ACSP: Chapter 192: Little brat, you dare to play tricks in front of your Lord Kun?
"Damn it! Those degenerate, parasitic bastards actually dare to play these pathetic mind games with us..." Lei Li spat, his voice trembling with a mixture of rage and disgust.
Moments prior, Lei Li and Cai Kun had successfully tracked and pinned down a desperate cadre consisting of the traitorous 'Eastern Coalition Army' and over a dozen lingering Dongdao Contractors. Having cornered them like rats inside a multi-story municipal building, the duo had fully intended to breach the perimeter and execute a swift, uncompromising massacre to clean the slate.
However, the moment they breached the threshold, their momentum ground to an abrupt halt.
They discovered that the structure was far from empty; it was densely packed with traumatized civilian survivors who had managed to weather the siege of Jinghai City. These innocent souls were huddled helplessly in the shadows of various rooms, their faces pale, eyes wide with raw terror and profound despair. To make matters worse, the cowardly Dongdao invaders and their turncoat sycophants had already dissolved seamlessly into the terrified crowd.
Because the physical characteristics, facial structures, and skin tones of the Dongdao population were practically indistinguishable from the citizens of the Daxia Empire, relying on mere aesthetics to filter out the wolves from the sheep was an absolute statistical impossibility.
"Do not delude yourselves into thinking that hiding behind a shield of innocent flesh will grant you amnesty!" Lei Li's voice boomed through the echoing corridors, thick with an intentional, violent malice.
To emphasize his threat, he unleashed a massive, turbulent eruption of Lightning Style Chakra. The brilliant, jagged arcs of electricity swirled chaotically around his silhouette, emitting a deafening, metallic crackle that vibrated through the floorboards. It was a calculated display of psychological warfare—a desperate attempt to break the nerve of the hidden combatants and force them to reveal themselves in a panic.
Yet, his grand display yielded absolutely nothing.
The infiltrators were as deeply entrenched and cunning as ancient foxes. Sensing the trap, they maintained an ironclad grip on their emotions, perfectly mimicking the paralyzed terror of the civilians around them without betraying a single micro-expression.
"Wait... I've got it," Cai Kun muttered suddenly. A wicked, sharp gleam illuminated his eyes as a bizarre yet potentially brilliant stratagem materialized in his mind.
He leaned in close, breaking past Lei Li's crackling aura to whisper directly into his ear. "Vice President Lei, according to the espionage intelligence archives regarding East Island culture, their men rarely wear conventional underwear beneath their uniforms; instead, they religiously utilize traditional loincloths. What if we simply command every single person in this building to drop their trousers?"
Hearing this unorthodox proposition, Lei Li's tightly knitted brow twitched violently, a profound wave of hesitation washing over his stern countenance.
Objectively speaking, Cai Kun's tactical assessment was logically sound, but from a perspective of personal dignity, it was egregiously uncouth. Even though he had transitioned away from his prestigious mantle as a Temple Master within the Thunder God Temple, he was still an esteemed Vice President representing the dignity of the Heavenly Court Guild. If word ever leaked to the public that a high-ranking executive of his stature was commanding masses of people to strip naked in the streets, how could he ever look the martial world in the eye again?
"Absolutely out of the question," Lei Li hissed back after a tense moment of internal deliberation. "I refuse to degrade myself or my office by enforcing such a vulgar directive. Have you forgotten the ancient creed? A gentleman may face death, but he shall never endure humiliation. I would genuinely rather put them all to the sword than orchestrate such a shameful farce."
As an old-school cultivator who had once sat at the absolute apex of his own temple, his actions were governed by an unyielding sense of personal honor. Even when dealing with bitter adversaries, his principles demanded he grant them a modicum of dignity.
Cai Kun, however, was not bound by such archaic sentiments. Upon hearing Lei Li's idealistic refusal, he could not help but fire back with unfiltered disdain:
"With all due respect, Vice President Lei, have you completely lost your mind? These Dongdao butchers crossed our borders for the sole purpose of slaughtering our people, burning our heritage, and plundering our lands! They are rabid beasts in human skin, yet you are standing here advocating for their human rights? Are you genuinely feeling well?"
The sheer, biting pragmatism of the retort hit Lei Li like a physical blow, leaving him completely tongue-tied and momentarily paralyzed with embarrassment.
Realizing he lacked the moral high ground to argue further in a theater of active war, he merely scoffed, aggressively flicking his oversized sleeves as he washed his hands of the entire affair.
"Fine! If your heart is so set on inspecting their undergarments, manage it yourself. I will have absolutely no part in this sordid business."
With that declarative abdication, he stepped back, giving Cai Kun his silent, tacit authorization to proceed with the operation.
Cai Kun wasted no time overanalyzing the moral ethics of the situation. He barked orders to the surrounding vanguard, forcing every single individual occupying the building out into the central, open-air plaza.
The displaced survivors huddled together, their expressions a chaotic mix of confusion and mounting anxiety, entirely unable to comprehend what this ruthless commander intended to do with them. It was only when Cai Kun explicitly announced that they would be using the presence of foreign 'loincloths' as a biometric filter to root out the hidden Dongdao wolves that a collective realization swept through the assembly.
Granted, the request was incredibly awkward and deeply embarrassing, but when weighed against the alternative of allowing murderous enemy combatants to live among them, the civilians were more than willing to sacrifice their modesty for security.
Without further protest, the crowd began to unfasten their outer garments. The atmosphere in the plaza instantly degenerated into something incredibly bizarre and deeply uncomfortable.
