Chapter 26

As Qin Li walked along the road towards the chemical factory, towering trees and shrubs lined the path, providing perfect cover for the ninjas of the Hand. Hidden in the shadows, they patiently awaited his arrival, poised to strike. They silently observed Qin Li's every step, tracking his progress as he moved closer to their ideal ambush point. Finally, Qin Li stopped, standing exactly where they had planned.

Qin Li smiled and called out, "Come out, if you're still alive. Hiding in front of me is no different than not hiding at all." But the only response was the gentle evening breeze rustling through the tree branches.

Noticing the stillness in the bushes, Qin Li sighed and shook his head. It seemed that showing off or acting tough only worked on those who were easily manipulated. He thought it best to end this quickly. With that, Qin Li spread his arms wide, as if preparing to embrace something. A floating cross appeared above his head. With a powerful shout, "Holy Light Convergence!" a brilliant wave of holy light expanded outward, covering the area in a five-meter radius around him. The holy light cascaded like a river, sweeping over the hidden positions of the Hand's ninjas. As Qin Li pulled his arms back, the holy light surged, creating golden waves that gathered everything towards him. Those caught in the convergence were crushed by the relentless holy light. When the explosion occurred, the entire area within a fifty-meter radius of Qin Li was flattened, leaving only blood-soaked soil and tree remnants as evidence of the Hand's failed ambush.

The chemical factory, clearly startled by the commotion, immediately launched RPGs. The ground erupted as the powerful explosions tore the earth apart. But as the smoke cleared, Qin Li calmly continued his march toward the factory, unaffected by the blasts. Soon, a barrage of bullets from M249 machine guns began raining down on him, but they were all stopped by an invisible barrier, falling uselessly to the ground.

Qin Li nodded in satisfaction. It seemed that the Holy Light Shield was doing its job well. Seeing the factory just over a hundred meters away, he grew tired of walking and decided to make a leap. He crouched down and with a powerful push, leaped toward the factory rooftop. The ground beneath him exploded in a burst of force as he shot up into the air. Within moments, Qin Li landed atop the factory with a superhero-like grace. Standing tall, he faced the people on the rooftop and said, "Now you're surrounded. Tell me where Bodu is, or I'll send you back home in pieces."

The Hand's members remained stoic, dropping their weapons. They drew knives and charged toward Qin Li. "If guns won't work, then we'll use knives," they thought. But Qin Li just laughed. "You think knives can work when you couldn't even handle guns?" He then summoned the shining God of War, and with a swift strike, began to dismantle his attackers. Each time he was about to kill one, he would break their limbs instead, leaving them incapacitated. After the last one was crippled and sent off to meet their leader, applause echoed from the staircase.

A curly-haired man emerged from the stairwell, clapping. He stopped in front of Qin Li and said, "Father Li, it's a pleasure. Let me introduce myself—I'm Bodu, one of the five fingers of the Hand. Well, I suppose now we're down to four, since one of them offended you and you broke him."

"I see," Qin Li replied, smiling. "But it seems after tonight, you'll only have three fingers left. Maybe you should consider changing your name—how about 'The Disabled Society'?"

"No, no, no, Father Li, I'm not like that fool, Murakami," Bodu shook his head. "People like you, we welcome. Murakami has been corrupted by power; he's forgotten that there are always stronger people in this world."

"Oh? So how do you plan to calm my anger? By talking? If that's the case, you're as good as dead," Qin Li said coldly.

Bodu spread his arms and shrugged. "I don't know what's caused your anger, but why not talk about it? We can resolve this peacefully."

Qin Li's voice grew colder. "You train children to become tools for your organization. The ones who fail your training become human livestock, even fit to feed vampires, and those that vampires reject are turned into monsters. An organization with no humanity—do you think I'll make a deal with you?"

Bodu paused, his expression shifting to shock. "God, you mean you're against the Hand because of a few orphans? There are so many people in the world. We only took a few, and they got what they deserved. At least they gave their lives to the Hand, didn't they?"

Before he could finish, Qin Li, holding the cross, appeared before him in an instant. With a swift motion, he swung the cross, sending Bodu crashing into the low wall at the top of the building. The impact was so forceful that the wall crumbled, and Bodu fell to the ground.

Qin Li leaped after him, and the cross whistled through the air. Bodu, still recovering, barely managed to roll out of the way. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth as he looked up at Qin Li's approaching weapon. Seeing no chance to avoid the next blow, Bodu became desperate.

"What did I say wrong? Those failures—they're better off dead than living miserable lives, barely scraping by. At least the Hand gives them purpose. Isn't that better than dying uselessly?" Bodu shouted.

Qin Li didn't respond. With renewed force, he swung the cross again, the air around it twisting as if under intense pressure. The impact was inevitable, and finally, Bodu was struck, flying backward, coughing blood. Still, he managed to stand, his eyes now filled with fear. He knew he could only block a few more blows.

"Father! I'll tell you where Madam Gao and the others are! Please, just let me die quickly!" Bodu cried out.

Qin Li slowly approached him, the sound of the cross scraping against the cement echoing like the footsteps of death. When he reached Bodu, Qin Li spoke in a low voice, "Tell me their location. I'll give you a quick death. If you lie, no matter where you're resurrected, I will find you and make you wish you were never born."

"No, Father, please!" Bodu stammered, terrified. He stumbled backwards, falling over the grass by the roadside. "I'll tell you! They're going to a reconditioning center I set up in New York. They need new blood. Please, just make it painless!"

Without a word, Qin Li raised the cross and slammed it down. A deep crater formed in the ground, and Bodu's upper body was crushed into a bloody mess. His lower body twitched as his life faded away. Qin Li swung the cross a few times before turning and walking away.