Chapter 37: A Mysterious Invitation into Peril, Wits and Valor Break the Deadlock

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Following the instructions in the letter, Mao Yu arrived at a secluded abandoned factory on the outskirts of the city. Before coming, he could not help recalling a similar trap he had once encountered. Back then, he had been a newcomer, and it was only through sheer willpower and quick thinking that he had survived a desperate situation. Since then, he had continued to grow stronger—and had become far more cautious.

Now, faced with the abandoned factory, he remained alert, but excitement outweighed his wariness.

The surroundings were eerie and terrifying. The dilapidated buildings exuded a rotting stench, while the air was heavy with the smell of rust, sending chills down the spine.

“Big brother, this place is creepy. It gives me the chills.” Mao Ling hunched her shoulders and clung tightly to Feng Yao’s arm.

Feng Yao frowned slightly as well. There was indeed something strange about the place, and it made her deeply uncomfortable. Her thoughts drifted back to the times she and Mao Yu had trained together. Mao Yu always gave his all during training, and his strength was formidable—but she knew he was not invincible. Now, she searched constantly for a possible entrance outside the factory, hoping to provide Mao Yu with support from the flank.

“Wait here. I’m going inside to take a look.” Mao Yu’s gaze was firm, and his tone brooked no argument.

“But...” Mao Ling began, only to be stopped by Feng Yao.

“Listen to your brother. We’ll wait here for him,” Feng Yao said. Though worried, she understood Mao Yu’s temperament. Once he had made up his mind, he would not change it easily. Besides, she trusted his abilities. He should be fine.

Mao Yu drew a deep breath and entered the abandoned factory alone. The moment he stepped through the main gate, he sensed something unusual.

“Interesting...” The corners of Mao Yu’s lips curled upward, and a spark of excitement flashed in his eyes.

He glanced around. Old machinery, rust-covered iron frames, and scattered debris all spoke of the place’s desolation and ruin.

Suddenly, the ground trembled faintly. Alarm bells rang in Mao Yu’s mind, and he hurriedly darted aside. A sharp steel spike shot out of the ground exactly where he had been standing. Had his reaction been even slightly slower, he would have been impaled.

“Heh. Interesting.” Mao Yu let out a cold laugh. So the letter really had been a trap.

The walls around him suddenly fired countless darts, dense as rainfall. Mao Yu moved nimbly, dodging them while studying his surroundings and searching for an opening. The mechanisms had been designed with great ingenuity. Their attack angles were vicious, and each trap was linked to the next, making them nearly impossible to guard against. Though Mao Yu was agile, he was still forced into a somewhat awkward retreat.

As he evaded the mechanisms, he considered how to break through the trap. He knew that if he continued taking the attacks passively, his strength would eventually be exhausted.

Suddenly, inspiration struck.

A sly smile appeared at the corner of his mouth, and he murmured, “Since you want to play, then I’ll play along...”

Boom!

A tremendous explosion erupted from deep within the factory, and flames soared into the sky.

“Not good!” Mao Yu’s expression changed as he sensed a powerful energy fluctuation rapidly approaching.

“They’re here...” His gaze sharpened, and a dazzling mass of energy gathered in his hand.

Before the smoke from the explosion had cleared, a group of mysterious superpowered individuals dressed in black combat uniforms emerged from the shadows. Every one of them radiated a ferocious presence and murderous intent.

“Well, this is lively.” Mao Yu wiped the corner of his mouth, battle intent blazing in his eyes. “Come on. Let me see what you’re made of!”

The black-clad superpowered fighters were clearly well trained and worked together flawlessly. Their attacks surged toward Mao Yu like a rising tide. One fire wielder spewed blazing flames, while another earth wielder manipulated the steel spikes in the ground, sending them lancing forward again and again. Wind blades, ice arrows, and countless other supernatural attacks intertwined into a web of death that engulfed Mao Yu.

“Hmph. You little underlings think this is enough to trap me? Today, I’ll show you what real strength looks like.” Mao Yu sneered inwardly, then shouted, “What the hell? A group attack? No sense of honor!”

His hands, however, never slowed.

His figure darted and twisted like a phantom as he maneuvered through the cramped space, circling the black-clad fighters.

“Ice and fire together? What is this, a barbecue party?” he quipped while dodging their attacks.

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However, even two fists could not withstand four hands. In the narrow space, Mao Yu could not fully unleash his powers, and he had already suffered several injuries.

“Damn it. These bastards are really troublesome!” He gritted his teeth as he felt his stamina rapidly draining.

At that moment, Mao Yu swept both hands through the air. Rusted metal from the surrounding area flew toward him, forming a rotating metallic barrier. The supernatural attacks struck the barrier and burst into dazzling flashes of light.

This was his “Metal Shield Against Supernatural Powers.”

Outside the factory, Mao Ling and Feng Yao heard the commotion within and grew frantic with worry.

