Chapter 168: Everyone's Mindsets Gradually Shattering

The chest plate of the Black-Armored Man who had previously blocked the black feathered arrow was completely blown apart. His chest was covered in bloody lacerations, the wounds so deep that bone was almost visible. The armor's built-in life-support system was working frantically to stabilize his injuries.

The Metal Crate rested quietly beside him. The Black-Robed Figure kept his head bowed, his expression hidden in the shadows.

"I will escort you out first..." the Black-Armored Man said in a deep voice. The members of the Sun-Hunter Squad were currently busy with their infighting, leaving no one to stop them.

The two immediately headed toward the Tyron Tower's Elevator. They still had an unfinished mission.

Suddenly, a dazzling Energy Beam shot out from an oblique angle. The Black-Armored Man reacted with lightning speed.

His bare hand, exposed outside the armor, abruptly expanded dozens of times in size. It transformed into the palm of some monstrous beast, covered in black scales that reflected a metallic sheen, effectively blocking the Energy Beam.

Boom!

The Energy Beam blasted the scaled hand entirely apart, forcing the Black-Armored Man to stumble backward a few steps.

Before he could even catch his breath, another figure darted out from the shadows, wielding a gray Ship-breaking Blade and slashing directly at the Black-Armored Man's head.

Under the alerts of their Combat Systems, the rest of the people, with the exception of Nobus, noticed the commotion here.

"Gelo really is here!" Boiling Blood's expression darkened. At the same time, a suspicion arose in his heart. 'Could this entire situation be part of Gelo's plan?'

But he immediately erased this thought from his mind. Sanchez could never betray him, and more importantly, he would never lay down his life for Gelo.

Li Yu's slashing motion with the blade suddenly stiffened. He felt a sharp pain in his head; someone was invading with Mental Power.

However, his own Mental Power instantly counterattacked, surging forth to resist the foreign mental intrusion.

Due to that momentary stiffness in his movements, the Black-Armored Man's right leg kicked straight over. The armor on the sole of his foot split open, revealing several rapidly spinning metal drills.

Screech!

Purple light flashed as the metal drills struck the Titan Symbiotic Armor, showering fierce sparks upon impact.

Bang!

He was blasted into a pillar and tumbled to the ground. With a grim expression, he stared dead at the Black-Robed Figure. The Black-Robed Figure seemed equally shocked and slowly raised his head.

"How could you have such abundant Mental Power? Who are you?!" the other party rasped, his voice sounding like grinding sand.

Li Yu was deeply shaken as a pair of blazing red pupils entered his vision. Having spent day and night in close proximity, he was incredibly familiar with such eyes!

A Burning Eye Star-person!

He was actually a Burning Eye Star-person! Li Yu had never expected this. The area around the other party's eye sockets was incredibly crimson, with protruding veins. Coupled with a ghastly pale face, it gave off an utterly bizarre feeling.

Invisible Mental Power acted like tentacles, attempting to burrow into Li Yu's head.

Li Yu's face darkened. He did not possess the Blazing Eye and could not influence others through Mental Power, but he was not to be trifled with either.

"Stop!"

He shouted a strange syllable. A massive amount of Mental Power poured out like a torrent, surging toward the opponent.

The other party seemed thoroughly astounded, his eyes widening as the veins around his sockets bulged furiously.

Those invading Mental Power tentacles instantly vanished. Li Yu shook his head and slashed toward the Black-Armored Man once more.

The Burning Eye Star-person was still struggling against Li Yu's Mental Power and had no strength to care about anything else. Even though he had not truly "stopped," the effect seemed even more useful than if The Voice had fully taken hold.

The Black-Armored Man was horrified. 'This guy actually possesses Mental Power? Where on earth did he pop out from?!'

He braced himself for a confrontation, but his vision blurred. Li Yu suddenly changed direction and dashed toward the Burning Eye Star-person.

With a swift strike to the head using the flat of the gray Ship-breaking Blade, the Burning Eye Star-person was instantly knocked unconscious. His physical constitution was not particularly strong; at best, it was only at the standard of a D-Class Lifeform.

