Regarding the matter of awakening lightning abilities after transformation

Gu Cheng is a D-rank, Zhou Li is a B-rank, and the other side has at least three ability users, yet her heart remains in the warehouse.

Perhaps I should just ignore the cracks for now... Compared to the safety of my teammates, those...

At eight o'clock, the nightlife in Lanjiang City was just beginning, and the streets were bustling with traffic, but Su Wanxi felt no joy at all.

She sent a message to the scene as soon as she came out, but Gu Cheng still didn't reply.

What happened... Su Wanxi had long lost her usual composure, and her slightly furrowed brows revealed her inner panic.

The roads were completely congested, and the nearest subway station was far away. Su Wanxi didn't want to stay there for even a second longer; she just wanted to get back to the warehouse as quickly as possible.

"Wait, I need to requisition this first." She ran up to the staff member and pointed to the police motorcycle flashing red and blue lights.

"Ah, you use..." Before he could answer, Su Wanxi flipped over and sat on the motorcycle seat.

Twist your palm downwards, and a puff of blue smoke will come out of the exhaust port.

"I will return it to you."

The police motorcycles shot off like cannonballs, and Su Wanxi's black trench coat fluttered in the wind, making a rustling sound.

Section 59, Chapter Fifty-Eight: Curtain Call

In an abandoned warehouse in the western part of the city, the air was thick with the smell of gunpowder, and the two sides remained locked in a standoff for nearly thirty minutes, each holding a gun.

Zhou Li applied some simple cooling treatment to Qi Bei's injured calf, and the bleeding stopped. He simply leaned against the wall quietly, his breathing weak.

"How about we have the others evacuate?" Zhou Li didn't want to cause unnecessary casualties, and his tone carried a hint of negotiation.

After changing his clothes, Zhan Taiyi looked around. His men's eyes were unfocused, and their hands holding guns were trembling slightly, as if they were ready to surrender at any moment.

It's not surprising, really. Lanjiang hasn't experienced such a large-scale battle in many years, not to mention the participation of awakened individuals. Those strange and unusual abilities are almost synonymous with demons in the eyes of ordinary people.

"Your people should withdraw first," Zhan Taiyi said.

Zhou Li waved his hand, and the nearby special forces soldiers all withdrew from the warehouse.

Seeing that the other party kept their promise, Zhan Tai gave one of his men a look, and these strong men hurriedly put down their guns, put their hands on their heads, and walked towards the door.

"All the irrelevant people have left." Li Wenhai dusted off his sleeves, a polite smile on his lips.

"What do you want to say?" Zhou Li's gaze was icy, and the Tang sword in his hand emitted a few points of cold light.

"We are all awakened beings, why must we fight to the death?"

He leaned against the wall, his forehead covered in sweat, yet he tried to remain calm. The two were less than ten meters apart, and Li Wenhai had no doubt that if he let his guard down, Zhou Li's blade would pierce his heart in less than a second.

“It’s not a life-or-death struggle. If you give up resistance, we can treat you leniently,” Zhou Li replied coldly.

"Hmph..." Li Wenhai suddenly laughed, his laughter full of mockery.

"We are awakened beings, why should we care about those incompetent ordinary people..."

"Or... are you just obsessed with the thrill of carrying out justice?" He began to presume to speculate about people's intentions.

"..." The scene fell silent for a moment, and even Qi Bei, who was resting in the corner, looked at him as if he were a fool.

Is there something wrong with this person?

"We come when called, and leave when dismissed. We are born superior, while you live like stray dogs begging for mercy and wagging your tails..." He continued his rambling speech, like a clown in a ridiculous costume with a red nose in the stands.

“Shut up…” Zhou Li interrupted Li Wenhai’s performance. The superiority complex in the other party’s words was starting to make his ears callous.

"...stubborn and obstinate."

"You should be glad Captain Su isn't here..." If Su Wanxi hadn't left, hearing Li Wenhai's words would have surely rendered him speechless for the rest of his life.

"Heh, Su Wanxi? She's the dumbest of you all. She has a great family background but doesn't know how to use it. She's incredibly capable but is willing to be a lackey of ordinary people. If it were me..." His tone became even lower, and Gu Cheng even sensed a hint of sourness in it.

"I heard someone is calling me?" Before Li Wenhai could finish speaking, a green police motorcycle rushed in through the door, and a stunningly beautiful young woman was sitting in the driver's seat.

Su Wanxi wore a black trench coat, her exquisite figure faintly visible, her milky skin appearing even whiter and more delicate in the dim light. The hem of her coat fluttered lightly, and her delicate face was covered with frost.

"What's wrong with Gu Cheng?" The police motorcycle came to a steady stop in front of Zhou Li, the Martin boots making a soft sound as they touched the ground.

"I'm here." Gu Cheng's voice came from behind the cover, and she stretched out her slender arm and waved it gently in the air.

It's good that you're alright... Su Wanxi breathed a sigh of relief, turned around, and saw Li Wenhai's figure reflected in her clear eyes.

Was that you calling me?

"Clatter, clatter..." Li Wenhai felt every bone in his body was groaning. Zhan Tai beside him also collapsed to his knees, his ankles and knees bleeding profusely. His heart felt like it was being pulled by something.

"Whoosh..." He turned into liquid again, attempting to weaken the effect of gravity on himself.

Qi Bei, who was sitting in the corner, escaped unscathed; Su Wanxi did not lay a hand on him. The Hermit Bureau's instructions were to capture, not kill, and given the current situation, he had ceased to be a threat.

