Deviant: No Longer Human

The sharp sound echoed through the air, causing the crowd outside to flinch.

Xinyue Zhilan, the guards, and the workers all turned their heads, glaring at the source of the noise.

Honk! Honk! Honk!

Wang Xiao smirked, watching as irritation spread across the faces of the people gathered in front of his villa.

The demolition crew exchanged glances, their brows furrowing in frustration, while the guards shifted uneasily, clearly unsure how to handle the situation.

"Hey! What\'s your problem?!" one of the workers shouted, waving his arms. "Stop honking!"

Another man, clearly fed up, shouted louder, "Who the hell do you think you are?! We\'ve got work to do!"

But Wang Xiao just sat there, completely ignoring their outbursts, his fingers tapping the horn in a slow, deliberate rhythm.

Honk... Honk...

The workers\' faces were turning red with anger, and even some of the guards looked ready to step in.

"I said, STOP HONKING!" a municipal officer yelled, his voice cracking from the strain.

Wang Xiao\'s smirk grew wider, his hand still resting on the horn.

His eyes flickered toward his mother, who stood nearby, her arms crossed and her brow raised.

She looked conflicted, though she made no move to stop him.

Then, without a word of warning, Wang Xiao floored the gas.

Vroooom!

The car surged forward, and the crowd in front of him scattered like startled birds.

Shouts erupted as workers and guards alike dove out of the way, barely avoiding the car as it barreled toward them.

"Wha—?!"

"Move! MOVE!"

Panicked voices rose in a frenzy as Wang Xiao drove straight through the gap they created, not even bothering to slow down. He caught sight of several workers staring at him in pure shock, their eyes wide, jaws hanging open.

The car skidded slightly as he turned into the driveway, the tires kicking up a cloud of dust. With a final screech, he parked the car directly in front of the villa, as if nothing had happened.

Silence fell over the yard.

For a long moment, no one moved.

The demolition crew stood frozen, their minds struggling to catch up with what had just happened.

The guards stared in disbelief, some of them blinking rapidly as if trying to process whether they had just witnessed what they thought they had.

Zhenxi, still seated beside him, let out a small giggle. "That was fun!" she exclaimed, completely unfazed by the chaos they had just caused.

Wang Xiao casually stepped out of the car, brushing the dust from his clothes as if nothing was amiss.

He glanced around at the stunned faces, his smile as easy as ever.

One of the municipal officers finally regained his composure, his voice shaking with anger. "What… what the hell was that?! You almost ran us over!"

Wang Xiao gave him a lazy glance. "I did run you over," he corrected, his tone calm but with a mocking edge. "You were just too slow to notice."

The man\'s face flushed red with fury, but before he could reply, Xinyue Zhilan stepped forward, her posture calm but commanding. "That\'s enough," she said coolly, her eyes sweeping over the group. "I suggest you explain yourselves before making any more noise on my property."

Wang Xiao raised an eyebrow, glancing at the armed soldiers stationed behind the demolition crew.

He crossed his arms behind, his gaze calm but sharp. "Doesn\'t seem like typical municipality work," he remarked, his voice carrying just the right amount of sarcasm.

Before anyone could answer, the captain of the armed squadron stepped forward, his yellow hair slightly disheveled but his posture rigid, radiating a certain authority.

He wore a dark green military uniform, but unlike the others, he wasn\'t armed.

His aura, however, suggested he didn\'t need a weapon.

There was something in his stance—a faint presence of martial powers—that explained his confidence.

"If it weren\'t for unruly people like you," the captain began, his voice laced with disdain, "we wouldn\'t need to get involved. This house is built illegally. So scram and let us do our work."

Wang Xiao turned to face him fully, his eyes narrowing.

The captain was certainly brimming with confidence, but Wang Xiao couldn\'t help but feel amused. \'Of all the houses they could\'ve chosen to mess with, they had to pick this one.\'

"Illegally built, you say?" Wang Xiao\'s tone was light, almost teasing, but there was a sharp warning beneath it.

His mind briefly flickered with thoughts.

If something was going to be demolished today, it certainly wasn\'t going to be his house. \'Perhaps the Ministry of Urban Development, instead,\' he laughed internally thinking about sending a message to the powers above Qing Dynasty.

The captain\'s confidence wasn\'t misplaced—he had the bearing of someone who had climbed the ranks, likely through martial powers.

He was probably one of those who felt that power could bend anyone\'s will.

But he forget there are mountains above mountains, a heaven above heavens.

Just as the situation was escalating, the demolition officer—visibly sweating—received a call on his phone.

His expression shifted dramatically the moment he answered.

He turned away, listening intently as his face grew pale.

A moment later, the officer turned back to his team, his voice shaky but loud enough for all to hear. "Pull back. We\'ve got the wrong house."

There was a sudden flurry of movement as the workers hurriedly began pulling away the excavators and other demolition equipment.

It was as if they couldn\'t leave fast enough, each one avoiding eye contact as they packed up.

The captain\'s smug expression vanished instantly, replaced with confusion and frustration. "What do you mean, wrong house?" he demanded, his voice filled with disbelief. "We\'ve been ordered by garrison—"

"I said pull back," the officer repeated, more firmly this time. He glanced toward the captain, his eyes silently pleading for him to drop it. "It was… a misunderstanding."

Wang Xiao stood by the villa, eyes narrowing in mild confusion as the demolition crew and armed forces hurriedly pulled away.

\'What just happened?\' He had been seconds away from erasing their existence, but now they were scurrying off like frightened ants.

\'Well, no rush,\' he thought darkly. \'I\'ll let them get home, light some incense, maybe pray to Buddha—before I send their souls off as a sacrifice to myself.\'

Behind him, Wang Xueying and Xinyue Zhilan watched his back, their expressions shifting from shock to something closer to awe.

The weight of his presence—his aura—was incomparably vast for someone his age.

The realization struck them both: the importance of a man like him in the household.

Wang Xueying swallowed, \'This isn\'t just my nineteen-year-old brother… He\'s something else.\'

Even Wang Mei, who usually maintained her composure, felt a wave of worry creep in.

Not for Wang Xiao, but for the killings he might unleash.

\'Is he really going to start a war?\' She clenched her fists, only to quickly remind herself.

\'If he wanted to erase the Qing Dynasty, he would\'ve done it already.\' Nations, to him, were nothing more than temporary markers on a map.

They rose and fell like the tides, and it was only mortals who clung so desperately to emperors and borders.

Click!

The sound of the car door opening jolted everyone from their thoughts.

Zhenxi stepped out, her tiny form drawing all eyes. Wang Xiao turned his head, along with the rest of the family, who collectively froze.

"Is that… a panda?" Xinyue Zhilan whispered, her brow furrowing in disbelief.

Wang Xueying and Wang Mei exchanged bewildered glances.

Behind Zhenxi, the two dragon cubs, Lanmei and Baixue, hovered playfully, but now there was something new—a small, round panda cub clutched in her arms, its black-and-white fur making it look almost out of place.

"She\'s forming her own zoo..." Wang Mei whispered under her breath.