"Balanophora"

On a dark and windy night, murder and arson are most likely to occur.

"Mommy... why is that big brother squatting on the telephone pole?" A child's voice broke the silence of the night.

Then came a hurried female voice. "Xiaohui, come back quickly! That person might have some kind of mental illness. Stay away from him."

This conversation made Lu Guan, who was squatting on a telephone pole cosplaying as Itachi Uchiha, twitch his lips wildly, feeling like his Grit was about to be maxed out.

And so, his aura was no longer concealed, and it was revealed—

Likely to be Calamity Class!

Yes, kids, Resonator's rating is based on their Echo Energy level, and it's not strongly related to their actual combat strength. So theoretically speaking... Lu Guan is still just an ordinary Resonator at the Overlord Class.

In terms of combat, if we only compare basic stats, Lu Guan could actually overpower Bird Window Bro in his normal state simply by using Resonance Power in conjunction with his physical body...

If you add his incredibly cunning mechanics and a whole bunch of buffs that make him come running whenever he wants, bullying a regular Calamity Class enemy like Dania would be a piece of cake...

Don't get me wrong, this is legitimate bullying.

"Phew..." Lu Guan let out a long sigh and slowly landed in front of a tightly closed door. "This should be it, right?"

Having said that, he raised his right fist, his entire body surging with power, his clothes fluttering without wind, and he transformed his accumulated Grit into a golden dragon, which he then unleashed with tremendous force.

"Intentionally--"

"Boom punch!!!"

Before the fist even touched the door, the shockwave it carried crushed the vermilion door and the wall beside it, tearing away the moss at the base of the wall.

Lu Guan's fist continued its momentum, slamming straight into the door lock. The force of the punch, along with the phantom of the golden dragon, sent the entire door and the adjacent wall flying.

As the smoke and dust cleared, Lu Guan slowly walked into the Wang Family's territory. He saw that the roof of the house directly opposite the entrance had been smashed into a crater by the gate, and the guards and servants who came after hearing the noise surrounded him.

"Cough cough--"

A white-haired man in a purple robe stepped out from the side, brushed away the dust in front of him, and then glared angrily at Lu Guan.

"Who are you? How dare you trespass into my Wang Family's residence in the dead of night!"

Lu Guan around and said coldly, "How dare you speak to me like that? Is this the courage you have to face me, these few worthless scoundrels?"

"Arrogant!" the purple-robed man roared. "Entering uninvited means you're definitely an enemy, not a friend! You—what are you waiting for? Attack now!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the Wang Family servants scattered and fled.

This guy looks like someone you don't want to mess with. We're just a bunch of ordinary people, we can just act as the atmosphere-setter. Do you really expect us to go and fight the Resonator?

Are you kidding me, buddy?! We're just servants, not suicide squads. How much do we even get paid a month? Why would we risk our lives like that?

The remaining guards exchanged glances and hesitated for a moment, but before they could make a move, Lu Guan bypassed them and grabbed the purple-robed man by the throat.

"According to the normal plot development... I should have inquired about the engagement." Lu Guan smiled warmly, but in the eyes of the purple-robed man, his smile was like a demon demanding death.

"However... I've never liked dragging things out."

"Besides, I'm too lazy to play political games with you bunch of scheming rats, and I'm even less inclined to reason with you scoundrels. You're not worthy of my attention!"

"Die! I'll make sure everyone behind you goes down to join you!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Lu Guan crushed the purple-robed man's throat, and he fell to the ground like a kite with its string cut, clutching his neck and making "hoarse" sounds.

Soon, after struggling for a while, the purple-robed man's pupils began to dilate, and he died with an incredulous look in his eyes.

The remaining guards of the Wang Family immediately fell silent, frozen in place, not daring to move an inch, for fear of angering the living Yama who was about to take their lives.

"Hmm... are you all from the Wang Family family?" Lu Guan frowned as he looked at the guards. "Or... is it just a simple employer-employee relationship?"

"Replying to... replying to your question, sir," the guard who appeared to be the captain hurriedly replied, "We are originally from the outlaw world, hired by the Wang Family patriarch to guard this place. We are by no means related to the Wang Family..."

"So, you're not the ones I'm looking for." Lu Guan nodded. "Do you know where the rest of the Wang Family are?"

Lu Guan was by no means a bloodthirsty person; he always had a high tolerance for the innocent. After learning that these guards were merely employees of the Wang Family and had not shown any obvious hostility towards him, he abandoned his intention to kill them.

