Taking the Long Way
Ratatatatatata!
A shower of bullets rained around Yang Chen, but oddly none of which seemed to have affected him. Every bullet fired at him was flattened on an invisible shield. Soon enough, there was a pile of wasted metal at Yang Chenâs feet.
The American soldiers were stunned at what they saw. When their ammunition finally ran out, they saw something which only existed in the movies. This feat should not be possible by any mere mortal. A deep panic erupted from their hearts, causing them to stumble and fall back.
Yang Chen smiled warmly, greeting them kindly. âGood evening, working the night shift is pretty tiring. Iâm sorry I didnât bring supper for you guys. Else I couldâve let you try my barbeque mutton skewers. Iâm good at making those.â
The soldiersâ minds blanked at this weird opening line.
An ear-piercing siren started to blare on the army base. All the spotlights were frantically swiveling around in search of the issue. Soldiers from all different directions surrounded Yang Chen in an attempt to stop him from progressing any further.
Yang Chen did actually hope that this would happen. Itâd take too much time to find their commander. He might as well show himself to the crowd and trigger the alarms. Their commander would naturally emerge this way.
Lo and behold, when the soldiers found the target, they immediately surrounded Yang Chen, placing him in the middle.
More than a hundred guns were aimed at Yang Chen. The disheveled, half-dressed soldiers had on dark expressions as if facing their biggest enemy. They had just witnessed this man emerge unscathed from a heavy rain of bullets. Needless to say, they were reeking with fear.
Yang Chen surveyed them and asked a question with an American accent. âWhereâs your commander? Iâm not here to fight, just here to talk.â
A hoarse voice boomed from the back. âI am whom you seek. Your actions have angered us from United States Navy. I hope you have a good explanation.â
A middle-aged white man in full uniform walked out. The two subordinates behind him obviously didnât want him to show himself, because the enemy looked very much âabnormalâ.
Yang Chen squinted at his medals and asked smilingly, âColonel?â
âYou can call me Colonel Jimmy,â Jimmy said solemnly. âI am in charge of all affairs of this base. What is it you wish to discuss?â
Yang Chen directly made his request. âI want An Zaihuan. I know heâs here. Bringing him back to China is my only goal.â
âSo what youâre saying, Sir, is that youâre from the Chinese army?â Jimmy asked.
Yang Chen shook his head. âIâm not. I have a few private problems I have to sort out with An Zaihuan, and I donât feel like discussing further with you.â
Jimmy frowned. âAlthough Iâm very surprised as to how you know this, but Mr An is an important guest here. He is under our protection and I have orders to not let any harm befall him.â
âWhen did I mention that you had a say in this? Iâve come to personally ask you because I donât feel like killing everyone here. Iâm not your enemy anyway,â Yang Chen said.
Jimmy, not extremely infuriated, shouted, âSir, you have disrespected and underestimated the navy! Although you have proven to us that you are powerful, it is still not enough for us to surrender!â
Yang Chen sighed a little. âReally, no?â
âComrades, tell him our answer!â Jimmy roared.
The crowd of American naval soldiers roared, âGlory to battle!â
Yang Chen shook his head pitifully, loosening his spine. âThey might be loud, but thatâs all theyâll ever be.â
When the cry faded, Yang Chen pointed a finger at a resting F22 battle plane in front.
Boom!
While the soldiers were trying to figure out what the Asian man was going to do, the resting plane suddenly erupted in flames!
An explosion?!!
With the explosion, all the soldiers, including Colonel Jimmy, had their jaws on the floorâthey were speechless!
Yang Chen nodded, satisfied. He had been looking for a chance to test his capabilities ever since the breakthrough. By manipulating the True Yuan around him, he had punctured the fuel tank of the plane. The high temperature along with the friction, caused the fuel to ignite, leading to the explosion.
Compared to the gods who manipulate space laws, Yang Chenâs cultivation was more focused more on the precision of force. It might not be enough to move mountains, but when used correctly could cause serious damage.
Of course, Yang Chen was still aware that although he possessed all this power, he had only scratched the surface of this realm. There was so much more to learn. Once he mastered karmic connection with all sentient beings, heâd be able to manipulate much more power.
Unfortunately, he did not have a teacher to teach him how to progress further. The most powerful beings from ancient times, as Yan Sanniang mentioned, were not in this world anymore. The only way he could learn was from trial and error.
The flames lit the faces of the soldiers. They felt a chill down their spine, falling back in fear.
This was a human weapon!
