Reinforcements

Several corpses in Investigation Bureau uniforms lay scattered across the ground, their blood soaking into the soil.

Yue Shi remained expressionless as he pulled the final Life-Stake Nail from the earth.

With the removal of this nail, the lockdown on the area surrounding the hotel was completely broken.

Just then, a black shadow descended from the sky, slamming heavily in front of Yue Shi and kicking up a cloud of dust.

As the dust settled, Yue Shi saw the newcomer clearly.

It was a helicopter, brightly colored and looking like a toy made of cheap plastic.

A boy who looked like a primary schooler jumped out of the cockpit.

The child had his hair slicked back and greased to a shine, wearing a set of cool children's clothes. His expression was completely at odds with his age—both bratty and arrogant.

He stood with his hands in his pockets, tilting his head back slightly to look at Yue Shi as if he were an object, the malice on his face unconcealed.

“So you’re that S-rank fugitive?”

Yue Shi put away all the Life-Stake Nails before looking down at the uninvited guest. “That’s me. And who might you be, kid?”

The boy gave a cold snort. “Listen up. Yours truly is also from headquarters, here to provide backup from the outside. Where are The Executioner and those other useless wastes?”

“I clearly saw them all here through my recon plane earlier. How did they all vanish in an instant?”

“They’re all dead, of course,” Yue Shi replied calmly.

The boy sneered. “Quit your bragging! That Executioner guy is annoying, but he’s not that incompetent.”

“Fine, yours truly doesn't have time for your nonsense. Get on your knees and kowtow, and I might give you a quick death.”

“Otherwise, I’ll let you have a good taste of my strength and methods!”

Yue Shi’s face filled with mockery. “A little brat with a big mouth. You’re not very old, but you sure talk big.”

The boy instantly blew a fuse, stomping his feet in a rage. “You stupid piece of shit! I hate it most when people call me a brat! Fuck you, you’re dead meat today!”

As he spoke, the boy raised a hand.

Buzz!

A toy robot appeared out of thin air.

The robot was two meters tall, made of metal and plastic, and covered in garish colors.

A red light flashed in its eye sockets, and a high-energy laser beam shot out.

Yue Shi’s figure flickered, vanishing from the spot.

Almost the moment he disappeared, the laser hit where he had been standing, leaving a charred gouge in the ground.

“Quick to dodge, aren't you? Again!” Seeing this, the boy’s ferocity intensified, and he raised his hand once more.

Two more toy robots of different designs appeared.

The three robots formed a triangle, locking onto Yue Shi.

But before the robots could launch an attack, an irregular spatial rift emerged.

The three toy robots were forcibly sucked into the rift and ground into fragments.

The boy didn't care about the loss at all. He simply furrowed his brows and waved his hand again in a temper.

Boom.

A massive entity landed on the ground.

It was a giant monster, over five meters tall, resembling a Tyrannosaurus Rex but with rounded lines and bright colors—clearly a toy.

The monster roared at the sky, opened its massive maw to spit fire, and charged at Yue Shi.

Yue Shi didn't even move as the space in front of the monster rippled slightly.

As the monster ran, it stepped into that patch of distorted space and vanished without a trace.

“You idiot! Where did you put my big monster?” the boy shouted, stomping his feet in anger.

Yue Shi’s tone turned sinister. “Watch your mouth, you little money-drain. If you dare curse again, I’ll pull your tongue out.”

“Fuck you! Who are you calling a money-drain? You dare insult me? I’m going to smash your balls today!” The boy was enraged, shouting whatever came to mind.

Yue Shi rolled his eyes. “You’d better actually have the skill for that. Otherwise, I’ll mince your parents into meat sauce and make you eat them bite by bite, then dig up eighteen generations of your ancestors and throw them into a cesspool.”

The child’s expression changed. “Fuck! You dare insult my parents? Who gave you the guts to talk to me like that!”

“You’re finished! I absolutely won't let you off today. I’m going to tear you into a thousand pieces!”

Yue Shi gave a disdainful sneer. “What are you supposed to be? I’m doing you a favor by acknowledging you, and you really think you’re something special?”

“I’ve met plenty of self-important little shits like you who wanted to kill me. They’re all dead now, and the grass on their graves is taller than you are.”

“Ahhh!” The boy screamed in fury, his face turning beet red.

He threw his arms wide and roared, “Come forth, my army!”

In an instant, many toy spaceships and toy fighter jets appeared in the sky, densely packed and in various designs.

On the ground, countless toy monsters, toy robots, toy soldiers riding toy horses, and more appeared...

