Armor: After finding the Demon-Sealing Box, I won't eat beef.

The Black Emperor after gaining superpowers.

It was like a starving ghost that had been starving for over a decade finally having its floodgates opened.

He frantically used his mind control abilities to cheat people out of food and drink to satisfy his cravings.

In the past, he could only peer out of the restaurant windows and watch others enjoy their food.

Now that he has a special skill, he simply indulges himself even more, eating until his stomach is bloated and hard before he stops.

After all.

No matter how impressive the nickname the Black Emperor gives himself.

Deep down, he was still an uneducated, worldly-wise beggar.

He had never experienced the lifestyle of the upper class.

He had never even experienced the stable middle-class life of an ordinary person.

For the next two weeks, Black Emperor frequented all the high-end restaurants in the city, indulging in a vengeful feast.

Sea cucumber, abalone, dried bird's nest, ginseng, and aged high-end red wine.

He tried every expensive delicacy available on the market.

Once the initial excitement wore off, he gradually began to find it boring.

These ingredients, which he once regarded as the most delicious food in the world, become just so-so after eating them too often.

It didn't have the amazing taste I had imagined.

I couldn't feel any of the supposed nourishing and strengthening effects.

The Black Emperor gradually figured out the intricacies of the matter.

The wealthy crave delicacies, but they're never really interested in the taste.

It's about identity.

It's about prestige.

It's for saving face.

He then plunged into various luxury clothing stores, using his supernatural abilities to confuse the store clerks as usual.

When it's time to pay, they just hand over a blank piece of paper, take the expensive clothes, and leave without a word.

After several preparations, the Black Emperor changed into the standard outfit from the original story.

He wore a crisp, tailored black suit and a vintage-style top hat.

In his own mind, once he put on this outfit, he would be firmly among the elite.

No longer a beggar begging on the street.

Even the way they eat is deliberately crafted, chewing slowly and deliberately to appear refined.

Even the most expensive dishes are only eaten in half.

The rest are simply discarded, used specifically to show off that they are not short of money.

……

In a quiet teahouse facing the street.

The filthy soil and foul water, resembling bodies, strode in side by side.

The two looked around the store.

My gaze quickly settled on the window booth, on the man in sunglasses, thin and dressed in a black suit.

"The person is there."

The evil water nodded slightly in acknowledgment.

The two walked straight over, each pulled out a chair, and sat down opposite the man.

This man was none other than the Black Emperor, who had been indulging in extravagance and pleasure for half a month.

He has now grown two thin mustaches and is dressed smartly in a suit and tie.

But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't hide the sleazy and vulgar air about his rough face.

"Have you had enough fun? Have you found the person I asked you to look for?"

Evil Water was expressionless, his tone cold and devoid of any warmth.

Hehehe~

The Black Emperor smiled, and his lewd aura became even more unmistakable.

He twirled his right mustache with his right hand and slowly began to speak:

"To find a descendant who simultaneously possesses all five complete light and shadow bloodlines is extremely rare, one in ten thousand, and hard to find even with a lantern."

"No one but me can help you dig out the target."

As he spoke, he reached into his suit's inner pocket with his right hand, fumbled for a moment, and pulled out a small one-inch photo, placing it on the table.

"This is the child you're looking for."

She's not very old, and she was adopted a long time ago.

The woman who adopted him was named Minci, and she worked at an affordable dumpling restaurant year-round.

She's just an ordinary woman who earns a fixed monthly salary.

Evil Water reached out and picked up the photo, examining it carefully before handing it to Evil Soil beside him for a look.

"There's another task I assigned you. How's that going?"

Evil Water then pressed for details about the progress of the second task.

Black Emperor did not answer immediately after hearing this, but reached into his other pocket and took out a small transparent plastic box.

The box is not large, and its interior is divided into two separate compartments by a partition.

There was a small lizard in the cubicle on the left.

The skin was extensively ulcerated and pitted, covered with ugly sores, with not a single piece of intact skin or flesh.

Even though he was injured like this.

The lizard is still stubbornly alive.

In the other cubicle, a bright red, highly venomous scorpion lay sprawled.

He placed the box steadily in the center of the coffee table and began to introduce it slowly and methodically:

"This green lizard has been active around the nuclear power plant for a long time."

They survived years of radioactive waste contamination by enduring radiation.

This red scorpion has lived in a heavily polluted area for many years, and its genes have long been completely destroyed by various toxins.

Don't be fooled by their small size.

I spent a considerable amount of money to buy these two mutated creatures.

A few days ago, the Shadow Guardian assigned the Black Emperor two hard tasks.

First, search for humans who possess all five elements' bloodlines within their bodies;

Second, to capture mutated organisms on Earth caused by pollution.

The Black Emperor handled both tasks swiftly and efficiently, completing them far faster than the Shadow Guardian had anticipated.

Having obtained the photos and the box containing the mutated creature, Badwater and Badsoil lingered and left the teahouse without further ado.

The Black Emperor sat alone in his original spot.

