Chapter 489: Martial Skill Breakthrough

Chapter 489: Chapter 17: Martial Skill Breakthrough

That night, subtle movements echoed inside the building where the negotiation team resided. Yan Zhengfeng, dressed in a black combat suit, stood guard outside the building himself.

“Team Leader Yan, why aren’t you resting?”

“You guys have been working hard these past few days. I should do my part too, shouldn’t I?” Yan Zhengfeng replied casually, his expression normal.

The Superpower Captains did not doubt him. Ever since Xiao Chen’s death, the atmosphere in Mountain City had been somewhat tense. Especially at night, when even the rustle of leaves in the wind could cause alarm, having a Superpower Level expert personally patrol the area naturally provided a sense of security just in case.

However, they were completely unaware. Inside the building, a figure was being escorted into a room.

Ji Lanhua, the negotiation team’s only female assistant, gently closed the door. She looked at the wheat-skinned woman wrapped in bandages, nursing several injuries. Beside the woman stood the team leader—the very person who had rescued her and ordered them to hide her whereabouts.

“Help her with some makeup, then hide her in your room. You’ll be in charge of her meals. I’ll have Old Yan cover for you. As for anything else, don’t ask too many questions,” Lu Chao said softly, standing to the side. He had already learned some of the truth from Penelope. All that was needed now was to keep her hidden temporarily.

“Yes, Special Commissioner Chen.” Ji Lanhua, wearing a black tailored skirt suit, nodded repeatedly. Beneath her neat, short hair was the beautiful, bright face of a young woman in her twenties. Although she had many doubts and even cast a few curious glances at Penelope, she suppressed the urge to pry. Treating it like any other mission, she accepted the task.

“As for you.” With calm eyes, Lu Chao looked at Penelope. Meeting her complicated gaze, he reminded her, “If you truly want to save Raccoon Cat, listen to me.”

Without explaining further, he quietly instructed Ghost Element to stay behind, then turned and left.

CLICK! The door shut, leaving the room in immediate silence.

Penelope sat there with a conflicted expression. She was worried about Raccoon Cat’s current situation but also wary of Lu Chao and his people, hesitating over whether she should fight her way out.

“What a cute Cat Beast.” Seeing Ghost Element left behind, Ji Lanhua’s eyes lit up. She crouched down slightly and scooped it into her arms.

Without overthinking what made the creature special, her long-standing love for feline animals took over. She had been eager to interact with Ghost Element for a while and finally had the chance. The black cat did not struggle; instead, it took the opportunity to nestle closer into her soft embrace.

During this, its ruby-red beastly eyes flashed slightly, shooting a glance at Penelope. It seemed ordinary enough, but…

Penelope’s heart skipped a beat as an inexplicable chill washed over her.

CLICK!

The door to the room at the end of the corridor closed. Lu Chao, his eyes profound, walked to the window and looked out at Mountain City under the veil of night.

Penelope’s awakening came at the perfect time. Thanks to her words, all his speculations had been verified.

BUZZ BUZZ! His communication wristwatch vibrated slightly, bringing news from Ring City. The Superpower Bureau, the City Defense Department, the Patrol Department… The negotiation plan had reached its final stage, and everyone was fully prepared.

He thought, “It’s my turn.”

Over the next few days, Fortress Mountain City remained as bustling as ever. From time to time, convoys of armored vehicles left the fortress and headed into the wilderness, seemingly searching for the trajectory of the meteor that had fallen that day.

The White Bone Army was left leaderless, with all its warlord commanders having been severely injured by Lu Chao earlier. Quietly, Lu Weilong’s trusted aide, Kui Wu, was sent to temporarily take over as the second leader. Some were dissatisfied with this arrangement, but they swallowed their pride out of fear of his strength.

The power dynamics in Fortress Mountain City underwent another subtle shift, giving rise to countless whispered discussions.

“Now that the White Bone Army has also defected to the Red River Army, this is really… something else.”

“Right? Word has it that Ao’Er, the leader of the Rock Mountain Army, went to pay respects to Chief Leader Lu again just a few days ago.”

