"Sorry, did I not make myself clear earlier? Please wait a little. The passage hasn't been dug open yet."
The tall, thin man who had stopped Ronin and Vanessa earlier naturally saw what Ronin was doing. When he saw Ronin come back up from underground, he even let out a mocking laugh.
So what if the guy was a Nen user?
Looking at Ronin and Vanessa's attitude, it was obvious they hadn't come with friendly intentions, but he didn't care at all.
If he dared stand here and keep everyone blocked outside, then of course he had confidence of his own.
But Ronin had no intention of wasting words on him.
The other party was a Nen user too, and he had mocked him earlier. Naturally, Ronin wasn't going to treat him politely.
As Ronin stepped forward, his fist was already driving solidly toward the man's abdomen.
Ronin's movement wasn't especially fast, but even so, the other man couldn't dodge at all. His tall, thin body curled up like a shrimp, looking as miserable as could be.
"You're too slow. I want to go in now."
Ronin's words made the entire sealed-off area fall silent.
Then someone walked out while clapping. He was the tall, thin man's companion.
"What should I call you, friend?" The man seemed quite composed. Unlike the tall, thin man, his build was more balanced and solid, though he wasn't tall—only around 1.6 meters.
Although he was asking Ronin, most of his attention was actually on Vanessa.
Or rather, on Vanessa's mercenary uniform. In particular, the emblem on her shoulder made his expression grow a little more serious.
Seeing that neither Ronin nor Vanessa had any intention of answering, he didn't feel awkward. He simply continued, "If you're here to help open the passage, then you're more than welcome. But if you're here to cause trouble, I, Brennan, am not afraid of anyone."
As he spoke, his aura surged, and he clearly prepared himself to face Ronin at any moment.
But that reaction only made Ronin excited.
He loved fighting people with decent combat strength. Not only could it sharpen his abilities, but it also let him enjoy himself in battle.
So in Ronin's eyes, Brennan's attitude only meant one thing:
Come on, hit me. Beat me, and you can go in. Otherwise, stay outside and wait like everyone else.
With that thought, Ronin's figure flashed, and he appeared directly in front of Brennan. His hand rose, striking toward the man's abdomen.
The same move again.
If Brennan still got sent flying by it, then he was pure trash. If he blocked it, Ronin could roughly judge his true strength.
Unfortunately, Brennan couldn't block it.
Just that simple punch sent his entire body flying backward.
By the time he hit the ground, blood was already hanging from the corner of his mouth. Ronin, meanwhile, continued walking forward with Vanessa.
After crushing two opponents in a row, Ronin and Vanessa gained an invisible but overwhelming momentum. Every time they took a few steps forward, the people guarding the area took a few steps back.
But soon, those people had nowhere left to retreat.
"Let them through." Brennan climbed up from the ground. He looked rather disheveled, and the look he gave Ronin and Vanessa was fierce on the outside but restrained underneath.
Ronin chuckled softly, though not at Brennan. He was laughing at the tall, thin man lying on the ground.
Although Brennan allowed Ronin and Vanessa through, he immediately followed close behind them. He wanted to see what exactly they planned to do.
There were only two of them. Even if they got through, so what? The passage still hadn't been cleared. They only had two choices: cooperate with his group, or open the passage themselves.
But the same problem remained. There were only two of them.
So what if the woman had the emblem of the Rock Mercenary Corps on her?
If Muherr had come with the whole squad, Brennan would have kept his distance. But if it was only one ordinary member, then he wasn't going to give them that much face.
If they really wanted to open it themselves, he would be happy to watch. He refused to believe two people could block the entrance and stop his people from entering the depths of the ruins.
Ronin naturally guessed what Brennan was thinking.
He simply didn't care.
He had no intention of working for someone else's benefit, so if he really had to open the passage himself, the method he used would naturally be Earth Release.
That way, even after he went in, the people outside would still have to dig out a passage of their own if they wanted to enter. That would give him enough time to explore.
After walking forward a short distance, they began hearing clinking and clanging sounds.
That was the sound of Brennan's exploration team trying to open the passage. At this point, they could even see batch after batch of earth and stone being transported out.
"Cooperation is the best way to explore." Brennan's voice came from behind them. "With your strength, I can naturally make some concessions."
Brennan believed he had already seen through Ronin's plan.
The point of showing off his strength was to gain the upper hand in negotiations.
He admitted it. The other man was strong.
Perhaps so strong that even if Brennan gathered his whole team, they still might not be able to defeat him head-on.
But so what?
There were many ways to kill in this world. In Brennan's view, direct confrontation was never the first choice.
Poisoning, assassination, even curses—methods like those were the most effective way to deal with powerful close-combat Nen users.
Ronin didn't answer him, but he did sense malicious intent from Brennan.
There was even killing intent mixed into that malice.
Maybe this guy really wasn't afraid of death.
With that thought, Ronin finally stopped, because the passage ahead was already buried in rubble.
The people working nearby were all ordinary people who had not learned Nen. The one who looked like a foreman, however, was wrapped in Ten.
The moment Brennan appeared, the foreman exchanged glances with him.
Ronin turned to look at Vanessa. "If I kill someone here, will it affect the mercenary corps' operation?"
Vanessa immediately understood what he meant. She shook her head. "No."
And the instant she gave that answer, Ronin's gaze met Brennan's.
Brennan's body suddenly stiffened, and his eyes lost focus.
A kunai shot from Ronin's hand, and to Vanessa's surprise, it pierced straight through the motionless Brennan.
The sudden turn of events stunned the foreman. Then he immediately retreated slightly to create distance, while the aura around him shifted from Ten to Ren, entering a fully guarded state.
Even now, he had no idea why Brennan hadn't dodged or defended against the attack.
The kunai hadn't been thrown especially fast. Based on what he knew of Brennan, Brennan absolutely should have been able to dodge it.
But the result was that the kunai had pierced straight through Brennan's heart.
Something was very wrong.
Ronin glanced at the foreman, but he had no intention of continuing to attack.
Since Brennan had dared release killing intent toward him, then he should have been prepared to be killed.
Besides, Ronin's move had also been partly meant to kill the chicken to scare the monkeys.
~~~
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