Chapter 189 - 122: Influence

Chapter 189: Chapter 122: Influence

Inside a heavily guarded building in the core of the Inner City, within the Jiang City Shelter.

The atmosphere was tense in a large conference room with sealed doors, windows, and controlled lighting. Over a hundred people sat in silence. Among them were officers in crisp military uniforms, Superpower Users with distinct auras and sharp gazes, and bespectacled, focused researchers and administrative officials. The five members of the Sharp Sword squad were also present. Although their injuries had been properly treated, their faces still bore a trace of exhaustion.

All eyes were fixed on the massive projection screen at the front of the room.

A first-person video played on the screen. The footage was slightly shaky but exceptionally clear. The person whose perspective it was seemed to be moving and fighting fiercely against the familiar backdrop of the Red Star Industrial Zone ruins. The audio was a chaotic mix of heavy panting, teammates’ shouts, zombie roars, and the clang of weapons. But the focus of the video—the person at the heart of it, who had saved the life of the one recording—was a mysterious figure in a black combat suit. His face was concealed by a headwrap, revealing only a pair of ice-cold eyes.

It was Xu Mo!

On screen, Xu Mo cut into the chaotic fray from the flank like a phantom. The uniquely shaped, dark Triangular Spike in his hand became a flash of deadly black light. In the instant he swept past, he precisely pierced the skull of an Agile Zombie pouncing from the side! The speed and ferocity of the move sent a chill down the spines of everyone watching.

This was only the beginning.

Immediately after, the man in black stood his ground. The muscles in his right arm bulged as he threw the Triangular Spike with the force of a javelin. A WHOOSH tore through the air, faintly audible even through the recording device’s microphone. An instant later, another Agile Zombie’s head was pierced.

Then came the most shocking scene—

The man in black single-handedly raised a menacing Barrett M82A1 anti-materiel sniper rifle. Facing the mutated zombies just a stone’s throw away, he squeezed the trigger in rapid succession.

"BOOM! BOOM..."

Five deafening shots rang out, almost blending into a single roar as a massive muzzle flash erupted. However, what made every viewer’s pupils shrink, what made them gasp in shock, was the man’s arm and body as he held the rifle. He faced the Barrett’s terrifying recoil—a force that could dislocate a strong soldier’s shoulder—yet his body only trembled ever so slightly. His feet seemed rooted to the ground, his arm was as steady as a rock. He fired again and again, his form perfect, without the slightest hint of wavering or delay. It was as if he weren’t holding a "heavy cannon," but a toy gun.

With every shot, a mutated zombie was brutally blown to smithereens. The combination of efficient killing and absolute control over his strength created a powerful visual impact.

The entire hall fell dead silent, the only sounds being the static from the video and the occasional, irrepressible gasp. Whether they were battle-hardened soldiers or Superpower Users who prided themselves on their strength, their eyes were now filled with solemnity and undisguised shock.

This display—firing a Barrett single-handedly in rapid succession and completely absorbing the recoil—shattered their conventional understanding of "physical enhancement."

The video then transitioned to show Xu Mo leading the Sharp Sword squad to the D-10 fortress. He casually swung the Triangular Spike, dispatching any zombies blocking their path as if he were on a leisurely stroll, giving the impression of effortless grace.

The video ended with Xu Mo giving the camera a cold glance before taking two steps back. The lights slowly came up, dispelling the grim atmosphere from the screen, but the tension in the conference room remained just as thick.

Lu Chuan took a deep breath, stood, and walked to the podium. His voice was still slightly hoarse from his injuries, but it was clear and steady.

"Leaders, colleagues. I am Lu Chuan, captain of the Sharp Sword squad. Six days ago, my team was ordered to the Red Star Industrial Zone F District to investigate the disappearance of three Observers from our forward fortresses. During the mission, we were ambushed by a previously unseen Level 2 Venom Type mutated zombie and six Level 1 zombies under its control. We were cornered, in a hopeless situation. At the critical moment, the mysterious man from the video appeared. He killed the Level 2 zombie with thunderous speed—unfortunately, the recorder failed to capture that moment—and then helped us clear out the remaining Level 1 zombies, saving my life and the lives of my teammates."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the audience. "As you’ve all seen, this mysterious man’s strength is unfathomable. His movements are simple and efficient, with no flashy techniques—just pure, overwhelming power from his terrifying physical abilities. Especially his mastery of a heavy anti-materiel weapon like the Barrett..." Lu Chuan rewound the video to the clip of Xu Mo firing in succession and paused the frame. "Many of our colleagues here specialize in physical enhancement. I’d like to ask, can any of you fire a Barrett in rapid succession so easily, almost completely unaffected by the recoil?"

A brief silence fell over the audience. Several Superpower Users with clearly extraordinary physiques exchanged glances and shook their heads. One of them, a burly man with enormous biceps, spoke in a deep voice. "I could handle one or two shots, but to do it continuously and with that stability... I can’t. His physical strength and his control over that power far exceed a typical Level 1 physical enhancer. I even suspect he might be a Level 2 enhancer, or maybe he’s even touching the threshold of Level 3. Of course, we can’t rule out the possibility that he possesses some unknown and extremely specialized enhancement Superpower."

"Level 3?!" The words sent a low murmur rippling through the audience. Among the publicly registered Superpower Users in the Jiang City Shelter, those who had reached Level 3 were exceedingly rare. Each one was considered a strategic-level asset.