113: Chapter 113 Eliminate the Weeds at the Root

Zhen Lu had already walked out of the Branch Bureau main gate, stood beside a public bench across the street, lowered his head to look at the time on his communicator, then raised his eyes, gazing at the grey outer wall of the Branch Bureau building from across the street.

His Mental Power was still connected to the Branch Bureau monitoring system, and the visuals and sounds from the detention room were clearly synchronized in his consciousness.

"Your heart is still not ruthless enough. Since you want to seize power, you shouldn't care about those useless lives. Hesitating like this is truly a disgrace to the nobility."

The voice of the Eldest Young Master came from the monitoring screen.

At this moment, an electronic sound rang out in the detention room; it was a synthesized voice that had undergone Camouflage.

"Are lives useless? I only feel that life is very fragile."

As soon as the words fell, the first Mental Power core dropped from the gap in the ventilation duct grille.

That thumb-sized Mental Power core smashed onto the metal tabletop between the two men, and compressed energy was violently released in all directions.

The steel wall cladding was torn from the frame, rolled into wave shapes, and flipped to the corner of the wall. The metal table evaporated instantly, and the Second Young Master was torn apart directly by the shockwave without even having time to react.

A translucent protective layer lit up on the Eldest Young Master's body, automatically activating the moment the explosion struck.

When the white light dissipated, the Eldest Young Master appeared in the corner with tattered clothes, the protective layer having shattered into several remnants of light that extinguished on his shoulders.

He leaned against the deformed steel plate, gasping for breath, thinking he had survived.

Branch Bureau monitoring room. The Deputy Director was sitting in front of the main control console, holding half a cup of coffee that had already gone cold, his gaze sweeping across an entire row of monitoring screens.

His finger had just tapped the rim of the cup for the second time when the corner of his eye suddenly caught one of the screens abruptly turning into a blinding white light. Immediately after, all monitoring screens facing the underground levels shook violently at the same time. A dull, muffled sound of an explosion came up from deep beneath the floor, and the speakers of the entire row of screens simultaneously erupted with piercing electrical screeching.

The coffee cup in the Deputy Director's hand smashed directly onto the control console, dark brown liquid splashing onto the keyboard. He sprang up from his chair and grabbed the communicator, his roar suppressing the commotion in the entire monitoring room: "An explosion has occurred on the third underground level! Seal all exits! Sound the Level 1 alarm! All C-Class, assemble immediately, target is the underground detention area!"

Several technicians in the monitoring room lunged toward their respective control consoles simultaneously. The alarm sounded sharply throughout the entire Branch Bureau building, and the emergency lights in the hallways began to flash red alternately.

Clatter. The second Mental Power core fell, smashing onto the scorched ground in front of him where the table had once been.

The Mental Power core detonated on the ground. During the second impact, the protective treasure barely managed to shield the Eldest Young Master's head and upper body. The shockwave tore apart his hands and everything below his waist; his remaining torso leaned against the wall, breathing short and hoarse.

Before he could take a second breath, the sound of the third Mental Power core landing had already rung out.

Branch Bureau monitoring room. All monitoring screens facing the third underground level detention rooms turned into static.

The Deputy Director braced his hands on the control console, his knuckles turning white, and several veins on his forehead bulging. The communicator kept ringing by his ear, but he swatted it away and pointed at the Technical Team leader's nose, roaring: "What exactly happened in the detention room?! Why are all the monitoring screens cut off?!"

The Technical Team leader's fingers tapped rapidly on the keyboard, his face pale. He pulled up the logs: "It shows that the monitoring signal had already been replaced with static screenshots before the explosion."

"Someone completely took over the monitoring system before the explosion."

Before the Deputy Director could digest this information, a second muffled explosion sound came from deep beneath the floor. This time it was deeper than the first; the entire building could feel a distinct tremor.

The Deputy Director turned his head abruptly, staring fixedly at those few screens that were still showing static, his lips moving slightly.

Clatter. The third Mental Power core fell.

The Eldest Young Master leaned against the wall, his pupils reflecting the dark golden light orb that was falling, his lips slightly parted.

