81: The Apocalypse will descend! And its ultimate target is myself?

Wanqing's low shout sent everyone's hearts plummeting to rock bottom.

The dozen or so figures slowly emerged from the shadows on the outskirts of the steel mill, bringing with them an unsettling sense of oppression.

They stopped at the edge where the crowd had fallen, not one of them stepping into the electric net Lin Yuan had just set up.

"Another wave?" Liu Yan gritted her teeth, physically and mentally exhausted.

"Their energy fluctuations... are very strong," Mo Chen's voice trembled slightly, "Every single one of them is no weaker than me! And the one leading them... I can't see through him!"

Su Wanqing, Liu Yan, Shi Lei—three C-class elites, plus a C-class support.

On the other side, there were at least a dozen C-class individuals, plus an unfathomable leader.

What was even more critical was that they had just endured a high-intensity battle, and their energy consumption was enormous.

Especially Lin Yuan.

His recent area-clearing move looked incredibly powerful, but only he knew that his divine body's power level had already dropped to the 10% alert line.

"Damn it..." Lin Yuan wailed internally, "This is overtime!"

"And no overtime pay for overtime work? Is this even human?"

He remained outwardly calm, even stepping half a pace forward to shield Su Wanqing, appearing completely at ease.

In reality, he was already calculating whether it would be more cost-effective to find a charging station first if a real fight broke out, or just lie down and play dead.

Just then, the leader of the Black-Robed Persons slowly raised his head.

Beneath the hood was a face wearing a silver mask.

"The elites of the Dragon Shield Bureau are indeed as formidable as their reputation suggests."

The voice beneath the mask was processed, sounding hoarse with a metallic quality, making it impossible to distinguish gender.

"Especially you." The masked person's gaze fell upon Lin Yuan.

"A perfect energy vessel, a born Monarch of Thunder and Lightning... You are the most perfect gift 'Apocalypse' has bestowed upon this era."

Lin Yuan raised an eyebrow.

Great, another one who starts by flattering me.

No good deed goes unpunished, or rather, no unsolicited kindness without ulterior motives.

"Apocalypse Society," Su Wanqing uttered coldly, three words.

She recognized the inconspicuous emblem on their clothes—a lightning bolt striking a planet.

"Oh?" The masked person chuckled softly, "It seems Captain Su is not unfamiliar with us. Indeed, we are the pioneers who have come to welcome a new era."

He spread his arms, his tone fervent.

"The resurgence of spiritual energy is a screening for all humanity! It is the 'Apocalypse' of evolution! Only the strong are qualified to survive and lead human civilization to new heights!"

"And you, Dragon Shield Bureau!" His tone suddenly turned cold, filled with contempt, "What are you doing? Protecting the weak who have been eliminated by the era, maintaining a ridiculous facade of peace! You are stumbling blocks to evolution! You are criminals against civilization!"

Liu Yan trembled with rage. "You're spouting nonsense! Life is equal, no one should be abandoned!"

"Equality?" The masked person sounded as if he had heard the funniest joke, "Do the wails of the weak deserve to be compared with the breaths of the strong? Little girl, your thoughts are still stuck in the decaying framework of the old era."

As he spoke, he took two steps forward.

"We gave this city a chance, a small trial."

"These wastes infected by the abyss spores were originally the best nourishment. But you, you destroyed it."

While confronting the opponent, Su Wanqing secretly placed her finger on her communicator, attempting to transmit the information here to Zhou Weiguo.

However, her action was fully observed by the masked person.

"Don't waste your effort, Captain Su."

The masked person raised his hand, and a metallic cube floated in his palm.

"From the moment you stepped in here, communication in this area has been dead. No information can get out."

"This is the stage we prepared for you, and you," his mask turned towards Lin Yuan, his voice filled with greed, "are the most perfect sacrifice dedicated to 'Apocalypse'."

Su Wanqing's heart sank completely.

The enemy came prepared!

They knew her squad would come, and might even be fully aware of their operational routes and abilities!

"What exactly do you want to do?" Su Wanqing asked in a deep voice.

"Our goal, from beginning to end, has only been one."

The masked person stared at Lin Yuan with burning eyes.

"We want him."

At that moment, everyone's hearts leaped to their throats.

Su Wanqing, Liu Yan, and Shi Lei almost instinctively moved, subtly shielding Lin Yuan in the middle.

Lin Yuan, protected by everyone, showed no awareness of being the "Tang Monk's meat."

He yawned.

This instantly shattered the tense atmosphere of the standoff.

The masked person's words were interrupted.

Liu Yan's anger also caught in her throat.

Everyone's gaze focused on Lin Yuan.

"Uh... excuse me, just a quick interruption."

Lin Yuan pointed to the pile of citizens he had electrocuted, and then to the pile of scrap metal.

"I just need to confirm something."

"I just dealt with all this trouble, putting in effort and energy, and it was a huge expenditure."

He looked at the masked person and asked:

"Will this bill be charged to you, or to the Dragon Shield Bureau?"

The entire scene fell silent.

Even the usually calm Su Wanqing was momentarily stunned.

The masked person was also baffled.

He had never expected that the first question the other party cared about would be... settling a bill?

"What... are you talking about?" A hint of bewilderment emerged in the masked person's hoarse voice.

"I'm talking about money," Lin Yuan spread his hands, completely justified.

"Your Apocalypse Society sounds pretty high-class, so you shouldn't be short on cash, right? Look, you caused such a huge mess, and I came to clean it up. It's only reasonable for you to pay me a service fee, isn't it?"

"I charge very fairly, I'll even give you a 20% discount."

"Pfft—" Liu Yan finally couldn't hold it in; she felt like her brain's blood vessels were about to burst.

This scoundrel!

He was haggling with a group of wanted criminals!

"It seems you haven't realized your predicament yet." The masked person finally recovered from his bewilderment, his voice turning cold.

"When I strip away your special physique and imprison your consciousness in a thunder prison, I hope you'll still be so sharp-tongued."

He stopped wasting words and sharply waved his hand.

"Attack!"

"Leave the vessel alive, kill everyone else without mercy!"

The dozen Black-Robed Persons behind him moved!

They spread out in a perfectly synchronized rhythm, every step's distance and landing point precise.

In a flash, the dozen people each occupied several key nodes within the steel mill.