"There's only one steward from the Wang Family in the front yard..." The captain of the guard looked at the purple-robed man whose body lay in a gruesome state, "The other family members, including the head of the Wang Family, are in the back yard..."

"Hmm... the commotion here must have alerted them." Lu Guan to the guard captain, "Hey you, I have a task for you..."

"Whatever your command, sir... I would never dare disobey!"

"Go to the backyard... bring the entire Wang Family here," Lu Guan ordered. "Regardless of age or gender, anyone related to the Wang Family, bring them here!"

"This..." The captain of the guard hesitated for a moment, but quickly remembered the purple-robed steward's death, and hurriedly bowed, "Yes... please wait a moment, sir... we will go immediately..."

After saying this, the captain of the guards hurriedly called the others and headed towards the backyard, not daring to linger for even a moment, for fear that any further hesitation would lead them down the same path as the purple-robed steward.

After the group left, Lu Guan snorted coldly and looked at the shadows not far away, "Those cowards hiding their heads and tails, it's time to come out!"

"As expected of a man who can make the president suffer repeated setbacks." A seductive female voice rang out, and a woman with snake scales on her face emerged from the shadows, looking at Lu Guan with a mysterious smile.

"Balanophora"

Lu Guan accurately called out the woman's name. No, it should be her code name in the Fractsidus.

"Looks like you know me quite well now." "Balanophora" sat down at the stone table, her tone inexplicably irritating. "I didn't expect you to come alone before the plan even began..."

"Should I say you're courageous... or..."

Before she could finish speaking, the woman suddenly sprang up, and a giant snake made of vines shot out from under her sleeve, aiming straight for Lu Guan's face.

"Hmph... So you're going all out from the start?" Lu Guan, who was already on guard, snorted coldly and leaped away to dodge the sudden killing move.

"The man our respected guild leader longs for, I dare not neglect in the slightest..." Seeing her attack miss, "Balanophora" immediately retreated and drew her sword, "Naturally, I should... go all out!"

Immediately, several more sharp sword energies were unleashed.

Lu Guan didn't even bother dodging an attack of this level. "Knowing that she failed against me before, you still dare to come alone..."

"Commendable courage, but I'll return that phrase to you..."

Lu Guan touched the wound on his cheek that had just been inflicted by the "Balanophora" sword energy, and it healed in less than half a breath.

"I'm in a really bad mood today, and you're unlucky to run into me!"

As he spoke, Lu Guan summoned a swift blade from his hand. "Don't you like swords... how about we have a swordsmanship contest?"

"... I didn't realize you had such refined tastes." "Balanophora" smiled faintly. "Of course... If Young Master Lu wishes, I'll gladly oblige."

"Hehe~" Lu Guan grinned. Those who knew him well knew that this guy had come up with some shady tactics again. "I hope you won't regret this decision~"

"No need... I'm very confident in my swordsmanship." "Balanophora" didn't know much about Lu Guan, and naturally didn't know the extent of his skill.

Just looking at their ranks... I'm a whole order of magnitude higher than him!

The tsunami is raging, but the advantage is mine!

As soon as he finished speaking, "Balanophora" swung his sword and attacked.

Lu Guan did not react to the deadly sword moves of "Balanophora," standing frozen in place as if he were terrified.

He spoke just as the sword tip was about to pierce his neck.

"Sword intent leaves no trace, snow blankets a thousand mountains!"

A blue sword intent quietly bloomed, and "Balanophora's" attack was suddenly repelled as if it had been struck by a large elbow. The sudden change made her almost lose her grip on the sword, and she had to take several steps back to stabilize herself.

"What kind of move is this?" "Balanophora" is too cultured; if it were anyone else, they probably would have started cursing.

"The ' Traceless Sword Intent,' isn't it amazing!" Lu Guan chuckled. He was using the unique skill of the Taibai Sword Sect from the game "Moonlight Blade"—the "Traceless Sword Intent."

Once activated, this move can interrupt any melee attack, making it arguably one of the most overpowered crowd control break skills in the entire game.

"Can this kind of technique really be considered swordsmanship?" "Balanophora" grumbled through gritted teeth. She was starting to understand why the guild leader kept bringing up this guy...

"Why not?" Lu Guan retorted. "This is genuine sword intent, not something a scoundrel like you who doesn't even know what sword intent is can slander!"