Chapter 123: Instant Kill

“Just arrived in Lin’an, and there’s already an enemy?”

Lin Qing’s pupils slightly contracted; he feigned calmness, grabbing Zhao Jia’s hand beside him and scratching her palm lightly.

Zhao Jia immediately understood Lin Qing’s hint and immediately released her mental force.

Soon, she conveyed through mental communication: “Lin Qing, there’s a gene-awakened individual hiding inside the airport, surveilling you—he’s not from Earth; he’s concealed his horn and ears with hair and a hat. I’ll cross-reference him with the list you gave me.”

Lin Qing had already shown Zhao Jia the list of prisoners from the Broken Stele Prison, provided by headquarters, after boarding the plane.

That way, a single sweep of her mental force could locate those prisoners.

However, the urban circle won’t intervene in this matter; these prisoners have no constraints, and the stronger ones likely won’t even bother hiding.

“Confirmed.”

Soon, Zhao Jia transmitted via mental voice: “This man is a prisoner from the third level of the Broken Stele Prison—‘Lei En’.”

Lei En?

Lin Qing slightly narrowed his eyes.

According to the data from headquarters, prisoners from the fourth level of the Broken Stele Prison are all gene-restructured elites, each having enhanced their fourth-tier genes.

In strength, they far surpass him now.

Even the third-level prisoners are formidable.

……

A group of elite inspectors disembarked, and as they exited the inspection-exclusive terminal, they saw a massive electronic screen outside the terminal building scrolling a large line of text.

【Warmly Welcoming the Highest Inspector Command to Jiangnan for Guidance, Joining Hands to Write a New Chapter!】

Below the screen stood a dense crowd of people.

Lin Qing glanced over and saw the city’s bureau and government leaders standing among the crowd—but positioned unobtrusively.

In the front row stood Lian Zexu, former overall commander of the Jiangnan region, flanked by provincial inspection bureau and provincial government officials—all holding extremely high administrative ranks.

But no matter how high, they weren’t in his system.

Lin Qing understood why these people had put on such a grand spectacle.

The Inspection Headquarters gathered most of Earth's powerful individuals outside the urban circle, holding a transcendent status—even the World Government could only support them.

If the urban circle was the World Government’s ancestor, then the Inspection Headquarters was at least its father.

Didn’t you see that the captain of the municipal police criminal investigation team held the same rank as a district-level inspection squad leader?

But the inspection system and the administrative system were never the same.

These people probably just heard rumors of something major happening, learning that Jiangnan was receiving the Inspection Headquarters’ highest commander.

The appointment letter had only been issued two or three hours ago—yet they moved fast.

The entire terminal road had already been sealed off, clearly arranged specially to welcome this high-ranking leader.

“Once the appointment’s issued, even trying to stay low-key is impossible…”

Lin Qing sighed inwardly and walked forward with his elite inspection team behind him.

Outside the empty terminal, a large group of elite inspectors in crisp black uniforms approached; merely their natural aura of pressure made the officials ready to smile falter, their limbs trembling and smiles stiffening.

It felt as if a horde of terrifying beasts, not humans, were advancing toward them!

After all, Lin Qing and his team were all gene-awakened beings, their life tiers having fully transcended humanity; merely their presence—or life field—was enough to instinctively overwhelm ordinary people.

Especially with so many of them!

Especially Lin Qing—after developing the Heavenly Track Monarch bloodline, his aura carried a faint but potent pressure unique to higher life forms.

Only Lian Zexu, former overall commander of Jiangnan, remained unaffected—he too was a senior inspection commander, equivalent to a first-class elite inspector at headquarters.

Yet Lian Zexu’s emotions were deeply complex.

Just a few months ago, he was Jiangnan’s overall commander, while Lin Qing was merely a district squad leader—one rank lower, two positions beneath him.

Yet now, this young man had become his superior, and even his weakest subordinates matched his own level!

“Inspector Lin.”

Lian Zexu stepped forward solemnly, stood at attention, saluted, then said: “Received headquarters’ order; command authority and duties have been transferred. I now join your team under Inspector Lin.”

