Chapter 419 - 82: All Parties Take the Stage

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The violent explosions echoed through the city block.

Streams of Qi Flame bullets were blocked by the alloy broadsword, detonating into waves of concussive force.

Though Dong Xiao was a woman, her physique was powerful and well-toned. She wielded the broadsword in one hand like a spinning pinwheel, forming a heavy shield that blocked the attacks mid-air.

With a spinning leap, she deflected the full explosive power of the blasts—each comparable to a howitzer shell—and dissipated the residual shockwaves. Then, she bent her knees, launched herself forward, and shattered the ground beneath her as she looked to the sky.

"What impressive external projection of Qi Flame."

"Now try this."

Her tone was steady as she stared at the unfamiliar Exploration Level expert on the rooftop and swung her broadsword with sudden force.

SWOOSH!!

A blade of Qi shot out.

As an Exploration Level expert, she had naturally mastered advanced Qi Manipulation Skills. Projecting a blade of Qi was just one application of externally released Qi Flame.

In an instant, a crescent-shaped slash of white blade Qi tore through the air, heading straight for its target.

A lamppost in its path was sliced in two, and the whistling sound of tearing silk was deafening, its power seemingly unstoppable.

Seeing this, Lu Chao narrowed his eyes and flicked his fingers, knocking away the few Qi Flame bullets that were heading for Ink Green Rattan and Kui San.

His peripheral vision remained fixed on the rooftop across the street.

He saw the black-clad figure suddenly reach out, channel her Qi, and blast out several Qi Flame Palm Seals.

SWOOSH! SWOOSH! SWOOSH!

The Palm Seals flew from her hand, surprisingly vivid and exceptionally solid, shooting through the air like cannonballs.

The next instant, with a series of booms, shockwaves rolled out as dust and smoke billowed from the rooftop.

The figure had forcefully blocked the blade Qi attack and stood firmly in place.

From beneath the black mask, her eyes swept over Dong Xiao and then Lu Chao, as if hesitating or weighing her options.

Finally, with a decisive WHOOSH, she turned and leaped away, fleeing the scene.

"Leader Lu, leave her to me!"

Dong Xiao said seriously. With a push of her legs, the muscles under her tight combat suit tensed, and she shot up from the ground.

In the blink of an eye, the two Exploration Level experts were gone, one chasing the other as they leaped across the rooftops, moving farther and farther away. Blades of Qi and Qi Flame Palm Seals occasionally broke the sky, clashing in the distance.

Witnessing this, Lu Chao considered for a moment and decided to trust Dong Xiao’s words, not giving chase himself.

Ink Green Rattan and Kui San were both important live captives. At least one Superpower Level expert had to stay here just in case.

Besides, as he narrowed his eyes and watched the two figures disappear, he began to sense that something was off.

The Exploration Level expert from before was likely trying to silence Ink Green Rattan and Kui San permanently.

And whether it was the heads-up from Wei Cangming or Dong Xiao’s sudden appearance, it all pointed to one thing.

The City Lord’s Mansion had anticipated this.

In fact, they were likely the first to discover Ink Green Rattan’s whereabouts.

’Looks like this storm is more complicated than it seems,’ Lu Chao thought, finally understanding what Su Muqing had meant that day when she said she would see him again soon.

Perhaps even back then, she had predicted this would happen.

And the current situation was apparently not as simple as just wiping out warlord forces and Rebels.

"Leader."

While he was lost in thought, Gao Hu, Yang Heng, and the others finally came to their senses and approached to secure the scene.

"I’m fine."

Lu Chao shook his head, indicating he was uninjured, then ordered everyone to remain vigilant and set up a perimeter.

He didn’t plan on transporting the two captives just yet. There was no telling if another Superpower Level expert might appear to ambush them.

THUMP. THUMP. THUMP.

Soon, the City Guard Army either noticed the commotion or received a notification from the City Lord’s Mansion.

Two Superpower Level commanders arrived with their teams to help lock down the area.

For a time, the Superpower Bureau and the City Guard Army patrolled in tacit agreement. Armored vehicles even rolled in from the city gate, their machine guns and grenade launchers loaded, silently awaiting reinforcements.

...

