Chapter 146: Defeated in One Strike

Lin Mu felt a bit surprised. Apton’s strength was slowly increasing.

At first, it did not seem obvious, but after about ten minutes of fighting, Apton’s strength had increased by at least thirty percent.

This was because Lin Mu’s power was originally much higher than Apton’s, so he was able to continuously adjust his own strength to match.

“Hahaha! This is great! I’ve never used this move I created in a real fight before. Today, I’ll test it on you!”

Apton laughed wildly, and the energy inside his body suddenly surged.

Lin Mu also felt excited. It seemed his opponent was finally going to use his superpower. He wondered what kind of superpower it was. From the look on Apton’s face, he seemed very confident.

With the help of energy, Apton’s physical strength instantly increased by another thirty percent, and his speed became even faster. But that was not the main point; what amazed Lin Mu was his superpower.

It turned out to be an ability to freely twist his body’s bones. The bones in a human body are connected by joints, but the directions of the joints are limited, so ordinary people cannot twist their arms behind their backs.

Because of this joint characteristic, the military commonly practices a fighting technique called joint lock, which targets various joints in the human body. The training focuses on counter-directional holds, emphasizing efficiency in subduing the enemy with one move.

But this Apton completely broke this common sense. Every joint in his body could twist freely in all directions, without affecting the movement and strength of his muscles at all.

If it were just for performance, it would amaze the audience and seem incredible. But for a martial arts expert like him, having such an ability was like adding wings to a tiger.

Even an expert like Lin Mu, caught off guard, was hit several times. Fortunately, he instantly activated his Zhenqi and accurately blocked the force of those punches. Otherwise, relying only on his physical strength, he would have suffered some minor injuries.

Because Apton’s joints could twist, his attack directions became completely unpredictable. It was impossible to guess where his next strike would come from. This superpower, combined with his fighting skills, was almost like a divine technique.

Even Lin Mu had to admit it: Apton’s strength had surpassed that of the Subtlety Realm experts in the Dragon Protection Corps. Aside from Ding Han and Jiang Chu, who could overpower him, the others had less than a thirty percent chance of winning against him.

“That is a very unique superpower. You’ve combined this ability with fighting very well. In terms of pure fighting skill, you’ve almost reached the peak.”

Lin Mu chuckled softly and praised him a few times. Without using Zhenqi, it would take him a lot of effort to deal with this Apton. But today, he was here to get things done, not to spar, so he did not plan to delay any longer.

Having tested the limits of Apton’s strength, Lin Mu focused his mind, and abundant Zhenqi immediately spread throughout his body. He pushed out a simple, unadorned palm strike, completely ignoring Apton’s attack, and aimed directly at his chest.

Apton’s face darkened, and he stopped his wild laughter. His muscles bulged suddenly, and his fists twisted strangely as they moved to block Lin Mu’s incoming palm.

The moment they made contact, his expression changed drastically. An unstoppable, immense force came from that seemingly light palm. Even though he used all his strength, he could not stop the palm’s momentum. His feet immediately moved, trying to dodge the strike.

He was not someone with strong muscles but a simple mind. When his strength was insufficient, he naturally chose to retreat.

But Lin Mu did not intend to let him dodge so easily. With a slight release of palm force, a faint Dragon’s Roar sound was heard. Even in the gym, with the echoing sounds of air explosions, it was clearly audible.

With just this one palm strike, Apton was sent flying through the air and slammed hard into the bag hanging from the ceiling. The huge impact force only caused the bag to sway slightly. Thanks to the bag, Apton was stopped and did not fly farther.

With a thud, he knelt on one knee. The violent shaking of his internal organs made him spit out a small mouthful of blood.

“You!”

Apton looked at Lin Mu with shock and anger, as if he could not believe that this opponent, who had been evenly matched with him just moments before, had so easily defeated him with one palm strike. Thinking about how the other had been toying with him like a cat playing with a mouse for so long, his face shifted between dark and uncertain.

“Your strength is quite good, but compared to me, you’re still a bit lacking. With that palm strike just now, I’ve damaged your internal organs. Without a unique treatment method, within seven days, your organs will rupture and you’ll die.”

Lin Mu chuckled lightly, as if talking about something very simple.

Hearing this, Apton was both shocked and angry. He had not expected his opponent to be so powerful. Just as he lowered his head to think about what to do, a faint palm print on his chest caught his attention.

“What is this?”

He abruptly raised his head and looked at Lin Mu in fear as he asked.

