Soldiers surrounded them in layers. The high-ranking officials had different expressions. The Main Family Faction was furious and full of killing intent. Xiao Jin and others frowned and looked confused. Saqi's Red Isle Faction and Northern Faction looked astonished and couldn't believe it.
"Grab him!" Lagos's face contorted.
Xiao Jin frowned and interrupted, "This matter is suspicious. Black Phantom visited openly and honestly; he had absolutely no reason to do something like this."
"What if he's trying to mislead people with this kind of thinking?" a leader of the Northern Faction said.
"Then why would he bother visiting us? A quiet Assassination would be far more discreet!" Xiao Jin said.
"Our defenses are tight; he's trying to get in easily!" someone said.
"He and the book are the murderers, and you still want to make excuses for them?!" Lagos was agitated, drew his gun and pointed it at Han Xiao, but Saqi quickly pulled him back.
"Calm down, Black Phantom has no motive to do this..."
"Motive?!" Lagos's expression twisted with rage as he stared at Xiao Jin, gritting his teeth as he said, "None?"
Xiao Jin frowned. "You're overthinking it."
The Northern Faction and their Main Family Faction were closely aligned, and their general idea was to first subdue the most suspicious Black Phantom before investigating any clues. Saqi felt that Black Phantom was too dangerous and suggested questioning Han Xiao on the spot, but Lagos immediately interrupted, believing that not a single word Black Phantom said could be trusted, making it difficult to reach a consensus.
A large number of soldiers surrounded Han Xiao, and several powerful auras secretly locked onto him. While the higher-ups of Overmela were arguing, their attention was also focused on Han Xiao, ready to act immediately if there was any unusual movement.
Han Xiao pondered to himself, "Framing me will provoke a conflict between Overmela and the Dark Net Organization. Only a third party can benefit from this. Could this be the mastermind's purpose? If I go on a killing spree, I will fall into his trap just the same way. He just wants to get me into this cumbersome situation."
Han Xiao could break through the encirclement at any time. He didn't care about angering Overmela, but that played right into the hands of the mastermind. Escaping would be tantamount to admitting to taking the blame, and killing would create enemies. Surrendering was even more impossible. It seemed that the mastermind had succeeded in his plan.
"I've only been here a day, and I've already managed to imitate assassination techniques almost identical to mine. There must be a superhuman with exceptional assassination skills who has been lurking here all along, and my arrival has given them the opportunity."
Unless the True Culprit is found, no matter how many reasons there are to explain why he didn't need to do it, without solid evidence, he is still the most suspicious person. After all, you can't see into someone's heart. If you can't know everything and fully understand the other person, logical judgment cannot be used as an absolute basis.
"Wait, evidence..." Han Xiao had a sudden inspiration. Delo had only been discovered to have been assassinated not long ago, and Overmela's people hadn't thoroughly investigated the scene yet. The assassin might have left clues at the scene.
At this point, the debate among the higher-ups reached a conclusion, and Lagos roared, "Black Phantom, surrender!"
Xiao Jin added, "If you didn't do it, we will investigate thoroughly."
Han Xiao laughed, "You know this is impossible, so why don't you surrender?"
Neither side could trust the other, and neither was willing to risk disarming; it was a deadlock with no easy solution. However, Han Xiao had a sudden thought and said, "There's no point in continuing this stalemate. I can stay here for now, and you can send people to monitor me 24 hours a day. I'll wait for you to find out the truth."
Han Xiao was curious about who had framed him and found it amusing.
"That's one way to do it," Saqi said hastily, not wanting a conflict to break out.
Before Lagos could speak, someone in the crowd suddenly fired a shot. Han Xiao reacted quickly, his Magnetically Controlled Armor suddenly attaching itself to him, deflecting the bullet.
However, this caused the highly stressed soldiers to lose control and open fire.
"Fire!"
The conflict suddenly erupted!
"Someone fired a shot!" Han Xiao's eyes darkened. The scene was chaotic, but he recognized who it was: an ordinary soldier.
Barrages rained down from all directions, and Han Xiao could only deal with the barrage first. The enhanced Magnetically Controlled Armor had excellent defensive capabilities, and sparks flew everywhere, but it could not penetrate the armor.
His internal energy surged, channeling into a round piece of metal in his glove, activating the Magnetic Chain Split Blade. Seven sharp blades flew out of his pocket, sweeping out like a whirlwind, flashing silver light wildly. Many soldiers had their gun barrels sliced off, and they hurriedly retreated in fright, bumping into their comrades who were surrounding them.
As the enemy's firepower weakened, Han Xiao was about to rush towards the soldiers firing sniper shots when the superhuman guards hidden in the shadows made their move.
boom--
Suddenly, a surge of energy erupted from the crowd. Not just one, but four people—three martial artists and one superhuman who could transform into a human of fire—all rushed forward.
The fist, enveloped in flames, slammed down.
