"Fuck your mother!"
When a person was pushed past the point of speechlessness, they often chuckled first, then followed it with a curse.
At the very last second, Lu Feng scooped Chen Yubo onto his shoulder, whipped around, and leaped back toward the rubble they had just crawled out of. He dove into the cargo bed, pressed Chen Yubo against his chest, and raised the suitcase in his hands.
He twisted the handle.
*Bang!*
Amid the crack of shattering metal and plastic, silver light burst outward, expanding in an instant.
Writhing quicksilver surged like a living creature, covering them in a heartbeat and creeping along the frame of the cargo bed. As layers overlapped and enveloped them, a crystalline, rock-hard luster gleamed from within.
—Blessings: Metallic Quality and Form of Utmost Resilience!
A fortress sprang from the ground.
An instant later, the searing blast of the missile tore everything apart.
Sealed beneath the shell of quicksilver, Lu Feng heard only a rapid series of pops and snaps—the defensive alchemical armaments on Chen Yubo's body activating one after another.
It felt like being shoved into a red-hot iron furnace. Even drawing a breath of the scorching air was sheer agony.
Over the radio, gunshots erupted in rapid bursts.
"Enemy attack, enemy attack!"
"Two vehicles, seven guys got out! Armed! Fuck, Heipi's gone! All units, heads up—high-threat targets: two Jackals, one Tiger-Leopard!"
Cross-eye's voice came over the channel: "All units maintain suppressive fire! Prepare to cover the boss's retreat!"
Roars and blasts followed in relentless succession.
Beneath the fractured fortress, the quicksilver contracted, wrapping tightly around Lu Feng in an instant to form the meticulously engineered exoskeleton Ji Jue had designed, sealing over his face.
When Lu Feng hauled Chen Yubo out of the ruins, he saw masked figures leaping from the vehicles, advancing in practiced coordination with various weapons raised.
A familiar blood-red aura shimmered around the three figures in the lead.
Jackals and a Tiger-Leopard!
The instant the foremost attacker spotted Lu Feng, he raised a hand. Before he could even strike, Lu Feng's eyelids twitched violently, a chill plunging through him like a plunge into freezing water.
In that split-second, he trusted his gut.
Tucking Chen Yubo close, he abandoned cover and sprinted forward.
Propelled by the armor's acceleration, he darted like a shooting star, yet it still felt slow—far too slow. Where was the thruster pack? Where were the vector nozzles? The secondary engine boost... where was the autocannon targeting system?
Number Two was still too conservative, after all.
Catching himself as he realized the difference between past and present, Lu Feng couldn't help a surge of indignant grief. He suddenly found himself missing the trash Spark model he used to look down on.
He hit the ground in a roll, bursting into the wrecked courtyard of Yulou Trading.
Before his feet even touched down, a massive roar erupted behind him. A crimson javelin punched through the cover and exploded, obliterating everything in its wake. Seeing this, the three Swarm Celestial Chosen braved the crisscrossing gunfire from all directions and gave chase without hesitation.
These bastards were here to leave no survivors!
They had never planned on letting a single soul walk out of here alive...
Inside the city, people still had to follow the rules. But outside, in this lawless wasteland, it was a ruthless, kill-or-be-killed hunting ground!
Instinctively, he pulled out his phone to call Ji Jue, only to discover there wasn't a speck of signal.
In the distance, the cell tower was enveloped in thick smoke, collapsing.
The moment the ambush began, all local communications had been severed. Yet from Chen Yubo's coat, a ringing grew steadily louder—a satellite call via Boundless Telecom.
An aged voice came through the speaker. It was Uncle Lin. "Mr. Lu, please evacuate with Yubo first. I'll be there in one minute."
"One minute?"
Lu Feng glanced back at the figures closing in at terrifying speed, his scalp tingling. "That might be cutting it a bit close!"
"Also, Mr. Ji asked me to pass along a message."
Uncle Lin said, "Hit the deck."
Without an ounce of hesitation, Lu Feng bellowed at the top of his lungs.
"Everyone, hit the dirt!"
*Boom! Boom! Boom!*
The screech of tearing metal split the air. Behind the two-story office building of Yulou Trading, shipping containers packed with tricycles blew apart in violent succession.
The screech of grinding steel echoed incessantly as countless sparks flew. From the dust-covered storage lockers inside those containers, giant mechanical spiders the size of passenger cars broke out, unfurling their limbs as red indicator lights flashed across their visages.
Guardian-type workshop devices combining corruption alchemy and fluid alchemy surged forward, smashing through every obstacle and charging straight at the attackers.
Annihilation Mode: Engaged!
Yet even before they arrived, streaks of destructive light descended from the heavens!
Those were...
"Holy shit, missiles?"
Watching from his high vantage point, Cross-eye stared in stunned disbelief, a shiver running down his spine.
***
On the outskirts of Yacheng, at Haian Auto Works' Workshop No. 6, the retractable roof slowly parted. The launch bays flared with blazing light, and in an instant, dozens of missiles roared into the sky.
Ji Jue gazed expressionlessly at the ascending columns of fire. "Continue."
Another salvo began.
Rockets housing deadly blades surged skyward, belching torrents of flame. As they flew, outer stages stripped away and fell off, second and third-stage boosters kicking in.
Breaking the sound barrier!
Crossing a distance of over a thousand kilometers in just half a minute, they blurred into untraceable streaks of iron light.
Those defective practice creations Ji Jue had forged while studying the Treatise on Xiang Swords shuddered violently, breaking free of their final restraints. Empowered by Deus Ex Machina, they spread wings like birds of prey, kicking up shockwaves and leaving deafening shrieks and thunderous booms in their wake as they plunged from the sky.
