Chapter 422 - 84: The Decisive Battle is Imminent

BEEP! BEEP!

Horns blared on the road as people bustled along both sides of the street.

The reflection of a figure in a gray hoodie appeared on the coffee shop’s window. He wore a baseball cap and carried a black briefcase, walking at a slow pace.

"Penelope..."

Glancing at his watch, Lu Chao pulled his cap down slightly and walked past the coffee shop.

An Exploration Level expert was willing to pay any price just to find out about the old era.

He was naturally a little curious.

He immediately logged onto the Dark Web and ran a search.

He quickly found her relevant information.

She was also a Deep Sea Mad Shark Level assassin, just as she had claimed.

However, she had completed relatively few commissions, so she wasn’t ranked in the top 100.

Furthermore...

’A citizen of the old-era Murry Country. Both parents were Moray Country agents.’

’Oh?’

Lu Chao’s eyebrow twitched as he read that line of data.

’So that’s how it is.’

Moray Country was one of over a hundred nations in the old era, but its territory was extremely small.

Later, at the dawn of the wasteland apocalypse, it was caught in the global nuclear war and annihilated overnight. Its entire territory was turned into a barren wasteland.

He roughly understood why she was so intent on asking about this matter.

’Unfortunately, I’m not a Celestial Hunter.’

Lu Chao shook his head to himself.

The world war was the beginning of Earth Star’s wasteland apocalypse. The establishment of the Alliance Country, the various major base organizations, and the warlord factions all originated from it.

Nearly a hundred years had passed since then, and all sorts of rumors about that history were flying around.

Some said an arms race led to a hot war; others claimed it was triggered by some kind of threat from the stars.

Thinking of this, Lu Chao didn’t dwell on it. He simply shut off the screen on his watch, lowered his arm, and silently melted back into the crowd.

He figured, ’Perhaps only those seven Starry Sky Heroes know the truth.’

...

「A few days later.」

Using channels on the Dark Web and in the Hunter Guild, Lu Chao managed to gather most of the purification materials for the Magic Blood Crystal.

Except for one thing.

’I’m still missing one portion of Ming and Qing Spring Water.’

A flicker in his eyes revealed a hint of resignation.

He had planned to purify the Blood Crystal and consume it, but it looked like he would have to wait a while longer.

He wasn’t too disappointed, though.

He changed into the blue standard-issue uniform of a Superpower Team Leader and walked out of his apartment building.

When one door closes, another opens.

Almost a week had passed since the operation, and during that time, he had been on duty for several small and medium-sized emergency missions.

But today, he finally received a message from Li Junyi.

The reward for capturing Ink Green Rattan and her accomplice was ready.

Based on past experiences, the reward was unlikely to be a disappointment. Perhaps it would be enough to gather everything he needed to break through to the Exploration Level.

Instantly, to the sound of his own footsteps, Lu Chao’s eyes brightened as he crossed the street and walked straight into the Superpower Bureau building.

The hot July sun streamed in through the glass windows, casting light on the bright gray floor tiles.

Teams of armed personnel, carrying live ammunition, moved back and forth constantly.

Most wore stern expressions as black SUVs roared past, their engines thundering.

"Where’s Team Three headed?"

"Do you even have to ask? They’re obviously dealing with the Rebels. Those guys have been acting like they have a death wish, launching attacks everywhere..."

"Alright, stop chatting with him. Let’s go. The team leader just sent word. We need to head to Ninth Street. There’s trouble over there, probably the Rebels again."

Lu Chao heard these snippets of conversation in the first-floor lobby, but his expression remained unchanged. He wasn’t surprised.

Ever since Ink Green Rattan was captured alive, the Rebels had become more active.

Most of the emergency missions he’d been on recently stemmed from this, and their frequency was much higher than before, which felt unnervingly abnormal.

Several squads from Team Five were also busy with this matter, rotating in to provide support everywhere.

The thought passed through his mind, but he didn’t dwell on it. Instead, he took the elevator to the branch director’s office on the seventh floor.

CLICK.

The office door opened just then.

Li Xiyuan, dressed in a Deputy Director’s standard-issue uniform, walked out, heading right toward him.

