Terror had fully engulfed the mall the air itself the suffocating, heavy with the presence of death.
And every innocent person trapped inside looked as if their life was hanging by a fragile thread.
No one knew why these armed men had come there, but the cruelty on their faces made it obvious that they were on a dangerous mission.
They didn't look like ordinary thugs at all — they seemed more like a trained and organized gang.
They had surrounded Fangxi, Younshu, Alisha, Zavian, and Sheyaan, taking them hostage.
Three armed men stood around them with loaded guns pointed straight at their heads.
Then one of the gang members shouted in a rough heavy voice:
"Get down on your...knees quietly... right now!"
The moment the order was given, Fangxi glared at the man with fierce eyes,
but understanding how serious the situation was, he silently lowered himself onto his knees without saying a word.
Seeing him sit down, Younshu and Alisha also nervously got on their knees with fear written all over their faces.
But Zavian... didn't move even an inch.
He stood there like an arrogant unshakable rock, and he didn't allow Sheyaan to kneel either.
Watching the two of them openly defy the order, the leader of the gang — YouLang — who was sitting on his chair in full king style, felt a wave of anger spread across his face.
Youlang raised one eyebrow and said in a cold mocking tone:
"Do I need to personally...invite both of you.. to sit down... huh?"
Zavian didn't say a single word, but his cold piercing eyes stayed locked on Youlang's face.
The anger inside him was clearly visible in his eyes, yet he still had unbelievable control over himself.
The way Zavian kept staring only made Yang Lang even angrier. Grinding his teeth in frustration, he roared:
"What are you... staring at like that...? Didn't you hear what I..said? Sit down quietly and show... some respect!"
Sheyaan, who was standing beside Zavian while trembling in fear, gently held his hand and signaled him to sit down.
She didn't want the situation to get worse because of his stubbornness.
But Zavian? It was as if he existed in a completely different world. His entire focus remained fixed on Yang Lang alone.
Ignoring Sheyaan's silent plea, he continued staring at Yang Lang with those sharp hawk-like eyes.
Seeing Zavian's overwhelming aura and dominance presence, Sheyaan instantly realized that he was extremely angry at the moment.
She stood there silently, staring only at him, while fear and lock mixed together inside her eyes.
Meanwhile, Younshu and Alisha, who were sitting below, already knew Zavian's true nature. They knew he wasn't an ordinary man, but a true "King Demon."
He was the kind of person who never bowed before anyone — instead, the world itself bowed before him.
But in front of Fangxi, Zavian was still standing there disguised as nothing more than a "powerful bodyguard."
Watching Zavian's silent defiance, Youlng's anger rose to the skies.
Roaring furiously, he said:
"You're really stubborn...! Looks like I'll have to deal..with you in my own.. way."
Youlang jerked his neck slightly and ordered two of his men in a harsh tone:
"You two... go and force both of them onto... their knees! I want this man's eyes...lowered before me!"
The moment the order was given, the two armed men started walking toward Sheyaan and Zavian with loaded guns in their hands.
Seeing them approach, Sheyaan's condition worsened instantly. Her lips trembled in fear, and helplessly, she tightened her grip around Zavian's hand even more.
Seeing Sheyaan trembling so badly, Zavian slowly shifted his gaze away from Youlang and locked his cold eyes onto the two gangsters approaching them with disgusting smirks on their faces.
Zavian took a deep cold breath and lowered his eyes slightly.
The way he acted made it feel like he was gathering silence before a deadly storm.
Meanwhile, Younshu, Alisha, and Fangxi, who were sitting below, remained completely calm.
There wasn't even a trace of fear inside them because they knew that as long as Zavian was with them, even death itself couldn't block their path.
But the innocent people trapped there were in terrible condition. Fear was clearly written across their faces, and their bodies trembled nonstop.
Terrified, Sheyaan slowly started stepping backward. In a trembling voice, she pleaded with Zavian:
"Za... Zayan, let's just sit down... ple... please!"
But Zavian paid no attention to her desperate plea. His entire existence had now turned into a "Killing Machine."
The moment those two gangsters stopped right in front of him, Zavian clenched his fist so tightly that the cracking sound of his bones could be heard.
His anger had now turned into gunpowder that was seconds away from exploding.
The gangsters, completely blinded by rage tightened their grip on the guns, ready to smash the but of the weapon against Zavian's head with full force.
But at the exact moment a man suddenly came running out from inside the mall.
He looked around forty-five years old, his face drenched in sweat and panic. He was none other than the mall's manager.
Running in desperately, he shouted from a distance:
"Stop! Don't hurt..them...!"
The moment his voice echoed through the mall, everyone turned to look at him.
Even the gangsters who were about to attack Zavian froze and looked toward the scene.
The manager rushed straight toward Youlang and stopped in front of him.
His entire body was trembling with fear, but gathering all his courage, he spoke in a shaky voice:
"Wh...Why have you captured all...these innocent people? Let them go... please! Your enemy is only us,.. not these innocent civilians... Release them!"
Hearing this, Youlang — who had been sitting comfortably on his chair — slowly stood up.
With a deep cunning smirk on his face, he looked at the manager and mocked him:
"Huh... why are you so worried.. about these ordinary people? But you're right, my grudge is only...against you people, not them..."
Youlang paused for a moment, scanning the atmosphere around him before continuing:
"Fine then... I'll let all of.. them go..."
Youlang completed his sentence with a deep poisonous smile on his face:
"But before that... inform the mall owner that.. some of his old 'friends' are here to meet him. Otherwise... what happens to all these..innocent people... even I can't.. say!"
Hearing this, the manager felt the ground slip beneath his feet.
