Chapter 244 - 152: Ring City’s Trump Card (Part 2)

An explosion of fire erupted, shattering the ground for several meters and vaporizing the dried leaves and gravel.

And yet.

SWOOSH!!

The man in black was already a hundred meters away, transforming into a black streak of light as he charged onto the battlefield, heading straight for the command vehicle.

Armored vehicles along the way tried to stop him with cannon fire. A grenade tore through the air, trailing a fiery tail as it instantly crossed several hundred meters for a precision strike.

Just as it was about to hit.

CLANG!

With a flash of his blade, the rocket-propelled grenade was sliced in two.

Immediately after.

Amidst a deafening BOOM, the dirt on the ground vaporized and the gravel melted.

A blinding light erupted into the sky as fierce winds blasted outwards in all directions.

The man in black charged onto the battlefield unscathed. The armored vehicles and light tanks in his path were all cleaved in two by his blade.

The smooth cuts bisected everything. The warlord soldiers inside were decapitated, their faces still frozen in the ferocious expressions they had while firing, unaware that they were already dead.

Almost nothing could stand against him for even a single exchange, neither elite squads nor steel weaponry.

"It’s Ji Lixian!"

Finally, they snapped back to their senses.

The faces of everyone inside the command vehicle changed drastically. Even the warlord Lu Shan’s expression darkened, sensing trouble.

This renowned descendant of a hero from the Alliance Country hadn’t actually left. Instead, it seemed he had been waiting for them to move away from the Red River military fortress, only revealing his killing intent now.

What’s more.

CLANG!

The ring of a blade echoed, perilously close.

He had already fought his way to the command vehicle. There was no escape!

...

"Huff... huff... huff..."

Near Jinshi Boxing Hall, Lu Chao stood in a concrete alley, panting softly.

Looking closely, the alley ground was covered in shallow craters and cracks. The collapsed and shattered walls on both sides told the tale of the ferocious battle that had just occurred.

On the ground, Lei Wanjun was dead, his body lying still.

The splattered blood was a stark crimson. This was the first time he had killed a Superpower Level expert.

It had been a joint effort, one that came at a great cost. He had barely managed it through a life-or-death struggle, trading injury for injury.

Still, this was a level of achievement he had never dared to dream of before.

"Cough, cough..."

A soft cough came from his side. Luo Qianshan was gradually reverting to his stooped, haggard, and aged state.

His body seemed to deflate. His hair turned gray, and wrinkles once again crept across his face.

A Superpower Level expert could live to be one hundred and fifty; at sixty, they should still be in the prime of their life.

If not for his injuries, it would be hard to believe that this ancient-looking man was the same age as Lei Wanjun.

"Lei Wanjun was always paranoid. He would only ever carry his core Martial Skills and Secret Techniques on his person."

Coughing again, Luo Qianshan clutched his chest, slowly calming the pain within his body.

Then, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, he knelt and retrieved two items from Lei Wanjun’s body.

One was a blue Thunder Pearl bracelet with a broken cord; four beads remained.

The other was a round metal device, about the size of two or three fingernails, bearing a circular Fist Seal design. It was clearly a high-level storage device from the Golden Defense Group.

Pointing to the latter, Luo Qianshan looked at Lu Chao and explained, "If I’m not mistaken, this should contain the core inheritance of the Thunder Extreme Martial Arts Hall, including several Mid-Level Martial Skills."

"We were only able to execute Lei Wanjun thanks to your efforts. Please, take this."

He said this frankly, meeting Lu Chao’s gaze.

The cartoon cat mask might have hidden his identity, but Luo Qianshan seemed to have guessed something. He then pointed to the Thunder Pearl bracelet. "As for this, I’d like to be so bold as to keep it."

"Why?"

Lu Chao asked deliberately, doing his best to maintain the distant air of an unknown expert.

"I have a disciple who has gone on a long journey."

With a slight smile, Luo Qianshan said, his body stooped, "As his master, I can’t help but worry about his circumstances out there."

"I want to improve this Thunder Pearl bracelet and have someone deliver it to him."

As he spoke, the two locked eyes.

Lu Chao fell silent for a moment, suspecting that the old man had already recognized him.

He was still in his Frenzy State, with three minutes of its limit remaining.

He opened his mouth, wanting to say something.

THUD THUD THUD THUD!

