Douluo, my clone Groudon

Chapter 323 Level 7 Fixed-Mount Soul-Guided Cannon Shell
The hustle and bustle of the individual competition subsided temporarily as night fell. Star City, bathed in dazzling lights, shed its daytime frenzy, revealing a tranquil serenity beneath its bustling exterior.

However, for some, the night is when the action begins.

Inside the Star Luo Hotel, Tang Wulin had just finished his cultivation when a faint vibration suddenly came from the badge belonging to the Tang Sect's Fighting Soul Hall in his chest pocket.

His eyes narrowed, and he quickly checked the information—it was an emergency summons from the Star Luo branch of the Fighting Soul Hall.

Without any hesitation, Tang Wulin quickly changed into the Tang Sect's Fighting Soul Hall attire, put on a white mask, and silently left the room, blending into the shadows of the hotel corridor, preparing to leave through the back door.

He believed his actions were discreet, but little did he know that to beings at a higher level, his movements were like fireflies in the night.

In the next room, Gula was scanning his surroundings with his mental energy, simply out of habit to monitor his environment.

Tang Wulin's deliberately concealed yet still present soul power fluctuations, as well as his swift action of putting on a mask, immediately caught his attention.

'A summons from the Tang Sect's Fighting Soul Hall?'

A knowing glint flashed in Gula's silver eyes. He had heard of this organization, Tang Clan, but had never seen it before, and its exact location was difficult to ascertain.

Right now, it seems like a good opportunity. I believe the Tang Clan steward leading the mission must know the true location of the stronghold. When we get to Dragon Valley, we'll still have to rely on the Tang Clan.

With a thought, Gula's figure vanished from the spot as if it had merged into the air.

The powerful telekinetic energy, like the most sophisticated instrument, instantly enveloped the entire body, not only perfectly concealing all fluctuations of one's soul power, but also subtly distorting and shielding body temperature, smell, and light refraction.

He transformed into an invisible shadow, trailing far behind the cautiously stealthy Tang Wulin.

After many twists and turns, guided by the Soul Fighting Hall badge, Tang Wulin finally arrived at a relatively old residential area in Star Luo City.

He stopped in front of a courtyard that looked unremarkable and even somewhat dilapidated, and knocked rhythmically on the door a few times. The door opened silently a crack, and Tang Wulin slipped inside.

Gula clung to the shadow of a large, lush tree outside the courtyard wall like a gecko, his spiritual power, like invisible tentacles, silently seeping into the courtyard.

His mental strength far surpassed that of anyone present, and coupled with the perfect concealment of his telekinetic abilities, even the titled Douluo who might exist within the academy would find it difficult to detect.

Inside the courtyard, the lights were dim.

Besides Tang Wulin, there were more than a dozen other members of the Soul Fighting Hall wearing masks of different colors. The leader was a man wearing a black mask with a calm and unwavering aura, who was the person in charge of this operation, "Black One".

"We have enough people."

Hei Yi pressed the Fighting Soul Hall badge to stop sending signals.

"...The news has been confirmed," Black One's voice was deep and serious, clearly reaching Gula's ears through his mental perception, "'The Green Skull' gang of lunatics are targeting the Star Theater tonight!"

“Tianxing Theater?” A member codenamed “Huang Qi” gasped. “It’s packed with people right now! During the competition, every night’s performances and Soul Shadow screenings are sold out. And… the regular security forces there are only good for dealing with petty thieves; they’re completely helpless against organized terrorist attacks.”

"exactly."

Hei Yi said solemnly, "The Green Skull chose this place to create the greatest panic and casualties, to demonstrate against the Star Luo Empire and all the participants."

"Our mission is to intercept and annihilate them before they can make a move, either outside or inside the theater. We must not allow a tragedy to occur. To ensure the safety of civilians, it is permissible to kill any Green Skull members you encounter. Do you all understand?"

"Understood!" Tang Wulin and the others shouted in unison, their killing intent palpable.

'Green Skull... Star Theater...' Gula knew immediately. The Green Skull was truly relentless, always plotting terrorist attacks.

Without alerting anyone, his mental energy spread out like a spider web, firmly locking onto Hei Yi and several other members of the Fighting Soul Hall who were clearly core members.

As long as we follow them, finding the Tang Clan's true headquarters in Xingluo City will be a piece of cake.

Soon, the members of the Fighting Soul Hall split into several small teams, like phantoms blending into the night, and sped towards the brightly lit Tianxing Theater. Gula, like a leech, silently followed behind the main force led by Hei Yi.

