Yu Hua opened the car window. The three rules written in fresh blood floated out with the wind, blending into the rainy sky. 

As fast as the speed of thought—that was how fast the power of the rules spread. 

Everyone in the whole Xuyang District almost instantly felt a force they couldn’t describe pressing down on their chests. 

Residents near the central park, who were frozen to the point of fainting, felt their bodies gradually warm. The plummeting temperature had no impact on them. When their body temperature recovered, they couldn’t resist going out to have a look at the snow floating through the summer day. 

Next to the new complex, the workers quickly seeking refuge stopped in their tracks. Workers who had been injured by falling cement leapt up from stretchers or from their coworkers’ backs and hopped in place. They looked at their limbs, which had just been dripping with blood. They wiped away the congealing blood on their skin and found that the wounds had disappeared. 

On the highway in the outskirts, the passersby who had been injured by car crashes and the clash of two powerful water special ability users were not only healed, they also remained intact even when hit with water under high pressure. Some young people let their safety go to their heads. They raised their phones in the face of the water columns and filmed them. The instant they were hit by the high pressure water column, they were all right, but their phones and clothes were ruined. This startled them into quickly covering up their important bits and retreating into their cars. 

Different people had different reactions when faced with this marvel, but one thing was for certain. Everyone felt protected. 

Why did they dare to go out to look at the snow? Why did they dare to stop amid the collapse of the buildings? Why did they dare to chase the high pressure water columns that were like rocket guns? Because everyone knew—a silent rule had told them all that they would be safe. 

Yuan Luori was not included among these people. 

When Yu Hua unsealed his powers, everything went pitch black in front of Yuan Luori’s eyes. Before it had only been dim, different types of power flying through the sky over the Xuyang District with blackness around the block where Yu Hua’s off-road car was. Now, for Yuan Luori, the Xuyang District was so dark he couldn’t see his hand in front of his face. 

He had wanted to creep stealthily to the Protector squad and borrow a sniper rifle. While Yuan Luori’s vision was poor, he could see the location of the Destroyer’s energy. That was more accurate than ordinary vision. 

Now he couldn’t see. Yuan Luori sighed. 

Just then, the parrot that had forced the taxi driver to brake suddenly by landing on the taxi and knocked off Yuan Luori’s glasses silently landed on his shoulder. 

“Weapon! Weapon! Weapon! Take up your weapon!” the parrot said loudly, flapping its wings. 

“Are you that parrot I stole in the park?” Yuan Luori said in disbelief. 

This parrot was something of a legend among avian kind. It had originally been an ordinary old man’s parrot. When the old man died, there had been no one to look after it. It was already ten years old, very intelligent. It had used its beak to open its cage and fly to the park and had been caught by Yuan Luori, who had just arrived in this world and had needed a living creature that could fly and give him a wide range of vision. He had put the parrot into his birdcage and activated the vision link. 

Yuan Luori had been thinking of catching a sparrow, but people kept parrots as pets; no one kept sparrows as pets. He had met this parrot that had a personality at just the right time, and the man and parrot had become a partnership from then on. While Yuan Luori had pretended to be an elderly man in the park while in fact being a vagabond, he and the parrot had depended on each other for survival, sneaking food all over the place. The parrot had become quite a bit cleverer from Yuan Luori’s training. 

Later, then Yu Hua had gotten rid of the power of Yuan Luori’s System and broken his vision link, turning him half blind, the parrot had been taken away by the Protection Organization. After they had kept it for a while, they had discovered that it was only an ordinary bird that Yuan Luori had happened to choose. Then the parrot had been taken to a zoo. 

But the parrot that had had its vision linked to Yuan Luori’s was a great deal more intelligent than other birds. While in the zoo, it had always wanted to break out. It had pretended to be content with its lot, a caged bird that wouldn’t even fly out of the cage when it was open. When the zookeepers had let down their guard around it, this parrot, which had nearly achieved enlightenment, had run away. 

