The moment Ye Feng finished speaking, a deafening and dense barrage of gunfire erupted outside the teahouse.
"Bang, bang, bang!"
"Pfft! Ah~ Ah~! Puchi!~"
"Bang, bang! Geng, geng!! Ah~! Ah!"
Amidst the thunderous gunfire, screams of agony from a multitude of people could be heard.
Blood splattered from the explorers who had surrounded Ye Feng and Xiao Xiao inside the teahouse, leaving gaping holes in their bodies, some even bisected at the waist.
In a short while, more than half of the explorers in the teahouse had fallen, with the remaining ones scrambling for cover.
"What the hell is this now?"
Huddled beneath an overturned wooden table, Ye Feng and Xiao Xiao hid behind a large steel plate.
This steel plate was the same one Ye Feng had salvaged from an armored personnel carrier near the abandoned tanks not long ago. Bullets striking it only left minor dents.
Ye Feng didn't rush to act. He chose to observe, wanting to understand why he and Xiao Xiao were being offered such a high bounty.
"Whoosh! Clang! Whoosh, whoosh!"
At this moment, whistling sounds came from all directions of the teahouse, as large iron hooks flew in.
The hooks snagged onto the pillars of the hastily constructed teahouse and were yanked hard. The teahouse instantly splintered, dust and debris flying everywhere, and the roof collapsed.
"Go!"
In the chaos, a sharp, ambiguous voice rang out. It belonged to the effeminate individual with slanted red hair who had been speaking with Huolang earlier.
Amidst the swirling dust, several figures rapidly approached Ye Feng and Xiao Xiao, wielding weapons like grappling hooks and spiked clubs, clearly intending to subdue and capture them.
"Hey, you sissy, leave them alive, or no payment!"
Huolang's voice, deliberately lowered, called out.
"Ah~ Ya!"
The effeminate individual couldn't reply to Huolang. A rapid, sharp cry of pain escaped his throat before he slumped to the ground with a thud. Ye Feng had struck his neck with a hand chop, rendering him unconscious.
"Hey, dead sissy, what happened to you?"
As Huolang's anxious voice followed, his bald head, covered in dark hair, emerged from the dust.
However, before he could get a clear view of his surroundings, he felt a sharp pain on the back of his neck, his vision went black, and he met the same fate as the effeminate individual with slanted red hair.
"Bang, bang, bang!~"
Before long, the subordinates of the effeminate individual and Huolang also lay sprawled on the ground.
"Bang, bang, bang!~ Ah!~ Ah!~"
"Bang, bang!!"
At this point, gunfire and screams erupted. Someone attempted to flee under the cover of the thick dust, but as soon as they emerged from the dust cloud, they were shot down.
"Hoo!~ Hoo!~"
A gust of wind blew, clearing the dust that had enveloped the teahouse ruins.
Ye Feng and the surrounding explorers could now clearly see the individuals who had been frantically firing at them from outside the teahouse. They were a group of burly men, all clad in black tactical vests and wielding various automatic rifles, who had surrounded the entire teahouse.
Among them, several shifty-eyed individuals scanned their surroundings with wide eyes, clearly searching for someone.
Further back from the main group sat an armored personnel carrier, with a Gatling heavy machine gun mounted on its roof.
"Brothers, stop hiding and come out!"
"Don't make any unnecessary moves, or I might get jumpy!"
A middle-aged man in the crowd, holding a Thompson submachine gun, spoke. His diamond-studded teeth were exceptionally noticeable as he talked.
"Bang, bang, bang!~"
Seeing no movement from the teahouse ruins, the diamond-toothed middle-aged man opened fire, sweeping his weapon.
"Ah! Ah! Help!"
A series of screams emanated from the teahouse ruins.
"Click, click!~"
The diamond-toothed middle-aged man reloaded his magazine and said, "I won't say it a second time. We brothers are here for money. If you insist on seeking death, don't blame me!"
"Don't shoot! I surrender!"
"Me too!"
"I surrender!"
"..."
With the intimidation of the Thompson submachine gun, and the vaguely promising words from the diamond-toothed middle-aged man, some of the explorers hiding in the ruins began to raise their hands and emerge from their cover.
One, two, three...
With a leader emerging, it wasn't long before all the explorers in the teahouse surrendered with their hands raised, revealing themselves.
"Kid, hands up!"
At this moment, a burly man in a black vest, wielding an M41 automatic rifle, glared ferociously at Ye Feng.
Ye Feng was the only one among the present individuals who hadn't raised his hands above his head in surrender. Not only was he unafraid, but he also appeared completely unfazed.
As for Xiao Xiao, he paid no attention to him.
"No!"
Ye Feng refused outright. His gaze shifted to the top of the armored personnel carrier, where a middle-aged man with a fan, a single eye, and a crooked nose stood.
This individual seemed to be the leader of the group. It was he who had used wind-attribute arcane energy to blow away the dust from the teahouse ruins just moments ago.
"Kid, you're looking for death!"
Ignored by Ye Feng, the burly man in the black vest became enraged. He swung the butt of his rifle towards Ye Feng's face.
"Stop!"
Suddenly, the one-eyed, crooked-nosed middle-aged man with the fan on top of the armored personnel carrier spoke. "Old Eight, take it easy. Don't hurt that kid. He's worth 100,000 arcane yuan!"
As the words fell, the one-eyed, crooked-nosed middle-aged man activated the Gatling heavy machine gun.
"Bang, bang, bang!"
After the Gatling's barrels spun a few times, they spewed forth a torrent of fire.
The explorers who had emerged from the teahouse ruins with their hands raised hadn't even had time to react before they fell in rows, drenched in blood. Some died before they could even let out a scream.
Amidst the deafening roar of the Gatling, several burly men in black vests, armed with automatic rifles, entered the teahouse ruins and fired upon those lying on the ground.
As soon as the Gatling's firing ceased, the one-eyed, crooked-nosed middle-aged man with the fan appeared in front of Ye Feng with blinding speed.
"Silver Advanced... The wind-attribute arcane energy has greatly enhanced his speed!"
Ye Feng was slightly surprised. A pair of boots made of wind-attribute arcane energy had appeared on the one-eyed, crooked-nosed middle-aged man's feet just moments ago.
"Hey, do you guys know why I'm being sought? Tell me, and I'll consider sparing your lives!"
Ye Feng, tired of wasting time with these people, got straight to the point.
"Oh ho, should I say you have guts, or are you out of your mind?"
The one-eyed, crooked-nosed man's expression turned cold. "Kneel before me!"
With that, he condensed blade-shaped wind-attribute arcane energy on his right foot and kicked fiercely towards Ye Feng's knee.
Ye Feng made no move to dodge, allowing the attack to come.
"Whoosh!"
"Bang! Crack!~"
The blade-shaped wind-attribute arcane energy from the one-eyed, crooked-nosed man struck Ye Feng's knee. Not only did it fail to cause any damage, but it instantly dissipated.
A dull thud, accompanied by a crisp bone-snapping sound, echoed immediately.
"Ah!~"
The one-eyed, crooked-nosed man cried out in pain, but it quickly stopped as Ye Feng seized his throat, silencing him.
"..."