Chapter 48: Exploring the Demonic Lair to Seek a Means of Victory

Mao Yu stood atop the metropolis, his gaze like a torch as he swept it across the brilliantly lit steel jungle in the distance.

The joy of victory was like a fleeting cloud, leaving barely a ripple in his heart.

Although Shadow had been defeated, his sinister smile remained deeply branded into Mao Yu's mind, impossible to shake off.

He had a persistent feeling that the dark forces' conspiracy would never be shattered so easily.

"No, I have to go back and check!" Mao Yu muttered to himself, his eyes flashing with unquestionable determination.

He felt as though an invisible hand was strumming the chords of fate, foreshadowing that an even greater crisis was brewing.

For Feng Yao, and for the entire supernatural city, he had to step once more into that realm of darkness. Even if a mountain of blades and a sea of fire lay ahead, he would grit his teeth and forge through.

The night was as thick as ink, and Mao Yu's figure moved like a ghost, silently infiltrating the dark forces' base once more.

His movements were agile, akin to a hunting leopard in the dead of night, weaving through the broken walls and ruins.

However, this time, his operation did not seem as smooth as he had imagined.

"What the hell, I'm already discovered?" Mao Yu cursed inwardly, distinctly feeling the surrounding air instantly grow heavy.

"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!" The patrollers' furious roars pierced the night sky, and instantly, countless dark figures surged from all directions, surrounding Mao Yu tightly.

These guys looked as if they had been pumped full of adrenaline, their eyes bloodshot, the weapons in their hands emanating a chilling, cold gleam.

"Damn it, do you have to be so dramatic, is this a team-building exercise?" Mao Yu complained internally, though his hands moved without the slightest hesitation.

The patrollers' attacks came down like a storm, various supernatural energies intertwining and casting a colorful glow over the surrounding buildings.

The booming sounds of impact and the piercing, deafening roars felt as though they would tear a person's eardrums apart.

Mao Yu dodged left and right, his form weaving like a phantom through the dense barrage of attacks.

He felt as though he were playing a real-life version of dodgeball; a moment of carelessness could blast him into dust.

"System, hurry up and give me a buff!" Mao Yu shouted in his mind, simultaneously activating the system's auxiliary functions.

He felt his body instantly grow much lighter, his movement speed and reaction time vastly enhanced.

"This feeling—it's like playing with cheats, it feels so damn good!" The corners of Mao Yu's mouth curled up slightly as a wave of secret satisfaction washed over him.

He began his counterattack, the energy spheres in his hands firing out like raindrops, precisely striking every patroller.

Clearly, the patrollers had not expected Mao Yu's counterattack to be so swift and fierce. For a moment, they were thrown into chaos, their formation beginning to scatter.

Mao Yu did not let up in the slightest, preparing to press the advantage and expand his victory.

Suddenly, he stopped in his tracks, his brows furrowed tightly as if he had sensed something amiss.

Instead of choosing to break directly through the encirclement, he...

"This place seems kind of interesting..." Mao Yu murmured softly.

Rather than breaking out immediately, Mao Yu bolted deeper into the base's more hazardous zone.

This maneuver left the patrollers utterly dumbfounded, wondering if this kid had lost his mind.

That was not how one went about delivering free kills!

Yet, military orders were absolute, so they could only give chase closely, terrified that the kid might pull off some bizarre stunt.

A mischievous smirk tugged at the corner of Mao Yu's mouth as he vanished abruptly around a corner, dissolving into thin air.

The patrollers rushed forward, unable to brake in time, nearly crashing into one another in a tangled heap.

"Where is he? Did he vanish into thin air?" The leading patroller looked completely bewildered, feeling as though his intelligence had been insulted.

In truth, Mao Yu had not truly vanished; he had merely utilized the system's concealment function to hide, operating much like an invisibility cheat and blending seamlessly into the environment.

Watching the patrollers darting about like headless flies, Mao Yu felt a surge of secret triumph. "Heh heh, playing hide-and-seek with me? You guys are still too naive!"

Taking advantage of the patrollers running around in confusion, Mao Yu slipped quietly into the depths of the base, where he discovered a heavily guarded information repository.

Intuition told him that a massive secret must be hidden inside!

Just as he was about to sneak in and take a look, a figure abruptly blocked his path.

