Several days passed in the blink of an eye.
The spring rain in Qingshan City fell on and off, and the skies never cleared.
The leaden clouds lent the air an oppressive weight.
Even the crowds at the shopping plaza had thinned considerably.
"What kind of job is this?!"
Ning Chuan leaned against a tree on a street in the plaza, gazing listlessly at the rain, fine as ox hair.
Over the past few days, they had failed to catch Zhao Weiping.
The people they checked...
Either they wore masks because they were sick, or they had undergone plastic surgery or put on such heavy makeup that the Dragnet system couldn't recognize them.
This hardly felt like helping the police.
It was no different from being a security guard at the shopping plaza.
His only reward was the contact information a few pretty office workers had slipped him.
"If you can't keep going, you can take a nap in the police car."
Zhou Wei walked over under a black umbrella.
"I'm fine."
Ning Chuan's eyes were clear, with no sign of fatigue.
He had advanced to Awakening Stage Six that morning. With his powerful physique, going without sleep for several days was no problem.
A formal martial artist like Zhou Wei, if he really pushed himself, could go ten days or even half a month without sleep.
Suddenly, an urgent voice rang out through the earpiece.
It wasn't Dragnet's artificial intelligence, which was incapable of emotion. The speaker was a police station dispatcher.
"Attention, all officers! At the western entrance to Qingshan City's second ring expressway, Zhao Weiping drove through a checkpoint and is heading toward Ten Thousand Li of Green Mountains. The vehicle is a white Galloping Horse F230. Officers in the vicinity, proceed to intercept immediately!"
"I repeat!"
"Zhao Weiping has driven through a checkpoint..."
Ning Chuan pulled out his earpiece and gave Zhou Wei a helpless smile. "Looks like my job is over."
Given the police station's preparations, there was no way Zhao Weiping could escape once he showed himself.
"Want to come take a look with me?"
Zhou Wei took the earpiece and grinned.
With Zhao Weiping about to be arrested, much of the pressure on him had lifted.
Ning Chuan shook his head. "The western entrance to the second ring is dozens of li from here. By the time we get there, the arrest will probably be over!"
Beside him, Lu Mengyue said, "I'm not going either."
"Then see you. If we get the chance, I'll treat you both to a meal."
After exchanging a few pleasantries, Zhou Wei drove away.
"Ning Chuan, what are you going to do now? Go home?"
Lu Mengyue watched the police car disappear into the rain and asked casually.
"Yeah," Ning Chuan said. "I'll buy some ferocious beast meat and then head back."
Ferocious beast meat was considerably less effective than the Hundred Beasts Nutrient Solution, but it was cheaper, making it better value for him.
"Then let's go together. I'm going to the butcher's too."
"Huh?!"
Ning Chuan couldn't help feeling surprised.
"Why are you so surprised? I'm not some young lady who's never dipped her fingers in spring water!" Lu Mengyue rolled her eyes at him. "I'm really interested in cooking. I have a junior chef's certificate, and after the college entrance exam, I'm planning to go up another level!"
"Haha, let's go."
"When is this rain going to stop?!"
The butcher's was not far away. The two chatted as they walked and soon arrived.
Because of the rain, there was only one customer in the shop.
Perhaps because of the pungent smell of raw meat, the customer wore a mask that covered his face snugly. He picked and chose at the counter, asking for many cuts of ferocious beast meat.
The moment Lu Mengyue saw the mask, she said instinctively, "Sir, we're assisting the police. Please remove your mask and show us your ID."
It's only been a few days, and she's already developed an occupational habit?!
Ning Chuan was just about to tease her when he saw the customer turn around and take off his mask.
The face he revealed looked extraordinarily familiar.
It shocked Ning Chuan, too. His right hand gripped Silver Blood's hilt like lightning.
The Heavenly Martial spy, Zhao Weiping!
"You're..."
Zhao Weiping's face had appeared on television many times, and the butcher recognized him on the spot.
He had only just opened his mouth.
Zhao Weiping struck out with a palm, the blow heavy with force. With a bang, the butcher's head was driven into his chest, leaving him dead in a gruesome state.
The shop's two security guards reacted quickly and were about to fire their pistols!
Thud!
Thud!
Two muffled sounds rang out.
The two High Awakening Stage guards dropped instantly, a sharp butcher's knife lodged in each of their hearts.
Blood stained the floor red.
Ning Chuan's scalp went numb.
He hadn't seen how Zhao Weiping had thrown the two knives at all.
That meant...
If Zhao Weiping's target had been him, a knife would be in his heart right now!
The police station's intelligence was wrong!
