After a brief moment of thought, Yang Lie dismissed the idea of running away and decided to take action.

It appears that Blue Supervisor from the Finance Bureau is the only survivor of the massacre and understands the ins and outs of the situation.

Yang Lie knew he had to save Blue Supervisor; only then could he clear his own suspicions and not be pursued by those corporations and Nest City's official departments.

This was his only way to recoup his losses at present.

Thus, with no time for hesitation, Yang Lie instantly stepped out, the force of his step so great it left a web-like crack on the ground.

He tapped into the Mad Dog Sequence's power, transforming into a wild blood-colored wolf, swinging his fists full of anger at the tall black-robed brute before him.

"Boom!"

Without any surprise, Yang Lie's punch sent the black-robed brute's head flying, simultaneously stripping off its robe to reveal its true form.

However, the blood and shattered bones imagined by the Apprentice Death God did not appear.

Instead, under the black robe, a faint bluish arc of electricity appeared, along with fragments of steel that shouldn't have existed...

Yang Lie widened his eyes, finally seeing clearly... this three-meter-tall black-robed brute wasn't human at all, but a machine molded from a heap of scrap metal!

At the moment it was attacked, it became completely incapacitated, reverting to scrap metal. Yet at the same time, an arc of electricity pre-programmed ignited, forming a mocking smiley face.

"Bang—!"

Finally, the smirking arc detonated the 36 chained grenades buried within the machine.

The violent explosion created a fireball that engulfed Yang Lie, also transforming the machine's scrap metal into shrapnel, blasting in all directions.

"Ratatatat~"

In an instant, the conference hall, as if strafed by machine gun fire, became riddled with holes.

Yang Lie himself, of course, wasn't majorly harmed; such an attack could only blast him several meters away, leaving small shrapnel cuts on his body, completely non-lethal.

But the Blue Supervisor he wanted to protect was thoroughly doomed.

The explosion's fireball didn't take the young man's life, but in a subsequent millisecond, tens of thousands of metal fragments turned into a rain of knives, scraping over him.

Each shard took a piece of his flesh, each screw shattered his bones, just like the legendary death by a thousand cuts.

So, when the smoke and dust of the explosion completely dissipated, all that was left before Yang Lie was a rain of blood, not a single intact piece of human tissue remaining.

"..."

Yang Lie silently climbed to his feet, bowing his head, his expression seemingly calm, but the bulging veins on his neck exposed his mindset.

Humiliation from being manipulated and calculated.

Resentment at not foreseeing the danger sooner.

Anger at having his career forcibly cut short just when it was thriving...

And the never fully extinguished fear.

The negative emotions he once caused others were now returned to him in full.

But in the end, he suppressed all these emotions and then transformed them into another thought.

"Escape!"

He was ruthless enough, not even bothering to check bodies or rescue people, and even abandoned the headquarters building and all his assets without hesitation, only wanting to get away from this hellish place.

Yang Lie didn't even plan to take the stairs; instead, he planned to leap sideways and crash through the window!

It should be noted, this was the 37th floor... jumping down unprotected like that, even he might get hurt.

But he couldn't care about this much anymore; he had to run first!

However, when he crashed with a "thud" and failed to shatter the window...

He then realized, just as he was getting up, that the previously open window was already closed, and a thick layer of black steel plating covered the outside.

No, it wasn't just the window.

From an outside perspective, the entire headquarters building was encased by deformed steel plates, becoming an impenetrable cage.

Yang Lie's collision just now deformed the steel plating barely, causing it to bulge out slightly.

But it was far from enough to completely break through.

"Tiger Industries' [Platinum VIP Building Security System], your company's flagship product."

Suddenly, in the silent darkness, a candle was lit.

The weak firelight revealed a small silhouette.

She too was dressed in a black robe, but her stature was much smaller than the robot's, appearing insignificant.

But Yang Lie smelled on her a towering stench of blood and an unrestrained killing intent.

She didn't act immediately but slowly spoke in an overwhelmingly calm tone: "The final defense of the security system can cover the building's exterior with a layer of temporary reinforced armor, its strength so high it can withstand an Apprentice Death God's attack for a certain period."

"Its authority is typically controlled by the hacker."

"As the last line of defense, it is highly praised by customers. Hmm, honestly, I would also give it high marks."

"After all, it's what completely cut off your escape possibilities, turning this place into a battlefield exclusive to you and me."

The black-robed figure glanced around, her gaze landing on those corpses.

"I wonder if you're satisfied with how I've set up this battlefield?"

"I specifically read through their crimes and, combined with their personalities and past deeds, tailored the execution method for each of them."

"I heard you're quite the art enthusiast, so surely, you can appreciate this piece of artwork, right?"

"Black Tiger, Civil Protection Officer of Nest City No. 3 G District, Chairman of Tiger Industries, Yang Lie."

The black-robed figure announced Yang Lie's identity, as if reciting the name of a death row inmate about to be executed.

She used a disguised voice, so Yang Lie couldn't recognize her at all.

"Just who are you?"

Yang Lie gritted his teeth and spat out a question.

Now that the chance of escape was gone, he also understood that this battle was unavoidable, so he no longer suppressed the anger in his heart.

If a fight was inevitable, then he would have to fight to the death.

However, he didn't act rashly.

The incident where the black-robed figure toyed with him using a heap of scrap metal was still vivid in his mind.

He was somewhat wary of the small black-robed figure in front of him... concerned it might also be a machine stuffed with bombs.

He wasn't afraid of bombs and shrapnel, but if the black-robed figure struck while he was blown away, it would only worsen the situation.

He had to be cautious, even though his mind was still frantically fragmented...

"Who am I?"

Upon hearing this question, the black-robed figure's corners of her mouth lifted into a smile, finally showing a trace of emotion on her previously impassive face.

"This question must bother you, right? After all, Master Apprentice Death God, throughout your life, you've contributed to 'anti-human enterprises,' harming hundreds of thousands. It's only natural for some of the vengeful ones to seek revenge."

"Of course, I will tell you who I am, but what's the fun in saying it outright?"

"The night is still long."

"We have plenty of time to slowly play!"

When her voice fell, the black-robed figure gently waved her palm, extinguishing the candle—the only light source in the conference hall.

The flame slowly descended, snuffing out in the crimson blood.

A complete darkness descended, causing everything before Yang Lie to slowly vanish at the end of the long night.

"Rest assured, I am fair."

"I will make sure each and every one of you gets the retribution you deserve."

The voice of the black-robed figure gradually drifted away, but the primal fear was deeply engraved in Yang Lie's heart, along with the darkness, gradually swallowing his hope...

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