Chapter 75: Chapter 70 Infiltration
Over a year had passed, and the once-thriving black market was now nothing but scorched earth.
Too many had been buried here, and although the bones had been cleared away, no one dared to set foot and rebuild on this charred land.
After all, it had been Hell itself.
At this moment, within this desolate expanse of destruction, darkness prevailed, devoid of any light, with its electrical systems long since damaged.
Inside what used to be an old factory, the dilapidated iron door had been repaired.
There was light inside the ruins of the factory.
Outside the iron door, upon the dim, burnt ground, a figure practiced with a war saber.
That figure was Xu Mo.
What he practiced was not sword technique, but rather how to better channel energy into the war saber.
Beneath the cover of darkness, Xu Mo’s every strike cleaved the air, carrying with it the sound of tearing through the void.
An energy field formed around him as the pivot, clinging to the war saber and amplifying the force it unleashed.
Xu Mo remembered the conversation he had with Everson and the others.
The Source Power that Source Power Practitioners absorbed came in different grades, just like Genetic Warriors.
It’s just that those who practiced Source Power in the Underworld were extremely rare, let alone graded, so he had not encountered such distinctions before.
Source Power belonged to energy.
The classification of Source Power Practitioners likely related to how much Source Power they absorbed and integrated.
Viewed this way, weapons followed the same principle, with different energy intensities corresponding to different weapon grades.
The weapon grade in the Underworld was probably capped at the ‘C’ rank.
The war saber continued to slice through the air.
Xu Mo seemed to merge as one with the energy field.
With each swing, a streak of electrical light appeared in the darkness.
Electricity coursed over his body, then the saber, and through the air.
The current grew stronger, lighting up the darkness.
In the end, Xu Mo was bathed in the glow of electric light.
“I’ve done it!”
At the entrance to the old factory, Ye Qingdie and Xiao Qi stood watching Xu Mo.
They both had excited expressions on their faces; Xu Mo had made it.
Since the day Xu Mo returned, he was constantly cultivating, either in the newly constructed Source Power Room or outside practicing with his saber.
He barely spoke at all.
It was clear to them that Xu Mo was desperately seeking to increase his strength.
And now, he had succeeded.
Was this the awakening of a superpower?
A moment later, Xu Mo stopped.
He finally showed a smile, turning around to see Ye Qingdie and Xiao Qi there.
“Sister Butterfly,” Xu Mo approached and called out.
“Superpower?” Ye Qingdie inquired.
Xu Mo appeared contemplative as he said, “Sister Butterfly, you once told me that Source Power is ubiquitous, that it isn’t just a single type of energy body. So-called superpowers may just be one way to transform and utilize energy.”
“What’s your plan?” Ye Qingdie asked, “With your current strength, you might be able to make a breakthrough in the upper world.”
Compared to a year ago, they had all become significantly stronger.
Especially Xu Mo.
“I will cultivate for a while, then make a trip back to the main urban area before heading up,” Xu Mo responded.
Mia and Yaoer’s whereabouts were unknown.
Elsa’s condition was also unclear.
And then there was Master Batu.
He had to make another return trip.
“I’ll accompany you,” Ye Qingdie nodded in agreement.
“No, the main urban area is somewhat dangerous,” Xu Mo shook his head.
“What, do I no longer measure up in your eyes?” Ye Qingdie said with a teasing smile.
“You know that’s not what I mean,” Xu Mo replied.
“Don’t worry, I won’t cause you any trouble,” Ye Qingdie insisted, looking at Xu Mo, “Don’t forget, we are teammates.”
Xu Mo was moved.
“Just teammates?” Xiao Qi looked at the two, blinking rapidly and instantly disrupted the mood.
Seeing Ye Qingdie and Xu Mo look over, Xiao Qi timidly added, “Or sister and brother, maybe?”
“Bam!” Following that, there was a round of mixed doubles tussle between a man and a woman.
……
Two months had passed since the upheaval in the main urban area.
The manhunt continued, but whether it was the monsters, the fugitives, or the ‘test subjects’ the labs wanted to find, none were found.
It was as if they had vanished into thin air.
The main urban area had been turned inside out; not only the Councilmen and a few company members were searched, but even some ‘big shots’ from the Underworld were investigated.
Still, they found nothing.
The upper levels believed that both the monsters and the test subjects were smuggled out of the main urban area.
Everyone watched as Xu Mo escaped.
The search shifted from the main urban area to its outskirts, but it was feared that it would take a while to find anyone.
The manhunt gradually slackened.
During these two months, there were several minor uprisings, which were quickly suppressed and never gained momentum.
These pent-up feelings could only accumulate in the hearts of the populace.
However, they soon found a place to vent.
The Arena!
City State Arena was set for the ultimate showdown.
Diamond tier battles were extremely violent during this period, often bloody, vying for the last spots in the Star Competition.
Many people from the main urban area had their attention captured by the Arena.
The annual Star Competition was one of the grandest and most festive events in the Underworld.
Members of the Council, even distinguished individuals from the upper world, would come in person to watch the battles.
The day was finally about to arrive.
Walking down the street, one could hear many people discussing.
The bar street had resumed normal operations, and in one large tavern, the sound of music was somewhat boisterous, as men and women in the tavern enjoyed the atmosphere.
They even fantasized about something happening after finishing their drinks.
“Sein, tomorrow is the day of the final battle in the Arena, will you be going to watch?” someone asked the blond man sitting across the table.