Zhao Weiping's injuries weren't that severe. Anyone who wasn't a formal martial artist was no match for him!
And wasn't Zhao Weiping supposed to be fleeing in a car?!
A chill rose in Ning Chuan's heart.
Meanwhile...
On a stretch of expressway in Qingshan City.
Dark clouds covered the sky, thick and heavy, like layer upon layer of black ink.
A white SUV tore through the curtain of rain like a roaring beast, traveling at more than five hundred kilometers per hour.
Dozens of police cars followed close behind.
The distance between them kept shrinking.
The police cars had superior performance.
Police chief Gu Tianyu stared at the white SUV ahead, a faint trace of doubt flashing in his eyes.
Zhao Weiping was highly skilled at counter-surveillance. Why would he choose such a stupid method as forcing his way through?
Once we catch him, we'll know everything!
Putting his doubts aside, Gu Tianyu pushed open the door of the speeding car.
In the blink of an eye, he vanished.
When he reappeared, Gu Tianyu was already a hundred meters away, standing on the roof of the white SUV. The fierce wind rushing toward him failed to make him tremble in the slightest.
Gu Tianyu raised the edge of his hand and chopped downward with force.
Boom!
A cyan wind blade nearly a zhang long appeared, slicing straight through the white SUV and cutting it in two.
The might of a knight was unstoppable!
The vehicle crashed onto the road, throwing up a shower of sparks.
Gu Tianyu reached out and pulled the driver from his seat.
His face was identical to Zhao Weiping's.
But his eyes were utterly vacant, like a puppet under someone else's control.
"Zhao Weiping, I declare you under arrest..."
Before he could finish, Gu Tianyu realized something was wrong and applied a little pressure with his hand.
Bang!
"Zhao Weiping's" body collapsed at once, turning into a few red specks of light that vanished completely in the rain.
All that remained were a few pieces of clothing.
"Clone Ability?!"
Gu Tianyu's expression changed.
"Damn it, he lured the tiger away from the mountain!"
The butcher's at the shopping plaza.
"I thought all the police had left the city!" There was a note of helplessness in Zhao Weiping's voice. "No, judging by your ages, you must be high school students helping the police.
"One at Awakening Stage Six, one at Awakening Stage Nine. The girl in particular is outstanding among her peers!"
Ning Chuan advanced to Awakening Stage Six?
Lu Mengyue was astonished.
Hadn't Ning Chuan only reached Awakening Stage Five a few days ago?!
But this was clearly not the time to ask.
"Still, couldn't you just stay alive? You had to go looking for death and make me waste time killing you!"
Zhao Weiping's expression turned cold, and he struck out with another palm.
Whoosh!
The wind from his palm was violent and blindingly fast, aimed at Lu Mengyue's forehead.
He would kill the girl at Awakening Stage Nine first.
Lu Mengyue bent backward with all her strength, her head narrowly evading the strike.
But her chest was exposed.
"A dying struggle!"
Zhao Weiping's gaze remained unmoved.
He had used Force in that palm strike. Even if it hit her chest, it was not something someone at Awakening Stage Nine could withstand.
But just as he was about to strike Lu Mengyue's chest...
Boom!
A bolt of blue and purple lightning shot from Lu Mengyue's chest, streaking through the air with terrifying force.
Zhao Weiping's expression changed instantly.
Lightning Protective Clothing!
Produced by the Federation Academy of Science and Technology, it cost five million apiece and could discharge a bolt of lightning carrying one hundred thousand volts.
Ordinary martial artists couldn't withstand it.
It was known as the "Pervert Terminator"!
As a spy, Zhao Weiping was naturally ruthless. After deciding he couldn't dodge, he pressed his tongue against his teeth and drove his palm forward with force.
Bang!
The blast wave swept out in every direction, almost solid in its force.
Nearby tables, chairs, and stools flew into the air and smashed against the walls, breaking into pieces.
Such was the violence of the collision.
Even Ning Chuan was hurled away by the blast, crashing through a floor-to-ceiling window and landing on the sidewalk outside.
Fortunately, he had trained in Vajra Body, and his physique was sturdy. He wasn't injured.
Only his school uniform had been slashed in several places by the glass.
Lu Mengyue was not so lucky.
Having taken the palm strike head-on, she flew backward like a cannonball and crashed into the middle of the street dozens of meters away with a bang. Her chest was slightly caved in, and she kept coughing up blood.
Inside the shop, Zhao Weiping wasn't in good shape either. His entire body trembled as electric arcs flickered over him.
Rumble!
A flash of lightning pierced the leaden clouds.
The rain grew heavier!