Lin Qing smiled and nodded: “I’ve just taken over; I’m unfamiliar with many procedures—I’ll need your guidance.”

Seeing Lin Qing still showed him respect, Lian Zexu felt somewhat better and replied: “Rest assured, Inspector Lin.”

Behind him, the government officials were stunned.

They’d only known the name “Lin Qing” as Jiangnan’s top inspector—nothing more.

Just half an hour ago, Lin’an officials had mentioned a new inspector named Lin Qing this year, but Lian Zexu refused to confirm anything; everyone assumed it was just a coincidence of names.

Yet… it was really *that* Lin Qing, under nineteen years old?

At that moment, the government officials noticed the young man’s gaze sweeping over them—calm, quiet, yet making these seasoned politicians instinctively tense.

“Why so many people?”

Lin Qing’s eyes scanned the government officials, frowning slightly: “The appointment letter was issued only two or three hours ago. I dislike this kind of spectacle—everyone, disperse.”

He still didn’t know if the enemy Lei En would strike, and he didn’t want these weak government officials caught in the crossfire.

If they died, it’d be troublesome—disrupt his management.

The officials froze, displeased.

They’d come personally to welcome him—and this young inspector wouldn’t even grant them face?

Even if the Inspection Headquarters was transcendent, it couldn’t be this disrespectful!

And to rise so many ranks in just two months—how many backroom deals were there?

“Lin Qing, he’s coming! From your right!”

At that moment, Zhao Jia, maintaining constant mental surveillance, sent a mental transmission.

Lin Qing’s heart stirred; he had no patience for further words and immediately turned toward the right.

Simultaneously—

The elite inspectors suddenly saw a blurred figure appear ahead, instantly breaking through the security checkpoint, charging toward them at supersonic speed!

Enemy attack!

This sight immediately made the elite inspectors realize the threat.

It was a man in a black vest; each step shattered the ground into dense, spiderweb-like cracks, propelling his speed beyond sound—exceeding four hundred meters per second!

Lei En!

At this terrifying speed, appearing from a hundred meters away, ordinary people would barely have time to react.

In an instant, the man in the black vest—Lei En—charged forward, leaving a trail of ground fractures; as he neared Lin Qing, his body suddenly swelled like inflating, muscles expanding, height soaring to nearly four meters in seconds!

He looked like a giant!

Even the tallest basketball star barely reached his waist; Lin Qing appeared like a child beside him.

The oppressive, terrifying aura left ordinary onlookers mentally blank.

“Die!”

With a snarl, his massive body swung a punch toward Lin Qing, unleashing terrifying force as it crashed down!

Lin Qing’s expression turned icy; he reached out, and a flash of cyan light appeared—a long black blade tinged with cyan in his hand.

Simultaneously, cyan light erupted from his eyes, his muscles swelled, and faint electric sparks crackled around him.

In an instant, Lin Qing extended one hand and blocked Lei En’s massive fist—ten times the size of a normal man’s.

“Boom!”

As strange multicolored ripples spread across Lin Qing’s body, the ground beneath his feet shattered into a vast spiderweb of cracks, spreading outward rapidly.

“Hn!” Lei En froze.

How is this possible?

He’d blocked my punch head-on?

Lin Qing’s eyes turned cold; his body surged forward at astonishing speed, accelerating to an incredible level!

!.

Lei En saw Lin Qing move—then, in an instant, he was gone, passing him by at terrifying velocity.

But he didn’t care; his greatest strength was his body—after fourth-tier gene enhancement and gigantism, his physical resilience had skyrocketed!

“You’ve got some…!”

Lei En sneered—but as he turned his head, his skull detached from his neck.

His massive body crashed to the ground, instantly shrinking back to its original size.

His fallen head stared with disbelief and terror.

“No…” Lei En opened his mouth, trying to speak—but it was too late.

He never expected this outcome.

Wasn’t it said Lin Qing had only joined the Inspection Headquarters two months ago?

Wasn’t it said Lin Qing was the weakest among regional commanders?