This fellow stood two meters tall, muscles coiled over his body, radiating powerful fluctuations of dark supernatural energy—he was clearly no pushover.

"Kid, you've got some nerve, daring to barge in here!" the brute said in a booming, muffled voice.

"Heh heh, sorry about that, took the wrong turn." Mao Yu chuckled awkwardly, preparing to grease his heels and slip away.

"Want to leave? Not that easy!" The giant roared angrily, swinging a massive fist straight toward Mao Yu.

Not daring to take the blow head-on, Mao Yu hastily dodged.

The giant's attacks carried immense, heavy momentum, every punch accompanied by a whistling gale that seemed ready to tear the surrounding air apart.

"System, what's the deal with this guy?" Mao Yu asked mentally while dodging.

"Ding! Target detected as an advanced superpower user, strength-type. Weakness: slow speed." The system's voice rang out promptly.

A wave of relief washed over Mao Yu; with the system's hint, he regained his confidence.

He began leveraging his speed advantage to toy endlessly with the giant, moving like an agile monkey so that the giant could not even touch the hem of his garment.

"Can you only dodge? Like a rat!" the giant roared in exasperation.

"Heh heh, thanks for the compliment!" Mao Yu bantered while continuing to evade.

Spotting an opportunity, Mao Yu locked onto the giant's opening and blasted him with an energy cannon.

The giant failed to dodge in time, taking the energy blast squarely in the chest. He let out a miserable cry and crashed heavily to the ground.

"Is that it?" Mao Yu dusted off his hands with a look of utter disdain.

His victorious panting echoed in the surroundings, and the scent of battle lingered thick in the air.

However, this joy of victory did not last long, for he sensed...

"Footsteps? So many people!"

"Good grief, what is this? Are they handing them out in bulk?" Mao Yu stared at the figures in black surging from all directions, his scalp tingling as if he had been tossed straight into an ant nest.

These guys looked fierce and malevolent, their gazes ready to devour him, while the supernatural glows in their hands flickered ceaselessly, filling the air with a thick smell of gunpowder.

"Kid, surrender now! Hand over what you stole, and maybe we'll spare your dog life!" a sharp-featured fellow sneered cynically, his face plastered with arrogance.

"Ha, if you want it, you'll have to see if you have the ability to take it!" Mao Yu sneered. He wasn't a fool; having gone to such lengths to secure the data, how could he possibly hand it over on a silver platter?

"A toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit!" The men in black roared angrily, launching the attack first.

Various supernatural energies intertwined like brilliant fireworks, yet bristled with lethal danger.

Mao Yu darted and dodged rapidly, but with too many enemies closing in, he was like a lone leaf in a storm, moments away from being swallowed up.

The booming impacts and piercing energy explosions caused the entire base to tremble.

Mao Yu felt as though his body was about to be torn apart, yet he clenched his teeth tightly, fighting desperately to resist.

The surrounding air seemed to have solidified, pressing down on him until he could barely breathe.

Meanwhile, at the other end of the city, Mao Ling and Feng Yao were waiting anxiously for news.

Upon learning that Mao Yu had once again sneaked into the dark base, their hearts had leapt straight to their throats.

Feng Yao's hands were also clenched tightly into fists.

"No, we can't just sit here waiting. I'm going to help him!" Feng Yao finally lost her patience, rising to rush out.

"I'm going too!" Mao Ling immediately stood up as well.

Just as Mao Yu was reaching his limit and about to collapse under the pressure, a shrill alarm suddenly wailed throughout the base, its piercing shriek nearly puncturing everyone's eardrums.

Those black-clad figures, previously brimming with murderous intent, froze instantly as if someone had hit a pause button, terror flashing across their faces.

"Retreat! Fall back immediately!" the lead black-clad operative shouted in a panic, and swiftly led his subordinates away like a receding tide.

Mao Yu stood dazed and bewildered, having no clue what had just transpired.

Standing panting in place, he watched the panicked, fleeing figures, his heart filled with confusion.

"What... what is going on here?" he muttered to himself.

Then, he suddenly sensed something was wrong, his expression shifting slightly.

"Beep, beep, beep..." Before Mao Yu could react, the communicator on his wrist began to emit a rapid, urgent chiming sound.