Achieving Demon Godhood from Unlocking Talents

Chapter 237: Chapter 149: Martial Skill Breakthrough, War and Turmoil

"Tell the men in the strike team. Make it clean."

"Yes."

Wu Yuntao nodded slightly, his face devoid of expression.

"As for Jinshi Boxing Hall..."

Lei Wanjun closed his eyes again, and a silver-blue Qi Flame flickered to life around him.

"When the time comes, I’ll go myself."

His murderous intent settled over the room, as bone-chillingly cold as his voice.

Wu Yuntao bowed his head slightly and withdrew.

A flicker of an expression crossed his stern face. His eyes were cold, yet they held a hint of some other, restrained emotion.

...

New Era, Alliance Year 51.

July 10th.

An ordinary day.

Ring City bustled with people.

The prosperous Inner Ring stood firm, encircling the river like an invisible barrier.

Hover cars zipped across the sky above the glass canopy, leaving white contrails in their wake.

The skyscrapers loomed like crouching beasts. Looking up, one could see countless holographic projections and neon lights. The elevated corridors and glass canopy obscured the sky, resembling a blue-green ocean that filled all who saw it with longing.

’The Inner Ring... One day, I’ll live in the Inner Ring too.’

’The Five Major Enterprises... If I just get some implants, I’ll have a chance to apply for a job there...’

Every person standing on the riverbank in the Iron Ring District wore a look of yearning as they gazed across the water at the prosperous city on the other side, dreaming of the day they might enter the Inner Ring.

Many of them found their gazes unconsciously drifting toward the steel bridge connecting to the Inner Ring.

As always, the Mechanical Violence Team guarded the access points. Barricades of razor wire and armored vehicles blocked the way, while their heavily armed members stood alert, strictly verifying the identity of everyone entering or leaving the ring.

Watching this, especially as some people passed the identity and clearance checks to enter the Inner Ring, filled every resident of the Iron Ring District with envy.

’If only we could go to the Inner Ring too...’

Similar thoughts surfaced among the onlookers, but the members of the Mechanical Violence Team were silently accustomed to it all as they prepared to check the next person’s identity.

RUMBLE!!

Dust motes at their feet suddenly danced as the ground of the riverside district began to tremble.

The leader of the Mechanical Violence Team sensed something was wrong and quickly looked toward the nearest street entrance.

STOMP STOMP STOMP STOMP!

A torrent of dense footsteps, like a rushing tide, flooded their ears.

Before they could even react, earth-shattering shouts erupted.

"Protest!"

"Protest!!"

Figures appeared as if from nowhere, rushing in from every street.

They held aloft red banners scrawled with furious slogans, condemning the Political Affairs Department and the Five Major Enterprises.

A quick count showed at least several hundred people.

Gone was the usual haggard look from these middle-aged men and women in worn-out clothes. Their faces were flushed red, veins bulging on their necks as they followed their leaders, charging straight for the steel bridge.

Each person seemed to be aflame with rage, reduced to numbly following the crowd, ready to trample everything in their path.

"This..."

The faces of the bystanders on the riverbank paled; they hadn’t expected to see another wave of protests.

The Mechanical Violence Team leader shouted for his squad to be on high alert.

CLICK!

He chambered a round, about to fire a warning shot into the air.

But before he could,

BOOM!!

A massive explosion erupted from behind him!

The bridge spanning the river exploded, sending a blinding fireball high into the sky.

Everyone froze, the world seeming to stop in that instant.

The steel bridge before their eyes blew apart, showering the area with shrapnel and concrete debris.

Billowing smoke choked the sky as a fractured section of the bridge crashed into the river, striking a passing freighter and dragging it down into the depths.

SPLASH!

SPLASH!!

The river erupted, and massive waves churned.

"This..."

The crowd on the riverbank stared, wide-eyed, as they clearly saw several cars on the bridge get swallowed by the inferno.

The Mechanical Violence Team leader, who was about to fire a warning shot, was sent flying by the blast wave, thrown several meters, and crashed into a parked car.

BOOM!!

BOOM!!!

A series of explosions followed, and more fire erupted on the bridge.

Innocent people who hadn’t yet made it into the Inner Ring were engulfed by the blasts, leaving only scorched husks behind.

The cars that plunged into the river vanished as if swallowed by an abyss. Meanwhile, shrapnel and concrete debris turned into a storm of projectiles, peppering both sides of the bridge, shattering storefront windows and striking down passersby.

"Run!!"

"Get away!!"

"AHHH!!!"

Screams and shouts erupted.

Panic gripped everyone on both sides of the bridge. Snapping back to reality, they scrambled to escape in every direction.

