Chapter 366 - 55: Another Advancement, Rock Mastery

An orange sun rose from the horizon, tearing through the night’s gloom and silence.

The earthen ground of the wilderness was illuminated. Leaves rustled, and small lizards crawled out from their burrows to gaze into the distance.

The buffer zone bordering the human city was a stretch of continuous concrete buildings and shantytowns. Neon signs with aging wiring flickered brightly, extending far into the distance.

A towering wall, as if built by giants, stood magnificent and unyielding, a vast expanse of gray-black.

The orange-gold sunlight pierced through the clouds, falling upon the city enclosed within the great wall.

The night was over. The entire city entered a new day.

It seemed like just another ordinary day.

But for You Qiulin, it felt as though a century had passed.

"Manager, look!"

Her assistant, Xu Yao, said excitedly. At her words, You Qiulin looked down. On the tablet screen was a page from the Dark Web, showing its various sections.

Hacking, Assassination, Violence...

And right at that moment, the page was open to the Assassination section.

The contract on her life had quietly vanished, completely terminated.

The meaning was clear.

"It’s over."

You Qiulin finally let out a sigh of relief. The tension that had gripped her nerves finally loosened, and all the pressure lifted away.

She then looked at her assistant, Xu Yao, and the security captain beside her, seeing the excitement and relief in their eyes.

Beyond that, her gaze shifted toward the balcony.

A young man in a gray hoodie stood silently, like a statue carved from rock.

He faced the sun. Even after three days and nights without closing his eyes, his posture was ramrod straight, showing no sign of fatigue.

"Xiaolu..."

"Aunt You."

He turned to face her.

Lu Chao nodded lightly and smiled. "Glad I didn’t fail you."

...

A few minutes later, Lu Chao was walking out. He had politely declined You Qiulin’s offer to stay longer, and she was now personally escorting him from the villa to the courtyard gate.

The entire neighborhood was exceptionally quiet. The only sound this morning was the faint rustling of bodies being collected.

Bloodstains were being washed away, the lawn was being tended to...

Figures appeared on a nearby neighborhood road, carrying away the assassins’ bodies. They were security from the Hunter Guild and the villa’s property management staff. In addition, members of the patrol team, who had finally gotten word of the incident, had also arrived.

Most of them were clearly shaken by the events of last night. Lu Chao could also sense the residents of the other villas.

Most had their own private security teams and had likewise been on high alert for the past few days.

A quick glance was enough for Lu Chao to feel many eyes on him.

These people had stayed hidden for the past few days, neither intervening nor calling the authorities.

It wasn’t surprising. He knew this was one of Satellite City No. 4’s few affluent districts. Its residents were wealthy and influential, and most of them understood the rules of the Dark Web.

The assassins only went after their target. As long as you didn’t interfere, you’d be safe once the job was done. Announcing it to the outside world, on the other hand, would likely lead to retaliation.

However, Xu Yao said with a hint of resentment, looking toward the patrol team members in the distance who were helping dispose of the bodies and clean up the scene, "Look who decided to show up now, the patrol team."

It wasn’t as if they hadn’t tried to ask the patrol team for help before, but they had been ignored.

Now, they show up—not a moment sooner, not a moment later, but right after the contract was terminated. The reason for their timing was certainly suspicious.

"It seems your troubles at the Guild have been resolved, Aunt You?" Lu Chao asked softly, having pieced things together.

After last night’s battle, no more assassins had appeared. They were clearly terrified by the field of corpses and had realized how tough an opponent he was.

But for the matter to be truly over, the source of the problem—the client who issued the contract—had to be dealt with.

"That’s right."

You Qiulin smiled and nodded. Though her eyes showed the exhaustion of three sleepless nights, they were filled more with relief and gratitude.

"The consultant at the Guild who supports me stepped in. He’s basically taken care of all my rivals."

With a grateful expression, You Qiulin turned back to Lu Chao to thank him again.

"I really owe you for this, Xiaolu."

"Oh, right. I have some news about that thing you asked me to find. Don’t worry, it won’t be long. I’ll be sure to have it delivered to you."

She had considered offering money to express her gratitude, but unless it was an astronomical sum, money wasn’t particularly useful to someone at the Superpower Level.

In contrast, things like energy mineral essence or materials from a Beast King Level creature were invaluable and could be put to good use.

"There’s no rush. It can wait until you’ve taken care of your business, Aunt You."

Lu Chao smiled and shook his head, not pressing the matter.

He hadn’t helped her just to get something in return; it was mostly about repaying a favor.

He then got into the black sedan waiting at the courtyard gate.

The car pulled away smoothly, driving along the asphalt road of the villa district.

Countless eyes followed the car as it drove away—the patrol team members cleaning the scene, the Hunter Guild’s security team, and the other wealthy and influential residents.

The dark-tinted windows concealed him from view as the car drove smoothly and silently out of the neighborhood, leaving the area behind.

No one dared to get in its way. They all knew a Superpower Level Martial Artist was inside.

’It really was... Younger Brother Lu.’

Xu Fengling stood on the open-air balcony of another villa, a complex expression in his eyes.

Watching the black sedan depart, he stared blankly at its disappearing taillights.

Even when facing threats from Dark Web assassin organizations like Deep Sea and the Blood Alliance, he hadn’t backed down. Instead, driven by a strong sense of loyalty, he had helped Manager You of the Hunter Guild fend off the danger.

The story had already spread throughout the entire villa district by last night. Countless people had been asking about him, admiring his unwavering loyalty.

And it was only now that Xu Fengling realized that the Martial Artist who had wreaked such havoc last night was, in fact, him.