It had wanted to find Yuan Luori. It wasn’t that it was so fond of this man who could only steal bird feed for it. What it liked was the feeling of the vision link. Everything left its mark. During the course of the vision link, Yuan Luori’s power had unavoidably poured into the parrot’s body. Now that it was a super powered parrot, how could it stand to give up that feeling? 

While Yuan Luori had been with the show group, it hadn’t been able to find him. It had only dithered around the highway leading to the airport, enduring hunger, searching for him all over. 

Today, when Yuan Luori had returned to the Xuyang District, the parrot had chased impatiently, following Yuan Luori to the amusement park where they had first been parted. 

Everything returned to its origin. 

“Weapon!” the parrot said loudly and anxiously, flapping its wings against Yuan Luori’s face. “Weapon!” 

All “soldiers” loyal to “the Tyrant” will come under the sovereign’s control and take up their weapons. It said “soldiers,” not “humans.” The parrot had come into contact with Yu Hua at the studio. It was also an asset of the studio along with its owner, Yuan Luori. In the battle at the amusement park, the parrot had been very respectful towards the powerful black-cloaked man. 

Now, this parrot was also a “soldier.” 

“Weapon? What does that mean? I can’t see anything right now!” Yuan Luori put his hand on the parrot. Power came from within the parrot and linked with Yuan Luori’s vision. 

The so-called initial item was in fact the power of a leveler’s soul, cast into an object by the System to make it easier for the System to plunder. The true power of the soul wouldn’t disappear. Even if there was no item, it could still awaken. 

When “the Tyrant” placed the “weapon” in his hand, the power that belonged to him was naturally restored. 

Yuan Luori opened his eyes wide. With one eye, he could see the form of all the power. With the other eye, from the parrot’s point of view, he could clearly see the Protectors doing battle. 

Through the destruction of the earth power battle, the amusement park had turned into a puzzle ring of caves. Everyone ran around as though playing hide-and-seek. The Protectors had been separated. 

The parrot spread its wings and flew up into the sky. Its wide field of vision let Yuan Luori clearly see all of the rugged terrain. The colors of the powers let him quickly locate the first Protector—Luo Huai. 

Luo Huai was in a sorry state. He had just returned to the Xuyang District. He had recently absorbed too much negative energy. The organization had seen that he was truly unwell and ordered him to go recover. Luo Huai had chosen the Xuyang District, where Destroyers hadn’t appeared lately. 

Lian Yufan’s squad had received orders to bring Luo Huai back there. They had cheerfully gone all the way to the area near the amusement park. They had seen the site of the first battle in the Xuyang District. The amusement park where the fight with a Destroyer had taken place had already been rebuilt. After a safety inspection, it could open. 

The squad’s members had been somewhat nostalgic, and they had thought that Luo Huai’s condition was truly poor. They had decided to take him out for some fun. The energy reaction of too many Protectors gathered together was very strong. A Destroyer who had passed 183 levels had come after them. 

This Destroyer knew very well that in this operation, his 183 levels gave him the weakest power. He didn’t dare to directly attack powerful people. He had simply changed the topography and was playing hide-and-seek with the Protectors. 

He didn’t want to get into a life and death struggle. He only wanted to drag this rather troublesome Protector with mental powers into the amusement park. That would count as rendering meritorious service. After he completed the mission, the System would let him live for a time. 

When the amusement park became a mountain range, the inspectors had been injured. The Protectors had organized an evacuation of the ordinary people, and Luo Huai had led the squad in guerrilla warfare against the Destroyer. 

Though Luo Huai’s goal was to catch this person. When Luo Huai had requested support, Director Xiao had ordered him to lead the team in taking this Destroyer alive so they could learn the reason for the System’s large scale attack this time. Of all the battlefields, Luo Huai’s had the most people and the fewest residents in the area. It would be easiest for him to catch his opponent. 

But as though he had vision that could see through walls, no matter how the Protectors hid, no matter what traps they laid, the Destroyer could easily escape them. It was the Protectors who had been scattered by pursuit, unable to find their teammates. 

