Translator: Cinder Translations
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The ride in the hailed car continued, with tall buildings quickly receding outside the window.
The buildings on both sides grew shorter and more sparse. The previously overcast sky darkened even further, as if a storm were about to burst into a torrential downpour.
During the journey, the phone vibrated several times with messages from Lin Hao.
Chen Feng briefly replied, until half an hour later.
Low-rise houses surrounded the area, and the tall buildings had long since disappeared.
Gray factories and brick walls spread across the land, with a layer of dust covering the cement roads that continued to stretch ahead.
"Young man, I can only take you this far."
"Beyond that white line is the outskirts. It's not like the city here, so please understand."
The driver of the ride-hailing car said a few words, and Chen Feng nodded in understanding.
The outskirts lacked the surveillance of the Sky Eye System, and with recent unrest in Nanjiang, the driver was concerned about being robbed.
Thud!
The car door opened, and Chen Feng stepped out, firmly planting his feet on the ground.
The air was filled with the scent of dust, unlike the industrial district near the Flame Tiger Mountain Gate where the sect was located.
In the nearby factory, huge chimneys rose into the sky, with wisps of white-gray smoke pouring out, merging with the surrounding dark clouds.
The gray sky felt oppressive, and weeds were still growing stubbornly in the corners of the walls.
Vroom!
The ride-hailing car quickly drove off, and Chen Feng walked ahead, approaching the white line on the roadside.
Twenty centimeters wide, it spanned the entire cement road and stretched out to the horizon, unending.
There was a warning sign nearby, along with an unmanned charging station.
Chen Feng knew that this was the boundary between the city and the outskirts.
The white line marked the limit of Sky Eye System's surveillance; beyond it, there would be no monitoring by the system.
Thud!
Taking a step forward, he continued.
Steel bones silently grew, transforming into a copper-colored mask that covered his entire head.
After walking several hundred meters, Chen Feng reached the location Lin Hao had sent.
At the entrance of an abandoned factory, a black sedan was already waiting, with two men in suits that Chen Feng had never seen before, both with crew cuts and strong physiques.
Through his senses, he could tell that both men had substantial strength, with clear signs of bodily enhancements, indicating they were half-modified humans.
Seeing him approach, the two men showed some caution and wariness.
Thud!
Chen Feng stopped in his tracks, having bought a voice modulator on the way.
"Lin Hao's men?" he asked in a low voice.
The two men paused for a moment, looking him over.
One of them nodded, while the other pulled out a phone and dialed.
"Mr. Lin, he's here."
"Oh, quickly pass the phone to him."
The suited man handed the phone over, and Chen Feng took it.
"Is it a friend of Mr. Feng?" Lin Hao's voice came through.
"Yeah," Chen Feng replied with a nod, not worried about being recognized.
The steel mask concealed his face, and the loose clothes hid his physique and the marks on his hands. As for his voice, the modulator was the perfect disguise.
"Thanks, brother, sorry for making you run an errand."
Lin Hao's voice on the phone clearly relaxed, expressing his gratitude.
"By the way, brother Feng didn't come, right?"
"He's not suited to get involved."
Chen Feng spoke in a low voice, and Lin Hao agreed deeply.
"Yes, I thought so. It's good he didn't come."
"Anyway, to make a long story short, brother, here's the situation. Yesterday, a batch of my modified modules was robbed at the city boundary. Several Bronze-grade cyborgs showed up at the time."
"But I was prepared, and we put a high-level tracker in the modules. The other party hasn't noticed it yet."
"We've already pinpointed their location. It's at the foot of Cloud Mountain in the outskirts. I've already hidden a portion of my men nearby, but we're worried about alarming them. I may need your help to retrieve the modules. Sorry to trouble you."
Lin Hao's tone was simple and light, and Chen Feng responded with a grunt, not wasting time.
"Let your men lead the way."
"Got it!"
After the call, Chen Feng handed the phone back to the two suited men.
The group quickly got into the car, with the two suited men sitting in the front while Chen Feng sat alone in the back.
The car bumped along as it moved forward.
Gradually, dense forests and low mountains appeared on the horizon, getting closer.
"Where did this batch of goods come from?"
In an underground warehouse, many boxes and items were stacked beneath the hardened rock cave.
