Chapter 280 - 271: Fireworks! Jiao-Centipede

The young girl gasped, instinctively covering her mouth.

As if suddenly remembering something, she whipped her head around to look in the direction the guard had pointed.

But she found that the woman in the black veil and her companions, who had just been standing in the distance smiling and waving at her, had vanished without a trace....

Similar explosions occurred in every Concession of Shenghai at almost the exact same time.

Those towering, beautiful buildings, flying the flags of various nations and symbolizing the power of the Westerners... one after another, they were devoured by fire and light.

The light from the explosions painted the skies all over Shenghai a crimson red.

The red reflected on the Huangling River and on the glass windows of the Western buildings, like a magnificent, insane, and dazzling fireworks display.

A massive wave of chaos rapidly swept through the entire New Realm....

Before long, the gates of the Jianghai Defense Command, located at the confluence of the Huangling River, the Su River, and several other waterways, burst open.

Large contingents of troops were dispatched in a great procession toward the Concessions.

......

「Shenghai, Sixteen Wharves Pier.」

A secluded ferry landing.

Wen Zhiqiu and Liang Dong stood on the shore, watching their subordinates carry pieces of luggage of all sizes onto the boat one by one.

Their families were already on board.

"When is the next boat?"

Wen Zhiqiu asked, turning his head to the side as he watched his wife and child walk onto the deck.

Liang Dong replied in a low voice, "The night after tomorrow.

It will take some time for the Westerners' displeasure to reach the Xin Republic, and then Luo Zhengxiong.

Things are still relatively relaxed in and out of the city for the next few days, but once Luo Zhengxiong reacts, I'm afraid it won't be so easy to leave..."

Liang Dong paused, then continued, "Sir, why don't you leave with the ladies today? I'll stay in Shenghai and wait for... that Fu Juemin."

Wen Zhiqiu shook his head and was about to say something when a figure suddenly came running toward them from the direction of the pier.

"Mr. Liang! Mr. Liang!"

The newcomer was drenched in sweat, shouting Liang Dong's name before he even arrived.

Liang Dong frowned and turned to meet him with quick steps.

Wen Zhiqiu watched Liang Dong meet the frantic messenger, having no idea what was said between them.

But after just a few words, the expression on Liang Dong's face was as if he'd just been shot.

When Liang Dong sent the man away and slowly walked back in a daze, Wen Zhiqiu couldn't contain his curiosity any longer and asked, "What is it?"

"He's crazy... Fu Juemin is crazy! Absolutely insane..."

Liang Dong looked at Wen Zhiqiu, his face a mask of shock, horror, and disbelief, and stammered, "He sent people to blow up all the consulates and embassies in the Six Major Concessions... and the Municipal Council of the Public Concession!.."

Wen Zhiqiu was stunned. He wondered if he had heard correctly.

He stood rooted to the spot, listening to the river water lapping against the shore, unable to recover from the immense shock for a long time.

.....

「The outskirts of Shenghai. Fugu County, Snake Bay District.」

A military jeep was parked quietly in an open area with a clear view outside the Friend Mountain Mine.

Fu Juemin stood on the jeep, quietly looking at a golden pocket watch in his hand.

When the hands on the watch face silently reached the appointed time, Fu Juemin looked up, shielding his eyes with his hand, and gazed toward Shenghai in the distance.

He could faintly make out several "fireworks" blooming silently over the blurry city skyline, and a satisfied expression appeared on his face.

Seeing that Big and Little Kitty and the Ghost Camp team had successfully carried out their mission, Fu Juemin put away his pocket watch, jumped off the jeep, and calmly walked toward the mine entrance before him.

Several years ago, a major incident known as the 'Trading Company Heist' had occurred in Fugu County. A gang of more than a dozen ruthless bandits, armed with guns, had robbed the Dasheng Trading Company of over three million silver coins and had been chased by Patrol Police into the Friend Mountain Mine.

In the end, the City Public Security Bureau, the Concession Patrol Office, and even the Security Command Headquarter had dispatched countless police and soldiers, but they were never able to recover the men or the money.

And not a single person who went in ever came back out.

The matter was eventually dropped. The Friend Mountain Mine was abandoned, and everyone who knew the truth of the case remained tight-lipped, refusing to speak a word of it.

Coincidentally, Fu Juemin was one of the few who knew the truth—he had learned it from Gu Shouyu.

Inside the dark and winding mine, it was pitch-black. The air was thick and tinged with a hint of dampness.

