"Mars Revolutionary Army?" Feng Lin was taken aback. His hand clamped down on the snake-man's neck, the vital spot that rendered him immobile. With a slight squeeze of his fingers, the snake-man's face twisted in agony.
Hearing the robed man's veiled, threatening question, Feng Lin gave a faint, ambiguous smile and said calmly, "Sorry, I don't know you! And you're wrong—I'm not your enemy; you're mine!"
The Mars Revolutionary Army sounded like some secret underground organization on Mars, seemingly quite formidable, and the man's words were dripping with menace.
But Feng Lin wasn't about to back down. They had come after him, striking to kill at every turn.
They were already enemies—why bother being polite?
"We didn't mean to! We just happened to end up here!" the robed man said, his eyes flickering as he tried to defend himself.
Feng Lin gave a cold laugh and suddenly tightened his grip, making the snake-man gasp for air, his face turning red as he struggled to breathe.
The robed man's expression darkened. "What are you doing?"
Feng Lin's smile turned icy. "Spare me that childish nonsense! Otherwise, I'm afraid this snake-man won't make it!"
The man fell silent, seeing in Feng Lin's eyes a complete disregard for life.
If he kept talking, his combat team member might really die at Feng Lin's hands.
"What exactly do you want?" he asked in a low voice.
Finally being honest, huh?
Feng Lin smirked coldly and loosened his grip slightly, giving the snake-man a chance to breathe.
The snake-man clutched his neck, gasping deeply, grateful to have survived.
"Why are you hunting me?" Feng Lin demanded.
Faced with their sudden attempt to kill him, his first thought was that the family had sent them, but then he reconsidered.
In the family's eyes, he was just a talentless low-ranking member—no need for such an elaborate, cross-planet operation.
And one of them was an interstellar cultivator, a rare asset even in the family.
Given the steward's cunning and scheming, with his parents still in the family, there was no need for such a fuss. Feng Lin would return eventually, and then the steward could easily control him.
So, after a moment's thought, Feng Lin ruled out the family sending them.
Now that was interesting!
Feng Lin had just arrived on Mars, knew no one, stayed inside Giant Pharmaceuticals, and done nothing—why would someone come after him?
It was all a mystery.
He had to get to the bottom of it, or having unknown enemies lurking in the shadows, ready to take his life at any moment, would keep him from sleeping easy.
Eliminating all threats was imperative.
Under Feng Lin's interrogation, the robed man fell silent, pressing his lips together, unwilling to say a word.
Frowning, Feng Lin squeezed the snake-man's neck harder, making his breathing come in fits and starts, his throat emitting a hoarse, choking sound like a duck being slaughtered, on the verge of death.
Feng Lin's gaze was sharp as a sword, boring into the man. "What grudge do I have against you? Why hunt me for no reason?"
"This..." The robed man hesitated, wanting to deny it, but seeing the snake-man dangling in Feng Lin's grip like a dead snake, he sighed, knowing he had to tell the truth.
His face dark, he spoke in a low voice, "We have no personal grudge against you. The fault lies in you being an employee of Giant Pharmaceuticals, and you came out alone. The Mars Revolutionary Army is irreconcilably opposed to Giant Pharmaceuticals. Every Giant Pharmaceuticals employee is our enemy. Any one of them appearing outside is a target for every combat squad of the Mars Revolutionary Army. That's how my team member, Snake, spotted you."
His words were laced with gritted teeth, harboring immense malice toward everyone at Giant Pharmaceuticals, including Feng Lin.
Feng Lin's mind stirred. This hatred was unmistakably real—born of deep, irreconcilable blood feuds that made the man lose his composure.
So, the Mars Revolutionary Army was a sworn enemy of Giant Pharmaceuticals, and he was just collateral damage.
Caught in an inexplicable fight, who could he complain to?
Frustrated, Feng Lin glared at the robed man.
He didn't care who these Mars Revolutionary Army people were. They had provoked him for no reason, and they wouldn't leave unscathed without paying a price!
A sinister smile crept onto Feng Lin's lips.
A chill ran down the robed man's spine, as if he were being targeted by a vampire, drained of all value, even his blood sucked dry.
"Giant Pharmaceuticals has so many employees—why pick on me?" Feng Lin pressed further, watching the man's expression closely to ensure he wasn't being fooled.
