The fierce clash between the Blackstone Gang and the Heavenly Dao Corporation guards raged on outside the collapsed warehouse, the thunderous roars and clashing energy creating a chaotic cover for Lu Zhechuan's infiltration. The entire structure shuddered violently with every explosion, loose rusted metal sheets creaking loudly and falling continuously from the cracked and crumbling ceiling, as if the whole warehouse would collapse completely at any moment. He slipped through the tattered and deformed metal gate in a low, swift crouch, his body moving in strict accordance with the Basic Movement Footwork he had just mastered, controlling every breath and step to minimize any unnecessary noise or vibration.
Inside the warehouse, the air was damp and stagnant, thick with the heavy smell of motor oil, aged rust, dust, and a faint, pungent undertone of high-concentration energy fluid that stung his nose slightly. Large sections of the ceiling had caved in long ago, leaving only a few narrow streaks of gray daylight to pierce through the otherwise dim and gloomy interior. Broken crates, shattered mechanical parts, tangled energy wires, and scattered metal fragments littered the uneven floor, forming messy obstacles that provided excellent hiding spots but also greatly increased the difficulty of rapid movement. Lu Zhechuan quickly scanned the entire space in a few seconds, marking several hidden corners and emergency escape routes in his mind, keeping his nerves on high alert to any subtle changes in the surrounding environment.
As he moved cautiously through the shadows, fragmented memories from the mysterious laboratory flashed through his mind uncontrollably—the blinding white fluorescent lights, the shrill and piercing red alarms, his parents' anxious and blurred faces in white coats, and the icy, cold words Project-001 that echoed in his head. His chest tightened sharply, and a complex mix of urgency and anxiety surged in his heart. For five long years, he had been trapped in the Chip Graveyard as a powerless scrap picker, living a miserable life of barely surviving day by day, bullied and humiliated at will. Now, the truth behind his parents' mysterious death was finally within his reach, but the danger he was facing was far more terrifying than anything he had encountered before. He knew very well that he could not afford to be the slightest bit careless; one wrong move would bury him forever in this desolate, abandoned warehouse.
Lu Zhechuan did not dare to rush forward blindly. He pressed his back tightly against a thick, dented metal cabinet that had been half-corroded by time, held his breath completely, and pricked up his ears to listen carefully to every sound in the surroundings.
Soon enough, the sound of slow, steady footsteps came from deeper inside the warehouse—heavy, rhythmic, and accompanied by a faint but sharp and disciplined energy fluctuation that was completely different from the messy aura of the Blackstone Gang members.
One person.
Judging from the steady rhythm of the steps and the restrained, experienced aura, this was clearly another Heavenly Dao Corporation guard, specially assigned to stay inside and protect the core supplies. Even without seeing the man's appearance, Lu Zhechuan could clearly tell that this guard was at the Mid Core Implantation realm, with more refined energy control and sharper combat instincts than the three patrolling guards outside. A direct confrontation would be extremely risky and likely to attract the attention of the fighters outside.
Just as he was weighing his options calmly, the Primeval Origin Core in his chest trembled slightly again, sending a new wave of clear prompts into his mind.
…Detecting concentrated corporate energy source ahead.
…Target identified: Standard encrypted supply boxes.
…Hidden function unlocking progress: 1% → 3%.
…Warning: Inner guard possesses high combat awareness. Avoid direct engagement.
The supply boxes were right ahead, the absolute key to advancing the system's hidden function and finding the truth about his parents.
Lu Zhechuan's gaze hardened instantly. Retreat was not an option at all. The brutal battle outside could end at any second; if the Blackstone Gang or the corporate guards gained the upper hand and turned their attention inward, he would be trapped in the warehouse with no way out. He had to secure the supplies and the crucial information inside before the situation deteriorated completely.
He slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air, allowing the steady stream of gentle energy from the Passive Auto-Cultivation to circulate smoothly throughout his meridians. The three basic techniques—footwork, defense, and core cultivation—synchronized perfectly in his body, allowing him to glide silently across the debris-strewn floor like a wisp of smoke. He weaved carefully between piles of broken crates, sticking tightly to the shadowy areas to avoid being exposed by the faint daylight, inching closer to his target step by step.
After a dozen silent, steady steps, he finally caught sight of his target clearly.
A lone corporate guard stood straight in the relatively intact central area of the warehouse, his back half-turned toward Lu Zhechuan. Beside him rested three sealed black metal supply boxes, each engraved with the shiny silver Dao Core emblem of the Heavenly Dao Corporation. The guard held a glowing blue energy staff in one hand, his head swiveling constantly left and right as he monitored the surroundings with sharp, unrelenting vigilance, showing the high professionalism of the corporation's guards.