Wasn’t it said Lin Qing had only recently awakened his genes and even borrowed his fighter jet from an inspector?

Before consciousness faded, he stared fixedly at the figure of Lin Qing before him, screaming silently in his mind: “You lied to me… Uriel! You lied to me!!!”

Then he lost awareness.

Lin Qing stared expressionlessly at Lei En’s corpse; the black blade in his hand dissolved into cyan light and vanished.

At that moment, the government officials finally reacted, staring at the vast spiderweb of cracks beneath their feet, turning pale and scrambling backward in panic.

What kind of monster is this?

Are the enemies the Inspection Headquarters faces really this terrifying?

“Captain!”

“Is this… Lei En?”

“It’s Lei En!”

Each elite patrol officer had reviewed the prisoner files of Broken Stele Prison and immediately recognized the head on the ground; their shock deepened.

Lei En was a prisoner from the third level of Broken Stele Prison; though not among the most terrifying inmates there, he was still comparable to the top elites among two-star patrol officers!

With such strength, he could barely qualify as the highest commander in this major operation.

And Lei En specialized in raw power—just now, clearly under a fourth-tier ability burst, the captain not only withstood his blow but instantly killed him?

As the elite patrol officers were stunned, their gazes toward Lin Qing changed.

At first…

They had thought this captain, a new patrol officer, might have been appointed as highest commander solely due to his potential, but his actual strength was likely the weakest among all regional commanders in this operation.

But now, seeing him withstand Lei En’s blow and instantly sever his head, this strength spoke volumes!

“Set up a perimeter.”

Lin Qing scanned the scene and ordered: “Collect Lei En’s body immediately and report to headquarters.”

“Yes, Captain!”

The elite patrol officers responded respectfully one after another.

In the patrol corps, especially at headquarters, strength and achievements were everything!

Lin Qing looked at Lei En’s corpse on the ground and quietly exhaled in relief.

Since his gene awakening over the past dozen days, his physical base had improved significantly—he was now roughly twenty times stronger than an average human.

But in truth, his real strength wasn’t much greater than Lei En’s.

Only…

He wore a second-grade Starlight Battle Suit, a suit that only a three-star elite patrol officer might possibly damage.

To actually break or tear through a second-grade Starlight Battle Suit? Only the very top-tier three-star elite patrol officers could manage that.

With the second-grade Starlight Battle Suit, he easily deflected Lei En’s strike, then used the sharpness of his super-material longblade—no need for any other fourth-tier ability—to decapitate him with a single high-speed slash.

A brute who relied solely on strength found even his brute force useless against him, and couldn’t block his blade—of course, death was his only path.

Yet Lin Qing was more curious about why Lei En dared come to kill him.

A prisoner who had just escaped Broken Stele Prison, if he dared lie in wait for him, must have known something about him—yet still dared to kill him in public?

“Who ordered this?”

Lin Qing pondered.

Still, Lei En’s reward in the headquarters’ mission log was five thousand points, plus two first-class merits.

And his Order Level had risen by another 2.8 levels.

“I need to restore my Level 10 as soon as possible… and reach Level 100…” Lin Qing narrowed his eyes slightly.

Level 100 in Order Level seemed distant.

But in Lin’an City, with its twenty million people, after full stabilization, the Order Level had reached 5.7.

The Jiangnan region held two hundred million people—countless cities. If all underground factions in each city were purged and stability restored, the Order Level could easily rise by dozens of levels.

The only trouble was these hidden prisoners scattered everywhere.

At this moment, he recalled the massive wave of Order Level drops he’d seen that morning.

The highest drop was 3.9 levels—far beyond what he could handle now.

Without needing to think, he knew: deep-level prisoners from the prison were now lurking in Lin’an City.

“Hmm… for now, avoid them. Pretend I don’t know.”

Lin Qing stared coldly at Lei En’s corpse. “You’re hard to kill locked up in prison. But now that you’ve come out, I’ll deal with you all eventually.”

He took a deep breath. “Tomorrow, I start clearing underground factions in other cities. First, restore Level 10.”

(End of Chapter)