Chapter 273: The Protagonist is Emotional

The mercenaries moved first.

Gunfire exploded across the loading bay.

BANG!

BANG!

BANG!

Shen Tian and Lu Chen both reacted.

But not together.

Not even close.

The moment the first bullets crossed the distance...

Shen Tian went left.

Lu Chen went right.

No coordination.

No shared glance.

No silent understanding.

Nothing.

They weren’t allies.

They weren’t temporary partners.

They weren’t two rivals putting aside their differences.

They were enemies who happened to have walked into the same battlefield.

That was all.

And Shen Tian intended to keep it that way.

The Heaven Piercing Spear spun once in his hand.

CLANG!

CLANG!

Two bullets deflected.

A third struck the golden Qi around his shoulder and flattened.

Shen Tian’s green eyes remained cold.

Then...

He moved.

One step.

Gone.

The first mercenary barely had time to widen his eyes.

THOOM!

The spear shaft struck his chest.

He flew backward.

Shen Tian rotated.

The butt of the spear smashed into another man’s wrist.

CRACK!

The rifle fell.

Shen Tian caught it with one hand.

Looked at it.

Then tossed it aside.

"Cheap."

The mercenary stared.

Shen Tian drove his palm into his stomach.

BOOM!

He folded.

Behind him...

Another attacker raised a submachine gun.

Shen Tian didn’t turn.

The Heaven Piercing Spear moved backward.

THUNK!

The shaft struck the man’s forehead.

He collapsed.

Xu Ning floated beside Shen Tian.

[Host.]

"Hm?"

[Lu Chen is trying to reach Xue Long.]

Shen Tian’s eyes shifted.

Across the loading bay...

Lu Chen was already tearing through another group.

Fast.

Brutal.

No wasted movement.

Punch.

Elbow.

Knee.

A mercenary tried to stab him.

Lu Chen trapped the wrist.

Twisted.

CRACK!

Then kicked the man’s knee sideways.

He dropped.

Lu Chen stepped over him.

His eyes never left Xue Long.

Shen Tian smiled faintly.

"Let him."

Xu Ning blinked.

[You’re not interfering?]

"No."

[That’s unusual.]

"He’s chasing his own problem."

Shen Tian’s green eyes sharpened.

"I have mine."

He looked toward Qinghe Technologies.

Gu Qingya.

Tang Meilin.

The prototype.

That was where he was going.

Not toward Lu Chen.

Not beside Lu Chen.

Not helping Lu Chen.

Shen Tian turned.

Then started toward the building.

Xue Long noticed.

"Stop him."

Six mercenaries immediately redirected.

Shen Tian sighed.

"Annoying."

They surrounded him.

One carried a shock baton.

Another...

A Qi reinforced knife.

Two rifles.

One shotgun.

One cultivator.

Middle Domain Initiation.

The cultivator smiled.

"Young Master Shen."

Shen Tian stopped.

The man rolled his shoulders.

"I’ve heard a lot about you."

"Unfortunate."

The man’s smile twitched.

"I heard you’re arrogant."

"Accurate."

"And strong."

Shen Tian raised an eyebrow.

"Also accurate."

The mercenary laughed.

Then...

His Domain opened.

WHOOOOM!

Pressure spread across the loading bay.

The other mercenaries backed away.

Shen Tian’s clothes moved slightly.

That was it.

The cultivator frowned.

"That’s..."

Shen Tian looked bored.

"Finished?"

The man’s expression darkened.

He charged.

BOOM!

His fist came forward.

Shen Tian caught it.

The cultivator froze.

Then...

Sovereign Suppression.

WHOOOOOOM!

His Domain instantly collapsed.

His knees buckled.

His eyes widened.

"What..."

Shen Tian squeezed.

CRACK!

The man’s wrist broke.

He screamed.

Shen Tian pulled him forward.

Knee.

THOOM!

Then released.

The cultivator crashed into the pavement.

Shen Tian looked toward the remaining mercenaries.

Silence.

Then...

He smiled.

"Anyone else?"

No one moved.

Shen Tian started walking.

One of them finally panicked.

He fired.

BANG!

The bullet stopped.

Midair.

Several inches from Shen Tian’s head.

The mercenary’s face went pale.

Shen Tian slowly turned.

The bullet rotated.

Then...

Shot backward.

Not into the man’s body.

Into his rifle.

CLANG!

The weapon shattered.

The mercenary stared.

Shen Tian’s green eyes narrowed.

"Next time..."

His voice became colder.

"...aim somewhere else."

Then...

He entered the building.

. . .

Across the loading bay...

Lu Chen saw him leave.

His expression immediately darkened.

Not because Shen Tian was abandoning him.

He didn’t want Shen Tian’s help.

He hated the idea of it.

What irritated him...

Was that Shen Tian hadn’t even cared enough to interfere.

Lu Chen had expected him to compete.

To chase Xue Long.

To steal the confrontation.

Instead...

Shen Tian had looked at him...

And walked away.

Like Xue Long wasn’t worth taking from him.

That somehow felt insulting.

[He’s ignoring me.]

Rose heard it.

She was still on her way to Qinghe.

Her vehicle tore through the city.

Lin Yue sat beside her.

Both had received emergency messages.

Not from Lu Chen.

From Gu Qingya.

And then...

From Shen Tian.

Rose’s jaw tightened as Lu Chen’s thoughts reached her.

[He thinks Xue Long is beneath him.]

She sighed.

Lin Yue glanced over.

"Again?"

Rose nodded.

"He’s angry Shen Tian isn’t fighting over Xue Long."

Lin Yue stared.

Then...

"That’s ridiculous."

"Yes."

"Wouldn’t he be angrier if Shen Tian did interfere?"

"Also yes."

Lin Yue leaned back.

"So there is literally no winning."

Rose smiled faintly.

"You’ve figured him out."

Then...

Her phone vibrated.

Shen Tian.

Rose’s expression changed instantly.

She opened it.

Shen Tian: Where are you?

Her heart jumped slightly.

She typed.

Rose: Ten minutes out.

Immediate response.

Shen Tian: Don’t come through the rear loading bay. Too many armed men. Use east entrance.

Rose stared.

Then...

A tiny smile appeared.

Lin Yue noticed.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"That’s his line."

Rose looked over.

Lin Yue smiled.

Rose’s cheeks warmed.

"Shut up."

Another message came.

Shen Tian: Lin Yue with you?

Rose looked toward her.

Then typed.

Rose: Yes.

Shen Tian: Good. Gu Qingya has injuries on her floor. Get Lin Yue to executive level.

Lin Yue leaned over slightly.

"What’d he say?"

Rose showed her.

Lin Yue’s expression immediately became serious.

"Tell him I’m going straight there."

Rose typed.

Then paused.

Another thought crossed her mind.

Shen Tian hadn’t said...

Stay out.

He hadn’t said...

It’s too dangerous.

He had given them information.

Trusted them to decide.

Rose smiled faintly.

Again.

That stupid little thing mattered far too much.

Lin Yue saw.

"You really like that."

Rose looked over.

"What?"

"The way he treats you."

Rose’s cheeks warmed.

She looked back toward the road.

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