Chapter 27: Can I Beat the Criminals to Death?

Ji Tianqi wasn't the 'lunatic' that Luo Xingyi described, so when he knocked on the door saying he wanted to buy flowers, it was just to mislead the four criminals inside the flower shop.

The effect was mediocre because the voice in his head kept getting clearer.

"You're not a superpower user, you have no superpowers!"

This voice suddenly sounded in his mind when he was about sixteen meters away from the flower shop.

At first, it was fragmented with some static, like when a call suddenly enters an elevator, making the signal weak.

But as he got closer, it became increasingly clear.

"You're not a superpower user, you have no superpowers!"

"You're not a superpower user, you have no superpowers!"

[So annoying, even if I want to use my only superpower against you all, it wouldn't have much effect.]

Ji Tianqi responded in his mind, exasperated by the noisy voice.

"Okay, okay! I'm not a superpower user, I have no superpowers! Happy now?"

But the other party couldn't hear his thoughts and continued repeating like a recorder.

Did it have any effect?

Ji Tianqi honestly didn't know, because in his view, the ability he was using right now wasn't his superpower, but his carefully cultivated martial arts!

Before he reached the door, his inner strength had already permeated through his body.

Penetrating through the roller shutter, walls, and glass door, he clearly sensed the situation inside the flower shop.

A century's worth of power was this strong!

The knocking action enhanced the power level that permeated through him. Using the unique technique from Waiter Two of 'Dao Sheng', he easily controlled the roller shutter—Waiter Two didn't understand the modern roller shutter mechanism, but he did.

However, he didn't open the door immediately, because this time he needed to rescue Li Yuanhong flawlessly and intact.

So, he chose to speak in a way he thought would lull the criminals.

"Is the owner in? Can you open the door? I want to buy some flowers."

From his perception, the four criminals inside the flower shop indeed paused for a moment—not just because of this sentence, but crucially because Ji Tianqi was genuinely wearing a psychiatric hospital patient gown!

Moreover, Zhan Yuchao had told the other criminals that there was a high possibility he was really insane.

As the hostage who couldn't move because of the hypnotist's power, Li Yuanhong regained some awareness when most of the hypnotist's power was focused on Ji Tianqi.

He heard Ji Tianqi's voice and was equally stunned—this voice sounded so familiar, with a strange sense of intimacy!

[Now's the time!]

Ji Tianqi seized the opportunity, his inner strength suddenly erupted, and with a clatter, the roller shutter rolled up swiftly.

This scene also caught the four criminals off guard, and they didn't have time to react.

Ji Tianqi already charged in.

Using Wave Striding Steps, realistic and vivid afterimages instantly filled the relatively small flower shop.

In an instant, the four criminals along with the hostage Li Yuanhong were surrounded by Ji Tianqi alone!

As a few startled exclamations came from the criminals, the stunned Li Yuanhong was grabbed by Ji Tianqi by the back of his collar.

The scene from the last exercise replayed; Ji Tianqi lifted him and then threw him directly back to the door position.

The entire rescue process was so smooth that Ji Tianqi couldn't help but laugh in satisfaction.

[Just as I thought, wearing the psychiatric hospital patient gown is indeed shocking. I'm a genius!]

Having already surpassed his original task, even if he turned around and left now, he could still reap the rewards and gratitude.

But how could he pass up such a good opportunity for real combat?

"I should remind the four of you that if you rush out now, you'll be fired upon by over a hundred people. Staying here, you only need to kill me."

As he spoke seriously, he noticed the four criminals had started blaming each other.

"Didn't you say he only had speed and clone superpowers?"

One criminal yelled angrily, clearly targeting Zhan Yuchao.

They could indeed see the situation outside the flower shop, so when they saw Ji Tianqi in the patient gown, Zhan Yuchao had warned the other three.

"I don't know!"

Zhan Yuchao responded blankly, already aiming his gun at Ji Tianqi.

But he and the other three criminals, who also aimed their guns at Ji Tianqi, didn't fire immediately.

Because the Ji Tianqi they aimed at wasn't the same Ji Tianqi, nor all of Ji Tianqi.

Moreover, these Ji Tianqi figures were all moving quickly—even though Ji Tianqi was wearing anti-stab and bulletproof clothing under his patient gown, he really didn't want to test its defensive power by getting shot.

"Hypnotize him!" Zhan Yuchao screamed in terror, "Didn't you hypnotize him? How can he still use superpowers?"

"I don't know." The hypnotist was equally baffled and terrified.

He was arguably the weakest of the four criminals, and when his hypnotic superpower was ineffective, he became an ordinary person, even weaker than Zhan Yuchao with the Genetic Lock.

And the weakest usually bear the brunt of the attack when holding a gun.

