Chapter 433 89: Karma Resolved, Shocking Turn of Events

"Get lost!!"

Wu Yuntao struggled madly, even willing to abandon his black blade. He just wanted to dodge and flee, desperately trying to evade Lu Chao's bombardment of Fist Seals.

BUZZ!!

His mind jolted as an invisible terror magnified within his heart. The Life Mark that Lu Chao had left on him detonated completely.

Wu Yuntao's pupils constricted. It was as if he were staring at his natural predator at the top of the food chain, a higher existence among living species. In that instant, he lost all power to resist.

And in that very split second—

BAM!!

A silver-armored fist shattered the Qi Flame shield above his head and viciously smashed into his temple.

The river surface fell momentarily silent, as if isolated from all the gunfire and artillery. The exploding pillars of water and crashing waves atomized into a fine mist, wrapping around the two men and the cargo ship.

"Urgh..."

Gradually, blood spilled from his mouth. The intense, agonizing pain snapped Wu Yuntao back to reality.

He still wanted to fight back, his eyes bloodshot and crimson. As the fractures in his skull continued to spread, simply staying conscious was a luxury. Staring dead-on at Lu Chao's calm face, flashes of his past at the orphanage raced through his mind in his dying moments.

Born into an inferior background without a shred of hope, he knew no one would pity him once he stepped into society. He had been willing to pay any price just to become stronger and climb higher.

"This punch is returning the favor for Lin Ze," Lu Chao said calmly, his voice devoid of any emotion.

Wu Yuntao's eyes trembled. He thought of that nobody—the guy he had tricked into taking the fall at Lianwei Heavy Industry, who had come knocking after getting out of prison, only to be disposed of by the Rebels on his orders.

"You..."

BAM!!

Lu Chao grabbed his shoulder and threw another punch, smashing directly into his face.

"This punch is for everyone from the orphanage you've victimized."

Blood poured from Wu Yuntao's eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. His nasal bridge was shattered, yet he continued to glare venomously at Lu Chao.

"AHAHAHAHA!" he suddenly burst into laughter, his voice sounding exceptionally deranged.

Lu Chao's final, downward-striking fist halted in midair. He frowned slightly, meeting the man's gaze.

"Do you really think you've won?" Wu Yuntao, his face covered in blood, revealed a hideous smirk.

Lu Chao froze slightly. He suddenly realized that the faint sense of impending danger in the depths of his heart was growing stronger, expanding relentlessly.

"Did you think I couldn't guess who killed that old geezer, Lei Wanjun?" Wu Yuntao stared at Lu Chao with a mocking gaze. Knowing his death was inevitable, he laughed maniacally. "You killed Ruan Hui! Where can you possibly run?!"

WHOOSH!!

His mind reeled, and Lu Chao's pupils contracted. He finally understood where this so-called sense of crisis was coming from. It wasn't from the decisive battle with the Rebels, nor was it the threat of the Beast Tide. It was an invisible threat coming from the Biotechnology Company!

The other party had actually guessed the truth of what happened back then?!

BUZZ BUZZ!

Right at that moment, Wu Yuntao's communication watch suddenly lit up. Lu Chao caught it in his peripheral vision and clearly saw a location-sharing signal from Biotechnology. The moving marker on the screen was already about to arrive in the immediate vicinity.

"They're already here. And you..." Blood poured from Wu Yuntao's eyes like a fountain. He stared at Lu Chao like a malevolent demon. "Hahaha. I'll go down to hell first and wait for you!"

BOOM!!

Blood splattered, and bone fragments scattered through the air as Lu Chao blew his head apart with a single punch.

The lingering echoes of his sinister, manic laughter reverberated across the river. The headless corpse fell with a heavy SPLASH, sinking straight to the bottom of the river.

Watching this scene unfold, Lu Chao's expression darkened with uncertainty. The thing he was most worried about had actually happened.

Although he was surprised that Wu Yuntao had guessed the truth, the man had been mortal enemies with the Jinshi Boxing Hall ever since they were in Ring City. He could be considered the enemy who understood Lu Chao best, so figuring it out wasn't impossible. And judging by his threat, the Biotechnology Company had definitely been informed of the truth.

Thinking back to the classified data he had obtained from the black-robed man, as well as the speculative suspicions from the AI "Living Being," Lu Chao realized the gravity of the situation. Even without concrete evidence, Biotechnology undoubtedly had a high degree of certainty that it was him. Otherwise, they wouldn't have accepted Wu Yuntao's location sharing and rushed over at top speed, risking offending the Superpower Bureau.

At this thought, Lu Chao abruptly looked up at the distant sky. High in the faraway heavens, shockwaves lingered in the air as roaring exhaust flames continuously stretched out, tearing through the cloud cover.

Several tiny silver dots streaked across the sky, drawing closer and closer. They were obviously high-speed hovering flying cars. However, they weren't coming from the Red Maple City Circle, but rather from the direction of Yao Capital.

The indistinct sense of danger grew thicker, causing a wild surge of chilling dread in his heart. Lu Chao could conclude that the newcomers were absolutely not weak; otherwise, he wouldn't have felt such an intense crisis and intuition.

Amidst his thoughts, he clenched his fists and naturally looked toward the distant battlefield.

