Chapter 384 - 63: The Legacy from Robert (Part 2)

[First Layer: Iron Thorn. Successful cultivation grants the Iron Thorn Body, strengthening sinews, bones, and flesh. One can wrestle a Wild Beast King, withstand a steel chariot, and reflect thirty percent of an opponent’s force!]

[Second Layer: Force Lock. Lock away the force of any close-range heavy blow, temporarily storing it within the muscles to be stacked for a counterattack!]

[Third Layer: Return Flow. As countless enemies attack, my Return Flow will gather momentum, turning their strikes into my own power!]

As the lines of information appeared before his eyes, Lu Chao’s expression changed. He felt as if a whole new world had just opened up to him.

’Body-strengthening techniques can be used like this?’

Reflecting an opponent’s force.

Temporarily locking away force, then stacking it with his own for a counterattack.

And even more, directly gathering the power of an opponent’s strikes and converting it into his own, turning it into a powerful, explosive finishing move.

"What an incredible Ten Thousand Jins Return Flow."

His eyes gradually brightened as Lu Chao quickly understood just how precious this technique was.

It was safe to say that many of the Martial Arts techniques on the Superpower Bureau’s internal network couldn’t compare to this.

Even the absolute best of them were a huge step down.

At that moment, he had no doubt that this was a Martial Arts legacy left behind by one of the Star Heroes.

He even thought of the information about the seven heroes and the one who best fit the description of a Martial Artist specializing in hard techniques.

"Robert..."

A guess formed in his mind. Lu Chao suddenly realized the origin of this metal sphere was far greater than he had imagined.

Why was Ji Lixian so respected by all the major powers of the Alliance Country?

His power level was one reason, and his identity as a descendant of a Star Hero was another.

But surely, the most important reason was his transcendent Body Technique, which was unparalleled on Earth Star.

He had inherited the Martial Arts legacy of one of the seven great heroes, Senior Ji Xingchen, and could be considered a living reincarnation of his predecessor’s peak power.

The same logic applied to the Martial Arts legacy he had just received from Senior Robert.

BUZZ!

Immediately, before Lu Chao could think any further, the golden screen of light changed again.

[If you want to travel to the stars... you can go to the Golden Defense Group’s storage area in Yao Capital. I left something for you there.]

[Money? Fighting Weapons? Higher-level Superpower Knowledge and legacies? ...Heh, perhaps before that, you need to prove yourself and get the key first.]

As the words appeared, Lu Chao was slightly taken aback.

The Golden Defense Group’s storage area?

He had heard about this before. Because the Golden Defense Group specialized in security and information safety, they had long ago launched a special type of storage locker for safeguarding items.

Only by providing the correct storage number could one access the locker, and there was only one chance to open it. If the wrong key was entered, the storage device would automatically explode, destroying everything inside.

As the thought crossed his mind, the golden screen of light suddenly vanished.

The next instant, before Lu Chao could react, CLICK! A horizontal seam suddenly appeared in the center of the metal sphere.

Lu Chao reacted, twisting it open along the seam.

Inside the black interior lay a single card.

It was less than half the size of a palm, thin as a cicada’s wing, and jet-black.

It was unclear what material it was made from. The back was exceptionally smooth and cool to the touch. Under the streetlight, it seemed to reflect a deep, black luster.

He flipped it over. The front had a pattern of azure ocean waves and a string of random Arabic numerals.

And in the upper-left corner,

the two blue words for "Deep Sea," written in sharp strokes, were particularly jarring to Lu Chao’s eyes.

"Deep Sea?"

Lu Chao froze. This was an identification card for the assassin organization, Deep Sea.

Subconsciously, he recalled the words that had appeared on the golden screen of light.

It seemed he had to complete a trial left by Robert to get the key and obtain the other item he’d left behind.

Perhaps it was a fortune, or maybe higher-level Superpower Weapons and other legacies.

At this thought, intense curiosity welled up in Lu Chao, and he carefully examined the black card in his hand.

Based on his previous knowledge of the Dark Web,

the numbers on this kind of assassin identification token were the Dark Web account. As long as you went to the website and entered the correct password, you could log in.

And as for the password...

He flipped the black card over in his hand and looked at the back.

A small slip of paper was stuck to it, on which six Arabic numerals were written.

His eyes gradually brightened.

He was curious if this Dark Web account held any surprises.

.....

...

ROAR!!

A beast’s roar thundered, echoing across the wildlands.

A behemoth dozens of meters tall crossed over a mountain, shaking the plains.

