Chapter 116: Ye Fei Departs

Ye Fei slammed the woman onto the ground with great force. Despite the heavy impact, she quickly rolled away, narrowly dodging his follow-up strike.

"Hah," Ye Fei chuckled. While such throws were common in the ring—and anyone with decent physical conditioning could usually withstand them without serious injury—Ye Fei was no ordinary fighter. His strength far exceeded that of standard athletes; an average strongman would have been incapacitated by such a blow. The fact that this woman could recover so quickly proved her physical prowess was far superior to most.

Observing her features, Ye Fei realized she was not Chinese, but likely a professional Thai boxer. Being handpicked by a crime lord like Hua Lin as a personal bodyguard, her skills were clearly formidable—certainly, Ye Fei knew she was more dangerous than the men known as Silly Qiang and Leopard.

"You're not Chinese. You're Thai. I see now... Hua Lin’s arms were smuggled in from Thailand, and that’s where the drugs were being shipped out," Ye Fei said, staring her down.

"That's right, Ye Fei. We found a lead confirming that Hua Lin has a line running into Thailand. The management there is chaotic, making it relatively easy to procure heavy weaponry and traffic narcotics," Li Guozhong interjected.

Ye Fei looked at the woman, smiling as he replied to Li, "I suspect having a female Thai boxer by his side might be related to his operations in Thailand. Perhaps if we capture her, we can learn something."

Initially, the woman had been careless, underestimating Ye Fei, which led to her early disadvantage. Now realizing his skill, she grew cautious, determined not to repeat her mistake.

The battle raged on. Ye Fei’s team held the upper hand. While Hua Lin’s six subordinates were highly skilled, Li Guozhong and his men were just as capable, if not slightly better. Among the opponents, only the Thai woman could have stood a chance against Li’s team in a one-on-one fight, but she was currently suppressed by Ye Fei.

The silent man was having the easiest time, as his opponent had a hand injury that hampered his strength.

Seeing that she could not defeat Ye Fei with punches and kicks alone, the woman suddenly reached for her thigh, drawing a pair of daggers. She brandished them like fangs, lunging at Ye Fei.

Unexpectedly, Ye Fei pulled a short blade from his own person. As it emerged, it glinted with a chilling, eerie light—clearly no ordinary weapon. He flicked his wrist, the blade dancing like a falling cold star as he swept it forward.

*Clang!*

The blades met and parted instantly. Ye Fei inspected his weapon; it was unscathed. He glanced at the woman’s daggers, which now bore significant notches, clearly carved out by his nameless blade.

However, the fact that her daggers hadn't snapped upon the first contact proved they were made of high-quality material; common steel would have shattered.

"Ah!" The woman gasped in shock. Seeing the damage to her daggers, she grew wary of the lethal weapon in Ye Fei’s hand.

"Hey!" She let out a fierce shout and lunged again, but this time, she dared not let her weapons collide with his.

Ye Fei pressed in close, rendering her strikes ineffective. He seized an opening, flicking his dagger to pierce cleanly through the back of her hand.

"Agh!" She cried out in pain, her grip failing as blood poured from the wound, staining her palm red.

Ye Fei felt no need for chivalry. In his mind, when facing an enemy, gender was irrelevant; to show mercy was to court one's own death.

*Clatter.* The dagger hit the floor.

Ye Fei lunged again, intent on wounding her other hand. Reacting with agility, the woman realized she was defeated and kicked out at Ye Fei, using the recoil to spring away and escape the same fate for her remaining hand.

Ye Fei patted his stomach, having taken the kick, and stepped back twice.

The woman’s true strength lay in her kicks. Had she relied on them from the start, she might have held out longer, but her decision to use the daggers had cost her a hand. Now, injured and unable to properly utilize the complex, hand-coordinated leg techniques she had mastered, her combat effectiveness was severely diminished.

*Thud.* A man hit the ground hard. The silent man had defeated his opponent, the first of the six to finish his fight. Seeing that Ye Fei was in complete control, he turned to assist Xiao Yang instead.

*Swoosh, swoosh.* After leaving a few more shallow cuts on the woman, Ye Fei sheathed his blade, reverting to hand-to-hand combat.

With a rapid four-hit combo, he struck her right thigh with devastating force.

*Thud.* The woman collapsed. She managed to stand, leaning heavily on her right leg, her combat mobility completely gone.

Soon, the other four finished their fights, and the battle concluded.

"It’s a pity we let Hua Lin slip away," Xiao Yang remarked.

"Forget it. It seems they were prepared. We wouldn't have caught him. If his secret elevator hadn't malfunctioned, we wouldn't have even captured these six henchmen," Ye Fei replied.

Li Guozhong’s expression darkened. "It seems the corruption in Shenhai is truly severe if someone dared to risk supporting Hua Lin. The fact that he stayed here to wait for us shows just how arrogant and lawless he has become."

"It's fortunate they didn't use the heavy weapons from the armory, or the six of us would have been walking into a slaughterhouse," a stout man commented.

"He wouldn't dare! That would be an open provocation against the state. No one could save him then. We wouldn't even need to investigate; his own backers would be the first to dispose of him," Li Guozhong said sternly.

Ye Fei said, "We won't catch Hua Lin now. Let's take these people out and leave."

Before the six of them could exit the underground garage, a large squad of police surged in, submachine guns leveled at them.

"Lower your weapons! These are our colleagues from the Ministry of State Security," a man in a police uniform shouted as he walked in.

"Director Chen, these are Hua Lin’s core subordinates. Guard them well; I don't want any accidents," Li Guozhong said, walking up. The status of the State Security Bureau was unique, giving them the confidence to speak directly to the city’s police chief.

Director Chen chuckled. "Rest assured, there will be no problems."

There were other high-ranking officials present besides Director Chen, including a top brass figure from the Public Security Department. As Ye Fei and his team emerged, they encountered Director Zhao of the Public Security Department.

"This must be Ye Fei!" Director Zhao said with a friendly smile.

"I am Ye Fei. Director Zhao, have we met?" Ye Fei asked, puzzled, as he did not personally know the head of the Public Security Department.

"My daughter has mentioned you. Her name is Zhao Dan. You know her, right?"

Ye Fei nodded. He hadn't expected Zhao Dan's father to be the high-ranking Director of the Shenhai Public Security Department. It seemed this Director had played a significant role in weathering the immense pressure within the city.

"Ah, Zhao Dan. She has helped me quite a bit. Please thank her for me, Director Zhao," Ye Fei said.

"Heh, heh," the Director chuckled.

There was little else to discuss. Seeing the police take custody of the security firm's captives, Ye Fei departed on his own. Li Guozhong and his team still had work to do, as they had been investigating the case alongside him.

Ye Fei had done all he could; he was no longer needed for the remaining tasks. He could now retire from the scene, quietly waiting for Cui Yanwu to topple Fang Tingfang, and then everything would be resolved.