To save his life, Scarred-face told her everything he knew, holding nothing back.
From the power distribution in the Outer City to the power structure of the Inner City; from the open and secret struggles between major corporations to the grey-area deals between the City Defense Force and mercenaries; from the dangerous zone classifications in the Ruin Zone to the various taboos of the Non-Safe Zones...
As Su Wan listened, she updated her understanding of this world in her mind.
As it turned out, the city she was in was officially called “Panshi City,” and it was rated C-class.
The ratings for wasteland survivor cities ranged from S to D, with S being the highest and D the lowest.
The entire city was divided into three layers: the Inner City, the Outer City, and the Ruin Zone.
The Inner City was the true core of rule, controlled by major corporations, high-ranking City Defense Force officials, and a few top-tier powerhouses.
The Outer City was the residential area for ordinary citizens and low-level Ability Users; it was chaotic but possessed its own order.
The Ruin Zone... was a gathering place for vagrants and trash, where life and death were left to fate.
It turned out that the Shadow-Stalker Beast had caused such a stir because it had escaped from the “Deep Blue Research Institute” in the Inner City.
That research institute specialized in studying the relationship between Aberrants and Ability Users; it was said to be conducting some kind of forbidden experiments.
The Shadow-Stalker Beast’s Level 3 rating wasn't considered top-tier, but its stealth ability was extremely rare. The research institute wanted to capture it alive for a certain “fusion experiment.”
It turned out that Liu Sen was just a small fry. The truly terrifying ones were the City Defense Force behind him and the deeply entrenched powers behind the City Defense Force...
Piece after piece of intelligence flowed into Su Wan’s mind, gradually sketching out the true outline of this world.
Meanwhile, one kilometer outside the building.
Liu Sen stood atop the ruins, his face as pale as paper.
Five minutes... ten minutes... fifteen minutes.
After those six people rushed inside, they never came back out.
There were no gunshots, no sounds of fighting—nothing at all.
That grey building was like a silent, giant mouth that had swallowed everyone he sent in without leaving a single one behind.
“Damn it... damn it...” Liu Sen muttered to himself, cold sweat pouring down his forehead like rain.
There was no one left by his side.
The City Defense Force elites were all dead, the armored vehicle was destroyed, and the “Night Owl” squad had... had...
Liu Sen didn't dare think further. If even the Night Owl squad couldn't handle it, a Level 2 Ability User like him had no chance at all.
That building was too sinister. No matter what was inside, he didn't want to take another step closer.
He turned around and quickly ran toward the command vehicle he had arrived in.
The command vehicle was intact; it would run as soon as he started it.
As long as he made it back to the Outer City, back to the City Defense Force headquarters, and found Colonel Yan...
He could push all the responsibility onto the “Night Owl” squad, blame it on intelligence errors, he could...
Just as his hand touched the car door—
“Bang—!”
A dull gunshot rang out!
Liu Sen’s perception exploded the moment the shot was fired!
His instincts as a Level 2 Ability User allowed him to react almost at the same instant—
A pale green energy film suddenly surfaced on his body. This was his ability, 【Energy Shield】.
It could form a protective layer the moment he was attacked, weakening physical damage!
The bullet tore through the air, hitting his right leg with lethal kinetic energy!
“Psh!”
The shield was torn apart!
However, its presence had ultimately weakened a portion of the bullet’s power.
The armor-piercing round, which should have directly turned everything below his knee into shredded meat, only blew apart his calf muscle and shattered his fibula without completely severing his leg!
“AHHH—!!!”
Liu Sen let out a blood-curdling scream, losing his balance and falling forward!
But he did not give up his resistance!
The moment he hit the ground, he spun around and pushed both hands out. Two pale green energy beams erupted from his palms, transforming into two translucent energy blades that whistled as they slashed toward the direction the bullet had come from!
However—
“Too slow.”
A low voice sounded from behind his side.
Liu Sen’s pupils shrank violently!
The direction of his full-force counterattack was toward the front, where the bullet had come from!
But when did that person circle around to his side?!
Before he could react, a large hand clamped down firmly on the back of his neck, pinning him ruthlessly to the ground like an iron vise!
“Bang!”
His face was slammed into the charred ruins, filling his mouth with dust and gravel!
“A Level 2 Ability User?” Lei Lie’s voice sounded above him, carrying a hint of disdain.
“The shield isn't bad, and your reaction isn't slow. Unfortunately—”
He increased the pressure in his hand, and Liu Sen felt as if his cervical spine was about to be crushed.
“—you met me.”
Lei Lie’s voice was as calm as a still pond. “Our Landlord wants to see you. Behave, and don't go looking for death.”
Liu Sen’s pupils contracted sharply. “Landlord? You... you’re one of the people from that building?!”
Lei Lie didn't answer. He simply bent down, grabbed Liu Sen by the collar, and dragged him up like a dead dog.
Liu Sen screamed repeatedly, “Let go of me! Do you know who I am?! I am a City Defense Force Lieutenant! If you dare touch me, Colonel Yan won't let you off!”
“Colonel Yan?” Lei Lie had heard of this man. As the General Commander of the Inner City Defense Force, he was a prominent figure in the Inner City.
Such a figure was once an existence he couldn't even hope to look up to, but now, he felt that this Colonel Yan wasn't even qualified to carry the Landlord’s shoes.
“Let him come!”
He dragged Liu Sen along, striding toward the Terminal Station building.
Desperate tears welled up in Liu Sen’s eyes.
As a Level 2 Ability User, he actually had no power to resist before this Level 3 hunter.
Outside the building, the vagrants hiding in various places witnessed it all.
They saw that those six people had rushed in and never came back; they saw the last remaining officer try to flee, only to have his leg shot out, and then get dragged into the building like a dead dog by the man carrying the large gun.
“What... what about the others?” someone asked tremblingly.
No one answered.
Only the wind blew across the ruins, kicking up charred dust and making a sound like a low wail.
Inside the building, Su Wan was reviewing the intelligence provided by Scarred-face and his men.
C4 walked up to her, and its electronic voice sounded:
“Master, Lei Lie has captured the remaining target outside—City Defense Force Lieutenant Liu Sen. He is currently in transit.”
Su Wan looked up, a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth.
Liu Sen.
Through the intelligence from Scarred-face and the others, Su Wan already knew that the drone reconnaissance and the shelling of Area A were all tied to this Liu Sen.
Now, this man had also fallen into her hands.
“Very good,” she said calmly. “Bring him here. I have some questions for him.”
Su Wan stood before Liu Sen, looking down at the City Defense Force Lieutenant who lay slumped on the ground.
Lieutenant Liu’s right leg was a bloody mess. His face was drenched in sweat from the pain, yet he didn't dare make a sound.
“Lieutenant Liu, I’ve heard much about you.” Su Wan’s voice was as calm as a still pond.
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