This Spiritual Energy is Lethal!
Chapter 396: Time Bomb

Chapter 396: Chapter 396: Time Bomb

One look was all it took to know, this was a power transmitted by the camera...

Even though Chen Ke had destroyed the camera, this ability was still trapped within the remains of the camera. After Chen Ke used the time-stopping ability, it seemed to be attracted by its kin, or perhaps it had gained recognition.

In any case, his time-stopping ability had been enhanced.

Moreover, this ability was "retrieved"... Does that mean... time-stopping is Chen Ke’s exclusive ability, but for some reason, it had been dispersed onto other things...?

Chen Ke heard sirens outside the warehouse. Raffi Road, as the only bustling area in Opportunity City, meant the County Police’s response was seriously terrifying.

"Throw your weapons on the ground!" the County Police shouted at the gunmen outside through a megaphone.

Chen Ke hid inside the warehouse, stealing glances outside. Four police cars were parked at the door, and under the flashes of police lights, the scene around flickered between red and blue.

"Cross your hands over your head and kneel down slowly," the County Police bellowed.

There were eight County Police officers in total from the four cars, armed with shotguns and pistols. But everyone in the underworld followed one principle: no killing County Police, that was a red line.

Because corporate and gang shootouts were essentially a competition for face, as long as one side conceded, some money would make all troubles go away.

But if there were casualties among County Police officers, it couldn’t just be settled with an explanation.

It wasn’t that the County Police department of the United Federation was exceptionally pure and flawless but as a part of the national judicial system, County Police could not afford to lose face publicly.

This was an agreement, a precondition for the judicial institutions to tacitly permit the illegal underground activities of big corporations. Once casualties occurred among County Police in corporate disputes, without presenting a sincere explanation, the enterprise would not be allowed to continue existing.

And this sincerity was very costly, not just in money, but also linked with various connections and generous treatments.

In the past, if your illegal contraband was transported via highway, relevant departments would turn a blind eye and let you pass. After an incident, not only would such privileges be gone, but the investigations targeting you would also become increasingly strict.

Even large consortia were unwilling to suffer such losses.

The Administration Bureau ranked above the County Police, and those daring to strike against agents of the Administration Bureau were entities like Yasla; normal people wouldn’t dream of opposing the Administration Bureau.

In the United Federation, the Administration Bureau was part public security forces and part intelligence service, supervising and controlling all matters related to Spiritual Energy.

Opposing the Administration Bureau, one might get the chance to have an intense group battle with a nationwide level 9 special agent, and with good luck, even confront a superhero.

Three gunmen threw their weapons on the ground, crossed their hands over their heads, and slowly knelt down. Two County Police officers approached, handcuffing them.

"Is there anyone else inside?!" County Police asked aggressively.

"There’s an agent from the Administration Bureau inside! He killed our boss! Guys, we’re the bodyguards of CEO Lescott of Lescott Spirit Production! We are the good ones! That agent inside has gone mad!" One gunman had a sudden inspiration, pinning the blame on Chen Ke.

Even from a distance, Chen Ke could hear what was being said and took a deep breath.

"Take them back for a statement, I’m going in with Will, and you—contact the Administration Bureau. Have them send an agent over," the heavyset County Police said to his colleague in the car.

"That agent’s name is Chen Ke, he’s Asian, extremely dangerous! Kills anyone he sees! Even the president died by his hands, you better be careful," the gunman said.

"Hey, Joe, did you hear what he said? I think maybe we should stay outside. After all, the other guy is an agent," Will said.

"What if he runs away?" Joe retorted.

"If a Spiritual Ability User wants to run, we can’t do much about it," Will said.

"You have a point... Hey, you swear you’re not lying to me?!" Joe thought for a moment and then glared at the gunman.

"I swear, no lies! Let us get in the police car... That guy might come out at any moment..." the gunman said.

"Alright, Will, take him—" Before Joe could finish, the necks of the three gunmen suddenly gushed blood. Will stood with his arms akimbo next to Joe, unaware of what had just transpired, busy taking notes in his notebook.

"Holy shit, what just happened?" Joe stepped back, startled, causing Will to become alarmed. He looked down to see the three gunmen on the ground, writhing in pain and clutching their necks.

"Are we under attack? We’re under attack! Who saw it?!" Joe immediately hit the deck, pulling out his Glock, uncertain where to aim.

