Chapter 42: Braving the Demon's Den and Foiling the Plot with Wisdom

Night fell, neon lights flickered, and the bustling noise of the superpower metropolis had not yet faded away. The clinking of glasses from the celebration banquet seemed to still echo in his ears, yet an unshakable haze clouded Mao Yu's heart. Standing on the street, he looked up into the distance toward the direction where dark forces might be lurking, a fierce sense of crisis surging within him. "I just have this feeling things aren't that simple," Mao Yu muttered to himself, his brow tightly furrowed. "That old fox Shadow couldn't have just surrendered so easily; he must be plotting some major scheme." He decided to venture once more into the tiger's den. Yet no sooner had this thought formed than flashes of past failures crossed his mind, followed by the faces of Mao Ling and Feng Yao. His heart ached with reluctance to leave them, but for the sake of justice and protection, his gaze grew ever more resolute.

The moment he voiced this idea, it was met with fierce opposition from Mao Ling and Feng Yao. "Brother Mao Yu, it's too dangerous! You can't go risking your life again!" Mao Ling stamped her feet in anxiety, her eyes turning red. Feng Yao tightly grasped the hem of Mao Yu's jacket, her normally cold and stunning face etched with worry. "That's right, Mao Yu, you've already done more than enough. Leave the rest to someone else." Looking at their worried expressions, Mao Yu felt a warmth in his heart, but his eyes only hardened. He patted Mao Ling's little head, squeezed Feng Yao's hand, and spoke with undeniable, overbearing authority, "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing! How could I ever rest easy without completely eradicating this bunch of scum?" With that, he turned and melted into the night, his figure disappearing deep into the alley.

The night was as dark as ink, shrouding the abandoned base of the dark forces. Like a nimble cat, Mao Yu slipped silently into the depths of the complex. The moment his feet touched the ground, he sensed something amiss; the air was heavy with a dangerous aura. Sure enough, several figures lunged from the shadows—patrolling superpower users of the dark forces. "Who goes there!" a patroller roared, the superpower energy in his hand flashing brightly. Without missing a beat, Mao Yu curved his lips into a charming, wicked smile. "Oh? Aren't you just experience points delivering yourselves right to my doorstep? Come on, let me warm up a bit!"

The battle erupted instantly! The patrollers' attacks came down like a storm, wave after wave of energy blasts exploding in the air and shaking the surrounding walls violently. Moving like lightning, Mao Yu slid to the left; the enemy's energy wave brushed past the corner of his jacket, kicking up a scorching blast of air. He leaned backward smoothly, and an energy wave grazed the tip of his nose—he could even smell the scent of air scorched by the power. Dodging left and right, his figure wove through the narrow corridor like a ghost. It was a hair-raising brush with danger that would make anyone's heart leap into their throat. "Tsk tsk, these guys actually pack a punch! Almost crashed and burned there," Mao Yu muttered inwardly, his fighting spirit undiminished, growing even fiercer the longer he fought.

Centering his mind, he silently recited the system incantation, "Ding—System assistance activated, strength increased by 50%!" A powerful aura suddenly burst forth from around Mao Yu. Seizing an opening, he gathered energy in both hands and slammed it fiercely toward the patroller leading the charge. With a few muffled thuds, the patrollers flew backward like kites with snapped strings. "Utterly pathetic!" Mao Yu dusted off his hands, his tone brimming with confidence.

The surrounding air was thick with a tense yet exhilarating atmosphere. Taking a deep breath, he prepared to push deeper into the base. Suddenly, a low voice echoed from the shadows, carrying a hint of intrigue, "Oh? This is getting interesting..." Mao Yu crouched low, sneaking along the gloomy corridor. From the rooms on either side came occasional rustling sounds, like rats gnawing on something, enough to make one's skin crawl.

Finally, he reached a heavy metal door, its complex electronic lock emitting a faint blue glow. Drawing a compact device, Mao Yu went to work with practiced ease. "Hehe, I am a professional after all!" A few seconds later, with a crisp click, the electronic lock popped open.

Inside the room, dim light illuminated a massive desk covered in various documents and blueprints. Mao Yu cast a quick glance, his pupils instantly shrinking! "Holy crap, these bastards are actually planning to..." Just as he reached out to grab the files, a chilling laugh sounded behind him. "Heh, looks like you've discovered something extraordinary!"

Mao Yu spun around abruptly to find a tall figure standing in the doorway. Shrouded entirely in darkness, the man's features were obscured, save for a pair of glowing crimson eyes radiating danger. "One of Shadow's lackeys?" Mao Yu sneered, striking a combat stance. "Kid, you've got some nerve breaking in here!" the man said coldly, a massive wave of pressure washing over Mao Yu and making it hard to breathe. "Cut the crap, if you want to fight, let's go!" Showing no weakness, Mao Yu let the superpower surge wildly within him.

The man flashed forward, appearing instantly before Mao Yu and throwing a punch! Barely managing to dodge, Mao Yu felt his cheek sting from the sheer force of the wind. "So fast!" he thought in shock, quickly calling upon the system for analysis. "Ding—Target's superpower detected as 'Shadow Teleportation.' Weakness: a brief stationary period following an attack!" A smile tugged at the corner of Mao Yu's mouth as he found the opening!

