Brent never imagined that Stealthbane would end up infiltrating the most feared place, Haevon.He knew Stealthbane. This man had once visited the Rogers family's ancient castle with Eric. They were acquaintances.Thinking of this, Brent smiled. "Mr. Stealthbane, there must be some misunderstanding. We are friends! Why would you kidnap us?"Brent remained calm, but the other members of the Rogers family were panicking. These were chaotic times! Who cared about friendships now?In the face of doomsday, such so-called friendships meant nothing. At present, survival was paramount.Clearly, in the eyes of the Rogers family, Stealthbane had kidnapped them likely for survival. It seemed he wanted something from them.Stealthbane chuckled and said, "Rogers, don’t talk to me about friendships. They mean nothing now. Let me ask you one question: why did you come to Haevon?"Brent was no fool. Hearing this question, he knew Stealthbane was verifying some information. He had to be honest.
Eric said, "The virus is ravaging the world, and surely there are still many people alive. With their ambition, they definitely won't let those people live. I want to see just how big their conspiracy is. I also want to see what kind of conspiracy can't be shattered!"The global system, except for Naturia, had already completely collapsed. Naturia remained a pure land.Brent barely survived the catastrophe.But the Holy Templar faced a major problem.A mysterious force attacked them again, resulting in the deaths of four out of the eight protectors.Stealthbane had long since sent people to monitor the Holy Templar, keeping the situation in Haevon under his control.When the Holy Templar was attacked, Stealthbane informed Eric, but the latter showed no intention of taking action.Stealthbane had realized by now that Eric's main concern was the Ark. Unfortunately, there has been no other news about it until now. They could only wait patiently.Stealthbane continued to gather inf
It was hard to imagine that in Haevon, a city nearly devoid of life, there was still a place bustling with such vitality.Stealthbane had already reserved a spot.Inside the iron cage in the arena, two legends were locked in combat, landing blows with raw, unfiltered power. They were shirtless, sweat flying, engaged in an intensely fierce battle.Ruth pinched her nose. "It's so disgusting seeing them all half-naked."Stealthbane chuckled. "You'll get used to it. Would you like to give it a try? Each victory comes with a generous reward, and the prize money accumulates."I heard the organizers brought several tons of gold this time. If you can beat everyone, you could take all that gold home!"No matter the era, gold remained the ultimate hard currency. Even in the apocalypse, its value stayed high. When the financial system collapsed, gold’s value stayed unshakable."Are you looking for a beating?" Ruth raised her fist at Stealthbane. "I couldn't care less about that gold!"Eri
The ascetic monk raised his hand to block the royal guard's heavy punch, but his hand broke. He shot out like a rocket with a busted thruster and slammed hard into the metal cage.Cheers erupted like a tidal wave.At that moment, it seemed every man's testosterone had peaked. Destruction and violence were ingrained in their bones, an unchangeable part of their nature."Heh, impressive!" Even Stealthbane couldn't help but praise. His martial arts skills were quite advanced, but he preferred assassination and sneak attacks. Still, he found this kind of direct confrontation immensely entertaining.The royal guard was supremely confident.After sending the ascetic monk flying with a single punch, he crossed his arms over his chest. "Weakling, this is not your stage! Go back to where you came from! Hahaha!"Everyone laughed. It seemed this wasn't the first time such a scene had occurred.Ruth scanned the crowd, displeased. "Who gave these bastards their sense of superiority?"Stealt
"Has he always been this arrogant?"Eric glanced at the grandmaster lying on the ground, his gaze sweeping across the entire arena.Instantly, the crowd erupted into a frenzy. A Naturian expert was calling someone else arrogant? How audacious!Stealthbane smiled and said, "This is exactly how Mr. Johnson should be. The heirs from those big families are much more arrogant than Mr. Johnson at this age."Ruth snorted. "Those heirs don't have such skills. Arrogance requires strength. Without it, they'll just be trampled underfoot."The grandmaster on the ground was carried away. After coughing up several mouthfuls of blood, his head lolled to the side, dead. He couldn't withstand a single punch from Eric.Eric left the arena as well. With his performance, the upcoming matches seemed lackluster in comparison. Everyone was eagerly anticipating how many matches this fighter, nicknamed Grim Reaper, could win. If he lost the next match, it would be a colossal joke.The fight had only jus
The opponent's combat skills were formidable, nearly legendary. The royal guard stood tall with muscles that seemed ready to burst. Even just standing there, he towered over Eric by several centimeters, exuding an overwhelming sense of intimidation.To Eric, this brute was all brawn and no brains.Despite that, his impact was undeniable. As he stepped forward, the entire arena quivered, unable to bear his weight. This fighter resembled a wild beast, giving the impression that he could easily take down a fully-grown lion.He showcased human strength to its fullest potential!Seeing the opponent's fierce momentum, Eric lightly pivoted on his foot, dodged to the side, and delivered a punch straight to the opponent's waist.The terrifying power of the punch penetrated the skin and struck directly at the opponent's internal organs.In a split second, the two fighters passed each other, and the terrifying opponent stood frozen in place. No one could see how Eric had moved. They only sa