“At this rate, aside from the Red Flame Army, the other four leaders are all Red River Army men…”

Various rumors spread like wildfire. Anyone with a discerning eye could see that Lu Weilong was on the verge of taking control of the entire Fortress Mountain City.

Yet, despite this, the Red Flame Army acted as if they were oblivious to their impending doom. Chen Junhao, the Third Leader, was still burying himself in investigating Xiao Chen’s cause of death. Meanwhile, the members of the negotiation team from the Alliance Country were equally unfazed. They neither left nor made any proactive moves to continue negotiations.

“What are you planning to do?” Penelope, now dressed in a black suit, sat by the bedroom window, gazing outside.

She originally thought Lu Chao and the others would take some kind of action to help her rescue Raccoon Cat. However, the past few days had been unusually quiet. Nothing had happened, as if they were simply waiting to be slaughtered.

“Special Commissioner Chen has his own plans. We just need to wait patiently,” Ji Lanhua said with a smile. She walked over to the window and picked up a comb, evidently placing absolute trust in Lu Chao’s words.

Hearing this, Penelope felt somewhat disappointed. She suspected that Lu Chao had brought up the Celestial Hunter earlier just to bluff her, and that he actually had no real means of resolving the situation.

“Special Commissioner Chen also said that you should focus on recovering and stop overthinking,” Ji Lanhua’s gentle voice sounded again. She walked over to Ghost Element and began combing its fur, her movements as relaxed and casual as if she were grooming a perfectly normal cat.

Penelope’s eyelids twitched at the sight. She wanted to warn the assistant that this black cat was far from simple, but the creature suddenly looked up at her as if anticipating her thoughts, exuding an immense, oppressive pressure.

This was undeniably a Beast King. And it had been deliberately left here to monitor her.

Feeling a sense of powerlessness, anxiety periodically flashed through Penelope’s eyes. Perhaps she had no choice but to trust these people from the Alliance Country?

WHOOSH!

Outside the window, gusts of wind blew, ignorant of her thoughts as they swept past the walls of the surrounding buildings. At the end of the corridor, the half-open window of a room rattled slightly in the breeze.

Looking closely, Lu Chao, clad in a black Martial Arts suit, was standing in a wide horse stance in the center of the empty floor.

His face was somewhat flushed, and his skin looked scorching hot. Wisps of sweat mist swirled around him like flowing clouds, and the surging sound of his blood coursing through his veins could faintly be heard, resembling crashing ocean waves.

THUMP! Suddenly, his heartbeat shuddered. His heart hammered loudly like a heavy drum.

THUMP! THUMP!

The rhythm grew faster and faster, until, in a singular moment—

BUZZ! A brown Qi Flame erupted, solidifying into a suit of armor that covered his entire body.

An invisible aura caused the sturdy floor to crack with a sharp splintering noise, as if a gale were bursting outward with him at the epicenter. The desk, chair, and bed in the room all trembled slightly, suppressed by his overwhelming presence.

“Finally, it’s done.” Lu Chao’s eyes shone brightly as he clenched his fists.

CRACK! The air detonated. He had finally mastered the Thunder Extreme Secret Skill to its utmost limit.

Relying on his Flow State talent, he had fused his own insights into this Martial Skill Secret Technique acquired from Lei Wanjun. It had improved significantly compared to when he first learned it; calling it perfected would be no exaggeration. Providing a full eighty percent boost in combat power, it was now barely inferior to his Frenzy State.

He thought, “By using blood energy to stimulate the acupoints, the flow rate of blood energy throughout the body accelerates explosively, granting enhancements in strength, speed, and so on. To a certain extent, it equates to paying a price of double the blood energy consumption. Therefore, after the Secret Technique ends, if too much blood energy has been drained, it will result in a negative weakening effect.”

Carefully experiencing his current state, Lu Chao grasped its fundamental core. This consumption was not a huge burden for him. Even if he activated all his talents simultaneously, he could easily sustain a battle for over half an hour. Thinking of this, he nodded in satisfaction.

The breakthrough in the Thunder Extreme Secret Skill undoubtedly boosted his strength by another substantial margin. He seamlessly pulled up his interface.

