Hidden Danger

Blue Star, Dragon Kingdom, Jinmen Port District.

The piercing sound of sirens shattered the tranquility of the port logistics park. Dozens of SWAT armored vehicles had completely surrounded an abandoned container warehouse. The atmosphere at the scene was tense to the breaking point.

"Calling headquarters! Suspect Liu Biao is in an extremely unstable emotional state! During his breakout just now, he shattered a SWAT riot shield with his bare hands! His strength is abnormally high!"

Inside the warehouse, a burst of arrogant roaring echoed, accompanied by the thunderous crash of metal shelves being violently toppled.

"Get the hell away from me! I'm a superman now! I'll kill anyone who dares to come in!"

"Ten million! Give me ten million and I'll let the hostage go!"

Liu Biao, a Divine Guard player who had reached LV.18 in the game, had been lucky enough to snatch two vials of Titan Blood. Although he hadn't reached level 20 to unlock his Talent Tree, the current enhancements made him feel like he was already a superman.

Outside the police cordon.

Three unmarked black SUVs broke through the blockade and pulled up next to the command vehicle.

The doors opened.

Zhao Kuo stepped out wearing loose sportswear, followed by Chen Feng and Fang Ce.

"Is this the guy causing the trouble?" Zhao Kuo glanced at the warehouse in the distance and even let out a yawn. "A LV.18 Divine Guard? Judging by the sound of it, he's just an ordinary person with a bit more brute strength."

Li Zihan adjusted his glasses, staring at the real-time thermal imaging feed sent back by the SWAT team. His pupils contracted slightly; [Psionic Sequence: Cerebral Overclocking] kept his brain in a state of extremely calm, high-speed operation, his observation and analytical skills far exceeding those of an ordinary person.

Although the Reality Projection of the Psionic Sequence seemed the weakest at this stage, according to the results of his discussions with Fang Ce, if the Psionic Sequence were leveled up to the late stages, it might even become a human signal transmitter with the potential to directly take over electronic equipment!

"Tsk, what an idiot. Even the dim-witted villains in TV shows would struggle to do something as stupid as blackmailing the authorities."

"Heart rate 148, muscles on the verge of cramping, eyes unfocused." Fang Ce, standing beside him, analyzed calmly. "He is currently in a period of cognitive dissonance following a surge in power. The power has amplified his desires, but it hasn't given him the mentality to control them."

"Let's move."

Chen Feng showed his red credentials to the field commander who had rushed over.

"Call off the snipers. This kind of trash isn't worth wasting bullets on. Zhao Kuo, go make him sober up."

Inside the warehouse.

Liu Biao was in a state of extreme agitation. He had just punched through a solid wood tabletop, and this destructive power left him intoxicated.

"The police are nothing! In the game, I have infinite strength!"

Boom!

The warehouse's rolling shutter door was suddenly pulled up slowly from the outside.

Against the light, Zhao Kuo walked in, empty-handed.

"Who?! Don't come any closer!" Liu Biao roared instinctively.

"So you're the one called Liu Biao?" Zhao Kuo picked at his ear with a look of disdain. "What, you downed two bottles of juice and think you're something special?"

"You think you're worthy of lecturing me?"

Liu Biao felt the contempt in Zhao Kuo's attitude and flew into a rage instantly.

He shoved the hostage aside and charged at Zhao Kuo like a mad bull.

It had to be said that the effects of the Titan Blood were indeed significant. The speed of Liu Biao's charge surpassed that of a human sprinting champion, and his fist, the size of a sand pot, whistled through the air straight toward Zhao Kuo's face.

"Die!!"

If this were an ordinary person, their skull would definitely have been shattered by this punch.

But in Zhao Kuo's eyes, it was too slow.

Zhao Kuo stood his ground, not even bothering to adopt a defensive stance. He merely tilted his body slightly, letting the punch land on his shoulder.

Bang!

A dull thud echoed.

Liu Biao felt as if he had returned to his days as an ordinary person, as if he had struck a thick, solid wall. The massive recoil made his wrist go numb and his finger bones ache.

And Zhao Kuo didn't budge an inch. He didn't even kick up any dust from the ground!

"This... this is impossible!" Liu Biao's pupils shook. "I drank the Titan Blood! How can I not be able to move you!"

"That just made your physical fitness a bit better; at most, you're just a strong mortal."

Zhao Kuo looked down at him, his eyes filled with a contempt that seemed to come from a higher dimension.

"Doing whatever you want just because you have a little strength, without even being able to see the big picture—you aren't even qualified to talk about evolution."

"Idiot."

The muscles on Zhao Kuo's body tensed instantly, and the layer of grayish-white keratin on his skin surface shimmered with a cold light in the dim warehouse.

[Reality Projection: Tier 1 · Keratinized Skin]

"With your level of strength, you aren't even enough to scratch an itch."

Zhao Kuo suddenly struck out.

A large hand clamped directly onto the neck of Liu Biao, lifting him up with one hand as if he were a chick.

"Urgh... cough, cough..." Liu Biao kicked his legs wildly, desperately trying to pry open the fingers of Zhao Kuo, but that hand was like a hydraulic clamp, remaining completely motionless.

"Remember this."

Zhao Kuo leaned close to his face, his voice sounding like thunder.

"In the game, you're a noob. In reality, you're just a little brother."

Zhao Kuo tossed him aside casually.

Bang!

Liu Biao flew sideways for over ten meters, slamming heavily into a pile of cardboard boxes, unable to crawl back up for a long time.

