The Power of Gathering

Yaming stood on the podium and said in a very calm tone, "Heh, not bad. To think you'd actually bring a regular army to our doorstep. You are all too ignorant; with just this many troops and 'gifted ones,' I don't even need to lift a finger!" After she finished speaking, Yaming gave a light wave of her hand, and a massive protective barrier enveloped everyone in the Pitch Black Plaza.

The gifted ones flying in the sky—one of the leaders spoke up, "Don't get too cocky! Open fire, take them out!" As the words left his mouth, dozens of restricted-class missiles and countless reinforced explosive warheads roared toward the crowd at Pitch Black!

The gifted ones didn't move, but the massive sparks and thunderous roars shook the earth. Smoke billowed everywhere, making it impossible to see a thing.

As the smoke slowly dissipated, the people of Pitch Black stood safely and soundly inside the protective barrier. The people from Sea of Fire went mad; how could firepower capable of destroying a city fail to even crack a single shield?

At this moment, another person on the podium spoke. Judging by the voice, it should have been Kuo Ming, "You might have managed a crack in the shield if you'd brought a nuclear warhead, but what is this shrimp-level firepower? Sea of Fire, oh Sea of Fire, because of those four dead people, I have no choice but to make your company vanish from this world!"

Kuo Ming made his move, surging toward the gifted ones with a massive flow of energy. The moment he streaked through the air, several armed helicopters flying near him were torn into shreds. Before the gifted ones could even retaliate, they had all turned into pools of blood. Shortly after, the debris and blood vanished into thin air, and the remaining helicopters exploded for no reason.

The people on the perimeter began to move, and all sorts of strange abilities manifested in Guangcheng Heming's eyes.

Qiming smiled and said to Heming, "Heh, see that? Miss Yaming knew they would come to attack long ago. Those on the perimeter are all Level 1 and Level 2 elites; these three thousand regular soldiers aren't even worth looking at. I imagine it should only take two minutes..." Qiming didn't finish his sentence.

In less than 40 seconds, it was over. Three thousand well-equipped regular soldiers—even Qiming didn't know what to say.

In the next few seconds, the people on the perimeter returned to their original positions, and three more people emerged from the very back of the perimeter to walk toward the podium.

Qiming cursed softly, "Damn, there were actually three special-class ones mixed in the perimeter. No wonder it was so fast. The ten people on the podium now are all the main figures of Pitch Black. Although not all of them are here, these ten combined could destroy a major nation just for fun—though, of course, no one would actually do that."

Yaming scanned the plaza, using a powerful flow of pink energy to decompose the corpses of the regular soldiers and turn them into crystals. The crystals slowly floated into the sky and then vanished.

Yaming said in a very sorrowful tone, "We do not enjoy conflict, and we are even less willing to kill. The immediate families of those who died will receive compensation and letters of apology from Pitch Black, and then their memories will be erased. We do not wish to bring misfortune to others; we do this only to protect ourselves. Sea of Fire has over eight hundred branches worldwide; we only need to destroy their two hundred main companies. As for the rest, we will let Sea of Fire's enemies acquire them. When executing the destruction missions, you must be careful regarding ordinary people; do not harm them unless absolutely necessary. As for the special individuals and direct subordinates of Sea of Fire, sending them away is fine. The goal this time is to destroy Sea of Fire in one fell swoop. Since the founding of Pitch Black, this is the first time we have been betrayed, and the first time we have been directly attacked. Kuo Ming will distribute your tasks shortly. I hope everyone will be careful while carrying out your missions." After speaking, she left the podium and headed backstage.

After Yaming left, Kuo Ming stepped forward and said, "The Sea of Fire headquarters will be handled by the ten of us personally, and then we will distribute the rest according to the strength of each action team..."

Over an hour later, all assignments were completed. Our team's mission was the Qinghai branch in China; detailed information had to be retrieved at the Pitch Black Plaza.

After the meeting adjourned, Qiming gathered us at the entrance with the documents in hand.

We boarded the special vehicle prepared by the organization.

In the car, Qiming said, "The Qinghai branch has a total of three hundred and fifty-seven armed direct subordinates and four traitors from an ancient Chinese demonic sect. The mission time is in three days. The organization's intent is to strike simultaneously. We will arrive there first and then wait for the organization's intelligence before acting. Heming, you are still a novice, so for this mission, you only need to deal with the armed militants. Your internal energy is quite good, but you aren't familiar with how to fight yet. We'll practice a bit once we arrive, otherwise, it won't be good if you get killed by a bullet."

Heming nodded.

Three days later, near the Sea of Fire Qinghai branch, Qiming and the other three crouched in a corner, looking like a group of small-time thugs.

Qiming checked his watch and said, "Ming Yin and Xi Ming have already started. Let's move out. Heming, your target is the basement; no one will fight you for it. Meet up with us upstairs once you've finished."

Heming and the others nodded and set off.

Heming headed to the parking lot alone, quietly taking out the security guards at the door before sneaking toward the basement.

