Evolution Begins with Elemental Domination
The rubberneckers were becoming a huge headache, forcing an officer to repeatedly warn new arrivals of the dangers involved.
To prevent the Teleportation Gate from being destroyed, the small mountain basin had been laid out in a highly organized fashion.
Numerous Level 3 Civilian House Cards, exchanged from the Crystal Prism Tower, were constantly being played in the area, effectively creating a makeshift military camp.
‘Even during a retreat, they can be calmly turned back into cards and taken away,’ Su Chen thought. ‘That’s incredibly convenient.’
An Optical Camouflage Barrier covered the surrounding terrain to conceal their activities, preventing any high-altitude craft from spotting anything unusual.
In addition, Order Prisms hovered in the air, completely sealing off this section of real space and preventing any form of teleportation.
And...
...scout towers with anti-stealth capabilities were deployed throughout the area.
After some persuasion from the officer, many people voluntarily teleported away.
Those who remained, however, were required to follow orders and stick with the group.
After all, if anyone fell behind and got captured, they would inevitably reveal crucial information. Falling into the hands of a Spirit Element expert with a Mind Domination Ability—like a Secret Art Bishop or a Curse Warlock—would spell disaster. All of their plans would be exposed.
The Legion only accepted powerful experts; those who weren’t strong enough were screened out and effectively “persuaded” by the skill gap to leave.
The best benchmark for this was their ranking on the contribution list.
“Top one hundred on the contribution list. That should be good enough, right?” a Demon Sword Master wielding a greatsword remarked.
“Of course.”
A young guard who had walked over nodded.
In fact, he had a strong impression of this “super lone wolf.” The man had made frequent appearances during the Parasitic Tide, participating in both city defense and expeditionary battles. He was a well-known top-tier solo player in the core region.
“And you?” The Legion guard looked at Su Chen.
“Same here.”
Su Chen had no intention of disrupting the order here, so he naturally followed the rules.
“Who can vouch for you?” the guard asked curiously, his eyes repeatedly scanning the lone man’s posture and bearing. He found him completely unfamiliar.
Being in the top one hundred on the contribution list was no small feat.
By a conservative estimate, Dongfu City still had a population of at least two million. Making it into the top one hundred meant you were an extremely rare talent.
Such individuals were the center of attention wherever they went.
The moment he finished speaking...
“I can.” A burly, rugged-faced officer stepped forward.
“Captain Zhang!”
The young guard jumped in surprise. This was the great captain of the Ghost Assault Team, the man who commanded one of the most powerful teams in the entire city.
He said to Su Chen, “Things were too rushed during yesterday’s battle. I never got to thank you properly.” Then, Zhang Shihao patted the guard’s shoulder, signaling him to relax.
This exchange made the Demon Sword Master, who had only taken a few steps, turn back to look.
He certainly hadn’t received such a warm reception.
It wasn’t just him.
Even many members of the Investigation Legion, along with others who hadn’t teleported back yet, couldn’t help but stare at Su Chen.
They had been “persuaded” to leave because of their lack of strength.
Yet this man was being treated with the utmost respect.
“This way, please.” Captain Zhang gestured with his right hand, realizing it was difficult to talk with so many people watching.
During their brief walk, they learned each other’s names.
Su Chen was direct as always. “I know the location of the Elemental City ruins. I’m going to head over and take a look.”
Captain Zhang also knew the general area from the Sect’s intelligence sources, but he didn’t have the exact coordinates.
In fact, a three-man Ghost operative squad had already been sent out to scout an hour ago.
This operation had two main objectives.
The first was a surprise decapitation strike.
The second was to investigate the Elemental City ruins.
“To be honest with you, one of our primary goals is to launch a decapitation strike against the Lorentz Manor. A quick in-and-out operation, to kill as many of the conglomerate’s top brass as possible.”
Captain Zhang said frankly, “Of course, we can’t allow them to continue their archeological excavation of the prehistoric ruins, either. That’s another major point of focus for us.”
There’s no such thing as a perfect plan.
