Shi Lang looked at the Immortal Kings and the City Lord before him and said, "Gentlemen, although I have accepted this responsibility to lead the mission, I will say the bitter words first. I have led military operations and was a general in my world. Higher strength does not make one a great commander, but having a great brain does. Only when you follow the commands that make you bring out the best of you can you achieve great results?
I understand that it might sound arrogant coming from me, but I hope for your complete compliance. In return, I will assure you that I will not harm your dignity or make you bow your head."
The experts were shocked when they heard this. After all, they did not expect this young man to act so pompously. The city lord also furrowed his brows, and he regretted his decision to let Shi Lang be the commander. However, to his surprise, one of the older people asked, "Boy, I will decide if I will follow you after I have heard of your plan. What do you intend to do?"
Shi Lang looked at them and said, "The City Lord mentioned earlier that the Wangs have a total of fifteen Immortal Kings. One of them is already dead under my hands, so that leaves fourteen. From the intel, we can conclusively say that out of these fourteen, six are external guests they have invited to strengthen their pose in the city. We have seven Immortal Kings and one Immortal Emperor.
Even if we decide to deal with the guest elders from the Wang family, we will likely suffer some injuries, if not casualties..."n(-O.)v((e.(l)-b--1.(n
The Immortal Kings nodded, and Shi Lang continued, "Previously, I said that we should notify the other families not to help the Wangs, but in the current situation, where we stand outnumbered and given a certain possibility that as colluders, the enemy must have prepared for rainy days, we might face an even bigger tribulation. Let's invite the other big families to the mix. We are outnumbered two to one.
Let them deal with the Wangs and then distribute the businesses and the assets of the enemy force after equally when they have won. Of course, if they are hesitant, we can use the carrot-and-stick approach. The City Lord can directly state that either they will help us for a noble cause and prove that they all are from the righteous path, or the City Lord will call upon sanctions from the Martial Council on the grounds of suspicion."
The City Lord asked, "You want me to bluff with them?"
Shi Lang nodded and said, "Wars are not about muscle power, but brain too. However, you must retain flexibility and exploit the resources on your hand to finish the enemy from its roots. If you do not have resources, then you should procure them. With all due respect, seniors, these demonic bastards win against us only because they snatch our resources and people forcefully."
The old Immortal King said, "Kid, you might outdo the fox clan one day."
Shi Lang chuckled and said, "Elder, you praise me too much."
Hearing this, the people around him also erupted in laughter. After a few minutes, they calmed down and left to deal with their duties. Shi Lang arranged for a room where Yu Xiedi would stay, and then he rushed to the forest with an Immortal King. They were going out in disguise, and Shi Lang was careful to instantly hook a fish in his bait.
The Immortal King with him said, "Ace, someone is following us."
Shi Lang nodded and said, "It is highly likely that the person following me is Yang Shin, a guest elder in the Wang Family. He suspects that I killed his fellow, which is not wrong, but if not for the sake of the Head Hunter Organization, this guy wanted to apprehend me. Senior Lin, would you mind holding him back for a minute? I will deal with him quickly. I need time to prepare."
Lin Kang, the Immortal King, was surprised, but hearing that Shi Lang had killed one Immortal King before this, he had the means to deal with this guy quickly, too. This made him curious, and he wanted to see what this young man could do. He nodded, and they descended to the ground.
Yang Shin knew that he had been discovered and decided to show up and fight fair and square. He watched Shi Lang leave the side of the Immortal King. He sighed and confidently said, "This young man you are trying to save cannot escape me. I knew something was wrong with him. If he gives up the method of killing someone one major realm ahead of him, I will spare him."
Yang Shin was comparable to Lin Kang in terms of the cultivation realm. He was sure he could handle Lin Kang easily, but to avoid unnecessary hassle, he decided to talk and convince him that he only sought the method of killing someone one realm above them.
Lin Kang asked, "Why are you so sure he has such a method?"
Yang Shin said, "I know the person in the descriptions of Young Master Wang. The killer should be an Immortal Emperor, but I found something lodged inside the skull of Old Ming."
Yang Shin retrieved a bullet from his space ring. This bullet was what Shi Lang shot in the head of the old man but did not get a chance to retrieve—no wonder this man was so fixated on the issue.
Lin Kang frowned and said, "I cannot think of anything now. Also, you have the wrong idea: I am not his protector. I am a head hunter, and he is my junior. We are heading for a task, and since he found you following us, he left in a hurry."
Yang Shin narrowed his gaze and said coldly, "Will you call him over or not? I do not care about anything else and want that boy."
...
Shi Lang did not pay attention to what Yang Shin was talking about. He had already taken up a position and found himself a clean line of sight. His sight had many leaves, but his ability to sense everything around him allowed him to find the perfect pathway for his shot.
Shi Lang took out the rifle and set it against his shoulder. He was kneeling on his knee, and he 'saw' Yang Shin holding a bullet in his hand and sighed, "What a blunder."
Then, he focused on his state of mind, concealed his intentions, and became indifferent to life and death. He 'looked' through the scope, charged a bullet with lightning, and placed it inside the chamber before squeezing the trigger.
...
Yang Shin did not even realize what happened. He sensed something and turned to look at his side. A bullet similar to the one he was holding flew through the void, and before he had the time to react, it penetrated his skull.
The speed of the bullet was not something a normal hidden weapon could match. By the time he found out, the bullet was inside his skull. Yang Shin felt a great deal of pain, and he wanted to squeeze the bullet out of his skull, but a discharge of lightning energy directly turned it to mush.
Yang Shin fell to the ground with disbelief in his eyes. Lin Kang was also watching everything from the side, and he was shocked as well. He could not understand why things went like this. Yang Shin was still talking to him just now. He turned around and found Shi Lang rushing over.
The terran did not say anything and crushed Yang Shin's skull to extract the bullet stuck inside. Lin Kang asked, "Ace, What is this?"
Shi Lang smiled and said, "This is a secret method from my sect, Senior. I apologize, but if I divulge this secret, I will lose my life."
He uttered nonsense without holding back. He planned to monetize the rifles. If he were to give them out for free, where would his Asura Hall get the strength from? These things will go on to play a big role in the military as well.
Lin Kang was surprised by what Shi Lang said and nodded, "I apologize. I did not think so much."
lightsnοvεl.cοm Shi Lang waved his hand and took the space ring from Yang Shin. He said, "Senior, you should keep this ring, and we will share the goods later?"
Lin Kang was touched by this gesture of trust and nodded. Shi Lang successfully diverted the topic before they left the place to look for other Wang family guest elders and disciples to deal with.
The battle had begun, and on the other hand, City Lord Qiling was meeting with the big families to rally them against Wang Family. Shi Lang and his people were working hard now, as the enemy was not only Wang Family but time itself. Wang's family was not filled with fools. They will realize something is wrong, and the chances of fleeing or pulling a quick one on Shi Lang would be high.