As he anticipated, having realized this, Ji Tianqi's true body appeared behind him.

His index and middle fingers combined, his raised hand moved with thunderous speed yet was incredibly light.

Orchid Acupoint Skill!

[Gotcha!]

The hypnotist, constantly aiming at one Ji Tianqi after another, remained frozen, unable to decide whether to shoot.

Only his eyes darted around, filled with terror.

It was no coincidence.

Zhan Yuchao, with the Genetic Lock, was perceived by Ji Tianqi as the second weakest criminal, so he followed the hypnotist in being immobilized by Ji Tianqi's successful acupoint strike.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The gunshots finally rang out, causing some chaos outside.

Ji Tianqi remained calm, thanks to the professional firearms training he had received in the past few days.

Moreover, he hadn't worn noise-canceling headphones during the training.

[Gotcha!]

Using the Orchid Acupoint Skill for the third time, Ji Tianqi sensed a significant change in the aura inside the flower shop.

It was bursting with vitality... much like when he received an empowerment from You Yazi.

One of the criminals he had just struck with the Orchid Acupoint Skill was now erupting with intense energy that turned into a green light, which flew precisely onto another criminal's head.

The criminal's originally black hair, including eyebrows and stubble, instantly turned a lush green.

Such a unique superpower left Ji Tianqi momentarily surprised.

[Is it a psychic type ability?]

Ji Tianqi wasn't surprised his Orchid Acupoint Skill didn't perform fully; in the Abnormal Human Research Center, participants in his acupoint experiments included not just ordinary people like Wu Ya, but superpowered individuals like Luo Xiancheng.

He could indeed immobilize all 'humans,' but against the powers that superpower users possessed, it wasn't like dealing with people in the Otherworldly realm who had inner strength, immobilizing even their inner strength along with their bodies.

Or rather, he couldn't immobilize them one hundred percent.

It depended on the opponent's ability category, nature, usage method, and other factors, particularly psychic types and those related to consciousness and thoughts, which were not affected by acupoint strikes.

Their bodies might be immobilized, but their abilities could still be activated.

...

...

Although somewhat surprised, Ji Tianqi's movements didn't pause at all since he had received professional training.

By successively immobilizing three criminals with his martial acupoint technique, he no longer needed to worry about the guns they held and could naturally move faster.

He kept the six afterimages created by Wave Striding Steps to obscure the last criminal's view and draw their attention.

His true body had already appeared behind this person.

[Gotcha!]

With a thought, he used the Orchid Acupoint Skill again.

However, the toughness of this criminal's body was surprising; he struck but couldn't immobilize them.

[Iron-clothed Shirt? Golden Bell Shield?]

[No, the sensation is off, and this world is off.]

In the cramped space, Ji Tianqi dodged, swapping places with his afterimages, and attacked from the front again.

One-tenth power!

Just using the Orchid Acupoint Skill, his one-tenth power was already very strong.

The moment his fingers touched the body, the sound of tearing leather was heard, and the criminal's coat was shredded into pieces.

The sound of chopping wood followed, and while wood chips flew, Ji Tianqi stepped back with surprise in his eyes.

[Body mutation? Plant-based?]

This was another kind of superpower where his Orchid Acupoint Skill couldn't be effective, not even immobilizing them.

Because their body was no longer human but resembled the structure of a tree.

With a swish.

Three spike-covered vines shot out from the already mutated criminal, swinging swiftly like octopus tentacles.

Luckily, Ji Tianqi had already stepped back, avoiding the not-so-dangerous attack.

The criminal's body mutation continued to intensify, fueled by his ability, another criminal's power, and the power of all the plants in the flower shop.

These plants, including seeds, seemed to have received empowerment from You Yazi, growing rapidly.

And like climbing vines, they extended continuously, attaching themselves to the two criminals' bodies.

Both bodies.

The mutated criminal and the power-enhancing criminal.

During Ji Tianqi's brief retreat, the rapidly growing multitude of plants had already enveloped the two criminals completely.

Like a tree-like armor.

Their bodies vanished from Ji Tianqi's view, and the tree armor kept growing, within just ten seconds reaching over three meters in height and still expanding.

They had already taken on the appearance of tree men.

With a rumbling crash, the flower shop's ceiling was pushed apart, pieces of broken cement and bricks scattered continuously, a chain reaction forming.

Windows and glass sliding doors exploded outward.

Ji Tianqi was instantly furious.

"You have to pay for the damaged stuff! It's all coming out of my bonus!"

"..."

[What kind of train of thought is that?]

Both the criminals and Luo Xingyi and others couldn't understand Ji Tianqi's comment when they heard it.

But his next sentence, they all understood.

"Hey, hey." Ji Tianqi pressed his earpiece with one hand and asked, "Level 4 authority, can we take the criminals out for good?"