Translator: AnubisTL
"Reported?"
Chen Jiang took the tablet from Scar Dog with a strange expression. After skimming through it, he raised an eyebrow in surprise. "This is allowed? Even if she's not his biological sister, she's still his foster sister, raised from childhood."
"No hesitation at all? She reported him immediately?"
"Exactly," Scar Dog said with a sigh. "It wasn't just a lack of hesitation; she was absolutely determined to capture him, no matter the cost. If everyone were like Hu Biao's sister, our harmonious society would have been established long ago."
"I must say, her moral compass is truly remarkable. She doesn't seem like someone raised by Hu Biao at all—more like someone raised in a federal orphanage. Her unwavering loyalty to the federation should make many people feel ashamed."
"Let's lend a hand."
Chen Jiang tossed the tablet back to Scar Dog. "After all, they were one of the first groups sponsored by Jiang Cheng Company. If they're captured like this, it'll make Jiang Cheng Company look bad."
"The solution? Hmm... let's just bomb Ash City."
For them, this matter was now exceedingly simple.
One burst—no, not even a full burst—just a single Giant Super Annihilation Bomb would be enough to end it all. Ash City could bid farewell to this world.
"Um, Brother Jiang, this might not work. Hu Biao's mother is still in the city. If we fire that, she'll probably be the first one to go up in smoke."
"True."
Chen Jiang frowned slightly, considering the problem. It was indeed troublesome, mainly because they couldn't enter the city themselves; they could only stick the barrel through.
If they could go in, it would be much simpler.
Li Hao and Scar Dog could coordinate to pack up Hu Biao's mother and take her away before they started bombarding the city. But that was clearly impossible now.
As for providing support items, that was also out of the question. Although even their seemingly insignificant trinkets would be incredibly useful to this fledgling group, the problem was that the world origin energy hadn't been completely removed from their items.
They could only be used within the Ten Thousand Races Arena, not outside the galactic federation. Only after the Ten Thousand Races Arena ended could their items be transferred to outsiders for use within the galactic federation.
A truly frustrating situation.
"However—"
He looked up at the latest message from Hu Biao, then suddenly chuckled. "Since we can't bombard the city, let's try a different approach. How about a modern version of Moses parting the Red Sea?"
"Do you know the story of Moses parting the Red Sea? It's a fascinating tale."
Meanwhile, in Ash City, Hu Biao and his group had gathered in a civilian residence. But they were now in a precarious situation. The Law Enforcement Bureau had discovered their escape from the hospital, detained Hu Biao's mother, and launched a systematic search.
They quickly found the secret passage in the morgue and followed the trail of clues.
Estimates suggested they would be discovered within fifteen minutes at most.
Their altered appearances and identities had been completely exposed and recorded in Ash City's Skyeye System. Under these circumstances, escaping the city had become exceedingly difficult.
They couldn't use any form of transportation. Every vehicle, from space transport ships to ground-based energy buses, required facial recognition and federal citizen authentication.
Private cars were even more out of the question.
The Law Enforcement Bureau had embedded maximum authority protocols into all private vehicles at the time of manufacture. The moment their presence was detected in a car, the engine would instantly shut down, and the doors and windows would lock, trapping them like rabbits in a cage.
They had to find a way out of here within fifteen minutes, preferably out of the city altogether, or they'd never escape again!
"Brother Biao," Thorn Monkey whispered from the window, lifting a corner of the curtain to peer outside. "No movement yet."
"Hmm," Hu Biao replied, his expression shifting between grim and uncertain. "But it's only a matter of time before they find us. Four of us moving together makes too obvious a target. We'll be locked onto the moment we step into view of any surveillance camera."
"Let's wait five minutes. If Jiang Cheng Company doesn't respond by then..."
"We'll split the money and scatter. That should give us a better chance of survival, at least we won't be such conspicuous targets."
"This time... I, Hu Biao, have dragged you all into this. I'm sorry."
"Boss, what kind of talk is that?"
