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Chapter 557 The Battle Between Flesh and Killing Machines
Chug tug tug tug——

The massive rotors churned up the airflow, instantly turning the rooftop into a small eye of a storm.

Shards of rock, glass shards, and large amounts of residual blood foam were swept up by the violent blast wave and rained down on all sides.

The armed helicopter did not land directly on the helipad.

The driver was clearly a seasoned veteran.

As the white beam of the searchlight swept across the mess and corpses on the ground, the aircraft suddenly pulled back to a tactical angle of attack.

Thus, the helicopter hovered in mid-air, fifty meters above the top of the building, maintaining a safe distance.

The turboshaft engines emitted an ear-piercing shriek, completely drowning out all the noise coming from below the city.

Two high-powered xenon searchlights, like table lamps in an interrogation room, locked onto several figures in the center of the rooftop.

The blinding light made it almost impossible to open one's eyes.

All that could be seen was the massive steel outline behind the light curtain, and the Hive rocket launchers mounted on the fuselage pylons.

At that moment, the side hatch slid open with a "whoosh".

Two soldiers wearing full-body exoskeleton armor leaned out.

Instead of rushing to rappel down, they skillfully set up the six-barreled Gatling gun.

The gun barrel was rapidly heating up and spinning, emitting a heart-stopping mechanical friction sound.

In the shadows behind them, there seemed to be several pairs of eyes glowing red, coldly watching below through their scopes.

This is an absolute firepower suppression tactic.

With just a light tap of a finger, the entire rooftop would be flattened three inches by a metal storm within seconds.

sizzle-

Just then, a piercing electrical microphone noise suddenly rang out, breaking the stalemate.

The sound was coming from the headless corpse of the Black Mamba, whose individual communicator hanging from his collar was flashing its indicator light.

Immediately afterwards, a cold, hard male voice, mixed with background noise, clearly resounded in everyone's ears:

"Calling Bloodthorn, the landing zone environment is abnormal. Signs of combat and a large number of corpses have been detected. What happened on site? Please report the situation immediately."

"Repeat, report the situation immediately, or we will proceed with the cleanup procedure."

Upon hearing that familiar voice, the fire dragon, huddled in the corner, seemed to have received a shot of adrenaline.

Ignoring the excruciating pain in his thigh, he immediately began frantically waving his arms toward the helicopter.

"Here! We're here! Everything is safe."

The fire dragon shouted at the top of its lungs, using the loudest voice it could muster:
"There was just a misunderstanding, the problem has been basically resolved, please come down and rescue us quickly—"

He swallowed hard, forcing back the word "help" that was about to come out of his mouth.

Even though the savior had arrived, the fire dragon still glanced fearfully at the monstrous man not far away.

The horrific image of his companion being killed like a fly was branded into his mind like a hot iron.

Even if military support arrived, he wouldn't dare to act recklessly or utter a single word at this critical juncture.

Fearing that he might anger this scoundrel, he twisted off his own head and kicked it like a ball before the rocket flew over.

Now, he only hopes that the Illuminati will consider the military's background and not dare to really break ties.

The masked man lying on the ground had a much more subtle change in expression.

He lowered his head, using the shadow to conceal the fleeting joy in his eyes.

They even deliberately made their bodies tremble more violently, like a terrified quail, to minimize their sense of threat.

Only those bright, darting eyes scanned rapidly back and forth between Fang Cheng and the surrounding cover.

He was calculating which corner he should retreat to if a conflict broke out.

In contrast, the atmosphere at the Illuminati seemed much more tense.

"President, what should we do? They're from the military."

Looking at the imposing armed helicopter, Old Chen's face turned pale, and he subconsciously hid behind Fang Cheng, trying to find some sense of security.

"It seems to be an elite special forces unit. This is getting a bit tricky..."

Feiying gripped the butterfly knife tightly in her hand and glanced at the rooftop entrance, which was thirty meters away.

Although this melee weapon was a joke in the face of aircraft cannons, he was confident in his running speed, but worried about how his comrades would avoid enemy fire.

Fat Tiger didn't say anything, but used his remaining hand to wipe the blood off his face.

The veins on his thick neck bulged, and his feet were slightly apart, as if he were ready to fight at any moment.

The fierce glint in his eyes burned even brighter under the threat of machine gun fire.

Eagle Eye, at the furthest distance, quietly turned his sniper rifle around, slightly raising the muzzle to lock onto the helicopter's cockpit.

Through the high-powered scope, he could clearly see the pores on the driver's face.

Almost instantly, all the data on wind speed, distance, and trajectory descent were calculated in my mind.

