Edited by Parfait.
The vast sky was engulfed by an endless, dense, and expansive darkness, with a thin and dim crescent moon hanging high in the northwest corner of the heavens, seemingly observing the earthly world in silence with vacant eyes.
The frantic footsteps of humans shattered the silence of the night.
Xiao Jinyu looked up, and from his fourth perspective, he saw clusters of shimmering logic factors rapidly shooting towards the distance.
They urgently pursued their master, each light particle flashing at a rate of 1314 frames per second, speeding southward towards the horizon.
Luo Sheng’s voice was cold, “He knew I returned to Haidu early, so he’s desperately trying to suppress his own logic chain’s presence. Logic chains attract each other. If it’s a higher-level user against a lower-level one, no matter how much the lower-level one suppresses, they can’t hide. But between users of the same level, especially those with similar abilities, if he tries to suppress it, I must be within 100 meters to clearly sense his presence.”
After speaking, she looked at Xiao Jinyu.
Xiao Jinyu remained unchanged in expression. “Direction 13 o’clock.”
“Understood!”
The Haidu Extermination Squad of 35 people swiftly changed direction.
Luo Sheng’s meaning was simple: they were chasing, while Relativity was running away.
However, the distance between them was still greater than 100 meters.
Relativity could clearly sense the positions of users like Xu Qi and Xiao Jinyu who were lower than itself, so it was a situation of the enemy being in the light while they were in the dark. But judging from the chaotic flight of the colorful light dots in the sky, Xiao Jinyu was very sure; it was because Relativity knew their coordinates that he was running around in such a panic!
It was easy to understand. Relativity was a powerful fifth-level user. If he went all out to escape, only Luo Sheng could catch up with him in the entire Haidu.
But now, this group of third and fourth-level users could also catch up with Relativity.
It wasn’t because Relativity had weakened, but because he was panicking.
He changed his escape route time and time again, only to find that no matter how he changed it, the Extermination Squad behind him still followed closely. It was as if they had installed a tracker on him; wherever he went, there were eyes watching him silently.
In his panicked and haphazard flight, he gradually ran towards a place well-known to the public.
When Xiao Jinyu noticed the colorful light dots surging towards the northeast in direction, he observed the surrounding buildings with a surprised expression. He looked at Luo Sheng, although Luo Sheng couldn’t see the movement trajectory of the logic factors, she knew where he was heading.
With just a moment of astonishment, Xiao Jinyu and Luo Sheng nodded at each other.
The next moment.
Luo Sheng: “Split into three teams! Xu Qi leads one team downstream towards the Huangpu River; Jiang Wentao leads another team upstream towards the Huangpu River. Flank from both sides; Xiao Jinyu and I will continue towards the Bund! He only knows your locations, not mine and in which team. He won’t act rashly because I could be in any of the three teams. Listen to Xiao Jinyu’s instructions through the earpieces; he will update us on Relativity’s specific location in real-time.”
“Roger!”
With that command, Xu Qi and Jiang Wentao each led ten team members, splitting into teams and running towards the left and right sides.
Indeed, no one expected that Relativity, running frantically, would cross almost half of Haidu City and head towards the direction of the Bund!
—
The surging and rapid river flowed westward autonomously, roaring as it surged.
Dim moonlight shone on the deep and bottomless rivers surface, with waves shimmering coldly.
Soon, Pan Yue also realized that he was running towards the Huangpu River.
Before the A-type radiation, the Huangpu River was one of Haidu’s landmarks. This not-so-wide river divided the Puxi and Pudong areas, with Puxi featuring the bustling European-style Bund and Pudong boasting skyscrapers like the Oriental Pearl Tower and the Golden Financial Center.
The winding and meandering Huangpu River formed a semicircle in the city center, connected by three cross-river bridges and an underwater tunnel.
As a Level Five user, Pan Yue didn’t think that he would be hindered by such a narrow river. Forget about a river like the Huangpu, which was a few hundred meters wide; even the Pacific Ocean wouldn’t be an obstacle for him to traverse on foot or swim through. However, what he feared was not the Huangpu River itself, nor the possibility of being caught up by the Extermination Squad behind him; it was…
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Zone 18, a Contamination Zone!
Vagfamtlcu jibcu atf Lejcuqe Elnfg, jc fcalgf cjggbk raglq ibmjafv lc Uevbcu kjr vfrlucjafv jr j mbcajwlcjalbc hbcf!
Ktfs kfgf ijyfifv jr Ibcf 16, Ibcf 17, Ibcf 18, Ibcf 19, jcv Ibcf 20.
Cwbcu atf atberjcvr bo erfgr lc Ljlve Jlas, fnfgsbcf xcfk atja Ibcf 18 kjr boo-ilwlar ab jii erfgr. Qts kfgf atfgf mbcajwlcjalbc hbcfr jii jibcu atf fjra yjcx bo atf Lejcuqe Elnfg? Pa kjrc’a yfmjerf bo rfnfgf gjvljalbc gfrlvef; la kjr yfmjerf Ibcf 18 kjr atfgf!