“When this palm print becomes clear, it means there’s no saving you.”

Lin Mu shrugged and smiled faintly.

“What exactly do you want? Tell me!”

After thinking for a while with his head lowered, Apton stood up and spoke. In just this short time, he had already calmed down. He was truly a martial arts fanatic who could endure loneliness alone; his mindset was very firm.

“My request is simple, the same as Bolonck’s. You just need to sign and issue the approval documents for the Haoyu Financial Group. We have no other excessive demands. This is something you should have done anyway.”

Lin Mu nodded. The other was very cooperative, which saved him a lot of trouble.

“Just this small request?”

Apton looked at Lin Mu skeptically as he asked.

“Of course, the Luo Family are honest businesspeople. They won’t make any excessive demands.”

Lin Mu smiled slightly.

“Alright, follow me.”

After saying that, Apton walked out of the gym. Lin Mu did not follow immediately. Instead, he curiously walked over to the bag hanging from the ceiling and gently patted it.

The bag was not big, but its weight was astonishing. It was extremely hard, yet not as rigid as steel. It had a slightly flowing characteristic and could absorb the force of punches very well.

Unable to figure out what was inside, Lin Mu placed his right hand on the bag. With a release of Zhenqi from his fingertips, he immediately cut a thin slit in the bag. Gently patting the slit, some gray-black powdery substance drifted out.

He caught some in his palm and rubbed it lightly between his fingers. He immediately understood what it was.

It was lead powder. This Apton had ground heavy metal lead into fine powder and filled the bag with it. Lead itself is very dense, and powdery substances have fluidity. Filling the bag with lead powder could more effectively train his punching power.

“That’s a pretty clever idea.”

Lin Mu shook his head with a smile, patted the lead powder off his hands, and turned to leave the gym.

The approval process went smoothly. Apton did not try any tricks, since his life was in someone else’s hands. Trying anything funny at this point would be asking for death.

After checking and finding no issues, Lin Mu took a piece of paper and wrote down the names of a few medicinal herbs.

“Grind these herbs and apply them to your chest three times a day. After applying, rub gently for ten minutes. After three days, the palm print will disappear. Given your strength, I think getting these herbs shouldn’t be difficult for you.”

After explaining, Lin Mu turned and left the villa with the approval documents. In a short while, he disappeared without a trace.

Looking at the palm print left on his chest, Apton’s eyes flashed with an extremely gloomy expression. He picked up the phone on the table, dialed a number, and then recounted everything that had just happened in detail.

Lawrence, who had rushed back to Washington overnight, was quietly recovering from his injuries in a dark room. Beside him was a machine with a faintly glowing light. Just then, the mobile phone nearby suddenly rang.

“Lawrence, there’s a problem here.”

As soon as he answered, a low voice came from the other end.

“What problem?”

Lawrence asked calmly.

“After your raid last night, three key public officials in New York were forced by someone today. They signed and issued all those pending approvals for the Luo Family!”

The voice on the phone sounded angry.

“Three people? Which three?”

Lawrence was slightly stunned, then immediately asked.

“Boris, Apton, and Bolonck.”

Hearing the three names from the phone, Lawrence thought for a moment, and his expression changed slightly. These people were the final decision-makers for the Luo Family’s approval documents. Once they signed the papers, it meant the Luo Family could immediately start moving their assets!

“How did this happen? Do you know who did it?”

Lawrence pressed.

“It was a unfamiliar young man. We haven’t found out his background yet, but he was definitely sent by the Luo Family. That’s for sure.”

The voice on the phone quickly said, “This mission failed, and the higher-ups are very angry. It’s unlikely we can mobilize the Supernatural Ability Group now; that requires too much paperwork. For the next actions, you’ll have to figure it out yourself!”

“Don’t you know they sent the Dragon Protection Corps? If I go alone, I’ll suffer greatly!”

Lawrence’s eyes changed. The faint light from the machine next to him shone on his face, making him look somewhat sinister and terrifying.

“Hmph! Figure that out yourself. We must obtain that research result from the Luo Family. Although this operation was reported to Congress, they don’t know our true purpose. If they find out, do you think there would be any left for us?”

After a few words, the phone immediately went dead. Clearly, the other end had hung up.

“Damn it! You hide behind the scenes and reap the benefits, but you want me to risk my life? Dream on!”

A fierce glint flashed in his eyes. Black mist instantly surged from Lawrence’s hand, and a perfectly good mobile phone strangely softened in the blink of an eye, turning into a mud-like substance. He then threw it aside.