"Move...with." Unable to even open his lips, Li Wenhai managed to squeeze out two words from his teeth. His current mental strength was barely enough to create a portal that could accommodate the three of them to leave.

In an instant, a violent explosion occurred near the iron gate of the warehouse, and scorching flames shot towards the truck.

Upon hearing the news of Qi Bei's invasion, Zhan Taiyi immediately ordered his men to plant high explosives in the warehouse. Originally intended as a congratulatory gift for the Hermit Bureau after their escape, these explosives were now to be detonated prematurely to interfere with Su Wanxi's gravity manipulation.

Seeing the rapidly approaching flames, Su Wanxi frowned slightly. She quickly stepped over the scattered plasterboard and moved closer to Gu Cheng.

As the pressure on his body subsided, Li Wenhai saw a golden veil before his eyes.

The ability was activated... Irregular ripples appeared in the surrounding space, and a rift, just wide enough for one person to pass through at a time, suddenly appeared in front of the three of them.

"Retreat quickly!" Zhan Taiyi rushed towards the gap first, and the moment he touched the portal, his fat body disappeared without a trace.

"Qi Bei? What are you standing there for? Hurry up and leave!" Li Wenhai cursed as he looked at the man lying on the ground. As the user of the ability, he had to be the last to leave in order to keep the portal from collapsing.

"You can leave now..." Qi Bei closed his eyes and slowly shook his head.

"What do you mean?" Li Wenhai cursed, trying to forcibly pull him into the portal.

"Hiss..." Qi Bei's body was covered in blood, and Li Wenhai's right palm was burned in a small area.

"You...you're courting death." In the firelight, a figure rushed towards them. Li Wenhai released his grip and passed straight through the portal.

The azure ripples disappeared quietly, gray smoke obscured the view, and a burning pain shot through Qi Bei's lungs.

He saw Zhou Li, carrying a Tang sword, with a sharply defined face, rapidly approaching him.

"I surrender." Raising his hands high above his head, Qi Bei gave up resisting.

......

Five meters underground in an abandoned warehouse, there is a dark and gloomy sewage pipe.

A flash of azure ripples passed by, and Zhan Taiyi and Li Wenhai barely managed to stand firm. The air was filled with a stench, and many places were covered with filthy silt.

"Where's Qi Bei?" Zhan Tai also covered his mouth and nose, his deep male voice echoing in the narrow pipe.

“He refuses to come in. If he stays outside, he’ll either die or become a traitor.” Without warning, Li Wenhai’s hand touched the tube wall. The open wound sent waves of tingling sensation through him as countless bacteria entered his blood vessels.

“...bullshit.” Zhan Taiyi’s eyes narrowed, and he cursed under his breath.

"Turn right ahead." His long journey through the liquefied pipeline area had given him an intimate knowledge of the city's pipeline network.

P.S. Volume 1 should finish in the next day or two.

Section 60, Chapter Fifty-Nine (End)

"Waaah..."

"Stop arguing! All you do is argue!"

It's so dark... Is no one turning on the lights...?

Gu Cheng felt like she was floating in mid-air, with the cries of children and the shouts of men in her ears.

In the shot, a large, muscular hand suddenly slapped her, and she instinctively tried to dodge.

"Slap!" The hand that was supposed to strike Gu Cheng suddenly disappeared, leaving only a crisp sound.

"Waaah...no...uh..." The sobs continued intermittently, but the sound was louder than before.

"Who's there?" No one answered Gu Cheng's question; she was alone in the darkness.

Falling...falling continuously...as if it would smash to pieces at any moment.

The girl struggled to turn her head, trying her best to peer down.

A black apartment building appeared before her, one she had never seen before yet felt strangely familiar with. The descent accelerated; she could even make out the patterns on the roof and the rubble at the corners of the walls...

A strange smell lingered in my nostrils, like rotten eggs or something else.

"Bang!" The lighter was opened, and a small flame emerged from the darkness. Suddenly, a string in my mind snapped, and a violent explosion came from the apartment.

The flames pierced the darkness and engulfed Gu Cheng in the process.

......

"Gu Cheng..." The voice was melodious and clear, accompanied by the sharp sound of the wind.

"What's wrong, Gu Cheng? Chengzi?"

"Hoo... Hmm?" Her pupils refocused, and a beautiful figure appeared before her. Su Wanxi drove around the corner, braced herself on one leg, and turned off the police motorcycle.

"Get out of the car." Gu Cheng then realized that her arms were tightly wrapped around Su Wanxi's slender waist, her cheek pressed against her back, and a few strands of long hair falling to the corner of her mouth.

"Ok."

What just happened...?

Gu Cheng's memory was still stuck on how Zhan Taiyi sent someone to detonate explosives, and Su Wanxi pulled her onto a motorcycle to evacuate the scene.

Looking back, towering flames engulfed the entire warehouse, a sight that overlapped with the fragmented pieces of the warehouse.

"Gu Cheng...are you alright?" Another hand appeared before her. Compared to the rough one before, this hand was much more delicate, with fair and slender fingers and distinct knuckles, like a newly sprouted bamboo shoot.

"I...I'm fine." As she spoke, Su Wanxi gently placed her hand on Gu Cheng's forehead.

"How is Uncle Zhou?" Looking around, they realized that one person was missing besides themselves.

“Uncle Zhou stayed in the warehouse; an explosion of this magnitude shouldn’t hurt him.” Zhou Li’s presence meant he could withstand the blast, and Su Wanxi trusted his judgment. In fact, Zhou Li did withstand it; he hid next to a thick plasterboard, using his abilities to distribute the aftershocks of the explosion evenly over his body.