Chapter 117: Departure!

Ugh——!!!

An agonized, stifled howl burst from Han Ya's mouth!

Immediately afterward, everyone who had injected the Super Soldier Serum let out a heart-rending wail!

Their bodies seemed to be injected with magma, skin quickly turning crimson, veins twisting and bulging like dragons beneath the skin!

Creak……creak……

The terrifying sound of bones shattering and reforming continuously echoed from within them!

Their muscles swelled, tore, and then regenerated at a visible speed!

Hold on!

Even though he had expected it, Lin Yue was still shocked by what he saw!

When he had taken the Super Soldier Serum earlier, thanks to the system's protection, even though it hurt, it wasn't nearly as extreme as Han Ya and the others.

But he also knew that to wear the crown one must bear its weight; only with effort comes reward,

"To gain power beyond mortals, one must endure suffering beyond mortals!"

Hearing Lin Yue's words, everyone clenched their teeth tightly, though the intense pain almost tore their consciousness apart.

But they knew they could not fall!

Absolutely not!

As Black Tortoise grew stronger, the role of the Black Tortoise Guard diminished as well.

Originally, the Black Tortoise Guard was established to hunt Mutant Beasts, but now they could only stay inside Xuanwu City to maintain internal order.

How could they accept that?

But reality forced them to accept all of this.

They had thought this was fine enough, but now an opportunity to grow stronger lay before them; if they could endure it, they could break past humanity's limits—how could they possibly fall?

As if responding to their resolve, that violent energy miraculously began to soften, frantically repairing and strengthening every inch of their flesh, every bone, and every meridian!

After an unknown amount of time, the heart-rending wails gradually subsided.

The training field also returned to silence.

Han Ya and the ten Black Tortoise Guard elites still knelt, but the aura they emitted was completely different from before!

They slowly lifted their heads, their gazes toward Lin Yue filled with excitement.

The night wind howled, kicking up dust on the training field.

Everyone slowly rose, clenched their fists, feeling the explosive power within that could easily rend steel, and their senses sharpened to an extraordinary degree, their eyes filled with shock and ecstasy.

"Is… this… what it feels like to break past one's limits?"

Han Ya murmured to herself, her voice trembling with a hint she herself hadn't noticed.

She could clearly feel that her perception and strength had received an unprecedented boost; though she wasn't sure exactly how much, she knew the increase was definitely not small.

"Damn! My strength… I feel my strength is at least ten times greater than before!"

Man Niu stared at his sandpot-sized fist, feeling the terrifying power within, and couldn't help but blurt out a curse.

He casually picked up a steel bar as thick as an arm from the side, and, to everyone's astonishment, twisted it into a knot as easily as twisting a dough twist!

Hiss——!

The others, seeing this, all sucked in a breath of cold air, then began to feel the changes in their own bodies.

"My speed… it's so fast!"

A speed-focused team member blurred, leaving an afterimage in place!

"I can actually… I can actually see the brand of cigarettes in the pocket of the brother patrolling the city wall!"

Another team member wore a look of having seen a ghost.

Each of them had undergone a transformation worthy of being called a rebirth!

After the brief shock and ecstasy, everyone unconsciously turned their gaze to Lin Yue.

Thud!

Man Niu was the first to drop to one knee, his usually honest smile now replaced by a solemn expression.

"Lord City Lord! From now on, my life, Man Niu's, is yours! If you tell me to go east, I will never go west; if you tell me to kill someone, I will rip them apart!"

His booming voice echoed in the silent night.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

The others also dropped to one knee,

"We are willing to lay down our lives for the City Lord!"

If one were to say, previously their loyalty to Lin Yue stemmed from reverence and gratitude.

But now, after personally experiencing this god‑like method, their loyalty to Lin Yue has turned into an almost obsessive, fanatical faith!

Lin Yue watched the scene calmly, his heart undisturbed.

All right, rise.

From today onward, you are the sharpest sword and sturdiest shield of my Xuanwu City.

You will have a new designation——

He paused, his gaze sweeping over each person, and spoke word by word:

【Heaven's Punishment】.

The Sword of Heaven's Punishment is invincible wherever it points!

Yes! City Lord!

Han Ya and all the members replied in unison, their voices filled with endless fighting spirit!

The next day, at dawn.

When the first ray of sunlight fell on Xuanwu City, an extraordinary elite squad had already gathered in the square before the City Lord's mansion.

They are the Heaven's Punishment Squad that just underwent an overnight transformation.

All eleven of them had changed into black combat suits made of special nanomaterial; the suits not only possessed extremely strong defense and environmental adaptability, but also fit their bodies perfectly, fully displaying their explosive muscular power.

Each of their faces was filled with an unprecedented confidence.

"City Lord, when do we depart?"

Han Ya walked up to Lin Yue, her icy eyes brimming with eager battle spirit.

After a night of adaptation, she could already preliminarily control the immense power within her body.

She now couldn't wait to find a target to test her current strength, to see just how terrifying it had become.

"Are you all ready?"

Lin Yue looked at everyone and asked with a smile on his face.

"Ready!"

All members of the Heaven's Punishment Squad replied in unison.

"Good, then let's set out!!"

Lin Yue waved his hand, then turned to look at Wang Gongtou behind him,

"Old Wang, I'm entrusting Xuanwu City to you!"

In Xuanwu City, besides Han Ya, the person he trusted most was Wang Gongtou; although he and Han Ya had only left Xuanwu City a few days ago, which normally wouldn't matter, now that an epidemic had broken out in Xuanwu City, trouble could erupt at any moment, so Lin Yue solemnly entrusted Wang Gongtou.

"Leave it to me, old man; City Lord, you can rest easy!"

Wang Gongtou patted his chest and assured.

…………

"Boom—"

Three black "Ghost" high-speed assault vehicles emitted a low, rumbling engine roar.

Han Ya sat in the driver's seat of the lead vehicle, her expression still as icy as ever!

"My Chief Han, aren't you tired acting like this?"

Unlike the tension of Han Ya and the others, Lin Yue was quite relaxed.

Of course, he had the confidence to be so relaxed, for he had now fully adapted to one percent of Black Tortoise's power, and besides, he had shared in all of Black Tortoise's abilities; he believed this journey would hold no danger.

"Not tired!"

Han Ya coldly spat out two words.

"Eh!"

Lin Yue shook his head; Han Ya is fine in every way, except her personality is too icy!

But he didn't know that shortly after they left,

In an inconspicuous dark corner of Xuanwu City,

A figure perpetually hidden in the shadow of a hood slowly lifted his head, gazing in the direction the convoy had gone, the corner of his mouth curling into a cold, eerie arc.

"Finally……you've left……?"

That hoarse voice, in the silent corner, sounded especially grating.

"It's time for this city to welcome its true master."

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