There Are No Gods in the World

Seeing the stranger trying to pick a fight, Wu Tao merely gave him a faint, indifferent look.

"Just leave."

"If you don't have any real business, stop bothering me."

He genuinely did not want to stir up trouble.

Who could have expected to run into a troublemaker just by going out for a meal? It would be one thing if the guy were actually formidable, but he was nothing more than an ordinary Blue Planet inhabitant. Getting tangled up in this was simply not worth the effort.

If this petty squabble ended up drawing out the guy's entire extended family, the trouble would be endless. At that point, not pulling the weed out by its roots simply wouldn't do.

And cleaning up such a mess would be a total waste of time.

He had a heavy burden of responsibility on his shoulders; he had no time to entertain such trash.

Xu Rong also looked perfectly calm, showing not a hint of unnecessary worry.

She knew very well that with Wu Tao's abilities and status, he was an invincible existence on this entire planet. A privileged second-generation brat like Zhou Pengfei could not harm a single hair on his head.

Faced with their silence, Zhou Pengfei's temper only flared up further. He took a few steps closer and lowered his voice to issue a threat.

"Kid, you sure love to act tough."

"Let me tell you the truth. Her status and mine are beyond your wildest imagination. I am absolutely not someone the likes of you can afford to provoke. If you dare to keep pestering her, you won't even know how you died!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, Xu Rong's heart sank.

How could this Zhou Pengfei use his status and abilities as a member of the Demon Hunting Department to threaten people? Even more outrageously, he was actually threatening Mr. Wu. Wasn't this practically courting death by provoking a sleeping dragon?

Even though she found this sleazy trust-fund kid quite repulsive, out of consideration for their status as colleagues within the same department, she immediately shot him a cold glare and tried to intervene.

"Zhou Pengfei!"

"You... stop spouting nonsense!"

"I advise you to leave right now. It's for your own good!"

But the moment she finished speaking, Zhou Pengfei snapped his head around, his eyes bulging!

He stared at Xu Rong in disbelief for a few breaths before actually grinding his teeth and letting out a harsh laugh.

"Spouting nonsense?!"

"Fine, just fine!"

"Xu Rong, I truly never expected that you would actually yell at me, Zhou Pengfei, for a man like this! And to think you are considered an elite captain! You really don't know what's good for you! I've been completely blind all these years!"

With that said, the young man with parted hair swung his fist at Wu Tao, his eyes burning with rage!

Seeing his bloodshot eyes, Wu Tao shook his head helplessly. He had no choice but to casually clench his fist and throw a counter-punch!

Whoosh!

Accompanied by the howling of the wind, the red-faced, thick-necked man turned into a shooting star and vanished into the clear sky. In the blink of an eye, he was completely gone. A long time passed, and he never fell back down, as if he had drifted straight into outer space...

Only then did Wu Tao retract his right hand in dismay, shaking his head in sheer speechlessness.

Sigh, he had stirred up a bit of trouble again.

It truly couldn't be helped. The other party had already shown killing intent, and he absolutely could not allow such a person to remain alive in this world. Even if it meant spending a little effort to clean up the aftermath later, he had to take action.

Wasting time was now a foregone conclusion. How annoying.

The Buddha said: When sweeping the floor, fear for the lives of the ants; to cherish the moth, cover the lamp with gauze.

When facing weak existences, one shouldn't resort to violence in the first place. But if a mosquito insisted on flying into your face to suck your blood and take your life, then one could only summon the Gatling Buddha!

How helpless.

Watching Wu Tao effortlessly punch the man into the stratosphere, Xu Rong, despite anticipating it, was still left speechless with shock for quite some time. Having witnessed the methods of this mysterious man time and time again, she still found it completely unfathomable even now.

It wasn't until she saw Wu Tao's indifferent expression, as calm as the day he triggered a world-ending tsunami, that she finally managed to soothe her nerves a little. After all, this man could no longer be judged by common sense. Punching Zhou Pengfei away with a single strike was hardly anything worth mentioning.

Although Zhou Pengfei was a member of the Demon Hunting Department, the man was certainly no saint. His entire family could be considered the parasites of Pingjiang City. If he was dead, then so be it. She had already done her best to dissuade him; he had no one to blame but himself.

Even if there were to be an investigation in the future, compared to the sheer weight of Mr. Wu's existence, the death of a mere Zhou Pengfei was not even worth mentioning. Whether by reason or by logic, there would absolutely be no further consequences.

Thinking of this, Xu Rong decided not to bring up the current unpleasantness anymore. Instead, she asked about a past doubt.

"Mr. Wu."

"There's one thing I'm still very curious about. With your skills, Phantoms pose absolutely no threat to you. Why did you consecutively slaughter all the different Phantoms outside the city?"

Hearing this, Wu Tao smiled as he walked and casually replied.

"Actually, there's no special reason."

