Chapter 61: I Am Your Father!

"Let go of me!"

"Let go of me right now!!"

An Ruoqing barked angrily, struggling with all her might.

Her movements were so violent that the twin peaks on her chest heaved tempestuously. Her legs kicked about frantically and indiscriminately.

*Slap!*

Duan Lingxiao delivered a sharp smack directly onto An Ruoqing's backside.

Instantly, An Ruoqing froze in place as if struck by lightning.

"My butt!"

"You... you beast!!"

An Ruoqing shrieked involuntarily. Never before had any man touched her lower body.

"Want to scream again?"

*Slap!*

Duan Lingxiao landed another firm slap on the other cheek of her buttocks.

In a split second, a tingling sensation surged through An Ruoqing's entire body.

She instinctively covered her backside with her hands, her face flushed with a mixture of humiliation and fury, glaring fiercely at Duan Lingxiao. However, she no longer dared to shout blindly.

"See? That wasn't so hard!"

Duan Lingxiao flicked his wrist and casually tossed An Ruoqing to the ground.

"Cough, cough, cough!"

An Ruoqing coughed violently, her face turning pale.

From Duan Lingxiao's elevated vantage point looking down, he had a clear view of the deep cleavage straining against the front of An Ruoqing's outfit.

It was large!

It was fair!

And it possessed incredible resilience!

"If you don't believe my words, you are welcome to experience the power of the Four Directions Mind-Capturing Needle firsthand."

With that, Duan Lingxiao casually manipulated a thread of internal qi.

At the same time, An Ruoqing's face instantly drained of color, and a piercing, heart-wrenching pain radiated outward from her chest.

It was completely irresistible.

Only then did she realize that Duan Lingxiao had not been lying to her at all.

"You are so cruel! To resort to such a vicious and insidious method!" An Ruoqing said with indignation.

"I didn't kill you; sparing your life so you can work for me is already showing you utmost mercy. To call me vicious is a sign of a guilty conscience," Duan Lingxiao replied calmly, completely indifferent to her rage.

He and An Ruoqing had only met once, and she was nothing more than a naive, airheaded idealist. Toward such a person, Duan Lingxiao would never lower his guard.

Nor would he let his vigilance slip simply because of her attractive appearance.

Since he had chosen to task her with investigating the truth behind the scenes, he naturally had to ensure absolute foolproof certainty.

"Fine, I agree. But once I uncover the truth behind this, no matter who is involved, I will bring them to justice. I will never yield!"

With those words, An Ruoqing struggled to her feet.

"Hiss, so painful—not a gentleman at all!"

An Ruoqing massaged her aching chest, brushed the dust off her full, rounded bottom, and turned to leave.

"Ruoqing, are you alright?"

Right at that moment, a voice echoed through the air.

A stern-faced young man dressed in a uniform walked toward them. Behind him followed several other men similarly clad in uniforms.

"Team Leader Guan, hello."

"Why are you here?"

An Ruoqing looked at the newcomer, her delicate brows furrowing slightly, before she gave a subtle, composed nod.

"I noticed you hadn't returned for a long time and feared something might have happened to you, so I checked your phone's GPS coordinates and rushed over to back you up," Team Leader Guan said in a deep voice.

"I'm fine, let's go."

Upon hearing that he had tracked her phone's location, An Ruoqing frowned instantly.

She belonged to the Dragon Team, whereas Team Leader Guan was part of the Jiangnan City Special Operations Unit. Usually, when the Dragon Team had a mission, they would request support and cooperation from the local special operations unit.

However, under normal circumstances, the special operations unit had no authority to investigate the operational details of Dragon Team members.

For Team Leader Guan to track her location exceeded his jurisdiction entirely.

"How can you be fine? Look at you, covered in dust and dirt. Did this fellow surnamed Ling bully you?"

Seeing that key areas like An Ruoqing's chest and backside were smudged with dust, Team Leader Guan's expression darkened, clearly displeased.

Especially since An Ruoqing's face was flushed red, looking exactly like a woman who had just finished intimate relations.

How could this not make him overthink?

How could his mind possibly be at ease?!

"Team Leader Guan, I said I'm fine. I accidentally hurt myself, it has nothing to do with Mr. Ling."

With that, An Ruoqing prepared to leave.

However, Team Leader Guan did not move an inch.

His gaze fixed coldly on Duan Lingxiao as he barked frostily, "You, come with us to the Special Operations Unit!"

"With so many domestic and international assassin organizations trying to assassinate you, you clearly aren't a good person either!"

Evidently, he possessed some intelligence regarding Duan Lingxiao's background.

"Team Leader Guan, that's enough!"

An Ruoqing's expression shifted, and she hurriedly stepped forward to intervene.

For one, her life was still tightly gripped in Duan Lingxiao's hands.

