Chapter 136: Chapter 136: Who Fired the Shot?

An earth-shattering roar echoed from nearly a hundred meters overhead, heard by the police officers at the building’s entrance and even the crowd of onlookers farther away.

All eyes turned to the sky in unison.

They saw a small, dark speck of a figure fly directly out from the shattered floor-to-ceiling window and hover in mid-air.

Immediately after, a volley of red laser beams shot out from the room, but the dark figure dodged them all at high speed.

Seven or eight more dark figures shot out, leaping down.

They leaped from thirty stories up without a moment’s hesitation—obviously, this was no suicide attempt. They were prepared.

Triangular metal wings sprang from the backs of all seven or eight of them. Like birds, they carved a gliding arc through the air, rapidly closing in on the ground.

With the wind roaring past, they abruptly veered off when just five or six meters from the ground, skimming low over the street toward the other end to break through the Security Bureau’s encirclement.

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP!!

Instantly, laser fire erupted.

At Yu Zizi’s command, the officers stationed outside raised their guns as one and fired at the fleeing figures.

Just then, two translucent blue barrier walls shot up from the ground fifty meters away on either side of the street, completely sealing off the area.

They looked familiar to Wang Xi.

He recognized that they were very similar to the One-Way Protective Shield Bai Qimeng had used in the "Boot Cat" Maze.

Sure enough, when the officers’ red laser beams struck the barriers, they sent ripples across the surface with a low hum. It was a precaution, set up in advance to avoid injuring bystanders.

A few screams of agony rang out.

Three of them were shot out of the sky.

They slammed onto the ground with several thuds, howling in agony.

Two of them were fleeing in Wang Xi’s direction. As they drew closer, he got a clear look at their faces.

One was a young man with short hair, the other a woman with red hair.

They both had the same tattoo—a skull formed from a grid pattern, biting down on a number. The man’s was on his neck; the woman’s was on her forehead.

The man’s was a "9," the woman’s a "5."

Their faces were contorted in grimaces as they shouted something, and in moments, they were directly in front of Wang Xi.

They didn’t spare the masked young man below them a single glance, preparing to fly right past him and continue their escape.

But just then, Wang Xi raised a hand and flicked his finger.

WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

Two searing Fireballs, each the size of a ping-pong ball, traced two orange-red arcs as they shot toward the airborne pair.

"Huh?!"

As the Fireballs closed in, the man and woman’s expressions changed. They were too close; it was too late to dodge. They almost simultaneously raised their arms to block.

The skin on the outside of their forearms split open, and from within, an oval, curved metal shield sprang out from each.

BOOM! BOOM!!

Two muffled explosions, and flames blossomed in the air.

Their aerial glide was halted. Before they could even recover, they saw the young man below remove his mask and gently exhale in their direction.

The bizarre sight made both their scalps tingle with dread.

SHHHH—

A wave of sapphire-blue ice mist enveloped them.

"Dodge!"

The young man shoved the woman aside and tried to dodge, but half his body was caught in the mist, freezing solid in an instant.

With two more thuds, they were both forced to the ground.

"Zheng Hong—"

The woman’s face was a mask of shock and fury. She looked up, and just as she opened her mouth to speak, she froze on the spot, completely motionless.

She saw her companion’s headless body drop to its knees with a thud before toppling backward. His severed head rolled away, his expression forever frozen in stunned disbelief.

Standing before her companion’s corpse was the black-haired young man, his mask now off. In one hand, he held an umbrella; in the other, a blood-stained Ice Blade. He was watching her in silence.

"A Professional Warrior?!"

The woman’s mind raced, and the words tumbled out before she could stop them.

To stop them in a single exchange and instantly kill "Member No. 9," Zheng Hong—this man’s strength was terrifying. He was far beyond any ordinary plainclothes officer.

The only possibility was a high-star Professional Warrior.

The black-haired young man looked familiar, but she couldn’t place him. At that moment, she had only one thought: ’I have to lose this guy! I have to run!’

The Security Bureau’s raid had come too fast. Their leader’s escape plan was only half underway, and the dozen or so remaining members were trapped like fish in a barrel!

If she could just escape this sealed-off area, she’d have a chance to get out of Valley City and survive!

But just as she made to take a step, her vision blurred, and the black-haired young man appeared before her in a flash.

CLANG!

A Short Sword sprang from the woman’s palm, and in the nick of time, she parried the Ice Blade aimed for her throat.

Sparks flew, faintly visible amidst the shower of ice chips and freezing mist.

A cold sensation grazed her neck, making the hairs on her skin stand on end.

’Too fast!’

SWISH—

The sharp whistle of a blade cutting through the air rang out again. She summoned every ounce of her concentration, desperately trying to parry.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

Another flurry of vicious attacks rained down, forcing her to backpedal continuously, cold sweat pouring down her forehead.

The pressure this young man exuded was simply too overwhelming!

After just a few seconds of exchanging blows, the woman felt she was reaching her limit. What was even more terrifying was that her opponent had only used one hand the entire time.

Her designation in the Ghost Grid was "5," a number that ranked both her status and her strength... Yet in front of this young man, she couldn’t see even a sliver of hope for victory.

The woman gritted her teeth, a vicious light entering her eyes.

"Haaah!" A fierce cry erupted from her throat. A red glow bloomed around her, and the Short Sword in her palm suddenly ignited with flames.

At this critical juncture of life and death, she overloaded her abilities to play her trump card, unleashing the most brilliant sword strike of her life.

