The helicopter darted rapidly between the mountains, the gale from its rotors scattering the falling snowflakes into the distance. Amidst the misty snow, its speed never faltered. Big Head sat in the co-pilot seat and said, "Boss, I really didn't expect you to know how to fly a helicopter."
Hong Fei chuckled, "I just watched a tutorial video yesterday; it's not that hard."
Hearing this, the smile on Big Head's face froze instantly. He silently gripped his seat, his eyes fixed on the screen, ready to take control and correct the flight at the slightest sign of trouble.
A moment later, the helicopter gained altitude and cleared the mountain range, and the palace complex in the distance instantly came into view.
"Do you think we should fire a couple of shots?" Hong Fei suddenly asked.
Big Head turned to look. Hong Fei's smile remained, but a flash of excitement suddenly appeared in his eyes. Before Big Head could speak, Hong Fei added, "Or how about we just fire a couple of missiles? I recall it has some mounted, right?"
Big Head glanced at the screen, becoming even more convinced that Hong Fei had truly just learned to fly a helicopter — or at the very least, this was his first time flying an armed one.
"It does, Boss. Feel free to have some fun."
Hong Fei grew excited. "Which button do I press?"
Big Head's mouth twitched, and he hurriedly gave him a crash course.
He thought to himself that it was fortunate he had focused on studying the operation and detailed functions of modern weaponry during his massive learning phase; otherwise, today might well be his last.
Before long, Master Hong, having mastered the core technology, looked at the palace in the distance and said, "There's a helicopter on the plaza. Let's take that out first; it'll save us the trouble of someone trying to escape in it later."
Big Head thought to himself, 'Boss, you're overthinking it. I don't think a single person here is going to get away today.'
Target locked, launch confirmed. An air-to-ground missile mounted on the fuselage immediately detached with a whoosh and flew off into the distance.
In no time, it crossed over a kilometer, and Hong Fei and Big Head watched as the helicopter parked in front of the palace instantly exploded into a dazzling ball of fire.
Hong Fei said, "Looks like the firepower isn't bad, is it?"
Big Head replied, "Your aim was perfect!"
Accelerating forward through the swirling snow, the two of them and their machine approached rapidly.
"You take the controls. I see people coming out. I'm heading down. You just fly slowly — if you can't keep it in the air, just jump. It doesn't matter if it blows up."
"Understood, Boss."
Big Head thought, 'If I'd known it would be like this, I should have put on my battle armor beforehand.'
Hong Fei stood up and moved to the back, opening the cabin door. A strong gale immediately poured snow into the cabin.
Without a second thought, Hong Fei stepped out into the void, his body instantly plummeting.
From the black palace, a group of men in black first rushed out from both sides. Then, a man in a gray suit walked out from the center. His sleeves were neatly rolled up to his elbows, revealing five square rings stacked on each of his wrists.
This set of rings had many intricate details, the most obvious being that each ring featured unique, distinct patterns. He stepped over the high threshold and first frowned as he looked at the helicopter that had turned into a ball of fire. He then followed the sound and looked up, spotting a figure leaping from the helicopter.
However, the next second, his already deep eyes suddenly widened slightly. The figure who had jumped from the helicopter had suddenly come to a sharp stop, turned, and was now flying through the air, heading straight for him.
Immediately, he clenched his fists, and the Ten Rings began to glow with a faint blue light.
With a boom, the air exploded as Hong Fei suddenly accelerated.
The man didn't retreat. The Ten Rings on his arms blazed with radiant light as he took a wide stance and drove both fists into the ground. Twin shockwaves tore through the earth, the recoil launching him skyward.
For a heartbeat, their eyes locked mid-air — then four fists collided in a thunderous explosion.
Golden and blue light erupted violently. The man careened downward at an angle, but before crashing, he punched the ground twice more, using the force to twist upright and land steady on his feet.
Across from him, Hong Fei descended like a feather, touching down with effortless grace.
The moment he straightened, a circle of fighters closed in, tiger-head hooks gleaming in their hands. Twin hooks were the standard — paired weapons nicknamed "tiger-head doubles."
At a glance, they seemed obscure compared to blades or spears, but they belonged to the venerable "hook" lineage of the Eighteen Arms.
The curved tip was the true hook; the midsection doubled as a blade. What looked like a halberd's spike was called a yue, and the drill-like pommel was the bidu. Every inch of the weapon beyond the grip was lethal, striking from angles too devious to predict.
Yet its deadliness cut both ways — just as likely to maim the wielder as the foe. Even the legendary "Blue-Faced Dou Erdun" had wielded tiger-head doubles. Fitting, then, that the Ten Rings' emblem featured crossed hooks at its heart.
But these fighters carried singles, not pairs. Pale electricity crackled along their hooks as snowflakes spiraled through the air.
Hong Fei remained still, smiling as he clasped his fists in greeting.
"Xu Wenwu. An honor."