For another, she felt Team Leader Guan's remarks were far too arbitrary and rash.

By his logic, did it mean anyone targeted by assassin organizations must automatically be a bad person?

If that were the case, wouldn't the assassins themselves turn out to be the good guys?!

That completely defied factual logic!

"Ruoqing, how can you shield a terrorist?!"

"He has caused so much bloodshed these past few days; he is a thoroughly dangerous element threatening social order. Shouldn't we be bringing him to justice?!"

Seeing An Ruoqing actually speaking up for Duan Lingxiao, Team Leader Guan could no longer suppress the anger boiling within his chest.

The look he shot Duan Lingxiao flickered with murderous intent.

Ever since An Ruoqing had arrived in Jiangnan, he had been utterly captivated by her beauty and temperament at first sight, unable to extricate himself. Day and night, he dreamed of nothing less than winning the beauty over.

In the depths of his heart, he already regarded An Ruoqing as his personal possession—one that no one else was permitted to touch.

Yet now, An Ruoqing was speaking up for another man, instantly driving him into a rage.

Duan Lingxiao watched the scene unfold at his leisure, as though spectating a fine theatrical performance.

A faint smile involuntarily curved the corner of his lips.

And to Team Leader Guan, that smile looked all the more like mockery and disdain.

"Punk, if you surrender now, I might grant you leniency. Otherwise, I have every right to execute you on the spot without mercy!"

Team Leader Guan's tone was fierce, harsh, and threatening.

"Oh? If you've got the ability, come ahead and kill me then."

Duan Lingxiao spread his hands in an attitude of supreme indifference.

"Damn it, this bastard is arrogant as hell!"

"Team Leader Guan is the head of our Special Operations Unit. He's mastered both modern firearms and traditional martial arts—how dare you run your mouth off like that to our team leader?"

The few subordinates behind Team Leader Guan glared fiercely in hostility.

"Good, very good! You've been swaggering insolently across Jiangnan and Jiangbei, and it turns out the rumors are entirely true!"

"But let me tell you there is always someone better, and heaven stretches beyond heaven. You might think you're somebody special, but in truth, you're nothing more than a pathetic ant!" Team Leader Guan sneered.

"You're not even worthy of being an ant," Duan Lingxiao retorted playfully.

"Damn it, you're courting death!"

"Who the hell do you think you are, speaking to me with such unbridled arrogance?"

Team Leader Guan's face contorted in rage.

"I'm your father!"

"My biggest mistake in life was not smearing you against the wall twenty-odd years ago."

Duan Lingxiao spoke blandly, his face full of sarcasm.

"You're dead!!"

Team Leader Guan completely snapped, plunging into a state of absolute fury.

"Watch closely now, and see how I deal with this lawless outlaw!"

Team Leader Guan flexed his body, instantly causing his muscles and bones to pop with a series of loud cracks.

"The team leader is furious! The consequences are going to be severe!"

"This punk is about to be beaten into a pulp!"

"Opportunities to watch the team leader in action are rare; we must observe carefully, it will be immensely beneficial for our martial arts cultivation!"

The special operations members widened their eyes in unison, terrified of missing a single movement.

"Tiger Demon Body-Refining Fist!"

Team Leader Guan let out a furious roar that reverberated through the night sky.

His muscles knotted across his frame like a raging, bloody python, surging and churning relentlessly.

The oppressive wave of blood qi forced his subordinates to retreat step by step under the sheer pressure.

"Go to hell!"

Team Leader Guan unleashed a powerful punch charged with all his might, hurling it directly toward Duan Lingxiao.

"Don't!"

An Ruoqing's face grew heavy with worry.

She knew that punch from Team Leader Guan was exceptionally powerful; even she lacked the confidence to block it head-on.

If Duan Lingxiao suffered any mishap, she would never be able to get the Four Directions Mind-Capturing Needle removed from her body.

It would have been better had she remained silent.

The moment she spoke out, Team Leader Guan's expression turned even uglier.

"Die!"

Disregarding everything else, he pressed forward with his punch.

"Is this punk an idiot? Why isn't he dodging?"

"Looks like he's scared shitless! Frightened out of his wits, haha!"

Seeing Duan Lingxiao make no move to evade, the onlookers burst into mocking laughter.

Right at that instant.

Duan Lingxiao calmly reached out and caught Team Leader Guan's fist squarely within his palm.

Then, with a gentle twist.

*Crack!*

Following that, Team Leader Guan's entire body was wrenched like a twisted towel.

He began spinning continuously, whirling through the air like a top.

No matter how much strength Team Leader Guan exerted, he could not break free.

And the next second, with a heavy *thud!*

Duan Lingxiao released his grip, sending Team Leader Guan crashing straight down onto the ground.

The onlookers stared at Team Leader Guan and let out synchronized gasps of shock.

"Team Leader!!!"