Strip me of my armor? I'll summon the Emperor in a flash!

Chapter 4 An Unexpected Incident in the Alley
"Is this what headquarters wants?"

Xin Nan suddenly looked up, his fingers unconsciously gripping the edge of the control panel.

The blue light from the holographic projection shone on his astonished face, making his pupils appear to flicker.

Meizhen nodded silently, her fingertips drawing an encrypted file on the tablet.

The headquarters' red electronic seal glaringly appeared in the air, and the instruction below, "Stabilize the situation at all costs," looked like a sharp knife.

"Headquarters' assessment is that," her voice was so soft it was almost inaudible, "that Li Yan's problem is negotiable and still within a manageable range!"

The air in the control room seemed to freeze.

The humming sound of the instrument suddenly became piercing, and Xin Nan felt a throbbing pain in his temples.

He recalled the pair of scarlet goggles on the beach half an hour earlier, the suffocating sense of oppression—could this really be resolved with "talking"?
And then there's their killing intent, every move meant to kill.

Is this what it means to be open to negotiation?
"Ah"

A barely audible cold laugh escaped from Xin Nan's lips.

He raised his hand to look at his watch; the mechanical hands pointed exactly to 19:30 PM.

This action seemed to trigger a switch, and he suddenly relaxed, no longer thinking about those trivial matters.

"It's time to practice the piano."

Without hesitation, Xin Nan turned and walked outside.

"I'll contact you again if there's any new information."

The moment the automatic door opened, the emergency lights in the corridor cast his shadow long, long.

……

Happiness Dumpling Restaurant

The evening glow slanted in through the glass window, bathing the wooden dining table in a warm golden halo.

The porcelain plate in front of Li Yan had been emptied three times already, and now it was piled high with freshly cooked dumplings. The rising steam, carrying their aroma, filled the air.

“Minci, that’s enough.” Li Yan smiled and pressed down on the woman’s hand, which was still trying to get more dumplings. His fingertips brushed against her slender wrist. “If you keep eating like this, I’m afraid Aunt Hui’s dumpling shop will have to put up a ‘closed for rectification’ sign tomorrow.”

Aunt Hui's hearty laughter echoed from the kitchen: "Eat up! With your build, you could eat ten more plates and still not bankrupt this shop. I'm more worried you won't have enough to eat!"

Minci withdrew her hand, her ear tips turning slightly red.

She rested her chin on her hand, curiously examining Li Yan: "I remember you used to only eat two plates at most before saying you were full, what happened today?"

Her gaze fell on his noticeably muscular arms. "Have you been working out too hard lately?"

"Of course I have to eat it all since you gave it to me!" Li Yan blinked and picked up another crystal-clear dumpling.

The moment the thin skin broke open, the delicious broth filled his mouth, and he squinted his eyes in satisfaction.

"You smooth talker!" Minci's face instantly turned red to the roots of her neck, and she grabbed a napkin from the side and threw it at him.

Li Yan smiled and turned her head away, but suddenly looked somewhat surprised.

He caught a glimpse of Xin Nan parking his car out of the corner of his eye.

"What's wrong?" Minci keenly noticed Li Yan's sudden stiffness and followed his gaze to the window, only to see dust dancing under the streetlights.

"It's nothing." Li Yan's expression relaxed again, and he naturally put the last dumpling into his mouth, his cheeks puffing out slightly as he chewed. "It's just a bit unexpected that Xin Nan is only coming back at this hour."

His voice carried just the right amount of doubt, "At this time, he should still be in the music room."

Minci picked up the teapot and poured him a cup of barley tea. The rising steam blurred her smiling eyes: "The piano competition starts next week, and he's been practicing two hours earlier than usual these past few days."

"I see." Li Yan nodded, his well-defined fingers gently stroking the rim of the teacup.

"Oh, by the way, my brother-in-law contacted me," Li Yan suddenly brought up the matter.

"Xiao Fei? What does he want with you? It's definitely not good news, just ignore him."

When Minci heard Li Yan call him "brother-in-law," her face flushed slightly, and she said to Li Yan...
Just then, the doorbell rang crisply.

Xin Nan paused almost imperceptibly when he saw the tall figure standing by the dining table as he pushed open the door.

Even in a simple black knit sweater, Li Yan's broad shoulders and upright posture still made a strong presence in the small restaurant.

Their eyes met briefly in mid-air.

Xin Nan's pupils contracted almost imperceptibly—for a moment he seemed to see those scarlet goggles on the beach again, and the oppressive feeling from the dark armor made his fingertips tremble reflexively.

Li Yan simply withdrew his gaze calmly, lowered his head to take a sip of tea, and his eyelashes cast a small shadow under his eyes.

