Chapter 556: Slaying and Annihilation (Part 2)

「Inside the data center.」

Wu Liangchen was drenched in blood; whether it was his enemies’ or his own, he couldn’t tell. He was like an Asura bursting forth from hell itself. He held no fixed weapon—any piece of scrap metal he could grab became a deadly instrument in his hands. Before this peerless killer, the elite guards were routed in an instant.

He had carved a bloody path, breaking free from the data center’s heavy containment.

Without pausing for a moment, he raced back to the nondescript apartment building.

The moment he pushed the door open, Wu Liangchen’s heart plummeted.

The room was a mess—tables and chairs were overturned, the sofa was out of place. There were clear signs of a struggle.

Chi Lian was gone!

‘Just as I feared. The worst has happened!’

The thunderous roar of rotor blades grew from a distant hum to a deafening clamor, shattering the quiet of the night. A moment later, a blinding searchlight beam stabbed through the window, bathing the entire room in stark white light.

Wu Liangchen’s pupils constricted. He turned around slowly.

Outside the window, an attack helicopter hovered in mid-air. Its massive rotors whipped up a furious wind that made the curtains lash about. In the open doorway of the cabin stood a man in black combat gear, a vicious scar twisting his face into a savage sneer as he looked down at him.

And in the man’s hand, clutched by the hair, was Chi Lian!

Blood trickled from the corner of Chi Lian’s mouth. Her face was pale as a sheet, her once-delicate features now marred by injuries. But her defiant eyes still blazed with an unyielding fire.

She had clearly been brutally tortured. Her simple cotton dress was torn in several places, revealing skin covered in black and blue bruises.

“Kid, you’ve got some skills, I’ll give you that. You even managed to take out Butterfly. But this is where it ends. Our missiles have a lock on this entire area. If you don’t want this little broad to meet a messy end, and you don’t want this whole block flattened, you’ll surrender quietly!”

Wu Liangchen watched the arrogant man, his face an emotionless mask. His gaze finally settled on Chi Lian.

She looked at him quietly, then suddenly, she smiled. Her lips moved, mouthing words he couldn’t hear.

Then, with the last of her strength, she snapped her head up and sank her teeth viciously into the wrist of the scar-faced man holding her by the hair!

“ARGH!” the scar-faced man screamed in pain, his hand flying open reflexively.

And Chi Lian plummeted.

THUD!

A sickening thud echoed from the street below as Chi Lian’s body slammed into the pavement, kicking up a small puff of dust.

The scar-faced man stared, dumbfounded, at the pool of blood rapidly spreading on the ground below. He’d never imagined the woman would be so resolute—that she would rather kill herself than be used as a hostage.

But he had no more time to think. A terrifying, almost palpable killing intent erupted from the apartment, surging toward the heavens!

Chi Lian had died without making a sound, but Wu Liangchen knew what her last words were.

‘Kill them all.’

So, without a moment’s hesitation, Wu Liangchen stomped down.

The reinforced concrete floor shattered beneath his foot. He used the downward force to launch himself like a cannonball, rocketing out the window and straight toward the hovering helicopter.

“Quick! Pull up! Fucking PULL UP!” The scar-faced man, scared witless by the sight, shrieked hysterically at the pilot.

The pilot snapped to his senses, scrambling at the controls in a desperate attempt to gain altitude. But it was too late!

Wu Liangchen’s body carved an impossible arc through the air, and he latched onto the helicopter’s landing skid with perfect precision. Then, with a surge of core strength, the muscles in his arms bunched like stones as he hauled his massive frame up and into the open cabin!

THUMP!

Wu Liangchen landed hard inside the cabin, sending a violent shudder through the entire airframe. He didn’t spare a glance for the panicked pilot; his blood-red eyes were locked on the scar-faced man.

The scar-faced man scrambled backward in terror, nearly tumbling out of the cabin. He drew the pistol at his hip and squeezed the trigger wildly, firing at Wu Liangchen.

But the bullets couldn’t even scratch him. He advanced, each footstep landing like a hammer blow on the scar-faced man’s heart.

“You… You…” The scar-faced man stammered, the gun falling from his nerveless fingers and clattering to the floor.

Wu Liangchen’s hand shot out and clamped around his throat, lifting him off his feet like a helpless chick. “Tell me,” he growled, “who sent you?”

