Chapter 454 - 99: Didn’t You Want to Challenge Me?

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Deafening artillery fire shook the desolate wilderness. From a distance, missiles streaked across the sky, leaving turbulent shockwaves in their wake. Plumes of thick smoke billowed upward, stirred by the heavy recoil of tank cannons firing relentlessly.

"War..."

Carrying a backpack and clad in a black trench coat, Lu Chao stopped in his tracks, standing on the edge of the wilderness. He hadn’t expected to stumble upon a full-scale battle just by passing through.

"Meow~"

Ghost Element, resembling a black cat, stood on his shoulder. It gazed at the distant artillery fire with him, quietly feeling the tremors rippling through the ground. The man and his beast paused for a moment.

The battlefield stretched endlessly before them. Even from this distance, the synchronized flashes of cannon fire and the contrails of high-altitude fighter jets were clearly visible. The deafening explosions had startled numerous packs of Mutant Beasts in the vicinity, sending them fleeing in terror amidst chaotic roars and shrieks.

"Can you figure out who’s fighting?" Lu Chao asked, his curiosity piqued. Even with his enhanced vision, it was difficult to make out the full picture.

"Meow~"

Ghost Element pondered for a moment before giving a slight nod.

The next second—

BUZZ!

Its ruby-like amber eyes suddenly flashed, emitting an eerie red glow. Lu Chao clearly felt a surge of invisible Spiritual Power radiate outward. It quickly seized control of an Ironclad Eagle that was flying away in panic nearby. In an instant, Ghost Element forcefully invaded the eagle’s mind, compelling it to turn around and fly back toward the battlefield.

One hundred meters, five hundred meters, one thousand meters... A full kilometer. This was the absolute limit of Ghost Element’s mind-control range. If the target exceeded this distance, the connection would break.

However—

"Oh?" Lu Chao’s eyes flickered. Through their Spiritual Link, he received the visual feed Ghost Element shared with him. This distance was more than enough to overlook the distant battlefield.

More than a dozen camouflage-painted land tanks and over twenty armored vehicles were engaged in combat. Submachine guns and grenades fired relentlessly, illuminating the area with continuous bursts of fire. Through the eagle’s downward gaze, they peered past the rolling smoke and dust to see the armored troops below.

It was the City Guard Army from the Red Maple City Circle. At least ten thousand soldiers were participating in the battle, with numerous fighters and Armored Transformers among their ranks. Every so often, explosive rounds were hurled out, obliterating their targets.

"Are they wiping out a Rebel Base?" Lu Chao narrowed his eyes. Using the Ironclad Eagle’s vision, he scanned the valley and surrounding peaks. He even spotted several hovercars belonging to the Superpower Bureau. "Then... let’s go take a look."

He had to pass through this area anyway. He was somewhat curious whether his former teammates, such as Yao Jin and Gao Hu, were also here. Furthermore, he vaguely sensed a familiar presence—someone he had a score to settle with.

***

Meanwhile, at the back cliff of Crow Valley.

SQUELCH!

Splattered blood rained down upon the ground. Whether it was the elites of the Superpower Bureau or the Superpower Level experts from the Special Investigation Team and the City Guard Army, all of them stared with wide eyes, frozen in place.

Following their line of sight, they saw the arrogant and aloof Special Commissioner Liu, who had been leading the group, suddenly missing an arm. Gushing blood sprayed like a fountain, drenching two members of the Special Investigation Team.

THUD!

Her severed right arm plummeted to the ground, landing with a heavy thud amidst the dirt and dead leaves. The horrified crowd barely snapped out of their stupor before noticing the air beside her suddenly warp, refracting into the silhouette of a human figure.

"Get lost!" Special Commissioner Liu roared, her face deathly pale as she launched a furious counterattack. An explosive surge of Qi Flame gathered in her left palm as she struck out at the empty space before her.

SWISH!

However, the light-refracted silhouette vanished into thin air, disappearing just as abruptly as it had appeared. Her wrathful blast of Qi Flame struck nothing but empty air, eventually slamming into the rock wall where they had just located a hidden mechanism.

BOOM!

The cliff face shuddered violently, a shallow crater blasted into its surface. Rubble and debris scattered in all directions, and everyone felt the ground tremble beneath their feet.

"Special Commissioner Liu!"

"Protect Special Commissioner Liu!"

Only then did Li Xiyuan and the others react. Caught between shock and suspicion, they hurriedly rushed to her side.

But in that exact moment—

SLASH!

Several Superpower Captains had their heads cleanly severed. Their headless bodies crumpled to the ground, instantly dead.

Standing closest to the carnage, Gao Hu and the rest felt a chill run down their spines as a spray of scalding blood hit their faces. They were struck with absolute horror. Just as they were about to meet the same gruesome end, Yao Jin, who was guarding their flanks, reacted with alarm. She hastily swung her sword, unleashing a torrent of blue, sea-overturning Qi Flame.

CLANG!

Her alloy longsword trembled violently, bending inward by several inches. It seemed that an invisible figure wielding a specialized Fighting Weapon had had their strike deflected by her sword, Silver Moon.

SWOOSH!

Yet, despite successfully blocking the attack, Yao Jin—a dignified expert at the Peak of Limit-Breaking Level—felt as if she had been hit by a wrecking ball. Her legs plowed deep grooves into the soil as she slid backward uncontrollably.

CRASH! CRASH!

She smashed through several thick trees behind her before finally coming to a halt. Blood trickled from the corner of her mouth as she stumbled into a half-kneeling position, using her longsword plunged into the earth to barely support her weight.

Where she had been standing moments prior, a foreign footprint was now etched into the ground, pressing the dead leaves and dirt into a shallow depression. It was glaringly obvious—a powerful expert with an invisibility superpower was assassinating them from the shadows.

"Damn it!"

SWISH!

Another Exploration Level Superpower Team Leader suddenly cursed. Moving like a fired arrow, he pushed his Armored Transformer energy reserves to the absolute limit.

BOOM!

Propelled by jets of flame, he threw a devastating Fist Seal, arriving right in front of Yao Jin to shield her from a fatal blow. The muffled impact of the collision echoed through the forest, shaking the very earth. The ground beneath his feet cracked and caved in, blasting open a shallow crater three meters wide.

Even so, he seized the opportunity to detonate the Life Energy gathered in his fist. A blinding arc of white light flared outward, sending a shockwave surging forward.

BUZZ!

Everyone’s gaze hardened as they watched the light refract once more, revealing the outline of a muscular, humanoid figure. He seemed to be wielding some sort of razor-sharp steel claws, but his physical body remained indiscernible, shifting fluidly between tangible and intangible states.

"It’s a Hidden Streamer!" Special Commissioner Liu cried out. Clutching the stump of her severed arm, her face was completely drained of color as she identified their attacker.