Lu Zhechuan crouched low behind a thick pile of scrap metal, his mind racing through a precise attack plan. A frontal clash was nothing short of suicidal. Only a sudden, precise one-hit strike could take the guard down before he could alert anyone outside.
Outside, the battle intensified to a climax. A violent energy explosion shook the warehouse to its core, causing a cascade of metal fragments to rain down from the ceiling and drowning out all other sounds in the area.
It was the perfect, once-in-a-lifetime distraction.
Lu Zhechuan's eyes flashed coldly. In an instant, he burst forward like a fleeting shadow, his body low to the ground, closing the short distance in the blink of an eye.
The guard's combat instincts were razor-sharp. He spun around instantly, the energy staff blazing brighter with blue light as he slashed violently toward the incoming figure.
"Who's there?!"
But his reaction was already too late.
Guided by the system's parsed standard combat techniques, Lu Zhechuan twisted his waist with an elegant, fluid motion, narrowly dodging the deadly arc of the staff. Before the guard could regroup or launch a second attack, Lu Zhechuan's right hand, wrapped in a thin layer of condensed Dao Core energy, struck precisely at the shoulder where the man's energy circulation converged.
A soft, crisp sound echoed as the guard's meridians were instantly blocked. His face contorted in agony instantly, his energy became chaotic and completely uncontrollable. The energy staff slipped weakly from his limp hand. Before he could open his mouth to shout for help, Lu Zhechuan delivered a quick, heavy chop to his neck with his left hand.
The guard's eyes rolled back immediately, and he collapsed unconscious to the cold ground without a sound.
Lu Zhechuan wasted no time at all. He rushed toward the supply boxes in two quick steps, his hand touching the cold metal surface of the nearest box. Immediately, the Origin Core heated up violently, and the system's mechanical voice echoed rapidly in his mind.
…Direct contact with encrypted corporate supply box.
…Energy signature matched.
…Scanning items: mid-grade Dao Cores, energy tubes, repair fluid, corporate communication chip, low-level authority badge.
…Hidden function unlocking progress: 3% → 6% → 9% → 12% → 18%.
His heartbeat quickened violently as he pried the box open with a sharp shard of metal. Among the neatly arranged standard supplies, a folded white document caught his eye immediately.
The cover bore the prominent, solemn Heavenly Dao Corporation emblem, and the bold black title made his blood run cold in an instant.
Experimental Log: Project-001
This was directly linked to the mysterious memory fragment in his mind—and undoubtedly to his parents' identities and deaths.
Before he could unfold the document and read the crucial information inside, a thunderous, murderous roar that was full of rage exploded from the warehouse entrance.
"Brat!!! I know you're in there!!!"
It was the leader of the Blackstone Gang.
Lu Zhechuan's expression changed sharply in an instant. He quickly tucked the experimental log and the corporate authority badge into the inner pocket of his cloak, then turned around sharply to face the entrance.
The battered, twisted metal gate was kicked open violently. The gang leader stood there toweringly, his clothes torn and stained with dark blood, his aura wild and unstable, clearly having suffered serious injuries in the battle outside. Behind him, most of his men were either dead or severely injured, and the remaining corporate guards had been forced to retreat in a hurry. The man had endured heavy wounds to break through the chaotic fight and charge inside, his eyes bloodshot and fixed on Lu Zhechuan.
"You killed my brother, destroyed my gang, and stole the supplies that should have been mine!" he roared at the top of his lungs, his Mid Core Implantation energy surging wildly around him, distorting the air slightly. "Today, I will tear you to pieces and feed your remains to the mechanical beasts in the graveyard!"
Lu Zhechuan stood still calmly, the Passive Auto-Cultivation running at full speed in his body, warm and gentle energy continuously circulating through his meridians and strengthening his physical strength. He locked eyes firmly with the gang leader, and the air between them grew heavy and oppressive, almost suffocating.
Just as the gang leader was about to charge forward in a rage, the Origin Core in Lu Zhechuan's chest suddenly trembled violently without warning, and an urgent, icy system warning sounded clearly in his mind.
…Warning: High-level energy signature approaching rapidly.
…Source: Unknown, threat level: extremely dangerous.
Lu Zhechuan's pupils shrank to pinpricks instantly, and a strong sense of crisis surged all over his body.
It was not just the furious, injured gang leader he had to face right now.
A terrifyingly powerful stranger, whose strength was completely unfathomable, was closing in on the warehouse at an alarming speed.