"The Mars Revolutionary Army is at war with Giant Pharmaceuticals. Any staff member is our enemy! Every member of the Mars Revolutionary Army, upon seeing a Giant Pharmaceuticals employee, will find a way to hunt them down! Most employees travel in groups, making it hard to strike. But you came out alone in the dead of night, blatantly wearing the Giant Pharmaceuticals uniform, so our combat squad naturally targeted you! We hadn't even finalized a detailed hunting plan when Snake acted on his own. We never expected your combat strength to be so high, leaving us in danger instead!"
"I see!" Feng Lin nodded. So this was truly an undeserved calamity.
He had left Giant Pharmaceuticals to absorb stellar energy for cultivation on Mars's surface, only to be targeted by the Mars Revolutionary Army—who could have predicted that?
He had no one to blame.
But why hadn't anyone told him that Giant Pharmaceuticals had such a deadly enemy as the Mars Revolutionary Army before he came?
Whether Giant Pharmaceuticals had deliberately concealed it or the robed man was lying, Feng Lin increasingly felt that Mars's situation wasn't as calm as it seemed—full of undercurrents and chaos.
"Snake, huh?" Feng Lin glanced at the limp, snake-like figure in his hand, dangling weakly. The nickname fit perfectly.
Names could be wrong, but nicknames never were.
It seemed Snake had likely awakened snake-type genes, making his body as flexible as a serpent.
He tightened his grip on Snake's neck, making him gasp for air.
The robed man's face soured. "I've told you what I know! Why won't you let him go?"
"Let him go?" Feng Lin laughed in surprise, his eyes narrowing. "You think it's that easy? This guy came to assassinate me for no reason, and you expect to just walk away? Nothing in the world is that cheap!"
"What do you want?" The robed man's heart sank, knowing this wouldn't end well.
Feng Lin's eyes turned cold as ice, devoid of emotion. "He struck first. Unless you offer me satisfactory compensation today, none of you are leaving!"
"What do you want? We can negotiate terms—just let him go first!" the robed man said reluctantly, his spirits plummeting.
Feng Lin smirked coldly, tightening his grip instead of releasing it, making Snake cry out in agony.
"Do you take me for a three-year-old you can fool?" He bared his teeth in a sinister grin. "Sorry, but I hold the hostage here. You have no room to refuse!"
The robed man's face went completely dark.
"If you want him back, give me the martial art you used earlier!" Feng Lin stated, laying out his terms. He had been coveting the exquisite martial art the robed man had displayed.
"What? You want my martial art? Impossible!" The robed man was shocked, instinctively roaring.
That martial art was his signature move, never shared, let alone with a sworn enemy from Giant Pharmaceuticals.
Feng Lin didn't waste words. He squeezed, showing no mercy, as Snake teetered on the brink of death. "Sorry, you have no room to bargain. Either you all stay here today, or you give me satisfactory compensation. Otherwise, I won't hold back!"
His words dripped with murderous intent. If the man refused, he would kill without hesitation.
Feng Lin gave a final warning, "I'm warning you, don't try to fob me off with some ordinary martial art. I've seen your moves. If I spot anything off, a squeeze like this..."
He held Snake high in the air, like a dead snake.
If the robed man tried any tricks, Snake's fate was clear.
With his comrade captured, it was the last straw.
The robed man's face twisted in struggle, on the verge of nodding, when Snake suddenly yelled hoarsely, "Captain, don't trust him! Giant Pharmaceuticals people can't be trusted. Don't give him the technique. Kill me—the Mars Revolutionary Army won't let him go! I'll take him down with me!"
"Take me down?" Feng Lin's eyes turned cold, his smile sinister. "Still got a hard mouth, huh?"
He squeezed hard, and Snake's eyes went white, but he still glared at Feng Lin, eyes bloodshot, as if wanting to tear him apart with his teeth.
"Enough!" Seeing Snake about to be crushed, the robed man finally spoke, staring at Feng Lin with intense hatred, gritting out each word, "I'll give you the technique!"
Feng Lin didn't care about their hatred. "A wise man adapts to circumstances. Send it over now—I'm waiting to see it."
Helpless, the robed man used his identity chip's face-to-face communication function to send a video file.
Feng Lin opened it and saw five large characters on the screen.
"Kunlun Great Hand Seal!"