The man’s face was cold and tinged with dissatisfaction. He shot Lu Chao a sidelong glance, clearly still stewing over the fact that Lu Chao had stolen the credit for capturing Ink Green Rattan.

Lu Chao ignored him and brushed past.

But of course,

"You won’t be so lucky on the next mission."

Li Xiyuan said deliberately, without turning his head.

Lu Chao frowned, hearing the unspoken meaning in his words.

’Is the Bureau planning another operation?’

Mulling it over, he knocked on the door. He was quickly given permission to enter and walked into the office.

Li Junyi was sitting in the sofa area. Having just seen Li Xiyuan out, there were still two cups of hot tea on the coffee table.

"Leader Lu? Come in."

He stood up and walked over to his desk.

Without any unnecessary chatter, the man pulled a red, hardcover folder from his drawer.

Lu Chao took it and quickly saw the stamp of the Yao City Committee, along with the corresponding approval.

"Fifty thousand contribution points, eight million Alliance Coins, hmm..."

"Wait, there’s also a voucher for one free exchange of Advanced Superpower Knowledge?"

His gaze sharpened as he focused on the contents.

The first two rewards were more or less what he had expected.

But this Advanced Superpower Knowledge that came after?

He couldn’t help but think of the last piece he was missing: the Superpower Potion knowledge related to Biological Alchemists, which fell under the [Biological Evolution] branch.

This would save him at least thirty thousand contribution points.

"This is..."

Lu Chao was surprised and quickly looked at Li Junyi.

This reward was so generous that it far exceeded his expectations.

"There’s no need to be surprised."

"Because..."

Shaking his head, he chuckled softly. "This was Mr. Ji’s request."

Lu Chao was taken aback for a moment.

’Mr. Ji?’

He thought of the descendant of the Starry Sky Hero—the slender man in the black Pery uniform, whose calm expression gave off an air of integrity.

"After Mr. Ji heard our report, he was very satisfied with your cultivation progress."

"So he specifically insisted that the Alliance Country needs superpower geniuses like you and requested an additional reward."

Li Junyi explained with a smile, then sat back down in the sofa area and motioned for Lu Chao to join him.

Only then did Lu Chao understand.

’So that’s why.’

In their previous meetings, he had sensed that this hero’s descendant possessed a spirit and breadth of vision far beyond that of an ordinary person.

Especially when it came to talented juniors, he was never stingy with his support and guidance.

"Is Mr. Ji still in Yao Capital?"

Lu Chao asked, silently committing the man’s kindness to memory as he walked over to the sofa and sat down.

But unexpectedly,

"No."

Li Junyi shook his head gently, his expression turning serious. "Mr. Ji is currently in the East Sea region."

’Oh?’ Lu Chao was surprised.

"The East Sea?"

"Yes."

Li Junyi nodded and brewed two more cups of hot tea. "The tsunami storms along the southeastern coast came on too suddenly. Many Sea Beast Kings have been lingering near the coast, refusing to retreat for a long time."

"Now that the storms have finally weakened, many people want to investigate the cause."

Hearing this, Lu Chao’s gaze hardened.

He recalled that the Beast Tides around the city circle had recently begun to recede, and the source of it all was the southeastern coast.

’Could it be that the tsunami storms there weren’t natural phenomena?’

He was both puzzled and curious.

As he pondered, Li Junyi handed him a teacup and lowered his voice. "Speaking of which, compared to that matter... The reason I asked you to come today, Leader Lu, is that there’s actually something else I need to tell you."

Lu Chao paused, making a gesture of listening intently.

"The situation has changed."

Li Junyi took a sip of tea and looked out the window at the sky, as if gazing in the direction of Yao Capital.

His tone grew low and gradually more serious as he reminded him, "The Special Investigation Team has extracted a lot of intelligence from Ink Green Rattan."

"Before long, it may be time for the final battle."

...

「Over ten minutes later.」

A glint in his eye, Lu Chao walked out of Li Junyi’s office.

’The final battle...’

He finally understood the meaning behind Li Xiyuan’s earlier provocation.

The intelligence interrogated from Ink Green Rattan was critical. It had nearly pinpointed the general location of the Reconqueror Branch base.

