Chapter 385 - 64: Peak of Limit-Breaking

TAP, TAP.

That same day.

Lu Chao walked out of his apartment building, the earlier thought flashing through his mind.

’Top-tier hackers can easily break into communicators through the virtual network, especially on a place like the Dark Web, which is teeming with them.’

’The communicator I have now definitely isn’t suitable for logging in. It’d be best to buy another one...’

Walking at a steady pace, Lu Chao suppressed the strong urge to log onto the Dark Web immediately.

It was always best to be cautious. He wasn’t sure if this identity card had any other hidden features, and he had no intention of letting his "Lu Chao" identity get entangled with Deep Sea. Naturally, he had to be careful and make other plans.

Soon after, he made his way through the streets, heading straight for the Superpower Bureau’s building.

He had left his apartment just now because the branch director, Li Junyi, had contacted him unexpectedly.

The mission rewards for dealing with the two Wilderness Warlords, Di Xiong and Will, had been decided.

From the sound of his tone, it seemed the contribution was quite significant.

TAP, TAP!

His pace unwavering, Lu Chao looked down the road ahead.

Most of the pedestrians coming and going were members of the Superpower Bureau, with a few passersby from the nearby city circle.

Holographic projections floated over a nearby mall. One moment, a virtual avatar for Muscle Building Powder was promoting Biotechnology’s pharmaceutical products; the next, it was advertising the latest cybernetic bodies and communication devices from Ganghe Machinery and Star Peak Communications.

The four great founding families of Red Maple City controlled every aspect of the satellite city; even the Five Major Enterprises had to make some concessions here.

However, Lu Chao paused and looked toward a holographic projection in a distant city block.

It was a breaking news broadcast for the city circle.

[Red Maple Daily: The City Lord’s Mansion has announced the deployment of the City Guard Army to fortify the high walls against the Beast Tide.]

[City Circle News: The Yao Capital Committee has announced it will provide long-term aid to the Red Maple City Circle to help resist the Beast Tide. All residents of the city circle are urged to remain confident...]

[...]

Lu Chao took in several similar news reports.

He wasn’t surprised. He knew that in the ten-odd days he had been secluded, the situation in Red Maple had been changing by the minute.

The Beast Tide from the Southern Wilderness was escalating, and Mutant Beasts were now frequently spotted a dozen or so kilometers outside the buffer zone.

Wilderness Hunters from the Hunter Guild, for example, basically no longer dared to venture into the wilderness, and the same was true for the security teams of other major corporations.

The prices of some Exotic Beast Materials and wilderness medicinal herbs within the city were gradually being affected, quietly rising.

The thought passed through his mind as he walked without stopping, straight into the Superpower Bureau building.

"Leader!"

"Brother Lu!"

"Leader Lu."

A series of greetings rang out as teams of Superpower Members in black combat uniforms moved in and out of the bright, glass-walled lobby.

Amid the respectful calls, Lu Chao nodded in acknowledgment.

He could feel the increased admiration in the gazes of those around him, and he could hear the quiet discussions spreading in private.

"Did you hear? To save Captain Sun and the others, Leader Lu faced two Superpower Level individuals all by himself."

"I know, right? And Di Xiong and Will were famous warlord commanders, too. In the end, they both fell to Leader Lu."

"Didn’t they say he only got lucky because he took advantage of the Beast Tide?"

"Hmph, who cares how he did it? As long as he succeeded... And don’t forget, Leader Lu could have just left on his own back then. Wouldn’t you want a responsible leader like that?"

The whispers reached his ears, but Lu Chao’s expression remained unchanged as he stepped into the elevator and headed straight for the top floor.

When he arrived at the door of Li Junyi’s office, he saw Yao Jin just walking out. She was slightly taken aback to see him.

"Are your injuries healed?"

she asked softly, snapping back to her senses.

Today, Yao Jin was dressed in a dark, form-fitting combat suit, tightly gripping the alloy longsword named Silver Moon. It seemed she had just returned from a mission.

He met her bright gaze and sincere concern.

Lu Chao knew no one suspected he had feigned his injuries. He nodded and smiled. "Thanks to the Bureau’s approval, I got some time off to rest."

"The injuries weren’t too severe. I’d say I’m about eighty percent recovered."

"That’s good."

Seeing that his breathing was steady and he no longer seemed weak, Yao Jin appeared to let out a sigh of relief, her doubts allayed.

"Speaking of which, we really owe you one."

"If you ever need anything, just ask. Team Four owes you a favor."

She thanked him proactively, having clearly heard Sun Jiayuan’s report of what had happened. The admiration in her eyes as she looked at Lu Chao was even greater now.

Covering their retreat at the risk of his own life was enough to convince anyone of his character, not to mention the life-and-death dangers they had faced together back in the Hive District.

Lu Chao smiled and waved his hand, not paying it much mind.

If any other team had been in that situation, he would have made the same choice. After all, he had his own selfish reason: he wanted to explore Nanyun Mountain.

After a brief chat, he watched her leave.

’Looks like the Rebels are getting restless, too,’

Lu Chao thought, a flicker in his eyes, as he recalled what she had just said.

During the days he had been resting, the plan to sweep for Rebels in the Hive District had run into some trouble.

Legos and his men had appeared and besieged a Superpower Team leader, trying to create chaos.

Fortunately, the Special Investigation Team’s personnel had been prepared. The cold-natured Special Commissioner Liu was also remarkably powerful, managing to block the assault and hold out until reinforcements arrived.

Thinking of this, Lu Chao shook his head.

Although the Superpower Bureau still hadn’t found the Rebels’ branch base in the Hive District, he had a feeling that day was not far off.

...

KLANG!

The rusty, steel-frame elevator descended, passing by crowded concrete buildings and heading deeper underground.