Chapter 44: Undercurrents of Crisis, Insight into the Foreseen

The superpower metropolis had recently survived a monumental battle. On the surface, peace had returned, but the scent of gunpowder still lingered faintly in the air, breeding a subtle and unsettling sense of unease.

Mao Yu, the champion of the Superpower Tournament, was currently patrolling the bustling streets and narrow alleys of the city as part of his daily routine.

Yet, a persistent feeling nagged at him that something was amiss—like a sudden glitch in a video game that left one thoroughly uncomfortable.

"Could it just be my imagination?" he muttered to himself, gently rubbing his chin in deep thought.

Recent bouts of constant restlessness had given him an ominous premonition that something terrible was about to happen.

He recalled the bizarre pillar of black light unleashed by the dark forces during the previous battle, as well as their fanatical, death-defying determination.

This was by no means a simple defeat; a much larger conspiracy was undoubtedly hidden beneath the surface.

*These bastards must be plotting some ultimate move!* he thought to himself.

This lingering anxiety echoed in his mind like the boy who cried wolf, sounding the alarm over and over again.

Mao Yu felt he had to take action and could not allow this uneasy sensation to spread any further.

He decided to start his investigation at the ruins of the dark forces' lair.

Perhaps he could unearth some clues there.

Without a moment's hesitation, he activated his system and initiated a grid-search mode.

The ruins were a scene of utter devastation, with shattered walls and rubble scattered everywhere, as if the area had just undergone a baptism of radical demolition.

Mao Yu searched back and forth among the debris and rubble like a diligent treasure-hunting mouse.

Sometimes he furrowed his brow, and other times he paused to observe closely; every action betrayed a stubborn tenacity.

Naturally, his actions caught the attention of the surrounding superpower wielders.

Gathering in small groups of twos and threes, they whispered among themselves:

"Hey, isn't that Mao Yu? What is he doing?"

"Who knows? It looks like he's searching for something. Could it be treasure left behind by the dark forces?"

"That's what I think. Maybe there are some good things hidden here."

Although their voices were low, they were enough to imbue the atmosphere with a mysterious aura, reminiscent of the foreshadowing in a detective drama right before the mystery is unraveled.

Mao Yu paid no heed to the surrounding gossip. His mind was entirely focused on the search, driven by the intuition that finding something would allow him to part the mists shrouding the superpower metropolis.

After a concerted effort, he finally discovered a hidden compartment behind an inconspicuous wall.

Mao Yu carefully opened the hidden compartment, and a wave of musty air rushed out, almost knocking him off his feet.

The compartment was stuffed with documents, piled as high as a college student's graduation thesis.

"Good grief, so many! Are these the dark forces' equivalent of preparatory exam papers?" Mao Yu muttered a complaint before beginning to flip through them.

The documents were filled with strange symbols and characters resembling some kind of esoteric code, leaving Mao Yu completely baffled.

"Are you telling me this isn't a love letter from aliens?" he scratched his head, feeling his intelligence had been insulted.

Fortunately, the system came online just in time with a built-in translation feature, instantly converting these heavenly scripts into text he could understand.

As it turned out, these documents recorded the initial plans of the dark forces, including personnel rosters, operational routes, and ultimate objectives.

Although these were merely preliminary plans, they were enough to give Mao Yu a glimpse into their upcoming operational direction.

"Hehe, a good thing I'm clever, or these fellows would have had their way!" A triumphant smile crept onto his face as he felt as though he had unlocked a prophetic vision, gaining insight into all the enemy's sinister schemes.

Seeing that Mao Yu had made a discovery, the surrounding superpower wielders cast curious glances his way.

Someone couldn't help but ask, "Young Master Mao, what treasure have you found?"

Mao Yu smiled mysteriously, waved the documents in his hand, and said, "This is a major secret! Want to know what it is? Just wait for me to announce the answer!" With that, he pocketed the documents and strode away, leaving the crowd bewildered in the wind.

Mao Yu headed straight for the government building, located Minister Li and Alliance Leader Zhang, slammed the documents onto the table, and declared, "Take a look! These are the latest movements of the dark forces!"

Minister Li adjusted his glasses, leisurely flipped through the papers, and wore a dismissive expression.

"Mao Yu, aren't you being a bit too sensitive? These are just some ordinary planning documents; it's nothing to make a fuss about."