Stammering helplessly, he replied:
"I..I know, but Boss has gone out of.. the city for work... and he's probably in an important meeting..right now. He can't be contacted at... the moment!"
Hearing the manager's excuse, Youlang — the leader of the gang — slowly raised an eyebrow with a dangerous calmness and said cunningly:
"So what are you..trying to say...? Should I turn this entire mall into a.. graveyard... huh?"
The very next second, Youlang's tone suddenly changed. His face twisted with rage as he roared at the top of his lungs:
"To hell with his stupid.. meeting! Call him here first,..got it?!"
Youlang's thunderous voice filled the entire mall with deadly silence.
Everyone's heartbeat seemed to stop, because now it was painfully clear — if the owner didn't come, rivers of blood would flow inside this place.
Grinding his teeth in anger, Youlang continued while glaring directly at the manager:
"Otherwise, today... right here and now, I'll bury all these people.. along with you!"
Youlang's threat sounded no less than a death sentence.
The mall manager was trembling badly. Shouting in fear, he repeated himself once again:
"I already told you... we can't contact Boss! And he won't be able to.. come here so quickly!"
Hearing the manager's desperate cries, the rest of the mall staff — who had been hiding in fear until now — slowly started coming out.
Terrified, they gathered behind their manager one by one.
At that moment, one of the Fashion Consultants gathered the courage to speak. Looking at Youlang firmly, she said:
"Manager is telling the..truth! We cannot contact Boss. Don't you understand.. something when it's said once? You can't behave..like this here!"
But that innocent girl had no idea what kind of fire she was playing with.
The moment Youlang heard her words, he exploded with rage. His face turned red with hatred and fury.
Without thinking twice, he slapped the manager across the face with full force.
"Chhhaaatttaaakkk!"
The sharp sound of the slap echoed throughout the entire mall, tearing through the deadly silence.
Every eye widened in horror, and an unbearable fear spread through the air.
Youlang's powerful slap struck the manager's face like a bolt of lightning
The manager trembled uncontrollably as blood slowly began to drip from the corner of his mouth.
Seeing the blood, the staff members and the rest of the hostages froze in fear.
Younshu, Fangxi, Alisha, Sheyaan, and Zavian — all of them were left stunned after witnessing such sudden violence.
But the Fashion Consultant girl couldn't stay silent anymore. Filled with anger and emotion, she shouted at Yang Lang:
"How dare you... hit the manager? I'm calling the police... right now!"
The girl quickly pulled out her phone and was about to make the call when Youlang lunged at her like a wild beast and snatched the phone from her hand.
The very next second, he smashed the phone onto the floor with full force.
The phone shattered into pieces, scattering across the ground. Fury filled the consultant's eyes as she yelled:
"How dare you... break my phone!"
But her defiance immediately backfired on her.
Without wasting even a second, Youlang grabbed her hair from behind with brutal force.
As soon as her hair was grabbed, a painful scream escaped the Fashion Consultant's mouth — "Aaahhh!"
Youlang spoke in a disgusting, rage-filled voice:
"How dare you try to.. call the police... huh? Looks like you...don't know who I am. You talk too much... now I'll have to shut your...mouth myself!"
The moment he finished speaking, Youlang brutally stomped on the girl's foot.
Another painful scream escaped her lips — "Aaaahhh!" — and she collapsed onto her knees from the pain.
Her whole body trembled helplessly.
Then Youlang signaled one of his gangsters. The man instantly understood what he meant.
He quickly stepped forward, pulled off the scarf around the Fashion Consultant's neck, and tightly wrapped it around her mouth.
Then he used the same scarf to tie her hands firmly together.
The poor girl couldn't even speak anymore because of the pain and helplessness. Tears silently streamed down her face.
Suddenly, Youlang shouted loudly while glaring at everyone around him:
"Go and collect.. everyone's phones... I don't want any... more trouble!"
The moment they heard their boss's order, the gangsters immediately moved forward and started taking phones from everyone sitting there.
Fangxi, Alisha, Sheyaan, Zavian and Younshu were forced to hand over their phones as well, and even the entire mall staff surrendered theirs.
Watching all this, Fangxi, Alisha, Younshu, Zavian, and Sheyaan burned with anger inside.
Zavian kept his furious eyes locked onto Youlang the entire time.
Grinding her teeth in anger, Alisha whispered:
"What a cruel monster... he didn't even spare.. a girl! If it were up to me, I would've taught.. him a lesson.. right now! And this disgusting man even snatched.. everyone's phones too!"
Alisha was still whispering angrily when suddenly Fangxi's patience finally snapped.
In a cold, flat voice, he glared at Youlang and said:
"Hey...! You can't raise your hand.. on innocent people..like this. This is wrong!"
Hearing Fangxi's words, Youlang — who was already consumed by rage — became even more furious.
Grinding his teeth, he stared at Fangxi with pure contempt and roared:
"Oh really...? So now you're going to teach me... what I should and.. shouldn't do... huh?"
Without wasting another second, Youlang gave a savage signal to his men and shouted:
"Beat this bastard.. up! Acting like some big hero... break all that arrogance.. out of him!"
The moment the order was given, Sheyaan, Younshu, and Alisha were completely shocked.
Right before their eyes, two gangsters rushed toward Fangxi with heavy guns in their hands.
Zavian's terrifying eyes locked onto Youlang, but before anyone could react,
the two gangsters slammed the back of their guns hard against Fangxi's back with full force.
"AAAAAAHHHH!"
A painful scream escaped Fangxi's mouth, echoing throughout the entire mall.
The impact made him bend forward in agony.
Seeing the horrifying scene, in front of her Sheyaan froze completely for a moment screaming loudly:
"FANGXI!"