Fortunately, Meng Chao was half a second faster than the three robbers, and they were unable to activate the crystal bombs in time.

  And before they could bring out new crystal bombs, Meng Chao moved like a tornado. He attacked and reduced them to a pulp.

  By then, Man-eating Shark Zhou Chong had defeated more than ten robbers.

  When a superhuman at the peak of Heaven Realm activated his vitality magnetic field fully, it was the same as creating a domain where they were supreme. If the people in it were much weaker, they would not be able to fight back at all.

  Zhou Chong was even more ruthless than Meng Chao. The robbers he sent flying were usually torn to shreds, and their severed limbs had terrifying wounds. There were huge saw teeth marks at the severed parts, which made it look like the robbers were attacked by a shark. That was how the Man-eating Shark gained his fearsome name.

  Soon, the robbers’ lives inside and outside the room were taken by the duo.

  Only Big Brother Knife, Chen Hao was left.

  At the moment he saw the ceiling collapse, he made his decision and ran to the window to escape through there.

  Unfortunately, one of his legs and arms was missing. Even though he had machine prosthetics, they suffered interference from the spirit energy magnetic field released by Man-eating Shark Zhou Chong. The joints released cracking sounds as the gears got stuck together. They did not work properly and ended up as a burden.

  When Chen Hao arrived at the window in a limp and climbed up, Meng Chao finished fighting.

  When he jumped out, Meng Chao brought out his chain sabers and bound his good leg. The chilling blade dug deep into his inner thigh and dragged him back. He crashed onto the floor.

  Zhou Chong ran over to remind Meng Chao to search for whether this person had any weapons that he could use in desperation or whether he had any secret communicators on him, but Meng Chao was much more experienced than Zhou Chong thought. His hands turned into two gray lights as he searched Big Brother Knife.

  He found a poisoned dagger, two mini bombs the size of fingernails that could be used to break shackles or locks, a vial of highly corrosive acid, and a communicator that was hidden in place of his missing molar. He could transmit information by knocking his teeth together.

  Naturally, there were also three Deification Capsules.

  However, Big Brother Knife was different from the stupid robbers. He loved his life a lot, so he did not readily use that illegal drug that would drain his life.

  When he saw that all the tools that could save his life were discovered, Big Brother Knife looked dejected and slumped down on the floor.

  Zhou Chong looked around. When he saw that all the robbers were curled up like dead dogs, he sighed in relief.

  Now that things had progressed to this state, all they could do was report the situation to the command center.

  “They’re even more wary than we expected. Thank goodness Meng Chao thought quick, so we got to capture Chen Hao,” Zhou Chong said. “Give us some time. We’ll definitely make him tell us about the mastermind.”


  “Alright, but do it quick,” Nie Chenglong replied. “The situation has changed again. Aside from the three large residential areas I told you about, we’ve also discovered signs of the zombie virus and Blood Flower spores causing havoc in other places in the east, west, and north, including a few large developing areas in Shattered Starlake.

  “Signs of a monster horde invasion have also been discovered in the crystal mining areas and smelting plants that had large amounts of resources invested in them. We aren’t yet sure what level of danger the beast horde poses and whether there are any Hell Beasts and even Apocalyptic Beasts serving as garrisons for the normal monsters.

  “But during such a critical moment, there’s no way that it’s a coincidence that monster hordes appeared in three different directions.

  “The crystal mines and smelting plants are important construction projects of this year and next year. They are also facilities that we cannot be missing in our strategy to completely level the monsters’ nests. They cannot be destroyed by the monster hordes.

  “So, aside from the Red Dragon Army issuing the highest level of alarm, a large batch of high-end fighting power and even the peak forces of Deity Realm have left the main city area to head to the various crystal mines and smelting plants.

  “If the situation in the lair goes completely out of control during this moment and the flames of fire burn in the heart of the city, things will become very troublesome!”


