Chapter 428: Traitor! Ambush!

Including Xia Lan, everyone instinctively turned to look at Xu Jingming.

What they didn't expect was that Xu Jingming's expression didn't change at all upon hearing the news.

As if Lu Qi had just mentioned not a seventh-rank Master, but some low-level ability user easily slain with a flick of the wrist.

Since the captain showed no reaction, Li Xiang continued pressing:

"Before the martial arts branch was attacked, did anything unusual happen?

For example, any conflicts with guilds or factions?"

As one of the top forces in Daya Nation, Thunder Martial Arts had considerable influence even internationally.

No faction would strike without cause; the most likely reason was conflict over some interest.

"Doing business in the Chaos Triangle, it's impossible to avoid clashes with other factions.

But most incidents were minor friction, never escalating to the point of annihilating our branch."

Lu Qi shook his head.

Several powerful factions were stationed in the Chaos Triangle, several of them from Daya alone.

Yet the quantity of ferocious beast materials and rare herbs collected by ability users from the Wild Zones remained limited.

All factions inevitably clashed over these resources.

But usually, injuries were minor; cases of severe or near-fatal wounds were rare.

"I see."

Li Xiang nodded, frowning slightly as he addressed Xu Jingming:

"Based on current information, we can't extract any useful intelligence.

We'll have to wait until we reach the temporary base and speak with the other surviving ability users—see if we can find more clues..."

Without identifying a conflict, we can't find the killer.

But that's nearly impossible—six seventh-rank Masters wouldn't randomly attack a martial arts branch for no reason.

The specific cause, Lu Qi probably didn't know.

"Mm." Xu Jingming nodded.

After all, it was an S-rank mission; hard-to-find clues were normal.

Next, Lin Hui, Xia Lan, and Du Wan each asked their questions in turn.

But they gained little useful information.

Thus, the SUV sped on, soon leaving the city for the remote suburbs...

An hour later, not a trace of urban development remained outside the windows.

In its place stretched a primitive thicket of shrubs and trees.

"Ssshh—"

After another ten minutes, the SUV pulled over beside a cement road.

"The rest of the journey has no direct road—we must walk."

The group stepped out of the SUV.

"Is there somewhere to stay in there?"

Looking at the dense thicket of weeds, shrubs, and trees ahead, Xu Jingming couldn't help but feel suspicious.

"This is a place we barely managed to find—once inhabited by locals from Myanmar. Maximum concealment, absolutely safe!"

Lu Qi smiled and explained, then led the group inside.

After passing through a thick forest and walking several more minutes, a building finally came into view.

The structure resembled Daya's Sihe Academy, covering roughly five to six hundred square meters.

It had two stories; moss already covered the tiles on the upper level.

"This is it—I'll take you over." Lu Qi's face lit up upon seeing the building.

He hurriedly led Xu Jingming and the others toward it.

Yet, when they were still eighty to ninety meters from the building's entrance, Xu Jingming suddenly halted.

"Captain Xu, what's wrong?" Lu Qi turned back, frowning in confusion.

Lin Hui, Xia Lan, and the others also looked at Xu Jingming in puzzlement.

"Nothing."

Xu Jingming smiled and replied, "I was just thinking—this seems like an ideal place to kill and dump bodies.

Even if we died here, no one would know, and even headquarters' investigation would be a nightmare."

"Captain Xu, you're joking. This place is so hidden—how could anyone find us?

Let's hurry inside; the martial arts branch survivors are probably already anxious."

Lu Qi smiled, his expression seeming eager.

"Joking? I'm not joking."

Xu Jingming's face turned icy as violent golden Daitian Divine Thunder erupted from the air, surging forth.

Like a python, it coiled tightly around Lu Qi!!

Crackling—

Under Xu Jingming's control, the Daitian Divine Thunder wasn't especially powerful.

Yet even so, Lu Qi's skin where it touched turned blackened and charred.

Especially the thunder slowly tightening around his neck—his face flushed crimson, speech barely possible:

"C-Captain Xu, what... what are you doing? Is there some misunderstanding?"

BOOM!!

As he spoke, Lu Qi activated his ability.

His body swelled, muscles bulging violently as potent blood qi surged outward!

Clearly, he was a Qianghuaxi ability user!

Yet even so, Xu Jingming's thunder still held him fast—no escape possible!

How is this possible?!

Lu Qi's heart was shaken by a storm of shock.

He was a mid-tier fifth-rank Qianghuaxi user—how could he not break free from a lower-tier fifth-rank elemental ability?

"This..."

Lin Hui and the others were caught off guard by Xu Jingming's sudden attack.

But compared to the newly met Lu Qi, they trusted Xu Jingming far more.

So everyone drew their weapons, watching Lu Qi warily.

"According to the intelligence I received, only one seventh-rank Master attacked the branch that day.

Yet you twisted it into six seventh-rank Masters—right then, I began to suspect you."

Xu Jingming's gaze was cold as he stared at Lu Qi, "But I never imagined you'd ambush us here with dozens of ability users!

Speak—who turned you? And what is their identity?!"

Beneath the passive effect of the SS-rank combat technique "Heart Net."

Within a thousand-meter radius, everything was as clear to him as if he had x-ray vision!

And now, inside the building resembling a Sihe Academy, over twenty ability users lay in ambush.

Waiting for them to enter the courtyard before launching a simultaneous assault!

"This guy's a traitor? There's an ambush inside?!"

Lin Hui and the others knew Xu Jingming's Heart Net technique and had zero doubt—he turned hostile stares on Lu Qi.

Lu Qi, bound by thunder, turned pale and shouted loudly:

"Come out! You..."

Before he could finish, a blinding flash of golden thunder struck him unconscious.

THUD!

At that exact moment, the courtyard gate burst open!

Immediately, over twenty ability users activated their powers and charged out!

"One sixth-rank peak, three sixth-rank mid-tier ability users—the rest all fifth-rank?!"

Feeling their auras, Lin Hui's pupils contracted, sweat pooling in his palms.

This is bad!

Even if Xu Jingming could handle the sixth-rank peak,

how could they fight so many sixth-rank mid-tier and fifth-rank ability users?