Gathering Desire, Startling Demon

Several tall buildings stood around the square, with many of the town's Firepower Points set up inside them. Anyone entering the town from outside had to pass through here.

The town did not yet require outsiders to disarm at this point, so clashes were common. The personnel above scanned the square from time to time, ready to open fire without hesitation if trouble broke out.

As Chen Chuan reached the middle of the square, quite a few people noticed him. They immediately sensed something unusual about him: he looked utterly out of place among the passersby.

But he was alone, with only a suitcase at his side. He had no gun or anything of the sort in sight, and he merely stood in an open area. The guards did not grow too wary at first, though they gave him a second look.

Then he raised his fist, and a bright light flared from it. Someone instantly realized something was wrong and was about to shout when his vision was suddenly flooded with hazy white light.

No one could keep their eyes open. A moment later, a tremendous muffled boom struck their ears, shaking their heads and even their insides. The ground heaved like waves beneath them. One after another, they grabbed at whatever was nearby to keep from falling.

When the disturbance subsided, they got to their feet, shaking their heads. They looked outside and stared blankly.

Much of the glass in the buildings on either side had shattered. The few pedestrians in the square had fallen to the ground, while an enormous cloud of dust rolled skyward and spread in every direction.

At its center stood the figure in the outer shirt. A huge, deep pit had opened before him, with faint threads of light still rising from within.