285: Chapter 285 This humble monk also knows a little about boxing.

Officer Gao's body, which had been sent flying and was falling downward, was forcefully halted by this eerie red light.

Enveloped in a huge red "eggshell," he hovered over ten meters off the ground, defying the laws of physics.

Through the translucent barrier, Fang Cheng could clearly see the bizarre changes occurring at the spots where his opponent had been hit by his Super Autocannon Punch.

From the cracks in the shattered armor, countless pink sprouts of flesh and tendon-like tissue emerged, squirming and intertwining wildly like living things, continuously multiplying.

The charred parts burned by the flames were also rapidly peeling off, replaced in the blink of an eye by a newly grown carapace glowing with a dark red luster.

At this moment, he was swiftly repairing the damaged structural organization of his armor at a spine-chilling speed.

"Is this... a Biological Force Field and Super-Speed Regeneration?"

Lying in the mud, Officer Zhou Liang and A-Li seemed to recall a certain legend within the Special Investigation Team, their voices shocked yet unable to hide a hint of pleasant surprise.

Fang Cheng looked up at the formidable enemy hovering in midair, his brows slightly furrowed.

This level of levitation ability and recovery speed was indeed troublesome.

But—a harsh light flashed in Fang Cheng's eyes—this small difficulty was not enough to make him back down.

For the combat creed he believed in had always been simple and direct:

If one punch doesn't work, then throw another!

What's more, now was the golden opportunity; he had to finish him off while he was down!

With his mind set, Fang Cheng twisted his shoulders, lowered his stance slightly, and aligned his waist and hips.

As he clenched his fists, the strength of his entire body instantly converged toward his core and lower limbs.

His thigh muscles bulged and twisted, and his core muscles suddenly tightened, conducting all the accumulated power through his bones and tendons to channel it straight into the soles of his feet.

Bang!

The muddy ground beneath his feet instantly blew open into a deep crater, spiderweb-like cracks spreading madly outward from where he stood.

The stacking of 40 Strength and 40 Agility produced such staggering speed and explosive jumping power!

His whole body was like a cannonball powerfully launched after shedding all restraints, turning into a stream of white light almost imperceptible to the naked eye.

Soaring into the sky, he swung his fist, striking toward the dark, heavy night sky.

His body continued to rise alongside the howling wind.

Seven meters, eight meters, nine meters, ten meters—

Until he directly faced the "eggshell" emanating an ominous red glow.

Fang Cheng's eyes burned bright, and his right fist, poised for action, burst with crimson flames.

Thud—

Another Flaming Uppercut, surging like a rising dragon, slammed violently into the energy shield, producing a dull thud like the tolling of a giant bell.

The shield shook violently, its surface vibrating rapidly and sending out ripples of blood-colored waves.

A huge recoil swept back, leaving Fang Cheng with nowhere to leverage himself in midair and unable to launch another attack.

Subsequently, he was blown backward by the impact and tumbled back onto the ground.

Fang Cheng quickly stabilized himself and looked up at the red "eggshell" still floating above.

The opponent's floating position happened to be at the absolute limit of his vertical jump height.

Under these circumstances, unless he truly mastered the Flight ability, he couldn't unleash his full power to deliver effective attacks.

Right then, Officer Zhou Liang called out excitedly again:

"Officer Gao's Biological Force Field seems to be fully deployed!"

Inside the energy shield floating in midair, the hideous armored figure seemed to adjust its posture.

Beneath the demon helmet, a pair of eyes flared brightly.

He slowly raised his hands covered in bone spikes, aiming his palms from afar at Fang Cheng below.

The space in front of him began to distort weirdly, light seeming to be sucked in, forming a rapidly spinning dark vortex that radiated a horrifying pressure that made one's hair stand on end!

Warning bells rang wildly in Fang Cheng's mind as a lethal sense of threat enveloped his entire body.

No!

It was enveloping the entire area around his body!

Without hesitation, Fang Cheng slammed his foot against the ground, bursting with maximum speed to sprint frantically toward the left.

Almost at the same moment the thought arose—

The distorted space suddenly compressed inward to the extreme before violently exploding.

A beam of light packed with destructive energy roared downward!

Rumble—

Where Fang Cheng had previously stood, the ground collapsed in an instant, blasted into a deep crater several meters in diameter.

Dirt, roots, and rocks were torn apart and pulverized by the terrifying explosion, showering in all directions.

The shockwave expanded in a ring, the whipping winds acting like an invisible sledgehammer sweeping across everything on the ground.

The already dilapidated car near the blast site was directly flipped into the air by this force, tumbling with harsh screeching sounds of twisting metal before crashing down heavily.

At the critical moment, Fang Cheng dodged the core area of attack, but he was still hit by the peripheral shockwave.

His body stumbled slightly, feeling as if a truck had sideswiped him, causing his blood and Qi to churn.

Not just him—even Officer Zhou Liang and A-Li, a bit farther away, were thrown off balance by the aftermath, rolling far through the mud while screaming in pain.

Unable to get up for a while, they had clearly suffered non-trivial injuries.

The central area of the explosion was pitch black, with scorching smoke, dust, and plant debris filling the air, slowly settling down.

Fang Cheng steadied his footing and reached up to brush off the yellow mud clinging to his bald head.

Then he raised his head and looked at the figure in midair that resembled a demon god, his gaze turning incomparably solemn.

This Advanced Investigator from the Special Investigation Team... His strength was far beyond expectations!

Meanwhile.

Hovering in midair, Gao Jin's crystal core on his chest flashed rapidly a few times, its light dimming significantly.

Obviously, that earth-shattering blow just now had taken an enormous toll on him as well.

