Chapter 506: Clare People, Bowing in Submission?

Chapter 506: Chapter 27: Clare People, Bowing in Submission?

The other Superpower Team leaders wore similar expressions, their heads slightly bowed.

From the appearance of the silver-white sphere to now, only a short few dozen seconds had passed; their reaction couldn’t be called slow.

Even so, their proud firepower defense line had failed to capture the source of the threat.

Early warnings and post-event tracking had both become a joke. Even as Superpower Level experts, the group felt heavy-hearted, harboring an indescribable sense of confusion and oppression.

“After all, it is the Klar Civilization…”

Unexpectedly, Lu Chao didn’t blame anyone.

The emotions in his eyes gradually settled. His tone was calm as he took in everyone’s heavy expressions. “They come from the Starry Sky. Their methods are far more advanced than ours.

“It’s only normal that we couldn’t lock onto them.”

The comforting words helped Yue Zhenhong and the others slightly recover their wits as they recalled the AI command they had heard earlier.

Condescending words like ‘trial-takers’ and ‘planetary natives’ flashed through their minds, drawing bitter smiles from everyone.

No one doubted the strength of the master behind that sphere.

After all, that was someone from the Starry Sky civilization that had once aided Earth Star.

But… bow down and submit within three days?

“Everyone,” Lu Chao suddenly spoke, interrupting their thoughts.

“Don’t forget.” He surveyed everyone present, taking in the Superpower Team leaders and the assistant clerks alike. “This is the Alliance Country.”

As his words fell, everyone’s hearts trembled.

Their heavy and confused feelings partially dissipated at this moment. It was as if they had found something to rely on—their enduring faith, and the true backbone behind them.

“Inspector Chen…” Lu Chao’s tone was decisive.

“Have everyone prepare the defense line.” He looked at Yue Zhenhong and said, “Zhenhong, you take the lead. Step up security, and have all Superpower Level commanders stand by.

“Three days from now… everything will pass.”

“Yes, sir.”

Hearing the confidence in his voice, Yue Zhenhong and the others nodded heavily. After briefly discussing countermeasures, they hurried off.

The command center quieted down once again, with the assistant clerks resuming their busy bustling. Witnessing this scene, Lu Chao turned back to look out the window.

Panicked chatter about submitting in three days echoed occasionally, and many people still stood frozen in bewilderment.

A trial-taker from the Klar Civilization?

“YOOO~~”

Ghost Element jumped onto the windowsill, its ruby-like beastly eyes gazing down at the Mountain City.

Lu Chao’s eyes became completely tranquil. All distracting thoughts converged into one at this moment.

He wanted to see for himself just how strong a Clare genius could be!

For three consecutive days, all was calm and peaceful.

The metallic sphere did not appear again, and no major disturbances occurred within Fortress Mountain City. However, everyone knew that this was merely the calm before the storm.

Pedestrians on the streets of the Mountain City had noticeably decreased. Many people hid inside their homes, peering out through their windows.

Alliance Country soldiers patrolled the city walls, their machine guns and heavy grenade launchers fully loaded. The Red Flame Army soldiers, who had been integrated into the Alliance Country’s military, also helped shoulder some of the patrol duties without flinching.

CLANK CLANK CLANK.

Amidst the sound of moving treads, armored vehicles and tanks finished assembling, parking inside the fortress, ready to respond to any crisis at a moment’s notice.

“This is Northwest Fortress Mountain City. Yes, yes!

“Understood!”

Inside the command center, Assistant Ji Lanhua, responsible for reporting the situation to the Yao Capital, answered the comms. Her face was stern as she nodded repeatedly in acknowledgment.

Yue Zhenhong and the others in the room lowered their voices as much as possible, waiting for her to finish the call and relay the situation.

Three days of busyness and vigilance had been spent amassing military strength to prevent the situation from deteriorating. They had repeatedly reported the news, communicating with the Yao Capital while waiting for reinforcements.

A solemn atmosphere blanketed the entire Mountain City command center. Everyone was suppressing their confusion and fear as best as they could.

At the same time, inside a room in the command building.

It was a specially constructed Cultivation Chamber.

Lu Chao could be seen standing in the center of the floor, wearing a black Martial Arts suit, his waist lowered into a solid stance.

A brown Qi Flame wreathed his body, alternately solidifying like armor and becoming illusory like smoke. His breathing was long and steady; every exhalation produced a wisp of white air.

The skill of Qi detonation.

He wanted to break through this crucial bottleneck.

Releasing the Qi Flame externally relied on the special vibration of the body’s skin and muscles, sending it out to form long-range shockwaves. The so-called Qi detonation was, in essence, the compression and convergence of the Qi Flame.