The explosion engulfed the entire room once again. The steel skeleton was uprooted from the walls, the concrete floor burst open with spiderweb-like cracks, and the entire section of the ventilation duct collapsed. Everything was destroyed.

Branch Bureau monitoring room. The Deputy Director's mouth was open, his brows furrowed tightly, but he could do nothing.

It would take at least several tens of seconds from the sounding of the alarm to the assembly of C-Class combat forces, but less than ten seconds had passed since the first explosion. The defense density of the underground detention area had already been reduced, and the remaining guards had no time to react.

The Technical Team leader suddenly took off his headset and turned back, shouting in a voice that was almost a sob: "That was the third explosion; it's impossible for anyone to still be alive in the detention room!"

The Deputy Director did not answer; he just watched those rows of static screens in silence for a few seconds, then picked up the communicator again. His voice was hoarse, but he had already regained his commanding tone: "All C-Class, to the third underground level, search for survivors. Technical Team, pull out all electromagnetic signal records from the past half hour. Someone intruded into the monitoring system, and I want to know who he is."

On the street outside the Branch Bureau's main gate, the sound of the alarm came faintly from deep within the building. Zhen Lu stood beside the public bench across the street and put the communicator into his pocket.

There was no extra expression on his face; he just looked down and brushed the dust off his pants, then turned and walked along the street of Central City toward his apartment.

Behind him, members had already started rushing out of the main gate of the Branch Bureau building, the red light of the emergency lamps looking particularly blinding.

After walking two blocks, he found a quiet alley and turned in. He stood with his back against the wall for a moment, closed his eyes, and replayed every single frame of the scene in his consciousness.

"Heh, nobility."

Then he opened his eyes and continued walking toward the apartment.

He had just pushed open the apartment door and hadn't even had time to take off his coat when his communicator rang.

The alert sound of the emergency notification channel was particularly jarring in the quiet living room. He pressed to connect, and the urgent voice of the Branch Bureau dispatcher came from the other side, with the sound of police sirens and chaotic running footsteps faintly audible in the background.

The dispatcher said that an attack had occurred in the Branch Bureau's underground detention area, many people were injured, and all support Healing personnel were to report to the Branch Bureau immediately.

He hung up the communicator, pulled back on the coat he had just half-taken off, and turned to push the door open and go downstairs.

On the street, several Guardians flying cars could already be seen flashing warning lights as they converged toward the Branch Bureau building from different directions. After walking only a few steps, a Branch Bureau flying car stopped in front of him, and urgent words came out.

"Healer Zhen Lu, I am here to pick you up, hurry and get in the car."

Zhen Lu quickly climbed into the car, and a feeling of being pushed back came; it seemed the driver was also very anxious.

Passing through the streets of Central City, he arrived at the entrance of the Branch Bureau in no time. A temporary cordon had already been set up outside the main gate, and several members wearing full tactical vests were guarding the entrance, the communicators in their hands ringing one after another.

He showed his identification, and the person at the door glanced at it and let him pass.

The atmosphere in the lobby was completely different at this moment. Several members who usually drank coffee leisurely were now fully armed, passing through the hallway with hurried steps.

Lu Ming was running over from the side corridor. Seeing him, he first let out a sigh of relief, then grabbed his arm and walked toward the Healing room.

"You've finally arrived. The Healing room is on the second floor, and several batches of injured have already been sent over."

Zhen Lu followed him through the hallway, asking as he walked: "What is the situation? I was still eating in the cafeteria at noon; how could there be an attack in the afternoon?"

"I don't know the specifics either."

Lu Ming's speaking speed was much faster than usual, and his voice was kept very low. "I only know that an explosion occurred in the basement, but specifically who attacked and how they snuck in hasn't been investigated clearly yet. The entire third underground level was blown through, and the monitoring system was hacked by someone in advance; all the images were fake. The Deputy Director was furious in the monitoring room, and the Technical Team is currently pulling electromagnetic signal records. These injured people are all prisoners and guards who were on that floor of the underground detention area at the time. Fortunately, most were just stunned by the shock or injured by falling objects; they didn't come into contact with the direct explosion."

"I heard there were nobles at the center of the explosion; the attack might have been aimed at him."