Suddenly, the sound of hurried footsteps approached, and anxious shouts could be heard from a distance.

"Master!"

"Master Luo!!"

Disciples from Jinshi Boxing Hall rushed over, searching all around. Lu Chao even heard the voices of Zheng Wu and Luo Yan.

A dozen thoughts flashed through his mind.

’Whether or not my identity has been exposed isn’t important right now. As long as Master and my senior brothers are safe, that’s enough.’

As for today’s events, he believed Luo Qianshan would cover for him properly.

"Fine."

Lu Chao acted coldly, taking the high-level storage device containing the Martial Skill inheritance and vanishing from the spot in a flash.

Luo Qianshan watched his figure weave through the alley and gradually disappear. His expression was complicated; he almost called out several times to ask, to confirm his suspicion.

But in the end.

He just shook his head slightly, a flash of relief in his eyes.

’Whether that was his pride-and-joy disciple or a Superpower Level friend his disciple had made, it no longer mattered. At least he is safe. That’s all that matters.’

...

SWISH SWISH SWISH!

The whistling wind rushed past his ears as Lu Chao shot through the alley, leaving Jinshi Boxing Hall far behind.

Along the way, he changed his body shape, shed his jacket, and tossed the mask.

By the time he rushed into an empty apartment he had prepared beforehand, he quietly deactivated his Frenzy State. Waves of weakness and exhaustion washed over him.

"HUFF! HUFF!!"

He gasped for air again, the intense feeling of emptiness nearly knocking him to the ground.

This wasn’t just the weakness that followed an adrenaline rush, but also the negative side effects of burning his spirit to enter the Flow State.

His head was throbbing, making him want to fall asleep immediately. Every cell in his body screamed with a tearing pain.

On top of that was the massive energy consumption from trading injuries and using the recovery effects of his Resilient Body.

It was safe to say this was the toughest battle he had ever fought.

And because of it, he truly realized the power of the Superpower Level.

’To have such strength with over 140 points of Life Energy...’

’What kind of world do the Superpower Three Gates reveal?’

Thinking of Lei Wanjun’s Life Energy stats, Lu Chao grew even more curious about the world of Martial Artists.

He made his way to a corner of the empty room and pulled open the drawer of a sheet-metal cabinet. Inside were several vials of a mid-level stamina recovery potion.

GLUG! GLUG!

Lu Chao twisted one open and chugged it down. A cool liquid flowed into his stomach.

Wisps of warmth spread throughout his body, gradually replenishing his spent energy, speeding up his recovery and shortening the duration of his weakened state.

’Good thing I came prepared.’

’Otherwise, given the situation in the city, something unexpected could have happened if I were too weak.’

His eyes calm, Lu Chao let out a long, heavy breath.

Only now did he feel like he had finally recovered somewhat.

He had been making preparations ever since the day he decided to feign his departure.

Right now, Zhao Yuanqing was hiding in another location, waiting to rendezvous with him. He had deliberately informed Chen Xiao and Fang Xu to head to Red Maple later, keeping them out of the picture.

Looking back, everything had gone relatively smoothly.

Lei Wanjun was dead, and all of his Elite Level subordinates had been killed as well.

It was safe to say the Thunder Extreme Martial Arts Hall was no longer a threat. He trusted that Master Luo would handle the aftermath.

But...

"Wu Yuntao."

His eyes grew cold as Lu Chao set down the empty stamina recovery potion.

He felt a slight sense of regret. He was certain that Wu Yuntao had not been among the Elite Level fighters he had killed earlier.

The reason his killing intent was so strong was not just because of his grudge with the Thunder Extreme Martial Arts Hall. There was another matter.

He had always had a question.

Wu Yuntao’s early days at the Thunder Extreme Martial Arts Hall had not gone smoothly. It wasn’t until he became a fighter that he gradually began to stand out and was accepted by Lei Wanjun as a disciple.

But he had also come from an orphanage, and Lu Chao had never heard of him taking any other jobs or seeking help from any gangs.

’If that’s the case, where did he get enough resources before he officially became a fighter?’

He hadn’t known the answer before.

But after rescuing Li Heng, the puzzle was solved.

It was because of the many loan-related text messages he received right after joining Jinshi Boxing Hall.

It wasn’t just him. Zhao Yuanqing and the others, and even others who had left the orphanage over the years, had all received them.

And it was all because of one name.

"Wu Yuntao..."