He'd Been Set Up

Luo Zhe had good hearing and a good memory. He recognized Wan Dong, whom he'd met once before, by his voice, and frowned. "What are you trying to pull?"

"Don't you know the practical exam forbids Quasi-Martial Artists from killing one another? I told you to stop just now. Why didn't you?"

Wan Dong coughed a couple of times. Using the starlight, he felt around on the ground for a moment and picked up his Ghost Moon Blade. Then he replied, "I just wanted to come over and see whether you were really as strong as the rumors said."

"I just didn't expect you to swing your blade before I even had a chance to say anything. If I hadn't reacted in time, you would've cut me in half."

Before Luo Zhe could figure out what Wan Dong meant, the searchlights sweeping across the town suddenly shone on all three of them at once.

"Hands on your heads! Get down and stay down! Anyone who disobeys will be shot!"

An officer dropped straight down from the air and glared coldly at the three men on the ground. "I've repeatedly made it clear that Quasi-Martial Artists are absolutely forbidden from killing one another! I can't believe you knowingly broke the rules anyway. Don't you know that everything you do is being monitored by infrared cameras?"

Wang Meng was about to explain when a bullet struck the ground at his feet. Judging by the size of the bullet hole, it had clearly been fired from a specially made sniper rifle. There were snipers aiming at them from all around!

Luo Zhe shook his head at Wang Meng, dropped the War Blade in his hand, put his hands on his head, and crouched down. Wang Meng was furious, but he could only follow Luo Zhe's example and crouch with his hands on his head.

Wan Dong grinned at Luo Zhe. Under the bright searchlight, Luo Zhe could even see blood on the other man's teeth. That blade must have made him cough up blood.

"You, get down too!" The officer frowned and spoke coldly to Wan Dong, who was still standing where he was.

Whether under national law or the rules governing Monster Town, Martial Artists were expressly forbidden from killing one another. Yet Luo Zhe and the other two had openly broken the rules. The cold-faced officer, who normally defended his country and fought bloody battles on the front lines, was seething with anger.

If you're so capable, go kill monsters in the Wilderness Zone! Picking on your own kind!

Before long, a squad of soldiers marched into the town. Under their escort, the three men were taken back to the Northern Military Region and locked up separately in dark cells, awaiting interrogation.

The room was cold and dim, completely devoid of light. Its emptiness made a person's mind wander and his body tremble.

This was Luo Zhe's first time in a dark cell. He couldn't see a thing, but he didn't care whether the ground was dirty. He simply sat cross-legged and thought over everything that had happened.

First, he'd happened upon a badly wounded Wang Meng. Then, while looking for somewhere else to shelter, he'd somehow ended up fighting Wan Dong. And after that, the military region had locked him up.

As he thought it over, Luo Zhe suddenly chuckled. Wan Dong's reckless charge had clearly been a setup. If Luo Zhe hadn't struck first, Wan Dong probably wouldn't have dared to attack either. After all, this was an important military-region exam site, with countless surveillance devices outside watching everything that happened within.

He just didn't know whether he'd really run into Wang Meng by chance or whether Wang Meng had sought him out on purpose. If it had been deliberate, then with those wounds on Wang Meng, the sudden twenty million that had appeared in his bank account, and the blows he'd dealt Wan Dong, Luo Zhe wouldn't be able to clear his name even if he had ten mouths.

So it looked like he was doomed this time?

But Luo Zhe didn't regret it. Even if he could relive everything, knowing the other man was putting on an act, he'd still swing that blade. He would never leave his safety in someone else's hands!

His only hope now was Wang Meng. The black card Wang Meng had carried showed that his identity was anything but ordinary. What's more, Wang Meng hadn't taken part in the fight; he'd been a bystander and had heard their entire conversation from the start. As long as Wang Meng was willing to take his side and explain what had happened, Luo Zhe still had a chance to turn things around!

If Heaven really wasn't on his side, and Wang Meng refused to speak up for him—or worse, if Wang Meng had been brought in specifically to frame him—then all he could do was accept his fate.

"At worst, I'll retreat into the Dimensional Space and stay there for ten or eight years, training until I reach War God Level or even surpass it. I'll become invincible! Then let's see who dares arrest me!"

That was easy to say, but Luo Zhe knew this was his last resort. He absolutely wouldn't take that step unless he had no other choice.

Although he wouldn't get thirsty or hungry in the Dimensional Space, and wouldn't even feel tired, there was barely any room in there. To put it bluntly, there wasn't even enough space to turn over!

Besides, Luo Zhe had already tried it. There was plenty of cosmic energy in the Dimensional Space, but training there for a long time wasn't nearly as effective as he'd imagined.

The abundant cosmic energy could keep his body functioning steadily, but that also meant that to get the same workout as he would in the outside world, he had to expend more energy moving around!

And besides, who could stand being alone in such a cramped space for so long?

While Luo Zhe sat in the dark cell, lost in thought, the outside world was already in an uproar over what had happened.

At the Northern Military Region's perimeter, in the meeting room of a three-story detached villa.

Zhuge Tao sat leaning back in his chair, dressed in a black combat suit that shimmered faintly with flecks of silver. His eyelids drooped, and the gentle smile he usually wore had vanished. An oppressive fury seemed to radiate from him, filling the entire room.

Sitting directly opposite Zhuge Tao was Wang Ji, a manager from the Thunder Martial Arts Hall. A delighted smile spread across his face as he completely ignored Zhuge Tao's murderous expression. Every so often, he even turned to glance at Zhuge Tao, looking thoroughly pleased with himself.

At the head of the table sat Yan He, a senior officer of the Northern Military Region. Faced with the two men, who were clearly at odds, Yan He remained expressionless and made no attempt to intervene.

"I'll say it again: there's no way a member of the Extreme Martial Arts Hall would do something like this!" Zhuge Tao said coldly, glaring fiercely at Wang Ji.

He'd already found this man particularly irritating. Now he found him downright repulsive!

Wang Ji chuckled and shot Zhuge Tao a sidelong glance. "Zhuge, I can't agree with you there. They say you can know someone's face but not his heart. Who knows whether some people who look like perfect gentlemen are actually scoundrels behind closed doors?"

"You!" The pointed remark made Zhuge Tao spring to his feet. He glared coldly at Wang Ji.

After a long moment, Zhuge Tao took a deep breath and composed himself. Then he turned to Yan He. "I demand to see the complete surveillance footage. And I want to see Luo Zhe. I'll say it again: there's no way a member of the Extreme Martial Arts Hall would do something like this!"