Scooping up the Burning Eye Star-person, Li Yu sprinted toward the Escape Passageway.

"Put him down!" the Black-Armored Man bellowed, his expression changing drastically. Not daring to delay, he chased right after him, leaving the Metal Crate sitting in its original spot, completely ignored.

On the seventy-fifth floor, the Card Master furrowed his brow as he observed the battle below. He had a strong feeling that today's conflict was intrinsically tied to that Crazy Person.

"Mangu, you aren't trying to set me up, are you?" The Card Master's gaze flickered. Earlier conversations with the Sun-Hunter Squad had resolved the misunderstanding, clearing him of the suspicion of colluding with Gelo.

However, he had also concealed quite a few things—such as the fact that Li Yu had been introduced by Mangu.

His relationship with Mangu was not good. His only reason for hiding this information was to see if he could squeeze out some extra profit.

Rumble!

A violent explosion echoed from the Escape Passageway on the seventy-fifth floor. To the Card Master's utter disbelief, Li Yu came charging up with the Burning Eye Star-person tucked under his arm.

"Help me stop the guy behind me!" Li Yu shouted.

'Stop your mom!' The Card Master's mindset shattered. Although he could not see Li Yu's appearance, he was absolutely certain that this was that Crazy Person.

'I just scolded you a few times! I just called you a Crazy Person! I just didn't let you use the Laboratory! Is there a need to target me like this?'

The Card Master's face darkened. He was not to be trifled with, either. His figure vanished from the spot, reappearing right in front of Li Yu. Without a shred of hesitation, his fists, radiating a freezing aura, smashed into Li Yu's Armor.

'Did he really think I was a pushover?!'

Carrying the Burning Eye Star-person, Li Yu forcefully took the blow and slammed into the wall behind him. The purple light membrane on the Titan Symbiotic Armor emitted a faint glow.

"This kind of welcome is a bit too special..." Li Yu felt a tightness in his chest and coughed dryly a few times. He then smashed straight through the wall and darted into the Card Master's room.

'He didn't die? How is that possible!' The Card Master's pupils dilated. 'The other party is clearly just a C-Class Lifeform; how could he have survived?'

Just as he was about to give chase, the Black-Armored Man rushed out of the Escape Passageway, suddenly halting his momentum and staring vigilantly at the Card Master.

"What are you looking at me for? I have nothing to do with him. Hurry up and go kill him!" the Card Master roared angrily. Then, as if realizing something, his expression changed drastically. "No, wait!"

"You can't fight here! My production line is still in there!"

That was a Gene Chain modulation production line worth hundreds of billions! That Crazy Person would undoubtedly seek revenge without any scruples.

The Black-Armored Man's chest was blown open, and one of his arms was broken. He looked thoroughly miserable, yet he showed no fear whatsoever.

"Trust me, I am not with him. Let's take him down together," the Card Master explained. To show his sincerity, he deliberately walked in front.

The Black-Armored Man knew his own injuries meant he was absolutely no match for a normal B-Class Lifeform. He refrained from initiating an attack and warily stepped into the room.

Upon entering the room, the Card Master's expression drastically shifted. He saw that Li Yu had smashed open the doors to his Laboratory and was wielding an Energy Cannon, aiming it squarely at his precious Instruments.

"How did you get in?! The defensive measures of my Laboratory cannot be breached by a C-Class Lifeform!" The Card Master's mindset shattered once again, his face filled with sheer disbelief.

"Oh..." Li Yu gave no particular reaction and simply told the Card Master, "Please do me a favor and kill him."

The Card Master's expression constantly fluctuated between dark and clear, while the Black-Armored Man behind him slowly backed away.

"If you don't make a move, I'm going to fire..." The Energy Cannon in Li Yu's hand gave a little shake, and the Card Master's heart trembled along with it.

"You CENSORED!" the Card Master roared, letting loose a string of profanities so foul they were effectively filtered out. He spun around abruptly, his right arm swelling up and transforming into a white tentacle with an incredibly sharp tip that pierced straight through the Black-Armored Man's chest.

Blood dripped down the tentacle onto the floor. With a dark expression, he turned his head back and forced the words through his teeth, "Is this... satisfactory?!"