"Unit 12, respond if you hear me. Unit 12, please respond."

Inside a police car, a County Police officer held the car’s radio, hearing the voice coming from the other side.

"Headquarters? What’s the situation?" the County Police asked.

"You finally responded," the main station replied, "After the connection, you didn’t speak for over a minute."

"Stop talking nonsense... I’ve just picked up the radio..." the County Police said.

At the same time, Chen Ke was squeezing through the crowd, slowly moving away from the warehouse of Lescott.

He had just thrown the Time Bubble he had in his hand, creating a time explosion. The range of the explosion was larger than he had anticipated, with just about a 15-meter radius around it freezing in time.

He walked into the frozen time zone, summoned the Blasphemous Dagger, and cut the throats of the three gunmen, then left the area with unruffled composure.

He decided to name this ability the Time Bomb, the second ability in the time series.

Chen Ke himself isn’t affected by the explosion, being immune to any temporal tricks; this meant that he could drop a Time Bomb right at his feet.

It could be used as an offensive control method as well as a powerful defensive one. Chen Ke’s physical body did not have any superhuman aspects, no super speed, no flight, and his ability to take damage was quite average.

But with the Time Bomb, he now had the means to confront opponents with exceptional speed like the Fan Hede Iron Can.

Even if he couldn’t defeat a target, he could still immobilize them and then quickly escape, killing two birds with one stone.

"The state of time flow is meaningless/ineffective to gods." At that moment, an idea suddenly sprang into Chen Ke’s mind from the black stone in his heart.

It was a notification, a reminder.

"Gods transcend time... Time control is therefore ineffective on them." Chen Ke felt as though he had always understood this, but he knew that this was a new understanding implanted in his mind by the black stone.

"Are you helping me?" Chen Ke muttered to himself.

"Mutual benefit/a joint work opportunity." A new thought surfaced in Chen Ke’s mind.

He wasn’t quite used to this divine communion; the twisted and vague voices gave him a headache. The night was still long, and he planned to wander around the ruins of other abandoned factories.

Li Moyang swirled the whiskey in his glass, looking at the twisted silhouette of Lin Yaying through the amber liquid, as she stood beside the fireplace, speaking on the phone.

Strangely enough, even though she was close at hand, Li Moyang couldn’t make out what she was saying. It was as if there was a filter, turning Lin Yaying’s language into some sort of strange melody.

"Um... your assassin is quite efficient. Lescott Spirit Production will be in chaos in the future, I suggest you acquire it in six months," Lin Yaying hung up the phone and turned to Li Moyang.

"You’re in charge, Miss Lin," Li Moyang said, half-heartedly.

"Um... you don’t seem very happy," Lin Yaying said with a smile.

"I thought you wouldn’t care about that," Li Moyang set down his glass.

"Let’s talk about it, Li Moyang. If I can help you..." Lin Yaying sat down on the sofa opposite him.

"Why exactly are you helping me? What does the Foundation want from me?" Li Moyang asked.

"I have told you many times, you are part of the Founder Project, that’s all. And you’re not the only one," Lin Yaying replied.

"That’s as good as no answer. Why not tell me what the Founder Project really is? What on earth will I create?" Li Moyang said.

"The will and motives of a person are a reflection of their inner selves, Li Moyang. What you may create in the future is not from my or the Foundation’s commands, but from your own volition. If I told you now, the future changes wouldn’t be what the Foundation is hoping for," Lin Yaying said.

"Besides, I’m only one of the possible candidates who might create that thing..." Li Moyang said with a laugh.

"Focus on your current goals, the Foundation can help you achieve your aims. When the time comes, everything will fall into place, and whether you’re a Founder will become clear," Lin Yaying said.

"If you can observe the future, why not just look at the results 20 years from now?" Li Moyang asked.

"Observing the future isn’t as free as you describe. Observation is also a form of interference. Do you think this is as simple as changing channels on a TV?" Lin Yaying laughed.

"What will you do if in the end, I’m not the Founder?" Li Moyang asked.

"Unless you pose a threat to us, there won’t be any special measures. At most, we’d help you become the most powerful Spiritual Ability Enterprise of the era. The Foundation doesn’t care about such a degree of resource investment and assistance," Lin Yaying answered.

"Quite generous," Li Moyang said.

"Adherence to a contract is more important than any character. I hope you and your assassins can think the same," Lin Yaying said with a smile.