Martial Dao: Peace by Force

Chapter 89: Chapter 81: Wipe Out Your Entire Clan, Enter the Ascension Battle

Of course, Wan Ze had to run.

But with so many people gathered before them, it was like an out-of-control flood. Screams, curses, and cries were everywhere. How could they possibly run?

Gunshots rang out continuously.

An unknown number of people fell to the ground, only to be swallowed by the sea of people, unable to even cry for help.

Wan Ze and Zhai Jia were nearly separated by the crowd.

The two hid behind a stone pillar in front of a café, looking disheveled as they stared at each other.

”Fucking hell! Our luck is something else! How could we run into something like this just by coming out to relax?!” Zhai Jia wiped the dust from his face and cursed under his breath.

Hearing a commotion, he peeked out and saw two gunmen wearing pig and monkey masks firing wildly at a parade float, cursing about something.

”Damn it, a couple of lunatics!”

Zhai Jia gritted his teeth, swallowing the rest of his words. He said in a low voice, ”Ah Ze, with our skills, do you think we can take down those two gunmen?”

”Eighty percent, I’d say,” Wan Ze replied, looking over.

”Alright!” Zhai Jia slapped his thigh. ”Then we’re not running. I’ll go get them! You wait here and cover me! Watch how your big brother takes them both down!”

Wan Ze frowned. ’Something doesn’t feel right.’ He wanted to tell Zhai Jia not to be so impulsive, but the man had already rushed out. Keeping low, Zhai Jia used the scattered toy models on the ground for cover and quickly crept forward.

But suddenly, the two gunmen stopped shooting at the same time. They glanced at each other and then broke into strange, loud laughter.

They violently ripped open their jackets, which were printed with cartoon characters, revealing crude sticks of dynamite strapped all over their chests and abdomens.

Wires were tangled between the sticks of dynamite.

One of them was clutching a detonator!

The other gunman, the one in the pig mask, grabbed a little girl in a princess dress from beside the float. He then pulled over a middle-aged man who was desperately lunging forward to get his child back, holding them both tightly in front of him.

The two gunmen roared in unison, shouting:

”Saya!!!”

”Long live!!!”

”Fuck! They’re human bombs! Everyone, get back!!”

The color drained from Zhai Jia’s face.

The moment he saw the dynamite, he spun around and dove back, scrambling for cover.

”BOOM!!!”

A terrifying, deafening explosion ripped through the air.

A fireball instantly swelled, devouring everything within several meters.

A scorching shockwave blasted outwards in a ring.

After the massive boom of the explosion, a brief, deathly silence descended.

The empty street was littered with bodies. There were few survivors.

Zhai Jia lay on the ground, his eyes filled with disbelief.

A celebration that should have been filled with laughter and joy had turned into a living hell.

He felt a shock that was simply indescribable.

He had brought his junior brother Wan Ze here to unwind, but this scene nearly made him shut down completely.

”Brother Jia, are you okay? Are you hurt?”

Wan Ze quickly rushed over.

Zhai Jia snapped out of it, forcing a smile. ”I’m fine... Let’s get out of here first. It’s too chaotic.”

Wan Ze nodded, pulling him to his feet. The two of them avoided the smoldering crater and quickly left.

They went to a hotel a little farther away and booked a room. As luck would have it, when they were checking in, they were told that only a room with one double bed was left.

They both had the same thought. ’Well, at least it’s not a king-size bed. That would make the whole night really awkward.’

The tragedy at the central plaza quickly cast a pall over the city. Even though it was supposed to be a day of celebration, the sound of sirens was everywhere.

They closed the window and drew the curtains, shutting out the unsettling sounds from outside.

”Ah Ze, what do you think those people were after?” Zhai Jia’s lost voice came from across the room.

Wan Ze was lying on the bed meditating. Hearing the question, he tilted his head to look over.

Zhai Jia was sitting up against the headboard, his hands clasped behind his head, staring at the ceiling.

Sensing his senior brother’s mood, Wan Ze thought for a moment and said, ”Saya, as far as I know, is a word from the Ancient Iloco Language. It represents the world god in the mythology of the Ancient Yi People, symbolizing absolute order and purification. I don’t know what kind of cultural brainwashing those two were exposed to, but it was clearly built on the indiscriminate slaughter of innocents. People like that are undoubtedly fools, used by the devils hiding deep within the crowds. Senior Brother, there’s no need to grieve for them, and don’t feel bad about being powerless. Our Power right now might be enough for personal vengeance, but it’s very difficult to change a twisted belief system like that.”

”Sigh, I understand the reasoning. It’s just... watching living people die right in front of me... I’m thinking, these were strangers, so I can tell myself I did my best. But what about next time? What if it’s my family who dies in front of me?” Zhai Jia was lost in a kind of anguish.

”Brother Jia!” Wan Ze’s tone grew heavier. ”Don’t think about such pointless hypotheticals! There is no ’what if’!”

”How do you know it’s impossible?” Zhai Jia pressed.

Wan Ze said, enunciating every word, ”I only know that if the enemy is strong enough to easily kill my family, then I will have already died before them! Before I fall, no one will be able to harm them!”

Zhai Jia was completely stunned by his words.

Such resolution was nothing short of shocking.

He looked over abruptly.

He wanted to know how much of that statement was genuine.

Wan Ze’s gaze didn’t waver in the slightest. In a calm voice, he said, ”That day, those bastards from Guandong tried to run my family over with a car. Afterward, I talked with Master, and on that same day, I became certain of one thing.”

”What was that?” Zhai Jia asked instinctively.

Wan Ze looked at him and said, ”The primary reason I practice martial arts and get stronger is to have enough Power to protect the people I want to protect! If anyone dares to kill my family or friends, I will make them pay with their lives! I will leave no one standing! I won’t, and I will not allow, anyone to threaten me with the lives of my loved ones!”