The situation resolved itself with considerably less effort than anticipated.

The convoy's iron people and mutants reached the Sweet Orange Camp's gate to find a crowd pouring out to meet them. They didn't wait for pleasantries. Fast, decisive — they disarmed the crowd, put them on the ground, and pushed through the gate into the settlement. They stopped in front of the courtyard.

From the building's shadow behind them, footsteps. Someone coming around the wall.

Before anyone reached Shen Cong's position, a figure emerged from inside — the settlement's apparent leader, pushing Liu Qihang out with hands bound, a handgun pressed to Liu Qihang's temple. "Everyone stop. Move and they all die."

Behind him, others came forward. No firearms — just knives pressed to the necks of the other captured Mingfa Camp personnel.

"Weapons down," the leader called.

"Let's talk this through. Nobody needs to get hurt." The Mingfa Camp's iron person eased his tone.

While the standoff held, Shen Cong extended the small camera mounted in his helmet, swept it around the corner to assess the scene, and counted quietly.

One, two, three — everyone's accounted for. Liu Qihang and all his people. And not one evolved person among the captors — where do they find the confidence?

Camera retracted. He pulled throwing knives from the armor — a handful, slotted between his fingers. His eyes went flat and focused.

He moved.

At something approaching 0.01-second reaction speed, he launched from behind the building, arm already in motion.

One.

Two.

Three.

Four.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

At close range, every throw landed. Everyone holding a captive took a knife. Before the settlement's people could process what had happened, Shen Cong was already moving through them with the Ape King Long Blade.

It was brief and conclusive. Every person who had been restraining Liu Qihang's team was dead.

The rest of the settlement's survivors reacted several seconds too late. By the time they did, the Mingfa Camp's iron people and mutants were already on them — a controlled brawl that ended quickly with the settlement's population on the ground, subdued but…