Ultimately, this resulted in the formation of the optimal shooting route capable of penetrating bulletproof glass and hitting the driver's forehead.

Hawkeye held his breath, his finger on the trigger.

Just one command was needed to fire that deadly bullet.

Everyone was on edge.

Fang Cheng, however, remained quietly standing in the center of the storm.

The strong wind made his clothes flutter wildly, and his hair flew back in disarray.

He squinted slightly, looking into the blinding searchlight.

His face showed no fear, and even his breathing remained perfectly steady.

He simply stared calmly at the armed helicopter, as if looking at a slightly larger fly, or perhaps making an assessment.

Could this pile of scrap metal withstand a punch delivered with all his might?
As Fang Cheng pondered this, a voice suddenly sounded in the earpiece he wore behind his ear:
"President, I saw a helicopter flying towards the rooftop of the Silverwing Building from downstairs. It looked like the Dark Blade Special Forces of the military..."

The voice sounded exceptionally mature and steady; it belonged to the professor who was keeping watch downstairs. He spoke rapidly, offering his reminder:
“Those painted in this black are military personnel who specialize in shady operations. They kill without blinking an eye and may be equipped with nerve-suppressing bullets targeting superhumans. You need to be careful.”

The professor was merely standing at the bottom of the building, looking up at the view from above.

However, as an S-class mental ability user, his sensory perception is equally astonishing.

Even from hundreds of meters away, the details of that killing weapon could be clearly captured.

"Received, we are preparing to retreat."

Fang Cheng replied calmly.

After saying that, he cut off the communication, turned to look at the masked man lying on the ground, and frowned slightly.

They seem to be considering whether to take him away or just let him take the fall.

sizzle-

Just then, a piercing electrical crackling sound rang out again.

This time, the man's voice carried a hint of impatience:
"Last warning!"

“Bloodthorn, as the person in charge of this mission, I order you to immediately disclose the specific origins of all personnel on site and explain the cause of these corpses scattered all over the ground.”

"If we do not receive a satisfactory response within five seconds, we will consider the task a failure and immediately initiate the cleanup process!"

"five……"

"Four……"

The countdown sounded like a death knell striking everyone's hearts.

Seeing this, Huolong stomped his feet in frustration, which aggravated the gunshot wound on his thigh.

He was in so much pain that he grimaced and his facial features contorted.

Have these soldiers lost their minds?

Can't you see I'm a prisoner now?
If a real firefight breaks out, bullets don't discriminate and will definitely harm this innocent victim.

The masked man lay on the ground and opened his mouth.

But he found that he had no idea how to explain this absurd situation.

They say he was kidnapped by outsiders?

The military would definitely bomb this place flat, choose to silence witnesses, and take care of him as well.

To say it was internal strife within the team? That would make it even harder to explain the origins of these Illuminati outsiders who are still alive.

Just when he was caught in a dilemma and didn't know what to do.

Fang walked over to the headless corpse of Black Mamba, bent down, and pulled off the communicator.

Then he casually tossed it into the Masked Man's arms, raised his chin, and gestured:
Tell them the deal is off.

"Let them go back to where they came from, and pretend nothing happened tonight."

Fang Cheng's words were quite impolite, yet his expression remained as calm as if he were simply instructing a waiter to pour water.

The masked man held the communicator, still stained with blood, completely dumbfounded.

How could he possibly say that?

If a deal is suddenly canceled, the military will inevitably hold those responsible accountable.

That's a special operations team responsible for cargo transactions, equipped with heavily armed helicopters; they're not so easily dealt with.

Looking into Fang Cheng's terrifyingly calm eyes, the Masked Man trembled and dared not make a move.

This silent indifference terrified him more than any threat.

Whether the military believes it or not, let's stabilize this menacing figure first.

If you hesitate for even half a second longer, you'll be the next one turned into mincemeat.

He gritted his teeth and pressed the communication button, his voice trembling slightly, with an almost pleading tone.

"Hu... Captain Hu, it's me, Mask."

"Um... tonight's situation is a bit special, there was a... little accident."

"Could we cancel our deal? You and your men should leave first. I'll personally apologize to you at the base another day."

There was a two-second silence on the other end of the communication.

Inside the helicopter cockpit.

A middle-aged military officer with a buzz cut and a sinister look was sitting in the command position.

He was wearing a crisp black combat uniform, with no rank insignia on his chest, but a skull badge hanging from his neck.

It was Captain Hu, the one the masked man had spoken to.

Hearing the absurd words coming through the headset, a cold smile curled at the corner of his mouth.

