Chapter 153: Vengeance-A World Shrouded in Mist and Mystery(The bottle cap that chases bullets)

The sacrifice of Replacement dealt an immense shock to both Qi Chen and Warm Man.

Especially in Qi Chen's case, he could still vaguely recall chatting with Replacement back in Huangshi Town. This colleague, only a few years older than him, was an exceptionally optimistic and outgoing person.

Though their contact had been brief, a certain friendship had already formed between them.

When they parted ways upon returning from Huangshi Town to City Three, Replacement had even told Qi Chen that they should grab a big meal together sometime when they had free time.

Yet that promise would never be fulfilled.

A surge of rage flared up within his heart. Overlord's low growl echoed in his ears, and the anger injected a fresh burst of energy into Qi Chen's already exhausted body and spirit—an energy desperately in need of release.

"Calm down... Face Mask," Warm Man said in a somewhat hoarse voice. "We need to go confirm Elder Li's safety first."

Qi Chen kept his lips tightly pressed together. Staring fixedly at Replacement's face—which retained its fighting spirit even in death—he clenched his fists so hard his knuckles turned white, then slowly forced them to relax.

They truly needed to check on Elder Li's condition first.

......

Clatter, clatter, clatter!

Both men, with anger brewing in their hearts, rushed swiftly toward the command hall within the Administrative Office headquarters.

Fortunately, the command hall was still secure, and they finally caught sight of Li Taixing, who was busy directing operations.

"Elder Li! Warm Man and Face Mask reporting to you!" Warm Man led Qi Chen up to Li Taixing, speaking with a solemn expression.

Li Taixing's expression was somewhat weary, but upon seeing these two Anomalous Walkers who had made extraordinary contributions to City Three, a genuine smile surfaced from the bottom of his heart.

"You've both worked hard. I already learned from the Anomaly Processing Department that the two of you resolved the rule-type anomaly at the Livelihood Mall. This is truly a matter of vital importance to our City Three."

A ripple of emotion stirred in both Qi Chen and Warm Man's eyes—not out of sentimentality for their own achievements, but at the memory of their fallen colleagues.

And when Li Taixing learned from the two of them that Replacement had perished, the old man, who had served as the Chief Administrator of City Three for decades, let out a heavy sigh.

"Replacement... was a good kid, and an excellent member of the Anomaly Processing Department. By the way, have you seen Yanyan?" Elder Li inquired about Yanyan's whereabouts.

......

However, both Qi Chen and Warm Man gently shook their heads, indicating that they had not seen the veteran Anomalous Walker since entering the Administrative Office.

"Elder Li, you don't need to worry about Yanyan. Based on what we sensed, he should still be fighting the invading Anomalous Walkers. It's just that we couldn't pinpoint his exact location for the moment," Warm Man explained the situation, awaiting further orders from Li Taixing.

Elder Li pondered for a moment, integrating the intelligence at hand, and said:

"Xiao Fu is right. The two of you are now an unexpected force to the enemy and can play a crucial role. Keeping you here simply to protect me is far too wasteful of your resources.

"Face Mask, Warm Man! Go immediately and find Yanyan, and help him eliminate that murderer who killed Replacement and so many of our colleagues!"

An aura of grim determination emanated from Li Taixing. Having weathered countless ups and downs and firmly maintaining his position as Chief Administrator, he displayed at that moment a commanding presence befitting a true leader.

His own safety was secondary; crushing the murderer and the enemy was paramount!

Qi Chen and Warm Man exchanged glances, seeing the eager, coiled readiness in each other's eyes.

How could they not yearn to strike down that hateful enemy themselves?

"Elder Li, please take care of your own safety as well... If danger arises, evacuate immediately," Qi Chen pressed his lips together, unable to resist offering sincere advice to the old man who had previously shared a heart-to-heart talk with him.

"Haha," Li Taixing laughed heartily at those words. "With Xiao Qi and so many others around, no one can harm me.

"Hurry off! My demand for you is the same as Fu Ying's: ensure your own safety, and show no mercy in beating down the invading enemy!"

......

Swish!

A sharp ice spear tore through the air, producing a piercing sound.

Yet just as it was about to reach Yanyan, General Yan lightly brushed against it, causing it to instantly vaporize with a sizzle. The rising white mist instantly shrouded Yanyan's figure.

"Your ability is truly troublesome," Han Ning muttered, feeling somewhat annoyed as he shook his head.

Pitting his ability against Yanyan's created a stalemate where neither could do anything to the other. Of course, a victor could be decided—in a fight to the death, one could always eventually come out on top.

Yet Han Ning had no desire to fight to the bitter end with the fiercely combative Yanyan; he had far more important matters waiting for him.

"My older brother is really something, forcing me to capture Li Taixing," Han Ning muttered with a pout. The anomaly lingering on his surface conjured another thin layer of frost beneath his feet. With his hands clasped behind his back in an extremely graceful posture, he once again rapidly increased the distance between himself and Yanyan.

At this point, it would be quite a strain for Yanyan to catch up to Han Ning again. His acceleration relied on lowering the boiling point of his own blood, keeping it in a state of controlled heating to quicken its circulation, thereby driving his body into a more heightened, excited state.

Yet this was ultimately not a sustainable method for long-term use. Maintaining it until now had already left Yanyan's body feeling overburdened.

His General Yan was immensely powerful in direct combat, but chasing down enemies was not his specialty.

"If Replacement were still here..." A flash of hatred crossed Yanyan's eyes. Had he been paired with Replacement, they undoubtedly could have taken Han Ning down swiftly.

Fighting this fellow separately, however, made it difficult for either of them to gain the upper hand.

Suddenly, Yanyan noticed that as Han Ning put distance between them, his destination unexpectedly appeared to be the Administrative Office headquarters. Disregarding everything else, he once again forced the blood in his body to circulate at its absolute limit, injecting a fresh surge of power into his legs as he sprinted forward.

And as he pursued Han Ning, two blurred figures emerging from the Administrative Office headquarters simultaneously entered the field of vision of both him and Han Ning.

"That is..." Yanyan squinted, pushing his eyesight to the limit. Though he couldn't make out the faces of the two figures, he recognized the attire of one of them.

"Warm Man!"

Boom!

In the distance, Qi Chen and Warm Man also spotted Han Ning rushing head-on toward the Administrative Office headquarters. Without a word, Warm Man transformed the ground beneath his feet into a trampoline-like surface. Stamping down heavily together with Qi Chen, the two of them vaulted into the air!

Just before landing, he altered the ground below to provide immense cushioning.

Dust and debris billowed into the air. Han Ning came to an abrupt halt, the frost before him instantly freezing in place. With eyes full of vigilance, he appraised the two Anomalous Walkers who had suddenly appeared in front of him.

According to the intelligence, shouldn't City Three be devoid of any spare Anomalous Walkers to deploy?

And... why were these two radiating such a bone-chilling murderous intent?