Nominal: Hou Liangping blocking the door? He was slapped away!

Li Dakang's pupils contracted slightly.

He couldn't read any trace of bluffing on Shen Zhong's calm, almost indifferent face.

But this calmness, more so than any arrogant gesture, made him feel a deep sense of humiliation and anger.

It was as if his proud 300 elite troops were nothing more than a farce in the eyes of the other side.

"Fine! What a convenient excuse of 'I know nothing'!"

Li Dakang's voice was squeezed out from between his teeth, each word carrying a spark.

"I'd like to see what exactly this so-called 'power' is!"

He turned around abruptly, refusing to look at Shen Zhong's face that irritated him, a face that would make him lose control of his murderous impulse.

The quartz clock on the wall, its second hand making its final sprint, emitted a cold, rhythmic chime.

Tick, tick, tick.

3:58 a.m.

Qi Tongwei's finger was already pressed heavily on the transmit button of the walkie-talkie, and the plastic casing of the button made a slight groan.

His thumb joint appeared pale and bloodless due to excessive force.

In just 120 seconds, he will relay the order to launch a full-scale assault to the ears of more than 300 SWAT team members.

Li Dakang stood behind him, took a deep breath, and the cold air filled his lungs, calming his heart, which was pounding wildly with anger.

He had made all the necessary mental preparations and had rehearsed the next move countless times in his mind.

The attack was fierce and overwhelming, completely crushing the will to resist of the fifty-odd soldiers inside.

Then take over everything.

I will repay all the humiliation I suffered tonight, with interest.

peripheral.

A demolition expert from the SWAT team carefully affixed a piece of C4 plastic explosive to the heavy hinge of the branch office gate.

He skillfully connected the detonator and whispered his report into his headset.

"The demolition team is ready and can breach the door at any time."

Across the street, on the rooftop of a residential building.

The sniper pressed his eye against the scope, the crosshairs already firmly fixed on the head of a soldier in the hall.

His breathing was steady, and his finger was pressed on the trigger.

We're just waiting for that command.

Inside the hall, Shen Zhong still stood in front of the huge floor-to-ceiling window.

His figure was reflected on the cold glass.

The red and blue police lights outside the window flashed alternately on him, but they could not shake his mountain-like, steady demeanor.

Zhou Weiguo and the dozens of soldiers behind him made their final response.

"Splash!"

The synchronized sound of bolts being pulled back filled the hall, creating a cold, metallic torrent.

The bullet is loaded.

A murderous aura permeated the air.

Qi Tongwei took one last look at the figure with his back to him through the glass of the door.

A hint of unspeakable resolve flashed in his eyes.

He chose this path himself.

Once the arrow is released, there's no turning back!

Li Dakang slowly raised his right hand.

This was the final signal for attack that he and Qi Tongwei had agreed upon.

The moment he raises his hand, this armed standoff will immediately escalate into a bloody conflict.

Just then, Shen Zhong suddenly raised his left wrist, his movements steady, as if he were not checking the time, but calibrating the second hand of the world's operation.

Everyone's attention was unconsciously drawn to his movements.

His gaze fell on the second hand of his watch, watching it tick away, one tick at a time.

Immediately afterwards, he made a very simple gesture to Zhou Weiguo behind him.

He simply opened his palm and gently pressed it down.

The gesture was neither offensive nor defensive; it was more like a ritualistic declaration: preparing to face an attack.

In the corner, he lay sprawled on the ground, trembling with excitement.

He struggled, bracing himself on his elbows as he tried to get up.

He thought that his moment of salvation had finally arrived!

"Secretary...Director..."

A hoarse sound came from his throat.

Sudden.

"Sizzle—"

The lights in the entire hall flickered violently without warning.

The fluorescent light tubes on the ceiling emitted a piercing electrical sound, and the brightness suddenly dropped, as if there was a serious voltage instability.

Qi Tongwei's brow twitched suddenly.

He looked down at the walkie-talkie in his hand.

The green indicator light, which signifies a normal signal, was now flashing wildly, alternating between red and green, as if it had gone mad.

"What happened?"

Li Dakang's arm, raised high and about to be swung down, froze in mid-air.

He felt a very slight vibration coming from the marble floor beneath his feet.

It's not an illusion.

Immediately afterward, a dull tremor preceded the sound, coming from deep within the earth.

Immediately afterwards, a suppressed rumble echoed from the horizon. The sound was not like rolling thunder, but more like the roar of a giant object tearing through the air.

Shen Zhong finally turned around.

He looked at the two local officials at the door with puzzled expressions, his face expressionless.

The roar was rapidly approaching at an unimaginable speed!

The muffled thud turned into a clearly audible roar.

The glass windows in the hall began to emit a buzzing resonance, making people's eardrums tingle.

Something's not right!

Qi Tongwei's expression changed, and he immediately put the walkie-talkie to his mouth and shouted loudly.

"Command Center! Attention all units! Report your situation!"

"Please respond if you receive this!"

The only response he received was a piercing electrical noise.

"Shhh—"

At this moment, all communication channels were completely severed by an irresistible and powerful force.

Shen Zhong raised his right hand.

Three fingers.

Under everyone's gaze, he began the silent countdown.

Li Dakang and Qi Tongwei felt as if their hearts were being gripped by an invisible hand.

The roaring sound was no longer coming from a distance, but from above their heads!

It was as if a giant steel beast was hovering above the Guangming Branch!

Shen Zhong raised three fingers, then lowered the first one.

The special police officers outside could no longer maintain their formation.

They all looked up, their faces filled with horror and bewilderment, gazing at the eerie night sky illuminated by police lights.

Amidst the gasps of shock from the outside world, the second finger retracted.

A sense of oppression.

An unparalleled sense of oppression, originating from the sky, enveloped the entire neighborhood.

As the clock hands aligned with the four o'clock mark, Shen Zhong retracted his last finger.

He looked at Li Dakang's face, which had gone from astonishment to terror.

He finally spoke, his voice calm and undisturbed, yet it sent a jolt through everyone present.

"Time's up. This lesson is called Air Supremacy."