The words spoken earlier were all part of Lostan's intentional provocation; his aim was to enrage them, but to his surprise, the final outcome exceeded his expectations.
Especially that big guy, Aray—after witnessing his strength, Lostan didn't dare to go head-to-head with this fellow any more.
If it were just Aray alone, it might still be okay; Lostan could possibly defeat him with skill. But now that Aray and Afeng were teaming up—one strong, the other agile—their abilities perfectly complemented each other.
Although no victor had been decided in the short term, the longer it dragged on, the more disadvantageous it became for Lostan. So, he came up with a plan: provoke Aray and make him attack first.
Seeing Lostan make use of Aray to create a big hole and then escape, Afeng frowned and quickly followed.
Before long, Lostan had run out of the factory. Looking back and realizing no one had caught up, he also breathed a sigh of relief.
"Damn Asura, collaborating with the Chen Financial Conglomerate. I underestimated you this time, but next time will be your demise!"
Though this attempt had failed, Lostan did not believe Ning Fan would continue to be so lucky. The Fang Guild was not what it used to be; under the leadership of the new leader, Apollo, Lostan firmly believed they could defeat the Phantom Guild, eliminate Asura, and a single failure didn't prove anything—ultimately, it was the result that mattered.
Just as Lostan was fantasizing about how he would get his revenge on Ning Fan, an abrupt gunshot rang out through the sky.
Lostan's right leg was directly blown off, leaving him in shock as he watched the lower half of his leg fly away.
Although he felt no pain, it didn't mean Lostan was blind. With his right leg blown off, he had lost most of his mobility.
"Hahaha, now I want to see how you, this white-skinned pig, run!"
The exultant voice of Aray suddenly sounded, causing Lostan's face to change as he instinctively looked towards Aray.
In the blink of an eye, Lostan was engulfed in shadows, with two fists the size of pots relentlessly raining down on him.
After capturing Lostan, Aray just let loose, raining down blows, and Lostan could only close his eyes and silently endure.
With Lostan captured, the operation was temporarily put on hold. In the abandoned factory, Luosita was tied to a machine, with Ning Fan standing before him, and the Wind, Rain, Thunder, and Lightning standing behind him.
Seeing Ning Fan appear, Lostan despaired completely. He was utterly defeated with no chance of escaping to await a revenge plan next time.
"Lostan, is it? Tell me, did Apollo send you?" Ning Fan asked coldly, his voice sounding as if it held an irresistible magic power, causing Lostan's expression to change constantly.
Lostan bit his lip, but in the end, he couldn't withstand Ning Fan's intangible pressure and confessed, "Yes! You killed Long Tianze, you caused many of our Fang Guild's top fighters to die in Huaxia, and you disrupted our plans. Lord Apollo will certainly not let things rest!"
His words sounded like a threat, which immediately drew a round of mocking laughter.
Hearing the mocking laughter of Wind, Rain, Thunder, and Lightning, Lostan's face turned red, as red as a pig liver, and his expression was utterly humiliated.
Ning Fan also sneered, "Since the Fang Guild wants to play, I don't mind joining in the fun. As for you, I don't think even the dogs would like your meat, so I'll just make it quick for you."
With that, Ning Fan made a gesture as if to order his execution.
Instantly, Lostan panicked. He did not want to die. Though living on might mean he was a cripple, clinging to life was still better!
"Heh, you're really funny. Why shouldn't I kill you?"
"If you kill me, how will you guard against the Fang Guild's plans that follow!"
Lostan was a smart man who knew how to exploit things around him for corresponding benefits, and he viewed the Fang Guild's subsequent plans as worth his life.
Ning Fan's gaze became scrutinizing, the sharpness in his eyes making Lostan feel as though all secrets were exposed before them, causing his breathing to quicken.
After a moment of silence, Ning Fan nodded and replied, "I can spare your life. Continue speaking."
Lostan breathed a sigh of relief but still asked uneasily, "A person of Asura's stature wouldn't go back on their word, right?"
Ning Fan scoffed disdainfully in response, "Do you think I am you?"
Lostan's face grew ugly as he caught the implication in Ning Fan's words, his heart pounding, but given the situation, he had no choice but to press on, "Lord Apollo sent me here merely as a distraction. Whether I can defeat you is of no concern to him; I'm here only to delay you!"
"It seems Apollo doesn't overestimate you either, what a pity..."
Lostan clenched his teeth with a face full of reluctance. Indeed, if he had followed Apollo's instructions to just attract Ning Fan's attention and bide time, he might not have ended up in this predicament. Unfortunately, he had still underestimated Ning Fan.
"Continue speaking, don't stop."
"...The reason I needed to delay time was for one purpose—"
"A feint within a feint?" Ning Fan seemed to guess something, preemptively uttering the words.
Lostan's eyes widened as he shook his head with a wry smile, "That's right, the Fang Guild's real target isn't you but the Phantom Guild. We're secretly preparing to launch a surprise attack on the Phantom Guild, and we've deployed a large number of elites to Zhonghai as well!"
"Heh, your ambitions aren't small, actually considering making a move on my Phantom Guild." Ning Fan said with a cold laugh.
"Indeed, Lord Apollo is ambitious, but he still underestimated you—no, the whole world has underestimated you!"
Although he was reluctant to admit it, Lostan couldn't deny that Asura had been underestimated by the world.
"Is this information enough to spare my life?" Lostan, fearing Ning Fan might change his mind, quickly reminded him.
Ning Fan didn't answer but instead stroked his chin, pondering for a moment.
These few short seconds were excruciating for Lostan, afraid that Ning Fan would renege.
"Where is Apollo now?"
Without a second thought, Lostan sold out Apollo. His own life was at risk—how could he care about how Ning Fan would deal with Apollo?
Ning Fan finally nodded in satisfaction, and noticing his expression, Lostan let out a sigh of relief.