Gray metal covered the floor, and bright incandescent lights illuminated the space.
"Silver Wolf, these are the modified modules the leader sent us to steal yesterday."
"Tonight, we have to move the goods and send them to Lord Jin Wei to help him fully revive."
One man, wearing a black vest and having silver-white mechanical arms, responded.
"Oh?"
Silver Wolf, dressed in a full silver robe, was surprised. He hadn't expected that during the short two days of his repairs, such events had occurred.
"Who did we steal them from?"
"Looks like a small company called Tian Hao Security, but they have some skills. The modules are of good quality, including Silver-grade level metals."
Silver Wolf's thoughts stirred. He was considering upgrading the modules, but then he remembered this was for Jin Wei, so he suppressed his greed.
"When are we delivering them to Jin Wei?"
"An hour from now, the leader hopes you can escort the goods to ensure everything goes smoothly."
The half-modified man in the black vest respectfully replied, "Also, Lord Jin Wei will begin preparations for his revival tonight, and the leader hopes you can be there in case anything goes wrong."
Silver Wolf nodded in agreement and didn't refuse.
He stepped forward, and a group of people was seen organizing items in the distance.
Metal boxes were opened, revealing Bronze-grade metal modules and a few Silver-grade materials.
"Have they been checked?" Silver Wolf asked, not wanting any accidents in Jin Wei's revival.
"Don't worry, Silver Wolf, they've all been checked. Five trackers were removed halfway."
The half-modified man in the black vest answered seriously, and Silver Wolf nodded in satisfaction.
"Good, then prepare to leave quickly."
---
"Boss, Silver Wolf is probably hiding here."
A distance away from Cloud Mountain, an armored vehicle covered by a camouflaged net was hidden in the forest corner.
Inside the metal cabin, four or five figures were visible, with a large projection screen showing images of the surrounding mountains and forests.
"Can we be sure?" asked Dong Tao, who had a scar across his face. His three subordinates, who were maintaining drones and mechanical arms, stopped and looked at him.
"80% chance. Last night, Hong Que captured some people entering Cloud Mountain."
"There were three Bronze-grade modified humans. Although they disguised themselves, from their style, it's likely Utopia."
The woman sitting in front of the display screen gave her analysis. "Also, Silver Wolf left in that direction. I suspect there's an underground Utopia base here."
"Only a place like this could allow him to repair the damaged modules without drawing attention from the United Coalition."
The team's intelligence analyst rarely made mistakes, so everyone nodded in agreement.
"Alright, keep an eye on them and see if Silver Wolf is really here."
Dong Tao's expression turned cold as he thought of the punch that had hit his chest the other day, which still hurt.
"By the way, boss, I discovered something interesting."
"What?" Dong Tao asked.
"Look."
The woman pointed, and the map on the display switched, revealing several blurry shadows of black-clad figures.
"This was captured by Hong Que in the nearby forest. It looks like a team of more than ten people. They don't seem weak."
She explained seriously, "I suspect they're from the United Coalition, probably here to stir trouble with Utopia."
"To avoid being discovered, I didn't let Hong Que get too close."
"Oh?" Dong Tao squinted, then revealed a playful smile.
"Perfect."
"Let them fight and weaken each other."
---
Rustle rustle.
Dry leaves crunched underfoot as the dirt was exposed beneath black shoes.
In the green forest at the foot of the low mountain, trees with thick branches and leaves were growing, and some insects and ants were crawling or building nests.
Upon closer inspection, behind a large green tree, several figures could be seen scattered in all directions.
Most of them were armed men in black tactical suits, either half-modified humans or skilled fighters enhanced with potions.
Among them was a particularly large figure, standing at nearly 1.9 meters tall and looking about thirty years old.
His black outfit was tightly stretched, and from the silver marking on his neck, it was clear he was a complete modified human.
"Phew, looks like everything is fine now."
Lin Hao, surrounded by the group, hung up the phone.
He quickly turned to the fully modified man beside him and asked, "Zhou Cheng, get two brothers to go out and meet him. Our friend is almost here."
"Got it."
Zhou Cheng, the tall man, nodded and soon ordered two men to go to the forest's edge.
"How's the situation?"
"Nothing major for now."
Zhou Cheng indicated the display screen in his hand, where low figures could be seen moving around.
