnessed a fight between two Grade-S agents, and they could only imagine the mayhem and chaos that would ensue in such a conflict. Would there be a need for the Bureau guards to intervene? Would they have to strafe the field in a hail of machinegun fire?
Undoubtedly, all of the soldiers understood King Kong’s sudden change in behavior, for, aside from Lady Poison, no fighter within the NSA would dare to disrespect King Kong, and his word was the law. So, for this man, going by the name of “Mie,” to attack Ren Maohao after King Kong had asked for his release, was an affront to his reputation and pride; a provocation as far as King Kong was concerned.
“Mr. King Kong, Mr. Gu, and Mr. Dongfang want to see us…” Ji Siying said.
King Kong immediately waved his hands and stopped her. “Don’t use the directors’ names against me. My very presence over here is by their order, and I came to resolve this conflict.”
“Sir, isn’t the conflict already resolved now?”
Ji Siying tried her best to find a way out for Xiao Luo, but even as a liaison officer, she had to be very cautious when dealing with King Kong. He wasn’t a mere Grade-A fighter like Ren Maohua; there was an enormous gap between their levels. A single Grade-S operator could crush more than a dozen Grade-A soldiers with little trouble. She had gone through King Kong’s files before, and whenever he went into a rage during a mission, he would smash his enemies together and turn them into a pile of mincemeat. He could be very cruel when he was in an enraged state.
“Resolved?”
King Kong snorted, pointing angrily at Ren Maohua, who had passed out, and yelled, “Look at him, you call this resolved?”
“So, what do you actually want now?”
Everyone was shocked to silence, while Ji Siying froze instantly and felt like her soul had left her body. The one who spoke was Xiao Luo, and his voice was calm as he continued to gaze steadily into King Kong’s eyes without flinching.
“I want nothing!”
King Kong’s voice thundered as a hideous expression suddenly washed over his face, and his eyes were filled with rising fury. “I just want to beat you down… or maybe, it is you who wants to beat me down?!”
Xiao Luo frowned—it would seem that there would be no end to this conflict. Initially, he had thought this man was neutral, but now, he couldn’t help thinking that King Kong had already decided the moment he arrived on the scene. It would not have mattered whether Xiao Luo kicked Ren Maohua or not, as this man would still come up with a reason to fight him. Xiao Luo could tell from the look in this person’s eyes—his desire to fight had been hidden earlier, but at the moment, his intention was unmistakable.
“Mr. King Kong, please do not cause any trouble. Don’t force the NSA to deploy the guards…”
“You’re really noisy!”
King Kong was incensed. He yelled to shut Ji Siying up as he raised his hand to slap her in the face.
King Kong’s slap was only delivered at a slow speed, but it would still have been a hefty blow. Ji Siying could sense the aura of his power as the lethal hand headed toward her, making her hairs stand on end, and instinctively, she raised her arm to block it. But Xiao Luo was one step faster than her, and in a split second, he stuck his left palm out to intercept the blow, clasping King Kong’s wrist firmly before any damage could be inflicted.
“If you wish to fight, I’m willing to keep you company. There’s no need to go rough on a lady!” Xiao Luo snarled.
“Interesting, I’m starting to like you a little bit more.”
King Kong chuckled, no longer concealing his true intentions. From the moment he saw Xiao Luo’s display of strength, he had already made up his mind to compete with Xiao Luo. It had nothing to do with Ren Maohua at all, for an opponent like Xiao Luo gave him an inexplicable sense of thrill and excitement—for, like all true champions, there was a constant need to prove that he was still the best.
…