Zone 18, a place where users below Level Four could not approach, and even Level Five users needed approval to enter.
Pan Yue didn’t know what exactly was in Zone 18, but he didn’t want to risk his life finding out. He didn’t believe that he could survive crossing Zone 18.
Without hesitation, Pan Yue turned north, intending to change his escape route.
But the next moment, he realized that members of the Extermination Squad were also heading north!
Pan Yue’s face changed drastically, and he immediately turned south.
However, there were also members of the Extermination Squad in the south. Behind him, many Level Three users were also chasing him.
He couldn’t distinguish which of the three teams had Luo Sheng among them. By suppressing his logic chain, he made it impossible for Luo Sheng to sense him, and likewise, he couldn’t sense Luo Sheng either.
As he neared the Bund, he felt like a fish on a chopping board, surrounded on three sides. Ahead of him lay a rushing river. On the opposite bank was the infamous Zone 18 Contamination Area of Haidu.
Could he cross?
How could he cross?
Perhaps he would also meet his end there. What exactly was in Zone 18?
Suddenly, under the moonlight, a robust and muscular bald man halted his steps. He stood on the Bund Plaza, gazing at the towering modern skyscrapers across the river. The cold moonlight reflected off these dark behemoths, their glass facades shimmering in the winter night as the Huangpu River lapped against the shore.
Pan Yue turned around, a cold smirk appeared on his lips.
Escape? He would never escape the nationwide dragnet unless he wanted to hide and live a life of obscurity forever, forsaking any chance of advancement and risking logic chain collapse within a month due to his unique logic chain’s nature when isolated from crowds.
Perhaps, there was one final chance.
【Boss Jin, are you interested in ‘Water Punishment’?】
A second later, his phone vibrated.
【Deal.】
【Oh, and keep an eye on someone for me, he’s among the users chasing you. If it’s his logic chain, it’ll do as well.】
【Who?】
【A young man around twenty, fair-skinned with big eyes, and he always seems indifferent to others. Oh, and he has a mole between his eyebrows.】
【He’s quite distinctive, you’ll recognize him when you see him.】
【He’s a Level 3 user.】
The bald man stared at the screen, a glint of light flashing in his icy eyes.
【No problem.】
Capturing Luo Sheng would be extremely difficult, even for him. But capturing a Level 3 user?
He had a chance!
—
At this moment, Xiao Jinyu and the others were unaware that their target had stopped running.
Observing the colorful light above, Xiao Jinyu spoke through the wireless earpiece, “He’s still headed towards the Bund, he hasn’t changed direction.”
Luo Sheng sensed keenly, “He’s a Level 5 user, he must have realized that his current escape route leads to Zone 18 Contamination Area. He wouldn’t risk that. So why hasn’t he changed direction, like heading towards Xu Qi or Jiang Wentao, along the Huangpu River’s upstream or downstream… Something’s not right!”
Xiao Jinyu suggested, “Maybe he doesn’t want to escape anymore.”
Luo Sheng turned to look at him.
Xiao Jinyu continued, “Everything happened too quickly for him. He probably still hasn’t figured out how we detected his logic factors and how we’re able to track his location in real-time.”
“This is an unknown situation, coupled with being in adversity, even a Level 5 user cannot calmly think through the true context of all these events. Under panic and pursuit, his first reaction probably is to believe that from now on, no matter where he runs, we can find him.
“Of course, the truth is, after tonight, we won’t be able to find him anymore.”
Pausing for a moment, the young man looked at the gray-haired woman, “Captain Luo, if you feel that for the rest of your life, you can’t escape the pursuit of an entire country, what would you do?”
Her eyes flickered, and Luo Sheng replied, “Stop running. Turn around… and strike back.”
Xiao Jinyu slowed his pace, looking up.
—The Bund, they had arrived!
***
On both sides of the wide and smooth street, the plane trees rustled in the wind, making a whispering sound.
The French-style marble buildings on this renowned Bund street, blending a mix of Chinese and foreign flavors, felt like being in the old concessions of the last century. But juxtaposed with the dilapidated buildings across the Huangpu River, it brought one back to reality immediately.
Xu Qi, coming from downstream of the Huangpu River and heading north towards the Bund, suddenly had a glinting glass shard fly past his eyes.
His heart tightened, quickly moving to the side to avoid it, but the glass still left a bloody cut on his left cheek.
Feeling the slight sting, Xu Qi looked up.
“Captain!”
On the western side of the Bund, Luo Sheng and Xiao Jinyu arrived together. From the northern side of the Bund, Jiang Wentao led his team to encircle. And on his side was the southern side of the Bund.
As for the eastern side of the Bund, it faced the rushing Huangpu River. Across the river was Zone 18 Contamination Area.
Xu Qi narrowed his eyes.
He saw it: a bald man!