Stealthbane stared at the door, ready for action. In his mind, the intruders would likely kick the door open and burst in. That was when he would strike, taking them all down in one swift move.However, the expected chaos didn't come.Instead, there was a knock on the door. Three knocks, to be exact, followed by a voice from outside. "Grim Reaper, we apologize for the sudden intrusion, but we come from Naturia and wish to discuss important matters with you."Stealthbane was taken aback and chuckled. "Quite polite, aren't they?"He glanced at Eric, who nodded in response. Taking the cue, Stealthbane opened the door.Standing there were several ascetic monks, along with the men Stealthbane had sent earlier. The ascetic monks had subdued them but hadn't made things difficult. With a wave, the ascetic monks released them.The men approached Stealthbane. "Boss, these ascetic monks are incredibly skilled!"They had suffered a loss. Initially sent to deal with the ascetic monks, they f
The ascetic monk spoke with utmost sincerity, revealing everything he needed to say.Seeing everyone's serious expressions, Stealthbane swallowed nervously and asked, "Are there really... zombies?"Ruth nodded slightly, saying, "In this vast world, nothing is impossible. Theoretically, zombies could exist, although the probability is extremely low. However, given a large enough sample size, even rare events can occur."She added, "If the ascetic monks' exorcizing techniques have no effect on these so-called zombies, then they probably aren't zombies."Eric chimed in, "Genetic weapons, maybe even biochemical weapons... Haevon is going to get very lively."He suddenly realized that beneath the apparent crisis in Haevon, there was an even greater danger lurking.If it weren't for these ascetic monks discussing it here, he wouldn't have believed that corpses could actually attack people. Although there were related cases recorded within the Combat Department, Eric had never witnessed
In terms of innate talent, Eric was unparalleled, having reached the pinnacle of martial arts. With a single punch, he sent the 'God' flying."Good!" Stealthbane shouted with excitement.The ultimate enemy had finally been defeated, bringing peace to the world. Eric sighed in relief.However, in the next moment, the 'God' stood up again. Spitting out a mouthful of blood, he revealed a bloodthirsty smile. "You have successfully enraged me!"Everyone braced for a potential massacre, but instead, the enemy turned and fled.Could Eric let him escape?"Chase him!" Stealthbane commanded.Allowing this foe to escape would spell endless trouble.A group of people pursued the enemy, who soon reappeared clad in iron armor."Not seen this before, have you?" The 'God' seemed to have recovered somewhat. "Did you think I only research viruses? Wrong! I control global resources and global wealth!"This is our newly developed Doomforge Exosuit which amplifies a person's battle prowess tenfol
The sturdy floor lay in utter disarray.In desperation, Ruth shouted, "Eric, don't give him any more chances! Finish him off swiftly, or we'll face endless trouble!"Eric was well aware of this logic. As he fought, he said, "He's incredibly strong. Taking him down quickly isn't possible! We must fight to the death!"Eric had never feared battle. Besides, this might very well be his final fight.Their fists clashed fiercely.The 'God' also noticed that Eric was growing more formidable as the battle progressed."How do you have so much strength? Wouldn't it be better if we joined forces to control the world? We could have anything we desire!"All the world's wealth, women, and resources would be ours to enjoy. Why won't you listen to reason?" he roared.Eric's momentum didn't falter. "I don't share your grand ambitions. I just want a simple life with a job that pays 1,000 dollars a month and a warm home with my wife and kids. But you, you've disturbed my peace!"The 'God' was fu
The 'God' grew more courageous as the battle raged on, causing Stealthbane to worry incessantly.In another high-stakes clash, Eric and his opponent both retreated. Eric sensed his opponent's growing strength, finding it rather peculiar.The 'God' clenched his fist. "I must thank you! My techniques were slightly incomplete, but I've managed to fill the gaps through this battle!"Eric marveled at his opponent's genius. To mend something incomplete was indeed a rare talent.Despite Eric training with the complete manual, he could only match the 'God' blow for blow. This person was terrifying!The opponent's confidence soared. Although Eric had trained with the full manual, the 'God' felt his innate talent far surpassed Eric's. If he could match Eric with an incomplete manual, now that he had perfected it, wouldn't he be unbeatable?"I thought you had potential and considered inviting you to share this world with me," the 'God' said, his tone turning icy. "But now, I see it's unnece