This was the brat’s ability, 【Toy Factory】.

...

Meanwhile, deep within the labyrinth.

The battle between The Executioner and the Curse Master had reached its peak.

“【Amputation: Isolation】!”

The Executioner launched another attack.

At this point, he didn't care about anything else; he had to kill this difficult mummy in front of him as quickly as possible.

Otherwise, he would have no time to rescue the others or find a way to leave this distorted space.

Squelch!

An invisible slash struck with a speed far greater than before.

The Curse Master was busy defending against attacks from other directions and, in a moment of inattention, had his right calf severed clean off.

The Curse Master’s whole body trembled.

Then, a strange sight occurred.

The severed leg didn't fall. Instead, it turned into a mass of roiling black mist in mid-air, which quickly flew back to the Curse Master’s stump and fused back together.

In the blink of an eye, his severed calf was restored to its original state, as if he had never been injured.

However, the Curse Master’s expression was quite grim. Although he was immune to many conventional physical attacks and curses, The Executioner’s previous move had truly wounded him.

【Heavenly Punishment】 and certain tortures with special effects could deal true damage to the Curse Master.

Seeing that the strike had landed, The Executioner became even more relentless, wanting to kill the Curse Master quickly.

Various powerful abilities poured out like a torrential storm!

The Curse Master was beaten into a state of disarray by The Executioner’s sudden burst of power, falling into a disadvantage and looking quite wretched.

Soon, the Curse Master also became enraged. He stopped his retreat, forcibly enduring a lightning strike as his eyes locked onto The Executioner.

“Having fun? Now it’s my turn to fight back!”

Before The Executioner could react, he saw the black bandages on the Curse Master’s body unravel on their own.

Countless plumes of black mist rose and surged forth, an eerie wind kicking up across the ground.

In the next moment, the massive black mist rapidly converged, transforming into a gargantuan snake.

The black mist giant snake raised its head and hissed—a shriek that pierced the soul—emitting a terrifying aura of total destruction.

“Die!” the Curse Master’s voice echoed throughout the area.

The black mist giant snake opened its massive maw and charged fiercely at The Executioner.

The Executioner’s brow furrowed. He dodged rapidly while trying to counterattack, sensing that this black mist giant snake was extremely dangerous.

However, ordinary attacks were completely ineffective against the snake, forcing him to continuously release lightning strikes.

The giant snake spat out venom that looked like liquid shadow. Even a single drop would stick to him like a maggot in his bones, impossible to shake off.

“You really thought I was a pushover just because I didn't show my real skill?”

Seeing The Executioner dodging wretchedly, the Curse Master spoke out in satisfaction.

Then, the surrounding black mist surged again, and two more identical black mist giant snakes coalesced.

The three giant snakes formed a triangular formation, attacking The Executioner together.

And that wasn't all. The Curse Master seemed to have completely removed his limits, frantically mobilizing his power.

In just one minute, a total of eight black mist giant snakes had completely surrounded The Executioner.

They all pursued The Executioner relentlessly, intent on his death.

The Executioner stared at the eight curse creations that blotted out the sky, momentarily stunned and beginning to doubt his own life.

As a captain of headquarters, he believed his strength was already at the top tier of the transcendent world.

But why were these independent transcendents he’d encountered recently more powerful than the last?

What was wrong with this world?

The eight giant snakes blocked all of The Executioner’s evasion routes. They raised their heads simultaneously and spat venom in unison.

The Executioner didn't have time to think. He clapped his hands together.

“【Brazen Bull Punishment】!”

A hollow copper bull torture device with an ancient design appeared out of thin air, and he immediately ducked inside.

Once someone entered, the temperature inside the device began to rise.

The Executioner was in agony; as the temperature increased, the pain would only get worse. But it did, in fact, temporarily block the giant snakes outside.

The Curse Master’s sinister laughter echoed around him. “Let’s see how long you can hold out!”

The Executioner struggled to endure inside the copper bull, his mind racing to find a way to break the deadlock and escape.

...

Another area of the labyrinth.

Li Hua was walking with the last two investigators.

Others had gotten lost as they walked, and some had been ensnared by elusive supernatural creatures.

At first, they still had the mind to take their anger out on Li Hua, but as their numbers dwindled, fear overcame rage. They were forced to stop their pointless behavior and band together for survival.

After all, Li Hua was still a transcendent. At the very least, they could push him forward as a shield in times of danger.

Li Hua’s face was bruised and swollen. He seemed to have been beaten into submission, walking with his head down and a cowering expression.

