Chapter 442 93: Hundred-Mile Pursuit

"If I had known, I would have left the city a bit later. That way, maybe I could have teamed up with you to kill everyone around that little bastard."

His face was full of regret, but the woman in black remained unfazed.

"Still, that little bastard's days are numbered." Du Lie scoffed, his mouth curling into a mocking sneer. "Honestly, I didn't see it coming. He's unusually bold, daring to offend the people from Biotechnology so deeply.

"So what if he broke through to the Exploration Level? In the end, he's being hunted down all over the world. Who knows, he might even fall into our hands one day."

He spoke viciously, a trace of jealousy creeping into his words that even he failed to notice.

The Exploration Level. He wondered why on earth that little bastard had managed to break through to the Exploration Level. At this thought, dissatisfaction flared up in his heart once again. However, before he could curse again, a faint RUSTLE drifted into everyone's ears.

The woman in black's expression hardened. She suddenly turned her head to look toward the horizon at the end of the wilderness. Du Lie reacted a moment later; his body tensed as he quickly followed her gaze.

The brown, sandy terrain resembled a barren desert. With sparse vegetation and only a few scattered trees, the scorching heat baked the earth, distorting the light and air in their line of sight. Occasional gusts of sweltering wind blew past, sweeping up grit and swirling dust into the air. Normally, only a few Mutant Beasts would pass through, hardly warranting any attention. But now, a lean, muscular figure in a black suit was walking on foot, his left hand tightly gripping a sheathed black sword.

"Who is that?"

Du Lie's expression shifted slightly, sensing that something was wrong. Many of the Tan family members in the convoy raised their firearms and took aim, their eyes full of vigilance. Anyone who dared to travel alone deep in the wilderness was undoubtedly extremely powerful. Moreover, the man seemed to be heading straight for them.

CRUNCH, CRUNCH!

The newcomer maintained his pace, completely ignoring their aimed weapons. Wearing leather boots, he walked slowly across the gravelly ground. Whenever the dust blew past him, it was repelled by an invisible aura, twisting away before falling to the earth.

"Halt!" Du Lie roared deeply.

Within the Tan family's convoy, some men shifted their heavy machine guns, and a few even readied grenade launchers to take aim. Even the woman in black, an Exploration Level expert, had a solemn look in her eyes as she carefully scrutinized the man's every move.

CRUNCH! The man in black kept walking, but now each step covered ten meters. Amidst the faint crunching sounds, they watched him close in rapidly.

"Damn it." Du Lie's expression turned ugly as he exchanged a glance with the woman in black. They both nodded in agreement, and then he roared coldly, "Open fire!"

RAT-TAT-TAT-TAT!

Machine gun fire swept across the area. The bullets rained down, striking the ground with rapid THUDS and tearing up rows of shallow craters. The black-clad figure flickered as if teleporting, effortlessly dodging the storm of bullets.

"Fire the grenades!"

BOOM, BOOM!

Rocket-propelled grenades tore through the air, causing the ground to shake as they exploded in massive balls of fire. Billowing smoke and dust shot into the sky. The shockwaves of the explosion stirred up the sand and made the earth tremble. Now, it wasn't just the Tan family; even the Iron Sand Army stationed in the distant valley noticed the commotion. Frowning, they looked over in strict vigilance.

SWISH!!

Suddenly, a flash of a blade cut through the air. The towering dust cloud instantly dissipated. The black-clad figure, blade in hand, stepped out of the scorched blast crater. Covering dozens of meters in a single stride, he had already reached the rear of the convoy.

"Damn it." Du Lie's eyes changed, and he gritted his teeth. Instantly making a decision, he stomped hard on the ground and charged forward. "Let me see who's got so much nerve!"

BOOM!!

Qi Flame erupted from him, and he shot through the air like a silver cannonball. The imposing aura of a peak Limit-Breaking Level expert made the air tremble, and the sheer force of his Qi Flame carved a long trench through the sandy soil along his path.

In the next fraction of a second, a heavy THUD rang out as his combat boots slammed into the ground, seemingly predicting the black-clad man's next teleportation-like step and blocking his landing spot. The earth exploded beneath his feet, forming a two-meter-wide crater. He struck the ground like an artillery shell, sending wild tremors through the wilderness. As he swung his right arm, his tightly clenched alloy brass knuckles—wrapped in Qi Flame and bristling with spikes—looked capable of effortlessly tearing through any steel defense.

In that brief instant, ferocious killing intent permeated the air. The glaring eyes beneath his bald head were reflected with exceptional clarity in the black-clad man's eyes.

In response, a sharp CLANG echoed out. The long black sword flashed by.

Lu Chao continued his stride forward, twirling the sword in his right hand with a flourish as he brushed past Du Lie.