Chapter 95: Capture

"What kind of presence are you sensing?" Before Charles could press further, the badge in his breast pocket trembled slightly, sending a familiar mental signal. "Assemble quickly. The target has reached the designated location." This was the notification from the captain of Team 007, Bauhinia. Hearing this, the little girl skipped away lightly, then paused, took a bite of her snack, and spoke in a low voice: "It rarely appears, it's enormous, and it flies in the sky..."

With that, she melted into the bustling crowd and soon vanished, leaving Charles standing there, slightly bewildered.

Rarely appears, enormous, flies in the sky!

These three inexplicable phrases, strung together, instantly brought to mind his previous encounter. Back then, in the northwestern part of Storm Harbor, at the True God Sect’s branch during the manor ball, he had glimpsed that enigmatic entity.

An ancient city suspended across the heavens, bearing the weight of millennia, exuding the profound passage of time. Atop it was a colossal tentacled creature, each tendril stretching for a thousand meters—a being even more immense than the calamity beasts of his memory!

Back then, countless gray threads descended from the sky, turning people below into marionettes, driving them into a brutal and senseless slaughter.

It even forced two peak-level second-tier Soulbinders into a battle to the death upon meeting; Yolanda lost all control, evolving her main totem at any cost, spiraling into madness and attempting to annihilate everyone present.

This provoked resistance from Leslie, Roddy, and the others, who ultimately slew her.

Of all his days since arriving in this world, the thing Charles could least comprehend was that figure looming above the sky—a presence that left no trace in the future plot, as if conjured from thin air, utterly strange and unfathomable.

Now, it seemed this mysterious little girl knew something.

His thoughts raced, but to bystanders, Charles merely paused with a furrowed brow before striding forward once more.

The mission this time was to apprehend a second-tier Soulbinder who dared defy the Academy’s order; if met with fierce resistance, he was authorized to execute the target on the spot.

The requirements were simple: capture or kill the target without causing mass casualties—the fewer the losses, the higher the mission evaluation and reward. Clearly, the target relied on hiding among dense crowds, but all disguises and subterfuge were useless before the Academy's intelligence network, which easily pinpointed his location.

Even his usual haunts were exposed in detail, reminding Charles of the SkyNet system from his previous life and the True God Sect's attempts to construct a similar surveillance web.

"No wonder Morente could turn a blind eye to the True God Sect’s expansion—they had similar research capabilities. It’s some kind of underground distributed network, though I haven’t seen any concrete schematics," Charles thought with a touch of regret.

When the Gate of Origins opened, countless lifeforms mutated and evolved; especially in the boundless oceans, untold numbers of formidable mutated creatures emerged.

They surged onto the islands in unstoppable waves, destroying coastal defenses in a single day and slaughtering nearly half the human population, let alone the island-wide monitoring systems.

Many of these mutant beasts had a habit of burrowing, carving tunnels beneath the islands and inadvertently wrecking the surveillance network completely.

Only when Roddy closed the Gate of Origins did the tide of mutant beasts finally abate, allowing humanity to seize victory in the end...

In a modest two-story building, inside a shop on the ground floor, a young shopkeeper was smiling as he introduced his products to a couple.

“Sir, miss, these are the Heartfelt Dolls, symbols of eternal love. They’ll bless your relationship with everlasting happiness...”

He promoted his wares enthusiastically. The young couple was clearly tempted; under the girl’s expectant gaze, the boy gritted his teeth and handed over two one-hundred yuan notes.

The craftsmanship was exquisite, evidently the work of a master. They had come on a friend’s recommendation.

Unfortunately, the price was steep—one doll cost 120 yuan, and even the discounted pair was 200, half a month’s food money for him.

But since his beloved liked them, he resolved to take on extra odd jobs if necessary—he wouldn’t let her down.

Just then, two men in sunglasses entered. The larger, more imposing one pulled out a small booklet and said coldly, “Police business. Everyone else, clear out!”

Seeing the badge engraved on the booklet, the young couple’s faces fell. Clutching their dolls, they hurried out of the shop.

Once outside, the boy couldn’t help but glance back, puzzled as to what the genial shopkeeper could have done wrong.

“Warren, the Enforcement Squad requests your presence. You know why,” the shorter man said evenly, removing his sunglasses and regarding Warren curiously. “Why didn’t you use those two as human shields? That’s not like you.”

The young shopkeeper noticed the bauhinia flower blooming in the man’s eye socket, slipped the money into his pocket, and crossed his arms with a sigh. “Why must you force my hand?”

“Heh, killing inside the Academy is a blatant challenge to its authority. I actually admire your guts. But if you don’t want to lose an arm or a leg, you’d better come quietly,” the burly man said with a toothy grin, the hideous scar on his face twitching, his massive muscles rippling beneath his clothes.

He produced a small silver bracelet from his pocket, flashing it with a menacing grin. “So, kid, will you put this on yourself, or do I have to beat you half to death first?”

The young shopkeeper shrugged, offering a resigned smile. “Seems there’s no avoiding a fight.”

At that moment, he frowned, muttering to himself, “What a terrifying poison—it even penetrates my guardian aura.”

“You brought this on yourself!”

The giant roared with excitement, his body swelling as a layer of blood-red armor enveloped him in a blink, razor-sharp blades sprouting from his skin until he seemed transformed into a war machine, barreling toward his foe.

“I’ll never understand why the Academy wastes endless resources on these brutes…” the young shopkeeper grumbled as thick black smoke erupted before him, quickly shrouding the entire shop.

Boom!

The giant crashed headlong into a wall, smashing it as if it were tofu.

Like a maddened beast, he tore through the shop, reducing it to rubble; even the building itself began to tremble, threatening to collapse.

At that instant, clusters of bauhinia flowers burst forth throughout the room, blossoming into flowers the size of washbasins, each sprouting sharp teeth, encircling the space in an impenetrable barrier.

The battle erupted, shaking the entire street. The vendors nearby abandoned their stalls in a panic, fleeing for their lives—clearly, they had witnessed scenes like this before...