Chapter 97: The Death of the Enforcer

“This little matter doesn’t need you to worry about it.”

Lu Yan replied with a blank expression, then casually tossed the fragmented soul toward Bloodbeard.

Bloodbeard received it with glee and began devouring it in huge bites. Agonized wails echoed from his mouth.

“You’re just a fallen has-been, yet you possess soul technology capable of commanding hundreds of special spirit bodies. Sooner or later, the Paradise Compute Center will come for you!”

“Don’t think that just because you beat me, you can act with impunity.

“I was merely a regional manager for a Grand Cosmic Corporation. There are plenty of people in the Upper District far stronger than me. The general manager of City Fourteen is a true Transcendent Energy User—he could crush you with a finger!”

“And don’t forget Him! As long as He exists, people like you will never step into the light again!”

“Your time is running out! I’ll be waiting for you… in hell!!!”

The voice gradually faded as Bloodbeard finished devouring the soul.

Though the Energy User system was flawed and the High-Rank Energy User’s soul transformation incomplete, it still counted as a Foundation Establishment-level soul.

Bloodbeard had already devoured a demonic cultivator’s divine soul and was on the verge of Foundation Establishment. Now, having consumed a High-Rank Energy User’s soul, he finally crossed the last critical threshold.

His soul body grew denser, and the feelers covering his form extended further and further until he became a strange spirit, like a specter covered in thick hair.

Lu Yan roughly calculated that now, with Bloodbeard having reached Foundation Establishment, he could fuse with over 800 ghosts. That meant he could merge the entire army of fierce ghosts into one entity.

Once the Bloodbeard Giant Ghost—formed from 800 fused spirits—took shape, its strength could soar to the late Foundation Establishment stage.

Now equipped with a new trump card, Lu Yan nodded in satisfaction and waved his Soul Banner, retrieving all the ghosts and main souls.

The ghost domain receded, and the battlefield reappeared before Lu Yan. The fierce battle had reduced everything to rubble and drastically altered the surrounding terrain.

Several blocks away, the roar of engines grew louder. Patrol teams had clearly picked up on the disturbance and were closing in fast.

Had Lu Yan taken even one or two minutes longer to finish the fight, he might’ve been surrounded by patrol and enforcement squads.

He was about to leave, but then his gaze landed on the corpse of the silver-suited youth and the many spirit-powered weapons that had been set up around the cavern entrance.

After a moment’s thought, Lu Yan removed the youth’s cerebrain terminal and incinerated the body with Xuanhuang Merit Fire.

As for the spirit-powered weapons, he collected them all and stuffed them into a spare storage pouch.

Once the scene was cleared, Lu Yan swiftly fled toward the nearest underground entrance.

A minute later, a fully armed law enforcement team arrived at the ruins.

They scouted the area and could only confirm that a massive battle had occurred here.

As for the strength, identity, or whether the combatants had any connection to the hijacked Paradise Transport Convoy—none of it could be verified.

Given how sensitive the timing was, many began to speculate that the battle’s participants might’ve come from the underground.

Though the environment of the underground caverns should theoretically make it impossible for High-Rank Energy Users to arise, that didn’t mean they weren’t there.

If some fallen elite from another city had secretly moved underground, it would be perfectly reasonable for them to retain their strength.

The Central District began combing through records of fallen elites from surrounding cities, hoping to uncover who might be hiding beneath their feet.

—

District 33 Underground – Law Enforcement Headquarters

Scott was still holed up in his office. In recent days, he’d become increasingly attached to it, as if only this space could offer a sliver of security.

He recalled how he had reported everything to his father the previous day, and a vague unease settled in his heart.

“…Maybe… I shouldn’t have reported it. Maybe I should’ve just struck a deal with him?

“From a transactional perspective, that deal was a win-win…”

“But since I already decided to have my father take action, I can’t afford to hesitate anymore.

“I just hope he handles it quickly. The probing calls and messages today are becoming overwhelming—I’m barely holding it together.”

Just as Scott’s anxiety reached a peak, a familiar sense of dread welled up inside him.

It was that special soul entity!

Scott’s face drained of color. Panic-stricken, he bolted toward the office door.

But at that moment, a cold voice echoed inside the room.

“Your father is already dead. As payment for the answers he gave me, I’ll send you to join him.”

A gust of chilling wind seemed to blow up from the depths of the earth. In the blink of an eye, it filled the entire office.

The desk, chairs, documents, lights—everything in the office began to decay rapidly, as if someone had hit a fast-forward button on time itself.

Scott, caught at the center of the storm, had no chance to escape.

The ghostly wind shredded his soul and flesh, leaving behind nothing but a bleached white skeleton. Without muscles to hold it together, the bones collapsed and scattered to the floor.

The whole process happened in eerie silence. Apart from a faint gust of wind, no one outside the office even noticed that Enforcer Scott had died.

—

Hundreds of meters away, inside a ruined building, Lu Yan observed the entire scene through one of his ghosts.

Since he knew Scott was the one pulling strings behind the scenes, he wasn’t going to leave him another chance to act.

The moment he returned to the underground, he sent Scott to join his father.

Normally, Lu Yan acted with caution. But once he resolved to kill, he would not hesitate or second-guess himself.

As Scott died, fourteen ghosts engraved with energy codes emerged from the ground and returned to Lu Yan’s side.

He looked over the flickering energy codes on their bodies—each on the verge of going out—and nodded with satisfaction.

“At this stage, the Yin Wind Formation may not be useful in large-scale battles, but for small infiltration assassinations like this… it’s perfect.”

“Silent, low setup cost, and it attacks both the body and the soul. Anyone below Foundation Establishment has no way to resist.”

After storing the ghosts in his Soul Banner, Lu Yan picked up his personal terminal and sent a message to Shark.

[Begin the operation!]

The moment the message was sent, a roar of battle erupted near the Law Enforcement Headquarters of District 33.

Hundreds of Energy Users charged into the building, launching a massacre against the enforcement team that had been stationed there for over a month and a half.

The intense sound of battle even drew the attention of other underground residents, who looked toward the law enforcement building with expressions of utter joy.

In the chaos of this bloody revolt, no one cared anymore whether Enforcer Scott lived or died.

(End of Chapter)