In less than a second, all of his hotel's dozen or so security guards were knocked to the ground in a single exchange...
Huang Lianshu's steps faltered, and he nearly twisted his ankle in shock. The four bodyguards behind him were also completely stunned by the astonishing scene before them, and not one of them thought to lend a helping hand to their boss. With a thud, Huang Lianshu lost his balance and collapsed to his knees on one leg.
"Is this Mr. Huang?" In the next second, Zhou Ziwei was already in front of Huang Lianshu. He ignored the four bodyguards standing behind Huang Lianshu as if they were nothing, and squatted down slightly. He gently patted Huang Lianshu's face twice and said, "I think I just heard you say... that you were going to beat me up and then send me to the hospital. Hmm... you're even planning to pay for the medical expenses... you're really a rich man... I admire you."
Zhou Ziwei was originally at least ten meters away from Huang Lianshu, but Huang Lianshu was shocked to find that the distance between them seemed to be only an inch away. The man simply lifted his foot slightly and suddenly appeared in front of him.
This discovery sent a chill down Huang Lianshu's spine, and his entire body went cold in an instant...
Volume 1 Rebirth of a Prodigy Chapter 246 God? Monster?
Zhou Ziwei sneered and slapped Huang Lianshu's face twice more, but the force of these two slaps was getting stronger and stronger, making a "slap slap" sound. This was no longer a slap, but a full-blown slap.
Huang Lianshu was both shocked and furious. He trembled all over, then angrily raised his head and looked at the four bodyguards who were still standing behind him in a daze. He said, "Are you all made of wood? Can't you see I'm being beaten? Go! Kill him! Whoever kills him will get a million... no, ten million."
The saying "A generous reward will surely bring forth brave men" is indeed true. The four bodyguards were terrified when they saw Zhou Ziwei knock down more than a dozen hotel security guards with a wave of his hand, and then see him simply step in front of their boss.
But when Huang Lianshu said that there would be a ten million reward for killing Zhou Ziwei, the four bodyguards' eyes immediately lit up.
Zhou Ziwei is indeed very capable, but they are not comparable to those ordinary security guards who are like idiots.
To become Huang Lianshu's bodyguards, they not only possessed exceptional martial arts skills, but each of them also had their own unique techniques. Although they estimated that none of them could possibly be a match for Zhou Ziwei on their own, if the four of them were combined, perhaps... it wasn't entirely without a chance.
As for who will ultimately kill Zhou Ziwei and receive the ten million reward from the boss, that depends on both skill and luck.
As for whether murder is illegal, they never consider it at all. Following Huang Lianshu, they've committed illegal acts before, and whatever happens, their boss will naturally handle it, so they never have to worry.
Even when faced with a difficult situation where someone has to take the blame, Huang Lianshu has plenty of underlings to shoulder the responsibility. Given their strength and influence, even if they wanted to confess, Huang Lianshu would not agree.
So, as soon as Huang Lianshu shouted out the price of ten million, the four bodyguards immediately returned to their best state. In their eyes, Zhou Ziwei was no longer a formidable opponent, but just a pile of colorful banknotes.
People die for wealth, birds die for food.
Since they chose the bodyguard profession, they were naturally prepared to risk their lives for money, and ten million... was really enough for them to sell their lives.
Almost simultaneously, all four bodyguards sprang into action. Three of them drew their preferred weapons: one wielded two daggers, another drew a soft whip from his waist, and the third pulled out a nunchaku from his sleeve. As soon as they drew their weapons, they all brandished them with the most ferocious posture and pounced on Zhou Ziwei at top speed.
The last man simply pulled out two pistols from his waist... Unlike the other three, this man had not practiced any martial arts; at most, he only knew a set of very basic military boxing and some grappling and fighting techniques.
However, he was quite skilled with a gun, having won a shooting championship in a military competition and even a silver medal at an international sports meet.
So his only weapon was a gun.
If this were on the street or in any other public place, even someone as arrogant as Huang Lianshu would never dare to let his men use firearms. But this place is different... because this is the Yunzhong Hotel, a property under Huang Lianshu's name. Here, Huang Lianshu is the local tyrant. The bodyguard knew this, which is why he drew his gun without hesitation.