"Three Superpower Level experts, two armored vehicles..."

Nearly a kilometer away, inside what looked like an ordinary concrete building, a blue detection light screen hovered in the room.

It was a feed hacked from the city’s road surveillance system, clearly showing Ink Green Rattan and the other captive under control.

Zhu Yue, dressed in red leather, watched with a grim expression. She soon saw more members of the City Guard Army and the Superpower Bureau rushing to the scene.

Her expression shifted, and she finally let out a helpless sigh.

"We can’t make a move now."

Whether it was a rescue or an assassination, it would be impossible to accomplish quickly.

Besides, she couldn’t be sure if the City Lord’s Mansion had other experts lying in wait, ready for them to walk right into a trap.

"Isn’t this for the best?"

Her companion, Black Owl, suddenly spoke from beneath his black robe, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "That old fox Tan Shanzhong has been trying to bet on both sides."

"This situation is actually good for us. The City Lord’s Mansion is clearly planning to make an example of the Tan family. After this, he’ll have no choice but to side with us completely."

Hearing this, Zhu Yue pondered for a moment.

Then, realization dawning, she nodded in agreement.

However...

"If that’s the case, we’ll probably have to move our base."

"So we move."

Black Owl snorted coldly and glanced at the young man in blue who had remained silent the entire time. His voice was like grinding metal. "The Hive District is a death trap anyway. There’s no escape route."

"Besides, the new base is already built, and the leader has sent plenty of people to meet us. Once we rendezvous, what can the Superpower Bureau even do?"

As he spoke, the detection light screen continued to display the scene at the distant city gate.

Wu Yuntao remained cold and detached, taking no part in their discussion. Instead, his eyes were fixed on the screen, watching Lu Chao chat casually with the City Guard Army commander.

’A perfected Thunder Sound Skill, the Dark Pearl Secret Skill he’d witnessed during the last ambush, and possibly even the Thunder Extreme Secret Skill...’ Wu Yuntao’s eyes flickered as he seemed to be contemplating something.

"You seem very interested in him."

Zhu Yue suddenly asked, her eyes narrowing as she looked at him, as if she had sensed his thoughts.

Wu Yuntao shot her a cold glance.

"Don’t you think he loves the spotlight?"

"Oh?"

Zhu Yue and Black Owl paused, then turned their gazes back to the detection light screen.

They naturally recognized the young man as the one who had killed Old Ghost Li. He was the variable that had caused their assassination mission to fail back then.

"What are you getting at?"

"He was supposed to die in Ring City."

The cryptic remark left Zhu Yue and Black Owl even more confused, but Wu Yuntao just gave a cold smile, as if he had figured everything out.

"Since he likes the spotlight so much,"

"Then..." His eyes turned frigid as he said mockingly, "I’ll let him have all the spotlight he can handle."

...

VMMMM!!

A dozen or so minutes later,

A silver-gray hovercraft slowly descended.

Just a few moments later, the cabin door opened, and several Superpower Level experts emerged with their teams, arriving at the city gate area.

"This is..."

Soon, they saw the two warlord commanders on the ground, heavily wounded, unconscious, and under temporary guard.

And then they saw Lu Chao, standing to the side, completely unharmed and breathing steadily.

Yao Jin and Xu Pingsong of the Special Investigation Team both wore expressions of astonishment, clearly shaken.

Although they had received the news on their way here, they hadn’t expected him to subdue the two so easily.

After all, capturing someone alive was far more difficult than killing them, especially when it was two experts at the Peak of Limit-Breaking working together.

"As expected of Leader Lu."

Sun Jiayuan and the others were filled with silent admiration. Ever since Lu Chao had saved them in the wilderness, they had complete faith in him, so this didn’t seem particularly surprising to them.

In contrast, while Special Commissioner Liu’s expression was as cold and unapproachable as ever, a flicker of surprise still crossed his eyes.

Li Xiyuan, walking beside him, had a shifting, unpleasant expression on his face.

"Leader Lu, how did you know their escape route?"

His tone carried a hint of accusation.

If he was the one to complete the mission, then what did that make his own earlier encirclement operation?

"For that, I have Leader Li to thank, of course."