He sipped his hot tea at a leisurely pace.

Enjoy the comfort and warmth brought by the constant temperature air conditioning in the store.

One pot of tea to drink to the very end.

Black Emperor felt it was time to go out and enjoy fine dining again, so he raised his hand to call over the passing service staff.

"Waiter, the bill, please."

The young waitress quickly stepped forward, wearing a standard customer-friendly smile: "Sir, your total bill is eighty-seven yuan."

"Here's a hundred, keep the change."

Black Emperor pulled out a brand new 100-yuan bill, placed it on the bill book, turned around, and walked out.

"Thank you, sir!"

The waitress's eyes lit up the moment she saw the banknotes.

The extra thirteen dollars were all his own tip, and he felt a surge of joy.

She walked happily to the cashier to check her accounts, casually flipping open the inner compartment of the bill.

The hundred-yuan bill had just turned into a dry, yellowed leaf.

"Huh???"

The waitress froze on the spot, her mind filled with self-doubt.

I clearly saw with my own eyes that it was a real hundred-dollar bill, how did it turn into an ordinary leaf in such a short time?

……

In the days that followed...

For ordinary people in City D, daily life remains unchanged, and life continues smoothly as usual.

The ERP Research Lab and the Dark Shadows are both involved.

The situation has already undergone tremendous changes.

First, Lin Zhen personally took over the entire Dark Shadow Realm.

Xin Nan and his companions clearly noticed that the mutant beasts that had appeared and caused trouble were becoming increasingly cunning and difficult to deal with.

Its overall individual strength is also far superior to that of the previously seen mutant beasts.

Fortunately, in the past two weeks, west Zhao led the other four people to complete high-intensity group training.

All five people have mastered the skills of summoning and controlling their own unique light and shadow steeds.

Without the intensive training during this period...

The group was simply no match for the troublesome mutant beasts they were dealing with.

Especially within the ERP base.

The pent-up conflict between Bei Miao and Li Xinnan has escalated to the point of no return.

After the base was attacked by mutant beasts last time, everyone held a debriefing meeting.

Throughout the meeting.

Bei Miao attributed the operational error to the mistake.

The vast majority of the responsibility for the base's mishap was placed on Li Xinnan's shoulders.

Li Xinnan was naturally unwilling to take the blame for everything without reason.

He is mild-mannered and has never been competitive.

However, this does not mean that we can allow others to arbitrarily frame and smear us.

The entire meeting was filled with back-and-forth arguments and debates between the two.

Kunzhong, Dongshan, and Xizhao were sandwiched in the middle the whole time.

They kept trying to mediate and reconcile the two sides.

The conflict had accumulated to a critical point, at noon that day.

Bei Miao contacted Li Xinnan alone and arranged to meet at a construction site on the outskirts of the city.

It was lunch break time, and all the workers on the construction site had gone home to eat and rest.

The entire area was deserted, undisturbed by outsiders.

It was excessively quiet.

rustle--

Clear footsteps echoed across the gravel ground as Li Xinnan arrived on time as promised.

Bei Miao had been waiting for a long time in an open area of ​​the construction site.

Hearing footsteps, he slowly turned around and met Li Xinnan's gaze as he walked towards him.

Neither of them spoke first; they just stood there quietly, staring at each other.

After a moment of stalemate, Bei Miao broke the deathly silence with an icy tone:

"We always disagree within the team."

Continuing to fight internally is pointless; it's better to make a clean break today.

The loser of this competition will voluntarily withdraw from the armored squad.

Li Xinnan instantly understood that the other party intended to have a private duel to determine the winner through fists and feet.

He understands all the reasons.

But deep down, I just felt it was incredibly childish.

Like an ignorant child who insists on arguing about who wins and who is superior.

He moved his lips, patiently and earnestly trying to persuade them:

"Bei Miao, no matter how fiercely we argue at the base, our ultimate goal in fighting against the Dark Shadow Realm is always the same."

There's absolutely no point in resorting to violence to determine who's stronger or weaker.

Bei Miao took a deep breath, his attitude exceptionally stubborn and unyielding:

"Since ancient times, only the strong have been qualified to lead the team."

The most direct way to determine who is qualified to be captain is to have a physical fight to prove their worth.

As soon as he finished speaking, he pointed at Li Xinnan, his words laced with provocation.

Li Xinnan shook his head helplessly: "If you really want the captain position, I'll give it to you."

In order for the armored squad to unite as one against a common enemy, he was willing to take a step back.

But not wanting to appear too weak, he quickly added:

"I don't need to prove my ability by winning or losing a fight."

The subtext is clear: I voluntarily conceded.

It's not that you're stronger than me.

I simply don't want internal conflict to break out within the team, that's all.

"Stop spouting this high-sounding nonsense."

Bei Miao could easily understand the hidden meaning in the words.

His expression instantly darkened. "Deep down, you also want to figure out your true strength, don't you?"

They can't find opponents of equal strength.