Stealthbane even felt that Eric might not be a match for the "God."The power was overwhelming.The terrifying aura was enough to crush everything. To an ordinary person, this was a real deity—the strength possessed had already transcended human limits.Eric made his move with a burst of speed. The clash of their fists created a thunderous explosion, and the sound was so intense that Stealthbane felt his eardrums might shatter.This was a battle of the highest caliber, one that even a legend like Stealthbane could not hope to join.Seeing the two evenly matched, Stealthbane sighed in relief. At least there was a chance that the strongest combatants were neutralizing each other. The outcome was still uncertain.Eric shook his aching fist, his expression grave. The opponent's strength was as he had anticipated. If the ultimate boss of the Luminous did not possess such combat power, it would be absurd.Clearly, this "God" had also gauged Eric's strength.He extended a hand toward
Stealthbane knew that the figure facing them must be the ultimate leader of the Luminous.Suddenly, he no longer wanted to die. If he could hold on just a little longer, it would all be over."Mr. Johnson, these people don't seem ordinary. Could that leader be the ultimate figure of the Luminous? Are we about to complete the game?" he whispered.To him, this mission to the Ark felt like a game: defeat the final boss, and victory is achieved."If I'm not mistaken, it should be. This person gives me... a sense of danger," Eric said.Upon hearing this, Stealthbane felt reassured.Just a sense? That meant the problem wasn't too grave!The leader on the opposite side turned to Eric. "I didn't expect you to make it this far. I underestimated your strength, believing my Ark was impregnable, that no enemy could breach it. But why are you so persistent? Why such determination?"He suddenly screamed in a fit of hysteria, "I have so many people! Such a grand scheme! It has all succeeded!
Brent shouted desperately, "After you get on your knees, they'll kill you all, and we won't survive either! Kill them! Kill them all!"He understood the situation with stark clarity. Kneeling meant certain death. If they had to die anyway, fighting back would be their only chance of survival.Eric sighed. "Mr. Rogers, in the end, it was we who implicated you. But this place must be eradicated, and the Luminous must be destroyed as well! Everyone, attack!"As the battle commenced, the masked man immediately struck Brent with a punch.Eric charged in. "Die!"He knew that Brent was unlikely to survive. This punch was his way of avenging Brent.The masked man spun around, trying to block Eric's punch. But the speed of the blow was too much—the gust of wind from the punch arrived before the fist did.It was an instant kill.The masked man had no time to react before Eric's punch collided with his chest. The terrifying force shattered the mask on the man's face, revealing an unfamili
Stealthbane was blinded by rage. He was killing anyone in sight, his fury unrelenting. They had ventured deep into enemy territory, where every encounter seemed to be with an adversary.Eric and his team from the Combat Department showed no mercy.Yet even Stealthbane's resolve was wearing thin."I can't kill them all! It feels like every master in the world is concentrated here!" he shouted in frustration.He felt the number of people he had brought was insufficient. If he had brought a few thousand more, he might have been able to overrun the place.Stealthbane was overwhelmed by the sheer horror of their situation. Fortunately, they had arrived. If anyone else had come, they would have met their end here.The numbers of the masters seemed endless."Damn it!" Stealthbane cursed angrily. "There are too many of them, and they're all exceptionally powerful. What kind of game is this?"He was tempted to retreat, but where could he go?Eric sent an enemy flying, pushing forward
"I was opposed to coming in from the start, but as you all know, the Rogers family is extremely complex. If we hadn't entered, I might have ended up dead. At least if the virus isn't a threat, that's something!" Brent poured himself a cup of coffee and continued. "These people are ruthless! They want to kill everyone outside the Ark and establish a new order, managed by a select few. It's insane!"You don't need to tell me—I know you're here to kill them."He then pulled a small token from his pocket. "This is our Rogers family's privilege here. It allows us to move freely between different levels. With this, you can go anywhere!"Stealthbane grabbed it eagerly. "Why didn't you mention this earlier? Things will go much smoother with this!"Brent sighed. "Once you've handled everything, could you take me out with you? I really don't want to stay in this dreadful place any longer.""Sure!" Eric nodded. "We'll definitely call you when we leave. For now, we're heading out."Brent e
Everything was ready, but they couldn't just walk in.Ruth instructed the Combat Department to conduct a three-day intensive training for everyone, focusing on coordinated combat.-After three days, the forces led by Stealthbane moved out, first dismantling the outer defenses of the Ark. This was their specialty!A large group of several hundred arrived in front of the Ark's entrance. At first glance, it resembled a mountain.Jack scratched his head and said, "Is this the gate? I don't see any door."The Holy Templar's people arrived as well. St. Pius said, "Everyone, don't rush. Wait for two minutes. Once the gate opens, we need to get in quickly. I have other plans inside, but once we're in, it's going to be a life-or-death battle! No one should show any mercy!"Stealthbane flexed his fists and replied, "Do I look like a good guy to you? Just watch me deal with them!"No sooner had he spoken than there was a tremendous roar. The ground shook, and the door of the Ark swung