  Once Nie Chenglong finished speaking, he sent a few videos from the new developing areas and crystal mines outside the city to the veteran hunters’ retinas through the neural tactical data link interactor.

  Over the last year, Dragon City had been somewhat extreme as it colonized the areas around it.

  To occupy the tactically important places that had a lot of spirit energy, ley lines underground, and a lot of minerals, many of the forward operating bases entered the wild like fangs of a beast piercing into flesh. But the areas were surrounded by fog. Not only did it block their field of vision, the spirit energy interference could also easily affect the superhumans’ fighting strength.

  Ten years ago, Dragon Citizens would have never dared to invest a large amount of resources into such places and start up a large-scale construction.

  But during the Raging Waves Battle and the series of battles after it, the strongest of humanity killed more than ten Apocalyptic Beasts in one go. As for Hell Beasts, they killed so many of them that they could not count. Dozens of nests belonging to the kings of beasts were uprooted. Plenty of fierce beasts had to form packs and move deeper into Monster Mountain Range. They even began to flee the moment they saw the dust stirred up by the humans’ fighting vehicles.

  Dragon Citizens had not seen a real monster horde for a long time.

  Their counterattack had been going on smoothly, so many people became arrogant, and they even said overbearing things like, “Humans are born to be surrounded by creatures worshipping us.”


  Be it the mega corporations or the unlicensed pathfinding teams, all of them rushed outside the city to occupy their own territories. Even though the Survival Committee and Supernatural Tower had warned them plenty of times to control and protect the supply lines and not expand recklessly but according to the overall plan of Dragon City, the people faced the possibility of getting 300% profit. Even the helpless normal citizens had the courage to provoke monsters with such a prize, much less the superhumans who were ambitious, wanted to rise to power in one go, build their own success, and even leave behind their names in history.

  Everyone fought for their territories, and no one listened to the Supernatural Tower, because anyone who did would lose the chance to obtain a large amount of cultivation resources and be under everyone else’s control. They would then never be able to get to the legendary Deity Realm. This was something every superhuman and every force created by superhumans was unable to tolerate.

  Ambition like that was a double-edged sword.

  The good side was that the superhumans who were driven by ambition had expanded Dragon City’s occupied territory three times its original size within a short year.

  The bad side was that now that Dragon City was three times bigger than before, it had finally reached the limits of its expansion capacity. It would not even be a stretch to say that it had unknowingly gone over the limits of its expansion capacity. Now, it was once again in the situation it faced during the northern offense. It had to be on guard on every front, and it had a shortage of fighting power. The main city area was in an awkward situation where it had weak spots everywhere in its defenses. If being truthful, though, it was even worse than before.

  After all, at that time, Dragon City had only one supply line leading to the north, and it was connected to the important facilities in Shattered Starlake, Graveyard Forest, and Raging Waves.

  Now, new developing areas and mining dredgers the size of Shattered Starlake were everywhere.

  It was only at this moment that Dragon Citizens noticed that they seemed to have leapt too far and sprained their legs.

  Unfortunately, it was too late.

  The shadows of monsters had already appeared in the fog around the forward operating bases and new developing areas.

  Even though they were hidden by the fog and the humans could not see the monster species and their numbers, based on the repeating and bone-chilling howls, there were plenty of them.

  For the moment, the monsters were mobilizing their forces and gathering strength.

  Once they charged out of the fog like a tidal wave, they would give the harshest test to humanity’s defense line, which had now become much longer.

  Of course, the number of powerful fighters and the average strength of superhumans in Dragon City had increased by a large degree after benefiting from the large amount of resources they gained from expanding madly. They might be able to stop the monster invasion coming from all directions.

  After all, the complicated defense that had penetrated several kilometers into the fog had killed the elites of the monster civilization, so the monsters were spent. This defense line might actually be good enough for human civilization’s next step in the war.

  But this meant that a trench warfare was about to start at the perimeter of Dragon City, and it would last for days, weeks, or perhaps even months. It would continue day and night, and blood would spill.

