Esoteric Buddhism: To live as king in America

"puff!"

A dull thud that made your teeth ache. The brick slammed solidly into the back of the thug's head, the force so great that it shattered.

Time seemed to freeze for a moment.

The thug's finger, poised to pull the trigger, froze abruptly, the madness in his eyes instantly replaced by utter emptiness. He collapsed, lifeless.

Carroll clutched the broken brick, his whole body trembling violently, his face drained of color, leaving only a deathly pale ashes.

She looked at her hands, which were covered in red and white stains, and gasped for breath as if she were about to suffocate.

She killed someone. She killed someone in a moment of impulse and a lapse in judgment.

This sudden turn of events brought the chaos inside the repair shop to a standstill. The remaining Nian gang members stared in astonishment at their fallen comrade at the door and at the dumbfounded Carol.

Mian also witnessed Carol's actions and couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

He was actually quite adept at it.

Last night, he slept naked to ensure his "divine armor" was in optimal condition. The low-powered pistols and various crude weapons in the hands of these gang members couldn't harm him in the slightest.

Ayn, on the other hand, was full of energy. Although she didn't seem physically strong enough to withstand bullets, her speed and agility were enough to allow her to move freely among these mortals.

The reason they fought "slowly" was simply because Mian was deliberately holding back, trying to subdue rather than kill these gang members—after all, they didn't deserve to die, at least not for him to carry out the execution right now.

Unexpectedly, the only fatal injury was caused by this poor woman who was accidentally caught up in the situation and whose original intention was to save him.

"Ain, finish this quickly!"

Mian gave a low shout, his tone tinged with helplessness. They couldn't delay any longer; they had to bring the situation under control as soon as possible.

"Yes, my lord!"

Ain's small body suddenly erupted with even more astonishing power and speed. The Silver Knight's aura was no longer restrained; his punches and kicks were like the wind, accurately striking the remaining thugs' joints, back of the neck, and other non-lethal vitals.

Mian also abandoned his previous strategy of disguising himself as an ordinary person. His tentacles, no longer concealed, were whipped out like whips, and in coordination with Ain's movements, they knocked down the thugs who tried to resist or escape, or disarmed them directly.

The sounds of ping-pong balls and screams quickly subsided. In less than a minute, apart from Mian, Ain, and Carol standing frozen at the door, there was no one left standing on the first floor of the repair shop. All the Nian gang members were lying on the ground groaning, unconscious, and incapacitated.

Mian strode to Carol's side, gently took her cold, stained wrist, and removed the half-brick from her hand, tossing it aside. His voice was as gentle as possible, yet firm:

"Miss Carol, look at me."

Carol's empty eyes struggled to focus on Mian's face, and tears finally burst forth.

"I...I killed him...I..."

"Listen, Carol,"

Mian interrupted her distraught soliloquy and looked her straight in the eye.

"You saved me. In that situation, you had no choice. Now, I need you to calm down. Take a deep breath."

His steady voice carried a strange, soothing power. Carroll subconsciously followed his lead, taking a few deep breaths. Her violent trembling subsided slightly, but the fear and confusion in her eyes remained intense.

"Stay here, don't move, and don't look at the ground."

Mian helped her to a relatively clean corner away from the corpse.

"Ain and I need to go upstairs to take care of some things. We'll be right back. Trust me, everything will be alright. Okay?"

Carol gripped the hem of the coat Mian had draped over her like a lifeline, nodded forcefully, and choked up, unable to speak.

Mian gave Ain a look, and the two of them, without further delay, quickly ran up the iron staircase leading to the second floor. The shrill "woman's" wails had now turned into intermittent sobs and moans, carrying a strange sense of satisfaction.

The second floor was a cluttered workshop, piled high with parts and tools. But it also seemed to house the leader's office.

The sound came from the office on the second floor. Mian gestured for Ain to be on guard, then stepped forward and kicked open the door.

The scene inside the room stunned both Mian and Ai Yin.

There was no woman who was tortured as expected.

There was only one shirtless, muscular, tattooed bald man and a very thin boy.

In terms of status, authority, and physical strength, the bald man seemed to far surpass the boy at this moment. But he was bound and covered in wounds.

Upon seeing Mian and Ain burst through the door, the bald man's "performance" came to an abrupt end.

Mian's lips twitched, and he instantly understood the source of that "stern female voice"—this guy had even taught himself voice imitation! There were no other women imprisoned in this building at all.

"Shut up! Put your pants on!"

Mian suppressed the urge to roll her eyes and shouted sharply. With a flick of her tentacle, she first knocked the boy unconscious, then threw a pair of pants from the ground at the bald man's face.

Seeing Mian display such divine power, the bald man's initial expression of shame and indignation froze instantly. While hurriedly pulling on his pants, he asked in a somewhat humble voice:

"May I ask what brings you two heroes here? Where are my men?"

"They've all gone to bed."

Mian said coldly, having no interest in wasting words with him.

"I'll ask you a question, you answer: the woman in the photo..."

He showed the old scarred neighbor's photo again.

"Have you seen her? Didn't she come looking for you, saying she wanted revenge and asked you to kill someone?"

The bald man looked at the photo carefully, a look of realization and a hint of disdain on his face.

"Oh, this crazy woman? I've seen her before! It happened three days ago! She burst in, disheveled, saying her son was eaten by a monster and she wanted us to help her kill a neighbor called 'Old Scar' to avenge him. She was willing to pay money and even... cough, she was willing to do anything."

Immediately afterward, he cursed, then spoke in an extremely ingratiating tone:

"I cursed her right then and there, 'You're crazy! I'm a protection collector, not a professional hitman! Besides, killing a neighbor? That would be too much of a commotion, the cops would come after me!' I slapped her and told her to get lost. As for where she went after that... I have no idea."

Three days ago!

Mian's pupils contracted sharply! A chill instantly shot up his spine and to the top of his head!

Carol clearly stated that she was forced by gang members last night and personally witnessed this woman appearing here! But Scarface Joey claims he chased this woman away three days ago! Was Carol also forced three days ago?!

The timing doesn't match! And it's a huge mismatch!

"Are you sure it was three days ago? Not yesterday?" Mian's voice suddenly turned cold and sharp.

"Absolutely true!"

The bald man was frightened by Mian's gaze and quickly swore an oath.

"It was just three days ago, I remember it clearly. That day, 'Snake Fang' and his gang had just brought back a little girl, ready to have some fun with her..."

At this point, the bald man noticed that Mian's expression had become somewhat hostile, and immediately stopped talking. However, Mian still wrapped his tentacles around his neck.

"Go on, tell me, what's that girl's name?"

"Have mercy, sir!"

The bald man said in utter panic:

"You know, I'm not interested in that kind of thing. So I only vaguely heard 'Snake Fang,' 'they called that girl—'"

"Carol".

Mian's heart sank. She used her tentacles to knock the bald man unconscious. Then, Mian rushed down the stairs and returned to the first floor.

However, the corner was empty.

Only Mian's slightly stained coat was carelessly discarded on the ground.

Brianna Carroll disappeared into the auto repair shop.