[Life Energy: 223 -> 225]

[Potential Progress: 19%]

Over the past few days, he had concocted two more vials of biological serum. This breakthrough allowed him to consolidate his strength, completely digesting all the nutrients and converting them into nourishment that elevated his Life Energy.

He thought, “Even without using the Titan’s Power, my current self is enough to contend against Transcendence Level experts. If I fire on all cylinders, I can defeat even a Peak Transcendence Level opponent!” Lu Chao was incredibly confident, perfectly aware of the heights his current strength had reached.

In other words…

He thought, “It’s time to end this.” His eyes were bright, his formidable strength serving as a profound bedrock of confidence in his heart.

Sensing something, he tilted his head toward the door.

KNOCK KNOCK!

“Special Commissioner Chen, Lu Weilong has sent someone.”

“Got it.” Lu Chao nodded, threw on a black trench coat, and stepped out of the room.

Yan Zhengfeng stood waiting at the door with a solemn expression. Following his gaze out the corridor window, Lu Chao saw several camouflaged off-road vehicles parked along the curb. A Superpower Commander of the Red River Army stood there, leading a squad of patrol soldiers in wait, occasionally glancing up at the second floor.

“That’s Kui Wu’s younger brother, Kuicheng. He says Lu Weilong is hosting a banquet tonight for all the warlord commanders and wants to reopen discussions regarding the negotiation,” Yan Zhengfeng reported truthfully, a trace of gravity flashing in his eyes.

The negotiations had been stalled for days. This sudden banquet invitation was glaringly unusual.

Lu Chao’s eyes flickered upon hearing this, though he wasn’t overly surprised. Even though the Superpower Commander outside was trying to restrain his emotions, a faint, targeted malice still registered clearly in Lu Chao’s perception.

“If I remember correctly, today is the last day, right?” he suddenly asked.

The investigation into Xiao Chen’s cause of death was strictly limited to half a month. This was the military pledge deadline that Lu Weilong had deliberately forced Brother Hao to make.

Yan Zhengfeng was momentarily stunned before coming to a realization. “You mean…”

“Isn’t this exactly the result we wanted?” Lu Chao retracted his gaze and smiled faintly. Striding forward and gesturing for Yan Zhengfeng to follow, he instructed, “Have everyone get ready. After today, our mission will be over.”

WHOOSH!

The sky above the wilderness was ablaze with crimson clouds, painting a picture of dusk. The fiery red sun sank toward the west, and nightfall was fast approaching. Gusts of biting autumn wind swept across the earth from time to time.

“I heard Chief Leader Lu is hosting a banquet tonight.”

“Yeah, all the warlord commanders got an invite. It seems they hunted quite a few Mutant Beasts too, planning to treat everyone tonight.”

“Tsk tsk, we’re in for a real treat.”

Patrolling soldiers atop the fortress walls laughed and chatted, their faces filled with greed and anticipation for the Exotic Beast Meat. From the watchtower, someone peered down the mountain, watching the occasional bird or beast take flight from the heavily forested cliffs.

Frowning slightly, he thought he saw a dark shadow flash by. “Is there something down there?”

“What could there be? Probably just some blind Mutant Beast looking to get itself killed.” His companion’s dismissive tone eased his frown.

True. This was Fortress Mountain City, after all. It wasn’t as if they hadn’t seen similar things in the past—mostly just traces of Mutant Beasts roaming about.

“Then we definitely need to go down and check it out tomorrow. Who knows, maybe a Mutant Beast got caught in a hunting trap.”

“Haha, sounds good! We can treat ourselves to a good meal, maybe even sell the pelts and find a few women in the city to have some fun.”

Their joking and laughing voices soon faded into the distance.

Startled birds and beasts swept past the fortress’s high walls, flying over the mountain forest. Following the steep mountain peak down below, a dense mass of fully armed figures could be seen lying prone on the ground.

The pitch-black muzzles of their guns seemed to exude a murderous aura. A leading expert from the Superpower Bureau lowered his binoculars and let out a sigh of relief.

“These pieces of trash.”