The blond man lifted his glass, his arm around a stunning woman, and smiled, “Of course, the Star Competition, how could I miss it?”
“The ticket prices are not cheap though,” the person across him said with a smile.
“Are they expensive? I’ve already bought two tickets,” bragged the blond man, their glances interlocking as if ‘hunting.’
“Could you take me to see it?” the woman next to him said, “I heard many big shots will be attending the Arena Star Competition, right?”
“All the councilmen will be there, along with the big shots from above,” the blond man’s hand was somewhat restless as he said, “Luckily, I have two tickets, so let’s head over together after waking up tomorrow.”
“Okay,” the woman replied with a smile, aware that a ticket for the Star Competition could cost over a thousand Federation coins.
“It’s a pity that someone will be missing from this Star Competition,” someone at another table began.
“Who’s missing?” someone asked.
“The Armored,” said the previous speaker, “I don’t know if you’ve seen his matches, but he ranked first in the Gold battle, killed a Slaughterer in the Diamond match and still came out on top. He was considered a sure bet for the Star Competition, but afterward, the Armored vanished without a trace and didn’t partake in the subsequent Diamond matches.”
“Perhaps it was luck, not facing strong opponents? After all, it was only the Gold match and one Diamond match,” someone said, ambivalent.
“If you saw that Diamond match, you would know the Armored’s strength. But don’t forget, there are also special invitees in the Star Competition, those are the sons and daughters of the big shots. They were extremely striking in the special invite Diamond matches, their strength outrageously powerful. No one doubts their qualification, the Armored, even if present, might only play a supporting role,” said another.
In a corner of the tavern, Xu Mo sat quietly drinking with a hat on.
Under the dim lights, no one recognized him. After all, there was only one portrait of him in the entire City State, and even if someone were to scrutinize it on the spot, they might not recognize him, let alone here while drinking.
The Star Competition would start tomorrow.
Would the City State’s ‘big shots’ attend?
Xu Mo left a Federation coin on the table, held down by his glass, gesturing with a wave of his hand before leaving the tavern.
Walking down bar street, the dim light elongated Xu Mo’s shadow.
He thought of Elsa.
Elsa, who went from pride to self-loathing, had been turned into a Monster by the Underworld.
But nothing had changed; everything in the Underworld carried on as usual.
The big shots still held their lavish banquets.
And Elsa, there was no news about her, and since then, no one had heard about the Monster again.
Xu Mo speculated that Elsa, being so conspicuous, couldn’t have eluded capture.
The reason she vanished was probably that she had been arrested by a laboratory.
Turned into an experimental subject.
And Master Batu had been captured by a laboratory, too.
Thinking of this made Xu Mo’s heart surge with violent emotions.
…
Councilman Zornes also owned an estate.
Although two months had passed since the massacre by the Thugs, the estate of Councilman Zornes remained heavily guarded.
There were more than a dozen guards outside the heavily fortified gate of the estate.
In the darkness, several figures approached, all wearing hats.
The one leading them was none other than Xu Mo.
As for those behind him, they were Ye Qingdie, Xiao Qi, and Shadow.
When Xu Mo returned to the main urban area, they did not stop him, but decided to follow him back.
At the very least, they could do some simple tasks for Xu Mo.
“Who’s there?” a guard raised his gun.
“If you shoot, you know the consequences.”
Xu Mo lifted his head to look at them.
Under the dim light, they saw Xu Mo’s face, and their hands holding the guns trembled slightly.
In the Underworld, Xu Mo had a notorious reputation.
Invading a councilman’s home, wiping out a law enforcement squad.
On the Golden Street, decapitating a councilman single-handedly.
In the battle where he escaped with Master Batu, he killed a ‘big shot’ from the upper world and threw the head into a trash heap.
Firing their guns indeed would mean a certain death.
“I didn’t come to kill today, just let the people inside know whether Councilman Zornes is inviting me in, or I’m going in by myself,” Xu Mo said.
The guards hesitated, but with Xu Mo’s fearsome reputation and their own desire to live, they knocked on the door and communicated with people inside.
After a while, the mansion’s gates opened and the housekeeper came out to say, “The councilman invites you in.”
Xu Mo and Ye Qingdie went straight inside.
In the estate, Councilman Zornes had dressed and was waiting in the middle of his estate.
There was no resistance.
Moreover, there was no one around; it seemed he had deliberately sent everyone away.
Xu Mo’s past deeds were clearer to Councilman Zornes than anyone else, knowing that to resist would mean certain death.
They couldn’t handle these Thugs.
It was cruel, but it was the reality.
He never expected Xu Mo to return.
“What brings Mr. Xu Mo here today?” Councilman Zornes was an elderly gentleman, looking very gentlemanly and calm, without the panic one might expect.
“I need the councilman’s help with something,” Xu Mo said.
“With what?” asked Councilman Zornes.
“Take me to the Arena tomorrow; I’ll be the councilman’s guard,” Xu Mo said.
Councilman Zornes’s face turned sour.
“You know, if something happens, I will not survive either,” Councilman Zornes said.
If he were to bring Xu Mo to the Arena tomorrow, who knows what could happen?
If Xu Mo were to go on a killing spree in the Arena, he would certainly die, and his family might be implicated.
“If the councilman dies in the Arena, at least his family will be safe,” Xu Mo said.
Councilman Zornes looked sharply at Xu Mo!