Chapter 395 - 69: The Return of the Celestial Hunter, the Dark Web is Shaken

In a lake of volcanic magma, someone sat cross-legged atop a stone pillar, steam rising from their body. Upon hearing the news, they merely grunted in acknowledgment, their expression unchanging.

Deep in the wilderness, a figure in alloy battle armor stood beside the mountain-like corpse of a Beast King, a massive axe in hand. They grinned while reading a post on the Dark Web and sent a message.

[Celestial Hunter? I’d love to have a go at him. Let’s see who can hunt more Beast Kings.]

As soon as the comment appeared, the discussion forums on the Dark Web fell silent for a moment.

The name "War Axe" caught everyone’s eye. Awe filled many of their gazes as they suppressed the urge to retort.

"War Axe. A Blood Dragon-level assassin from the Blood Alliance, equivalent to Deep Sea’s [Whale]-level. He’s ranked seventh on the Dark Web."

Inside his apartment in the Superpower Bureau building, Lu Chao closed the door and drew the curtains. He looked at the holographic screen projected by the communicator in his hand, a flicker of surprise in his eyes.

Although he had anticipated some of this, he never expected that assassinating Tan Yue and completing the mission would cause such a stir on the Dark Web.

As soon as he left the scene, he had navigated the back alleys, using the effects of [Tough Body] to disguise himself multiple times, changing his appearance and physique before swapping clothes at a pre-arranged stash spot.

Furthermore, with the help of the Life Sensing from [Hunter], he evaded the pursuers’ encirclement and successfully broke through the joint blockade set up by the Jinggang Chamber of Commerce and the City Lord’s Mansion patrol.

All in all, it had only taken him half an hour from the moment he killed Tan Yue to his return to the apartment.

For a normal person, that was barely enough time for a meal. Yet, in that short period, the Dark Web had already exploded, and countless people had learned of the incident.

’The Tan family will probably find out what happened and assume it was the work of Celestial Hunter.’

’That way, they’ll never suspect me.’

Lu Chao thought to himself, considering the assassination to be nearly perfect.

He had achieved his initial revenge, reaped numerous benefits, and successfully thrown off suspicion, freeing him from any future repercussions.

Thinking of this, he pulled up his account information.

[Balance: 10,000,000 Alliance Coins]

[Points: 30,000]

"Not bad."

Lu Chao nodded in satisfaction, a slight smile on his face.

The Dark Web was certainly efficient.

He suspected his high clearance as Celestial Hunter might have played a role.

After he took a picture of the scene—deliberately leaving Tan Yue’s body intact as proof of death—and reported the mission’s completion, the Dark Web approved it in less than ten minutes. The contract was closed, and the corresponding payment was deposited into his account.

’According to my account clearance, I can buy one portion of energy mineral essence or similar items for just one million Alliance Coins and 10,000 points.’

’If I were to buy firearms or other weapons, the prices would vary by type. And while there are many discounts, they still require a certain number of points in addition to Alliance Coins.’

His mind raced as Lu Chao did a quick calculation.

His current points would allow him to purchase three portions of energy mineral essence or Essence of Qi, and he would still have seven million Alliance Coins left over.

However.

’These resources from the Dark Web can only be picked up at a Dark Web branch in the black market. The points and Alliance Coins are deducted on-site to complete the transaction.’

Frowning slightly, Lu Chao walked to the window and looked outside.

Several patrol squad hover-cars zipped through the streets. Dozens, even hundreds, of drones fanned out silently like hawks, coordinating with ground teams to search for suspicious individuals.

Killing Tan Yue had caused quite a commotion.

The Tan family would definitely be keeping a close eye on the black market afterward, waiting to see if this "Celestial Hunter" would show his face.

In other words.

’Looks like I’ll have to wait for the heat to die down before I can go to the black market and buy these resources.’

Lu Chao considered this for a moment but wasn’t disappointed.

This was just another channel for acquiring resources; cashing in would simply require some patience.

He estimated he could give it a try in ten days to a month at most.

With that in mind, Lu Chao stopped dwelling on it.

Instead, he turned his attention back to the virtual screen projected by his communicator and opened his account inbox, where a notification for an unread message had appeared.