Right now, though he appeared to display Divine Might and exude an imposing Aura, in truth he was finding it hard to back down.

As the officer in charge of this operation, he had rushed over by car from the scheduled location right after receiving an emergency signal from his subordinates.

He hadn't expected the enemy he encountered to be so formidable; his strength completely exceeded expectations.

Such a person, even within the Special Investigation Team where elites gathered, would definitely Rank among the top experts.

What alarmed him even more was that besides flames, the opponent didn't seem to use any special abilities, nor did he need the amplification of Exo-Suit Armor like himself.

Relying solely on a pair of fists and a Physical Body, he unleashed terrifying speed and power, even managing to take his energy blast head-on.

Furthermore...

Gao Jin stared sharp-eyed at the white stone mask resembling an evil ghost on Fang Cheng's face.

Suddenly, intelligence gathered from cleaning up the mess at Renan Hospital that night flashed through his mind, along with that intimidating name.

After a brief clash, both sides simultaneously stopped moving.

Fang Cheng stood where he was, settling his churning internal Qi.

Squinting slightly, he observed his opponent vigilantly, contemplating a strategy to win.

Gao Jin hovered in the air, likewise recovering quickly while evaluating the danger Rank of this mysterious, powerful foe.

Both clearly realized that what just happened was merely a probing confrontation.

Moving forward, unless they used stronger trump cards or engaged in a long war of attrition, neither could do anything to the other.

The air was filled with a tense standoff.

Gao Jin was silent for only a few seconds before breaking the stalemate and speaking up:

"White Owl, it really is you. I didn't expect you to actually join the Noah Organization."

His deep voice carried an intent of probing and confirmation.

Hearing this, Fang Cheng was stunned for a moment, then calmly acted as if tacitly acknowledging it:

"I have no connection to the Noah Organization. If I must say there is one, it's that I have a grudge against them."

He paused for a moment before adding:

"If your Special Investigation Team possesses definitive intelligence on them, you might as well tell me. Perhaps we even share a common enemy to deal with."

Although he didn't know what the name "White Owl" signified, that didn't stop him from using his opponent's misunderstanding to muddy the waters.

Hearing these unexpected words, Gao Jin indeed froze noticeably.

He pointed toward Xu Hao, who was lying not far away, covered in weeds and mud, still unconscious:

"Did you not chase after us for his sake?"

Fang Cheng, sporting his bald head, glanced at the wretched Xu Hao and said in a flat tone:

"This person is a Junior of an old friend of this poor monk... no, of this old man. He once did me a favor, and I am someone who always repays kindness."

It seemed like a slip of the tongue, but the underlying meaning was crystal clear.

His actions represented only himself, not the stance of any organization.

"Junior?"

Gao Jin's eyes flashed as if analyzing the truth of Fang Cheng's words.

A few seconds later, he seemed to finally figure out the key point, his tone softening slightly:

"It seems there truly is a misunderstanding between us."

"My two colleagues took Xu Hao away with no intention to harm him; there are merely some internal matters that require his assistance in the investigation."

With a barely perceptible gaze of scrutiny landing on Fang Cheng's mask, he explained in a deep voice:

"Rest assured, I guarantee in the name of the Special Investigation Team that we will never harm his life. Tomorrow morning at the latest, once things are sorted out, he will be able to return safely."

Gao Jin's seemingly conciliatory words still held back, clearly showing no intention of revealing the true objective of the operation.

Fang Cheng was silent for a few seconds, seemingly weighing his options.

At this moment, the faint wail of sirens echoed from the distant highway, piercing the quiet night sky of the suburbs.

In the darkness, intermittent red and blue flashes of light began to blink, approaching this direction.

Fang Cheng glanced at the half-dead Xu Hao on the ground, then looked at the unfathomable Gao Jin, his mind racing with thoughts.

The opponent was very strong—one of the most troublesome enemies he had encountered to date.

Fighting to the end, the outcome was uncertain, not to mention the risk of getting injured or losing his life.

Making too big a commotion could draw in the police or even reinforcements from the Special Investigation Team, leading to unimaginable consequences.

Furthermore, trying to forcibly break out while carrying the heavily injured Xu Hao under these conditions was extremely difficult and high-risk.

What's more, his true intention was not to "save him," but merely to use this excuse to bluff the Special Investigation Team to pry for information.

Although Gao Jin's guarantee might not be trustworthy, it at least gave both sides room for leeway.

Right now, there was indeed no need to completely fall out with this powerful official organization just for the sake of a moment's pride.

Weighing the pros and cons repeatedly, Fang Cheng quickly made his decision.

"Fine."

He nodded crisply, then shook the credential in his hand and said coldly:

"Zhou Liang, Special Affairs Investigation Team... I'll remember you all. I hope you keep your word."

Gao Jin looked at him deeply and spoke solemnly:

"The Special Investigation Team always keeps its word. You may go."

Fang Cheng said no more. Taking one last look at the unconscious Xu Hao, his body suddenly moved, shooting out like an arrow released from a bowstring.

Within a few bounds, he completely dissolved into the deep, boundless night in the distance.

A sudden gust of wind sent a fresh chill of terror through Officer Zhou Liang and A-Li, who had barely managed to push themselves up.

Staring in the direction where Fang Cheng disappeared, Gao Jin's tightly strung nerves finally relaxed.

However, as soon as he let out that breath, his body hovering in midair shook violently.

The crystal core device on his chest suddenly emitted rapid "beep-beep" alarm sounds, flashing a blinding red light frantically.

Losing the support of follow-up energy, he could no longer maintain his floating state, his body plunging straight toward the ground! (End of Chapter)