Chapter Fifty-Two: The Grand Curtain of an Era

Everyone hurried to higher ground, unwilling to be stained by filth.

“Don’t panic, keep shooting, and control your distance,” Ji Cheng reminded them.

A shrill, piercing wail split the air. The half-bodied salamander arched up, pushing aside the foul sludge with its claws, its eyes glowing phosphorescent, bloodthirsty and filled with hatred.

No matter how mutated, a wounded beast is always more dangerous.

With a sharp crack, it flicked out its slender, razor-sharp tongue once again, aiming straight for Ji Cheng’s head.

This time, Ji Cheng was ready. He spun aside, dodging the stabbing tongue, and as its claw came toward him, he struck out in passing.

The Regret Array activated. A faint tremor hummed through the air. The massive front claw of the salamander was sliced off with ease, the wound as smooth as a mirror.

Howling in pain, the half-bodied salamander jerked back, falling and thrashing in the muck, splattering foul blood everywhere. Its remaining hind claw twitched and spasmed amid the rotting debris, scrabbling helplessly and only sinking it deeper into the garbage.

“Now! Aim for the car’s engine!” Ji Cheng shouted, drawing his sidearm.

A volley of gunfire erupted.

The greatest advantage of firearms was their range and accuracy.

“Hou Shang, move two steps left—you can’t hit the engine from where you are.”

“Control your rhythm, Su Yi, your muzzle’s pointed at the sky.”

“Mu Zhi, your shots are dead-on, keep firing!”

Ji Cheng kept a constant watch, directing his team, while stepping forward himself. In his right hand, he leveled his gun, arm outstretched; his left arm bent at the elbow, supporting his right. He angled his body, shoulder lowered, his center of gravity dropping.

He steadied his aim.

Bang.

Ji Cheng fired, targeting the salamander’s left eye—his bullet flashed from the barrel in a spark of light.

Bang, bang.

He quickly shifted aim and fired two more times at the right eye.

“One shot missed, but it won’t matter,” Ji Cheng said, glancing at the monster. Its once-mad yellow eyes were now just two deep, bloody holes.

The half-bodied salamander writhed in the filth, groaning in agony.

“It’s about to flip over—fall back ten meters, cease fire.” Ji Cheng’s calm voice sounded in every earpiece.

With his current authority, no one dared hesitate; all fell back in unison.

Ji Cheng advanced again, engaged it briefly, leaving fresh wounds, then withdrew lightly.

“Resume fire, but keep your distance.”

Before long, the battered wreck of a car on the salamander’s body was riddled with so many bullets it lost all shape, and the remaining flesh was cut to ribbons by Ji Cheng—its upper jaw mostly gone, its eyes burst.

“Fall back, cease fire,” Ji Cheng commanded once more.

With experience now, the team obeyed instantly, retreating in formation.

The salamander began to thrash the muck heavily, thumping out a muffled beat.

Suddenly, its grotesque, twisted body split open down the middle, revealing another gaping maw lined with fangs, from which spewed a wave of acrid, corrosive stench.

“Now.”

The instant that maw appeared, Ji Cheng leapt forward, skimming across rocks in a flurry of motion, his speed like a storm. “Regret” flashed down.

With a wet sound, the half-bodied salamander collapsed into the filth and lay still.

Ten paces away, Ji Cheng slowly rose, turning aside to avoid the torrent of spilling entrails.

It all happened so fast, the others barely registered it.

“Team 1257 to Control, RX-23 mining zone is cleared.”

“Control received.”

Su Yi: What?

Milly: What?

Qiao Tongtong, Mu Zhi, Hou Shang: What?

The five of them stared at each other, wide-eyed.

Was it over already?

That was far too easy.

They were shocked. They might not know much about the world of ability wielders, but they knew the infamous half-bodied salamander was never dealt with so simply.

“To be honest, I didn’t feel the tension or danger of fighting a Grade-Gang monster at all.”

“It’s like all we did was mechanically repeat aiming, steadying our wrists, and pulling the trigger—boss handled everything else.”

“I have to say, according to the records, last time a half-bodied salamander showed up, it took four ability users working together an entire day and night to bring it down,” Milly pointed at her wrist computer.

Could the five of them be equal to three ability wielders?

Impossible!

They all looked at Ji Cheng. In that moment, his figure seemed almost divine.

“Boss, I worship you!” Milly shouted. “Can I get your autograph?”

“Cut the nonsense.” Ji Cheng snapped a few photos of the salamander’s corpse. “Now, dig up every last energy crystal in this place. Then we move to the next mining zone.”

“What are you all waiting for? Move.”

…

While they swept the mining area, the radio tower in Southport New City flickered to life. A duty officer yawned and tapped the receive button.

“Inform Zhou Ze, Huang Long, and Yao Lun. We’re back.”

What the…?

The duty officer frowned, about to reply, then suddenly froze.

He looked closely at the call sign—it seemed awfully familiar. He pulled out a logbook, flipped a few pages, and a certain name leapt out at him, sending a jolt through his body.

“Chairman Zhang has returned!”

Excitement lit his face as he dialed out.

In a secure underground safe house in Emerald District, Yao Lun sat scowling, replaying footage of four simulated figures being chased by countless spiders.

Suddenly, a message alert sounded. He opened it, eyes flashing with interest.

“At last…” Yao Lun slapped the table and rose abruptly. “To the council.”

Meanwhile, in the council building, Zhou Ze had just finished his work and ordered a strong cup of tea.

He blew gently on it and took a sip.

“Husband, is no one else doing their job? Why are you always the one running around?” murmured a floating, jellyfish-like AI by his side.

“It’ll be fine once Chairman Zhang returns,” Zhou Ze replied, swallowing his tea.

“Even so… I doubt it will be much better. He’s grown far too radical in recent years.”

“Don’t say things like that anymore.”

Beep beep.

Zhou Ze checked the notification, his expression shifting.

“What’s the news?” the jellyfish-shaped AI asked curiously.

“He’s back,” Zhou Ze said with a steady smile.

The news of Chairman Zhang’s imminent return spread swiftly among Southport New City’s upper echelons.

At once, all the city’s ability wielders were energized. Those already in the city headed straight for the council building, while the few out on missions turned back the moment they got the news.

Southport could finally stand tall again.

This covert operation, planned for years, had taken away much of the city’s elite, leaving Southport New City dangerously hollow. Under the probing eyes of rival city-states, all they could do was put on a tough front and barely hold things together. As for the old Southport City, it had almost no ability wielders left—there was no hope from there.

But with the return of the powerful Chairman Zhang, and the newly acquired advanced intelligent beings, Southport's prospects brightened like a shot of adrenaline to the heart.

If these advanced intelligences were nurtured well, it wouldn’t be long before Southport City-State’s strength soared.

“The era of Southport has arrived.”

That was the heartfelt belief of almost every ability wielder.