Bang--
The ground where he was standing cracked rapidly, and the walls also cracked at the same time. Han Xiao dodged in time and jumped into the air. Suddenly, a heat wave hit him. The fire man stretched out his arms, and a long, snake-like pillar of fire licked out.
A person in mid-air should have no way to avoid it, but that didn't apply to him. Han Xiao suddenly twisted the switch of the [Small Mobile Jet Device] on his belt, and several small boxes on the edge of the belt made a turbine-like sound, jetting air and a strong force came out from the belt, as if an invisible hand had pulled Han Xiao aside.
The fire serpent grazed its back, struck the wall, and pierced a large, charred hole.
"Forty-six, forty-eight, and forty-nine—three martial artists, and one level forty-five ability user—all Grade D superhumans. These should be the high-end combat force left behind by Overmela."
He used to find it troublesome, but now that his skills are maxed out and his combat power is stronger, he doesn't feel much pressure even without wearing a mecha. Han Xiao is more concerned about the soldiers who were sniping, but he found that many of his comrades were hit in the previous round of shooting, and the young soldier who was sniping was shot dead.
Han Xiao's heart skipped a beat; he didn't believe it was an accident.
"The person who framed me seems to have infiltrated Overmela deeply. Seeing that I backed down, they deliberately attacked me to provoke a conflict."
A thought flashed through Han Xiao's mind, and he obtained a new clue. He suppressed it and focused on dealing with the four superhumans and soldiers. With a twist of his hands, sharp blades swirled around him like a protective storm, cutting nearly ten times per second. Instantly, the three martial artists standing close to him bled. Wherever he passed, the soldiers' weapons were dismembered. He had used this kind of weapon in his previous life. He didn't need much practice and was an expert as soon as he picked it up. He deliberately held back and did not kill anyone.
His personal equipment, including the Magnetically Controlled Armor and Electromagnetic Hover Boots, has undergone [Precision Enhancement Modification], making its attributes even more powerful. Han Xiao's own combat strength has also reached its peak due to his skills being maxed out. He doesn't even need the Viper Han Xiao to deal with these four superhumans who are lower level than him. He can defeat them with the Magnetic Chain Split Blade as his main melee weapon.
Han Xiao's health points had reached 3,800, which was similar to that of martial artists of the same level. With the protection of his Magnetically Controlled Armor, he was very durable.
On the other side, the Bamboo Rain Guild witnessed Han Xiao defeat a group of soldiers and four superhumans. Bamboo Rain Xuanxuan recorded the whole thing and was extremely excited.
"That's the kind of material that's likely to be sensational."
Bamboo Rain Little Fei said in surprise, "I thought Black Phantom was their honored guest. Judging from what they said, it seems that Black Phantom killed their leader. I just Reconnaissance, and the four NPCs who fought him were all of [Extremely Deadly] danger level. What the forum said was indeed true; Black Phantom is one of the strongest among NPCs."
Zhu Yu Chenfeng rolled her eyes and said, "Of course, how could an NPC who gives out main quests not be strong?"
"Shh—" Bamboo Rain Drifting Fragrance made a shushing gesture, keeping a close eye on the scene, "Watch the plot quietly."
Superhumans possess destructive power far exceeding that of ordinary people. The entire mansion collapsed during the fierce battle. The upper echelons had already fled, filled with shock, anger, and tension. More superhumans were on their way, and they were certain they could wear down Black Phantom, provided that these four guards could hold him off.
Sharp blades sliced through the flames, Iron Fist clashed with armor. Han Xiao moved with incredible agility, as nimble as a weasel, his mobility terrifying. Four superhumans struggled to land a single blow on him. He feigned an opening, luring a martial artist into a rout. With his Electrothermal Cutting Gloves, he counterattacked, knocking one down first. Then, his blades swirled like a vortex, hacking at the fire-controlling superhuman, leaving him covered in wounds. His Magnetically Controlled Armor provided excellent heat insulation, limiting the damage the flames inflicted on him.
The remaining two quickly fell into a disadvantageous position.
laugh--
The sharp blade pierced through the martial artist's flesh and blood, shooting out of his body and bringing with it spurting blood. In the end, the martial artist convulsed all over, severely injured and unable to move.
"Damn it!" Lagos exclaimed in shock. The Black Phantom had taken down the four guards faster than he had expected. Reinforcements hadn't arrived yet, and the ground was a mess of broken bricks and tiles. No one could stop the Black Phantom.
If he were to unleash a massacre, the leadership would suffer heavy losses and be severely weakened.
Whoosh! A sharp blade hovered in front of Lagos, startling him so much that he hurriedly retreated. However, the blade followed him relentlessly until Lagos fell to the ground, his face filled with shock, anger, and fear.
Just then, Han Xiao suddenly sheathed his blade, wiped the blood splattered on his face, and said calmly, "I could kill you all, but that would fall into someone else's trap. Our agreement remains unchanged. I can stay and wait for you to find out the truth. If you insist on capturing me, I don't mind stabbing you a few times."
As he spoke, he flicked his finger, and the sharp blade danced in the air, the threat evident in his words.