Jimmyâs face darkened. âSir, if you claim you arenât our enemy, then why are you doing this? Even if you are powerful, what makes you think you can go up against the entire American army?!â
Yang Chen replied impatiently, âI donât have time for small talk. I have made my point clear, give me the man or I will destroy one of your assets every few seconds. Iâll start with the planes, then your warships out at sea. Iâll end when I have destroyed your nuclear aircraft carrier. Trust me, it wonât be any trouble. Of course, if you still donât want to give him up, Iâll start killing your men. One by one, until you give him up.â
Yang Chen finished, then pointed again.
Boom!
An armed helicopter exploded into bits in flames and smoke! A few crumbs of the metal arms fell from the sky, causing the soldiers to panic again!
Both of Colonel Jimmyâs legs gave out, clumsily leaning on his two subordinates. The usualy dominant soldiers finally had a taste of helplessnessâŠ
It was one thing to suffer helplessness, it was another to suffer it from the hands of one man!
âShall I continue? When are you going to give him up?â Yang Chen asked again.
Jimmyâs face reddened. He was so embarrassed he didnât know what to do.
However, when Jimmy saw Yang Chenâs expression start to turn sour, and about to lift his arm again, Jimmy finally gave up!
âStop! Stop! Weâll give you what you want!â
Jimmy shouted, aiming only to please Yang Chen. He glared at the two soldiers behind him, âBring that An Zaihuan out now!â
The soldiers were secretly relieved too. They were obviously not a match for this enemy. They were lucky the colonel knew when to surrender or theyâd all be in line to die!
Soon, two soldiers dragged An Zaihuan out. The disheveled man was very confused, but when he recognized Yang Chen, his face lit up!
âYang Chen?!â An Zaihuan exclaimed. âYouâre finally here! Did An Xin send you to get me? You know how to save me right? Youâre so powerful, the army will definitely let me go with you here. So Iâm safe now, right?!â
Yang Chen approached him expressionlessly. His cold gaze left An Zaihuan increasingly confused.
âI have to say, you really make me disgusted. At this point, I donât even want to talk to you,â Yang Chen said, bored.
An Zaihuan was more confused, smiling stiffly.
Yang Chen shook his head, then hit the back of An Zaihuanâs neck to knock him out. Now he didnât have to look at the manâs face.
With one hand grabbing An Zaihuanâs collar, Yang Chen dragged him like an object across the floor. He turned to Colonel Jimmy. âAlright, although it didnât exactly go to plan, nothing serious had happened. However, as a person who currently lives in China, Iâd like to remind you of this. What you do at sea is none of my business, but please do not disturb my daily life or I will sink your nuclear aircraft carriersâŠâ
Without waiting to look at the soldiersâ expressions, Yang Chen had already disappeared with An Zaihuan!
Jimmyâs face turned green, then white. Grinding his teeth in anger, he told a staff officer, âContact The Pentagon immediately! Immediately!â
The base was left in chaos, but Yang Chen wasnât bothered.
During the journey back, although he had to carry An Zaihuan, it didnât trouble Yang Chen much.
However, before leaving the Filipino archipelagos, Yang Chen suddenly recalled something. He thought for a moment, then concluded that it was necessary. Thus, he circled other islands for a bit before returning home.
Approximately an hour after heâd left, the soldiers led by Yang Pojun and the An clan gathered to wait at the living hall.
When Yang Chen opened the door and threw An Zaihuan down like a dogâs carcass on the ground, both the soldiers and the entire An clan were shocked!
âElder Brother?!â
âYou still call him brother?! This motherfucker is an animal!â The An clan erupted into several conversations while staring at Yang Chen in disbelief. No matter how they approached the topic, they couldnât figure out how Yang Chen managed to do it.
Yang Pojun sat at the dining table, solemnly drinking the tea An Xin served. He didnât think Yang Chen would bring the man back in such a short time!
âThe man is here. Bring him away,â Yang Chen said casually.
Yang Pojun scoffed, then gestured for the soldiers to bring An Zaihuan to the prisoner transport vehicle. He stood, then said, âI am only in charge of capturing the man. As for the rest, I donât care.â He led the soldiers out without a goodbye.
The clan members and servants sighed in relief. No matter what, they were saved. All eyes on Yang Chen were filled with gratitude and respect.
However, when An Xin saw how the unconscious An Zaihuan was immediately dragged out, her emotions were a mess. She stood in her spot while her mind flipped between grief, hate, pity, and bitterness. Finally, she gritted her teeth and walked to stand by Yang Chen, forcing a smile. âYou didnât get into any trouble, did you? Are you hurt?â
Despite everything that happened, it was still her father who was dragged out. Yang Chenâs heart ached to look at his girl attempting to hide her pain. He gently patted her cheek, smiling. âIâm not hurt, but I did meet some trouble on the way back so I had to take the long way home.â