The bodyguards, wielding melee weapons, rushed to Zhou Ziwei's side almost simultaneously, their weapons, imbued with a chilling killing intent, all hurtling towards him without reservation...
"Ah—" Not far away, Yu Xiaoru, who was still stunned by the inexplicable collapse of more than a dozen security guards, turned her head and saw Zhou Ziwei's predicament, and couldn't help but exclaim.
Before she could even finish her scream, the three menacing bodyguards inexplicably collapsed once again. The most ridiculous part was that Bodyguard A's twin daggers pierced Bodyguard B's buttocks, Bodyguard B's whip wrapped around Bodyguard C's neck, and Bodyguard C's nunchucks inexplicably struck Bodyguard A on the head. Thus, all three simultaneously expended all their strength attacking their comrade, while Zhou Ziwei didn't even shift his position, nor did he even stand up from his half-squatting position.
All the onlookers gasped in astonishment, completely dumbfounded by Zhou Ziwei's miraculous skill.
Even though everyone was focused on Zhou Ziwei, no one could clearly see how he turned the three bodyguards' attack into a fight to the death.
Could it be a martial art like the Qiankun Great Shift from Wuxia novels?
The fact that things from martial arts novels are appearing in real life makes many people feel that it is absurd.
But if that weren't the case, it would be impossible to explain what was happening before their eyes. So all the people with rich imaginations began to fantasize in their minds. One of the hotel staff couldn't help but scream: "Zhang Wuji...you must be Zhang Wuji who traveled out of Jin Yong's martial arts world...Oh my god...you're so handsome!"
Upon hearing this, Zhou Ziwei was so shocked that he almost fell to the ground. In fact, he didn't know any kind of supernatural power. When the three bodyguards attacked at the same time, he simply used a few tricks to first disrupt their attack with the force field set up by Niu-style Tai Chi, and then used his lightning-fast hands to guide the three bodyguards' weapons, which had completely lost control, to each strike down their companions.
Otherwise, although his Niu-style Tai Chi Chuan has the effect of using the opponent's force against them, his control over the force of the counterattack could never have reached such a precise level.
However, after his sensitivity was increased sixfold, coupled with the acceleration of electric energy, his movements became so fast that they could not be captured by the naked eye. Therefore, in the eyes of others, Zhou Ziwei seemed to have been standing still, as if he had not moved at all.
At that moment, the fourth bodyguard finally made his move... The previous three bodyguards moved too quickly, their movements completely obscuring the gunman's view and depriving him of the opportunity to fire immediately.
The three men rushed forward quickly, but they fell down even faster. The highly trained gunman was momentarily stunned before realizing that he was the only one left among the four bodyguards.
If he waited until they got close enough, he would have no chance left. So he didn't have time to think. The moment he came to his senses, he raised his two guns and pulled the triggers.
The distance between the two was not far to begin with, less than five meters. At such a close distance, let alone a sharpshooter who had won a silver medal in a world shooting competition, even a greenhorn who had only handled a gun once or twice would not be able to hit such a large rake.
Therefore, the gunman was confident that he could kill the terrifying enemy in front of him.
What does it matter if you have high kung fu skills? What era are we living in now? No matter how skilled you are, if you get hit by a bullet, you'll still have a bloody hole in your body.
This gunman had an almost worshipful faith in the power of firearms, so apart from practicing his marksmanship, he didn't pay much attention to training his own strength.
The gunman used a rapid-fire technique, constantly pulling the trigger with both hands. After all, in his opinion, Zhou Ziwei's movements were extremely agile. Although even the most agile movements were unlikely to dodge the speed of bullets at such close range, even if the opponent couldn't completely dodge the bullets, if his first two shots didn't hit the opponent's vitals, there would still be considerable trouble. Therefore, the gunman simply went all out, intending to empty the entire magazine in one go, turning the enemy into a sieve, and see if he could still survive.
However, the gunman's plan was destined to fail. When he pulled the trigger for the first time, Zhou Ziwei was still squatting in the same position. But when he pulled the trigger a second time, he suddenly realized that Zhou Ziwei had completely disappeared from his sight.
