Breaking Through

Seeing the mountain draw closer and closer, Chen Muye remained as steady as an old dog, even swiftly lighting a cigarette.

A few wisps of blue smoke rose, and a blood-steeped figure swooped in to block the path directly in front of Chen Muye.

Wang Quan threw a straight punch toward the mountain, and with the point of contact as the center, countless cracks spread outward.

After a thunderous explosion, the hundred-meter mountain transformed into falling gravel filling the sky.

"Captain Chen, you aren't flustered in the least!" Wang Quan glanced back,complaining helplessly.

"What's there to be flustered about?"

"Aren't you right here!"

"That's right, how much longer until you break through?"

Wang Quan did not answer, stepping out from the peak of the mountain. A blood-red shooting star streaked across the firmament, and his confident voice rang out:

"Right now!"

As his words fell, a beam of blood-red light soared from the ground, and a colossal blood-red dragon coiled upward along the pillar of light, its dragon head adorned with a touch of golden brilliance-that was Wang Quan.

"Roar, roar, roar!"

The Mythical Creature roared at the giant dragon, and circles of black ripples expanded outward. In the blink of an eye, a layer of metallic-textured dark-colored armor coated its body.

This giant beast began to spin itself at an increasingly rapid speed. Viewed from afar, beneath the blood-red firmament, its body resembled a black gear, and the outermost layer was even encircled by a fragmented-looking starry ring.

At this moment, the aura of the Mythical Creature reached its absolute peak. Those surviving half-sections of the mountains were churned into a valley, yet massive amounts of rock piled up to form an entirely new, towering mountain.

Wang Quan stepped upon the dragon's head, standing proudly in the clouds, staring down with an expression of excitement.

He unhurriedly tore open a candy wrapper and popped a blueberry-flavored lollipop into his mouth.

Chen Muye sitting cross-legged atop the mountain peak, Wang Quan standing tall in the vault of heaven, the giant beast poised for action...

At this very moment, a subtle balance seemed to have been struck among the three of them, or perhaps it was the calm before the storm.

Chen Muye inhaled the final drag of his cigarette and gently flicked the butt away.

In an instant, Wang Quan moved, and the giant beast moved as well.

One in the sky, one on the ground,

Red and black divided the heavens and the earth.

The dragon's roar shook the skies, and the beast's howl rattled the earth.

This heaven-shaking and earth-shattering scene was deeply imprinted in everyone's hearts. Pedestrians in the urban area of Cangnan City stopped in their tracks to gaze, the bizarre spectacle stunning everyone.

A pair of pupils after pair reflected a scene resembling divine retribution.

The giant dragon, intertwined with the black gear, became locked at the edge of the horizon.

Suddenly, the blood-red giant dragon shattered, and a rain of light illuminated a large portion of Cangnan.

For some reason, everyone inexplicably felt afraid.

Did Wang Quan lose?

Chen Muye sprang up abruptly, his brow furrowed tightly, and the straight sword in his hand emitted wave after wave of sword hums.

The armor surrounding the Mythical Creature began to disintegrate piece by piece, but its aura persisted.

Right at that moment, a brilliant golden light sword erupted from the ground, piercing straight through the body of the giant beast.

Beast blood stained the light sword, and within the hundred-meter-deep crater, Wang Quan proudly lifted his chin, holding the White-Cleaver in his hand-the phantom of that light sword originated from that Tang Dao.

He had broken through.

His spiritual energy was near-infinite, vast and mighty, which was the fifth realm, "Boundless".

The spiritual energy of the Sea Realm was insufficient to support him in simultaneously utilizing two entirely different abilities, but now he was fully capable of it.

Wang Quan gently swung the White-Cleaver, and the blood-stained light sword beneath the sky slashed down along with it.

With a single sweep of the sword, all things bowed in submission.

This Mythical Creature shattered with a boom, resembling an illusion, and even more so like a nightmare.

Clang--!

The Tang Dao invaded, and Wang Quan looked up toward the sole remaining peak, gazing across the distance at Chen Muye as he smiled and said, "Captain Chen, there are bugs!"

"I'll take my leave first!"