When he saw Yuan Luori, Luo Huai briefly explained the situation. 

“My parrot saw that he had an energy probe. He can see your positions. And he can control this mountain range and change its shape as he likes, so he can separate you easily.” It seemed as though Yuan Luori’s eyes were looking at Luo Huai, but his vision was unfocused. He was looking into the distance. 

Luo Huai said, “I have the feeling that he’s been dealing very cautiously with us. When he realizes that we can’t handle him, his attack methods will gradually become fiercer and swifter, more fatal. He’ll start dealing death blows.” 

Yuan Luori, who was very familiar with levelers’ methods, nodded. “That’s right. When we first arrive in a world, because we don’t know others’ strength, we’ll first lay low for a time, then become more arrogant.” 

This earth power leveler was an old hand. 

Yuan Luori’s self-knowledge was too candid. It made Luo Huai a little speechless. Most of the people he treated had deep thoughts and were unwilling to talk about what was on their mind. They hid all of their negative emotions in their hearts and wouldn’t release them. Over time, they became ill. People like Yuan Luori, ridiculously arrogant and candidly cowardly, were very rare. 

“Since you can see him, point out his position for me. I’ll use a mental attack.” Luo Huai accepted Yuan Luori’s appraisal and concentrated on the battlefield. “A mental attack has to be done at extremely close range, but it isn’t obstructed by stone walls. As long as I can get close, I can inflict heavy injuries on his mental state.” 

“Did you use this method to attack him before?” Yuan Luori asked. 

Luo Huai said, “I managed it once. He quickly used his item to clear his head and escape.” 

“It won’t work, then. He must be keeping an eye on you and staying as far from you as possible. It won’t work a second time. But we can use that,” Yuan Luori said. “You lead away, I attack. Do you have a sniper rifle?” 

“Yes!” Luo Huai instantly understood what Yuan Luori wanted to do. He took a gun from his back and gave all the bullets to Yuan Luori. “Will his energy probe notice you?” 

“No.” Yuan Luori stood firmly against a wall and hid his presence. It was as though he had disappeared. Luo Huai, who had had his eyes on him the whole time, nearly suspected that he had been looking at a holographic projection. 

Hiding his presence was an assassin’s instinct. For Yuan Luori, who had recovered his powers, these maze-like surroundings were simply the ideal battlefield. 

“I’ll lend you my parrot. It’ll help you find your companions, and point out where you’ve gone, so I can hit the enemy better,” Yuan Luori said. 

Combat veterans didn’t need too much negotiation to cooperate in battle. Their combat instincts told them how to cooperate with each other. 

Taking the parrot, which had landed on his shoulder, Luo Huai parted with Yuan Luori. The parrot seemed to have reached enlightenment. It knew that its voice was too loud and that it would be heard by the Destroyer if it spoke among the caves, so it used its wings to lead Luo Huai. 

Luo Huai stroked the parrot’s feathers gratefully, quickly traveling through the caves. When the parrot’s toes squeezed his shoulder, Luo Huai would stop. 

Meanwhile, Yuan Luori, hidden in the shadows, could “see” the power of the earth type Destroyer. He was within his firing range, and there were no obstructions in front of him! 

Bang! Yuan Luori pulled the trigger. The impact from the sniper rifle passed directly through the Destroyer’s abdomen! 

After a single shot, Yuan Luori quickly changed his position. His movements were silent, without flaw. By the time Destroyer 183 had equipped medicine and healed his wound, Yuan Luori was already elsewhere. 

Luo Huai was the bait, and Yuan Luori attacked by stealth. 

Bang! Bang! Bang! 

An assassin rarely acted. When he acted, he wouldn’t miss. Each shot indicated a serious injury. 

Luo Huai, meanwhile, lured on the Destroyer and found his lost teammates with the parrot’s help. Everyone had been somewhat wounded, but the strong constitutions of Protectors could withstand the pain. 