Then, through the bulletproof glass of the cabin, he looked down at the figures on the rooftop.

His gaze passed over the obsequious masked man and locked firmly on the young man standing in the center.

His face was unfamiliar, but he gave off a strong aura.

Based on his intuition honed from years of roaming among the dead, he could sense the dangerous aura emanating from that person.

It's like a ferocious beast in human skin.

"Cancel?"

Team Leader Hu's voice, coming through the loudspeaker, carried an unsettlingly arrogant bureaucratic tone:

"Masked, have you been in that radiation pit for too long? Has your brain rotted away?"

"Military missions are something you can just take on and stop whenever you want? What do you take us for? Your personal bodyguards?"

"besides……"

The searchlight beam suddenly shifted, shining directly on Fang Cheng and the others like a spotlight, so bright it hurt their eyes.

"Who are these unfamiliar guys? They don't look like Bloodthorn members. Did they kill these people on the ground?"

"You should know that sabotaging a top-secret military mission, stealing important strategic materials, or even being suspected of murdering a federal officer are all serious crimes..."

Captain Hu's voice suddenly rose, revealing a chilling killing intent:
"With these charges against you, whether it's you or these reckless fools, even ten heads wouldn't be enough to chop them off!"

"Hold!"

Upon hearing these words, Masked Man and Fire Dragon felt like a million grass mud horses were galloping through their minds.

Damn it! Is this guy surnamed Hu blind, or is he brain-dead?
Didn't you see the bear turned into a pile of minced meat on the ground? Didn't you see the Black Mamba whose neck was snapped?

This nemesis is a peerless master capable of killing S-class ability users with his bare hands.

You actually dare to make threats against him from afar? If you want to die, don't drag us down with you!

"Captain Hu, it's a misunderstanding! It's all a misunderstanding!"

The masked man frantically scrambled to his feet, tilted his head back, and shouted at the helicopter in an attempt to salvage the situation:
"These people... are all my friends. We're all on the same side, so let's talk this out..."

"Shut up!"

Captain Hu sternly interrupted him:

"Masked, do you take me for a three-year-old? Now I suspect you of colluding with outsiders to try to deceive the military, which is an even greater crime!"

The atmosphere on the rooftop was instantly pushed to the breaking point.

Just then, Fang Cheng suddenly chuckled softly.

The laughter wasn't loud, but it sounded particularly jarring amidst the roar of machine guns.

"I originally planned to spare your lives, and we would each keep to ourselves."

Fang Cheng shook his head and muttered to himself:
"If you insist on forcing me to take action, then there's nothing I can do..."

As he spoke, the aura he had been suppressing suddenly burst forth.

Like a red-hot oven, it scorches the surrounding air until it's burning hot.

The masked man felt as if his heart was being squeezed tightly by a giant hand.

That suffocating sense of oppression returned, instantly making him break out in a cold sweat.

It's over, it's over.

"Wait! Don't fight! We can get along peacefully. There's no conflict that can't be resolved by sitting down!"

He shouted in panic, his voice becoming shrill with fear.

On the helicopter.

Team Leader Hu immediately cut off external communications.

He stared at the man who seemed about to make a move, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his eyes.

To be able to scare an S-class expert like Masked Man to this extent, and even cause Kuma to fall here, this person must indeed be quite capable.

They're mostly after the military's experimental projects, and might even be eyeing the cultivation resources in that ancient ruin.

This uncertain and dangerous factor must be nipped in the bud.

Otherwise, if something goes wrong in the future, it could very well implicate you.

Therefore, we must not let him leave alive!

With this in mind, Captain Hu made a tactical hand gesture and whispered the order:
"All personnel, prepare to activate machine guns and rockets to cover the entire rooftop area, with a focus on male targets wearing black hoodies."

"Team Leader Hu."

The adjutant beside him hesitated:
“Our people are down there, along with the goods we need to reclaim…”

"Our people?"

Team Leader Hu sneered, his eyes filled with contempt:
"They're just a bunch of exploratory materials; who would consider them one of our own?"

"Those mutated species contaminated by radiation die off and a new batch is produced. There are plenty of these kinds of trash in the military prison."

"But what about those goods..."

The adjutant wanted to say something more.

At this moment, Captain Hu's eyes suddenly sharpened.

Through the bulletproof glass, he could clearly see the men standing behind the man suddenly move.

Their figures shot off like arrows, rushing quickly toward the entrance to the rooftop.

Hu's pupils suddenly contracted.

These rats are running away!

"Do it!"

He suddenly waved his hand and issued the order to kill.

(End of this chapter)