In a split second, the foremost Swarm assailant was reduced to nothing.
There was no warning at all; it was as if he had detonated out of thin air.
Only the fleeting chime of a Sword Resonance echoed as countless iron shards dispersed, etching intricate fissures into the air.
Immediately after, as the remaining two fell back, the iron streaks spread their wings and banked sharply, slicing across the battlefield in crisscrossing arcs. For hesitating a fraction of a heartbeat, another attacker burst into a crimson mist, annihilated completely!
In the blink of an eye, the Jackals were eradicated.
Only the lone Tiger-Leopard remained, fleeing in panic.
Unfortunately, it was already too late.
A bloodcurdling scream rang out. Blades laden with the Poison of Frenzied Slaughter pierced flesh and soul alike. Skewered by countless edges, blood erupted outward.
The Swarm Celestial Chosen who had acted so invincible moments ago was turned into a pincushion, and a mass of corrupted tissue and blood-red spikes sprouted across his entire body.
Quicksilver flowed over him, sealing the corpse for specimen preservation.
By the time Uncle Lin raced onto the scene at full speed, all that remained among the devastation were mechanical spiders ruthlessly hunting down the remaining intruders, and at the center, a lifelike statue.
Upon its face, sheer despair was carved.
***
Yacheng, Beishan District, Boyue Road.
At Dalu Auto Repair, now the designated official service shop for Haian Auto, business was booming. After leasing the storefront next door, Mother Lu had hired several extra mechanics. She had been on her feet nonstop for days, her voice hoarse from shouting orders, yet she couldn't wipe the smile from her face.
In the blink of an eye, the kids had all made something of themselves.
Little Jue's auto plant was thriving, and Big Dog, who used to laze around the house all day, was no longer underfoot to irritate her. Naturally, she was in great spirits.
Turning around, she saw a familiar figure walk in carrying big bags and small sacks.
"Ah Ling, you're back from school?"
She wiped a smear of grease from her face with the back of her hand. "What did you buy?"
"Definitely not cauliflower! No cauliflower!" Lu Ling hummed a tune and swung the bags. "Mom, let me tell you, it was super thrilling on the road today. I was riding along totally fine, and I almost got hit by a car!"
"You're not hurt, are you?"
"Of course not! The streets are packed with those chopped chili fish heads Second Brother made, darting all over the place, and big trucks are rolling everywhere too." Lu Ling shook her head, unable to stifle a laugh. "That beat-up car driving the wrong way down the street didn't even touch me before a semi shoved it straight into the green belt!"
"Stop riding that electric scooter from now on. Little Jue dropped off a new Huanggua yesterday just for your commute. The keys are on the counter... Go balance the register first, then check Lao Yao's homework. I'll cook a few extra dishes later to calm your nerves."
"Yay!"
Cheerful cheers went up, mixed with Lao Yao's grumbles and protests.
The sounds carried clearly into the dark alley behind the repair shop.
Amid the blood spreading over the blue pavers, a youth with features as delicate as a girl's listened to the chatter from the shop and smiled, his expression as bright as sunshine. He glanced down at the dying figures on the ground and picked up his phone.
"Brother Ji Jue, it's taken care of," he asked. "Do you want any left alive?"
The voice on the other end was indifferent: "We probably wouldn't get anything out of them anyway, right?"
"Understood."
Xiao An flicked a finger, snuffing out their final, terrified gasps in an instant.
"Thanks for the help, Xiao An."
"Don't mention it."
Xiao An smiled. "Keep it up, Brother Ji Jue!"
"Will do."
The call disconnected.
Xiao An's smile faded. He turned and waved toward the mouth of the alley. Men from the Wild Gathering hurried over at once.
"Clean it up and wash it down. Brother Ji Jue doesn't want anyone frightened."
"Rest easy, boss."
The body collector grinned, directing his subordinates as they deftly pulled out shovels and plastic bags. They cleared the ground with practiced efficiency, missing not a speck. Immediately after, someone brought out a high-pressure hose.
By the time Lu Ling stepped outside carrying a trash bag, the ground was already empty, save for patches of wet pavement.
***
Haian Auto Works.
The rain pattered down without pause; the storm raged on.
In the surveillance room, Ji Jue studied the retrieved security footage. Before the chemical plant explosion, a car had parked behind the facility, and several figures had scrambled over the wall and bolted back out in a hurry.
The car had sped off.
"Keep tracking it. Find out where it came from and where it went."
Ji Jue asked, "Where's Yin Zhaoyang?"
"Two hours ago, he sent a body double to Yacheng Skyport. He himself used an alchemical artifact to disguise his appearance, assumed a fake identity as a crew member, and boarded a cruise ship bound for the eastern Thousand Islands. It left Yacheng ten minutes ago.
"We can still track him, but once he clears Federation territorial waters, he'll likely switch to another form of transport."
"Good. I was worried he might just use the Star Core Association to teleport away."
Ji Jue picked up his phone. "Brother Feng, you probably can't show your face for a bit. I'll arrange a decoy to take your place and be rushed to the hospital with severe injuries. Right now, I need a favor from you."
"Name it."
After hearing what had almost happened to his family, Lu Feng didn't hesitate for a second. "Dead or alive?"
"Whichever you prefer," Ji Jue said.
Amid the ruins on the other end of the line, Lu Feng looked down at the scratch-covered service weapon in his hand, a soundless grin spreading across his face.
"Oh, I'm going to like this a lot."
Half an hour later, Ji Jue received a message from Tong Shan and froze on the spot.
He couldn't even tell whether it was good news or bad...
—Xu Chaoxian had been hospitalized with severe food poisoning and was currently in critical condition.
Chapter 333