Under the crushing weight of Wu Liangchen’s palpable killing intent, the man’s mental defenses shattered. He spilled everything he knew, the words tumbling out of him.

They were from the Dome Group. After the incident at the data center, they had received orders from the top: capture or kill Wu Liangchen at any cost.

Chi Lian was just a pawn, someone they had grabbed along the way to use as leverage against Wu Liangchen.

He also revealed a crucial piece of intel: the supreme leader of the Dome Group, the mysterious ‘Number Zero,’ was not currently at their Zhongjing headquarters, but at a heavily fortified, secret military base outside the city.

“Sp-spare me… Please… I told you everything I know…” The scar-faced man sobbed, tears and snot streaming down his face. A warm wetness spread across his crotch, and the foul stench of urine filled the air.

The savagery in Wu Liangchen’s eyes didn’t lessen one bit. With a casual squeeze…

CRACK!

A sharp crack of breaking bone echoed in the cabin.

The scar-faced man’s head lolled to the side at an unnatural angle, his eyes frozen wide in a final look of abject terror.

Just then, a shrill whistle tore through the air, growing rapidly louder—the sound of incoming missiles!

Wu Liangchen’s eyes hardened. Without a second thought, he kicked open the mangled cabin door and leaped out!

The instant he was clear of the helicopter, several missiles, trailing long plumes of fire, slammed into the area with pinpoint accuracy.

BOOM! BOOM! RUMBLE!

A series of deafening explosions rocked the city. Flames shot toward the sky as a shockwave tore outwards in all directions. The entire apartment building, along with the spiraling helicopter, was instantly consumed by a maelstrom of fire and destruction!

Moments later, as dust and debris carried by the blast wave rained down, Wu Liangchen slowly rose from the heart of the fiery ruin.

His clothes were blown to shreds, and his body was covered in blood—some of it his enemies’, some of it his own. But none of that mattered anymore.

Chi Lian was dead.

That fiery, flamboyant girl had chosen to leap from the helicopter rather than be a burden to him. Wu Liangchen closed his eyes, the image of her final smile and the words she silently mouthed seared into his memory.

‘Kill them all.’

He would.

Zhongjing was in chaos.

In the distance, explosions echoed and gunfire rang out incessantly. With the surveillance network down, the people’s long-suppressed rage finally exploded.

Conflict and riots erupted on every street and in every alley.

Wu Liangchen avoided the main thoroughfares, slipping through alleyways and abandoned buildings until he soon arrived back at the base.

The base was a hive of activity, with people rushing everywhere. Some were hauling weapons and ammunition, others were tending to the wounded, while a group huddled around the communications array, coordinating operations across the city.

Old Ghost stood in the command center, gesturing at a massive city map. When he saw Wu Liangchen enter, his eyes lit up, and he hurried over.

“Mr. Wu! You’re back!” Old Ghost’s eyes raked over Wu Liangchen from head to toe. Seeing the blood covering him, his brow furrowed. “Are you wounded?”

“It’s nothing,” Wu Liangchen said, shaking his head. His voice was low. “Butterfly is dead. The data center is destroyed.”

A flash of delight crossed Old Ghost’s face, but it vanished as he sensed something was wrong. “What about Chi Lian? Didn’t she come back with you?”

Wu Liangchen was silent for a moment, then he met Old Ghost’s eyes. “She’s dead.”

The two short words struck Old Ghost like a sledgehammer to the chest.

He visibly staggered, and the lines on his face seemed to deepen in that instant.

“What happened?” Old Ghost’s voice trembled.

Wu Liangchen gave him a brief account of what had transpired. When he reached the part about Chi Lian leaping from the helicopter so as not to be a burden, Old Ghost’s eyes grew red.

“That kid…” Old Ghost murmured, his voice choked with emotion. He didn’t shed a tear, but took a deep, shuddering breath.

Wu Liangchen said nothing, merely watching him in silence.

He knew that in this fight against tyranny, Chi Lian wouldn’t be the last to fall.

Every person here had cast aside all thought of life and death the moment they joined Starfire.

“I need weapons and intelligence,” Wu Liangchen said after a moment of silence, getting straight to the point.

Old Ghost shook himself free from his grief, his gaze turning sharp once more. “You’re going after Number Zero?”

“Yes.”