Free Web NovelChapter 217: Chapter 140: Great Harvest, Beast King Egg
SPLASH!!
Half a minute later, the river surrounding the inner city churned violently.
Having broken through the blockade, Lu Chao leaped into the water.
Ever since deciding to eliminate Ruan Hui, he had meticulously planned his moves.
Using his security missions as cover to travel between the inner and outer cities, he had scouted ahead and chosen several escape routes.
The bridge across the river was the only obvious path, but the Mechanical Violence Team had it locked down, making a direct confrontation inadvisable.
In contrast, the hundred-meter-wide river encircling the city was undoubtedly the best place for a stealthy escape.
"Where’d he go?"
"He’s gone!"
"Could he be in the water?"
"Search for him!"
Voices drifted from the riverbank behind him, punctuated by the heavy tread of footsteps and the whir of drones flying overhead.
Lu Chao dove several meters to the riverbed, having already disengaged his Frenzy State.
Waves of intense fatigue and a debilitating weakness from his expended stamina washed over him, almost tempting him to give up and let himself sink.
But with the Fixed Star Observation Method, he maintained perfect control over his body, having already planned for this contingency.
’Five minutes in Frenzy State. Good thing I haven’t hit my true limit yet...’
Face pale, Lu Chao swam along the riverbed with a black backpack slung across his body.
The debilitating side effects were directly proportional to the time spent in Frenzy State, so naturally, he had been carefully tracking the duration, making sure not to push himself to the absolute brink.
The current weakness and fatigue were not unbearable, and for an Elite Level expert, swimming submerged and holding his breath was not an issue.
In contrast...
’So this is the power of a Superpower Level...’
Sharp, stabbing pains shot through his arms, which felt like they were fractured. For the first time, Lu Chao realized the gap between himself and a Superpower Level.
That Superpower Armor User had clearly unleashed some kind of Mystical Skill from his armor at the last moment, something similar to a Martial Skill or Secret Technique, causing his strength to skyrocket.
The destructive impact of at least eight tons of force was clearly beyond his limits. Even with the enhancements from his Body of Rock and Iron Bones, it was an immense struggle, and the shock had nearly shattered his arms.
Fortunately.
HUMMM!
His cells forcibly squeezed out trickles of energy to repair the injuries to his arms.
All the stabbing pain rapidly dissipated, as if his injuries were healing at an accelerated rate. Lu Chao knew this was the work of his ’Resilient Body’ ability.
Otherwise, he never would have dared to risk taking that final blow head-on.
By the time the thought passed, his injuries were no longer severe.
It was pitch-dark on the riverbed, with beams of light occasionally cutting through the water from above.
Wasting no more time, Lu Chao swam onward, safely reaching a culvert beneath the riverbank.
Water sloshed as the night wind whistled through.
Instead of immediately going ashore, Lu Chao looked toward a corner of the culvert. There, he found a shabby, woven plastic sack. He lifted it to reveal a black bookbag containing a dry set of casual clothes and shoes.
He quickly changed his clothes.
Lu Chao quickly bundled his soaked mask and clothes, tied them to a rock several inches wide, and gently pushed the bundle into the river.
He did the same with the black bag that had held the Beast Egg, sinking it into the river to completely erase all traces.
Then, he looked down.
"It really is a Beast Egg."
His face was pale and his body was wracked with fatigue, but as he gazed at the head-sized, oval object in his hands, his eyes shone with an extraordinary light.
His intuition flared again, the feeling it gave him was exhilarating, and his heart pounded with excitement.
With no time for a closer look, he faintly heard the sound of hurried footsteps and quickly placed the Beast Egg into the black bookbag.
After zipping up the bag and confirming everything was in order, Lu Chao altered his physique once more. He took a pair of glasses from the bookbag and, in an instant, transformed into a short, thin young student with plain features and a slightly scholarly demeanor.
There were no more surprises.
With a steady gait, he walked up onto the riverbank in the Iron Ring District.
Looking up, he saw that the dark clouds had scattered. The rain over Ring City had stopped at some point without him noticing.
The ground was still damp and full of potholes. A few pedestrians passed by, and in a distant alley, a drunk was busy vomiting.
And on the opposite bank of the river,
The prosperous inner ring of the city was ablaze with light, the vibrant colors of its neon signs and holographic projections visible even from a distance.
Occasionally, hovering vehicles would speed past, rushing toward the eastern corner of the city circle, home to the villa district of the wealthy.
Closer to the river, drones fanned out in mid-air, periodically skimming over the water as they searched everywhere.
In addition, people patrolled the area with searchlights, their powerful beams periodically sweeping across the river toward the Iron Ring District.
"What’s going on?"
"What are those people on the other side looking for?"
"I don’t know. Looks like something big happened, huh?"
Pedestrians near the riverbank stopped in their tracks, looking on with curiosity and sensing that the atmosphere was off.
Lu Chao’s expression remained unchanged as he blended into the crowd under the cover of night. Relying on a mental map to avoid surveillance, he headed into the concrete-paved streets.
WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!
The sound of patrol cars echoed from time to time, and hovering vehicles streaked overhead, a clear sign they suspected he had escaped into the Iron Ring District.
Lu Chao didn’t stop, brushing past one pedestrian after another as he weaved through the alleyways.
In another deserted corner where he had stashed a change of clothes, he altered his physique again, changing into a casual baseball uniform and taking off his glasses.
His frame became subtly more robust, making him resemble an athletic young man. He walked onto a new street carrying a zipped-up black baseball bag.
Time ticked by, second by second.
「About half an hour later.」
Before he knew it, Street Block Two was just ahead.
He looked up. A light was on in the third-floor apartment, and the sight inexplicably calmed Lu Chao’s heart.
After restoring his original appearance, he climbed over the deserted back wall downstairs and slipped back into his bedroom.