BOOM BOOM BOOM!!

The battle was still ongoing. The Rebels' reinforcements had clearly arrived and were exchanging fire with the City Guard Army on the riverbanks. The fierce battle on the cargo ship had not yet concluded, but the Superpower Bureau had already gained the upper hand and taken control of the situation.

Seeing this, a flickering light danced in Lu Chao's eyes. It was an indisputable fact that he had killed Ruan Hui. As the enforcers and maintainers of the Alliance Country's laws, the Superpower Bureau couldn't possibly cover for him in plain sight.

In that case... Should he stay? Or... should he leave?

...

BOOM BOOM BOOM!

Ten-odd minutes later, the massive cargo ship suddenly exploded!

From the bow of the deck to the stern, and from the surface down into the cabins, every single section detonated, erupting in sky-high pillars of fire. Shrapnel from the explosion shot into the sky in all directions. Some pieces smashed people into meat paste on the spot or pierced clean through their bodies, while others crashed into the river and the banks, kicking up huge waves and clouds of dust.

This scene forced the Superpower Bureau's hovering flying cars in midair to urgently pull up and evade. Looking closely, Li Xiyuan and several other Superpower Team leaders, covered in dirt and grime, hastily leaped away from the cargo ship, watching the thick black smoke billow from all over the vessel.

"These maniacs," Li Xiyuan muttered, his expression ugly. He hadn't expected the Rebels to be so resolute, ultimately choosing to blow up the cargo ship in a mutually assured destruction.

Yao Jin said nothing, merely sweeping her gaze over the river. Zhu Yue had already been severely injured and captured alive, but Legos was nowhere to be found. It was impossible to determine whether he had been swallowed by the explosion or if he had dove to the riverbed to escape.

Although this operation hadn't achieved maximum results, multiple Law Enforcement Officers of the Rebels had either been killed or captured. Furthermore, successfully annihilating this branch base was undoubtedly a massive merit. As for the firefight on land, the City Guard Army had established a heavily fortified defense; the Rebels' support troops were destined to return empty-handed.

"Wait, where is Leader Lu?" Yao Jin asked, hurriedly scanning the river.

Li Xiyuan and the others snapped back to attention at her words. Special Commissioner Liu, Xu Pingsong, and the rest also turned to look at the river surface.

However, even as their gazes swept across the entire expanse of the Red River and both riverbanks, they still couldn't spot Lu Chao. Even Wu Yuntao's corpse was nowhere to be seen.

"Could something have happened...?" An ominous conjecture surfaced in their hearts.

The crowd's expressions varied. Some, like Commissioner Xu Pingsong, frowned in worry, while others joined Yao Jin in anxiously shouting his name. Then there were those who mirrored Li Xiyuan's expression, watching with cold indifference.

Before they could ponder further—

SWOOSH!!

Several silver flying cars descended from the sky, their humming shockwaves causing the river water to tremble. The emerald green tree emblem on their hulls was particularly eye-catching; it was undoubtedly the Biotechnology Company arriving at the scene.

"What are they doing here?" Li Xiyuan barely managed to collect himself, frowning in confusion. Special Commissioner Liu and the others also wore guarded expressions.

Unaware of the situation, the Superpower Bureau's hovering flying cars in midair pivoted their weapon mounts and aimed vigilantly. Using their communication devices, they broadcasted loud warnings, ordering the newcomers to stay away.

In the brief few seconds of negotiation—

HISS, CLACK!

The Biotechnology Company's flying cars halted in midair, their silver cabin doors slowly sliding open.

Several Superpower Level security consultants revealed themselves. With cold expressions, they stared down the Superpower Bureau crowd before eventually stepping aside to open up a path.

The next instant, a powerful electromagnetic fluctuation exploded outward, enveloping the entire nearby waterway and riverbanks in an invisible aura. Yao Jin and the others felt their hearts sink, struggling to breathe. Even Li Xiyuan and Special Commissioner Liu, who were at the Exploration Level, knit their brows tightly as they felt a wave of immense pressure.

STEP, STEP!

The sound of footsteps echoed from within the flying car's cabin. Under countless watchful eyes, a burly figure with Caucasian features, dressed in a gray suit, walked out from the crowd. On his face was a glowing red armor pattern.

Streaks of red light arced around his body, morphing into forceful magnetic fluctuations and an invisible pressure field.

In that moment, recognition dawned.

"It's Guniao."

Li Xiyuan's expression shifted slightly, while Yao Jin and the rest locked their brows tight, instantly recognizing his identity. He was a Peak Transcendence Level Superpower Armor User, and simultaneously one of the consultants from Biotechnology's headquarters.

"Guniao, what are you trying to do?" Li Xiyuan braced himself and spoke up, standing on the river's surface and looking up to ask.

However, the man gave no reply, completely ignoring him.

Before their very eyes, a red light flickered in his eyes, seemingly releasing some sort of invisible electromagnetic pulse that scanned the nearby Red River waters and surrounding land.

Ultimately, as his gaze focused, he reached out a hand.

CRASH!

The river water exploded, sending a massive geyser into the sky. Wu Yuntao's headless corpse bobbed to the surface.

Every gaze zeroed in, stopping at his wrist. The black communication watch was sharing a location, its light still blinking even now.