It wasn’t another message left by Robert.

Instead, it was a private message from a friend on his account.

[Grey Feather: You there?]

...

WHOOSH!!

A blast of air hummed as a dark gray hover-car gradually slowed, approaching a skyscraper within the city circle.

The glass building was nearly a hundred meters tall. A shimmering sign for the "Platinum Hotel" floated above its roof, causing many people on the street below to stop and stare.

The rooftop terrace had been specially reinforced and was quite spacious. A glass canopy covering the building slowly retracted, revealing a landing passage.

Figures in sharp suits—security personnel—stood guard nearby, watching as the hover-car descended and landed smoothly on the terrace.

PSSHT-KLAK!

With a crisp sound, the docked hover-car’s cabin door opened.

Several experts of at least the Exploration Level emerged, both men and women.

Most wore special combat suits, carrying alloy combat blades and large-caliber cannons on their shoulders. Fluorescent patterns on one person’s suit glowed with energy, disrupting the surrounding magnetic field. Another had their Qi Flame completely contained, yet the residual killing intent clinging to them still drifted on the wind.

The dozen or so security guards on duty swallowed nervously at the sight, waiting to the side with expressions of reverence.

They could see alloy cases inside the cabin, filled with enormous, blood-stained scales and gleaming claws. The lingering Beast King Level aura was terrifying.

And yet.

Amid these gazes, a woman with short, gray hair and a calm expression stepped out of the vehicle. The experts, all at least Exploration Level, immediately parted to form a path for her.

"Director!"

The reception security team all addressed her respectfully. Even their leader, a Superpower Level expert, bowed his head slightly to show his loyalty and admiration.

"Mm."

The gray-haired woman known as the Director nodded lightly, gesturing for the others to disperse.

Many of them had a good idea what was on her mind, recalling the explosive news that had rocked the Dark Web today.

Both the reception security and the powerful experts who had been hunting the Beast King with her exchanged glances, suppressed their curiosity, and tactfully withdrew.

A few moments later, the soft sound of footsteps faded into the distance.

The rooftop fell silent, stirred only by a gentle breeze.

Only then did the gray-haired woman turn to the trusted assistant who had remained and ask,

"What did you find?"

"The signal was very weak and only active for a short time. The hackers at headquarters could only get a vague location, somewhere inside the Red Maple City Circle."

The assistant, a middle-aged woman in a suit and pencil skirt, reported excitedly.

The gray-haired woman’s expression remained unchanged upon hearing this.

’The mission didn’t end that long ago. He must still be in Red Maple Shelter City.’

However...

"Next time he comes online, inform me immediately."

"Yes, ma’am."

The middle-aged assistant nodded quickly, making a mental note.

"Also..."

A complex emotion flickered in her eyes.

The gray-haired woman looked up at the sky, her voice filled with a sense of reminiscence and fondness. "Tell the heads of all Dark Web branches."

"Whatever he needs, satisfy his requests as much as possible."

...

「One day later.」

CLICK!

The door clicked shut as Lu Chao stepped out of the apartment building.

The screen on his watch gradually faded. He had suppressed his curiosity several times, resisting the impulse to log into the Dark Web.

This included the message from Grey Feather. After much thought, he had chosen to ignore it and not reply.

’Robert left Earth Star over thirty years ago. Since this person was a friend he knew on the Dark Web, they could be an old monster from that era. They’re probably at the Transcendence Level at the very least.’

Lu Chao’s eyes flickered with vigilance.

After so much time, there was no way to guarantee whether their intentions were good or malicious.

To be safe, he decided to ignore the message for now to avoid attracting unnecessary danger.

’I’ll have to keep a low profile for a while and avoid acting as Celestial Hunter.’

The commotion on the Dark Web had put Lu Chao on high alert.

Many high-ranking assassins were especially eager for a challenge, wanting to compete with him over assassination records to prove that the so-called "Celestial Hunter" was behind the times.

Thinking of this, Lu Chao shook his head.

He forced himself to push aside these distracting thoughts.

He headed straight for the Superpower Bureau’s main building. He wanted to see if anyone suspected him.