Lu Yao walked around and discovered—firearms were not easy to come by.
Although An'nan had long been afflicted by war and firearms were prevalent among civilians, there was no extent to which they were being sold brazenly by street vendors; as a foreigner, it was quite difficult for him to procure them.
Fortunately, "Xinwang Pharmaceuticals" was easy to find, with the factory located close to Xian City Port.
Lu Yao stood a hundred meters away, using a state of meditation that gave him a vision akin to that of a telescope to carefully observe the surroundings.
The factory's security was tight, surrounded by high walls and electrified fences, with only the main entrance available for entry and exit.
There were two rows of security guards at the gate, dressed in uniform gray short-sleeved shirts with "XW" printed on them, presumably representing "Xinwang Pharmaceuticals".
And most crucially—they were armed! Gun holsters hung from their waists.
Closer observation revealed that these individuals were nonchalant, their faces bearing an aura of malevolence, and tattoos peeking out from their collars and cuffs—it was clear they were not the lawful kind.
Moreover, several heavy trucks entered the factory area, seemingly to transport large quantities of goods.
This was Zhang Xin's factory; it was self-evident what they were moving.
As much as Lu Yao wanted to do something, he wasn't reckless enough to attack firearms with his bare hands, so he could only leave for the time being.
~~~~~~~~
On the other hand, Ruan Qiang was stabbing an airport security official—extorting bribes—with a dagger, again and again.
"Blind bitch! It was your fucking leak that killed my brother! Bitch! Bitch!"
The security official, not knowing how many stabs he had taken, had already been reduced to a pile of mush. But Ruan Qiang did not stop, splattering himself with blood as he continued to stab repeatedly.
Standing to one side, Manager Huang watched the scene unfold without much concern. She knew that Ruan Qiang, more than 20 years senior to his brother, was like a father to him; they shared interests and their bond was exceptionally strong.
Although the man was a psychopath, he was battle-hardened, having joined the battlefield at 14. Moreover, he had no interest in adult women, sparing her a great deal of sexual harassment.
Manager Huang sent a few text messages on her phone and then said,
"That family of three has already taken a flight back to Xia Country, but the young man who was with them has not left yet. I've instructed our guys to look for him. If he shows up on the street, he will definitely be spotted."
Ruan Qiang wiped the blood off his face. "Was it this son of a bitch who killed my brother? It doesn't matter if it wasn't, all dogs from Xia should die!"
He glanced at the several heavy trucks parked in the factory area and said bitterly, "If not for the big deal at hand, I'd definitely go catch the bastard myself! I want him brought to me intact, so I can make him regret he was ever born!"
Ruan Qiang was, astonishingly, in the very place Lu Yao had been keeping a watchful eye on—"Xinwang Pharmaceuticals"!
Since it was his first time firing, he aimed at the abdomen, but due to not getting a grip on the recoil, he hit the upper chest.
The second man raised his gun to counterattack. But before he could lift it, Lu Yao had already pulled the trigger again.
"Body following intent," derived from the advanced state of Spirit Refinement, allowed Lu Yao to perfectly control his body. Based on where the first bullet hit, he precisely controlled his muscles to adjust the muzzle.
The bullet whistled out of the barrel, drilled through the opponent's forehead, burst out of the back of his head bringing with it an abundance of fluids, and the man fell to the ground, dead instantly.
The next second, Lu Yao fired another shot, executing the thug who wasn't quite dead yet with a burst to the head.
"The gunfire is louder than I imagined, but the recoil is not hard to manage," he commented on the firearm in hand.
What ordinary people would need tens of thousands of bullets to master, Lu Yao achieved with just two shots!
~~~~~~~
As successive gunshots rang out, the remaining three thugs realized something was amiss and cautiously approached, guns drawn.
Their movements were crystal clear in Lu Yao's heightened senses.
Waiting with a raised gun around the corner, Lu Yao pulled the trigger just as a thug appeared, flawlessly catching the bullet and meeting his end with a headshot.
The last two screamed in shock and quickly hid around the corner.
However, the rundown wood-panelled house they were in was no protection; Lu Yao's ears twitched, and he already knew their position, firing two shots through the flimsy wall!
Amid agonized screams, the two thugs were struck and fell into pools of blood.
The bullets, after penetrating the wall and deforming, tumbled twice in their bodies, causing severe internal bleeding.
By the time Lu Yao approached them, they were thoroughly dead.
With that, all the thugs were wiped out.
Lu Yao shrugged his shoulders; from start to finish, he had been as nonchalant as one taking a leisurely stroll, not breaking a sweat.
"These guys are so weak, but they've generously brought me guns and bullets, saving me the trouble of buying them."
He merrily looted the spoils, uncovering six handguns and six full spare magazines along with some loose bullets.
And while looting, he discovered—that beneath the thugs' overcoats they were wearing gray shirts with the initials "XW," identical to those of "Xin Wang Pharmaceuticals" security.
"What a coincidence, it turns out we were mortal enemies all along," remarked Lu Yao while flipping the gun in his hand, "This thing, paired with Spirit Refinement, is a perfect match. I don't need to be overly cautious after all; might as well accelerate my pace."
A fierce beast needs to kill to establish its position in the food chain.