Everything depends on having the right intelligence before we can decide where to focus our efforts.
“Oran City was in total chaos late last night.”
The two of them walked to a high point on a hillside, where the vantage point allowed them to take in the entire sprawling city below.
It was magnificent in scale, yet utterly devastated.
The embers of war drifted like black smoke across the sky—not from current fires, but the lingering aftermath of last night’s catastrophe.
Hundreds of thick columns of smoke still rose slowly from various parts of the city. Some were tinged with the red glow of smoldering fires.
Others churned with an eerie, malevolent, purple-black glow of residual Magic Power, hanging over the ruins like a poisonous miasma.
As for the rumored ten-day novice protection barrier, it had vanished in the early morning, its effects never witnessed.
“When news of the defeat reached their home front, the Olan People were naturally furious. They paid a hefty sum in taxes, only to support a bunch of bastards who are experts at fighting their own kind,” Zhang Shihao sneered.
Different people, different fates.
While the people of Dongfu City had celebrated their victory all night, with countless parties and late-night feasts, the Olan People seemed to have spent the entire night rioting, with endless slaughter and bloodshed.
“However...”
His expression suddenly turned grave. “There’s a group of Demon Warlocks who worship the Calozan Monarch,” he stressed. “They can make people lose their minds, easily inciting rage and planting seeds of hatred. Those Warlocks are undoubtedly pulling the strings behind this riot.”
The more chaos among the enemy and the more people who died, the more it brought a certain unspeakable glee, but also a sense of dread.
After all, it was no secret that they sacrificed the souls of the dead.
That was why they had to eliminate the Demon Warlocks at the first opportunity—to exterminate those who desecrated human life.
The Combat Defense Department had considered a large-scale military campaign, but the three-day world mission had already caused considerable casualties within the city. Mobilizing a massive expeditionary force wouldn’t guarantee a good outcome.
For one, Oran City’s ground forces had been unable to join the battle from start to finish.
Their artillery positions couldn’t be rapidly deployed for a forward assault in the complex woodlands, either.
Defending a city was indeed far easier than attacking one.
After just one night of deliberation, the high command couldn’t possibly gamble the lives of tens of thousands of Spellcasters. That would make them nothing but reckless gamblers.
Besides, with the arrival of the Trial Tower, most of the city’s experts could still raise their power level. There was no need to bet everything on one desperate move.
And so, the decapitation strike was born.
“Oran City’s military base is in the northeastern suburbs. It can serve as a secondary attack point.” Captain Zhang spread a city planning map of Oran City on a stone table.
He used a fountain pen to point out various key targets within the city for Su Chen.
The Rune Core, naturally, was located at the geographical center.
That was without question.
The Lorentz Conglomerate headquarters on Financial Street, along with the nearby Omega Building, were also circled in red.
“Look here.” Captain Zhang’s finger moved to an area in the western suburbs surrounded by a dense forest belt. He tapped it firmly. “This is the great manor of the Lorentz Clan—their ancestral seat of power.”
The manor’s location was marked with a bold “X,” the ink almost bleeding through the paper like blood.
“The Sect has organized attacks on it before, but they were all intercepted and slaughtered. The manor is fortified in layers, with at least dozens of Level 4 defensive towers. You can think of it as a fortress,” Captain Zhang said, sharing all the intelligence he had.
The reason he was so trusting and forthcoming was simple.
This was the elusive number one on the contribution list. His power alone commanded respect.
If he could be persuaded to join the decapitation strike, their chances of success would increase significantly.
“I’m in.”
Su Chen nodded. “Let’s organize a direct assault team for the decapitation. No need for too many outsiders. Just pick the best of the best.”
After yesterday’s battle, he knew all too well that a large, chaotic group could easily lead to friendly fire.
Not to mention, although the grand manor was in the suburbs, it was still a diagonal twenty-kilometer push into enemy territory. Not many people had the high mobility required for that.
“Good!”
Captain Zhang clenched his right fist slightly. Having successfully recruited Dongfu City’s number one expert for the operation filled him with anticipation.

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