"Alright!"

"Congratulations on entering the Boundless realm!"

Chen Muye was genuinely happy for Wang Quan, his heart filled with admiration for this fellow's endless potential.

"Everything has fallen naturally into place like water flowing!"

Wang Quan smiled faintly, turned around, and vanished.

He was already at the peak of the Sea Realm; all he lacked for a breakthrough was a life-or-death battle.

The appearance of this Mythical Creature had given him that opportunity, and everything was simply going with the flow.

Chen Muye sheathed his saber and cast a final glance at the devastated mountains.

Only one of the dozen continuous mountains remained beneath his feet, surrounded by a hundred-meter-deep valley spanning several miles; this battle had directly altered the terrain.

Of course, contrasting with this mountain was the newly formed, diminutive peak.

"Hiss~"

"How are we going to explain this?"

"An earthquake?"

"Uh!"

"It seems that's the only option!"

Chen Muye wore a troubled expression; handling the aftermath was a major problem.

"Oh well, everyone in the Logistics Department is a genius!"

He shook his head and turned to leap down from the mountain peak.

A short while later, Chen Muye returned to the Peace Office.

In the basement, he was surrounded by the members of the 136 Squad.

"Captain, Captain, where is Wang Quan?"

"Is he alright?"

"Why didn't he come back with you?"

Hongying's little mouth never stopped moving, and her triple-barreled questioning completely bewildered Chen Muye-wasn't I your dear captain?

"He's fine, and he broke through!"

"Yay!" Hongying jumped high into the air, extremely happy.

Chen Muye: "Uh!"

"The matter is resolved, where did Wang Quan go?"

"Could something have snuck in?" Wu Xiangnan reacted quickly and asked.

"Probably!"

"Wang Quan has already gone to deal with it!"

"We're responsible for investigating the interior of the city; that Mythical Creature didn't look like a natural occurrence." Chen Muye stood up, his gaze sweeping over the group as he explained.

"Qimo, contact the relevant departments and adapt today's events for public release!"

"Alright!" Wen Qimo nodded and immediately left the hall.

"Qiye, you and Old Zhao team up to inspect the west side of the city!"

"Hongying and Xiaonan take charge of the east side!"

"I'm going to the city center!"

"Xiangnan and Leng Xuan, head to the old district!"

Chen Muye made a prompt and decisive decision, swiftly assigning the tasks.

"Understood!"

The execution efficiency of the 136 Squad remained high. Grabbing their gear, the members successively left the Peace Office.

Half an hour later, a black van parked in the shopping mall parking lot.

"Kid, what are you thinking about?" Zhao Kongcheng knocked on Lin Qiye's head and asked.

"I'm wondering just how formidable one's strength must be to cause the heavens and the earth to change color."

"At least the Fourth Realm or above!" Zhao Kongcheng replied.

Suddenly, the car radio began broadcasting the news.

"Underground gas leakage following earthquake triggers explosion; sky anomaly leaves no casualties! Today, following a magnitude 5.3 earthquake in the southwestern mountainous region of our city, crustal fissures released a large volume of flammable gas, which encountered an open flame and triggered a series of explosions. A dark-red celestial phenomenon abruptly appeared over the urban area, leading to a mirage phenomenon. Emergency departments have sealed off the site, and inspections confirm no casualties. Experts state that the gas composition is a mixture of methane and hydrogen sulfide, which has stabilized through natural diffusion following the explosion. Currently, geological monitoring teams are assessing subsequent risks and reminding the public to stay away from fault zone areas."

The news continued to loop in replay. Zhao Kongcheng and Lin Qiye exchanged glances, and the former mocked, "Well, well! That kid Qimo really has high efficiency! He's already fabricated the narrative!"

"Truly impressive!" Lin Qiye nodded. Involuntarily, he caught sight of the bustling pedestrians coming and going-a group of fellows living in a beautiful world.

Who would have guessed that the so-called earthquake was caused by a battle between humans and monsters.

Thinking about it this way, it seemed he understood things a bit more clearly.

But is it better to understand things clearly?

Or is it better to be a bit foolish?

There was no way to know the answer to that.