A deafening roar erupted, followed by the earth cracking open. Bricks and soil exploded upwards, filling the sky. A massive shockwave followed.
The next moment, another thunderous boom, the second one.
Boom, boom, boom...
Then, a continuous series of thunderous explosions.
The ground shook and the mountains trembled. The entire Mount Yaozi seemed on the verge of collapse, rocks on the cliff face began to slide and tumble down.
One terrifying shockwave after another ensued, instantly engulfing an area within a hundred-meter radius.
Gao Hongchang, who had just begun to feel a sliver of gratitude towards Spider, saw his expression change drastically.
In that instant, he understood why Chen Fan had abandoned him and fled. It wasn't the sniper's attack, but rather... these explosives.
The sniper's shots posed no such threat to Chen Fan.
The explosives buried beneath the flat ground were the real killer.
Moreover, the sheer quantity of these explosives was immense, capable of creating such terrifying shockwaves!
He had rushed here overnight and hadn't paid close attention to the peculiarities of this area.
The ticking sound he'd heard was the prelude to the explosion. Though a Grandmaster of Martial Arts, he lacked experience in this field and hadn't considered it.
At the brink of death, Gao Hongchang disregarded his disciples and immediately dashed out.
Simultaneously, he released his internal energy without reservation, condensing it into a protective barrier around himself.
But in the next moment, he was blown away by the blast. His protective energy was like paper against the high-yield explosives, utterly incapable of forming an effective defense.
Like a discarded rag doll, Gao Hongchang was swallowed by the thick smoke and blast wave at the epicenter of the explosion.
He saw his most favored disciples torn to shreds by the blast, their bodies reduced to flying fragments of limbs, vanishing from sight in an instant.
No time for anger, only the fear of death.
A Grandmaster of Martial Arts possessed a strong martial will, but facing imminent death, he still felt immense terror.
Fortunately, his strength was indeed extraordinary. He poured all his might into distributing his internal energy throughout his body.
Amidst the earth-shattering tremors, the main building shook violently under the series of explosions. The windowpanes of the entire building shattered, leaving not a single one intact.
Everyone on the rooftop turned pale.
They hadn't anticipated such an explosive scene either.
Like Gao Hongchang, they had arrived late after rushing over overnight. By the time they arrived, Spider had already set everything up.
Thus, they were caught completely off guard.
Many, startled by the shock, fell onto the rooftop, sustaining bloody head injuries.
The charming Miss Mei'er, now terrified, quickly grabbed her companion's hand, her face drained of color.
But all of this, in truth, was just the beginning.
Bang...
The sound of the sniper rifle, barely noticeable amidst the fierce explosions, was still real.
Someone reacted, looking towards where Chen Fan was. Nothing could be seen through the smoke.
"Is he dead?"
"Damn Spider, I'm going to kill you!"
"He had such means, why didn't he say so earlier? You scared me to death!"
"..."
Those with some status and standing in the Brotherhood cursed at Spider.
"With this, that Chen Tianjiao should be dead by now!"
"If even this doesn't kill him, then that person is truly terrifying!"
"Bah, don't speak such unlucky words. I almost wet myself from fright. Even if that Chen Tianjiao were made of iron, he'd be blown to smithereens!"
"Damn you, Spider, may you die a horrible death!"
"..."
Amidst the curses and clamor of the crowd, a deafening roar suddenly sounded again.
Deafening.
The unprepared crowd was once again startled to the ground.
Some instinctively dropped to the ground.
Others trembled and screamed, nearly falling off the rooftop.
Unlike the suddenness of the previous explosive detonations, this one was still breathtaking and silencing.
Then, everyone saw a small mushroom cloud rise from the flat ground, smoke billowing straight into the sky. The terrifying shockwave was more concentrated than before, forcefully spreading outwards.
Through the smoke, the tennis court fence was blown open and shattered.
On the main building, everyone's ears buzzed. The world suddenly became quiet. They clearly saw people beside them opening their mouths to speak, but heard nothing.
