Starforce Warriors

"Heh, you've got guts," said Li Xiaofei, smiling. "But I hope you'll still have the same courage in a moment."

He raised his hand. With an elegant motion, he reached out and caught a few falling snowflakes. A faint light flickered as he activated the Life and Death Talisman technique. Several crystalline talismans quickly formed in his grasp.

Whoosh!

A Life and Death Talisman shot directly into Song Shiyan's body. This talisman had been refined using Xuanzhen Energy, a power beyond the heavens. So it could produce similar effects even for a cosmic lifeform.

The talisman activated.

"Ahhh..." As expected, Song Shiyan's young and arrogant face twisted in agony. A raw and uncontrolled scream tore from his throat.

His body bent like a prawn as he started convulsing. His screams grew hoarse. By the end, his throat could only produce meaningless howls, akin to the mournful wails of a beast.

Li Xiaofei deactivated the talisman.

"Ahhh... huff... huff..." Song Shiyan gasped for breath, his chest rising and falling violently.

The once-proud son of the city lord now looked like a drowning man on the verge of death. His entire body was soaked in sweat. If not for the protection of his still-intact combat suit, he might have already been frozen into an ice sculpture by the extreme cold of Planet M73.

"Do you yield?" asked Li Xiaofei. He crouched and patted Song Shiyan's face a few times. "Tell me, why would a pampered young master like you insist on making trouble? Why go out of your way to clash with us, when you're nothing more than fragile pottery against steel?"

"You... I will kill you... I swear... I absolutely will..." snarled Song Shiyan.

His eyes were bloodshot as he glared at Li Xiaofei with pure hatred. His voice was hoarse from screaming, yet still filled with venomous intent. Li Xiaofei didn't waste any words. He activated the talisman again.

A wave of excruciating pain, like countless ants gnawing at his flesh, surged through Song Shiyan's body. He convulsed once more, writhing and wailing in agony. This time, the torment lasted for another three minutes. Li Xiaofei finally stopped and looked down at him with an indifferent gaze.

"I won't let you go... I... ahhh!"

The talisman struck again. And again. Over and over. Six times in total. By the sixth round ended, Song Shiyan was completely limp. His muscles twitched involuntarily, and his body was drained of all strength. The madness and malice in his eyes had vanished. All that remained was confusion and sheer terror.

Li Xiaofei nudged him with his foot.

"I..."

Before he could finish his sentence, the talisman activated once again.

"Heh... heh..."

The sounds coming from Song Shiyan's throat no longer resembled human speech. His body twisted violently as he looked at Li Xiaofei, his gaze now filled with unhidden desperation and pleading. The talisman deactivated.

"I... I yield..." Song Shiyan finally admitted defeat.

"No, that won't do. I won't allow you to be this spineless," Li Xiaofei said. "Don't give in just yet. Hold on a little longer."

He activated the talisman once more and Song Shiyan broke down completely.

What kind of person is this?!

Off to the side, Huang Dinggou and Si Kongxue were utterly stunned by what they were witnessing.

Is this okay?!

Si Kongxue's beautiful eyes shimmered with fascination, her gaze never leaving Li Xiaofei. This man was dangerous, untamed and utterly ruthless. She was absolutely captivated.

Ten minutes later, Song Shiyan was on the verge of foaming at the mouth. Only then did Li Xiaofei finally stop.

"I've implanted something inside your body called the Life and Death Talisman. It's a curse that requires periodic antidotes to prevent activation. But no one in this world apart from me can remove it. You've already experienced its effects firsthand.

"If you don't believe me, you can go back to Chongque City and consult any medic or expert to diagnose and treat you. If they can cure you, then I'll admit defeat."

Li Xiaofei's voice lingered softly in Song Shiyan's ears like the whisper of a devil. To be honest, Song Shiyan had never suffered such a loss ever since his father became the City Lord of Chongque. Even when he didn't bring his elite guards with him, even when he provoked someone notorious for their ruthlessness, all it ever took was a few words to make his opponents submit.

The authority of the City Lord of Chongque represented a power that no one could oppose. He had long grown accustomed to a life where everyone bowed their heads in his presence, where every gaze upon him was filled with flattery and submission.

Even those proud and untouchable women would obediently climb into his bed as long as he curled a single finger. Or, if they were not willing, they would be delivered to him by their own families in an attempt to please him.