  Human civilization and monster civilization would have to stake everything they had.

  At such a crucial moment, there was definitely a huge decrease in the number of high-end fighting power and soldiers that could be sent into the lair.

  Meng Chao and Zhou Chong understood the gravity of the situation.

  They also realized that the monster hordes the enemy mobilized at the perimeter of the city, the zombie viruses and Blood Flower spores that were projected into Dragon City, and the Deification Capsule cases in the lair were definitely connected.

  They had to figure out the truth of the Deification Capsules as soon as possible and control the situation in the lair.

  No matter what, chaos could not erupt in the lair.

  With this thought in mind, Man-eating Shark Zhou Chong’s eyes became fierce. With a murderous look, he walked to Big Brother Knife, Chen Hao.

  “Senior Zhou, let me try.”


  Meng Chao expressionlessly blocked Zhou Chong.

  There were professionals for everything. Zhou Chong might be the best hunter there was, but his prey in the past had always been monsters.

  If they did not have any unique kinks, hunters would definitely not interrogate or torture monsters.

  But based on the memories Meng Chao had as a Ghost Tribe member, he often had to get information from various intelligent races in the Other World.

  Meng Chao believed that Chen Hao’s mouth was definitely not as tightly sealed as those of the dwarves, who were hot-tempered and stubborn.

  Crack!

  Meng Chao did not ask any questions. He just crushed Chen Hao’s ankle.

  Chen Hao only had his right leg left unharmed.

  At that moment, his sole was bent to a bizarre 90 degrees. White, fragmented bones jutted out of the bloody wound.

  He was in so much pain that his face turned stark pale and he could not hold back the piercing scream bubbling in his throat.

  Meng Chao struck his chest and nearly crushed his lungs. It forced the scream back into his throat.

  Cold sweat broke out on Zhou Chong’s skin. He twitched neurotically, which showed that he was enduring unbearable pain.

  There was no mercy on Meng Chao’s face.

  Of course, he would not show any other emotion, either.

  Instead, he stomped on the area around one inch above the wound on Chen Hao’s ankle.

  Chapter 486: Evil People Would Have Other Evil People Giving Them Pain

  Crack!

  Chen Hao’s sole was originally bent at a 90 degrees angle from his calf.

  Once Meng Chao stomped on him a second time, that 90 degrees turned to 180 degrees. It was completely folded together.

  Chen Hao’s eyes rolled back into his sockets. He was about to faint from the pain.

  Meng Chao increased his strength. He spun the tips of his toes and went back and forth the broken bone that jutted out of Chen Hao’s wound. It became even more fragmented than before.

  Chen Hao screamed, feeling like his calf had been stuffed into a grinder. But no matter how much it grinded his calf, it would not leave his bone. The pain caused his world to spin, and he could not faint.

  Even Man-eating Shark Zhou Chong felt his heart thunder in fear as he watched from the side. He wanted to say something, but could not despite being known for being ruthless.

  “It’s fine, Senior Zhou, trust me.” While Meng Chao was handing out the torture, he spoke without turning his head back. “It’s just as you know, aside from being an Ultimate Style martial artist, I’m also an experienced harvester. Over the past two years, I’ve harvested more than one thousand monsters. I have to cut up at least three monsters every day, so I have their biological structures imprinted in my head.

  “I can dissect a Tyrant Mammoth that is as large as a fort into pieces the size of fingernail in half an hour and take the flesh off its bones without harming its most fragile periosteum. All the bones can still be pieced together to form a complete specimen.

  “I can also peel the core tissue of some monsters’ brains from their ear canals.

  “Compared to smaller monsters, the biological structure of humans is simple, especially when I don’t have to care about making sure that the limbs and organs remain undamaged. So, you don’t need to worry that I will kill him.

  “I assure you, even if I crush every bone in his body, he will remain conscious and tell us what we need to know.”


  Meng Chao moved his sole to the area above Chen Hao’s knee.

