What are you trying to prove

A piercing chill spread across his cheek—the touch of metal.

Tang Ye jolted awake, finding his face pressed against rough iron bars.

He was inside a massive dog cage.

What was this? A luxury single room with wrought-iron railings?

Tang Ye found it hard to describe.

He twitched the corner of his mouth, but the movement aggravated the wound on the back of his head, making him draw in a sharp breath of pain.

A burning pain radiated from his elbows and back. Rough hemp rope bound him up like a dumpling ready for the pot, and bloody marks had already been chafed into his wrists.

Without a doubt, he had been dragged all the way here.

Outside the cage, several figures were chained up. In the dim light, he could tell they were all girls, lying on the ground, their fates unknown.

The air was thick with the smell of rust, dust, and a faint, lingering scent of blood.

Just as Tang Ye tried to struggle and lift his head to get a better look at his surroundings, the sound of footsteps approached from outside the cage.

His heart tightened. He immediately closed his eyes, completely relaxed his body, and pretended he hadn't woken up yet.

"Be careful. These fresh ones are requested by the big shots. How they play with them is their business, but we can't let their quality drop, you hear?"

A gruff voice rang out.

"Got it, Brother Hu. You can rest easy with me on the job," another voice replied sycophantically.

"Alright, take these two away first. Send them over and let the people there see who can survive."

Brother Hu's voice held not a shred of emotion, as if he were picking out livestock.

"Will do."

Two underlings hurried over, clinking as they unlocked the chains. With relatively gentle movements, they hoisted two unconscious girls onto their shoulders, turned around, and walked toward the iron door.

Tang Ye stared intently through the slits of his eyelids.

One of the girls being carried away was none other than Chen Miao.

A surge of boiling blood rushed to his head. The muscles all over his body instantly tensed up, and he wished he could leap up right then and snap those two men's necks.

But he couldn't move.

His hands and feet were tied dead tight; even wriggling was a luxury.

Right now, just like those girls in the cage, he was nothing but a lamb waiting to be slaughtered.

The iron door slammed shut with a clang. Brother Hu turned his head, his cold gaze sweeping over the cage before finally landing on Tang Ye.

"Dispose of this guy."

His tone was casual, like he was ordering someone to throw out the trash.

"Keep it clean, don't leave any traces."

"Understood, Brother Hu, don't you worry. I guarantee he'll vanish from the face of the earth."

Brother Hu gave a cold snort. He walked over and delivered a heavy kick to the cage. The iron cage let out a massive boom, making Tang Ye's eardrums ring.

"Heh, riding a busted motorcycle with an exhaust pipe sounding like firecrackers, did he really think I couldn't hear him?"

With that, Brother Hu spat disdainfully, turned, and strode away.

Not long after, the sound of a car engine starting came from outside, moving from near to far until it finally disappeared.

It was over.

Everything was over.

Tang Ye's stiff body finally relaxed, and a massive wave of powerlessness washed over him.

He clenched his fists tightly, his nails digging deep into his palms, only to let go weakly a moment later.

What do I do? What the fuck am I supposed to do?!

Why did I have to play the hero? Why act tough? I should be screwing in bolts at the factory right now!

Frustration, regret, unwillingness... all sorts of emotions gnawed at his heart like venomous snakes, hurting more than the wounds on his body.

The iron door was pulled open again.

An impatient voice rang out, "Hurry up and drag that punk out to slaughter him. Just bury him out back."

"Digging a hole is such a pain, and it's already dark," another voice complained.

"Cut the crap, don't I have to help you dig? Hurry up and get to it!"

The two walked over to the dog cage, cursing and swearing. One of them held a knife with a look of disgust, while the other casually pulled open the rusty latch on the cage door.

The very moment the cage door was yanked open, Tang Ye, who was supposed to be unconscious, suddenly opened his eyes.

There was no fear in those eyes, only an icy silence, like the surface of the sea right before a storm.

His hands and feet were bound tightly with thick hemp rope, rendering him immobile.

But so what?

He curled his entire body up and, from an unimaginable angle, used his head like a battering ram, slamming it viciously into the person closest to him!

"Bang!"

A heavy, muffled thud echoed like a beating drum.

That headbutt landed solidly on the man's abdomen.

The expression on the man's face instantly froze. His eyes nearly popped out of their sockets as his entire body arched like a cooked shrimp, flying backward.

"Boom!"

He crashed heavily into the concrete wall behind him and slid to the ground. He spat out a mouthful of stomach acid mixed with bloody froth, twitched twice, and then went completely still.

"Ah Xia!"

The remaining man cried out in alarm. A flash of shock crossed his face, immediately replaced by furious rage.

Bellowing, he gripped his machete and slashed right at Tang Ye's neck.

But at this very moment, Tang Ye felt different.

An indescribable burning sensation exploded from within his body, instantly flowing through his limbs and bones. Every single cell was cheering and leaping for joy.

The world before his eyes seemed to have been forcibly put into slow motion.

The trajectory of the incoming machete was frighteningly clear; he could even feel the slight breeze whipped up as the blade sliced through the air.

Tang Ye merely tilted his head slightly.

The blade barely brushed past his ear, slicing through thin air.

Now!

The muscles in his arms suddenly bulged, and he gave his wrists a violent shake.

"Snap!"

With a crisp snap, the water-soaked thick hemp rope broke apart, its fibers bursting outward at the breaking point!

Strength!

Power!

Tang Ye roared in his heart, but his body's movements were faster than his thoughts.

Before he even found his footing, he lunged forward into a bow stance. His tightly clenched fist was already thrusting straight out, carrying the whistling sound of tearing air.

This punch landed dead center on the knife-wielding man's chest.

"Crack!"

It wasn't a muffled thud, but a crisp, teeth-aching sound of bone fracturing.

The man's chest caved in with a visible depression the shape of a deep fist print. The ferocity on his face hadn't even faded before his body flew out like a broken burlap sack, slamming heavily into the opposite wall and falling silent.

The two loud crashes inside the warehouse stunned the few men standing guard outside.

"What the hell? Why is there so much noise just killing a guy?"

"Is that guy Ah Xia acting crazy again?"

One of them walked toward the door cursing, and just as he stepped one foot over the threshold...

"Hey! Ah Xia! Ah Gui! What are you two..."

He didn't get to finish his sentence.

A dark silhouette lunged out from inside the door, so fast it left only an afterimage.

"Smack!"

A loud slap—no, the sound of a fist smashing into a face.

Several stark white teeth mixed with bloody froth traced an arc through the air.

The man spun backward like a high-speed top, crashing into his two companions behind him and sending them tumbling. The three of them rolled into a heap.

Tang Ye didn't pause for a single second. He took a step forward, raised his right foot, and brought it down heavily onto the chests of the two men lying on top!

"Crack!"

"Crack!"

Two scalp-numbing sounds of bones shattering rang out, exceptionally piercing in the silent warehouse.

The bodies beneath his feet twitched violently a couple of times before going completely limp.

Tang Ye slowly drew back his foot, feeling the sensation of crushed bone beneath his sole, along with the boiling energy surging inside him that threatened to burst his body apart.

He broke into a wide grin, laughing silently.

So this is power!