The Real Deal Appears

The matter of the ability copying was their highest internal secret, known only to Director Cui and a few of them.

When had it leaked? No, that wasn't the question. The question was—

How did this man named Piao Guochang know about it?

The blood claw was raised high, descending with a wet, metallic gust of wind.

Song Junhe didn't think he couldn't block it. All he needed was one single block, and he could escape.

A-rank against A-rank—his defense had never lost within the same tier.

He crossed his arms in front of him, his skin fully metallizing, ready to tank the blow.

But just before the blood claw landed, Lin Mo spoke, in a voice meant only for the two of them.

“Goddammit, you know I've wanted to kill you for a long time now?”

Song Junhe's entire body went stiff.

Not from fear. Because of the sheer amount of information packed into those words.

That “goddammit”—wasn't that—

Song Junhe froze, staring at Lin Mo in disbelief.

“You're...”

The blood claw fell.

Sliced into three.

Perfect, even thirds.

Song Junhe's metal skin tore like wet paper before that blood claw. No contest.

Plated and served.

The people around gasped.

This newcomer named Piao Guochang just killed, just like that.

And killed so cleanly. So thoroughly.

Song Junhe, also A-rank, hadn't even lasted a single exchange.

But the gap between A-ranks could sometimes be bigger than the gap between A and B.

Everyone there knew that.

Many eyes turned to the Demon Witch hovering above, waiting for her to speak.

The Demon Witch smiled and nodded. “In that case, you're no longer part of the Promise Keepers.”

Lin Mo let out a breath.

“But I'm still going to kill you.”

Lin Mo's expression froze.

What the hell? You're seriously this shameless?

The Demon Witch raised her hand.

A casual squeeze.

Pfft.

Blood burst. Body parts scattered.

Clean. Neat.

The man who had just carved Song Junhe into three pieces couldn't even last half a second against the Demon Witch.

The gap between SSS-rank and A-rank was more terrifying than anyone imagined.

No one dared breathe. A few of the weaker ones were already shaking.

They'd just watched Song Junhe get oneshotted, thinking Piao Guochang was absurdly strong.

Then the Demon Witch killed him even easier than he'd killed Song Junhe.

That sense of absolute stomping from tier to tier sent chills down everyone's spine.

The two from the Eye of God Bureau exchanged a glance, understanding each other without a word.

The mission objective was complete.

Director Cui was dead, the Promise Keepers would be purged, and actual control of the Super Youth Corps had already changed hands.

The rest was none of their business.

Ivy marched over from headquarters, her face tense.

Eric met her halfway. “What's wrong?”

Ivy didn't waste time, going straight to them and lowering her voice.

“Director Cui is handled. They don't need us anymore. William will be waiting for us over there.”

She paused.

“Whatever you do, don't fight Lin Mo from Yanhuang Awakened. He's extremely strong.”

Sam raised an eyebrow. If anyone else had said that, he wouldn't have cared. But Ivy was different. Her intel had never been wrong.

“How strong?”

“All of us combined couldn't take him.”

The four from the Eye of God Bureau knew their limits, but at least the Demon Witch was still here.

Eric didn't ask any more questions. He turned toward the Demon Witch.

“Whatever comes next is for you all to sort out internally. Including the people from Yanhuang Awakened.”

The Demon Witch gave no response.

Eric didn't wait for one. He led Sam and Ivy straight toward headquarters.

After a few steps, he muttered under his breath.

“That man the Demon Witch squashed—what do you think, is he really dead?”

Sam shook his head. “No idea. Let's go.”

“Yeah.”

The three quickened their pace.

The Demon Witch remained suspended above, her gaze sweeping through the ruins of the battlefield, searching every corner.

Director Cui was dead, and the Super Youth Corps had fallen into the hands of Smiling Face.

But for Smiling Face to fully control the Super Youth Corps, he would still need the Eye of God Bureau's continued technical support, and Uncle Sam's pressure on the ROK government. That would all come later.

For now, something more important remained.

Lin Mo was still alive. And still nearby.

The Demon Witch licked her lips.

In Smiling Face's mind, Ivy and William had been deliberately defeated by Lin Mo. Originally, the plan had been for Smiling Face and Han Junhao to beat those two, then deliver them to the headquarters position.

But now, it didn't matter. The result was the same.

If they could capture or kill Lin Mo afterward, this tribute would be weighty enough to make Uncle Sam double or triple their support for the Super Youth Corps and the ROK.

Lin Mo, in their eyes, mattered far more than some Promise Keepers ambition.

So the Demon Witch scanned the area and called out:

“Lin Mo! Come out!”

“Yo! You calling your grandpa for something?!”

The voice came from below, drenched in that cocky “I'm the baddest motherfucker here” energy.

By the moonlight, everyone turned to look.

Lin Mo stood there, hands in his pockets, with Dongfang Shuye beside him.

Dongfang Shuye's face didn't look great, but Lin Mo's expression was something else entirely.

The Demon Witch stared at Lin Mo. Lin Mo stared right back.

Long before the Demon Witch showed up, Lin Mo had already scanned this shell top to bottom.

The spiritual root was extraordinarily strong, and the mental power was top-notch. But the soul had been scrubbed clean. A chip was buried inside the skull, everything driven by external signals.

That's why Director Cui had to show up in person, with the command post nearby.

The control range for the Demon Witch couldn't be too far.

The Demon Witch right now—to put it bluntly, was just a puppet on strings.

To put it nicely, she was a very powerful puppet on strings.

And ironically, that puppet happened to be the Super Youth Corps' strongest combat force.

The Demon Witch's face wore a smile. Smiling Face's smile.

If the real Smiling Face were standing here, he wouldn't dare mess with Lin Mo no matter what.

But inside the Demon Witch's body, his confidence had gotten a boost.

“Lin Mo, you're strong. But you'll never be the strongest.”

He said it in Chinese, with decent pronunciation.

Lin Mo tilted his head, then suddenly switched to Korean. “Only you lot of sack-asses think I'm not the strongest.”

He paused, then added: “I'm telling you, I'm so strong it's ridiculous. Strong without limit. Strong to the point where I scare myself.”

The Demon Witch was taken aback—so Lin Mo really did speak Korean!

As he said those words, Lin Mo had already raised his hand.

The Human Emperor Banner appeared in his grip.

Under the moonlight, the banner gave off an eerie glow, a sickening dark purple vibe that instantly commanded respect.

Everyone present felt their hearts squeeze at once. A few of the lower-ranked awakeners even took a step back.

“Since you bought me coffee once.”

Lin Mo tapped his shoulder with the base of the banner.

“I'll give you one free hit.”

That casual, carefree attitude made everyone wonder whether Lin Mo was supremely confident, or running on fumes.

But no one believed it was the latter.