Suddenly, he spoke up. “Do you hear something?”

The other two stopped and listened intently.

There was indeed a rumbling sound, as if something massive were stomping on the ground. The source seemed very close, yet also very far.

“It couldn't be a supernatural creature chasing us, could it?” the harsh investigator said, looking nervous.

The other investigator was about to say something, but before he could make a sound, Li Hua, standing behind him, struck out violently!

Countless sheets of letter paper fluttered out from Li Hua’s body, tightly wrapping around the two of them.

“Mmph! Li Hua, you bastard, what are you doing?” the harsh investigator roared, only to look up and meet Li Hua’s ruthless eyes.

The harsh investigator was startled, then heard Li Hua say coldly, “It’s such a shame that the two of you died in the line of duty today.”

“You...” The harsh investigator was filled with shock, unable to understand why Li Hua would suddenly turn on them like this.

Unfortunately, he never got the chance to ask his question.

Li Hua manipulated the letter paper to cover their mouths and noses, coldly watching as they struggled and convulsed until they were suffocated to death.

Once the two were completely dead and motionless, an evil smile appeared on Li Hua’s face.

“Since I’m already in a desperate situation and could die at any moment...”

“I’m certainly not going to let myself suffer before I go.”

...

Fluorite Valley Investigation Bureau.

Director Wang was extremely anxious, pacing back and forth in his office.

Headquarters was conducting a operation to surround an S-rank fugitive in this city, so the local bureau was naturally keeping a close watch on the action.

They had all assumed that with a captain from headquarters taking action, the target would be easily captured and the matter quickly resolved. They would only need to clean up the mess afterward.

But to their utter shock, remote observation suggested that the people from headquarters were actually at a disadvantage!

And they hadn't gained the upper hand from beginning to end!

At this moment, The Executioner and those dozens of headquarters elites were missing.

Furthermore, that brat responsible for backup was currently being pummeled by Yue Shi.

“I hope headquarters’ reinforcements arrive in time,” Director Wang muttered to himself.

Not long ago, he had urgently contacted headquarters and reported the situation.

Headquarters also seemed quite surprised, not having expected such a result.

Fortunately, there was another captain at headquarters who wasn't out on a mission and could be dispatched to Fluorite Valley at any time.

With two captains joining forces, surely they could take down a single fugitive!

Director Wang felt a sense of panic in his heart.

What if they really couldn't win?

After thinking it over again and again, he made up his mind and secretly summoned a few of his confidants.

A short while later, a small car drove quietly toward the city outskirts.

...

In the distance, on the rooftop of a high-rise building.

A group of people were watching the battle.

A young girl held a pair of binoculars, her lips curling upward as she whispered, “He’s so good-looking, and a handsome guy with long hair to boot...”

The young man standing beside her curled his lip, his tone sour. “What’s the point of being good-looking? With such an arrogant and high-profile way of doing things, he was bound to be targeted by headquarters. Ultimately, a man is judged by his strength; a handsome face isn't as good as a hard fist.”

The girl retorted sarcastically, “Wow, where is that heavy smell of vinegar coming from? Is someone just crying sour grapes because they can't have what they want?”

The young man coughed lightly. “Shallow. You just love looking at pretty boys, falling for every one you see!”

The girl nodded, admitting it directly. “What’s wrong with that? I just like beautiful things.”

“Besides, he’s not just a pretty boy. He’s taller than you, stronger than you, and his strength isn't bad either—one captain from headquarters has already fallen. I can only say he truly deserves to be an S-rank fugitive; he certainly has the capital to be arrogant.”

“Heh, so what? Headquarters has the numbers; they’ll wear him down eventually.”

“Did you even look closely earlier? Headquarters sent so many people, yet they’re still completely at a disadvantage.”

“Interesting, he’s a decent young man. It’s been many years since I’ve seen headquarters suffer such a setback.” Another person interjected, breaking up the argument between the two.

The group spoke in low voices, their faces filled with the expression of people watching a good show.

The S-rank fugitive who destroyed Chijing City was already at the height of his notoriety.

Many people had heard the news that headquarters intended to surround and capture this fugitive and were secretly following the matter.

They wanted to see if this new S-rank fugitive was truly a ruthless character who lived up to his name, or just a figurehead being used as a scapegoat.

From the looks of it now, his reputation was well-deserved.

The girl with the binoculars pouted. “Boss, if that guy really manages to defeat a captain from headquarters, can we recruit him to join us?”

The one addressed as Boss was an arrogant middle-aged man. He tilted his chin up slightly and uttered only two words:

“Barely qualified.”