Maozi sat slumped in his chair, staring blankly at the rifle in his lap. His voice rasped as he drifted into thought, "The brothers don't blame you, Boss. It's because of your sister, not you. How could we ever hold you responsible?"
"Besides, we knew the risks when we signed up for this job. We knew this day might come."
"The only thing that stings is that we never got to spend the money. We never got to enjoy it before getting caught."
"We worked our whole lives for money, and just when we finally saw a big payday, we're about to lose it all—and our lives—before we even got to spend it."
"Life's a real bitch, huh?"
Just then—
Jiang Cheng's voice crackled through Hu Biao's tablet: "Approve my request for a remote teleportation portal. I'll open a path for you."
"And point me in the right direction. Oh, and make sure your mother isn't in that direction. Point me in the opposite direction, away from the city."
"Jiang Cheng Company!"
A spark of hope flashed in Hu Biao's eyes, his face lighting up with renewed determination. He eagerly answered the communication page and swiftly approved the remote teleportation portal request.
At that moment—
The wailing sirens outside the window made it clear their location had been discovered.
The surrounding crowd began to disperse rapidly as countless magnetic levitation cars and drones swarmed to encircle the residential building. Law Enforcement Bureau officers, fully armed and using their vehicles as cover, aimed their weapons at the structure.
Just as an officer pulled out a speaker to address the crowd—
Boom!
The building exploded.
More accurately, it seemed to have been forced open from within, as if something too large had expanded and burst it apart. In an instant, the residential building was torn apart!
In its place stood a massive barrel, seventy-five meters long and nearly blocking the entire street.
Was this a barrel?
Everyone who witnessed this scene felt a profound sense of bewilderment. The colossal black void before them inexplicably stirred a primal terror deep within their souls.
Even Hu Biao and his group, standing behind the barrel, stared in stunned silence, their mouths slowly widening in shock. For a moment, they were frozen, unsure how to react.
Hu Biao glanced down at the rifle in his hands, a weapon he had purchased for the exorbitant sum of 1.8 million credits. He then looked up at the massive cannon barrel before him, suddenly struck by the absurdity of this world.
Just then, Jiang Cheng's voice cut through the air.
"Do you know the story of Moses parting the Red Sea?"
"The gist is that Moses led a group of people fleeing from persecution. They were cornered at the edge of the Red Sea, with no way forward. Moses prayed to God for help, and God performed a miracle, causing the sea to part and creating a path for their escape."
"Like this."
In the next instant—
The crimson patterns on the massive cannon barrel began to flash violently. A scorching, crimson light pillar, seventy-five meters in diameter, erupted from the barrel and shot straight forward with tremendous force!
Like a red-hot iron rod piercing through snow, the beam instantly melted a seventy-five-meter-wide crater through the city before them.
Everything in its path—buildings, cars, and people—was vaporized, leaving no trace of their existence in this world.
Immediately afterward, the laser began sweeping horizontally across the area.
Skyscrapers collapsed, crumbling into ruins that collapsed before them, and white mist instantly enveloped the city skyline.
The crimson light pillar's range far exceeded that of the turret. The additional distance it could extend varied depending on the energy expended when piercing through different materials.
A moment later, when the crimson light pillar finally stopped, the scene before them had been reduced to rubble. The Law Enforcement Bureau personnel who had surrounded Hu Biao and his group were nowhere to be seen, having long since been vaporized into some unknown corner.
"There, all taken care of," Jiang Cheng's voice echoed through the air, laced with amusement. "Go wild, you little rascals. As the first group sponsored by Jiang Cheng Company, you can't get caught so soon—that would be embarrassing."
"The federation right now is like fertile land, waiting for you to explore."
"Go forth and savor the thrill of absolute freedom."
"I'm with you. Good luck."
As his words faded, the turret barrel slowly vanished into thin air.
(End of the Chapter)
Translator's Corner
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🔓 𝐰𝐰𝐰.𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐥.𝐜𝐨𝐦 — 13 Series (7 Ongoing) | 14+ New Chapters Daily | 7,200+ FREE