Faking a vulnerability, he lured the man into attacking. Falling right into the trap, the man teleported before Mao Yu once again, bringing down a heavy, vicious punch! At that exact moment, Mao Yu gathered energy in both hands, the superpower blazing brilliantly like a searing sword thrusting toward the teleporting foe. The man's shadow power manifested like a black curtain, attempting to swallow Mao Yu's energy. The energy sword pierced the shadow curtain with a sizzling sound, the surrounding air seeming to distort under the sheer might of the clash.

Just as the man's fist was about to connect, Mao Yu vanished into thin air! "What?!" Taken aback, the man barely had time to react before a searing pain struck his back! With a heavy thud, Mao Yu kicked him flying, sending the man crashing hard to the ground as he spat a mouthful of blood. "That's it? And here I thought you were some big shot!" Mao Yu brushed the dust off himself, looking utterly unimpressed. The shockwaves of their powers had shattered the glass on both sides of the corridor, the fragments raining down like silver droplets under the illumination of the energy glow.

Echoing through the base were the sounds of his triumphant panting, followed by an enraged roar, "Damn you! How dare you—" Suddenly, a piercing alarm shrieked throughout the entire complex! "Oh no," Mao Yu thought bitterly, "I've gone and blown things up!" Red lights flashed frantically like the eyes of a wild beast, chilling to the bone.

"Crap, I really did it now!" Mao Yu muttered a curse, preparing to slip away, when two familiar figures suddenly appeared at the end of the corridor. Who else could it be but Mao Ling and Feng Yao? "Brother Mao Yu!" Mao Ling shouted as she ran, her pretty face turned pale with fright. Feng Yao followed closely behind, her normally cold and aloof expression filled with utmost worry. Upon seeing Mao Yu, the anxiety in her eyes instantly melted into boundless tenderness.

"What are you two doing here?!" Mao Yu felt a mix of warmth and fury, shouting frantically, "Didn't I tell you to wait outside? Running around like this, have you got a death wish?!" "We... we were just worried about you!" Mao Ling whimpered, tears welling up in her eyes. She had secretly placed a small tracker on Mao Yu, which was how she managed to find him. With a hint of youthful pride, she said, "Brother Mao Yu, I knew I'd find you. Look, I put this on you."

Feng Yao said nothing, silently walking up to Mao Yu and gazing at him deeply with her beautiful eyes, as if trying to etch him into her soul. She tightly gripped his arm, the warmth radiating from her fingertips sending a thrill through his heart. When the alarm sounded, despite her worry, Feng Yao had begun observing the surroundings. She told him, "Mao Yu, leaving through the corridor on the left might be easier." In this instant, the surrounding danger seemed to matter very little.

"Sigh, there's just no winning with you two!" Mao Yu sighed helplessly. The anger in his heart instantly vanished, replaced by a profound warmth. He ruffled Mao Ling's head, tightened his grip on Feng Yao's hand, and said gently, "Don't ever do this again, understand?" "Mm-hmm!" the two girls replied in unison, wearing radiant smiles that softened Mao Yu's heart completely. These two sweet girls were truly his soft spot.

"This is no time for romance!" Mao Yu's gaze sharpened. Grabbing both of their hands, he bolted outward. "System! Got anything good that can get us out of here fast?" "Ding—Target's current situation detected. Releasing special task: 'Escape from the Clutches.' Reward: One random superpower draw!" The system's voice echoed in his mind. "Great! Bring it on!" Overjoyed, Mao Yu accepted the quest without hesitation. "System, draw the superpower!" "Ding—Congratulations to the host for acquiring the superpower: 'Teleportation'!"

"Awesome!" A triumphant smirk played on Mao Yu's lips. Sweeping Mao Ling and Feng Yao into his arms, he closed his eyes and shouted, "Takeoff!" A surge of blue light erupted around Mao Yu, instantly expanding to envelop Mao Ling and Feng Yao. The next moment, a flash of light blinded the area, and the three of them vanished without a trace, as if swallowed by the darkness. The surrounding air seemed to be vacuumed out, leaving the members of the dark forces shivering with a sudden, bone-chilling dread.

The superpower users of the dark forces looked at one another in utter bewilderment, completely clueless as to what had just happened, feeling as though they were trapped in a bizarre dream.

Meanwhile, Mao Yu and the two girls had already materialized in a safe zone outside the base. Looking back at the brightly lit compound, Mao Yu murmured, "We made it out this time, but those guys are definitely going to tighten security. We'll need to plan our next move carefully." Pulling the documents from his jacket, he examined them closely by the moonlight. The dense records detailing the dark forces' sinister plots were shocking to the core. He had to stop them!

Gripping the documents tightly, he resolved to smash every single one of their schemes to pieces.

A sudden thought struck Mao Yu: perhaps he should first go talk to those two individuals. Maybe they could lend a hand, seeing as they were all fighting on the same side! With a plan forming in his mind and a slight upward curve of his lips, he tucked the papers into his coat, turned around with the two girls, and resolutely vanished into the night.