Lu Chao’s tone was calm as he met his gaze with a smile.

Li Xiyuan was taken aback, mistaking this for a sign of weakness, and his expression began to soften.

But then,

"After all, if Leader Li hadn’t deliberately sent us away,"

"how would my Team Five have been able to catch them?"

A light breeze blew past as his nonchalant words fell on everyone’s ears.

Yao Jin and the others had fascinating expressions on their faces, while Li Xiyuan’s own expression shifted until it was dark and sullen.

"You..."

He was about to retort sharply.

The next instant, a SWOOSH echoed as a shockwave seemed to tear through the air, startling everyone.

The regular Superpower Members didn’t feel much.

However, the several Superpower Team leaders and Special Investigation Team commissioners present, including the two City Guard Army commanders, all looked up at the same time.

High in the azure sky, a streak of fire cut across the firmament like a flaming meteor.

It seemed to have come from beyond the planet, breaking through the atmosphere and drawing closer and closer to Earth Star.

"What is..."

Lu Chao narrowed his eyes, and beside him, Yao Jin and the others also had a change in expression.

By the time Sun Jiayuan, Gao Hu, and the others reacted and looked up,

the meteor’s fiery trail had already faded to the naked eye. It had become an indistinct black shadow streaking across the sky, leaving a long, thin wake in the firmament before vanishing from sight.

"That’s in the direction of Yao Capital."

Special Commissioner Liu, who rarely spoke, suddenly said.

This was the first time Lu Chao had ever heard him speak.

In an instant, everyone was shaken, their minds quietly filling with various speculations.

Lu Chao’s eyes flickered as a thought occurred to him.

’To be visible from such a great distance, the object must be enormous.’

’And it came from outer space, heading straight for Yao Capital, without being intercepted by any of the Alliance Country’s air defense systems.’

There was only one obvious conclusion.

’Are they retrieving a satellite, or is it...’

Lu Chao gazed up at the sky, as if he could see past the atmosphere into the starry cosmos beyond.

The group of people, their expressions varied, gradually fell silent.

...

「At the same time.」

In a magnificent manor in the main city district, within the City Lord’s Mansion.

A glass canopy slowly parted, revealing a passage for the rotating shifts of the City Lord’s Mansion’s Personal Guard security to land their hovercrafts.

Corridors, fountains, lawns... everything could be seen from the third floor of the main hall.

"We have a guest."

A lounge chair was placed on the balcony by the window. An old man with a full head of white hair reclined on it, dressed in a white, traditional martial arts robe and covered with a light-colored, fuzzy blanket.

His voice was somewhat weak, his eyes half-closed as he stared at the sky.

"Calculating the time, they’re a little earlier than last time."

"It seems the winds are about to change..."

He spoke for a while in that weak tone, with a single figure standing behind him.

Golden-blond hair, a formidable physique, and a virile face that exuded power—it was none other than the marshal of the City Guard Army, Su Tianyang, who was rumored to have long surpassed the peak of Transcendence Level.

He stood silently the entire time without speaking, his black eyes exceptionally deep, as if quietly savoring this moment of peace.

Finally, the reclining old man asked, "Have all the arrangements been made with the City Guard Army?"

Su Tianyang nodded lightly, pulling his gaze back from the sky. "Not just the City Guard Army."

"From the main city to the satellite cities, all the commanders, large and small, including the patrol teams, have been briefed."

The old man fell silent for a moment before nodding lightly.

"I’ll be leaving soon."

He looked up at him, staring at the face that bore a strong resemblance to his own in his youth. "They are all old retainers who have followed our Su family."

"When the time comes, do these things in my name."

"Mm."

Su Tianyang was silent for a moment, then nodded and pushed his chair back into the room.

The light from the chandelier inside was soft, and the old man’s eyes gradually grew clouded.

"This must be hard on you."

he said at last, as if seeing the exhaustion in his son’s eyes.

The atmosphere fell silent, with only the father and son looking at each other.

Finally, Su Tianyang tightened the blanket around him and gave a slight smile.

All emotion dissipated in that moment. He accepted the heavy weight on his shoulders and shook his head with a smile. "It can’t be helped."

"I am the older brother, after all."