"It's time to set off," Grey said to everyone. "The secret realm will open soon."

As he said that, he swiftly opened his mind interface, connected it to his AV, and directly called it over. It had an auto-pilot function, so he didn't need to manually control it; it would come to him with a single command.

"Little Brother Grey, be safe inside the secret realm," Valeria voiced her concern. "While the inside of the secret realm is filled with treasures and opportunities, it is also filled with dangers. From the records we've received, there are several monsters waiting for you inside."

"Yes." Grey nodded. "The highest probable threat there is only going to be at the peak of the 1st rank. Something of that scale is nothing to me."

What he said was true. In the 1st rank, he had no competition.

It didn't matter if it was a god or a demon, or perhaps an ancient immortal with endless talent. He, who had undergone transformation through the Law of Heavenly Tribulation and held the superior energy that overlooked all, had nothing to fear.

"Master, please be safe," Werner used telepathy, something exclusive to Law Transformers, and spoke directly into Grey's mind.

"Don't worry, old man," Grey replied. "I'll be just fine. Worry about yourself."

Grey shook his head. If Werner were to fall here today, it would definitely be a loss. He had been his disciple for the past two months and had continuously assisted him in every matter. Not only would he lose a disciple, but the city would also lose a powerful Two-Star Formation Master.

As he finished musing, his AV arrived and neatly descended beside him. Slowly, the door to the AV opened, revealing the interior.

"Farewell, everyone," Grey said with a smile.

He could see it in their faces, the unease, the fear, the silent anxiety buried behind every glance. The upcoming calamity hung over them like a dark cloud, pressing down on their hearts. He wasn't blind to it. Hence, he gave them small words of encouragement

.

"There's no need for any of you to worry," Grey said, a confident grin tugging at his lips. "As long as I don't fall, nothing will happen to you or this city. I, Grey Lockhart, guarantee it. with my name."

The moment those words left his mouth, the atmosphere froze.

"!!!"

Everyone was taken aback. For a moment, even the sound of the wind seemed to stop.

Valeria blinked, her eyes widening as she stared at him.

Where did this confidence come from?

What gave him the courage to speak like that?

He was just a 1st Ranker, someone who hadn't even stepped into the true realm of power.

Should a mere First Rank Evolver like him even dare to make such a declaration?

Normally, such words would be brushed aside as arrogance, the kind of empty boasting only the young and reckless would make before reality crushed them.

But no one laughed. No one mocked him.

Because somehow, they believed him.

That brief smile of his carried more strength than any speech.

Then, without saying another word, Grey turned and stepped into the AV.

The engines roared to life with a deep hum that shook the air. Dust rose around him as the AV slowly lifted off the ground before accelerating upward in a streak of light.

Everyone stood there, watching silently as the AV ascended higher and higher, growing smaller with each passing second until it became nothing more than a dot in the vast sky.

Yet even as it disappeared from sight, his voice lingered, echoing in their minds, clear and unshaken.

"As long as I don't fall, nothing will happen to you guys and the city."

To them, it didn't sound like a mere promise — it was a declaration, a certainty that his words would become reality

Inside the AV, Grey sat in the pilot seat with his legs crossed, casually gazing at the view of the technologically advanced Ashspire City.

Then, Eterna came into his vision.

Seeing her, Grey spoke. "You're here, Eterna. Did something happen?"

"Yes." Eterna said. "I have detected multiple signal blockages within Ashspire City. Current count: five hundred and twelve."

The signal blockage detected by Eterna could only mean one thing: that organization was here. After all, such precise interference was something only Eterna could recognize; it was targeted directly at her.

To ordinary citizens or even Cyborgs, those people would seem completely normal. No matter how deep they tried to dig, they wouldn't find anything unusual.

But with Eterna using his cognitive anchor to constantly scan the area around him, there was no way she would miss the faint distortions caused by the signal blocks.

"I figured as much," Grey replied calmly. "Still, to think there would be more than five hundred of them. The High Order is going all out, aren't they? Also, they really need to step up their game. At this point, it's becoming too easy to identify a High Order member. But I guess they're already making preparations for that."

Recently, Eterna had tried snooping around the City Lord's mansion. Targeting or breaching the privacy of a City Lord was strictly against the laws, but she could still probe their family members instead. Yet, to her surprise, she hadn't found anything out of the ordinary.

That only led her to believe that the High Order had already begun taking countermeasures.

"Affirmative." Eterna paused briefly. "Based on your prior analysis, I assume you anticipated this development."

The way Grey spoke made it clear that he already knew about the infiltration long before she mentioned it.

"So, the calamity you foresaw was related to the High Order," Eterna inquired with analytical curiosity.

Of course, she had suspected it from the beginning. As a powerful AI, her predictive algorithms were beyond ordinary, but seeing the way Grey acted only confirmed her calculations.

"Maybe," Grey replied with a smile. "Maybe not. Perhaps a different factor will come into play. We won't know for sure."

Grey wasn't going to tell Eterna outright about the calamity. That would only accelerate things unnecessarily. Fate was unpredictable, and he didn't want to provoke it this early.

Besides, what he said was true. Maybe an unpredictable variable other than the High Order might appear, you never know.

Then, Grey changed the subject. "Any updates on the Federation?"

"Yes." Eterna nodded slightly. "That is the secondary reason I contacted you, aside from reporting the High Order's signal blockages. A 3rd Rank expert has been dispatched from the Federation. Estimated arrival: five days."

"In five days?" Grey sneered. "By the time he arrives, the city will already be razed to the ground, corpses littered everywhere."

"…" Eterna's tone shifted subtly. "Is the situation projected to escalate to that degree?"

Grey simply stayed silent. He neither denied or confirmed it.

"The Federation is truly inefficient," he muttered. "Utterly useless."

"Alright, now go away. I'm enjoying the view here. Don't disturb me," Grey waved Eterna away.

Eterna wasn't really helping with anything, and it wouldn't be a lie to say she had been mostly useless so far. She did help with his safety and the High Order, but aside from that, she hadn't been much of an asset. And in this incident, she couldn't help either.

Eterna knew this well, but she was powerless to change it. Perhaps, if she did try to interfere, something even bigger would erupt.

Soon, the AV passed through the sectors of Ashspire City and finally arrived near a towering fortress

This fortress was built directly above the secret realm for maximum security, ensuring that no one trespassed or approached it without authorization.

Grey attached his permit to the AV, and as soon as he entered the fortress's airspace, a scanner swept over his AV and instantly gave him clearance.

Bit by bit, he slowly descended and finally landed within the fortress. There, many other AVs and vehicles were already parked.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.