Tricked

Luo Zhe had decent hearing and a sharp memory; he recognized the voice as Wan Dong, whom he had met once before. He frowned and asked, "What are you trying to pull?"

"Don't you know that the actual combat assessment strictly prohibits quasi-martial artists from killing each other? I told you to stop earlier, so why didn't you?"

Wan Dong coughed twice. Using the starlight, he fumbled on the ground for a moment, picked up his Ghost Moon Blade, and replied, "I just wanted to come over and see if you were really as strong as the rumors say."

"I just didn't expect you to slash down before I could even say a word. If I hadn't reacted in time, I would have been cut in two by your blade."

Before Luo Zhe could ponder the meaning behind those words, searchlights moving across the small town suddenly converged on the three of them.

"Hands on your heads, everyone down! Anyone who resists will be executed on the spot!"

An officer dropped straight down from mid-air and spoke coldly to the three on the ground: "I have repeatedly emphasized that quasi-martial artists are strictly forbidden from killing one another! I didn't expect you to knowingly break the rules. Don't you know that all your activities are under the surveillance of infrared cameras?"

Wang Meng was about to open his mouth to explain when a bullet landed at his feet. Judging by the size of the hole, it was clearly a specially crafted sniper round. There were snipers aiming at them from all directions!

Luo Zhe shook his head at Wang Meng, dropped his combat blade, placed his hands on his head, and crouched down. Wang Meng felt aggrieved, but he had no choice but to follow Luo Zhe's lead and crouch down with his hands on his head.

Wan Dong flashed a toothy grin at Luo Zhe. Under the bright searchlight, Luo Zhe could see blood staining the other man's teeth; he must have been forced to cough up blood from that earlier strike.

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

Whether by national law or the specific regulations of this monster-infested town, it was explicitly forbidden for martial artists to kill each other. Yet, the three of them had openly violated the rules, filling the stern-faced officer—who spent his days defending the country and bleeding on the front lines of the military region—with a belly full of rage.

If you have that kind of skill, go to the wilderness and kill monsters! Don't fight among your own kind!

Soon, a squad of soldiers marched into the town. Under their escort, the three were taken back to the Northern Military Region, locked in separate dark rooms, and left to await interrogation.

The cold, dim room was empty and devoid of any light, causing one's mind to wander and one's body to tremble.

This was Luo Zhe's first time in a dark room. In the pitch-black space, he didn't bother checking if the floor was dirty; he simply sat cross-legged and pondered everything that had just happened.

First, he had accidentally encountered the severely injured Wang Meng, then, while looking for a place to settle, he had inexplicably ended up in a fight with Wan Dong, and finally, he had been detained by the military.

As he thought, Luo Zhe suddenly chuckled. Wan Dong's reckless, head-on approach was clearly a setup. If he hadn't struck first, the other party likely wouldn't have dared to make a move, as this was a high-security military assessment zone monitored by countless cameras.

He just didn't know if Wang Meng had truly run into him by accident or if he had been specifically targeted. If it were the latter, the wounds on Wang Meng's body, the sudden twenty million in his bank account, and the strikes he had landed on Wan Dong would make it impossible for him to clear his name, even if he had ten mouths to explain.

From this perspective, was he truly doomed?

But Luo Zhe felt no regret. Even if the scene were to repeat itself, knowing the other party was acting, he would still have swung that blade. He would not, and could never, entrust his personal safety to someone else!

His only hope now was Wang Meng. The black card in Wang Meng's possession showed that his background was anything but simple. Furthermore, Wang Meng hadn't attacked; he was a bystander who had heard every word of their conversation from the start. If Wang Meng were willing to stand on his side and clarify the situation, Luo Zhe would have a chance to turn the tables!

If, however, heaven truly did not favor him—if Wang Meng refused to speak for him, or if Wang Meng had been hired specifically to frame him—then he would have to accept his fate.

At worst, I'll retreat into the Dimensional Space and stay there for ten or twenty years, training until I reach the War God level or even beyond—invincible! By then, let's see who dares to arrest me!

Though he thought it, Luo Zhe knew this was his final resort. Unless absolutely necessary, he would never take that step.

Although there was no hunger, thirst, or fatigue in the Dimensional Space, the area was so small that, to put it bluntly, there wasn't even enough room to roll over!

Moreover, Luo Zhe had already experimented; while the Dimensional Space was filled with abundant cosmic energy, the effects of long-term cultivation inside were not as good as he had imagined.

While the abundant cosmic energy could maintain the body's functions, it also meant that to achieve the same training results as in the outside world, the physical exertion required would have to be far greater!

Besides, being alone in such a cramped space for so long—anyone would go crazy!

Just as Luo Zhe was lost in his wild thoughts in the dark room, the outside world was in an uproar over their incident.

On the outskirts of the Northern Military Region, inside a conference room on the third floor of a detached villa.

Zhuge Tao, dressed in a dark, faintly silver-flecked combat suit, leaned back in his chair with his eyelids drooping. His usual warm smile had vanished, and he radiated an aura of suppressed rage that seemed to permeate the entire room.

Sitting directly opposite Zhuge Tao was Supervisor Wang Ji of the Thunder Martial Arts Hall. At this moment, a joyful smile was plastered on his face, completely ignoring Zhuge Tao's murderous glare, and he would occasionally turn to look at Zhuge Tao with a smug expression.

At the head of the table sat Yan He, a high-ranking official of the Northern Military Region. Facing the two clearly hostile men, Yan He remained expressionless, making no move to intervene.

"I will reiterate: it is absolutely impossible for a member of my Extreme Martial Arts Hall to have done such a thing!" Zhuge Tao said with a cold face, shooting a fierce glare at Wang Ji across from him.

He had always found this man particularly annoying, but now, he was truly an eyesore!

Wang Ji chuckled and glanced sideways at Zhuge Tao. "Zhuge, I can't agree with that. As the saying goes, you can know a person's face but not their heart. Who knows? Some people might look like upright gentlemen on the surface, but be nothing more than scum behind closed doors."

"You!" This pointed remark made Zhuge Tao flare up instantly, his gaze cold as he stared at the other man.

After a long silence, Zhuge Tao took a deep breath to steady his emotions and turned to look at Yan He. "I demand to see the full surveillance footage, and I want to see Luo Zhe. I'll say it again: it is absolutely impossible for a member of my Extreme Martial Arts Hall to have done such a thing!"