In a fleeting instant, the flame would be drawn inward into the body; then, utilizing the difference in air pressure expelled through the pores, it would create an explosive vibration.

This was a crucial insight he had grasped by relying on the Locking Power essence of [Ten Thousand Jins Return Flow]. It was also a Qi Manipulation Skill he had learned by exchanging contribution points for the breakthrough insights of Transcendence Level experts on the Superpower Bureau’s intranet.

It seemed extremely simple, but mastering it was rather difficult.

Just like at this moment, the brown Qi Flame visibly compressed and drew inward, gathering into his body as if it were a stream of liquid water.

This step alone was enough to stump the vast majority of those at the peak of the Exploration Level.

Even Lu Chao could only barely complete this step thanks to the enhancement of his [High-Efficiency Skill].

However…

BUZZ!!!

His pores expelled air, causing the Qi Flame to vibrate.

A wild gust of wind swept past, but it didn’t cause much damage.

“Still lacking a little.” Lu Chao opened his eyes and exhaled a breath of stale air.

He knew exactly where his problem lay.

Whenever he attempted to expel the solidified Qi Flame from his pores to create an explosive vibration, the power would scatter, always falling a tiny bit short.

This was a lack of proficiency, and it was also the limitation of him not having truly thoroughly understood this Qi Manipulation Skill.

At this thought, he shook his head and looked at his status panel.

[Life Energy: 236 -> 238]

[Potential Progress: 80%]

All the spoils he had obtained from the treasuries of the two warlord leaders, Lu Weilong and Xiao Chen, had been crafted into potions and thoroughly digested.

Although he hadn’t fully comprehended the Qi detonation skill to step into the Transcendence Level…

BUZZ!

The muscles in his body suddenly vibrated, causing the surrounding air to pop and detonate.

Lu Chao’s eyes grew piercingly bright, exuding a tremendous sense of oppression as he looked ahead.

“Come.”

With his soft shout, Ghost Element, which resembled a black cat, stood by the window.

Its ruby-like amber eyes flashed slightly, and the alloy gauntlets resting on the ground shot through the air. It was actually using its Spiritual Power to control [Quake Edge]. Wrapping the weapon in a Spiritual Shock, it converted that power into physical damage to assist Lu Chao in cultivating his hard qigong.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

The manganese steel alloy gauntlets continuously battered his physical body, bombing him like artillery shells.

Lu Chao didn’t deflect the force. Instead, he surged his physical strength, his muscles layering like concrete blocks to take the hits head-on.

With every bombardment of the gauntlets, he intercepted a portion of the force, using his newly ‘active’ muscles to lock it in and store it throughout his physique.

This was the cultivation essence derived from [Locking Power], and also a momentum-gathering technique for a stacked-force counterattack.

BANG BANG BANG!!!

The muffled impacts pounded like hammers, unceasing.

As time passed, Lu Chao clearly felt that his muscles’ tolerance limit for power was reaching a critical point.

It was precisely at this moment.

Lu Chao’s gaze focused, and he abruptly released all the power.

HUM! BANG!!

The silver gauntlets were sent blasting backward, knocked away by the airwave like out-of-control cannonballs.

The invisible impact of force was like a storm, violently spreading outwards, causing the room to tremble and the sturdy floorboards to emit a cracking sound.

At the critical moment, Ruo Youyuan hurriedly mobilized its Spiritual Power to shield the building.

Even so, the sturdy Cultivation Chamber shuddered and swayed, and long, thin cracks appeared on the concrete walls.

“So this is the stacked-force counterattack…” Lu Chao looked down at his arms and body.

His eyes grew even brighter. He clearly felt the formidable might of this move, as well as the tremendous power of his own physique.

Although he hadn’t fully comprehended the Qi detonation skill, he had used it to master a similar special ability.

If he went all out, utilizing [Titan’s Power] combined with the [Barbarian]’s trait of growing stronger as the battle progressed…

He didn’t think anyone beneath the Non-human Level could defeat him. This included that so-called Starry Sky trial-taker, the Clare genius who intended to use the tempering of war to break through the Non-human Level bottleneck.

At this thought, Lu Chao nodded inwardly and gradually calmed the power within his body.

After throwing on his clothes, he glanced at his comms watch.

Today was the third day, the final deadline given by that Clare genius.

The faint sense of danger lurking in the depths of his heart still remained, refusing to dissipate.

Thinking of this, Lu Chao looked up and out the window.

He knew that what was meant to come would eventually come.

However, before that…

…he still needed to confirm one thing.