"You're back?" Aunt Hui poked her head out from the kitchen, a rolling pin covered in flour in her hand. "I saved some shepherd's purse filling for you, shall we cook it now?"

"Yes, thank you for your help, Aunt Hui." Xin Nan's voice was a little hoarse.

He deliberately went around to the corner furthest from Li Yan and sat down instead of sitting with him as usual.

Silence spread through the restaurant.

Minci looked at the two silent people with a puzzled expression. Just as she was about to speak, Li Yan suddenly stood up.

"I'm leaving now." He took out his wallet and placed it on the table, with several banknotes neatly pressed against the edges. "Thank you for your hospitality."

"I'll pick you up this afternoon."

Li Yan's voice was very soft, yet it was like a pebble thrown into a calm lake.

His slender fingers lingered on Minci's shoulder for half a second, his body heat penetrating the thin fabric, making the girl's ear tips slightly hot.

As he turned around, his gaze met Xin Nan's again.

The two men's gazes clashed in the air, as if invisible sparks were flying.

A subtle, enigmatic smile played on Li Yan's lips, and a dark glint flashed in his eyes—a look that was definitely not that of an ordinary person.

The wind chimes rang out crisply the moment the glass door opened and closed.

In a secluded street, Li Yan stood in the shadows at the alley entrance, toying with a dark gold coin between his fingers.

The coins twirled between his fingers, their occasional cold light reflecting off his inscrutable expression.

"You've been following me all this way, aren't you tired?"

He suddenly spoke, his voice laced with mockery.

The coin jingled as it flew into the air, only to be intercepted by a dark shadow at its highest point.

It was a strange figure completely shrouded in a cloak, with eerie purple patterns covering his exposed skin.

"Did the Realm King send you?" Li Yan leaned lazily against the wall, but his gaze was sharp as a knife.

The cloaked figure did not answer, but slowly raised his hand.

In his palm was a vial of fluorescent green reagent, emitting an ominous glow in the darkness.

"Interesting." Li Yan chuckled lightly, standing there casually, seemingly without any defensive stance.

The dim streetlights cast swaying shadows in the damp alley, making Li Yan's slender figure appear very long.

He stared at the fluorescent green reagent in the cloaked man's hand, his eyes darkening—the black flocculent matter suspended in the liquid seemed to be slowly wriggling like living things.

"It seems there are still quite a few interesting little secrets hidden in the film industry." His voice was playful.

The cloaked figure remained silent, only heavy breathing could be heard coming from under the hood.

The night breeze lifted a corner of the cloak, revealing a calf covered with purple veins—those bulging veins pulsating in sync with the glow of the reagent.

"Tsk, so he really is mute."

Before Li Yan could finish speaking, the cloaked figure suddenly sprang up!

The reagent needle gleamed coldly as it pierced his heart, moving so fast it left a trail of afterimages.

A foul stench suddenly swept through the alley, and the metal plates on the trash cans rattled loudly in the strong wind.

"That's it?"

Li Yan deftly sidestepped, his elbow striking the opponent's ribs like a battle axe. The cracking sound of bones breaking was clearly audible, and the cloaked man staggered backward, nearly dropping the reagent.

“Let me guess—” Li Yan slowly dusted off his sleeves, “This thing is planning to turn me into a monster like you?”

His leather shoes crunched over the shards of glass on the ground, making a teeth-grinding sound. "What a pity about the aesthetics of your film industry."

The sound of something cutting through the air abruptly interrupted the mockery!
The cloaked man's fist, wreathed in purplish-black energy, struck straight at Li Yan's face. The moment Li Yan turned his head, the wind from the punch sent his bangs flying.

He grabbed the other person's wrist with his other hand, but the sensation suddenly became strange—it felt as if countless insects were wriggling under the skin!
"nausea."

With an over-the-shoulder throw, the cloaked man was slammed hard against the brick wall, causing the wall to crack like a spider web.

Before the dust had settled, Li Yan had already swept his leg across the room, the force of his military boots tearing open the opponent's hood.

"what!"

With a furious shout, a purple light enveloped the cloaked figure's entire body.

The next second, it transformed into a ferocious monster.

"This is... Oxus?"

Li Yan was somewhat surprised to see the monster that had suddenly transformed.

But logically speaking, Oxer shouldn't be here either, right?
Oxel suddenly emitted a high-frequency shriek, and the sound waves shattered all the nearby glass windows.

Its entire body surged with purple light, its muscles expanded as if inflated, and in an instant it transformed into a ferocious form three meters tall—with mantis-like scythe-like forelimbs and scorpion-tail-like spinal spurs.

"How ugly."

Li Yan coldly stared at the twisted and mutated monster before him, a mocking smile playing on his lips.

