Chapter 672: Chaos Over the Stadium

What on earth is going on?

Above the stadium, Lu Xin—who had been anxiously waiting—was caught off guard by the sudden smooth turn of events. Before he could even react, he noticed that all the elements meant to threaten him below had vanished.

He turned slightly and looked downward.

Then he witnessed an unprecedented spectacle.

……

……

“Whoosh…”

Right after the ability users of the Red Moon Club began their assault, Flame City’s counterattack was launched.

Under a series of orders—and perhaps spurred on by the ’embryo’ looming over the stadium—the members of a mysterious organization from Flame City, who had either dispersed earlier or finally manned up, began gathering here.

In the distance, countless glaring headlights swept over as myriad figures appeared intermittently around.

Buzzing…

Suddenly, the ground trembled. The slate road seemed to bubble up in fragments, trembling continuously.

Beneath these fragments, something ominously bulged—as if a monster was lurking within.

Tall trucks rolled in from every intersection while oddly robed figures began leaping down from above.

Their robes were entirely black, yet each featured a radiant, circular pattern at its center—the emblem of the mysterious organization known as Day Church in Flame City. They raised their arms high, hoisting a massive clock over two meters in diameter onto a truck.

Then, a group of men in black robes knelt before the clock and prayed in silence.

Thud…

A helicopter flew overhead, and suddenly, numerous agile figures parachuted down.

Some landed on the sides of nearby high-rises; others dropped directly to the ground, forming clusters of about a dozen.

When they lifted their heads, an unexpected sight made their hearts skip a beat.

Each one had a Beijing Opera Mask, the intricate design resembling six eyes.

This was Flame City’s special emergency unit, codename: Six-Faced Buddha.

Boom…

Low buildings suddenly collapsed as towering armored vehicles trampled over the ruins, arriving at the scene.

Groups of soldiers in specialized protective suits gathered around the vehicles, armed with heavy weaponry and ready for action.

This was the Military that had originally been defending the vicinity of Flame City, now deployed here.

Had it not been for the threat that ordinary people might be influenced by ability users—thus inadvertently aiding the opposition—many more would have arrived.

Clatter…

In the distance, several tall buildings shed layers of thick, camouflaged steel plating, revealing dark, gun-like openings beneath.

Row after row of round Hell Umbrella series plasma bullets tentatively rose from various launch platforms within Flame City.

This was the self-defense system that Flame City had built over years, which activated without hesitation.

For now, they refrained from firing because their own people were present.

Moreover, they worried that such devastating weapons might jeopardize their own plans.

Yet, by aiming these weapons at the stadium, they provided a clear deterrent to everyone in the area.

Clearly sensing the urgency of the moment, Flame City revealed its final trump card.

……

……

“Oh my, this is terrifying. What are they here for?”

“Another human-like spiderweb, and that demon from the black shadow—Flame City is hiding so much power?”

“Captain, don’t fire. I’m just here to join the party…”

“……”

Around the stadium, chaos erupted in an instant.

No one could help but feel intimidated by this fusion of military might and mysterious power that defined a city.

Bright beams from flashlights, dark gun barrels, and steely, piercing stares.

Around the stadium, an intense standoff took shape.

……

……

“Huff…”

At that moment, Xia Chong, amidst the crowd, sensed a great destiny about to be bestowed upon her.

Instinctively, she turned her head and spotted Scalpel on a stretcher, casting an encouraging and excited glance in her direction.

Facing the surge of Flame City’s armed forces, she gritted her teeth.

Silently, she retrieved the rocket launcher from her back, fiddled with it for a moment, and slung it onto her shoulder.

Being short and surrounded by many, those on the periphery had failed to notice her.

“For the sake of world order and civilization…”

Xia Chong murmured softly before forcefully pulling the trigger.

“Sizzle…”

The next moment, a smoking rocket streaked straight out, toppling an armored vehicle.

“Open fire…”

The tension snapped like a brittle string.

Even Flame City’s side hadn’t expected that, despite their numerical and equipment superiority, it would be the opposition to strike first.

In a burst of fury, they launched an all-out offensive without hesitation.

The chaotic battlefield erupted in an instant.

Some attacked proactively, while others were forced to retaliate.

If the earlier clash had been a contest of abilities, vying for dominance in the minds of Flame City’s residents, then now it had become a direct face-off—a barrage of mental powers from every unique ability user and their parasitic items.

