Achieving Demon Godhood from Unlocking Talents

"Not bad."

Seeing this, Lu Chao nodded.

Before he knew it, he now had five Superpower Squads and fifteen field teams under his command.

That was nearly three hundred people in total. Among them were at least seven or eight Elite Level members, over two hundred combatants, and the rest were well-trained individuals with specialized skills.

This was clearly a considerable force. Once they were fully integrated and acclimated, they would be strong enough to suppress a riot in half a city district.

"Team Leader, what should we do with those gang members?"

Suddenly, a questioning voice reached his ears.

Lu Chao turned his head and saw the young thugs who had tried to sell him a loan earlier. They were squatting on the ground with their hands on their heads, surrounded by several gun-wielding Superpower Members.

As if sensing his gaze.

They all lowered their heads, trembling, not daring to speak.

"Let the patrol team handle them."

Lu Chao said, shaking his head, not paying much mind to the earlier incident.

Due to Red Maple City’s special status, the Superpower Bureau had no authority to interfere with regular law enforcement within the city circle. Besides, these men were clearly not members of the Rebels.

As soon as he finished speaking, the tattooed youths’ eyes trembled, their faces turning ashen.

"Forget it."

Suddenly, he shook his head again.

An image of someone flashed through Lu Chao’s mind.

’Having also come from an orphanage, I know that joining a gang doesn’t necessarily make you a bad person. Sometimes, you don’t have a choice.’

If these men fell into the hands of the patrol team, they’d likely be put through the wringer, even if they were innocent.

"Take them with us."

"Run a background check on them back at headquarters. If they’re clean, let them go."

"Yes, sir!"

Though he didn’t know why Lu Chao had changed his mind, Yang Heng quickly accepted the order and had the men taken away.

The Superpower Bureau might not have the authority to interfere with city law enforcement, but they did have the right to suspect anyone of being associated with the Rebels.

Amid the sound of footsteps, the young thugs’ expressions grew complicated, as if they could see a glimmer of hope again.

Chen Xiao, approaching from the side, saw this and smiled quietly. He had likely guessed Lu Chao’s reasoning.

He didn’t say anything more. Instead, he spoke briskly, raised his hand in a salute, and reported on the mission’s status.

"Reporting, Team Leader. All nine Rebel members have been rounded up. The leader was heavily wounded by Captain Gao, six others were killed, and three are in custody."

"What are our casualties?"

Lu Chao asked, feigning a serious expression.

Although the two were on good terms in private, he had to maintain a certain level of authority publicly so his subordinates would respect him and follow his commands.

"Three Superpower Members sustained minor injuries. They’re already receiving medical treatment."

"Good."

Lu Chao nodded, breathing a sigh of relief.

He then strode toward the jeep, asking about other recent missions as he walked.

"Squad Two has received intel on a new Rebel hideout. They’re still investigating."

"Squad Four took a mission concerning the Blackthorn warlord and is currently keeping tabs on him."

Chen Xiao reported everything truthfully.

Lu Chao nodded and looked around.

The personnel dispatched for this mission were only one-fifth of the entire Superpower Team. Other captains were busy leading their own teams on other matters.

However, frowning slightly, Lu Chao settled into the back seat of the car.

"The Rebels seem to have had a lot of their hideouts exposed recently, haven’t they?"

Over the past month, he had expected the Tan family to send assassins in retaliation, but everything had been completely quiet.

On the contrary, it was the Rebels who were in the spotlight. Their hidden strongholds were being discovered one after another. In Satellite City No. 4 alone, seven or eight had been found and eliminated, a pace of clearance far exceeding previous efforts.

"Yeah, I feel like something’s not right, too."

Chen Xiao nodded and got into the passenger seat. Fang Xu, at some point, had become their full-time driver.

"But there’s definitely nothing wrong with the intel. The intelligence division got this information at great risk."

"Besides, the Rebels wouldn’t set up a trap like this, would they? If this keeps up, I estimate Satellite City No. 4 will be almost completely cleared out."

As they spoke, the black jeep slowly drove away.

Lu Chao pondered for a moment but found no answer.

’Maybe I’m overthinking it?’

"Oh, right. There is one more thing."

Chen Xiao spoke up again, hesitating slightly.

"Go on."

"I heard a squad from Team Three was ambushed by men from the Iron Sand Army while on a mission in the wilderness with the City Guard Army. Several people died."