"Take him away." Chen Feng walked in, casting a cold glance, "Just lock him up. Trash like this doesn't deserve to play Titan."

Half an hour later.

An edited piece of law enforcement footage was pushed to the phones of every Titan player through official channels and major media outlets.

There was no bloody imagery, only the heart-shaking disparity—LV.18 Liu Biao was as powerless as an infant before the LV.21 Zhao Kuo.

Although there had been several instances of law enforcement targeting troublemaking players a few days ago, none were as deterrent as this widespread announcement!

This meant that the official authorities had acknowledged the connection between Titan and extraordinary power, and were prepared to intervene directly!

Immediately following this, the Extraordinary Management Regulations, jointly issued by the National Wall Breaker Task Force and the Titan Extraordinary Alliance, were officially released, announcing the start of a real-name census for all players across the server.

This time, no one dared to ignore it.

Meanwhile, thousands of kilometers away.

In the Golden Triangle of Southeast Asia.

Compared to the strict suppression and establishment of order within the Dragon Kingdom, the scene here was entirely different.

A luxurious manor that originally belonged to a local drug lord had already changed owners.

In the main hall, several men from the Dragon Kingdom wearing tactical vests were sitting brazenly on leather sofas, their feet resting on the corpse of the manor's former owner.

"Boss, the video from back home is out."

A subordinate with a buzzcut looked at his phone, his expression somewhat grim, "That Liu Biao was taken out in one move by Zhao Kuo. It's a good thing we ran fast."

In the center of the sofa, a man with a fleshy face and sinister eyes let out a cold snort.

His name was Zhang Kuang, game ID Greedy Wolf, the former leader of the Wild Wolf Guild.

"I told you long ago, those people back home wouldn't tolerate us."

Zhang Kuang swirled the red wine in his glass, his eyes revealing a cunning glint, "Ever since the first distribution of Titan Blood, I smelled it. This kind of power that can affect reality will definitely lead to a massive change in the real world!"

"The official task force has probably been secretly tracking players with criminal records all along. Once the things we've done are uncovered, we'd definitely be rotting in a prison cell."

"The boss is wise, taking us away early," another subordinate flattered, "This place is great; the mountains are high and the emperor is far away, and nobody cares if we're red-named."

"That's right."

Zhang Kuang stood up, releasing his formidable aura without reservation.

Yes, he had also reached level 20 and unlocked his Talent Tree!

[Talent: Neural Sequence - Hunting Instinct!]

He walked over to a trembling local drug lord, picked up a gun from the floor, and exerted force with both hands.

Snap—

The barrel made of refined steel was bent out of shape by him.

"Back in the country, we had to follow the rules, be watched by the officials, and be suppressed by the big guilds."

"Those idiots, they have power but don't know how to use it, actually colluding with the officials to set up rules!"

"Hmph! Pedantic!"

Zhang Kuang tossed the scrap metal aside, his eyes flashing with ambition.

"Once individual power reaches a point that is hard to control..."

"Here... power is the only law!"

"Number Two, notify our snakeheads back home." Zhang Kuang grinned hideously, "Game accounts are bound to individuals, so we can't buy them. But we can recruit people."

"Go find those players who can't make it in the country, those with criminal records, or those with crooked minds who want to get rich. Tell them to come to the Golden Triangle."

"There are no stinking rules from people like Feng Xing Tian Xia here. Here, as long as your fist is big enough, you can have whatever you want!"

"Whether it's women, money, or the royal power of this land... I am going to build a kingdom that belongs to us!"

"Want to be a savior? Let those saints go do that."

Zhang Kuang looked at the chaotic jungle outside the window, a cruel smile curling at the corners of his mouth.

"Once we develop in the game and gain a firm foothold in this chaotic zone... hehe, it's not yet certain who will be ruling whom!"

Dragon Kingdom, northern suburbs of the Imperial Capital, Alliance Base.

Chen Feng was reviewing a piece of intelligence that Fang Ce had just intercepted.

"Greedy Wolf, Zhang Kuang. This guy has a keen sense of smell; he took his core backbone and ran the moment the H-124 battle ended."

Fang Ce pointed to a red dot on the map, "The latest signals show they are active in the Golden Triangle area. They are currently recruiting blacklisted players from the country through underground channels."

"A bunch of rats hiding in the sewers, and they want to carve out a kingdom?"

Lei Zhen let out a cold snort, "The situation in that place is complex; it's not easy for the authorities to send troops directly to wipe them out."

"Let them be."

Chen Feng closed the map, his expression calm.

"Frogs at the bottom of a well can only see a patch of sky as big as the well's mouth."

"They think that having a little power makes them local emperors, but they don't understand the principle of long-term development."

Chen Feng stood up, the image of the disciplined and obedient Great Wall Watch army appearing in his mind.

"Once we accumulate a massive advantage and master more power, such as mechs."

"These clowns will be crushed with a casual flick of the hand."

"The primary task right now is still mining. That is the fastest way to obtain Bio-Energy. We must complete the Titan Armory mission at full speed."

"By the way, target those people in the game. If they run far away to explore on their own, I'll give them credit for having some foresight, but if they dare to participate in the main storyline, hang them up and beat them."

Chen Feng issued the standing order.

"Tell all the brothers, the H-124 refinery must operate at full capacity 24 hours a day!"

"Within a week, I want to see the Bio-Energy progress bar exceed 50%!"