The Tianxing Theater, a famous entertainment landmark in Xingluo City, is now bustling with people and flashing neon lights.

Long queues formed at the ticket booths, the audience members beaming with anticipation, completely unaware of the impending danger.

The members of the Fighting Soul Hall were experienced and had already laid a tight net around the theater’s key entrances and exits, high points, and evacuation routes based on intelligence.

Gula, like an outsider, hid atop the shadow of a building opposite the theater, overlooking everything from a superb vantage point.

Time ticked by. As the midnight bells rang, the most exciting performance of Soul Shadow in the theater was about to end. The faint shouts of Hao Dong San Jue from the screen's speakers could be heard, stirring the soul.

At the peak of the crowd, some people stealthily approached the Tianxing Theater, each exuding considerable soul power.

"Make your move!" Hei Yi's icy voice issued the order through the soul communication device.

The lurking members of the Fighting Soul Hall pounced out like cheetahs. Almost simultaneously, several chilling, explosive auras erupted from the shadows outside the theater; the Green Skull's men had indeed arrived.

The battle erupted instantly, the light of soul skills exploded in the night, and shouts of battle, cries of alarm, and the buzzing of soul tools mingled together.

The Green Skull attackers were all fearless and ruthless, but the Fighting Soul Hall was better prepared, coordinated better, and had superior individual strength. They quickly divided and surrounded the attackers, forcing them into a retreat.

"Damn it! What are Tang Clan's lackeys doing here?!"

A green skull leader wearing a green skull mask and possessing an aura at the level of a Contra Douluo watched his subordinates being swiftly wiped out, filled with shock and rage.

Their operation, meticulously planned for over two years, was unexpectedly discovered and intercepted by the Tang Clan, nearly infuriating him.

Seeing that the situation was hopeless and his men were almost all killed or wounded, a look of madness and determination flashed in the eyes of the green skull leader.

The mission's failure was inevitable, but it couldn't just end like that. At the very least, those damned Tang Sect Soul Masters had to be dragged down with them and made them pay a heavy price. Anyway, the Tang Sect and the Star Luo Empire had a close relationship, so their organization wouldn't lose out no matter what.

"Fire a level-7 fixed-position guided missile!"

He gave the order abruptly and then led his men to retreat. Behind him, a two-word battle armor master, carrying a fixed-mount soul-guided cannon shell, worked with two others to retrieve a complex-shaped metal base that shimmered with a dangerous red light from a storage soul-guided device.

Launching a fixed-mount soul-guided projectile is not a simple task; if one is not careful, it can affect the launcher. Therefore, a base is needed to contain the power and the energy leaking out during launch.

For their own safety, they quickly fixed the metal base to the ground and frantically poured soul power into a pre-reserved groove in the center of the base.

"Oh no, it's a fixed-mount soul-guided artillery shell!"

Fixed-position soul-guided projectiles are extremely expensive to manufacture, especially the high-level ones, which are strategic weapons with devastating power. A level 7 fixed-position soul-guided projectile is enough to turn a kilometer-diameter area into ruins.

Tang Wulin, relying on the knowledge he had acquired at the Tang Sect, immediately recognized what it was. His pupils contracted sharply, and he suppressed his soul power fluctuations, waiting silently while other channels were reporting frequent victories.

"I am Bai San. The enemy is on my side. They have level 7 fixed-position soul-guided cannon shells."

After Tang Wulin reported, his palms were sweating, ready to suddenly attack and stop the Green Skull Soul Master. However, he had no confidence against a two-word Battle Armor Master and two one-word Battle Armor Masters. But for now, he had no choice but to take a gamble!

"Stop him!"

Upon hearing the news, Hei Yi's expression changed drastically. A level seven fixed-position soul-guided cannon shell—even if he could survive with his three-word battle armor, none of the other members of the Soul Hall would survive, not to mention the thousands of civilians and soul masters in the theater.

However, Gura reacted faster than anyone else.

The moment the two-word battle armor master took out the soul-guided cannonball and injected soul power, Gula's eyes lit up, not with fear, but with an indescribable fervor.

'A level 7 fixed-position soul-guided cannon shell?! A complete launch base?!'

Gula's heart skipped a beat. Even Leng Yaozhu had difficulty accessing the core manufacturing technology of this strategic soul tool, which was classified as a top military secret by various countries, within the Spirit Pagoda.

This is not merely a weapon, but the culmination of the pinnacle of soul guidance technology! The principles of soul guidance arrays, energy compression technology, and material applications contained within it are all priceless!
Furthermore, the lethality of fixed-position soul-guided shells to facilities and civilians far exceeds their threat to top-tier combat forces, so even within the Federation, such weapons are rarely used.

