Though busy, the other patrol officers made way for him and greeted him as he approached, their faces filled with admiration.

"Don’t worry about Captain Yang’s injuries."

"I already asked. The medics said it’s not fatal. He’ll be able to get out of bed and walk around after resting for half a month, then he’ll recover slowly."

On the way, as if sensing his concern, Chen Xiao spoke in a low voice.

Lu Chao nodded at his words and didn’t ask anything further.

Soon after, an attendant medic examined his injuries and confirmed he was fine.

After taking two vials of Nutrient Liquid to restore his stamina, he left ahead of the others, with Chen Xiao driving him as an escort.

The streets were dim and pedestrians scarce along the way.

Red and blue lights flashed intermittently as the car drove on.

They passed one street that was in complete disarray, clearly the scene of some kind of attack.

A lamppost lay toppled on the ground. The windows of the surrounding shops were mostly shattered, and the walls were pockmarked with bullet holes and scratches.

Shards of glass littered the ground. Several bodies of passersby lay by the roadside, where another Patrol Department squad was now handling the cleanup.

’To think they caused such a huge commotion...’

Lu Chao sat in the passenger seat. His expression flickered as he recalled the fiery explosions he had seen before the operation began.

He then pulled his gaze away from the civilian casualties.

He twisted open the cap and began to gulp down the Nutrient Liquid to restore his stamina, then glanced up at the night sky outside the window.

Most of the towering flames he’d seen earlier were gone, and the sky had returned to its usual, gloomy darkness.

As they passed a scorched high-rise, he could see the fire department was already on the scene. Jets of water from several fire trucks arched into the air, gradually bringing the blaze under control.

Crowds of people caught in the blast were receiving emergency treatment at the base of the building before being taken away in ambulances.

For a time, red and blue lights crisscrossed the streets. Occasionally, searchlights tore through the darkness as hover cars streaked across the sky above.

The Iron Ring District felt as if it had endured a catastrophe, leaving a sense of grim survival in its wake.

"My uncle told me there were explosions at several high-rises earlier. It was probably the Rebels stirring up trouble, but the Superpower Bureau has the situation under control now."

Chen Xiao explained, gripping the steering wheel, "Also, according to our last communication, Miss Su’s security detail ran into a squad of Rebels. They were probably there to back up Qiu Shan’s crew. They were forced to fall back, and now both the Superpower Bureau and our own people are in pursuit."

’Is that so.’

Understanding, Lu Chao nodded.

With a few loud gulps, the cool Nutrient Liquid slid into his stomach. He could feel his stamina recovering noticeably faster.

The patrol car continued toward Block 2.

Although a few individuals were still taking advantage of the chaos to loot and vandalize shops, other patrol squads were arriving on the scene to quell the unrest.

Everything seemed to be coming under control. The chaos in the city was no longer at a critical point.

However...

A question surfaced in Lu Chao’s mind. ’Why would the Rebels do this?’

’Was it really just to provide backup for Qiu Shan’s crew and distract the Superpower Bureau?’

He shook his head inwardly, thinking it was unlikely.

Even if it was all connected to the kidnapping of Miss Su, there were far more reliable ways to coordinate an extraction.

’Or perhaps... Qiu Shan’s crew and the bombings were both just a smokescreen.’

’What the Rebels truly want... is something else?’

His eyes narrowed as he looked out the window again.

Lu Chao had the faint feeling that the night sky over Ring City had grown deeper, more profound.

...

SWOOSH!!

Several hover cars circled high in the sky, their blinding searchlights beaming down.

Massive, incandescent beams of light swept across the ground, inch by inch, as if trying to illuminate every corner of the concrete street.

Dozens of drones, remotely controlled, fanned out in mid-air, heading for every street corner and alleyway.

THUMP-THUMP-THUMP-THUMP!

The heavy footsteps belonged to elite squads from the Superpower Bureau and reassigned members of the Patrol Department. Fully armed, they fanned out and rushed into the district, searching for something.

In an instant, the street fell deathly silent, the only sound the crackle of commands in the squads’ earpieces.

"Old Yan, where is he?"

THUD!

