Chapter 396 - 70: Further Improvement, a Visualization Breakthrough

WHOOSH!!

The air above the district streets churned as several hover cars sped past.

Holographic screens near the plaza broadcasted the news, mostly covering the Beast Tide and the turmoil in the buffer zones.

Yet, there was scarcely any coverage on Tan Yue’s death, as if the story had been suppressed.

"Looks like the Tan family doesn’t want this getting out."

"Obviously. It was clearly an assassination by someone from the Dark Web. Putting out a warrant is useless. Haven’t you heard? Apparently, the Tan family even sent people to the black market, vowing to destroy the Dark Web’s local branch."

"Tsk, tsk. For it to blow up this big... But you have to admit, this Celestial Hunter is incredible. I saw the surveillance footage from the scene. He’s got to be at the Transcendence Level, at least, right?"

The first-floor lobby of the Superpower Bureau bustled with activity. Superpower Members came and went, some in civilian clothes ready for office work, others fully armed and striding past on their way to an assignment.

Sunlight streamed in through the floor-to-ceiling windows, and murmurs of conversation rose from the corners.

Lu Chao strode into the lobby, his ears twitching slightly as he caught the gist of their conversation.

He wasn’t surprised. He knew what happened yesterday had alarmed not only the Superpower Bureau and the Special Investigation Team but that even the City Lord’s Mansion had sent people to investigate.

But so far, the fallout was more or less what he’d expected.

The Celestial Hunter’s identity cleared him of all suspicion. No one would connect him to a codename that had been dormant for over thirty years.

Without breaking his stride, he nodded and smiled in response to the respectful greetings from the other members, walking across the bright gray floor tiles straight toward the first-floor elevators.

"Leader Lu seems to be in a good mood."

"No kidding. That guy Tan Yue was trying to target him back then. He got what he deserved."

"You’re thinking too small. Leader Lu is just being polite to us. It has nothing to do with the Tan family..."

More whispers followed him. Lu Chao feigned ignorance, simply continuing on his way with a calm expression.

Just then, DING! An elevator arrived, its silver metal doors sliding open.

Lu Chao stood to one side, not in a hurry to step inside.

His Life Sensing had already detected two Superpower Level magnetic fields approaching. As he looked up, a line of figures dressed in black emerged, most of them members of the Special Investigation Team.

The two at the front, a man and a woman at the Superpower Level, both looked somewhat familiar.

"Leader Lu."

Running into him by chance, the thick-browed Xu Pingsong paused for a moment before nodding in greeting.

The two of them were somewhat acquainted, having participated in a wilderness rescue and returned to the city together.

"Special Commissioner Xu."

Lu Chao returned the greeting with a smile and a nod, remembering the kindness the man had shown by coming to his rescue, braving both the Beast Tide and the threats of a warlord.

Then, his gaze shifted to the person beside Xu Pingsong.

A woman with short black hair, walking half a step ahead of him, looked to be in her late twenties. She wore a black leather trench coat and combat boots.

It was a look that should have been sharp and capable.

However, the face beneath that short hair was exceptionally cold, giving off the frosty, unapproachable air of a winter storm. This was especially true of her Life Magnetic Field—at the peak of the Exploration Level—which sent a chill crawling over one’s skin even when restrained.

"Special Commissioner Liu."

Lu Chao said softly, showing his respect.

’That’s odd.’ He felt a flicker of surprise, subtly averting his gaze after glimpsing a long, vertical scar on her right cheek.

There was no response.

Special Commissioner Liu merely shot him a cold glance before leading the rest of the Special Investigation Team away.

The moment was a bit awkward, and the atmosphere grew tense.

"Sorry,"

Xu Pingsong mouthed, his expression apologetic, before hurrying to catch up.

Lu Chao raised an eyebrow, sensing something was off.

He knew this Special Commissioner, Liu Hanyi, had a bad temper and often heard stories of her berating subordinates.

But... he had met her before. While she had always been unapproachable and difficult to interact with, she had at least met his gaze properly.

Now, however, his Life Sensing picked up a somber quality in her magnetic field.

More than that, whether she meant to or not, he could feel a distinct coldness in the emotions she directed at him.

’When could I have possibly offended her?’

The thought flashed through Lu Chao’s mind, leaving him puzzled.

Just then, footsteps approached from behind, accompanied by a series of greetings for "Leader Yao."

"Special Commissioner Liu had her face slashed by a Rebel named Zhu Yue during her last operation."

Yao Jin, dressed in the dark blue uniform of the Superpower Bureau with her hair tied in a ponytail, walked up beside him. "Her opponent’s ability uses some kind of special toxin," she said.

"Special Commissioner Liu managed to force most of it out, so it wasn’t fatal, but the wound still hasn’t healed..."

Oh?

Lu Chao snapped out of his thoughts at her words, recalling what he had just seen.

There was indeed a new, vicious-looking scar on her face.

No wonder.

That cleared up some of his confusion.

No woman would be unconcerned about her appearance.

That would explain her grim expression.

But...

He was certain her animosity toward him wasn’t just because of that.

DING!

Lost in thought, he stepped into the elevator with her, and the doors closed as they began to ascend.

As Yao Jin continued the conversation, Lu Chao had to temporarily push his questions aside and make small talk with her.

"We’ve gotten some new leads on the Rebels recently."

"If I’m not mistaken, their branch headquarters is located underground in the Hive District."

Yao Jin said quietly, her eyes glinting.

Lu Chao knew what she meant.

’Looks like the higher-ups are planning a major operation.’

"Also,"

The elevator arrived at the floor for the team leaders.

As they stepped out of the elevator, she deliberately lowered her voice. "Speaking of which, we should probably be thanking that Celestial Hunter from the Dark Web."

"Oh?"

Lu Chao feigned a look of confusion.

He then saw Yao Jin give a small smile. "After Tan Yue died yesterday, the Tan family made some moves. They raised a huge stink with the local Dark Web branch."