"I'm just a person who hates trouble. To avoid any unexpected complications later on, I make it a habit to pull up the weed by its roots."

At this point, there was no need to hide such a minor detail. Since she asked, Wu Tao casually offered an explanation. After all, he should at least satisfy some of her curiosity so that if he ever needed anything in the future, she would feel more comfortable helping out.

As he spoke, Wu Tao smoothly added a request.

"Captain Xu."

"If your headquarters has any news, you must notify me immediately. This matter is very important."

Sure enough.

After hearing Wu Tao's explanation, a look of realization dawned on Xu Rong's face. She nodded, her response much more eager than before.

"Understood. If there's any news, I will inform you right away!"

After walking down the final stretch of the ginkgo-lined avenue, the two parted ways at the entrance of the old residential district. Having settled their agreement, they both headed home feeling satisfied.

However.

The moment Xu Rong returned home, she received an urgent phone call from Li Weiwei!

"Sister Xu, something terrible has happened!"

Li Weiwei, that impish girl, was completely obsessed with technology. Although she seemed like a quiet homebody, she was actually quite lively in private and was always making jokes. Xu Rong didn't take her seriously this time either.

As she hung up her trench coat, she pressed the phone against her cheek and replied casually.

"Alright, I got it. If there's nothing else..."

An apocalyptic tsunami had just passed, and Wu Tao, a mysterious powerhouse with extraordinary abilities, was currently residing right here in Pingjiang City. What other terrible thing could possibly happen?

But before she could finish her sentence, Li Weiwei's tone grew even more frantic!

"Captain, I'm not joking!"

"Zhou Pengfei went missing today, and his father died at home! His body had over a dozen fatal wounds, and he died in a horrifying state!"

"This news has already spread among our colleagues. Even the Commander-in-Chief went to inspect the scene personally!"

The moment those words fell, Xu Rong froze in shock.

She had known about Zhou Pengfei's death all along, so naturally, she wasn't surprised by that part. But she never in a million years expected that Zhou Pengfei's retired father would also meet a bizarre end...

This was simply too unexpected!

Recalling the words she had just heard, Xu Rong's face suddenly turned a few shades paler.

Over a dozen fatal wounds...

Such a horrifying state of death looked exactly like the corpses of the Phantoms she had seen in the past.

Suddenly.

The image of Wu Tao's calm demeanor when he spoke flashed through her mind.

"I'm just a person who hates trouble. To avoid any unexpected complications later on, I make it a habit to pull up the weed by its roots."

That casual reply from earlier now sounded incredibly bone-chilling. It frightened Xu Rong into silence, and a sudden gust of cold wind seemed to shoot up her spine straight to the top of her head!

The one who did it was definitely Mr. Wu!

Even with Li Weiwei's voice continuously ringing out from the phone, she could no longer pay attention. Only an indescribable sense of shock and terror continued to spread rapidly across her heart.

She had seen her fair share of ruthless and decisive figures, but such a swift and absolute method of pulling up the weeds by their roots was unheard of. Recalling Wu Tao's tranquil demeanor, it did not feel like the cold-bloodedness of an assassin. Instead, it was more of a natural, innate indifference.

As if he were a deity, gazing down upon all of creation with profound detachment.

Even though she knew that Zhou Pengfei and his son harbored deep darkness, and that news of their deaths would make countless people cheer in satisfaction, personally witnessing such a callous extermination still left her deeply unsettled.

Inexplicably, she felt as though Wu Tao had become infinitely out of reach. None of the mortal world's standards could be applied to this mysterious man; it was as if he had long since transcended the very rules of this world.

Xu Rong's shock gave way to a profound sense of awe. She sat in a daze for a long time, her thoughts drifting aimlessly.

It was not until an anxious voice called out from the phone that she jolted awake and replied.

"Captain?! Captain, are you alright?! Why aren't you saying anything? Don't scare me!"

"I'm fine. I understand."

Feeling her subordinate's concern, a trace of warmth surfaced in Xu Rong's heart. She finally regained a measure of her composure, letting out a self-deprecating chuckle as she sat down.

"Mr. Wu is not a bad person. Although his actions can be extreme and his methods are far beyond the ordinary, he is still a human being just like us. He is made of flesh and blood, he needs to eat and sleep, and most importantly, he has never done anything to harm innocent civilians."

"I've really been scared out of my wits by everything that's happened lately. How could there be gods in this world..."

Murmuring to herself, Xu Rong picked up a glass of water and sat on the edge of the bed. Gazing out at the rare tranquility of the night sky, her turbulent mind finally found peace.

Meanwhile.

Thousands of miles away in the capital city of Shengdu, a classified report was relayed through endless chains of command until it finally reached the headquarters of the Demon Hunting Bureau. This highly enigmatic organization was suddenly bustling with shadows, and the sounds of uproar and commotion echoed relentlessly throughout the entire night!