"The mechanical spiders have all been equipped with shields and anti-jamming devices. The enemy shouldn't have noticed anything."
"However, we haven't pinpointed the entrance yet. I suspect they are a very experienced large force."
Lin Hao pondered for a moment. There were few factions in Nanjiang that could deploy Bronze-grade modified humans and build an underground base in the outskirts.
He had some guesses in mind.
"Doesn't matter, whatever their force is."
"If they dare touch our things, they'll have to pay interest."
With a smile, Lin Hao looked around at everyone.
"And, this also happens to be a good opportunity for training."
"If our reputation spreads, our company will definitely thrive in Nanjiang."
Everyone agreed upon hearing this, and Zhou Cheng nodded in admiration.
Though the young boss was a bit down on his luck and could only develop in this small area for the time being, based on his actions and plans over the past few days, he believed without a doubt that he hadn't followed the wrong person.
They then patiently waited, while the controlled mechanical spiders continued to search for an entrance in the nearby low mountains.
Click!
Suddenly, a faint noise sounded.
A huge rock from the mountain split apart like a door opening. The mechanical spiders, under control, hid in the shadows.
"There's movement."
Zhou Cheng's subordinate, who was beside him, said seriously. Lin Hao frowned and looked over, and everyone else focused, waiting.
Step, step!
Black boots stepped on gravel as figures holding firearms appeared one after another.
Some were carrying heavy objects on their shoulders, while others helped lift large metal boxes.
At a glance, Lin Hao immediately recognized it — it was the modified module he had lost yesterday.
"Damn it."
He cursed softly, and the mechanical spider slightly raised its head from the bushes.
In the field of vision, more modified humans appeared, and the mountain rock continued to open, revealing several heavy vehicles emerging from within.
"Looks like these people are moving."
Lin Hao realized something was wrong. Zhou Cheng beside him also made the same judgment.
"Boss, should we block them or pursue?"
All eyes turned to Lin Hao.
"How long until our friend arrives?"
"According to the locator, about two or three minutes."
Lin Hao fell silent, a hint of hesitation flashing in his eyes.
He didn't like taking risks, but he also worried that they might let them slip away.
"If we just watch them get away, it will be a huge embarrassment."
"Do it!"
As soon as the words were spoken, everyone stopped hesitating.
Buzz!!!
Spirals spun, and over a dozen drones that had been prepared earlier suddenly took off, with the gun turrets beginning to rotate and aim.
At the same time, Zhou Cheng, the man called out, stepped forward and waved at several people.
"Charge with me!"
In the rustling of dry leaves, more than ten people rushed out of the mountain forest, blocking the dirt road below Cloud Mountain in just a few seconds.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The drones fired first, bullets raining down, hitting the Utopian group below the rock mountain.
Puff! Puff! Puff!!
Several people were hit immediately, their heads exploded or their chests pierced, falling dead on the spot.
"Ah!!"
"We're under attack!"
The quicker-reacting Utopian members quickly ducked and shouted.
Sparks flew off the surface of the heavy vehicles, the sound of metal clashing constantly ringing.
"Damn it!"
A fully-modified person angrily charged out, immediately spotting the ten or so black-clad figures on the road ahead.
Without thinking, a liquid metal appeared on his face, transforming into a mask covering his head.
The next moment, he bent his knees, dashed forward, and ignored the drone's bullet barrage, charging ahead.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!!
Another round of gunfire rang out. Zhou Cheng stood coldly behind his subordinates, gesturing with his hand.
The modified person knew the defenses of other modified individuals, so he had prepared in advance.
Clang! Clang! Poo!
The Utopian modified person charging forward changed his expression slightly. His clothes were torn by the bullets, and his body's metal surface visibly dented.
"Damn it, special ammunition?"
His heart sank. Knowing he couldn't endure the attack, he immediately dodged to avoid the fire.
Whoosh!!
From the dozen drones in the air, two suddenly flew out, bypassing above his head, and flew toward the back of the rock mountain.
The Utopian members looked up in confusion, while reinforcements rushing from the underground base also watched carefully.
Click!
The drones' undersides suddenly opened, and two black bombs dropped.
"Damn!!"
Shouting in anger, the Utopian members hiding behind the heavy vehicles quickly dodged.
Boom!!!
The missiles landed and exploded in a flash.