Among them were martial artists. They shifted their gaze and saw, on the mountain cliff behind the villa area, the muzzle of a large cannon pointing in their direction.
Instantly, many broke out in a cold sweat.
The cannon's landing point was the flat ground ahead, but its muzzle was also aimed in their direction. If there was any deviation, and the shell landed on the main building, the consequences were self-evident.
Covering their ears, the hairs on their backs stood on end.
This time, the shock they experienced was even greater than before!
At the same time, Gao Hongchang, covered in injuries and bleeding from his seven orifices, stood in this moment.
A furious resentment filled his eyes as he looked in the direction the cannonball came from.
His gaze vaguely penetrated the smoke, revealing a large cannon two kilometers away.
If he could survive, he swore he would make Spider and the Brotherhood pay a heavy price.
Unfortunately, he would not have the chance.
As a Grandmaster of Martial Arts, his vitality was undeniably strong. He had spread his internal energy to every inch of his skin. Though engulfed by the explosives, he had somehow endured.
But he didn't have time to rejoice before feeling the oppressive force of the cannonball tearing through the air.
He knew he couldn't hold on any longer.
A strong sense of regret arose in his heart. If he could do it all over again, he would never have accepted the Brotherhood's request to come here.
Not only had the most outstanding disciples of the Liuhe Sect been lost, but now he himself was about to perish here.
Alas, there was no second chance!
So much hatred... for the Brotherhood, so much hatred!
As his final thoughts flickered, the shockwave of the cannonball swept over him, engulfing him.
He felt his body being torn apart like paper, no different from his disciples. His body began to disintegrate, and he was blown to pieces.
At this moment, he actually hoped Chen Fan could survive.
Only if he survived would the Brotherhood be punished!
His last consciousness faded, and a generation's Grandmaster of Martial Arts was reduced to fragments by a modern weapon!
...
In Dawai Town.
As the sound of explosions reached them, the images on the command vehicle's screens distorted and broke into static.
However, before that, the drone had transmitted the final footage.
It showed the ground being torn open, the earth-shaking explosion.
Instantly, everyone in the vehicle was struck with horror!
"This is... an explosion!"
Liu Dacheng exclaimed.
"They've planted explosives on Mount Yaozi, the Brotherhood... is insane!"
"Boss, Boss he..."
Everyone's faces froze!
Xiang Jingshu's face turned ashen.
She knew Chen Fan's strength was immense, but... no matter how strong, he was still flesh and blood.
In such an explosion, she couldn't imagine any possibility of Chen Fan surviving.
All the crew members in the vehicle breathed rapidly, no one spoke.
The atmosphere became so silent it was maddening.
Finally, Ye Cheng broke the silence, shouting into the communicator, "Base calling Owl, Leopard, Base calling..."
Silence from the other end, no response.
As for Chen Fan, contact had been lost when he engaged Gao Hongchang.
Ye Cheng, unwilling, continued to repeat.
Finally, Zhang Yi's voice came through the communicator: "Owl received. The enemy planted explosives on the mountaintop and is bombarding the base with heavy artillery. Situation unknown, we are rushing to investigate!"
"We are rushing up..."
Zhang Yi's voice was also extremely low, clearly aware of how dangerous the explosion was.
However, upon hearing about the heavy artillery bombardment, everyone's expressions changed again.
The bomb explosion wasn't enough, they had to use heavy artillery?
The word "insane" was no longer enough to describe the Brotherhood's actions.
How much hatred could they possibly have for the boss?
Xiang Jingshu, leaning on the armrest, her body swayed. Suddenly, she sternly ordered, "Everyone, return to your vehicles and drive at full speed towards Mount Yaozi!"
"Anyone from the Brotherhood, kill without mercy. No matter the cost!"
After a moment of silence, everyone's expression turned solemn.
"Yes!"
"Yes!"
After solemnly agreeing, those who needed to get off the car did so. Ye Cheng then started the command vehicle and headed straight for Mount Yaozi!