"What a handsome posture. Yes, that will do..." Li Yu nodded. He paused, then continued, "Oh, I forgot to tell you, this guy has a rather formidable background. The one standing behind him is most likely a Noble from the Star Glory Empire."

The corner of the Card Master's eye twitched slightly. He took a deep breath, only to hear Li Yu add, "And your heroic figure slaying him just now has been recorded by me and uploaded to the Black Hole Network with dozens of backups."

"If I happen to encounter any accidents when I leave, you know what will happen..."

The Card Master felt utterly exhausted, as if his entire world had been destroyed. He slumped and asked dejectedly, "What on earth do you want?"

Li Yu revealed a radiant smile. "I want to borrow your Laboratory for a bit."

Hearing this, the Card Master closed his eyes in agony. 'What sins did I commit to deserve this?'

Walking out of the Laboratory, Li Yu efficiently stripped the Black-Armored Man of his Armor, revealing a scrawny pilot. His entire body was ghastly pale, as if he hadn't seen sunlight for years.

Standing on the side, the Card Master watched the seemingly defenseless Li Yu, feeling the urge to make a move. However, remembering Li Yu's previous threat, a wave of defeated powerlessness washed over him again.

Li Yu hoisted the Burning Eye Star-person. It was highly unusual for those three B-Class Lifeforms to willingly risk their lives to protect this Burning Eye Star-person.

After all, this guy was just someone with C-Class Mental Power. While relatively unique, he shouldn't be worth sacrificing their lives to defend.

'Unless this guy has some other value...'

Rumble!

Booming sounds echoed from downstairs; the battle was still ongoing. This reminded Li Yu that he still had some unfinished business.

Finding a way to threaten the Card Master had been his plan all along, and he had coincidentally achieved it by utilizing this Burning Eye Star-person.

However, Kansa was still downstairs.

"If I go down to save him while carrying this guy, it seems like it'll be extremely troublesome," Li Yu muttered. He glanced at the Card Master; leaving the captive here wasn't a good idea either.

"Forget it, I'll just slaughter him. He's an enemy anyway." Deciding not to overthink it, Li Yu drew his Ship-breaking Blade, preparing to slit the guy's throat.

"Uh... there probably aren't many Burning Eye Star-people left..." he pondered for a moment before muttering to himself again, "Mo Duo will definitely understand me. This guy has already betrayed the Blazing Eye Star and become a lapdog for the Star Glory Empire. He deserves to die."

Thud!

The headless corpse dropped to the floor. Li Yu stored the head away in his Compressed Space. He felt there was something off about this guy, so he needed to study it carefully once he got back.

"I will contact you later..." Li Yu tossed a casual farewell to the Card Master and hurriedly left.

The Card Master stared at the two corpses in his room, his face looking utterly defeated and awful. He slumped onto the sofa in a daze. Explaining all of this was still going to be a massive headache for him.

......

Downstairs, the battle raged on. However, due to Li Yu's sudden appearance, both sides were distracted and were no longer fighting as fiercely as if they were trying to beat each other's brains out like they had been at the start.

The two Black-Armored Men were especially worried about the situation of the Black-Robed Figure, so their minds were barely on the fight.

Whoosh!

A white armored figure darted out of the Escape Passageway, instantly drawing the attention of the four B-Class Lifeforms.

The movements of the four momentarily paused. As if sharing a tacit understanding, they pivoted and launched an attack at the figure.

Boom!

The figure exploded directly in mid-air, mechanical parts scattering everywhere without meeting virtually any resistance.

Everyone froze slightly, feeling it was quite unbelievable. This was especially true for Boiling Blood and Nobus; having briefly clashed with "Gelo," they knew he shouldn't be killed off so easily.

"There's no one inside!"

Boiling Blood's expression grew dark, being the first to realize something was wrong.

From behind, the real Li Yu had already sneaked close to the Metal Crate. The figure just now was naturally a decoy created by the Titan Symbiotic Armor, used to draw their attention.

He tucked the Metal Crate under his arm and sprinted toward the perimeter of the Tyron Tower. The two Black-Armored Men hastily turned around, attempting to stop Li Yu from leaving.