At this moment, a ready-made, soon-to-be-detonated level-seven fixed-position soul-guided artillery system was, in his eyes, a mobile treasure trove of top-tier soul-guided technology waiting to be explored!
Disassembling, learning, reverse engineering... these are of immeasurable value to his understanding of the world's top-tier soul tools, and even to the "big toys" that may be needed in the future.

As for detonation? That's not going to happen.

Just as the leader's soul power was about to fully activate the base and summon the devastating cannonball, at the critical moment...

Gura's telekinesis, like an invisible giant hand, instantly enveloped the launch base and the grooved area of ​​its core.

The power of space was used ingeniously to form a miniature, absolutely isolated dimensional bubble.

This space bubble not only isolated the fluctuations of soul power, but also instantly severed all connections between the base and the outside world, as well as with the cannonball that theoretically existed in a special storage space!
Then, the space bubble, along with the launch base inside and the Level 7 fixed-position soul-guided cannon shell that was forcibly "stuck" by spatial power, was directly taken into the system space by Gula with unimaginable speed and stealth.

The entire process was so fast that even a two-word battle armor master couldn't react in time; there was no energy leakage and no spatial ripples.

From the outside, it appeared as if the two-word battle armor master had just fixed the base and injected his soul power when a red light flashed on the base... and then the entire base, along with the crucial groove on it, vanished without a trace, as if it had never existed.

"???"

The Green Skull members, who were frantically pouring their soul power into the ground, were stunned, staring at the empty ground, their minds blank.

'Where are my...shells? And where's that huge launch pad? It was just here!'

"Boom!" Hei Yi finally arrived and his attack came crashing down. The Green Skull member was severely injured and sent flying in a daze, completely losing his fighting ability.

"Bai San, where are the cannonballs?!" Hei Yi rushed over and looked at the shallow pit on the ground with only a fixed base and some traces of soul power burning. His face was extremely ugly.

He also saw a flash of red light, and then the thing disappeared.

"Report!" Tang Wulin rushed forward, his face beneath the mask showing the same shock and confusion.

"I...I saw him activate the launch pad with my own eyes, the red light flashed, and then...then the pad and the projectile disappeared, as if...as if they were taken away by spatial abilities." That was the only speculation he could make.

"Spatial abilities? They took away a level-seven fixed-position soul-guided cannon shell... Are there other people nearby?"

Hei Yi crouched down, carefully examining the remaining traces on the ground. The marks of soul power burning were clearly visible, the dents left by the base were still there, and he could even feel a trace of the violent energy fluctuations unique to high-grade fixed soul-guided cannon shells.

His face was ashen: 'The traces of the launch pad being activated are undeniable; Bai San wasn't lying! But… where are the shells? Who took them? And which side did they belong to, and what is their purpose?'

He immediately ordered all members of the Fighting Soul Hall to carefully search the area within a radius of several hundred meters, and even used soul-guided detection devices, but to no avail.

The level-seven fixed-position soul-guided cannon shell, capable of destroying half a city block, along with its launch base, vanished as if into thin air.

With time running out, the audience in the theater was gradually calmed down and evacuated after the commotion, and the remaining members of the Green Skull gang were also cleared out.

Looking at the chaotic scene and the clueless search results, Hei Yi could only grit his teeth and order: "Withdraw. This place is not safe to stay. The missing shells are classified as top secret. I will report to headquarters. Be careful not to leak this information."

The members of the Fighting Soul Hall retreated like the tide, carrying the wounded and prisoners, disappearing into the darkness before dawn.

During his retreat, Tang Wulin couldn't help but glance back at the direction of the theater, his heart filled with shock and confusion.

Who could silently take away a level-seven fixed-position soul-guided cannon shell that was about to be fired, right under the noses of Black Master Yi and so many elites of the Soul Fighting Hall? What kind of terrifying strength and advanced spatial equipment would that require?

After everyone had left, Gula's figure slowly emerged from the shadows of the building opposite the theater.

He sensed the metallic artifact lying quietly in the system space, exuding an aura of danger and allure, and his dark golden eyes gleamed with the excitement of discovering a rare treasure.

"An unexpected delight." A satisfied smile curved his lips as his figure disappeared back into the shadows, as if he had never been there.

The night in Star Luo City seemed to conceal secrets even deeper than the Green Skull. Meanwhile, information about the Tang Sect's Soul Fighting Hall's location was clearly imprinted in his mind as he locked onto Hei Yi's spirit.

(End of this chapter)