Chapter 152: Ice and Fire

The powerful engine of the armed vehicle emitted a beast-like roar, and Qi Chen sat in the passenger seat, feeling the strong wind blowing in from the window.

Compared to the last large-scale anomalous event, the scope of this rebellion was far more widespread.

Once human factors were involved, the destructive nature of the situation would be amplified to the extreme.

Along the way, Qi Chen had lost count of how many battle zones he had passed through.

Smoke from gunfire and fallen soldiers of the City Guard, the Special Operations Team, and even ordinary commissioners from the Security Bureau were everywhere.

In some combat zones, the fighting had already ceased. Personnel from the Administrative Office, cooperating with the subordinates of General Guan—commander of the City Guard—were cleaning up the battlefield, those cold corpses looking particularly striking amidst the flames of war.

Yet, after seeing too much of it, one would slowly grow numb.

In many more places, fierce battles were still ongoing. Burdened with heavy responsibilities, Qi Chen and Warm Man could not spare the hands to support those fighting colleagues, and could only provide some meager assistance as they passed by.

"We're almost there," Warm Man said with a cigarette clamped between his lips, relying on the effect of nicotine to keep his mind sharp.

Qi Chen slowly opened his eyes. Lacking the habit of smoking, he had only been able to close his eyes and rest his mind just now.

Hearing Warm Man's voice, he looked forward, and the headquarters building of the Administrative Office suddenly came into view.

Screech!

With a sharp brake, Warm Man jerked the steering wheel hard, and the heavy armed vehicle executed a remarkably standard drift, coming to a halt sideways right in front of the Administrative Office headquarters.

Outside the iron fence were numerous corpses of those who had died in combat, consisting of both rebels and the armed forces of City Three stationed here.

"These bastards!" Pushing open the car door and looking at the fallen colleagues scattered everywhere, Warm Man could not help but curse angrily, his heart bleeding.

Qi Chen also remained silent. Looking at the familiar uniforms on the ground, he immediately recalled the team of special operations officers who had died alongside them in the Livelihood Shopping Mall.

These warriors, who usually trained diligently and dedicated their lives to City Three, did not ultimately fall under the guns of external enemies, but instead died at the hands of a betrayal by their own people.

Traitors were indeed far more hateful than enemies!

"Let's get inside quickly... With the intensity of the firefight here at the Administrative Office, I wonder if Elder Li is alright." Having grown increasingly steady and resolute through multiple battles, Qi Chen no longer easily plunged into sorrow as he used to do.

Now, he was able to quickly adjust his mindset and throw himself into new battles.

Warm Man nodded heavily, walked alongside Qi Chen through the retractable iron fence, and ran across the outer plaza, heading straight for the Administrative Office headquarters building.

......

Just outside the main lobby of the Administrative Office headquarters, Qi Chen and Warm Man instinctively sensed that something was terribly wrong.

Two completely opposite sensations—scorching heat and bone-chilling cold—were emanating simultaneously from within the lobby. This peculiar phenomenon undoubtedly indicated that two anomaly-bearers were fighting inside!

"Overlord!" "Enthusiast!"

The two shouted in unison. Overlord and Enthusiast materialized before them in a flash, forcefully shoving open the lobby doors!

Instantly, a piercingly cold wind rushed toward their faces, causing Qi Chen to shiver involuntarily.

Yet, looking closely into the lobby, there was not a single soul to be seen, though the interior's current appearance was astonishing.

The entire space was completely transformed into a dual world of ice and fire. Half was covered in thick frost, while on the ground of the other half, molten lava was actually flowing.

Right in the middle between the ice and the lava lay a distinct, sharply defined boundary line. The melted ice water and lava met here, turning into hard black solids upon which tiny water droplets continuously formed.

"The lingering anomalous aura is still very dense; the combatants left this place only a short while ago," Warm Man gave his judgment after sensing the residual anomalous aura in the space.

Qi Chen's perception was the same as his. The anomalous aura drifting in the air was still relatively concentrated, serving as clues left behind after unleashing anomalous abilities.

He was merely curious as to what exactly the anomalous abilities of the two combatants were.

Being able to create such a wondrous spectacle with mere human flesh undoubtedly marked them as extremely powerful anomaly-bearers. Moreover, their nature-like abilities opened Qi Chen's eyes even further.

It was his first time witnessing such elemental-like anomalous abilities capable of manipulating ice and fire.

Suddenly, however, he noticed that Warm Man's body had stiffened, turning his head to stare fixedly at a headless corpse upon the ice layer, as if he recognized the owner of that body.

Qi Chen followed Warm Man's gaze as well, and beside the headless corpse, he spotted an ice-sculpted head, a visage he was also very familiar with.

Crack, crack, crack!

His fists clenched tightly together, making sharp, cracking sounds. Qi Chen bit his teeth and slowly called out the name of that ice sculpture.

"Replacement."

......

In the headquarters area of the Administrative Office, flames seemed to be burning within Yan Yan's eyes. His boiling blood granted his entire body even more formidable explosive power as he relentlessly pursued an elegant man in a tailored suit ahead.

"Are you abandoning your own mission just to avenge your companion?" Han Ning's posture remained elegant, with a hazy, ice-blue human phantom clinging to the surface of his body. With every step he took, a thin layer of frost formed on the ground, and he moved swiftly across the slick ice as if skating.

Hearing that deeply mocking voice from behind, Yan Yan felt the fire in his heart burn even hotter. The headless corpse of Replacement flashed before his eyes once more, and a fierce roar burst from his throat. The blood flowing through his body rapidly escalated in temperature, nearing a boiling state, tinging his surface skin an abnormal red.

The accelerated flow of blood continuously delivered more oxygen to various parts of his body, while cells operating at maximum output released intense energy to fuel his actions.

His legs sprinted at a speed approximating Han Ning's skating.

Facing this formidable enemy who had slain his companion, Yan Yan did not harbor the slightest bit of contempt. A fiery-red, burly shadow—which he called the Flame General—suddenly materialized behind him, its anomalous hands forcefully smashing against the ground beside it.

The hard ground melted into liquid lava the instant it came into contact with the Flame General, which then grabbed a handful and swung its massive arm!

The lava transformed into flying sparks filling the sky, hurling toward Han Ning!

Feeling the scorching heat wave rushing from behind, Han Ning showed not a shred of panic. With a twist of his body, his anomaly released an aura of extreme cold!

Dense ice crystals instantly appeared in the air. The scorching sparks collided with the frigid ice crystals, producing sizzling sounds in mid-air as wisps of white steam suddenly rose.

Yan Yan, who possessed the ability to manipulate the melting and boiling points of matter, was formidable in every aspect.

Yet, amidst the clash, he also realized that the gap between himself and this anomaly-bearer—whose anomalous ability appeared to be freezing—was not large at all.

Seeing that they were about to chase their way out of the Administrative Office headquarters area, a struggle flashed through Yan Yan's eyes.

He wanted to avenge Replacement... but even more so, he had to ensure the safety of Elder Li.