Chapter 376

"No failure—the target has been divined to be on a major road forty to fifty li northwest, inside a blue Jeep, but something forcibly erased the ritual mark within him; I've been backlash-rejected, and this eye may be lost—I… I'll kill him." The tuxedoed man's face twisted in agony as he growled.

"You cannot kill Number One—at least not for now. He must be taken alive."

"Someone, summon the medical team. Treat him immediately."

"Connect me to Dawn Angel. Scan all drivable roads between thirty and sixty li northwest. Target: blue Jeep. Notify me the moment it's spotted."

"Order the Mobile Security Unit to deploy northwest immediately. The northwest is the Hankola Desert—do not let Number One enter it." The blonde-haired, blue-eyed woman replied coldly to the tuxedoed man, then turned to the several personnel standing by and issued orders.

"Yes, executing immediately."

The personnel behind her rushed off toward the adjacent hall.

"Siren, gather Iron Man. Board the helicopter with me—we're going ahead now. This time, I'll capture Number One myself." The blonde-haired, blue-eyed woman spoke coldly, then swiftly left the room alongside the black-haired woman beside her.

Only then did a team of medical staff in white coats burst in, frantically checking the tuxedoed man's injuries.

In less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, a tower-like structure atop the massive castle suddenly split open, and from its center slowly rose a modern circular platform, upon which rested a green military helicopter.

Amid a humming sound, the helicopter's massive rotors began to turn slowly, and within moments, it lifted off the platform with a shudder, heading straight northwest.

Within the cabin, faint shadows of the blonde woman and others could be seen.

…

The pale blue Jeep raced along the yellow road at extreme speed, as if pushing its limits—dust trailed behind it in a long, swirling wake.

As the vehicle shot past an unremarkable road sign, it bore in British Commonwealth script: "Thirteen li to Hankola Desert."

At that moment, a roar echoed from the sky above the road. A small black dot appeared on the horizon, hurtling toward them, rapidly growing larger—it was the same military helicopter that had departed from the castle.

Yet the blue Jeep ignored it entirely, continuing its wild dash forward. But within minutes, the helicopter arrived directly ahead of the Jeep.

"Whoosh."

A dark figure leapt directly from the helicopter, landing squarely on the road ahead of the Jeep, his feet sinking deep into the asphalt.

The man looked up at the approaching Jeep, raised his arms, and his entire body gleamed pitch-black and metallic, as if forged from solid iron—it was "Iron Man."

"Boom!"

The Jeep slammed into Iron Man as if hitting an immovable boulder, its front end pinned firmly by two massive hands.

The vehicle skidded forward over ten meters, carving a deep trench into the ground before grinding to a halt.

Iron Man then glared savagely at the black-haired youth in the driver's seat and barked, "Number One."

In that brief pause, the helicopter descended to just five or six meters above ground, and two more figures leapt from the cabin.

It was the blonde-haired, blue-eyed woman and Du Xiaohong.

"Bang!"

At that moment, the passenger-side door of the Jeep was kicked clean off, and a black-haired youth in a white tank top and shorts burst out from the driver's seat, staggered briefly, then sprinted wildly into the wasteland beside the road.

"Catch him."

Seeing this, the blonde-haired, blue-eyed woman gave the order, raising one hand and spreading her fingers.

A crack of thunder sounded.

Before her palm, a floating pale-golden orb suddenly materialized, wreathed in lightning.

In a flash of silver light, the golden orb vanished.

The next instant, the black-haired youth sprinting ahead stumbled, collapsing to one knee—his right knee now bore a clean, charred hole.

"With the Captain herself in pursuit, where do you think you can run?"

Iron Man roared with laughter, his body lunging forward like a gale toward the black-haired youth.

Seeing this, the blonde-haired woman couldn't help but smile slightly.

But then, the black-haired youth—who had been kneeling—rolled over and sprinted forward again as if the hole in his knee had no effect whatsoever.

This stunned all three of them.

Instantly, the blonde-haired woman snorted, and both arms moved simultaneously. In a flash of lightning, two golden orbs materialized before each of her open palms.

"Boom! Boom!"

The two golden orbs vanished in a flash.

The running youth's other knee and a segment of his spine suddenly flashed with lightning, each now pierced by a thumb-sized hole.

"Crack. Crack."

Something that left the three of them dumbfounded occurred.

The black-haired youth shook his body, ignored the three holes in him, and kept sprinting forward—yet from within his body came a strange, grinding sound, like bones rubbing together.

More chilling still: not a single drop of blood seeped from any of the three wounds—as if he were not made of flesh and blood at all.

Iron Man, who had been charging forward with triumphant fury, froze in surprise and slowed his pursuit.

"Siren, if your knees were like that, could you still run?" the blonde-haired woman asked Du Xiaohong beside her.

"According to human anatomy, how is this possible? Especially with the spine shattered—unless he's no longer human," Du Xiaohong replied, glancing at the black-haired youth, whose upper body swayed but whose strides remained swift as an arrow, his eyebrow twitching.

"Irrelevant. No matter what ability he has, we'll know once we catch him. Let's move together." The blonde-haired woman said no more, and waved upward at the helicopter.

"Bang!" A gunshot rang out. From the helicopter's open door, a massive sniper rifle—already mounted—spewed flame from its thick barrel.

Almost simultaneously, "Plop!"

The running black-haired youth was suddenly tackled from behind by a silver steel mesh that surged over him, wrapping his entire body, while several slender silver nails plunged deep into the ground around the perimeter.

The blonde-haired woman raised her hand again, and a thick arc of electricity shot out, striking the mesh in a flash—transforming instantly into countless crackling filaments that made the youth inside shudder violently.

Iron Man, seeing this, rejoiced. He let out a wild cry, took several rapid steps, then leapt into the air, launching himself toward the youth trapped beneath the mesh.

He had already decided: the moment he touched Number One, he would crush his hands and feet first.