The most terrifying thing was that... where Zhou Ziwei had originally been standing, his boss Huang Lianshu was now lying there trembling in fear...
The gunman was terrified and tried to stop firing, but his previous actions were too quick. His two fingers were already on the trigger out of inertia, and it was too late to stop. He could fully imagine how miserable his fate would be if those two shots had accidentally killed his boss. It wouldn't just be him who was doomed; his family would probably be implicated as well, and they might all be killed in a fit of rage by Huang Lianshu's wife... that fat pig-like woman.
Fortunately, the gunman had been practicing shooting for many years and his reaction was quite quick. The moment he realized something was wrong, although he had already pulled the trigger uncontrollably, his hands shook violently at the same time, trying to deflect the two shots away from the vital points he was aiming for.
And so... in the end, one of the two shots hit Huang Lianshu in the buttocks, and the other hit Huang Lianshu in the head... Needless to say, the shot in the buttocks directly created a new chrysanthemum on Huang Lianshu's fat and big buttocks, while the other shot dug a bloody groove on Huang Lianshu's head, just like a furrow being plowed into a flat field.
"Ah—" Huang Lianshu felt two gunshot wounds on his body at the same time, and was immediately terrified. Especially the gunshot wound to the head, which made him think that he was going to die this time. He immediately cried out and completely fainted.
As for the poor gunman, he was completely stunned by the ending. He actually used his own gun to attack his boss! Good heavens... why didn't he aim those two shots at himself? He really would have preferred to have two bloody holes in himself rather than end up like this...
Just then, the gunman suddenly felt a lightness in both his hands, and the two guns in his hands had vanished.
The gunman was shocked and turned around abruptly, only to find that Zhou Ziwei had somehow appeared behind him, and his two pistols, which he always carried with him, were now in Zhou Ziwei's hands.
How is this possible? How could he be so fast? Even the speed of a bullet can't hit him! My God... Is this guy even human? Is he a legendary god or a monster? Otherwise, how could a normal person do something so terrifying?
Although Zhou Ziwei had died once, it seemed that he had little to do with the legendary immortals, and his speed was not actually faster than a bullet.
However, with his astonishing speed of running 100 meters in two seconds, if he had dodged the moment he saw the gunman pull the trigger but before the bullet left the barrel, he would naturally not have been hit by a single hair.
Moreover, the distance between the two sides was less than five meters, which meant that Zhou Ziwei only needed less than 0.1 seconds to easily get behind the gunman and even throw Huang Lianshu back to his original position to shield him from the bullet.
In a mere 0.1 seconds, he instantly moved from one location to another five meters away. This even exceeded the normal time delay of human vision, which meant that the gunman, who was keeping a close eye on Zhou Ziwei, couldn't detect when Zhou Ziwei had appeared behind him.
How could this not make the gunman feel a tremor and chill from the bottom of his heart?
With a "clatter," the two guns in Zhou Ziwei's hands were like a model made of building blocks. He simply twisted them with both hands and instantly disassembled them into a pile of parts. Then, Zhou Ziwei simply removed the firing pins from the two guns and reassembled all the parts into two seemingly intact pistols, which he then tossed back into the gunman's hands.
"Brother, that's not how you handle a gun."
Zhou Ziwei lectured the gunman in a serious tone, saying, "Didn't your instructor tell you to aim at the rake before you fire?"
If anyone else dared to say such things to this sharpshooter who had once won a world-class shooting competition runner-up title, he would definitely consider it a blatant insult. He would either immediately slap the other person twice or simply blow their head off. However, since these sarcastic words came from the mouth of Zhou Ziwei, this monstrous guy, the sharpshooter couldn't find any words to refute them.
As a result, the poor gunman, overwhelmed by a mix of extreme shock, fear, worry, shame, and dread, rolled his eyes and fainted.
Only at this moment did Zhou Ziwei give a helpless bitter smile. He hadn't planned to confront Huang Lianshu so soon, but things had developed to this point, and it was no longer possible for him not to take action, unless he was willing to have his arms and legs broken by Huang Lianshu.