“Sister Yao, my brother will be all right, won’t he?” Mao Ling gripped Feng Yao’s hand tightly, her eyes filled with concern. Though frightened, she forced herself to endure the fear and gathered anything useful she could find nearby—stones, wooden sticks, and the like—in case she needed to rush inside and protect her brother.

“He’ll be fine. Your brother is incredibly strong!” Feng Yao said aloud, though her own heart was pounding with anxiety. She wanted to rush in and help, but Mao Ling held her back with all her strength.

“No, Sister Yao! It’s too dangerous!”

The explosions and sounds of combat inside the factory tangled together, leaving the two girls in a state of helpless panic.

Mao Yu sensed their concern and felt a warm current rise in his heart.

“Wait for me. I’ll definitely make it out!”

Boom!

Another deafening blast rang out. A powerful wind blade struck Mao Yu, sending him staggering several steps backward until he crashed into a heap of scrap metal.

“Cough, cough...” He spat out a mouthful of blood and felt as though every bone in his body had been knocked apart.

The black-clad fighters pressed forward and surrounded him completely, cruel smiles spreading across their faces.

“It’s over, boy!” The leader sneered as a black sphere of energy condensed in his hand.

Mao Yu wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. His icy gaze swept over the group, and then he suddenly revealed a strange smile.

“This is only the beginning...” he said softly.

Then he vanished.

“Where did he go?” The leader of the black-clad fighters froze.

“Boss, up there!” one of the men shouted, pointing toward a ventilation shaft in the factory ceiling.

“After him!” the leader roared, and the group charged toward the shaft.

Mao Yu seized the opportunity and suddenly sprinted toward a massive furnace spewing flames of searing heat. The hot air made the clothes on his back snap violently, while the expressions of the surrounding enemies shifted from surprise to fear.

The reckless move left the black-clad fighters stunned.

“Has this guy gone insane?” one of them cried.

The furnace burned at an extremely high temperature. Even an advanced superpowered fighter would not dare approach it casually. Mao Yu’s action seemed no different from courting death.

But Mao Yu had no intention of dying. He had noticed long ago that the furnace’s flame outlet was fitted with a special reflector, set at an unusual angle.

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A cold smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

“Come on, let’s hurt each other!”

With determination shining in his eyes, he concentrated all his strength in his legs and kicked a metal scrap barrel toward the flame outlet with thunderous force. The barrel traced a perfect arc through the air, as though Mao Yu had given it life, and struck its target with astonishing precision.

The searing flames instantly melted part of the barrel. At the same time, the barrel altered the direction of the furnace’s fire.

“What the hell?”

“Damn!”

The flames rebounded and shot directly toward the black-clad superpowered fighters.

Several of them failed to dodge in time and were struck by the fire, screaming like slaughtered pigs.

“Whoa, that was a pretty slick move!” Mao Yu exclaimed from behind the furnace, unable to hold back his laughter as he watched the men fall victim to their own trap.

Taking advantage of their confusion, Mao Yu gathered a dazzling sphere of golden energy between his hands.

“Thunder God Descends!”

With a thunderous roar, he unleashed the golden energy, which poured forth like a violent storm of lightning. Wherever it passed, cracks split across the floor. The abandoned machinery around him was blasted into fragments by the tremendous impact, while the black-clad fighters were struck down instantly like fragile insects.

At the center of the storm, Mao Yu stood like a god who ruled over all creation.

When the dust finally settled, Mao Yu stood proudly amid the ruins, magnificent and imposing, like a heavenly deity descended to earth.

“That’s it? I haven’t even warmed up yet!” He brushed the dust from his clothes and began searching for clues about the mastermind behind the attack.

At last, in a hidden corner of the factory, he discovered a peculiar symbol: a black spider.

“A spider? Interesting...” Mao Yu took out his phone and photographed the mark.

Using the symbol, he quickly found some information. It belonged to a mysterious superpowered organization known as the Spider of the Night.

Though he had uncovered a few clues, Mao Yu knew this was merely the tip of the iceberg.

“The Spider of the Night... What are they after? Why set a trap for me?” His brows drew together as suspicion and vigilance filled his heart.

Carrying these questions with him, Mao Yu returned to Feng Yao and Mao Ling.

“Brother, are you all right?” The moment Mao Ling saw the injuries covering him, she asked anxiously.

“They’re only minor wounds. Nothing to worry about.” Mao Yu patted her hair reassuringly.

He gazed into the distance, a sharp glint flashing through his eyes.

“The Spider of the Night...” he murmured. “The game between us has only just begun...”

“Let’s go home,” Mao Yu said suddenly, a faint, barely perceptible chill in his voice.

Feng Yao and Mao Ling both sensed that something about Mao Yu was wrong, but neither asked any questions. They simply followed him away from the abandoned factory.

On the way back, Mao Yu suddenly stopped and looked toward an inconspicuous little shop by the roadside...

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