Although he hadn’t discovered anything, Di Jiu was ready to leave. Before he could step away from his seat, the hall suddenly darkened.
"The power’s out!" someone shouted.
Everyone was puzzled. Normally, a top-tier venue like the Riverside Lounge would never experience a power outage. Even in such an event, there would be backup circuits.
Some people had already turned on their phone flashlights. A guard from the club appeared at the doorway and shouted loudly, "There’s a circuit malfunction. Everyone must leave immediately."
Su You's father looked grim, and even the guests found it unbelievable. Still, no one questioned it—the Riverside Lounge was rumored to have powerful backing, and unless necessary, nobody wanted to fall out with them.
"Friends, I’m truly sorry for today..." Su Minyu could only apologize to the many guests.
Di Jiu was certain this wasn’t a simple power outage. He had sensed something amiss just moments before, as if someone was watching him. Then, in the blink of an eye, the outage occurred. Nine times out of ten, it was aimed at him.
It seemed that Shi Jinshan was right—the Riverfront Tower was indeed the base of the Peace Arena. What puzzled Di Jiu was how Bi Zhengsheng from Riverfront Tower knew he had killed that man.
Joe Di bent down, slipped the dagger strapped to his leg into his sleeve, and, without greeting anyone, strode straight out of the club’s main door.
Sure enough, just as he expected, the moment Joe Di stepped out of the club’s main entrance, he immediately sensed someone tailing him again.
It seemed they wouldn’t make a move inside the club. The power outage was just a ploy to wait until he left. Joe Di calmed himself—he didn’t know Zane Bi’s true strength, but he was certain that with his current abilities, he was still far from being able to take on Zane Bi.
Staying alert, Joe Di took the stairs all the way down to the first floor. Even after he exited the Riverfront Tower’s plaza, no one had made a move. Yet the feeling of being followed grew ever clearer.
Joe Di quickened his pace. After about ten minutes, just as he reached a quieter stretch of road, a black sedan suddenly sped up from behind and blocked his way.
Four people got out of the car, moving with clear coordination as they sealed off all possible escape routes before and behind Joe Di.
"Did Bi Zhengsheng send you?" Di Jiu looked calmly at the four before him, his tone utterly composed.
The leader was a man with long wavy hair and a sharply defined face, carrying a faint but unmistakable murderous aura. Hearing Di Jiu’s words, he glanced at him in mild surprise before replying, "No wonder you dared to bury He Shan. With your composure, if you come with us, maybe Master Sheng will spare your life. Otherwise, you’ll soon be the next to disappear."
In the eyes of the wavy-haired man, Di Jiu didn’t have the ability to kill He Shan. He figured Di Jiu was just the errand boy who buried him.
"Heh, I disappear right after visiting the Riverside Lounge today," Di Jiu said mockingly.
The wavy-haired man said coolly, "Who says you’ll disappear today? You’ll show up tomorrow, and maybe in a few days you’ll even leave Luojin City with a pretty girl. Oh, and you saw that girl today."
Joe Di understood now—these people were experienced and surely had plenty of tricks up their sleeves. As he sized up their strength, considering which direction to flee if he couldn’t win, he said, "Answer one question, and maybe I’ll go with you."
"Courting death..." A burly man behind Di Jiu drew a mountain-splitting blade and stepped forward, slashing at Di Jiu with it.
"Da Lu, don’t injure him yet..." The wavy-haired man was clearly the leader, but before he could finish, he saw Di Jiu spin halfway around and lift his leg.
Joe Di actually dared to fight back. The wavy-haired man could no longer bother with restraint and grabbed a machete himself, swinging it at Joe Di.
Crack! Joe Di shattered the burly man’s knee with a kick. Using his spinning momentum, he slashed with the dagger in his hand.
A spray of blood erupted—the slightly thin youth who had been standing at an angle with the burly man hadn’t even had time to react before Joe Di’s dagger sliced open his throat.
The thin youth clutched his throat, staring at Joe Di in disbelief.
Even they wouldn’t casually kill someone. Even if they captured a person, they’d go to great lengths to cover up the disappearance. But this guy killed without a second thought, showing no hint of hesitation—he was fiercer than their own boss. Pity, he wouldn’t be able to think much longer.
"All together—take him down!" The wavy-haired man missed with his strike and screamed, lunging at Joe Di again.
A wave of coldness swept over, making Di Jiu uncomfortable all over. He knew this guy was much tougher than the two he’d just taken out. Di Jiu shifted his stance, raising the Zanna Dagger in his hand.
With a clang, the wavy-haired man’s machete was effortlessly snapped in two.
The wavy-haired man was momentarily stunned. His blade was made of pure carbon steel—despite the rust, its hardness was top-tier.
For his blade to be broken by a mere dagger—what did that mean? As the thought crossed his mind, a wave of deadly intent swept over him, and he realized with terror that he was fighting for his life. The man before him killed without hesitation and clearly wouldn’t show mercy. Forgetting his broken blade, he quickly sidestepped and retreated in panic.
A murderous strike came at him; all the wavy-haired man heard was a muffled sound as his shoulder was sliced open, blood gushing out in a spray.
The last man finally reacted, swinging his machete at Joe Di’s back.
Joe Di actually felt relieved. The wavy-haired man was truly formidable—he’d only been caught off guard by Joe Di’s willingness to kill. As for this last attacker, his strike carried only a bit of blade wind, no true blade force, and was no threat at all to Joe Di now.
Joe Di spun around again, raising his left foot and kicking out.
The man’s machete was only halfway through its swing when Joe Di kicked his wrist, sending the blade tumbling to the ground.
Joe Di didn’t wait for him to retreat. He stepped forward, slashed with his dagger, and quickly stepped back. Blood sprayed out, and the man collapsed to the ground.
Fear gripped the wavy-haired man’s heart. He was sure staying here meant certain death. Regret filled him—he should have brought a gun.
For years, few had ever lasted three rounds against him, which had bred a powerful sense of confidence. It was that very confidence that might cost him his life today. The real reason, though, was that he never imagined Joe Di could be so ruthless, killing without even blinking. He was now sure Shawn Hill hadn’t been killed by Fei Qi, but by the man before him. Unfortunately, it was too late.
Seeing the wavy-haired man turn to flee, Joe Di didn’t give chase. He simply grabbed his dagger and threw it.
Crack! The dagger sank into the back of the man’s head. He staggered a few steps before collapsing to the ground.
Joe Di walked over and pulled out the dagger, then turned to look at the burly man—the only one of the four attackers still alive, though his knee had been shattered.
The burly man grabbed his machete and stared at Joe Di in terror. He’d seen plenty of brawls, with blood flying everywhere, but rarely did anyone actually die. This was the first time he’d encountered someone like Joe Di, who killed so casually.
Joe Di had no intention of showing mercy. He pivoted on his heel, spun halfway, and kicked out with his left foot.
Crack! Joe Di shattered the man’s wrist again before he could swing his machete, sending the blade flying. Joe Di stepped forward, grabbed the man by the throat, and with a smile asked, "Tell me, how did Zane Bi know I was the one who took care of that loser Shawn Hill?"