Mr. Su, I Hear You're Looking for Me

"Crackling and booming!"

The lightning continued to rage, striking the giant and his staff with relentless force. The sound of the thunderous storm was overwhelming, and Chen Xing was on the verge of losing his sanity, but he couldn't see a single scratch on the giant.

Could the gap between us be this enormous?

"This... this is impossible!"

Chen Xing's eyes glazed over. He no longer knew how to strike.

His proudest talent, the ability that had driven countless gifted individuals to despair in the Nine Cities, now seemed as fragile as paper.

The staff was drawing closer!

Chen Xing didn't even have time for fear as he turned to flee, only to find, in a panic, that no matter which direction he ran, it was futile. He felt as though he were running in place, while the massive staff swept toward him, its ominous shadow growing ever larger.

"Damn it!"

Chen Xing's eyes widened in frustration. With a roar, he slammed his hands against his chest.

"Crack!"

At that moment, his body suddenly vanished in place, transformed into a violet streak of lightning that shot off into the distance.

"Impressive!"

Mike, watching the scene unfold, couldn't help but applaud. "No wonder it's an SSS-tier talent, that's quite a trick."

But no matter how many tricks there were, they didn't change the outcome.

The violet lightning surged through the air, fast as light, yet that was only how Chen Xing perceived it. To Mike, the lightning appeared to twist and writhe in place, trapped by an invisible force, as though some unseen hand was holding it back, preventing it from moving an inch.

Then—

"Boom!!"

The staff crashed down on the violet lightning, its immense weight obliterating it in an instant.

"Splutter!"

Chen Xing's form reappeared from the shattered arc, blood spurting as he was sent flying, his body hurtling down into the golden sea below, where it vanished from sight.

"Now, he's definitely dead."

Mike murmured quietly. Considering the old man's combat talent, any creature that fell into the Golden Sea with that level of injury was unlikely to survive. It was like falling into the core of a burning sun.

"If he survived that, he'd be a high-dimensional being capable of roaming the universe."

"Quit mumbling, he's dead," came the old man's gruff voice in Mike's ear, causing Mike to pause. He had almost forgotten that the old man's lamp could also be used for remote communication.

"Go check on your Captain Chen," the old man continued, his voice rough yet carrying the air of a senior. "I'll be here, they won't be able to harm your woman."

Mike's gaze shifted. The giant, still holding the stellar staff, swept his gaze over the hidden Eight City powerhouses in the clouds. They were terrified, many of them had tried to escape, but no one could break free from the Golden Sea's grip. Even though it only covered the ground beneath them, it still had a locking effect.

It seemed that as long as the giant saw them, escape was impossible!

Should they continue fighting?

Forget it!

The sight of the giant, bathed in lightning, reminded them of a god from myth. None of them had any will left to fight back.

All eight powerhouses were filled with regret. Had they known their opponent would be this powerful, they would never have believed the deceptive words of Chen Yan Shuo!

But it was too late to regret. They couldn't escape, and the giant wasn't planning to offer mercy.

"Next! Who's next to die?" The giant's voice rumbled like thunder. "The blessing is not yet finished, the long lamp still shines! Enter my light and burn for others!"

"Awesome!"

Mike threw his fists into the air, laughing with unrestrained joy. "The old man's incredible!"

No wonder the talent unit records had mentioned that the old man had sealed his tier. Mike had assumed that meant he was an SSS-tier talent unit, but now it seemed more complex than that.

"Even if there's a gap between an SSS-level talent and an SSS-level talent unit, surely it wouldn't lead to instant annihilation."

Mike mused as he calmed down. "Wait... does that mean for certain special talent units, SSS-tier is merely the highest tier the system can show? But it doesn't truly represent their actual strength?"

"I became SSS-tier, not because I'm SSS-tier, but because SSS is just the highest tier the system can offer?"

Suddenly, everything made sense.

Mike recalled how Wang Shi had once mentioned the "end-of-world mechanism" when he was recruited. It was supposed to be a punishment imposed on Earth by some mysterious force, threatening the survival of human civilization.

But Wang Shi had also mentioned that, fundamentally, this was a trial. A test set by more advanced beings, with an unknown purpose, method, and level of technology.

It was clear that these beings were incredibly powerful.

Mike had approached the situation with a sense of reverence, especially since Wang Shi didn't know much more about it, so he hadn't probed further.

Now, after witnessing the old man's battle, Mike's doubts were growing.

"If this is all really a test as Wang Shi described, then what exactly are they testing for?"

"Is it just to see if humanity can survive these repeated apocalypses? But... this doesn't add up. If it's just a test, the current situation should be no challenge for me."

Mike muttered, considering that with the old man's power, he could already gauge Wang Chen's strength. While he had never seen Wang Chen in combat, he could surmise that both he and the old man were on the same level. Wang Chen, known as the War God, would likely be even stronger.

At this point, Mike felt confident. Even without knowing whether he would recruit more powerful units in the future, the old man and Wang Chen alone could probably handle Earth's end-of-world mechanism.

"But something doesn't seem right. There's something I still don't fully grasp."

Mike furrowed his brow, wondering if the mechanism itself had a flaw. "Could it be that I'm simply not at the right level yet to understand the deeper significance?"

He exhaled deeply, deciding to focus on the present.

As he shifted his focus, he saw Chen Dafeng had completed his final strike, capturing the three who had tried to flee. He killed two and left one alive. The army of thirty thousand had been completely wiped out, effortlessly annihilated by Chen Dafeng, who was at his peak.

Mike took a breath. "With the first line of defense dealt with, Chen Dafeng will now deliver the prisoners to Dantu and reconnect with me for the next step of the military plan."

As things stood, the enemy's assault seemed to have completely collapsed, with no success. Of course, that was thanks to the old man and Chen Dafeng, especially the old man, who could take on eight of the city's powerhouses by himself!

But Mike still had a nagging feeling.

"The mastermind behind this hasn't shown up yet. They're being cautious... but how far can they go?"

Mike furrowed his brows. Someone who could unite the Nine Cities in three months must have prepared a plan for defeat. Could they really have no more tricks up their sleeve?

Just as Mike pondered, something unexpected happened.

Knock, knock, knock.

A soft, rhythmic knock echoed on the door of Mike's bedroom.

"Huh?"

Mike froze. A chill ran down his spine.

Who was knocking?

This was his residence in the heart of Jinling's most secure area. No one should be knocking. Visitors would either be announced by the security or robots.

There was no announcement, and the security system was completely silent. For a moment, it felt as if his room had no defenses, as if it were an ordinary house with a visitor at the door.

"It's definitely not someone from our side!"

Mike narrowed his eyes, hands crackling with energy. Within moments, he was holding two S-tier weapons.

His reserves were vast, with high-tier gear, and his own strength, boosted by Chen Dafeng's skills, matched an S-tier combat talent.

But even so, Mike didn't act rashly. He activated his connection skill to access the viewpoint of the outside security.

"The mastermind's new trump card... they really want to execute a decapitation strike on me!"

"But why knock? Why not just burst in?"

Mike felt a wave of doubt.

He connected successfully with the outside guard and, looking through the guard's perspective, saw a young man in casual clothes standing at the door. He had just raised his hand to knock but paused, glancing at the guard. The young man then smiled and nodded.

"Hello, Mr. Su, it's a pleasure to meet you for the first time."

"My name is Chen Yan Shuo. I hear you've been looking for me."

"Well, here I am, personally at your door."