A pillar of fire erupted, and the front of the heavy vehicles shattered. Seven or eight Utopian-enhanced people howled in pain, blood spilling, staining the dirt.
The situation was completely suppressed. In the mountain forest, Lin Hao was protected by several semi-cyborgs, his face filled with a mix of excitement and exhilaration.
After a series of twists and turns, he had finally built a decent security force.
But today...
"Looking for death!!!"
A roar suddenly came from the rock mountain.
A silver figure shot out at high speed. Just as several bombs were about to land, it reached up and grabbed them, throwing them into the air.
Boom!!
Another explosion occurred, conspicuously visible in the night.
The dark clouds cleared a little, and more than half of the drones were destroyed, their charred and twisted bodies plummeting to the ground.
Seeing this, Lin Hao, who had previously thought the situation was under control, suddenly darkened his face.
"It's Utopian people after all."
"That person must be Silver Wolf."
An old voice came through the earpiece, and Lin Hao gestured for his subordinates to switch the mechanical spider's view. They clearly saw the silver figure in the rock mountain area.
He was tall, nearly two meters, his body completely covered in silver metal.
A true Silver-grade level modified person, possibly equipped with a high-quality weapon module.
"Your all dead meat!!"
Silver Wolf shouted coldly. In the next second, he turned into a blur, heading straight for Zhou Cheng and his group on the dirt road.
The immense pressure made everyone tense. Zhou Cheng, who had been commanding others, saw his face change and immediately rushed out from behind his subordinates!
Boom!!
Fist against fist, Zhou Cheng's black combat suit was instantly torn apart.
Visibly, Zhou Cheng's legs dug into the ground as he slid backward, leaving long trails in the dirt.
Liquid metal quickly appeared, covering his head and turning it gray.
Clang!!!
In a split second, a silver fist came at him, striking his face.
Had he been a second slower, he would have lost his head.
Even so, his head was thrown back, and his burly body staggered, clearly unable to contend with Silver Wolf.
"Young master, Zhou Cheng has just completed the Silver-grade modification. The weapon module hasn't adapted yet."
"He's no match for Silver Wolf, let me do it."
The old voice urged again through the earpiece. Lin Hao hesitated for a moment.
He always felt it was unstable to rely on Liu Bo, his greatest trump card.
"Wait a little longer, Liu Bo."
"This is Utopia. I'm worried they have more tricks up their sleeve."
His tone was serious as he again refused the suggestion.
The atmosphere grew tense. On the dirt road, Zhou Cheng was once again hit in the chest by a punch, flying backward and crashing into several trees.
"A freshly modified Silver-grade, and you dare come after me!"
"Looking for death!"
Fierce light flared in Silver Wolf's eyes. Seizing the opportunity, he charged forward, fully activating his energy module.
A flash of steel appeared in his hands, like a wolf's claw.
His danger senses flared, and Zhou Cheng quickly rolled and dodged.
Snap!
A tree that required several people to circle around it was sliced apart, exploding on the spot.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Subordinates opened fire in support, but these special bullets were clearly insufficient, sparking against Silver Wolf's body but doing little harm.
"Looking for death!" Silver Wolf roared in anger, intending to turn around and attack.
"Silver Wolf, leave him to me!"
Seeing the impatience, the previously Bronze-grade modified person rushed out of cover, eager to prove himself.
Seeing this, Zhou Cheng cursed under his breath, wanting to rescue his subordinate.
Boom!!
Silver Wolf landed a punch, knocking him back again. He couldn't even respond.
"Young master!"
Liu Bo's voice came through the earpiece, urging him.
These were loyal security guards who had undergone enhancements and training. Losing them would be a significant blow.
Lin Hao knew this as well. After hearing Liu Bo's words, he gritted his teeth.
No longer hesitating, he decided to use his trump card.
But just then...
Whoosh!!!
The mountain forest flipped. Fallen leaves filled the air.
A dark, Azure figure rushed like a wild dragon, hitting the copper-level modified person in the chest with a single punch.
Boom!!
The sound was muffled, and the figure flew backward.
The trees snapped and shattered as Silver Wolf's eyes narrowed.
An Azure horn, and glass-steel eyes glowing red.
Cold and ruthless, full of savagery and violence.
"It's you!!"
(End of the Chapter)
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