Old Wu signaled the officers entering from the side door, and Meng Chuan reminded:
"The intelligence indicates that the enemy also has guns. Protect yourselves, and inform the officers as well."
"Got it, I've explained it to all of them."
"Let's go."
Meng Chuan thought to himself:
"With the armor and my hard skills protection, even if a handgun is pressed against my stomach, it won't be a problem.
What I need to do is quickly control the situation, arrest the culprits and the black market personnel, and... make the mustache cough up the gold coins!"
...
On the hour, ten officers followed closely behind Meng Chuan as they rushed towards the casino.
The bouncers at the casino entrance squinted and vaguely saw an armored man.
"Am I seeing things? A robot or a terminator?"
But in the next moment, Meng Chuan appeared before the two in an instant.
"You..."
Before the words could leave his mouth, Meng Chuan grabbed one in each hand and tossed them to the officers following behind.
The two were thrown into a daze, losing any ability to resist.
"Tie them up, it's all credit."
"Yes!"
He pushed open the casino's main door, and those inside, blinded by greed, didn't notice the anomaly at the entrance.
Meng Chuan, clad in armor, stepped inside and pulled out a handgun, firing at the ceiling.
Bam! Bam!
Two shots threw the hall into chaos.
"Everyone, hands on your head, squat down!"
The muffled voice from under the helmet was full of intimidation, as the officers behind him filed in, coordinating with colleagues entering through the side doors to control the situation.
"Run! The police are here!"
Many gamblers thought it was a police crackdown on gambling and tried to flee, only to be handcuffed on the ground by the officers arriving swiftly.
No exceptions for disguised identities; no one can be released until thoroughly checked.
Seeing a casino thug rushing over with a knife, Meng Chuan drew his gun and fired, hitting the thug's calf, who fell to the ground in pain at the sound of the shot.
For ordinary people, guns are indeed very effective.
After dealing with the casino's thugs, Meng Chuan fixed his gaze on a person who seemed to be in charge of the hall.
The person looked panicked and secretly took out a walkie-talkie, ready to speak.
Meng Chuan, with a burst of air, appeared in front of them instantly.
The person immediately reached into their pocket to draw a gun, but Meng Chuan grabbed their forearm with one hand, slightly applying pressure to shatter it into a comminuted fracture.
"Ahhh!"
A painful scream echoed in the ears.
Meng Chuan flipped him over onto the ground and ignored him, turning towards the hidden passage behind him.
Seeing the hidden passage was actually a small dog tunnel, Yang Lan, who was behind him, was about to call the officers to use an explosive device to blast it open.
Meng Chuan waved his hand to refuse; time was tight, and he couldn't let people escape below.
The steel bones flowed to envelop his fist. With the addition of the qi of fire, he punched with a straight arm hard above the dog tunnel.
Boom!
The alloy-wrapped right arm rose with a thin flame, fire snakes flying out!
Before the punch arrived, the heart fire qi blew the bricks around the dog tunnel to pieces.
He spun and followed up with a flying kick, completely cleaving a three-foot-square opening, revealing the steps leading downwards.
"Captain! There's another entrance here!"
Old Wu and the others, on the other side of the hall, also found a hidden door leading underground.
"I'll go down with Sister Lan first. After ensuring there are no more hidden doors in the hall, come down from the other side and encircle them."
Old Wu nodded, the Demon Path martial artist had more than one hiding place, this move by Meng Chuan was more prudent.
...
In the secret chamber on the third floor.
The owner of the casino stood by the chair, speaking softly to the person from the Demon Summoning Hall seated on it:
"Lord, it's chaotic above, it might be..."
"I'll send someone to deal with it."
After three ascensions, he had completely shed the identity of an ordinary person.
Facing ordinary police raiding the casino, he wasn't panicking in the slightest.
Soon after, confirming he wouldn't alarm Lord Thousand-Headed Venerable on his chest, he secretly communicated with the seal in the shape of a small tripod in his mind.
"Those on the second floor, quickly go up to the hall and see what's happening, get rid of those police officers."
"Yes Lord... Ah!"
Three masked Demon Summoning Hall martial artists had just emerged when they were swept by Meng Chuan's whip kick to their waists.
The crisp sound of cracking bones mixed with a vibrating wail echoed through the narrow passage.
"Exposed, damn it!"
Only then did he realize that the opposing force wasn't aiming at the casino but at them.
The casino owner beside him broke into a cold sweat. If the police discovered he harbored the Demon Path, he was finished!
"Lord, what should we do now?"
"You should now go to the third floor; near the box, we have people. Take those three guys and run quickly.
Make sure everything is secure, once safe, get rid of them immediately."
Xu Li extended his furry big hand, making a throat-slitting gesture.
The casino owner immediately understood and nodded in agreement.
"Go, do this well, and I'll petition Lord Fan for you, for the second ascension plan."
"Yes, Lord!"
Witnessing the transformative power of the Demon Summoning Hall, it utterly consumed his heart and soul.
The allure of possessing immense power without the need for arduous martial training fascinated him.
Once the other party left, Xu Li stood up and began to slowly stretch his limbs.
He didn't want a direct confrontation with the police, but he had to buy time for the remaining four crates of Spirit Nourishment items.
This was crucial to the organization's grand plan and must not fail.
He placed a palm on his forehead, muttering to himself.
A moment later, a strange purple qi erupted from his body, especially covering his two solid arms with a gradually emerging transparent force field.