“Clack, clack, clack…”

The priests of the Day Church adjusted the Chaos Clock; its giant dial’s hand began to move slowly.

The clock’s hand ticked at roughly twice the speed of a normal hour hand.

Thus, anyone outside Flame City’s faction caught within its influence felt as if time itself were doubled.

Every time they raised their guns and fired, their actions appeared slowed down to half speed, as if viewed in slow motion.

In such close combat, that was unquestionably deadly.

Countless investigators from various—even unnamed—factions lost their lives to Flame City’s relentless assault.

Amid the panic, a robber father with a Pikachu hood glanced intently at the Chaos Clock, then slowly mimicked winding something at the back of his head.

It looked unmistakably like he was winding a clock.

The next moment, after two full turns, he charged forward in a single, determined stride.

Before the Day Church priests could react, he reached them and pointed his gun, shouting:

“Stop! Robbery…”

“……”

The assembled priests were dumbfounded, blinking as they watched the robber, wondering, “Why isn’t he affected?”

“Heh, I’m not about to tell you that my ability lets me resist any influence after winding myself up. Hmph! While others rely on their powers to bully their way through, I rely on pure skill to rob banks!”

The robber father, wearing a Pikachu mask, boasted proudly as he signaled his child to bring over a big truck. Together, they heaved the Chaos Clock into the truck’s cargo bay, remarking, “From now on, if you’re late for school, this will be your wake-up call…”

Elsewhere, Flame City’s special forces unit codenamed Six-Faced Buddha charged into the battlefield, their faces adorned with Beijing Opera Masks.

Their abilities were ever-changing—ordinary people stood no chance. Before anyone could analyze their powers, they were taken out.

Just then, personnel from Zero Unit, clad in sleek black protective suits, appeared. Almost instinctively, they unleashed a flurry of abilities against them, resulting in a barrage of dazzling plasma bullets.

Once a pile of charred corpses littered the ground, the Zero Unit personnel quickly retreated.

Even though their emotions had nearly drained away, one team member couldn’t help but snort disdainfully:

“All flash…”

“……”

Outside, soldiers in protective suits—with special weapons and escorted by armored vehicles—charged into the fray. Their high-grade suits greatly mitigated the effects of enemy abilities. Relying on elite military training, they began their massacre, only to suddenly hear a ‘pa-pa’ sound that surged into their bodies and forced them to jump.

Involuntarily, they found themselves leaping along.

Through their terrified eyes, they spotted a woman in a red dress playfully lifting her skirt as she smiled at them:

“Protective suits are effective, but they’re not foolproof against every ability…”

“Has no one told you that the Dancer-type influences people through rhythm—the only kind that renders protective suits useless?”

“……”

“……”

Once chaos broke loose, it was unstoppable.

Even Lu Xin couldn’t help but marvel at the ferocity and oddity of the battle.

He saw countless ability users locked in combat. Amid the tumult, Xia Chong was squatting on the back of a spirit monster carrying a red sofa as it barreled toward a deep abyss, launching single-soldier missiles one after another.

In such a tense and exhilarating moment, everyone sprang into action.

Some dashed off to steal cables from the power station.

Some stormed the Subway Command Center to seize the steering wheel.

Some hauled piles of trash to the stadium doorway, simultaneously setting fires and inciting chaos inside.

Of course, there were skirmishes even Lu Xin couldn’t fully comprehend.

Elsewhere, in Flame City’s Underground Base, a Fat man was captured by the base’s guards.

He trembled violently, his chubby face contorted with fear.

As he ran, shouting and colliding with everyone, he sowed complete pandemonium throughout the underground base.

In the end, he accidentally burst into a storage room filled with tall vehicles loaded with missiles.

At that moment, his eyes lit up.

……

……

“Huff…”

Suddenly, Lu Xin felt an unprecedented sense of relief.

Curious, he wondered who had orchestrated this perfectly timed respite.

With that thought, his gaze swept over the battlefield until he spotted someone.

It was his good friend—lying on a stretcher—Scalpel, giving him an encouraging, excited thumbs-up.

Lu Xin couldn’t help but pause before breaking into a delighted smile.

“Good friend…”

He returned the thumbs-up to Scalpel.

Then, slowly, he turned his gaze toward that ’embryo’ over the stadium.

A gentle smile spread across his face.