Anyone or any power capable of wielding such unconventional strength and establishing such order could never be an ordinary character.
Lei Lie had traveled far and wide for many years. He had seen how the resource-monopolizing corporations of the Outer City ruled with an iron fist, and he had heard rumors of certain “Research Institutes” deep within the Inner City.
It was said they possessed forbidden technologies capable of transforming ordinary humans into Aberrants.
Not to mention those behemoths truly entrenched in the core regions, whose names could not be easily spoken.
“Holy Shield,” famous for its absolute defense technology, with rumors that its core base could stand tall even in a nuclear blast;
The “Deep Space Society,” obsessed with Old Era ruins and lost technology, often unearthing terrifying things from the depths of the wreckage;
And the “Remnant Mansion,” a mysterious organization said to have been passed down for centuries, to whom even the Inner City elites had to show respect...
The building before him and the methods displayed here were very much in the style of these top-tier powers.
And what was he? A Level 3 hunter.
In the Outer City, he was considered a figure of some importance, but before an existence of this caliber, he was nothing more than a slightly larger ant.
If the other party wanted to crush him, they wouldn’t even need to lift a finger personally.
Lei Lie’s throat tightened, but he did not retreat.
Firstly, he didn’t have the leverage to refuse.
An invitation from a level like this was an offer where refusal itself was an insult.
Who knew how much patience that Landlord had?
He didn’t want to become just another nameless corpse in the ruins because of a momentary show of bravado.
Secondly, this was his chance, because he wanted to get inside.
The Shadow-Stalker Beast’s mark overlapped deep within this building, flickering across his perception through the walls and foundation.
If he could use this meeting to see the interior of the building with his own eyes and find out exactly which corner the Shadow-Stalker Beast was hiding in...
Then what was the harm in meeting this mysterious Landlord?
“Lead the way.”
Lei Lie released his hand from the weapon at his waist, his voice steady.
He set off, following Black Rat’s short, stocky figure.
The moment Black Rat led Lei Lie into the Terminal Station building, Lei Lie’s footsteps faltered almost imperceptibly.
For a fleeting moment, he felt a mysterious force sweep over him.
The sensation was like being scrutinized from head to toe by an invisible eye. Had he not been a Level 3 Mental-type Ability User, he wouldn't have noticed it at all.
Lei Lie’s heart skipped a beat. This was a deeper probe, far more detailed and terrifying than the red light scan at the entrance.
At the same time, he felt an invisible barrier pass through his body.
It was something he couldn’t perceive from the outside at all.
A high-level cloaking shield enveloping the entire building.
Lei Lie’s heart sank heavily.
He immediately tried to extend his perception outward, but it was like a stone sinking into the ocean, yielding no feedback whatsoever.
The exterior walls, the roof, and the foundation of this building were all tightly wrapped by this shield, cutting off all external detection, perception, and prying eyes.
“This is...” Stormy waves surged in Lei Lie’s mind.
Was it some kind of high-rank ability?
Or was it lost technology he had never seen before?
He leaned toward the former.
Because the feeling this shield gave him wasn’t just cloaking; it was a deeper Rule Power.
It was as if this wasn't merely blocking signals, but rather, on the level of rules, erasing a portion of this building from the world’s “perceivable” range.
Rule Power.
These two words weighed on Lei Lie’s heart like a massive boulder.
Having struggled in the wasteland for so many years, he had heard many legends.
Those truly capable of touching upon the concept of “rules” were all existences standing at the very top of the pyramid—
Ability Users above Level 6!
For ordinary people, Level 1 and Level 2 were the limits they could reach. Level 3 and Level 4 were talents fought over by all factions. Level 5 experts were powerhouses capable of ruling an entire region.
And beyond Level 5...
Those were god-like existences.
They were beings capable of changing battlefields, twisting rules, and leaving ordinary people with nothing but awe-struck gazes by their strength alone.
Lei Lie had never seen such an existence.
He wasn't even sure if Ability Users at Level 6 or above truly existed in this world.
After all, in the chaos of the wasteland, the fall of the strong was common. Of those who survived, which one wasn't a recluse living in isolation?
But now, this bizarre building and this cloaking shield carrying Rule Power forced him to face a possibility—
The owner of this building might truly be an existence of that level.
Lei Lie’s throat felt tight, and his fingers on his gun instinctively tightened and then relaxed.
Black Rat walked ahead, seemingly sensing nothing.
It made sense. With his meager strength, he probably couldn't even perceive the existence of this shield.
Lei Lie took a deep breath and continued walking, while quietly circulating his ability to try and catch the Shadow-Stalker Beast’s mark.
Then, he froze.
In the ruins outside, he could clearly sense the Shadow-Stalker Beast’s “echo” overlapping with this building.
But once he actually stepped inside, that mark became blurred instead.
The mark hadn’t disappeared; it was being interfered with by something.
It was as if the Shadow-Stalker Beast’s position was being deliberately obscured, leaving only a vague direction.
Lei Lie’s mind raced, and he quickly understood.
The Shadow-Stalker Beast wasn't inside this building.
The overlap of the mark was because the beast’s position was too close—so close it was right beneath the building.
Below the foundation.
That brute was hiding right under the foundation of the Terminal Station building.
Lei Lie suppressed the shock in his heart, his gaze sweeping inconspicuously over the corridors, stairs, and the hurrying tenants...
Meanwhile, he speculated wildly in his mind: Did the owner of this building know about the Shadow-Stalker Beast?
Was it being allowed to hide down there intentionally, or was the owner completely unaware?
If they were unaware, then Lei Lie might still have a chance;
If they knew...
Then this meeting might be far more complicated than he had imagined.
Black Rat led him across the edge of the first-floor lobby, bypassing the vagrants queuing for registration and the busy robots, taking the internal stairs to the third floor.
The layout of the third floor was similar to below, but there were far fewer people in the corridor, and the air was much fresher.
Black Rat stopped in front of a door with a simple, hand-written sign hanging on it: “Meeting Room.”
He knocked, and a cool female voice came from inside: “Enter.”
Black Rat pushed the door open and stepped aside, making a “please” gesture to Lei Lie.
Lei Lie took a deep breath and stepped inside.
Inside the meeting room, a simple wooden table and a few chairs were placed against the wall.
The windows were covered by thick curtains, letting in only a faint, grayish-white light.
And sitting behind the table was a young woman.
She looked to be in her early twenties, wearing clean, dark sportswear. Her hair was tied up casually, and her face was clear and elegant—one might even say she looked a bit frail.
But those eyes—
When those eyes landed on Lei Lie, the hair all over his body stood on end instantly.
Rate on N.U.