  But Chen Hao was already terrified out of his mind. When he saw Meng Chao’s expressionless face, he acted as if he had seen the most hideous demon from the depths of hell. He screamed, “I’ll tell you! I’ll tell you everything!”


  Meng Chao ignored him and stomped down.

  Chen Hao’s knee was instantly shattered. His calf curled up, and his sole, which had suffered from a comminuted fracture, hung down limp. It swayed around and tugged at his nerves, causing him so much pain that he cried. His teeth clattered, and he nearly bit through his tongue.

  Meng Chao crouched down and spoke to Chen Hao calmly. “Careful with your tongue. That’s the only reason we’re keeping you alive.”


  Then, he groped about his hip bones, shoulder blades, and the joints in his arm as if he was testing just how much maximum weight his bones and joints could endure.

  After groping about for some time, Meng Chao grabbed Chen Hao’s shoulder and slowly dug his fingers into his flesh. He said slowly, “After your leg is broken, you can get it amputated, and after you get a spirit energy-powered mechanical prosthetic or a spirit energy-powered chassis with continuous tracks, you can still move around.

  “But if your arms are broken, that will be troublesome. Right now, the spirit energy-powered mechanical prosthetics still can’t completely imitate the functions of the human arm and fingers.

  “And if I break your spine and pelvis inch by inch, you will live your entire life like a lump of mud. You will curl up in a corner of the lair while covered in your own excrement, and people will step all over you.”


  Chen Hao’s eyes went wide when he heard this.

  If it were not for his optical nerves keeping his eyeballs in place, they would have popped out of their eye sockets.

  “I’ll tell you!” he wailed. “Just ask me! What do you want to know?! Just ask me!”


  Meng Chao did not stop just because the man was crying and begging for mercy.

  His fingers continued digging into his shoulder blades inch by inch like metal pliers. Cracking sounds came from Chen Hao’s shoulder blades, and countless fine cracks appeared on his bone.

  “Who is your boss, where is he?” Meng Chao asked.

  “I don’t know— No! I’m not lying to you! I really don’t know! I’ve only ever contacted him through emails!” Chen Hao was in so much pain that he was almost in shock, but he did not dare to faint. He quickly said, “Two months— No, three months ago, I suddenly received an email from the boss. He said that he prepared a present for me in the storage cupboard in Black Bone’s black market.

  “He wanted me to help him do something simple, and it was just an investigation about wanted criminals hiding in the lair. If it’s possible, I was to contact them. Also, I was to look for some rollerbladers and deliver some resources. Those are all my fields of expertise.

  “I ran to the black market and looked into the storage cupboard mentioned in the mail. It was a bag full of high-purity crystals, which are the hard currency in the lair.

  “With money, everything is easy. I helped him look for a group of criminals and lost people who have been hiding in the lair for years. But I only told the boss their pseudonyms, the places they frequented, and their accounts in the deep web forums. I did not need to do any follow up later on.

  “When he saw that I was doing things well, the boss asked me to look for the next batch of people and deliver some goods to them. They were all Deification Pills. But I didn’t need to do this myself. I have plenty of friends, so I could get things done with just one word.

  “Then, over the past few days, the boss asked me to prepare a few strongholds in the lair to help him receive the people who flee here from outside. I was to deliver the resources they brought in from outside to the boss in exchange for Deification Capsules, weapons and ammunition.

  “Some of them might have high tolerance toward the Deification Capsules and not easily killed by the side effects. The boss asked me to send them to the depths of the lair, where someone would receive them.

  “In any case, I’m just an insignificant lackey. Right from the start to the end, I’ve never met the boss. I’ve only received remote instructions and don’t know anything— No! I know something! Don’t kill me! I’ve told you everything! Don’t kill me!”


  Chen Hao was so scared that he became incoherent.

  “Where did you send the raw materials and the robbers who have really good tolerance toward the Deification Capsules?” Meng Chao tossed another question.