Suddenly, a figure cloaked in a bright, swirling Martial Arts Flame sprinted forward and landed in the center of the plaza, next to a grounded hover car.

His powerful voice carried a hint of exhaustion as he looked toward the middle-aged man directing the elite squads.

"He got away."

Meeting his gaze, Leader Yan fell silent for a moment before shaking his head in resignation.

Then, his gaze fell upon the newly arrived Yue Zhenhong. His eyes narrowed, focusing on the man’s left shoulder.

"How’s your injury?"

The swirling Martial Arts Flame was indeed imposing, but a closer look revealed Yue Zhenhong’s left arm hanging limp. A fist-sized, bloody hole gaped in his shoulder, dripping blood steadily.

"Don’t worry. It’s not enough to kill me."

Yue Zhenhong waved his hand dismissively, and the Martial Arts Flame swirling around him gradually dissipated.

He then glanced at the elite squad by the hover car. A holographic screen displayed a nine-panel grid, showing live feeds from the search teams in the surrounding district.

Seeing no sign of activity, he shook his head and sighed. "As expected of a Rebel. Even with the two of us combined, we couldn’t stop him."

"Looks like we miscalculated this time."

Leader Yan remained silent, sighing to himself.

Who could have guessed that someone in the escort convoy was actually Faceless Legos in disguise?

They had done their best to lock down the information, planning to deliver the item to the Alliance Country headquarters. Once it was in the hands of the people from Yao Capital, the hot potato would be off their plate.

But they never expected things would still go wrong.

"Keep searching."

Shaking his head, Leader Yan suppressed his frustration and gave the order in a grim voice. "He must still be in the city."

"Find that item, no matter the cost!"

...

SPLASH!

Water flew as a figure emerged from the river that circled the city.

In the dead of night, the lamps along the riverbank cast a dim, yellow glow.

Using the darkness for cover, he slowly crawled onto the bank beneath a bridge.

THUMP-THUMP-THUMP-THUMP!

A series of footsteps sounded from the embankment above, suggesting a search party was passing by.

He immediately held his breath, simultaneously drawing on the power of his Genetic Spring to conceal his biological heat signature and avoid detection.

Finally, after ten-odd seconds...

The footsteps faded, and silence returned from above.

The figure hiding under the bridge breathed a sigh of relief, then started gasping for air.

*Pant... Pant... Pant...*

’Those old geezers from the Superpower Bureau... they really pack a punch.’

His chest heaved violently. A slight depression was visible on his torso—a Fist Seal, sunken half an inch into his left pectoral, had nearly shattered his sternum and ruptured his heart.

His right arm also hung limply at his side, the bone clearly fractured.

Injuries like these would have killed any other fighter, yet he still had the strength to stand, not even collapsing from the severe wounds.

’Yue Zhenhong... Yan Zhengfeng...’

A cold glint flashed in his azure eyes as Legos committed their names to memory.

He then walked slowly toward a corner under the bridge, up against the embankment wall.

A tarp had been strung up here, forming a crude, two-sided shelter. Inside, a homeless man was resting on a tattered bamboo mat.

As if sensing something, he opened his eyes and sat up.

Before he could even ask who it was...

PFFT!

A bloody hole appeared between his eyebrows. A trickle of blood ran down his cheek.

The homeless man collapsed, his breathing ceasing entirely.

The spreading blood slowly stained the bamboo mat a deep, dark red in the gloom.

Legos slowly lowered his arm without a second glance at the body. After confirming that he was alone, he carried the silver case he’d been holding to a dry patch of ground.

He keyed in the code according to his intel and slowly opened the case, a flicker of anticipation in his eyes.

Robert’s legacy.

’If I can get my hands on it...’

"Huh?"

His pupils contracted as he stared into the open case.

He stared, transfixed. The case was completely, utterly empty.

"Where is it?"

In disbelief, he thrust his left hand into the case, fumbling around inside.

There was no hidden compartment. It was well and truly empty.

’Where is it?’

His expression shifted from disbelief to pure rage.

Legos looked up toward the bridge and the embankment, his face contorted with murderous rage, feeling as if he’d been played for a fool.

’Where... is... MY... ITEM?!’