The Oxser was covered in bluish-gray scales, its mantis-like scythe-like forelimbs gleamed with a chilling light, and corrosive slime dripped from the bone spurs extending from its spine.

The monster gave him no more time to observe, and its forelimbs lashed out—

"boom!"

The entire brick wall was neatly cut open like tofu, with pebbles flying everywhere.

Li Yan swayed slightly and casually took half a step back. A ditch half a meter deep had appeared on the ground where he had been standing, with strange green smoke rising from its edge.

"Dark Emperor Armor - Combine!"

A torrent of black and gold energy instantly enveloped his entire body. When the monster's second attack came, Li Yan simply raised his hand casually.

"Keng!"

The Dark Aurora Sword didn't even exert its full force; with just a casual flick, it precisely blocked the pair of scythe-like forelimbs.

The monster's ferocious face suddenly twisted—its full-force attack was blocked so easily!
"Is that all you have?"

A soft laugh came from beneath the visor. Li Yan slightly twisted his wrist, and the sword's edge drew a perfect arc.

"Shh!"

The monster remained in an attacking stance, but its body suddenly froze.

The next second, its forelimbs were severed cleanly at the root, the cut as smooth as a mirror.

Just as the fluorescent green blood was about to gush out, it was instantly evaporated by the dark energy wrapped around the sword.

Suddenly, a dense rustling sound came from the depths of the alley, and five similar shadows were rapidly approaching.

"boring."

Li Yan didn't even turn around, his left hand lightly pressing on his waist.

"cut!"

The Dark Aurora Sword unleashed a beam of light.

Oukes, who was far away, didn't even have time to scream before he was reduced to ashes in the flash of the sword.

The last Oxherd managed to take two steps, but its upper body suddenly slipped down—its waist had been neatly severed at some point.

"Wasting my time."

"Hey, come out."

Li Yan toyed with the fluorescent green zombie virus reagent in his hand; the liquid gleamed eerily in the moonlight.

His voice was languid with a hint of impatience, but his gaze was sharp as a knife, piercing straight into the shadows around the street corner.

"Why do you act like people in the film industry, always sneaking around?"

A soft laugh came from the shadows, followed by the crisp sound of high heels approaching.

"I'm a person in the film industry, isn't it normal to do things secretly?"

A graceful figure slowly walked out. Bing'er wore a black, tight-fitting leather outfit that perfectly accentuated her curvaceous figure.

Her high ponytail swayed gently with her steps, making her delicate oval face appear even more strikingly handsome.

Her red lips curled slightly upwards, with a hint of mockery.

“I heard,” she stopped three steps away from Li Yan, arms crossed, “that you were kicked out of Armor Headquarters?”

A night breeze swept by, carrying the faint, cool fragrance from her hair.

“Unbelievable,” Bing’er tilted her head slightly, a hint of amusement flashing in her eyes, “that a dignified Wind Eagle Armor summoner would end up like this.”

She chuckled softly, "How ironic."

Li Yan's expression remained unchanged; he simply and casually put the reagent into his pocket.

Under the moonlight, his sharply defined profile appeared exceptionally cold and aloof.

"So what?" He looked up, a dark current seeming to surge in his obsidian-like pupils. "I should even thank them."

Bing'er raised an eyebrow: "Oh?"

“If it weren’t for them,” Li Yan slowly raised his right hand, dark energy condensing in his palm and transforming into a leaping purplish-black flame, “how could I have obtained such powerful strength?”

Under the flames, Bing'er's pupils contracted slightly.

She could feel the terrifying pressure contained in that energy—a power that ordinary armor could never match!

It seems the news she heard was true.

"Interesting." Suppressing her shock, she parted her red lips slightly. "So, you're planning to take revenge now?"

Li Yan suddenly took a step closer, and Bing'er reflexively stepped back, her back hitting the cold wall.

He rested one hand on her ear, looking down at her.

“Revenge?” His voice was low and carried a hint of danger. “That’s too boring.”

Bing'er's breathing was slightly sluggish.

At such close range, she could clearly see the unsettling glint in the man's eyes.

“What I want,” Li Yan leaned down and whispered in her ear, “is to reshape the rules of this world.”

The warm breath sprayed against her ear, and Bing'er's heart began to beat faster uncontrollably.

She forced herself to remain calm and sneered, "Just you alone?"

"Who said I'm alone?" Li Yan suddenly stepped back, a meaningful smile playing on his lips. "For example, isn't your film industry a ready-made ally?"

Bing'er narrowed her eyes: "What do you mean?"

“Tell King Jie,” Li Yan turned around, his back casting a long shadow in the moonlight, “to meet at the abandoned chemical plant tomorrow night at eight o’clock.”

His voice drifted on the wind: "If he wants to defeat the armor."

"I can even make him rule the film industry!"

(End of this chapter)