Chapter 030: Extreme Battle - 6

The pale blue membrane of the barrier shattered with a thunderous crash!
The middle-aged leader staggered out, abandoning the two subordinates still fighting, fleeing without a second thought for their lives.
The Jade Seal, flung aside by the explosive flames, rolled to his feet but couldn't help coughing up a mouthful of blood. The world spun before his eyes, and his ears rang with a piercing buzz, nearly knocking him unconscious.
Even with the Jade Seal's unusually thick hyperactive shield, it couldn’t withstand the shockwave of four fireballs detonating simultaneously at such close range.
He shook his head hard, regaining some clarity, and glanced at the fleeing figure. From his waist, he pulled out a fireball he’d confiscated, hurling it at the back of the running leader in retaliation.
But the Black Fire Society’s middle-aged leader, clearly seasoned in battle, heard the whistling projectile behind him and instinctively dove forward, rolling to dodge the fireball, then sprang up again to continue his escape.
Yet when he caught sight of another orange streak shooting toward him at even greater speed, terror contorted his face and he opened his mouth to scream.
With a deafening roar, the second fireball overtook the first, colliding midair and exploding right before him; the orange flames surged up, engulfing him in an instant.
The members of Squad Seven stared, stunned.
Fireballs were the most common and accessible explosive weapons in the supernatural realm, but they weren’t cheap. Was it really necessary to use two to finish off a clearly defeated enemy?
As the squad hesitated, the two Black Fire Society members they’d cornered seized their chance, bursting from the encirclement and fleeing in different directions—one toward the lake, the other into the woods. In mere seconds, they’d escaped dozens of meters away.
If they reached the water or the forest, their chances of survival would soar. But a whizzing fireball and a flying axe dashed those hopes instantly.
One fleeing Black Fire Society member was swallowed by fire.
The other took an axe to the back of his skull, collapsing without a sound.
Willie instinctively swallowed, “Damn! Isn’t that a bit ruthless?”
Jade Seal wiped a trace of blood from his nose, expressionless.
As the energy particles converged from nearby after the deaths of three hyperlimit warriors, they enveloped his form in a shimmering haze.
Sensing that Jade Seal’s hyperactive energy had risen again, Lofi and the others couldn’t help but feel a twinge of apprehension.
What had this guy done before?
He was supposedly a newly awakened rookie, yet when he fought, he was so merciless and fierce!

“Not good!”
After a brief daze, Lofi’s face suddenly changed, panic in her voice, “Quick, clean up the battlefield, we need to leave!”
The members of Squad Seven snapped to attention, rapidly scattering to clear the area.
Drumstick set to work stripping the bodies of Black Fire Society members of their gear.
Summer Yoyo did her best to erase and destroy any traces of the battle.
Maya, who hadn’t fought earlier, sprayed “pheromone disruptor” liberally around.
Willie pulled out a test tube filled with blue liquid, carefully dripping a drop onto each of the five bodies.
Jade Seal, finally breaking free from his “relative rationality,” fought through his dizziness and discomfort, staring in astonishment as the five corpses quickly liquefied into transparent cell fluid, seeping into the earth beneath the grass—leaving not a bone behind.
“What is that?”
Jade Seal’s eyes widened in curiosity, “Is that the legendary corpse-dissolving water?”
“It’s just mutated autophagic lysosome culture fluid... Let’s get out of here! We’ll talk later!”
Lofi spoke rapidly, “We’re too close to the Jialuo Mountain base. The energy waves from those fireball explosions must’ve alerted the LDH Hyperlimit Patrol Squad. It’s not safe anymore!”
Without waiting for Jade Seal’s questions, she pulled him into the forest.
The others quickly followed. Willie dashed to Lofi’s side, asking, “Boss, are we heading back to base?”
“Jade Seal hasn’t registered as a supernatural entity.”
“And he just fought near the Jialuo Mountain base.”
“The LDH Hyperlimit Management Division doesn’t know he’s a newly awakened rookie!”
“If we barge into the base’s security zone and the LDH Hyperlimit Squad misunderstands, it’ll be trouble!”
Lofi glanced at Jade Seal and shook her head, “We can’t go back to the base for now. We’ll have to find another place to lay low... And we need time to give Jade Seal a crash course in supernatural common sense.”
“Let’s go to ‘Hellfire’ in the Western District!”

Willie interjected, “At this hour, that gathering place is our best option.”
Summer Yoyo, sweet and adorable in appearance but feisty in temperament, pouted and said, “You just want an excuse to drink and flirt, don’t you?”
“Fine, Hellfire it is!”
Lofi, Squad Seven’s captain, was decisive: “All we need is to avoid the LDH Hyperlimit Squad’s night patrol tonight!”
She nodded at Drumstick, aka Chen Jitui, “Call a ‘Black Box’ for us!”
Drumstick fiddled with his silver wristwatch, asking, “Should we tell Xiaoke to come too?”
“No, Jason’s injuries are serious—she needs to look after him!”
“We’re only staying until dawn, just avoiding tonight’s chaos before returning to base.”
Lofi thought for a moment. “Xiaoke’s never liked places like Hellfire, so let’s not bother her.”
“What’s a Black Box?”
“What’s Hellfire?”
Jade Seal, unable to get a word in edgewise, was bombarded by unfamiliar terms again. “Why do these sound so familiar?”
“Relax!”
“It’s not the ‘Hellfire Club’ from the X-Men!”
Lofi chuckled, “No Black King, no White Queen, but there’s a bunch of people just like us.”
“This ‘Black Box’ is basically a taxi service for supernatural folks, run by supernatural folks. It’s like a rideshare, really!”
“Look at us—dressed weird, carrying knives and shields. What ordinary taxi would take us at this hour?”
“As for Hellfire, it’s a bar on the surface, but... well, it’s actually just a bar, only it’s a gathering spot for supernatural people like us.”
Willie, never short on words, explained as they ran, “Places like this, gathering supernatural people, always have powerful backers behind them...”