The wheel of fire spun—

With a CLANG,

The Short Sword shattered the Ice Blade and, without losing momentum, slammed viciously into the young man’s neck!

But instead of joy, the woman felt only shock.

DONG!!

It was a shock that bordered on terror—her hand was numb!

The impact of her sword against his neck had produced a metallic ring!

A thin layer of Ice Crystal, shimmering and sapphire-blue like a brilliant jewel, coated the young man’s neck. It had withstood her life-risking strike, the "Wheel of Reincarnation," without so much as a scratch.

In that moment of stunned hesitation,

SLAP!

The young man’s hand clamped down over her face.

Before she could struggle, a terrifyingly cold energy burst forth, and her consciousness plunged into a dark, deathly silence.

Wang Xi pulled back his hand, put his mask back on, and, holding his umbrella, continued on his way as if nothing had happened.

He left nothing but a frozen statue of the woman standing in his wake.

[Target eliminated!]

[Capture Shi Shuang’s ability?]

[Target eliminated!]

[Capture Zheng Hong’s ability?]

Two of the Ghost Grid’s veteran core members, eliminated by Wang Xi in a single clash.

He gave an affirmative reply in his mind.

Two orbs of light, one green and one dark green, invisible to all but him, flew from the bodies behind him and vanished between his eyebrows.

’These wanted criminals from this underground faction are actually pretty strong,’ Wang Xi thought.

The short-haired young man was on par with "Black Mamba" Park Hong, the Three-Star Elite who had ambushed him before. The woman, meanwhile, was a Four-Star Elite.

Yet now, before him, neither could withstand a single blow.

...

...

All seven or eight of the people who had jumped from upstairs and tried to glide away had failed. Two were captured with serious injuries; the rest were killed on the spot.

Wang Xi’s fight with the man and woman had been brief, but Yu Zizi had seen everything.

She had been keeping a close eye on Wang Xi ever since she recognized him.

When she saw him kill two people in a matter of seconds, Yu Zizi couldn’t hide the astonishment in her eyes.

She knew the members of the Ghost Grid like the back of her hand. The man and woman who had tried to escape were both elite core members of the organization.

Even a full squad of officers would have had trouble taking them down. Yet this young man had easily dispatched both of them, all by himself.

He made it look as easy as breathing.

’He’s gotten stronger again!’

Yu Zizi couldn’t help but take a deep breath.

"Who’s that?"

At that moment, a slightly dazed Xiao Yuzhe spoke from beside her. He had clearly seen the young man in action, too.

"Somehow, he looks familiar."

"A Professional Warrior from your cohort." Yu Zizi glanced at the long-haired young man and said coolly, "You really don’t recognize him, Mr. Xiao?"

At her words, Xiao Yuzhe’s gaze sharpened. A look of astonishment spread across his face as he exclaimed, "Wang Xi?!"

’How long has it been?’

’How has he changed so much!’

Wang Xi didn’t go over to make small talk. Instead, he stopped at the building’s entrance and tilted his head back to look at the sky.

...

...

「Nearly a hundred meters in the air.」

In front of the shattered floor-to-ceiling window, Yu Jiali and a group of officers had their guns raised, aiming them at the man hovering in the air just outside.

Behind them, Lin Xin’Er casually tossed aside a woman she had grievously wounded and walked over.

"Ding Wancheng, surrender."

The short-haired Yu Jiali spoke, her expression cold as she aimed her police-issue Laser Pistol.

"..."

The man stood in mid-air, his overcoat whipping wildly around him as if he were riding the wind. He gave Yu Jiali an emotionless glance but offered no reply.

Ding Wancheng was filled with shock and rage at the Security Bureau’s sudden raid. The moment he saw Lin Xin’Er, he knew he had been sold out by President An of the Shanshan Conglomerate.

At the same time, he felt a sense of relief. He hadn’t put all his eggs in one basket; a small team had already left Valley City to continue carrying out the Priest’s orders.

’As for myself... I’m probably not getting out of this.’

Ding Wancheng’s gaze traveled past the officers and into the room, where a silver-haired young woman stood in the shadows.

’Chu Nai, head of the Overlook Bureau’s Disenchantment Class.’

He was the only one who could clearly feel it: an invisible force had locked onto him. He had a powerful premonition that if he tried to turn and run, he would be met with total annihilation.

Ding Wancheng didn’t dare make a reckless move.

Just then, Yu Jiali spoke again, her voice several shades colder:

"Ding Wancheng, this is your last warning. If you do not surrender, we will eliminate you on the spot."

As the leader of the Ghost Grid, he was far more valuable captured alive than dead. Otherwise, Yu Jiali wouldn’t be wasting her breath on him.

"I’ll count to three," Yu Jiali said coldly.

Ding Wancheng looked at the girl, a mocking expression spreading across his face.

’Surrender?’

’Ridiculous.’

"One, two—"

BANG!!

Before she could finish, a deafening gunshot rang out.

Everyone froze.

They saw Ding Wancheng stiffen in mid-air, clutch his chest, and plummet straight down.

"Who fired?!" Yu Jiali demanded.

The officers exchanged glances, all denying it was them.

"That gunshot didn’t sound right. It wasn’t a laser weapon," someone remarked.

"It sounded like it came from downstairs."

WHOOSH—

Yu Jiali lunged forward two steps and peered outside.

With her exceptional eyesight, her gaze went past the falling form of Ding Wancheng to the base of the building. There, she saw a young man holding an umbrella, head tilted back, aiming a black revolver upward...

’Wang Xi?!’

Yu Jiali’s pupils contracted.

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