Unable to withstand the sheer, unmitigated absurdity of the spectacle, Lei Li groaned internally, raising a massive hand to completely cover his eyes, turning away in silent protest. Cai Kun, conversely, stood like an absolute hawk, his predatory gaze scanning the shifting crowd with razor-sharp intensity, hunting for the slightest anomaly.
Suddenly, a microscopic, almost imperceptible tremor of spiritual energy rippled through the ambient atmosphere.
"Someone just triggered a Transformation Technique!" Cai Kun barked, his eyes flashing with lethal clarity.
In the span of a single heartbeat, several thick, muscular octopus tentacles erupted violently from his back like launching harpoons. They cut through the air with terrifying precision, weaving nimbly through the gaps of the panicked crowd before wrapping around the torsos of the suspects who had desperately tried to alter their attire via jutsu. With a brutal yank, the tentacles dragged the impostors out of the ranks, slamming them onto the pavement.
"Miserable little whelps," Cai Kun sneered, stepping forward as his tentacles hoisted the struggling spies into the air. "Attempting to play such amateur parlor tricks right under Grandpa Kun's nose? You're a hundred years too early for that..."
Cai Kun's lips curled upward, a deeply self-satisfied, smug grin spreading across his face.
The entire performance had been a deliberate trap. He had intentionally broadcasted his plan to the entire square, precisely anticipating that the hidden enemy would panic and resort to the [Transformation Technique] for a deeper layer of camouflage. After all, with such a massive throng of survivors packed into the plaza, he had no actual desire to inspect their undergarments one by one; not only would it be an egregious waste of time, but it was also a thoroughly repulsive prospect.
He simply hadn't expected these Dongdao Contractors to be so incredibly short-sighted. The moment the bait was dangled, they snapped at it without a second thought.
"Disperse!" Cai Kun roared.
He channeled a surging wave of dense, volatile Tailed Beast Chakra directly through the lengths of his octopus tentacles. The invasive energy violently disrupted the ambient flow, instantly shattering the active [Transformation Technique] shielding the suspects.
Stripped of their illusions, their true visages were laid bare for all to see. Without a doubt, these were the very same Dongdao Contractors who had fled into the structure moments earlier. Every last one of them was present.
To blend in, they had hastily plundered and donned the plain, unassuming attire of local civilians. Yet, while they had managed to swap their outer garments, the telltale traditional loincloths beneath remained untouched.
With a fluid, ruthless flick of his tentacles, Cai Kun forcibly shredded and yanked away their trousers. Within heartbeats, several pairs of the distinct, unsightly loincloths were exposed to the open air, stark and damning against the pavement.
"Vile, shameless heathens! To think these Dongdao bastards actually tried to masquerade as our own flesh and blood just to save their miserable hides..."
"Thank the heavens this young man with the center-parted hair possesses such terrifying discernment! If not for his sharp eyes, these monsters would have slipped right through our fingers!"
"Slaughter them! Rip them to shreds and avenge our fallen brethren!"
"Death to the invaders! Not a single one of these Dongdao dogs should be left breathing!"
"Lord commander! My son was butchered by these animals just hours ago... I beg of you, leave one of them to me!"
"Give me one as well! My wife was dragged away and murdered by them..."
"And me! I want my pound of flesh!"
The gathered survivors had all borne the horrific brunt of the Dongdao Contractors' cruelty during the initial siege. Seeing the very monsters who had terrorized their city now bound and defenseless before them, a volatile, suffocating rage erupted within their chests. They swarmed forward like a tidal wave. Some unsheathed hidden, jagged blades, while others simply raised their bare, trembling fists, their faces contorted into masks of pure, unadulterated fury.
Neither Cai Kun nor Lei Li made the slightest move to intervene. They merely stood at the periphery, maintaining a cold, detached silence as the dozen or so screaming Dongdao Contractors were completely swallowed by the vengeful ocean of civilians.
These invaders had once run rampant through the streets of Jinghai City, executing defenseless citizens with sadistic glee. Allowing them to be torn apart by the very people they had oppressed was nothing short of absolute poetic justice—a bloody, well-deserved karmic retribution.
"So, what do you think, Vice President Lei? My unorthodox stratagem wasn't half bad, was it?" Cai Kun chuckled, rubbing the bridge of his nose as he shot a triumphant look at his superior.
"It sufficed," Lei Li responded, his nod indifferent and stiff. However, his expression darkened slightly as he pressed further, "But you have merely weeded out the foreign invaders. What is your grand design for dealing with the traitors of the 'Eastern Coalition Army' who are still lurking undetected within this crowd?"
Cai Kun spread his hands in a gesture of utter helplessness. "Against them, my hands are tied. Those turncoats don't wear foreign loincloths... Short of a miracle, they are indistinguishable."
Lei Li rested his chin in his palm, sinking into deep, analytical calculation. Yet, just as he opened his mouth to propose an alternative solution, a piercing, resonant eagle cry tore through the heavens, echoing violently off the surrounding skyscrapers.
The entire plaza instinctively looked upward.
High above the suffocating smoke, a colossal avian beast with an immense, shadow-casting wingspan was streaking through the sky at a breathtaking, supersonic velocity.
A moment later, three distinct silhouettes detached themselves from the creature's back, plunging downward like falling meteors before landing with a heavy, dust-kicking thud directly in the center of the plaza.
As the debris cleared, the familiar figures of Jiang Chen, Yang Ke, and He Gen materialized before the crowd, having successfully concluded their operation in the distant woodlands.
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