Alliance Leader Zhang chimed in from the side, "Indeed, Mao Yu. You might be making a mountain out of a molehill. The dark forces have already been defeated by us; there's no way they can stir up any more trouble."

Upon hearing this, Mao Yu instantly flared up.

"What do you guys know? These aren't ordinary planning documents—they're a signal of the dark forces' resurgence! If you continue to ignore this, you won't even have time to regret it when the time comes!"

"Mao Yu, watch your language!" Alliance Leader Zhang slammed his palm onto the desk, his expression darkening. "We are the administrators of the superpower metropolis. What qualifications do you have to order us around?"

"Qualifications?" Mao Yu sneered. "Solely on the grounds that I discovered this secret, and solely because I understand the dark forces' movements much better than you do!"

The atmosphere instantly grew tense and explosive, as if the air itself was saturated with gunpowder.

"You guys..." Mao Yu took a deep breath, struggling to suppress the raging fire in his chest. "You'll regret this!" He whipped around, leaving behind a resolute back.

Just as Mao Yu was about to storm out, two crisp calls echoed from behind him.

"Brother Mao Yu!"

"Mao Yu."

Mao Ling skipped over like a joyful little deer, threw her arms around his arm, and rubbed her head against his shoulder. "Brother Mao Yu, I believe you! If they won't listen, I will!"

Feng Yao walked over gracefully as well. Unlike the boisterous Mao Ling, she gently linked her arm through Mao Yu's other side, her beautiful eyes brimming with trust. "I've always believed in you, Mao Yu. Don't be angry; we support you."

Feeling the warmth radiating from the two soft hands, the anger in Mao Yu's heart was instantly extinguished by half, replaced instead by a surge of warmth.

The corners of his mouth curved upward slightly. *My own sister and friends are the dependable ones!* he thought.

To hell with the foolish alliance leader and the cowardly minister—they could all step aside!

Right at this heartwarming moment, the air in the great hall suddenly froze.

Several shadowy figures materialized before them like ghosts, emanating an ominous and dark aura akin to evil spirits freshly crawled out from the depths of hell.

"Hand over the documents!" the leader of the figures roared in a voice as raspy as an old bellows, the blade in his hand flashing with cold light.

"Good grief, speak of the devil and they arrive! These fellows move really fast," Mao Yu remarked breezily before pulling the two women behind him. "Ling'er, Yaoyao, be careful. These bastards are here for the documents!"

Before Mao Yu could issue any commands, Mao Ling had already eagerly charged forward, flames dancing like spirits in her palms. "Look at this!" she shouted, unleashing a fireball directly at one of the masked figures, causing him to howl in agony as he was scorched.

Feng Yao was not to be outdone; blades of ice fluttered like snowflakes from her hands, instantly freezing another dark figure into an ice sculpture.

Mao Yu did not sit idle either. He unleashed a "Spiral Sphere," sending one of the dark operatives flying with a single punch. The fellow shot backward like a cannonball, slamming heavily into the wall and creating a deep indentation accompanied by the crunching sound of fracturing masonry.

"This battle scene really is like opening a blind box—you never know what kind of surprise will pop out the next second," Mao Yu muttered while fighting, though his movements remained unhindered as each strike carried fierce momentum, routing the enemy effortlessly.

However, just as victory seemed within their grasp, one of the dark figures suddenly let out a bizarre screech, and a mass of black mist erupted from his entire body. This mist rapidly coagulated into countless tentacles resembling those of an octopus, whipping toward Mao Yu and the two women.

"What on earth is this creepy thing?" Mao Yu's internal alarm bells rang loudly as he watched the incoming tentacles of black mist. This clearly differed from the dark forces they had encountered previously—had they leveled up?

The tentacles coiled around Mao Yu's body like nimble serpents, drastically slowing his movements.

Seeing this, Mao Ling and Feng Yao anxiously tried to come to his rescue, but they were pinned down tightly by the remaining operatives.

"Hiss..." Mao Yu felt a sharp pain as the tentacles constricted his body. He tried to break free, only to find the tentacles tightening further, as if attempting to swallow him whole.

He furrowed his brow, realizing with a sinking feeling that this battle was not going to end easily.

That bizarre mass of black mist continued to contract relentlessly...