Chen Xiao’s expression was complicated as he said tactfully, "Rumor has it the attacker was a commander from the Iron Sand Army. It was likely done by Ma Biao."

Oh?

Lu Chao’s gaze hardened.

Ma Biao, one of the Iron Sand Army’s Superpower Level commanders.

He was also the older brother of Ma Kui, the man Lu Chao had killed with his own hands.

"The surviving members brought back some intel. They said Ma Biao made a lot of threats."

"So, some rumors have been circulating within the Bureau lately..."

Chen Xiao’s voice trailed off, a hint of helplessness on his face.

Lu Chao fell silent, naturally understanding the implication.

Although the Iron Sand Army and the Superpower Bureau already had significant friction, with frequent firefights and casualties on both sides, situations like this had happened before.

But, after all, he had killed Ma Kui personally.

Ma Biao certainly wanted revenge for his brother and would retaliate against the Superpower Bureau’s operations in every possible way. This attack might have been a deliberate act of displaced anger.

"I understand."

Nodding, Lu Chao made a mental note of it and said no more.

The black jeep drove through the city blocks, leaving a wake in its path.

Bustling skyscrapers stood tall as the clouds above gradually dispersed.

....

「One week later.」

[City Morning Paper: Recently, several protests have erupted in the Hive District. Investigations revealed that nearly thirty percent of residents still oppose the city joining the Alliance Country.]

[Red Maple Daily: Over the last month, the Superpower Bureau and the City Lord’s Mansion have jointly launched a cleanup operation targeting the Rebels, eliminating a total of nine hideouts. We ask all residents to remain confident...]

[No. 4 News: The Biotechnology Company recently issued another public notice for the wanted fugitive, the Green Demon. The subject is reportedly a Superpower Level expert who attacked the Biotechnology Company’s building at night. His abilities are unknown, but he is skilled at using energy fireballs and shields for offense and defense...]

The sound of news reports drifted in from the living room, intermittently reaching his ears.

Lu Chao, dressed in a white Martial Arts uniform, sat cross-legged on the balcony of his apartment. His eyes were tightly shut, his entire focus concentrated on the acupoint between his eyebrows.

Sunlight streamed down from the sky, passing over the surrounding skyscrapers.

Lu Chao drew in wisps of heat, gathering them at the acupoint between his eyebrows.

This had been going on for over an hour. The daily, cumulative practice of drawing in the celestial light had quietly reached a critical moment of qualitative change.

In an instant.

A swollen, uncomfortable sensation emanated from between his eyebrows, but Lu Chao remained in his cross-legged meditation posture.

Looking inward, he saw a Crimson Fire sun hanging in the center of his mindscape. It was solid and tangible, constantly emitting a scorching glow.

Faintly, upon closer inspection, he could see wisps of crimson fire appearing out of thin air in the dark regions at the edge of his mindscape, merging into the sun.

That was the thermal energy from the celestial light, accumulated over countless days and nights.

It was the qualitative leap in his cultivation, earned through immense effort.

And now, at this very moment.

SWOOSH! SWOOSH! SWOOSH!

More and more rays of crimson fire flickered into existence, like a meteor shower streaking across the world and plunging into the sun.

Finally.

BUZZ!

His mindscape suddenly trembled. Lu Chao stared intently at the sun.

A crimson light erupted from it, instantly illuminating the entire dark mindscape.

This lasted for several breaths before the light finally dissipated.

The round Crimson Fire sun hung high in the sky, seemingly unchanged from before.

But a closer look revealed its color was deeper, a solid crimson, like a giant ball of fire.

The halo of crimson fire floating around the surface of the visualized sun had also solidified, rotating gently with the round sun. It looked just like a real sun.

’I did it.’

A moment of insight struck him. Lu Chao knew his Fixed Star Observation Method had finally broken through to the 2nd Floor, the Round Sun stage.

The next instant.

He withdrew all his thoughts and opened his eyes.

VMMMM!

A flash of crimson divine light crossed his eyes. They shone brightly, as if they held a sun within them.

Influenced by this, the cool blowing wind seemed to be affected by an invisible mental interference, gaining a trace of scorching warmth.

One second, five seconds, ten seconds...

After a full ten-odd seconds, the crimson glow in Lu Chao’s eyes slowly faded.

In turn, he briefly sensed the changes in himself and quickly grasped the profound effects of the 2nd Floor, the Round Sun.

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