They were far more desperate to find the vanished Black-Robed Figure; that was their utmost priority.

Laser Cannons popped up from their shoulders, but their blasts struck the Titan Symbiotic Armor to absolutely no effect.

"You can't escape!" Boiling Blood roared sharply. He had already drawn back his Mechanical Giant Bow. After the recent scuffle, the black feathered arrow seemed to have completed its cooldown.

At this moment, everyone reached a tacit understanding: they had to stop this guy from leaving!

Nobus bellowed, and endless waves of freezing air materialized out of nowhere, blocking Li Yu's forward path.

The two Black-Armored Men pressed together, back to front. The mechanical structures of their black Armor interlocked, forming an enhanced version of the Laser Cannon that was already charging up.

Boom! Whoosh!

The black feathered arrow was fired, the massive blast of the Laser Cannon tore through the air, and endless freezing energy surged forward.

Three attacks descended simultaneously. No matter how powerful the Titan Symbiotic Armor was, it would be difficult to block these strikes. The black feathered arrow alone could practically insta-kill a B-Class Lifeform.

If Li Yu hadn't pre-charged his own Laser Cannon to weaken the arrow's power last time, he probably would have been dead already.

And this time, there were two additional supporting attacks!

However, in the very split second before the attacks connected with him, he suddenly hunched over and performed a clumsy dive-roll right on the spot.

At the same time, the miniature Batman tucked in his embrace instantly detonated—an "Unprepared Batman" naturally had to make a run for it!

Mid-roll, he grabbed the Metal Crate and completely vanished into thin air.

Rumble!

A violent explosion propagated across the area, causing the surrounding architecture to tremble slightly. Before the blast had even fully subsided, the four of them charged into the epicenter.

However, something completely unbelievable occurred.

"Where is he?!" Boiling Blood roared, having been utterly enraged.

The two Black-Armored Men didn't utter a word, but they clenched their fists tightly.

Nobus suddenly seemed to have an epiphany. He looked around and asked, "Captain, where is your arrow? Did it go track that guy down?"

Boiling Blood calmed down slightly, feeling a bit more invigorated. "He can't dodge the Cursed Arrow. He definitely can't dodge it!"

It sounded like he was informing the others, but also like he was trying to reassure himself.

In a shop about ninety kilometers away, the owner lay in a fully automatic massage chair, watching a video playing on a Holographic Screen. Waves of provocative, imagination-stirring sounds drifted out periodically.

"Tsk, tsk, Ozawa truly is an actress with years of experience. Her movements are so skilled, and the postures aren't bad either," he critiqued with relish.

Crash! His display shelves suddenly emitted a strange noise as a large amount of Cargo tumbled to the floor.

"Huh?" He bolted upright, staring dumbfounded at Li Yu who had suddenly materialized out of nowhere, along with the massive Metal Crate.

"Wh-who... who are you?" he asked, trembling in fear.

Li Yu shook his head, feeling a bout of dizzying nausea. He glanced at the scattered Cargo on the floor. It was wrapped in exquisite packaging, which periodically broadcasted certain video snippets.

He raised his eyebrows slightly. 'What species are those two blindingly white things? Why do they look so much like some sort of grub...'

'Do people actually buy this stuff?'

The shop owner didn't dare disturb him. The Inuit Hub had been quite turbulent lately. If he happened to run into someone aiming for zero-dollar shopping, he would suffer a massive loss.

Thud!

A muffled thud echoed from the wall. As the shop owner watched in stunned silence, a black feathered arrow dropped right in front of him.

Li Yu blinked, looking at the black feathered arrow on the floor that no longer contained a shred of power, feeling somewhat surprised.

'Was it because the distance was too far... so its power was completely exhausted? This arrow... truly delivers on its mission, no matter what...'

Inside the Tyron Tower, Boiling Blood held up his arm. Under the silent gazes of the other three, his expression progressively grew extremely ugly.

'Where is my arrow?!'

'Didn't that merchant say it could be recalled from anywhere within fifty kilometers? Why hasn't it reacted yet?'

'In just that split second, could that guy have run more than fifty kilometers away?!'