As Ian Song approached, Jason Chen felt a chill run down his spine. His right hand swept across his waist, and suddenly a jet-black dagger appeared in his grip.
This dagger was called the Black Dragon Dagger, forged from an extremely rare metal. Three years ago, Jason bought it at an auction for thirty million credits. Outwardly unremarkable, it was frighteningly sharp—able to slice through even the hardest alloys with ease.
Ever since acquiring it, he’d kept the dagger on his person at all times.
With the Black Dragon Dagger in hand, Jason’s confidence surged. He charged at Ian once more.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
The Black Dragon Dagger swept through the air, leaving streaks of silvery blade light—but every slash missed its mark.
"Bang!"
Jason was sent flying again, crashing into the wall and making the entire private room tremble.
He looked desperately at the approaching Special Police Minister, struggling to stand as he glared at Ian. Though a pampered young master, Jason had trained diligently since childhood. At just twenty-four, he was already a Ninth-Level War King—a rare match among his peers.
Yet he’d been easily defeated by a Special Police Minister younger than himself. The reality was hard to accept.
"Go to hell!"
Jason turned into a blur, charging at Ian again. The Black Dragon Dagger in his hand shot forward like a bolt of black lightning, aiming straight for Ian’s heart.
"Clack!"
His wrist was caught, and the dagger in his hand couldn’t move another inch.
"Why struggle when you know you’re no match for me?" Ian laughed and chopped down with a hand-knife strike.
But just then—
Whoosh!
A shadowy figure seemed to appear out of nowhere, a short sword stabbing straight for Ian’s brow.
He sprang back, retreating in a flash!
In the blink of an eye, Ian had retreated several meters. The shadowy figure gradually solidified, revealing a man completely shrouded in black clothing—only two eye holes visible.
"Why did you only show yourself now?" Jason Chen roared at the black-robed man who had suddenly appeared.
"Sorry, I thought you could handle him. I didn't expect he was hiding his true strength!" the black-robed man replied calmly.
"I want you to kill him!"
Jason said hatefully.
"Yes!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the man shrouded in black robes turned into a faint shadow and charged at Ian, his short sword splitting into countless flickering sword-lights, stabbing at all of Ian’s vital points.
If it were anyone else, they would definitely be forced into confusion by his swordplay, not knowing how to defend themselves.
But Ian was a master swordsman—this level of swordplay didn’t even warrant his attention.
He flicked his finger, sending out a burst of energy.
"Clang!"
A metallic clang rang out, and the flickering sword-lights vanished completely. The black-robed man gripped his short sword and retreated rapidly, his sword hand tingling with numbness.
He stared at Ian in shock, a hint of hesitation flashing in his eyes, then once again shot forward like a blur.
"Bang!"
But in the next instant, his figure was sent tumbling backward.
Seeing this, Jason Chen’s eyes narrowed. This black-robed man was a personal bodyguard sent by his family, and his strength had already reached War God First Class.
He’d assumed that with this bodyguard’s help, he could easily get rid of that annoying Special Police Minister. But he’d never dreamed that even a War God First Class bodyguard was no match for his opponent.
"Young Master, run! I’ll hold him off!"
The black-robed man gripped his sword and shouted at Ian, his eyes full of vigilance.
"Right—escape!"
Prompted by his bodyguard’s warning, Jason Chen dashed toward the private room door.
"Think you can get away?"
With a flicker, Ian appeared in front of the private room door as if he’d teleported.
"The window—go!"
The black-robed man barked, darting forward once more. His short sword erupted into clusters of jet-black sword light, slashing toward Ian.
"You don’t know when to quit!"
Ian’s eyes went cold. He flicked out two bursts of energy—one knocked the short sword aside and scattered the sword light; the other struck the man’s dantian, instantly dispersing his true qi. He became weak in a flash, and if not for his sheer willpower, he would have collapsed on the spot.
Compared to the martial arts and techniques of the cultivation world, the body arts here were pitifully weak. The black-robed man’s true qi was at the level of an entry-level master, but his swordsmanship was a mess—utterly worthless!
"Come back here!"
Ian reached out and grabbed Jason, who had already made it to the window, forcibly dragging him back. Then he rewarded him with a hand-knife chop, and Jason gloriously passed out.
With Jason handled, Ian turned his gaze to Jerry Jiang, who was frozen in shock. "Will you come quietly, or do you need my help?"
"N-no need, I’ll do it myself!" Jerry Jiang quickly grabbed the handcuffs and locked himself up. This Special Police Minister was a total monster—even Jason’s bodyguard couldn’t handle him. If Jerry resisted, he’d only be asking for trouble.
"Gordon, call the officers in. Take them all back to the Special Police base!"
"Yes, sir!"
Soon, the Special Police waiting outside came in and escorted the seven captives away. Only Ian and the earth-tribe girl remained in the private room.
The girl’s clothes were simple, but she was truly beautiful. With a little grooming, she’d easily be a 9 out of 10. No wonder those rich brats wanted to snatch her.
"What’s your name?" Ian asked.
"Sir, my name is Lan Xiao," the girl replied timidly.
"Do you have any family?" Ian asked.
Mentioning her family, Lan Xiao’s face instantly turned sorrowful. "When I was eight, a plague swept through our village. My parents both died, leaving just me and my brother. Just now, those bad men killed my brother too. I have no family left."
As she spoke, Lan Xiao couldn’t hold back her tears.
"What do you plan to do now?" Ian asked again.
Lan Xiao shook her head in confusion.
Seeing this, Ian felt a wave of sympathy. "I could use a maid to help with cooking and laundry at my house. If you don’t mind, you can give it a try."
"Thank you, sir! I’d be happy to!" Lan Xiao replied gratefully.
"Come with me—let’s head to the Special Police base first!"
Soon, Ian brought Lan Xiao back to the Special Police base. Gordon Gao came up to ask, "Minister, how do you plan to deal with these people?"
"Based on their crimes, what’s the usual sentence?" Ian asked.
"Exile to a mining planet—for life!" Gordon replied.
"Isn’t that too easy for them? With their backgrounds, they’d probably get rescued from a mining planet in no time!" Ian mused. "Let’s not rush to sentence them—lock them up for a while first!"
"Minister, won’t this cause trouble?" Gordon asked worriedly. After all, Jason, Jerry, and Tom Sun all came from powerful families.