Chapter 284 - 17: Rebel: Wu Yuntao (2)

The square was paved with gray tiles and spanned several thousand meters.

Traffic and pedestrians flowed beneath the towering buildings surrounding the square. This was another underground entrance to the Hive District.

WHIRRR!!

Amid the whirring blast of air, a flying car descended. A specialist from the United Committee had arrived and was being escorted toward a massive glass elevator.

The last attack had forced the United Committee to halt its city inspection work.

But this time.

"Captain, the security detail this time is massive."

Chen Xiao whispered from behind him, clicking his tongue in amazement.

Lu Chao glanced around and saw that numerous Superpower Squads had appeared.

It wasn’t just the Fourth Bureau. Superpower Teams from other satellite cities had also been sent as reinforcements. Three team leaders had shown up in person, working with the City Lord’s Mansion’s security advisors to escort the specialist from Yao Capital.

As he looked on.

Well-trained figures in black combat uniforms, armed to the teeth, were scattered across the square. They strictly prohibited anyone from approaching.

The elites of the Red Maple Patrol Team had also been fully mobilized. One could even see armored vehicles parked along the blockaded side streets to prevent a repeat of the last attack.

"I hear there are elite teams waiting underground in the Hive District, too. Tsk, tsk... If the Rebels dare to make a move this time, they’ll surely be annihilated."

Chen Xiao said with a click of his tongue, a hint of excitement in his voice.

Lu Chao nodded. He could feel the determination of the United Committee and the City Lord’s Mansion.

This was a statement, a warning to the various factions within the city—including the hidden members of the Rebels.

He then watched the delegation of specialists being escorted away.

"How are things on Gao Hu’s end?"

Lu Chao asked. The Fifth Squad behind him was at only one-third strength. He had sent the majority of his personnel to the buffer zone to provide full support to Gao Hu.

As for the three thousand contribution points Yao Jin had given him, he’d made several private inquiries and was gradually starting to understand the situation.

’He didn’t know why she did it, but since he’d already accepted the points, he would just have to do a good job to repay her.’

"I was just about to give you an update."

Chen Xiao fell half a step behind him, holding an automatic rifle. He lowered his voice. "Vice Captain Gao sent a message back at noon. He said the Iron Sand gang has been making moves lately. It’s possible that in a few days, that guy, Ma Kui, will be coming in from the wilderness."

"When the time comes, we’ll just be waiting for you, Captain, to come take charge and command the operation."

’Oh?’

Lu Chao’s eyes flickered. He hadn’t expected to finally get a lead on this matter.

Ma Kui. A core member of the Iron Sand warlord faction.

An Elite Level Peak cyborg modifier. The previous Captain Zheng died at his hands.

Furthermore, according to the intel, he also has a brother who is at the Superpower Level and one of the commanders of Iron Sand.

For these two reasons, the rewards for the mission against him were extremely generous. The contribution points alone numbered in the thousands, on top of other resource bonuses.

That wasn’t even counting the bounties on his subordinates who were also targets of the mission.

"Understood."

Lu Chao took note and ordered him to continue following up, resolving to head there as support the moment something happened.

He was getting closer and closer to the Superpower Level; he couldn’t afford to miss a single opportunity to earn merit and contribution points to rapidly advance his strength.

"Younger Brother Lu."

Suddenly, as the two were talking, someone called out to them from nearby.

Lu Chao looked up and saw Sun Jiayuan approaching with a trusted team member, also dressed in a black combat uniform.

"Brother Sun."

Lu Chao nodded, dropped the current topic, and looked at the newcomer.

Perhaps because Lu Chao had saved him during the riot in the city square, Sun Jiayuan had grown quite warm toward him, insisting on pulling duty together every time.

"Quite the show of force today."

"But I figure... our shot at any contribution points has gone up in smoke."

Sun Jiayuan came to stand beside him, looking at the Superpower Team leaders in the distance as he spoke with a sigh of resignation.

Lu Chao followed his gaze.

For some reason, Yao Jin hadn’t appeared this time. In her place were the leaders of other Superpower Teams.

Then, almost exactly like last time.

The captains who were summoned to escort them—the ones who would receive the highest contribution rewards—were mostly from Yao Capital and East Port. They quickly gathered, forming an elite unit to escort the specialists into the glass elevator.

"That kid Lin Yuan has really landed a lot of good missions ever since he started hanging around Xu Wei and that crowd from East Port."

"See? He’s probably going to bag another few hundred contribution points from this."

Sun Jiayuan said, his voice tinged with envy as he stared into the distance.

In his line of sight, Lin Yuan, Xu Wei, and the others had also been summoned. Perhaps sensing their gaze, Lin Yuan lowered his head slightly in embarrassment. Xu Wei, however, was chatting and laughing with the other captains, and she even shot a triumphant glance back at the two of them.

"Their Life Energy used to be about the same as mine, but now... I’m afraid they’ve both surpassed me by a good margin."

"At this rate, Superpower Level... I wonder if I’ll ever reach it."

Sun Jiayuan sighed, a trace of resentment and hesitation flashing in his eyes.

Coming from a minor city limited his opportunities. He was torn over whether he should swallow his pride and try to squeeze into their circle.

Hearing this, Lu Chao sighed inwardly and patted his shoulder.

For a moment, clouds drifted across the sky above the city.

But the atmosphere in the square fell silent.

....

「Over ten minutes later.」

Beneath the city, in the Hive District.

Fist-sized incandescent light sources, encased in metal frames, were embedded in the ceiling like a web of light.

This dense network of lights formed the sky of the underground world, barely managing to illuminate most of the city.

The massive glass elevator carrying the Superpower Squad and the specialists from Yao Capital descended hundreds of meters. Along the way, it passed through towering, hollow high-rises. These were the city’s support pillars, built from a mix of steel and concrete—mottled, ancient, and covered in scratches.