So, when he encountered Si Kongxue, someone who remained indifferent to his status and charms, he became intrigued. At first, he had even considered changing his usual crude and forceful methods. This time, he wanted to take things slow, to savor the process and patiently tame the eldest daughter of the Fengyu Merchant Guild.

But before he even had a chance to put his plan into motion, that thorny rose, Si Kongxue, had already been plucked by a mere Hall Master of a small gang. This fact alone nearly made Song Shiyan cough up blood in rage.

What was a gang? To outsiders, it might seem like a powerful and untouchable force. But to the City Lord's Office, they were nothing more than slaves, mere tools that were no different from the dogs raised in his household.

When he was pleased, he could toss them a few scraps of meat. When he was displeased, he could lash them with a whip and they would still obediently wag their tails in submission. That was why Song Shiyan hadn't bothered to bring any real experts with him when tracking down the 'fugitive' Li Xiaofei and his companions.

He had been certain that, no matter how desperate Li Xiaofei's group was, they wouldn't dare to lay a hand on someone of their noble status. Second, Li Qingchen's cosmic life level was reportedly far beneath his own. Even if it came down to a fight, he and his companions were confident they could handle it with ease. But he had never expected... To suffer such a humiliating defeat in the gutter.

"You... what exactly do you want?!" asked Song Shiyan hoarsely.

He crafted a humiliated expression as he said, "If this is because of Si Kongxue, then... then I can swear an oath! I will never harass her again, nor will I let anyone else do so. And I absolutely will not seek revenge on you. Can you let me go now?"

Song Shiyan had completely given in. But Li Xiaofei shook his head.

"No, that won't do. If swearing an oath actually worked, what would be the point of death?" A faint but unmistakable killing intent flickered in his eyes as he said, "I just realized... Since you and your group came after me, you must have avoided any official records or registrations to prevent unnecessary trouble. That means... no one even knows where you are. So if you all die here... heh heh."

His laughter gradually took on a chilling, twisted tone.

Song Shiyan's face instantly filled with terror. He said, "D-Don't do anything reckless...!"

"Only the dead can truly keep secrets," replied Li Xiaofei, stroking his chin thoughtfully.

Song Shiyan's panic escaped his control as he pleaded, "N-No! I swear I can keep quiet! Please don't kill me! I don't want to die!"

As the son of the City Lord, he had been born into privilege, as if fate itself had rewarded him for generations of accumulated merit. His luxurious life had only just begun; there was no way he wanted to die so meaninglessly and be forced to start over again!

"Then use that smart and cunning little brain of yours to give me a reason not to kill you," said Li Xiaofei. His tone was calm, yet suffocatingly cold.

"I-I-I..." Song Shiyan's mind raced at full speed. Then suddenly, in a stroke of desperation, he blurted out, "I have leverage! I have dirt on people! I can give you everything I know! Killing me won't benefit you! Spare me and we can turn hostility into friendship. From now on, you'll be my big brother, my real big brother! Whatever you want me to do, I'll do it... How about that?"

"Oh?" Li Xiaofei's interest was piqued and asked, "What kind of leverage? On whom?"

Song Shiyan blurted out, "A lot! So much! I've broken the law and done terrible things."

"You think that's news? Who in Chongque City doesn't already know that?" said Li Xiaofei, his killing intent surging again.

"A-And my father! He has major secrets too! I know them all! I can tell you everything..."

Song Shiyan would say anything in his desperation to survive. Huang Dinggou immediately covered his ears, not wanting to hear any of this. Li Xiaofei scooped up a chunk of snow with his foot and stuffed it straight into Song Shiyan's mouth.

A short while later, only Li Xiaofei and Song Shiyan were present inside the warm and luxurious VIP cabin of the shuttlecraft. All surveillance equipment had been disabled, and anti-interference and anti-spying formations had been activated.

"Talk." Li Xiaofei held up a camcorder he had bought from Earth No. 1818 in front of Song Shiyan. "State your name first. Then tell me, what exactly does your father have on him?"

"My name is Song Shiyan." Song Shiyan didn't dare hesitate for even a second in front of the camera. He started saying, "My father is City Lord Song Jinglun. He has an illicit relationship with Lin Yi, the wife of Inner Division Master Zhou Chenglong. They meet every month for their rendezvous. The meeting location is... And also, Zhou Yifei isn't actually Zhou Chenglong's son, he's Song Jinglun's illegitimate child..."

Holy shit.

Li Xiaofei was so shocked that he dropped the watermelon he was eating. He hadn't expected this kind of explosive scandal right off the cuff.