Although Zhou Ziwei's body's self-healing ability can reach an extremely abnormal level with the help of soul power, it would be fine if he didn't have the ability. But now that he can easily crush Huang Lianshu to death, why does he still have to suffer in front of Huang Lianshu like this... then he might as well not be reborn at all. Wouldn't it be cleaner to just be shot to death back then and have his soul dispersed under the sun?
Having done it, Zhou Ziwei had nothing to regret. Under the fearful or excited gazes of the bystanders, he walked step by step to Huang Lianshu with a stern face, grabbed Huang Lianshu by the collar, lifted this enemy from two lifetimes up, and then raised his other hand to deliver a series of slaps to the man's face.
"Ugh..." Huang Lianshu cried out in pain and slowly woke up.
Perhaps because of the great shock he had just experienced, this guy was still a little confused when he woke up. He stared at Zhou Ziwei for a few seconds before suddenly exclaiming, "Quick... kill him... kill him for me! I'll give you 50 million... no... 100 million!"
Huang Lianshu called out for a long time, but no one answered. Surprised, he looked around and saw that his four most trusted bodyguards were lying on the ground like four dead pigs, all covered in wounds. He was stunned and stared at Zhou Ziwei in horror, saying, "You...who are you? Why...why did you do this?"
Zhou Ziwei chuckled and said, "Are you out of your mind? Why would I do that... Have you forgotten that although I didn't like you much just now, I didn't intend to beat you up? It was you who said in public that you would break my arms and legs, and even sent a whole bunch of thugs to attack me... What? Do you really think you're the local tyrant of Zhongdu? You're allowed to act like a tyrant, but no one is allowed to resist? Even if you want to break my arms and legs, am I just supposed to stand there obediently and let your people beat me up? Hahaha... I didn't realize your intelligence was this low. You really have no limits to your IQ!"
Huang Lianshu was speechless upon hearing this.
Yes... It seems that although this kid was a bit arrogant at first, he didn't show any strong hostility. It was Huang Lianshu who, because of Yu Xiaoru and after hearing that Zhao Zhongsheng had been beaten up by this kid, acted impulsively and decided to cripple this kid.
Hmm... Actually, Huang Lianshu had done similar things before, but the problem was that the people he bullied in the past had no power to fight back and could only submit to his tyranny. But this person in front of him could easily take down all the security guards and bodyguards around him by himself. So... why should he obediently let others break his hands and feet?
Volume 1, Rebirth of a Prodigy, Chapter 247: Interest on an Arm
Huang Lianshu gritted his teeth, forcing himself to muster his courage as he looked at Zhou Ziwei, who was face to face with him, and said, "So what exactly do you want to do to me? Speak! I'm not someone to be easily intimidated. Now that I'm in your hands, you can do whatever you want with me. But... don't blame me for not warning you, I, Huang Lianshu, am not some street thug who can just kill anyone... I'm the richest man in Zhongdu. Killing me here is like shooting the crap out of the sky. Besides... my father-in-law is the vice governor of the province. If you really dare... hmph... then you can just wait to die with me!"
Upon hearing this, Zhou Ziwei laughed and slapped Huang Lianshu twice more hard across the face. He then said, "You weren't raised to be easily intimidated? Do you think I was raised to be easily bluffed? So what if your father-in-law is the vice governor? Even if your father-in-law is Obama, what does that have to do with me? If you anger me, I can still easily take your head... What? You don't believe me?"
As Zhou Ziwei spoke, he pointed to the row of bright streetlights outside the window, then said to Huang Lianshu, "If those streetlights were heads... then... which head would you want to explode? Tell me an answer..."
"What? What do you mean, 'number one kill'... Are you crazy?!" Huang Lianshu was bewildered by Zhou Ziwei's words and couldn't help but retort sarcastically. Zhou Ziwei ignored his sarcasm and asked again, "Which number of kills do you want to explode? Stop talking nonsense... *slap slap*... Give me an answer right now, or you're asking for trouble... *slap slap*..."
As Zhou Ziwei spoke, his men kept slapping Huang Lianshu's face, turning Huang Lianshu's face into a pig's head in an instant.