Lion-tiger behemoths, scaled horned crocodiles, packs of jackals and rats... tens of thousands of Mutant Beasts were driven before it, their countless roars and screeches ringing across the land.

Dust billowed into the sky like a sandstorm. A black tide flooded over the hills, devouring and trampling the forests and weeds in its path, leaving only desolation in its wake.

"What a terrifying Beast Tide..."

Watching this scene from afar, a sentry on another mountain peak lowered his binoculars, his eyes filled with fear and relief.

Behind him stood a massive, entirely black military fortress, built into the mountainside.

The menacing, towering walls were dotted with firing ports and cannon barrels. Metal watchtowers stood at several points on the fortress’s highest level, where machine gunners and sentries simultaneously watched for any movements from the Beast Tide in other directions.

And inside this fortress,

soldiers of the Iron Sand Army, dressed in military green camouflage, came and went. Many enslaved wilderness dwellers were escorted by them at gunpoint to some reclaimed area, forced to mine day and night.

Other soldiers hid in their rooms, clutching automatic firearms, laughing boisterously as they played poker amidst piles of scattered banknotes.

Everything seemed normal.

But, in the very center of the fortress,

a short-haired woman in a camouflage uniform knocked gently on a door, arriving at the secluded chamber of the fortress’s master.

"General, Tan Yue has left."

She stood before the closed metal door and reported softly, "This shipment of aid contains a total of three hundred and eighty-seven boxes of ammunition and medical supplies, a third more than last time."

"What are your instructions...?"

She looked at the figure sitting in the center of the chamber with their back to her.

This was a room sealed with steel plates, though the whole thing was mottled with rust.

The person was surrounded by several semi-automated mechanical arms that seemed to be implanting some sort of mechanical part into him, constantly giving off sizzling sparks. Several cables were also plugged into his body, appearing to infuse him with some kind of liquid.

"The Tan family must have guessed that our casualties are heavy. They want us to continue tying down the City Guard Army and stirring up chaos."

The voice was low and carried a metallic quality that resonated deep in one’s soul.

The figure spoke without turning his head, "If I’m not mistaken, it’s the same situation with Blackthorn... That old fox Tan Shanzhong is not only a master calculator, but it seems his ambition is quite large as well."

The short-haired woman nodded at his words but then felt a flicker of doubt.

The Tan family wasn’t the only veteran family in the Red Maple City Circle. Steel Union Machinery, Star Peak Communications, and Primordial Oasis had also been rooted there for many years. Weren’t they afraid of being held accountable afterward?

Or had the other three families joined forces with them?

The thought flashed through her mind, but ultimately, she didn’t dare to ask.

Instead, thinking of the turmoil caused by the recent Beast Tide outbreak, she dutifully reported some intelligence she had gathered.

"Is that so... By my calculations, the last time a ’tsunami storm’ of this magnitude broke out was fifteen years ago."

Gwight, who was having his injuries repaired with cybernetic implants, nodded. "However, this is our chance to rest and recuperate. It won’t be too late to go to war again after the Beast Tide is over."

"As for the Rebels, continue cooperating with them according to the original plan."

"Yes, sir."

The short-haired woman nodded and was about to leave.

But suddenly, Gwight asked, "Di Xiong and Will... are those two not back yet?"

"No." The short-haired woman shook her head.

She was also a little confused.

The two of them working together should have been enough to briefly hold their own against some Exploration Level experts. Yet they had taken several days to deal with a mere Superpower Team leader, and there was still no word from them.

"Is that so."

Gwight frowned.

He didn’t dwell on it. He didn’t think anything could have happened to his two trusted subordinates.

After all, their target was just a Superpower Bureau team leader who was, at best, a veteran at the Limit-Breaking Level. As long as they didn’t run into a Beast Tide, he posed little threat.

He didn’t ask any more questions.

He gestured for the short-haired woman to leave.

The mottled metal chamber grew quiet. Sizzling sparks appeared on the surface of his body as several implantation lines on his back glowed brightly, their repairs complete.

This war had left him heavily injured, and the Iron Sand Army had also suffered grievous losses.

However...

He looked at the metal table before him.

Two items were placed on it.

The first was a black, ring-shaped device with a flashing blue light, which seemed to indicate it needed to be charged before it could be activated.

As for the second item,

it was a torn piece of a parchment map.

It showed the internal layout of some underground base, as well as special information about a certain Beast King.

"A special, modified Beast King, and its corresponding biological controller."

A flicker of greed passed through Gwight’s eyes. "Just what base ruin is this..."