Inside the office, Ma Zhongguo frowned mid-service when the alarm blared.
"What's going on?"
"Mayor, someone's broken into the central zone!" A voice responded quickly from outside the door.
"How many?"
"O-one person."
"......"
"One person? Just clean him up. Why the hell did you sound the alarm?"
"They're saying he's a Tier-6 Evolver! And he can teleport!"
"Tier-6? Teleport!?"
"It's him!?"
Ma Zhongguo stood, adjusted his pants, and walked out of the office.
"Let's go see."
"Mayor, he seems to be here specifically for you. Maybe you shouldn't go out-it could be dangerous," the guard at the door said quietly.
"Just stay by my side. I'm Tier-6 too. Add the two of you, and there's nothing to fear."
"I want to see what makes this Yang Bin so special that he wrecked the Wang family that badly."
"Oh-notify Wang Zhenhong. Have him come over too."
"Yes sir."
Outside-
Yang Bin was getting bogged down.
Too many Evolvers in this base. As more flooded in from the outer rings, the place was getting packed shoulder to shoulder.
Worse, the snipers. Way too many of them. He couldn't stay in one spot for more than two swings before having to blink away.
He'd guided the Tang Saber to take out a few, but the ones further back were beyond its reach.
Continuous teleportation was draining him dry. Even popping crystals couldn't keep up.
Crystals restored energy gradually. Teleportation burned it in massive bursts. Use it too often, and recovery simply couldn't match the output.
Fortunately, Chen Hao read the situation instantly. He sprinted over, eliminated two snipers up close, then snatched up a rifle and started dropping the rest-one headshot after another.
The guy was getting disgustingly good with a sniper rifle.
With that threat neutralized, Yang Bin's situation flipped immediately.
Close quarters? He wasn't afraid of close quarters.
Sure, there were plenty of Tier-5 Evolvers here, but unless they'd broken through to Yaoguang Realm, they were basically furniture.
As for the Heavy Machine Guns-honestly, they didn't dare fire them. The area was packed with their own people. Pull that trigger and they'd be shredding friendlies.
"Stop!"
Right in the thick of the fighting, a single voice cut through the chaos.
Every head turned. Ma Zhongguo stood at the building entrance. No one had noticed when he'd appeared.
The Evolvers stopped fighting immediately and pulled back, though they kept Yang Bin boxed in at the center.
Yang Bin noted the instant obedience. Had to hand it to the guy-his authority here was absolute.
He stopped fighting too, stowed the Barbell Rod, and turned a relaxed smile toward Ma Zhongguo.
The man actually came outside. Bold. Genuinely bold.
"You must be Yang Bin." Ma Zhongguo spoke first.
"Yep."
"Truly a hero among the young." Ma Zhongguo made no effort to hide his admiration.
"So-interested in joining the official side? Join up, and you can pick any room in here. I guarantee you'll live comfortably through the apocalypse."
"Mm, I believe it. You people really do live comfortably in here." Yang Bin nodded, perfectly sincere.
This base was the living definition of Behind rich gates meat rots while on the road bones freeze.
The people in the outer zone couldn't even feed themselves. In here, it was wine and feasts.
"So what's your answer?"
Having witnessed Yang Bin's strength firsthand, Ma Zhongguo was fully invested now.
His ambitions were vast. Naturally, he wasn't about to let a weapon like this slip away.
"Shouldn't you be asking why I'm here?" Yang Bin's smile didn't waver.
"There may be some misunderstandings between us, but we have no direct conflict. Your real enemies are the Wang family. Tell you what-I'll hand over the Wang Family Head for you to deal with however you like. How's that sound?"
"Ma Zhongguo!!?" Wang Zhenhong had just arrived in time to catch that last sentence. His face twisted with fury.
"Ah, Family Head Wang-perfect timing. Captain Yang here was looking for you." Ma Zhongguo's expression didn't show a flicker of shame.
The Wang family was finished. That made Wang Zhenhong a spent asset.
If he could trade a spent asset for a subordinate this powerful? That was a steal.
Yang Bin glanced at Wang Zhenhong. Right-almost forgot about this one.
Leaving loose ends was always a mistake.
Wang Zhenhong ignored Ma Zhongguo entirely now, his eyes locked on Yang Bin like a man staring at the thing that destroyed his world.
Because it had. This was the person who killed his son. Killed his brother. Razed the Wang family base to the ground.
The entire Wang family-ruined by one man.
An enmity beyond reconciliation.
But the forces he had left... weren't enough. He knew that.
Wang Zhenhong turned to Ma Zhongguo.
"Mayor Ma. A deal. Help me get my revenge, and from today forward, the Wang family serves you completely. Every resource I still hold-it's yours."
"Well..."
Hesitation flickered across Ma Zhongguo's face.
"Your Wang family doesn't seem to have much power left, does it?"
"Our influence has taken a hit, yes. But I still command over a hundred Tier-5 Evolvers. And I have a considerable stockpile of Tier-5 crystals. Those are still valuable to you, I believe." Wang Zhenhong knew exactly which buttons to press.
Sure enough, Ma Zhongguo's expression shifted. For him, as long as the price was right, everything else was negotiable.
"Captain Yang, what do you think?" Ma Zhongguo turned to Yang Bin. Internally, he wanted both.
"What do I think?" Yang Bin's smile widened. "I think you two haven't woken up yet. Where exactly do you get the confidence to stand there deciding my life and death?"
The Tang Saber exploded forward like a bolt of lightning, ripping through the air toward Wang Zhenhong.
A bodyguard beside Wang Zhenhong reacted instantly, military dagger slashing to intercept.
Steel met steel. The Tang Saber's force blasted the dagger aside like it was nothing and punched straight through the man's chest.
The blade ripped free on its own, spun once in the air, and drove toward Wang Zhenhong again.
"Protect the Family Head!"
Bodyguards threw themselves in front of Wang Zhenhong.
"Captain Yang." Ma Zhongguo's voice went cold. "This is my turf. Attacking so recklessly-do you think I don't exist?"
"Your turf?" Yang Bin laughed. "Where do you get that confidence?"
His figure vanished.
He reappeared right beside Ma Zhongguo, Barbell Rod already swinging down.
At the last instant, a Light Shield materialized in front of Ma Zhongguo.
BOOM-
The Barbell Rod smashed through the Light Shield, shattering it completely.
But most of the force died with it. What remained knocked Ma Zhongguo back several steps-nothing more. For a Tier-6 Evolver, it was a shove, not a wound.
Yang Bin shot a surprised glance at the white-clothed Light-type Ability user beside Ma Zhongguo.
This guy's ability had some teeth.
Ma Zhongguo's politician smile was gone. What remained was cold and ugly.
"Since you refuse to recognize what's good for you-don't blame me."
"Kill him!"
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