Xu Wenwu stepped forward, studying him for a long moment before his mouth quirked. He returned the salute.
"I know you, Hong Fei."
His smile was unreadable — amused, furious, or both. Yet his eyes betrayed a current of longing and grief so deep it seemed bottomless.
Liang CY's acting is phenomenal, Hong Fei noted.
"Few recognize my face," Xu Wenwu said, the smile lingering as he gave a soft scoff. "Don't underestimate the Ten Rings."
Him knowing Hong Fei's name had nothing to do with the billionaire persona — this was about New York. About the battle that had forced certain parties to take notice. While Hong Fei's identity had leaked in some circles, Xu Wenwu's reach confirmed the Ten Rings were no myth.
Come to think of it, this might be Hong Fei's first real fight without a disguise.
"I've heard of the Ten Rings," Hong Fei said lightly. "That sudden notoriety a while back was… memorable."
"A pathetic imitation by rumor-mongers." Xu Wenwu's lip curled.
"Since you know my name, you should know that no one here is foolish enough to call themselves 'Orange.'"
"I'm aware." Hong Fei's grin sharpened. "Because I was the one who debunked them."
Surprise flickered in Xu Wenwu's eyes. "So it was you. I'd planned to hunt those pretenders down myself."
Hong Fei asked in surprise, "Why bring them back for execution? First, it drags things out, and second, you'd have to deal with the corpses. Wouldn't it be better to just finish them off right there?"
Xu Wenwu grew increasingly surprised as he listened. 'This guy doesn't look like a good person at all!' Then again, what kind of good person blows up someone's helicopter the moment they arrive?
Xu Wenwu didn't rush to hold Hong Fei accountable but instead asked, "Why did you do that?"
Hong Fei shrugged.
"You know we come from the same place. After leaving our homeland, we can't have those guys using our name to do things, and we certainly can't tolerate them framing us. While I know you're no saint yourself, I don't care what happens to others, but when it comes to our own, things have to be handled properly. That's a matter of principle."
"Good!" Xu Wenwu exclaimed. "That makes sense. For the sake of what you just said, I'll let the missile you fired at my helicopter slide."
"Then thank you."
"But since you know I'm not a good person, why did you show up on my doorstep like this?"
"Because I'm not exactly a good person either."
Perhaps because Hong Fei was too blunt, Xu Wenwu couldn't help but chuckle. He glanced at the armed helicopter in the sky behind Hong Fei and asked, "It seems you're the one who's been investigating the Ten Rings lately?"
Hong Fei nodded. "That's right."
"Then you must want to get something from me today."
"You could say that."
"You seem very confident."
"Completely."
Xu Wenwu paused slightly, then nodded and asked, "What do you want?"
Hong Fei shifted his gaze to his arms. Xu Wenwu followed his gaze, looking down at his Ten Rings, and began to laugh. A moment later, he said, "You are not the first person to want them."
"But I believe I will be the first to succeed."
Hearing this, Xu Wenwu clenched his fists again, and the Ten Rings immediately erupted with a brilliant blue light. Just as he was about to speak, two smaller figures suddenly emerged from the palace behind him. Two children, a boy and a girl. The boy, who looked to be around twelve or thirteen, walked out holding the hand of a younger girl.
There was not a hint of fear in the girl's eyes as she called out to Xu Wenwu's back, "Daddy!"
Hearing this, the boy hurriedly reached out to cover her mouth, then cast a furtive glance at Xu Wenwu, seemingly terrified that he might be angry.
Xu Wenwu turned his head slightly and scolded them in a stern tone, "Go back!"
Hearing his voice, the boy immediately pulled the girl back into the palace.
However, the girl was quite stubborn; she grabbed the doorframe, unwilling to leave. After a brief struggle, the two children simply hid behind the door, peeking out to watch.
Hong Fei smiled, "Your children?"
The smile faded from Xu Wenwu's face, replaced by a sharp, murderous intent.
"I've seen videos of your fights. You are indeed very strong, but I still don't believe you'll be taking anything from me today."
"Confidence is a good thing." Hong Fei smiled, but his tone suddenly shifted. "By the way, I heard that your family recently met with a tragedy?"
Xu Wenwu's eyes turned fierce instantly.
Hong Fei said, "Don't misunderstand. It wasn't me; I'm just curious."
Xu Wenwu took a deep breath, his brows furrowing, and said in a low voice, "Someone killed my wife."
"I'm sorry to hear that." Hong Fei thought for a moment, then asked, "When did it happen?"
"Seven days ago!"
Xu Wenwu's expression remained unchanged, but his fists were clenched tight.
The Ten Rings erupted with an even more intense, brilliant blue radiance, and a look of madness gradually surfaced in his eyes, which were filled with killing intent.
Hong Fei looked at the snow-filled sky and said, "One last question: you haven't cremated her yet, have you?"
Xu Wenwu did not respond.
He instantly threw a straight punch, and a ball of deep blue energy hurtled toward Hong Fei like a cannonball.