The entire mine shaft was terrifyingly silent. There was no sound of snakes, insects, rats, or ants—only the crisp TAP, TAP, TAP of Fu Juemin's leather shoes on the ground.

Fu Juemin walked forward calmly, as if he intended to follow this bottomless tunnel all the way to another world.

After walking for what felt like a couple of miles, the path ahead became narrow and difficult to traverse, and Fu Juemin finally stopped.

After a Martial Artist advanced to the Gratitude Sensing Realm, they gained the ability to see in the dark. Fu Juemin's constitution was Extraordinary, making him even more powerful in this regard.

He casually glanced into the gloom before him, then slowly closed his eyes. Facing the depths of the mine, he spread his arms wide as if in an embrace!

[Great Medicine] activated!

The deadly "medicinal fragrance" condensed into a lure-like thread and shot rapidly outward.

"DRIP—DRIP—"

Water falling from the ceiling of the mine struck the ground, acting as a water clock.

The process didn't take long. Almost as soon as Fu Juemin cast out the "lure," there was an immediate response from below.

At first, the aura of the Demon Fiend was like a tiny flame. It quickly surged to the size of a torch, and finally... became unstoppable!

It transformed into a great, blazing fire, like turbulent lava erupting from the depths of the earth!

Fu Juemin's eyes snapped open.

His clear eyes reflected the darkness before him.

In the deepest part of that darkness, sinister, cold, yet unbearably scorching "points of light" bloomed one by one, rapidly expanding in his pupils!

Fu Juemin stared at the dense cluster of "lights," the smile on his face silently widening.

He saw them clearly now.

That wasn't fire...

They were eyes—brutal, evil, and utterly ignited by madness!

.....

At the entrance of the Friend Mountain Mine, a brand-new military jeep sat quietly.

Time passed, second by second. A strange tremor began to emanate from the mountain and the ground, growing louder and louder.

At a certain moment—

"BOOM!"

A massive explosion!

The silence was shattered in an instant by a figure that leaped out of the mine, as agile as a Spirit Dragon!

The figure was wreathed in a transparent, distorted, murky smoke. After bursting out of the mine, it leaped with incredible precision into the driver's seat of the jeep.

Starting the engine, pulling away, hitting the gas... the series of actions was performed in one smooth motion!

The jeep let out a roar and shot forward.

Almost at the same instant the jeep sped off, the violently trembling Friend Mountain Mine exploded with a "BOOM"!

A huge amount of rock and rubble tumbled down as centipedes the length of a ruler or an arm swarmed out from the mine like a tide.

Amidst the countless centipedes and falling rocks, a monstrous centipede shadow, a full ten meters wide and over a hundred meters long, charged frantically out of the mine!

Its entire body was covered in sinister and complex fiery patterns. It had a thousand legs and a hundred eyes, and a terrifying screech erupted from its massive mandibles!

Fully exposed to the sunlight, it seemed to flinch for a moment, but it quickly recovered, leaving a long trail of burning Chi flames as it sped after the fleeing jeep!

Wherever it went, it left a blinding, persistent line of fire in its wake....

"RUMBLE—"

The sound of explosions, the roar of the Flood Dragon Level Centipede Spirit, the roar of the car engine...

All sorts of sounds mingled and echoed in his ears.

Fu Juemin sat in the jeep, one hand gripping the steering wheel firmly, the other raised against the wind as he slowly lit himself a cigarette.

He paid no heed to the chaos erupting behind him, his eyes fixed only on the road ahead, on the direction of the Jianghai Defense Command Headquarters.

In his dark eyes, the last trace of calm was shattered. As it broke apart, a fire began to burn up from beneath!

"HSSS—!"

Fu Juemin took a deep drag from the cigarette, flicked the butt away, and then slammed his foot down hard on the accelerator!

The river wind rushing toward him blew his hair back.

But he still felt too hot and forcefully tore open the tie at his collar.

He was laughing, a laugh more unrestrained than ever before.

The sound of his laughter was scattered by the wind, melting into the chaos and clamor that chased him from behind like a burning gunpowder fuse.

A Centipede Spirit that was at least "Flood Dragon Level"! It had once annihilated an entire small army...

'I wonder if this grand gift is one that Commander Luo Zhengxiong and the soldiers under his command can handle!!'

.....

A 4,000-character chapter to make up for a day off, okay?

Also, asking for monthly tickets. I promise this final battle will be finished within two days! orz!