"Useless! A bunch of useless trash!!"
Changsha roared furiously, sweeping everything off the table. Crashes and the sound of shattering objects echoed through the room.
As the mayor of Linbing City, he had clawed his way up to this position with great difficulty. Even though Linbing was just a second-tier city, it still brought honor and prestige. But today, a seemingly minor incident had almost cost him everything.
Linbing City was only about a hundred kilometers from the extreme north, one of the few prosperous cities in the borderlands.
"Mayor, you know it's impossible to stop them," said Executive Officer Zetao calmly. "They're moving at nearly seven hundred kilometers per hour — that's comparable to the speed of a mecha. And during the chase, we couldn't just recklessly open fire, not in the city, where we risk damaging infrastructure or causing civilian casualties. Even once they left the city, tracking them in the vast, blizzard-covered wilderness was nearly impossible. And even if we did catch them, their overall strength is unknown. Think about it: they managed to raid six different trains across four Federation cities, succeeding in five of them. The only failure was because a Title Douluo intervened. Just from that alone, it's obvious they aren't weak. And they're ruthless — cutting off carriages every few kilometers, forcing us to stop and rescue people, leaving no chance for effective pursuit."
Changsha clenched his fists tightly, his eyes locked on Zetao.
"I don't care what methods you use. I'm giving you full authority. If we don't have enough men, find them. If we don't have enough mechas, buy them. But you must catch those bastards. Otherwise, both of us will be out of a job."
After a moment to compose himself, Changsha raised his right hand, summoning a holographic blue screen.
"These are the satellite coordinates. The train's last known position is here?" Changsha asked quietly.
"Clearly abandoned. The nearest city is Nonalin — what we call the Forgotten City. They must have gone there. Yes, it's dangerous, but this is an order from the Federation. I can't refuse it. If I could, I'd have covered up this entire mess by now."
"Yes, sir!" Zetao saluted crisply, then turned and left at a brisk pace.
Outwardly, he seemed loyal, but deep inside, Zetao was already scheming — he couldn't wait to see Changsha fall from power.
…
As they neared the city, Gu You was stunned.
This was nothing like the prosperous silhouette he had seen from afar. It was a wasteland of ruins, the buildings choked with enormous, thick purple vines that stretched up to the tops of skyscrapers. A foul stench of decay hung heavily in the air.
The deeper they went, the fewer vines there were — but soon, figures appeared.
Were those still people?
Their bones protruded from their decaying flesh, their hollow eyes devoid of life, shambling aimlessly like the walking dead.
Crack.
Gu You heard the sound of bones snapping.
A person collapsed, lifeless.
The soul is gone, Gu You murmured inwardly. Looks like I need to stay alert — the real enemy is about to show up.
"See them?" the masked leader said with a sinister grin. "Those are our faithful. They're the most loyal of all."
No one dared to make a sound.
…
"You and I both know the truth," Zetao muttered, stroking the gleaming surface of his purple-grade mecha. "There's at least one Soul Douluo–level evil soul master over there. I'll need all of your help… yes, thank you."
He took a deep breath.
"Old buddy, if we make it back alive this time, I swear I'll upgrade you to black grade."
"Board the mechas!"
Dozens of purple-grade mechas powered up, their dark mechanical eyes flickering to life with a cold, blood-red glow.
"Prepare for battle!"
The engines roared, and the battle cries of the entire enforcement squad echoed across the sky.
…
"Stay inside. None of you better try anything smart."
Bang!
The heavy black prison doors slammed shut, leaving only the cold clatter of iron locks behind.
"It's over… we're finished! We're all going to die!"
Despair engulfed the room.
Only Gu You sat calmly in meditation, focusing his mind to maintain his physical strength at its peak.
Grrr…
His stomach gave a quiet rumble.
Gu You sighed in frustration. Seriously? Why now? Strangely, he hadn't felt hungry at all these past few days. He already had a suspicion — could it be because of his contact with the Silver Dragon King?
Without a word, he conjured a small flash of light, producing a 500-calorie energy bar.
Thankfully, he had been well-prepared before leaving. He had stocked up on plenty of high-calorie, compact food — no less than six kilograms' worth. With so much storage space, he had figured it was better to buy extra, just in case. And now, it was paying off.
He bit into the energy bar, chewing slowly. Apple flavor.
"Yours…"
Gu You jolted in surprise.
He turned his head and saw a pair of round, glimmering eyes staring at him from the darkness.
Crap.
He quickly raised a finger, signaling the little girl not to speak. Then, carefully, he produced a lollipop, gently slid it across the floor toward her, and silently prayed that his bribe would work.
If the others discovered he had food, it would likely spark chaos, maybe even a violent fight. It wasn't that Gu You didn't want to help — he simply lacked the power. If he were a Title Douluo, he wouldn't just save these people; he might even have the means to turn those evil soul masters back from the path of darkness.
"Xiaoyu, where did you get that candy?"
The girl's mother, her hair disheveled, trembling, stared at her daughter.
"Mmm…"
The little girl shook her head, refusing to answer.
"Heh… it must be someone… someone has food! Who is it? Who?! WHO?!"
The mother had already slipped past the edge of sanity.
…
"Fire."
Seven sixth-grade soul-guided fixed-mount shells launched from the mechas, streaking toward the city below at blinding speed.
Boom!
Explosions rocked the ruins, one after another.
Each of these six-grade shells carried cluster warheads — eighteen each — combining to deliver the firepower of a seven-grade shell.
As the engines whirred and shifted, dozens of mechas raised their shoulder-mounted launchers. Hundreds of four-grade armor-piercing shells rained down like a metal storm.
Inside the city, air raid sirens wailed.
From hidden bunkers beneath the ruins, countless anti-air soul-guided cannons emerged, locking onto the sky.
And rising up with them… was a tide of foul, malevolent energy.
Three Soul Emperors. Six Soul Kings. And countless others beneath them.
Even among the evil soul masters, the weaker ones — those below the Soul Ancestor level — had already been wounded or crippled by the bombardment. The attacks had been devastating, leaving no corner untouched.
"Bastards! You dare chase us even here?! You think this is still Federation territory?!"
A Soul Emperor among the evil soul masters let out a furious roar. His sixth soul ring flared — black, a true ten-thousand-year soul ring.
"Evil God's Descent!"
The sky darkened ominously.
Above, a colossal, shadowy creature slowly began to materialize, its massive form looming over the battlefield.
"Hahaha! Look closely, you Federation dogs — this monster is born from the wrathful spirits of countless Douluo citizens. These spirits hate us, yes… but they can't kill us. Today, however, they'll feast on you. Your so-called protection, your so-called duty — all of it will crumble to dust. Watch as the people you once vowed to defend… devour you piece by piece!"
(End of chapter)
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