Feeling the surge of power, he felt assured, then quickly dashed out.
In the nearby passage, police officers were exchanging fire with the enemy, tongues of flame weaving a dense net on both sides.
"Be careful, everyone, don't get hurt. I'm going to subdue them!"
With that, Meng Chuan advanced along the wall like a wall-climbing tiger, sidestepping in.
Most of the bullets landed behind him, and those that hit his armor merely made a tinkling sound without leaving a mark.
As he approached, Meng Chuan lunged and tackled a person to the ground.
At this moment, in the darkness, Yang Lan's serpentine whip struck out three azure blossoms, deftly intercepting the steel blade slashing at Meng Chuan.
"Thanks, Sister Lan, don't worry about me, focus on subduing these people and proceed to the next level."
Meng Chuan never lost sight of the mission objectives.
Another gunshot rang out beside him. Not dodging or avoiding, his fist surged like a python devouring an elephant, and the fierce qi bound the remaining few to the ground.
This move was called Liver Wood Binding Dragon, a wood qi technique he had newly developed.
"Where's the passage to the third level?"
"To hell with you!"
Meng Chuan's iron fist swung, shattering the person's teeth entirely, and silencing their foul mouth.
Around him, the dust began to settle, with the second level and those above completely under control.
"Captain, the passage is here!"
Meng Chuan dashed to stand beside the officer who spoke.
"I will go down first. Martial Artists of the first and second levels remain here to maintain control, everyone else follow me."
The three-time transcenders of the Demon Summoning Hall had yet to appear. Meng Chuan heightened his perception to the maximum, cautiously advancing downward.
Yang Lan followed him closely like a shadow, her gaze carefully sweeping the surroundings.
So far, the mission was proceeding very smoothly.
Meanwhile, Old Wu and Chen Dalü led their team deep into the secret passage on the other side of the hall.
The casino owner, accompanied by two Martial Artists from the Demon Summoning Hall, and black market merchants were transporting the remaining four crates of Spirit Nourishment items.
Upon hearing the distant sounds of chaos, their hearts filled with unease.
Unexpectedly, the path Old Wu and Chen Dalü took led directly to the third level, causing them to collide head-on.
"Charge, take them down!"
At the sight of the police, the three black market merchants dropped their crates, turned and fled.
At this moment, Chen Dalü and Old Wu were engaged in battle with the Demon Path Martial Artists and had no time to deal with the three running away.
The trio had just taken a few steps before being unable to catch their breath.
A large hand emerged from the corner, cracking sounds followed, instantly twisting the three men's leg bones.
"Ah! You bastard!"
The one responsible was Xu Li, whose hands were enveloped with demonic qi still corroding their calves.
"Run? Don't even think about it!"
Ignoring them, he ran forward, ready to rendezvous with the remaining Demon Path Martial Artists to break through the police's encirclement.
In the distance, Chen Dalü and Old Wu were still locked in combat with a few people.
Due to the narrow, dark passage, the officers behind were hesitant to fire, worried about hitting the wrong target.
Chen Dalü seized the opportunity, delivering a Fierce Ape Push Mountain, sending one Demon Path Martial Artist flying, as he prepared to follow up and subdue him.
At this very moment, a cold snort echoed.
Purple demonic qi coiled around Xu Li's arm, and the cauldron-shaped pattern on his chest spun as if alive, bestowing him with a mysterious boost.
He suddenly struck out, the demonic qi biting down like a vicious snake!
Chen Dalü had no time to finish off the grounded person, the fist wind approached, but his nimble body technique saved his life.
His right foot instantly sprang off the wall, forcing his body to shift and evade.
However, some stray demonic qi seared his shoulder, crawling upwards from there.
Faced with the demonic qi, his police-issue bulletproof vest was like a paper facade.
"Die!"
Xu Li allowed no breathing space, thrusting forward like a sharp sword.
Wherever he passed, the floor ignited with demonic qi, burning into dazzling purple.
On the other side of the passage, Meng Chuan and Chen Lan heard a cry of pain, their expressions immediately changing.
"It's Brother Chen, let's hurry up!"
Meng Chuan's speed abruptly escalated, sensing someone crouched by the wall, he struck with his left elbow as he reached the corner.
With just one blow, he smashed both the wall's sharp edges and the Demon Path Martial Artist's face to a pulp.
With Chen Dalü in trouble, he couldn't afford to leave anyone alive now.
In the distance, a malevolent mage from the Demon Summoning Hall appeared, who was Xu Li's deputy.
Seeing this, he instantly summoned three bead-like demonic qi globes around him.
The first globe of demonic qi burst open, transforming into a corrosive mist aimed at Meng Chuan's face, which he blocked solidly with the corpse of a Demon Path Martial Artist.
The second globe of demonic qi silently transformed into a piercing bone spike, attacking once more through Yang Lan's whip tip!
Meanwhile, the remaining third globe of demonic qi howled towards them like a massive fireball.
Meng Chuan signaled Yang Lan not to intervene, his steel-boned hands fearing no corrosion from the demonic qi.
His right hand formed a knife with two fingers, flicking away the bone spike, while his left palm single handedly extinguished the demonic fireball!
In the next moment, Meng Chuan appeared before the evil mage, his tightened five fingers on the shoulder blade suddenly exerting force.
The mage's shoulder joints failed against such immense power, and before his scream could even escape his throat, he was embedded in the wall like a cannonball.