In the vast night, a muscular man in a T-shirt stood with arms crossed on the bronze statue at the Bund’s Plaza. He lowered his head coldly, looking down on them.
The river water splashed with foam, the sound of rushing water disappearing in the night breeze.
Surprisingly, Relativity did not run anymore!
When they were only 100 meters away from the Bund, Luo Sheng had already sensed the exact location of the Relativity. She took a step forward, the evening breeze lifting her short coat. The gray-haired female captain coldly shouted the opponent’s name: “Relativity… Pan Yue. You are an anonymous level-five user. The Logic Research Institute speculates that your rank is before A20. What is your specific ranking?”
This question was extremely abrupt. In the current hostile situation, Luo Sheng’s question normally wouldn’t have received a response.
But the bald man answered.
“Hehehe…” He chuckled hoarsely, “A09.”
Luo Sheng’s body tensed for a moment.
Beside her, Xiao Jinyu also froze abruptly, his gaze complex as he looked at this mysterious level-five user.
Luo Sheng, Xu Qi, Jiang Wentao, and others were shocked by the bald man’s ranking. They didn’t expect him to have such a high rank. This level of ranking could be considered one of the strongest among all level-five users in Huaxia.
And Xiao Jinyu was surprised even more because…
Wasn’t A09 already claimed by the Spear of Judgment?
When Luo Sheng and the others were all astonished by their rankings, Pan Yue wasted no time. He looked around urgently, searching for the level-three user mentioned by Mr. Jin. Suddenly, he stopped his gaze.
Xiao Jinyu hesitated slightly as he locked eyes with this powerful level-five user.
Pan Yue grinned strangely.
— He found him.
Instead of immediately taking action, the bald muscular man observed his surroundings warily. It was obvious that he was surrounded from three directions. To the west were Luo Sheng and the level-three users, while the strongest on the north and south sides were only level-four users. Especially on the north side, he should break through there, where only a group of level-three users was present.
But he had to catch either Luo Sheng or this level-three user.
With no other choice, he had to break through from the most difficult direction.
Pan Yue suddenly spoke, “Luo Sheng, what’s your current ranking?”
Luo Sheng replied, “A13.”
Pan Yue’s brain quickly worked.
A09 and A13. Although there seemed to be a difference of four ranks between them, he should be able to defeat Luo Sheng. However, battles between users were never determined solely by rankings. This ranking was never an absolute indicator of combat ability; it was an assessment of their overall strength by Contaminant 004.
Last month, he caught A54 Piggy Shampoo, with a gap of 45 rankings between them, and he still couldn’t win in a single move, requiring considerable effort.
Pan Yue was still contemplating how to catch Xiao Jinyu, but at this moment, Xiao Jinyu and the others were unaware of his intentions.
No one could have expected that this level-five user wasn’t thinking about how to break through and escape, but rather, how to capture the target.
There’s an ancient saying in Chinese military strategy: “If the enemy doesn’t move, I won’t move.”
But Luo Sheng didn’t have such futile plans.
“Jiang Wentao!” the woman suddenly roared, startling Pan Yue, who then looked northward.
Suddenly, a group of level-three users raised their weapons high and charged towards him.
Luo Sheng actually used a group of level-three users as cannon fodder?
Pan Yue was about to counterattack when suddenly, he felt an immense pressure crashing down on his shoulder. He immediately turned his head towards Luo Sheng… and the young man beside her!
Xiao Jinyu split open his palms, and fresh red blood gushed out, evaporating invisibly in the air.
Terrifying gravity followed, and Pan Yue distinctly felt his logic skill being suppressed!
Not completely suppressed, but at least reduced to half of its original strength!
What kind of logic skill was this strong at level three? No wonder Boss Jin had his eyes on him!
Xiao Jinyu’s face visibly paled at an alarming rate, and his lips lost their color. Holy Sacrifice was a logic skill ranked at least A20. Even though he had deciphered the opponent’s operating mode, driving his logic factors and simulating use had almost drained all his strength.
Xiao Jinyu said, “Captain Luo, at most one more minute!”
Luo Sheng replied calmly, “One minute is enough.”
In the midst of their conversation, Jiang Wentao and the others had already rushed to confront the bald muscular man. The distance between them was less than five meters. Just as they raised their weapons, ready to strike, suddenly, everyone fell backward. Blood sprayed like columns from their necks! In the blink of an eye, all ten team members were sliced at the throat and fell.
***
The translator has something to say:
Found some editors to help out with the project 🙂 Hopefully the chapters become easier to read with their help.
I have also completed reading the entirety of the raw story so posting speed is ⬆️ to 2x a week (on Thursdays and Sundays). Enjoy~
i love this story so much, once again thank you for picking this up 🥹
So exciting!! Thank you for tling
Yay! More chapters! Hurrah!
Thank you for the update ❤️💯
Why Piggy Shampoo was abducted? What was Piggy Shampoo’s logic factor again? I need a refresher, Xiao Jinyu has a fighting ability?