  Crack!

  Before Chen Hao could answer, a light pop came from his shoulder blade.

  A sharp, broken bone pierced his flesh and jutted out.

  But Meng Chao did not stop.

  It seemed like before he could hear all the answers from Chen Hao, he would crush all of his bones.

  Chen Hao was scared out of his wits and spoke faster than before. “Everywhere! I sent them to downtown areas with a lot of people moving around, or alleys that are one-way paths and provide no places to hide. The rollerbladers are the ones who send the stuff over. The people who receive the goods are another batch of rollerbladers that I don’t know. I suspect that they pass the goods to a few more batches of their kind. No one knows where the people and goods finally lead to!”


  This was as expected, and it was a highly effective anti-tracking method.

  Meng Chao did not suspect that Chen Hao was lying.

  But he still crushed Chen Hao’s second shoulder blade and asked, “Do you know whether your boss has other lackeys like you?”


  “I don’t— No, I know!” Chen Hao hesitated for a moment before he spoke. “The boss doesn’t want us to know his true identity. He doesn’t like it when we ask for information among ourselves either. But I think he has a few more lackeys like me in the lair.

  “I know that there is someone who is not loved by his family and is in a similar condition as me. A few months ago, he suddenly started spending lavishly. I met him a few times in the gambling sites and the black market. He even wanted to come up and talk to me. It seemed like he wanted to ask me whether I was working for the boss.

  “That person was too flashy, so I thought he would definitely be unable to live for long, and as expected, before long, he disappeared. No one knows whether he was killed because someone eyed his money or because he angered the boss.

  “In any case, I heard that recently, many wanted criminals and lost people who have been lurking for years have become restless, and plenty of them aren’t among those I contacted.

  “The robbers are the same. I read online that there have been hundreds of robberies over the past few days in Dragon City, but I only managed around one hundred. It would have been impossible for me to handle all of them.”


  Meng Chao thought for a moment and asked, “You should have delivered the most recent batch of raw materials. Where did your boss ask you to send them?”


  “I don’t know— I mean, I don’t know for the time being.” Chen Hao’s face turned from stark pale to waxy yellow, and he spoke in a choked voice. “Once I make sure that my area is safe, as the boss asks, I will send him a message, and he will tell the address where he will receive the goods.”


  “Did you tell the boss that there’s something wrong with the two robbers who came late just now?” Meng Chao asked.

  “No. I didn’t have time. I hired nine rollerbladers and had them bring some smoke bombs while going around the streets. I told them to detonate them at certain periods of time, then hide in dark corners to observe,” Chen Hao answered in a quivering voice.

  “If someone acted abnormally or made them feel uncomfortable, they were to immediately notify me. In the end, right after one of them contacted me, you rushed down.”


  “Did your boss teach you this or did you think of it on your own?”


  “The boss told me.”


  “Then, your boss might know that we’re already in the lair and have captured you. You’re useless now,” Meng Chao said.

  “No! It’s not that way!” Chen Hao hastily shouted. “The boss taught me the method, but the routes the nine rollerbladers take are set by me, because I’m more familiar with the environment in the lair. I know in which places it’s easier to shake off or discover pursuers. The boss has never asked me about the routes before, so he doesn’t know them!”


  Meng Chao narrowed his eyes and observed Chen Hao’s microexpressions for a while.

  Then, he turned his head around to discuss with Zhou Chong.

  It was only then that he handed Chen Hao’s communicator back to him and said, “Send a message to your boss and say that the last batch of robbers and raw materials is safe. Then, ask him where you’re supposed to send them to.”


  Chen Hao trembled as he tapped on the communicator.

  Meng Chao continued holding his shoulder blade, which brought him sharp pain.

  Almost at the moment the email was sent, there was a reply from the boss.

  There were only three words in it.

  “Leprosy Village?” Meng Chao looked at the old and bizarre name. He was a little taken aback. “Is there a place like this in the lair?”