You can never truly know your own limits, just like when you first faced a mutant beast alone.

"Come on, I won't show you any mercy."

Bei Miao gritted his teeth and squeezed out these words, one by one.

As soon as he finished speaking, he raised his hand and took out the Black Rhino Summoner from his waist, and he could almost hear the exclusive battle sound effects of the armor combining.

"Black Rhino Armor - Combine!"

A thick, deep blue beam of light fell from the sky, and in an instant, the entire Black Rhino Armor was fully donned.

There was no further conversation.

Bei Miao rushed to Li Xinnan in a few quick steps and threw a straight punch.

Li Xinnan instinctively raised his hand to block, but his flesh and blood body could not withstand the immense force of the armor.

The force of just one punch forced him to use both arms to barely withstand the impact.

boom!

A dull thud echoed across the empty construction site.

Bei Miao's seemingly light punch landed hard on Li Xinnan's lower abdomen.

Li Xinnan instantly lost his strength, clutching his stomach and bending over to curl up.

Immediately afterward, Bei Miao raised his hand and shoved the person backward.

Li Xinnan staggered back four or five steps, pressing hard on his abdomen. It took him a long time to calm down the excruciating pain.

It was clear that no matter how dissatisfied Bei Miao was, he didn't actually intend to kill him.

If the force were just a little bit stronger, this punch would have been enough to seriously injure an ordinary person.

His original intention was simply to force Li Xinnan to back down.

Leave the team voluntarily.

He didn't genuinely intend to take drastic measures to vent his anger.

Having taken that punch squarely, the sharp pain made Li Xinnan realize it clearly.

There was no way to avoid this fight today.

He looked up.

He glanced coldly at Bei Miao, who was clad in black rhinoceros armor:

"Fine, since you insist on a fight, I'll play along to the end."

"Flame Dragon Armor - Combine!"

A clear dragon roar resounded throughout the construction site, and a fiery red light enveloped his entire body, instantly forming the Flame Dragon Armor.

After the armor is combined.

Li Xinnan, still maintaining his composure, couldn't help but question:

"Our enemy has always been the Shadow Realm. Why fight amongst ourselves and insist on determining who is superior?"

Bei Miao, straightforward by nature, retorted in a deep voice:

"Today I'll teach you properly what a qualified captain should be like."

Before he finished speaking, he had already rushed forward at full speed again.

Before Li Xinnan could fully engage in battle, they launched a surprise attack.

Li Xinnan hurriedly raised his hand to defend himself.

Among the entire set of Five Elements Armor, the Black Rhinoceros Armor is second only to the Snow Mastiff Armor in power.

boom!

Upon impact, a burst of blinding sparks erupted from Li Xinnan's wrist guards and armor.

He slid backward uncontrollably a great distance.

Bei Miao was serious when he fought; he really wanted to teach Li Xinnan how to be a captain.

Therefore, they didn't hold back at all.

They treated it purely as a monster to fight.

The relentless, methodical attacks left Li Xinnan with no choice but to dodge.

en route.

Li Xinnan finally found an opportunity to retaliate.

The two exchanged blows for four or five rounds, each winning and losing.

"snort!"

Bei Miao snorted coldly.

He then abandoned all martial ethics and summoned his meteor spear to fight his comrades.

Facing the armed Beimiao.

Li Xinnan had no choice but to hide.

Long weapons naturally have a distance advantage, and every slash and thrust is full of power.

The cement ground beneath our feet was riddled with tiny pits of varying depths.

Li Xinnan clearly had the opportunity to summon the Flaming Blade.

He would rather fight bare-handed than summon the Flaming Blade and face Bei Miao's weapon.

This yielding attitude only further enraged Bei Miao.

He couldn't stand Li Xinnan's self-pity and his overly soft-hearted attitude.

I've already drawn my weapon and am ready to fight you.

You're still pretending to care about team spirit? How hypocritical!

Bei Miao, wielding his meteor spear, pressed closer and closer, relentlessly chasing and attacking Li Xinnan.

During a lull in the fighting, Li Xinnan finally seized another excellent opportunity to counterattack.

He had already gathered his strength in his fist, but in the end, he forced it down, unable to bring himself to attack his companion.

A difference in thought.

The initiative has returned to Bei Miao's hands.

The meteor spear was swung with fierce force, leaving no room for hesitation with each strike.

Li Xinnan gradually couldn't withstand the relentless attacks and was shot in the torso.

He fell directly onto the concrete platform on the lower level of the construction site.

Bei Miao followed closely behind, leaping down and taking two steps forward, quietly waiting for Li Xinnan to slowly get up, supporting himself on the ground.

He raised his hand and mobilized the rich water energy.

A deep blue light wrapped around the tip of the meteor spear in layers.

Having gathered his strength, he gripped his spear tightly and thrust it forward fiercely.

"what……"

Li Xinnan's body was violently thrown away by the impact of the spear.

It tumbled 360 degrees in the air before crashing heavily onto the hard, cold concrete ground.