"I'll talk...I'll talk..."
As the saying goes, a wise man doesn't fight a losing battle. After being slapped several times in a row, Huang Lianshu didn't dare to say anything more. He quickly pointed randomly and said, "That one... the third street lamp on the left across the street..."
"Is it that one? Hmm...it looks like your head..." Zhou Ziwei grinned wickedly. After confirming that it was the light bulb on the street lamp that Huang Lianshu had specified, he didn't look at it again. He just told Huang Lianshu, "Watch carefully now...don't blink...I'll make that thing explode for you to see..."
"Um...yes, yes..." Huang Lianshu's lips trembled violently, but he thought with a hint of disdain, "What...is this a threat? Heh heh...as long as you're willing to threaten me, it proves you're still afraid of me, still don't dare to kill me, so...what do I have to be afraid of? Hmph...but this kid's threatening methods are really too boring. The streetlight isn't far from here; anyone with decent marksmanship could basically blow it up with one shot...what's so great about that?"
However, just as Huang Lianshu was thinking this, he saw Zhou Ziwei smile wickedly again, and then suddenly shout in a low voice: "Explode!"
As soon as Zhou Ziwei shouted, the street lamp that Huang Lianshu had just chosen immediately went out with a "bang" and turned into countless fragments that fell from the sky.
Upon seeing this, Huang Lianshu was stunned and completely terrified.
If Zhou Ziwei really just wanted to show off his marksmanship, then no matter how superb his marksmanship was, Huang Lianshu wouldn't be so frightened. But the problem is... Zhou Ziwei didn't touch the gun at all, not even... not even turning his head. But just like that, with a soft shout, the street lamp that Huang Lianshu had chosen exploded... In fact... Huang Lianshu was even certain that Zhou Ziwei didn't use any hidden weapons or anything like that, because there was a window between them and the street lamp, and the glass in the window was still intact.
So... how did he do that? How could a street lamp explode with just a soft shout? This... how is this possible...?
Zhou Ziwei wanted to intimidate him in this way, so he sneered and said, "Do you see clearly? Killing you is as easy as lifting a finger for me, and you... do you really think your death will put me in any trouble? Heh heh..."
As Zhou Ziwei spoke, he dragged Huang Lianshu further towards the corner, turned around so that his back was to everyone and he was facing Huang Lianshu alone, then gave a wicked smile and said, "If I told you... that my current identity is completely fake... would you believe me?"
"Believe...of course I believe..." Huang Lianshu had just experienced the pain of daring to doubt Zhou Ziwei, so naturally he dared not say anything against it. He just thought to himself, "The more you say that, the more it proves that you are afraid of my revenge. Hmph...once I, Huang, get through this crisis, I will make you regret being born into this world..." Just as Huang Lianshu put down this harsh word in his heart, when he thought of the scene where Zhou Ziwei blew up a street lamp across the street with a light shout, he immediately felt a chill run down his spine.
"I think you're being a bit hypocritical..." Zhou Ziwei sneered, "Fine! Then I'll show you what it means to have seventy-two transformations today... Keep your eyes on my face and don't blink..."
As Zhou Ziwei spoke, his face began to undulate like waves in an instant.
Huang Lianshu was startled when he saw this, thinking to himself, "How can this person's face be made of water? It can actually move like that?" But then, when Zhou Ziwei's face stopped moving, he was truly astonished.
Unable to contain his astonishment, he exclaimed, "What...you...you're Zhao Zhongsheng?"
Zhou Ziwei mimicked Zhao Zhongsheng's voice, saying, "Yes...it's me...what can you do to me...huh?" But after he finished speaking, his face began to swell up again. Soon, when the new wave of swaying stopped, Zhou Ziwei's appearance changed back to that of the young master Li who had just left. Then, he imitated Li Liang's voice and snorted coldly, saying, "Boss Huang, don't think that you can really act like a tyrant in Zhongdu with just your skills. If I really wanted to kill you, I would have a hundred ways to make you disappear from the face of the earth without anyone noticing."
"No...you...how could you possibly do that..."