Even the protesters were shocked out of their frenzy by the explosion and scattered in terror.

THWACK THWACK THWACK THWACK!!

Flying stones and shrapnel struck numerous pedestrians, felling them in pools of their own blood.

BOOM BOOM BOOM!!

A continuous chain of explosions thundered as several steel bridges were utterly destroyed, severing the last hope for the people of the Iron Ring District to reach the Inner Ring.

This scene was a microcosm of what was happening simultaneously at several of Ring City’s other steel bridges.

Members of the Patrol Department on street patrol saw the chaos and their faces paled.

The atmosphere at Patrol Department headquarters grew heavy the moment they received the news, and they immediately dispatched rescue teams.

But before they could react further,

BOOM!!

The high walls of the city shook violently, as if struck by artillery fire from outside that swept over everything.

The war with the Wilderness Warlords had officially reached Ring City, and the entire city exploded into chaos.

...

[Wilderness Daily: Warlord Lu Shan Officially Declares War on Ring City!!]

[Ring Daily: City Defense Department Has Actively Engaged the Enemy, Patrol Department and Superpower Bureau Will Deploy Reinforcements! We Urge the Public to Remain Indoors...]

An hour later, news reports blared throughout the Iron Ring District as chaos continued to plague the streets.

The Patrol Department and the Superpower Bureau were overwhelmed. Hover cars raced in all directions, and gunshots rang out sporadically within the city, as members of the Rebels seemed to emerge from the woodwork.

The sound of frantic footsteps scattered, filling every corner of the city.

At some point, Jinshi Boxing Hall had become packed to the gills, as students and disciples brought their families, all seeking refuge.

"Don’t panic, everyone, don’t panic!"

"Treat the injured first! Those who are fine, lend a hand."

Fully recovered from his injuries, Zheng Wu stood at the entrance with a serious expression, directing the crowd. He watched as the pale-faced disciples and their families rushed into the courtyard and made for the training hall.

Other martial artist disciples helped maintain order and treated some of the injured family members.

Everyone wore a grim expression, as if facing a formidable foe.

"So war really did break out," a disciple said, his voice trembling. A dark cloud of despair hung over everyone.

Although there had been rumors, now that war had truly erupted, no one could quite accept it.

"I hear the Rebels are causing trouble in the city now. I almost ran into some on my way home just now."

"There’s gunfire everywhere outside now. I don’t know how the Rebels managed to sneak so many members in."

"Sigh, I wonder if those warlords will actually break in."

The training hall was buzzing, filled with the sounds of worried voices.

"Don’t be afraid. Master Luo is here, isn’t he? He promised to protect us..."

A disciple in the crowd spoke up gratefully, and the others around him quickly murmured their agreement.

Following their gazes, they saw Luo Qianshan standing at the entrance to the training hall. Dressed in a brown robe, he was like a pillar of strength, his presence alone calming and reassuring everyone.

"Master."

Zheng Wu hurried over from the courtyard entrance and reported in a low voice, "It’s been an hour. Junior Brother Lin and the others still haven’t returned. Do you think..."

"We can’t help everyone."

Luo Qianshan’s tone was low as he shook his head gently.

He couldn’t leave the boxing hall, nor could he send his disciples out on a risky rescue mission.

His responsibility was to the hundreds of people here.

"Yes."

Zheng Wu nodded and sighed inwardly.

His master was already doing his best, and Zheng Wu wasn’t one to be inflexible. He quickly ordered the iron gates to be closed.

All they could do now was pray that those disciples had found a safe place to hide. They would have to wait until after the war to help them.

Zheng Wu then turned to head into the training hall to help with the arrangements.

BANG!!

The closed iron gate was suddenly kicked off its hinges, crashing into the courtyard and sending up a cloud of dust.

The two junior brothers guarding the gate were sent flying by the immense force, and they crashed to the ground.

Zheng Wu and the others’ expressions changed, and they whipped their heads around to look.

A group of four people walked in from outside the hall. All were dressed in identical black outfits and wore masks, concealing their identities.

The leader was of average build—neither tall nor short—but his exposed eyes blazed with murderous intent, their sharp glint chilling to the bone.

"Master Luo..."

he said in a low voice, his eyes locking with Luo Qianshan’s.

He waved a hand, and the three black-clad Elite Level experts behind him fanned out, charging toward the other disciples of the hall with killing intent.

As for himself,

BOOM!

The ground cracked as he stomped his foot and vanished.

The next instant,

It was like he had teleported.

He crossed several dozen meters in an instant, appearing before Luo Qianshan and unleashing a ferocious Fist Seal.

"Today is the day you die!"