After they had gathered, Luo Huai continued to act as bait as he told his teammates Yuan Luori’s plan. 

When everyone was assembled, it was time to put the second stage of the plan into action! 

Destroyer 183 wasn’t stupid. All the energy points had assembled in the energy probe, and there was still someone attacking him by stealth. Naturally he had guessed that there was an attacker who could hide his presence. Maintaining the cave maze now would definitely be a bad idea. He had to change his means of attack. 

At a time like this, the ideal method would be to carry out a cave-in against the assembled Protectors. He could take them all at once. 

But he failed, because seven Protectors were enough to establish an energy field and withstand his attack. 

The energy field, which originated in the Source Project, involved the Protectors adjusting their powers to the same frequency or to mutually repellant frequencies to disturb their opponent’s attack. Mutually repellant frequencies required the Protectors to stand in different places and release their powers simultaneously. It had to be discussed in advance, and the precise spots had to be located before it could be put into action. A slight deviation, and the effect would be enormous. 

But an energy field of the same frequency was different. As long as everyone was gathered together and adjusted their amplitude to the same frequency, the power created by wave after wave multiplied together could far exceed the power of seven people. 

While an army was walking across a bridge, if they marched quickly, the bridge might very well collapse from the resonance. So in the past, armies had had a rule of stepping lightly when crossing bridges.

The same frequency energy field worked on this principle. 

The power of the seven Protectors expanded, repelling the enormous stones falling from the firmament. Meanwhile, the flustered Destroyer 183 didn’t notice that the killer in the dark had already quietly come up behind him. 

Energy… The System’s items, tricks, and points were all energy. Yuan Luori’s pupils were vertical slits like a cat’s. With his slit pupils, he “saw” the source of the Destroyer’s energy. 

No wonder the black-cloaked man could take their power. The System’s power was linked by countless white threads to the leveler’s origin ability. You only needed to snap those threads to escape the System’s control. 

But energy could only be broken with energy. The gun in his hands wouldn’t do. 

Just then, the parrot standing on Luo Huai’s shoulder raised its wings and roared in a certain direction. The parrot said quietly, “Here, concentrated attack!” 

Luo Huai understood what the parrot meant. He gave his comrades in arms a look. He could control an energy field made of only seven people’s power. 

A small-scale assembly of power controlled by one person was a variant of the source project. The power wasn’t as fearsome as in the origin project and wouldn’t cause so much harm to a Protector. 

Luo Huai’s teammates put their hands on his back, and the energy field gathered in him. Controlling this boundless power required extremely powerful mental energy. 

Luo Huai’s brow furrowed. The power was hard for him manipulate, and the parrot was once again hopping urgently on his shoulder, urging him to act as soon as possible. Yuan Luori’s eyes couldn’t hold out for so long. 

Sweat dripped a drop at a time from Luo Huai’s forehead and fell on the stars on his arms. Stars belonging to countless already dead Protectors lit up. Luo Huai suddenly felt his mind lighten. He could control the power. 

The condensed power of seven Protectors, along with the support of the mental energy of countless elder comrades in arms who were still protecting the world though they had passed on, with Luo Huai as guide, became an energy blade that could cut through the caves, ignoring the obstruction of rock. A flash of white light that seemed as though it was about to rend heaven and earth split open the mountain created by the Destroyer. 

Yuan Luori leapt and skipped, dodging the falling rock and stood firmly on the surface. Destroyer 183, who had had the energy source of the System cut off, fell at Yuan Luori’s feet. 

Luo Huai and the others were entirely exhausted. When they arrived on the surface, holding each other up, they saw Yuan Luori stepping on Destroyer 183, puffing himself up and saying, “You dare to destroy the amusement park? Do you know how much damage you’ve caused to public property? Let me tell you, this carries a ten year sentence at minimum!” 

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Author's Note

Yuan Luori: I’m imitating my idol. Don’t I have the same graceful demeanor now as my idol did when he beat me up? 

Luo Huai: …