In the previous two and a half days, Qiming had taught Heming the Pitch Black Heart Method that everyone in the organization knew. According to Pitch Black's rules, those with a rank below Level 3 could only learn the introductory heart method. The method was simple to practice and highly effective; it could improve physical strength and speed, and generate energy within one's body. However, the methods for using that energy required the primary heart method, which wasn't of much use right now.

Before learning the heart method, Qiming had mentioned that the power Kuo Ming used at the Pitch Black Plaza was likely less than one-tenth of his total. Generally speaking, if a special-class member used their full strength, even a Level 2 couldn't see their movements clearly. Yet, at the Pitch Black Plaza, everyone could see Kuo Ming's movements, which meant Kuo Ming was just playing with those people...

"Also, while learning the heart method, it will naturally force out your body's special constitution. Your special constitution is 'rapid improvement,' which is a decent one. In this team, besides me, you are the only one with rapid improvement. Oh, I have 'high-speed improvement,' which is a little bit better than yours, heh..."

At the basement entrance, Heming easily took out the two guards on duty and charged straight through the main door. Some of the people inside hadn't even reacted before Heming sent them flying, while those who did react tried to reach for their pistols. Unfortunately, Heming's movement speed was now three times that of a normal person, and many were taken out before they could even process what was happening.

Not long after, all forty-seven people in the basement were dead at Heming's hands. Heming felt quite proud of himself; it turned out that killing was this simple.

He didn't have time to dwell on it, because this was the path he had chosen. He had already steeled his resolve; Qiming had talked to him about killing before they even arrived...

After installing the bombs, Heming took the elevator straight to the top floor. As he exited, he casually planted a bomb on the elevator. Qiming and the others had already finished the battle; four guys in black trench coats lay on the ground.

Seeing Heming approach, Qiming said, "These guys didn't bother to cultivate and instead spent their time wining and dining. There was supposed to be a tough fight, but they were more than half as weak as the data from two years ago suggested. We took them out as soon as we started. How boring. Xi Ming, report to headquarters: the Qinghai branch has been destroyed. Let's go."

Two hours later, the Sea of Fire Qinghai branch ended in a loud explosion, and we arrived at the designated location as ordered.

Another two hours later, Qiming and the others returned to the Okinawa branch to wait for headquarters to summarize the operation.

It was a very long summary process.

I won't go into the details.

In any case, Sea of Fire, this global company, had vanished as of today.

Everyone in Pitch Black was given a three-day holiday, except for Heming. Due to certain reasons, Heming was to execute a relatively simple mission: protecting two special individuals.

Qiming explained the detailed mission after the others had left.

"This mission was arranged directly by Kuo Ming. The people you are to protect are two Chinese nationals visiting Japan. The mission duration is uncertain; in other words, they might leave in a few hours, or they might stay for years. It depends on luck. You're quite lucky; the chance of this kind of mission appearing is less than one in ten thousand. Anyway, go back to the room the company arranged and rest for the night. Tomorrow, head to Tokyo Airport to pick them up. Here are their photos; they will take the initiative to greet you. Yeah, the mission is very easy, just be a little careful. Also, don't talk nonsense. They aren't ordinary people. You should know that although it's called 'protecting' them, the actual meaning is for you to learn a thing or two from them during this time. I'll warn you now: last time, the US branch sent two Level 2s to protect them, and they started fighting after only a few words. Those two guys spent three months in the hospital, and headquarters had no choice but to send more people. You're on your own; I'm still very busy. Go on. Hey, hey, take the credit card. No matter what you do, remember to pay first. That's the key point."

Heming wanted to complain after hearing all that from Qiming, but he had no chance at all. He returned to his "home," lay on the bed, and began practicing the Pitch Black Heart Method. He didn't know how long he practiced before he fell asleep. When he woke up again, it was already dawn. He was a very punctual person, and he arrived at the airport before the designated time, waiting for the arrival of those two people.

The airport announcement rang out: "Flight from China has arrived. Will the gentlemen and ladies waiting for passengers please proceed to Exit 2 immediately? Thank you for your cooperation."

Heming stood by the exit, watching. Passengers were already coming out.

It wasn't until almost all the passengers had left that Heming saw two young Chinese people dressed in ordinary clothes walk out. They matched the characteristics in the file perfectly—a man and a woman. Heming immediately walked up to them.

"My name is Guangcheng Heming, and I am the person in charge of this protection mission. Welcome to Japan." Heming greeted the two guests, who were younger than him, very politely.

"My name is Lv Tian, and she is called Zhen Yajie. These are aliases, though I would have liked to use Zhen Ming, but due to some special reasons, I had to give up. Our first destination is the new commercial district in Tokyo, Japan. Wind Valley, you be our guide!" The young man spoke to Heming.

Zhen Yajie took Lv Tian's arm and said, "She sends someone to bother us every time. She really is thoughtful, heh."

Lv Tian smiled at Heming and gestured for him to lead the way.

After the three of them left, a person standing in a corner of the airport said, "Target confirmed. Continuing observation. All units, do not act rashly."