One week, at most.

Everything would be confirmed.

When that time came, the Superpower Bureau and the Special Investigation Team would make their move.

All of the Superpower Team Leaders, including him, would be on standby, ready for the final battle at a moment’s notice.

"Wu Yuntao."

The name surfaced in his mind, and Lu Chao’s eyes grew cold.

Although the news was a bit sudden and indicated that the Rebels wouldn’t go down without a fight—that other Law Enforcement Officers might rush in to interfere—he felt no particular worry or nervousness. Instead, a flicker of anticipation rose within him.

Whether it was the grudge from the boxing gym or the fact that Wu Yuntao had nearly sabotaged him after he left the orphanage... ...it was all about to end.

With this in mind, Lu Chao walked slowly out of the Superpower Bureau building.

The neighborhood neon lights still shone brightly, and the sounds of advertisements constantly blared from holographic projections.

News about the Tan family still being suppressed by the City Lord’s Mansion and the Jinggang Chamber of Commerce being placed under temporary control appeared from time to time.

His eyes took it all in.

His steps were steady, and his heart was exceptionally calm.

’One week.’

’It should be enough time for me to break through to the Exploration Level.’

...

"Hurry, hurry, hurry!"

"Move it! Get a move on!"

Fluorescent lights illuminated the corridor of an underground base bustling with moving figures.

Rebel combatants in black and gray combat uniforms patrolled on high alert, while numerous logistics personnel carried supplies or dismantled equipment, packing it into metal cases designed for precision instruments.

The ceaseless THUMP-THUMP-THUMP of footsteps echoed as the man in the lead barked orders, urging everyone to speed up.

Witnessing this scene from the conference room at the end of the hall, Legos sighed with emotion. "I never thought we’d actually have to relocate."

It took years of infiltration to finally build an underground base of this scale.

Now, aside from a few outer positions being maintained as a Blinding Skill to cover the main force’s retreat, everything else was being completely abandoned.

"A temporary relocation is just a way to ensure a better return."

Zhu Yue, dressed in a red leather jacket, said flatly, her expression unruffled.

Legos fell silent for a moment upon hearing this, then shook his head slightly and asked, "There’s no way the Superpower Bureau hasn’t guessed our moves."

"Are you really sure we won’t be ambushed on our way out?"

"The Tan family will cover for us." Zhu Yue glanced at him, full of confidence. "That old fox Tan Shanzhong knows he has no way out. He’s already made his decision."

"Besides..."

She pointed to the command screen, which hadn’t been dismantled yet. A three-dimensional map of the Red Maple City Circle was floating on it.

At this very moment,

nearly a hundred blue dots of light appeared, marked all over the map of the main urban area and the four satellite cities.

"The one thing the organization doesn’t lack is martyrs."

"With them as cover, we’ll have more than enough time to complete our retreat within a week."

As her voice fell, Legos glanced at the command screen.

He reluctantly accepted her words and didn’t ask any more questions.

Seeing this, Zhu Yue lifted her chin, then quickly turned to give orders to the other commanders regarding the subsequent evacuation procedures.

The atmosphere in the conference room fell silent for a time.

The sounds of equipment being dismantled and supplies being moved came from all corners of the base. The thud of combat boots on the ground and the heavy thumps of objects being set down were particularly muffled and grim.

Legos finally averted his gaze and walked over to the silver table in the center of the conference room.

His eyes fell on the young man in the blue hoodie who had been sitting in his spot the entire time, occasionally swiping at his communication watch.

"You... what have you been so busy with lately?"

he asked suspiciously. He was well aware that the young man’s whereabouts had been unknown ever since Ink Green Rattan was captured, and he had only just shown up today.

"Just taking care of a few things."

His tone was flat, laced with a hint of ruthlessness.

Wu Yuntao swiped on his watch, seemingly editing some kind of message and voice note.

Then, he tapped to schedule its delivery.

He tilted his head to look at Legos, meeting his gaze with a cold smile. "Someone wants to be in the spotlight, so I figured I’d give him a little push."

"Tell me, do you think the Red Maple City Circle will fall into chaos?"