360: City lord?

“So, the key issue we currently face is figuring out how to make the target personnel genuinely want us to invade their civilization from the bottom of their hearts... This is really quite tricky.”

Li Yang frowned slightly, a hint of worry in his eyes, and said slowly.

He deeply understood the difficulty of this matter. After all, from what he knew of Xiao Ran's past experiences, Xiao Ran was a person with firm beliefs, absolutely not someone who would easily betray his civilization in a short time.

Changing his mind would be anything but easy.

“Indeed, this is undoubtedly the only difficult point in the entire plan.”

Hua Dong nodded in agreement, a serious expression also appearing on his face.

“But as long as we can successfully overcome this difficulty, subsequent actions will proceed smoothly without hindrance, and we will be one step closer to our goal.”

“Let’s think about this carefully later and figure out a solution.”

Li Yang took a deep breath, temporarily setting aside this difficult problem.

“For now, the most urgent task is to let the troops go in according to the plan first…”

His gaze returned to the command system before him, his tone filled with undeniable decisiveness.

“Understood.”

Hua Dong responded quickly, he also knew that this matter couldn’t be rushed… On the other side of the planet, night fell like a huge black silk cloth, gently enveloping the land.

Xiao Ran, clad in the Empire's battle armor, silently left Jiangcheng.

Using the battle armor's flight mode, he swiftly flew towards the coordinate mountain peak designated by the system, like a black shooting star.

The wind howled past his ears, the city lights gradually faded behind him, and the surroundings grew increasingly silent.

Finally, Xiao Ran arrived at the mountain peak.

The peak was rugged with strange rocks, and the biting cold wind made the corners of his clothes flap loudly.

“System, is this it?”

Xiao Ran asked softly in his mind, his voice carrying a hint of caution and doubt.

“Yes.”

The system’s concise and cold mechanical voice echoed in Xiao Ran’s mind.

After receiving the system’s affirmative reply, Xiao Ran was about to reach for the signal device at his waist to send a signal when, at that moment, the battle armor’s sensing device suddenly flickered with a faint light, and an unusual fluctuation transmitted to his nerves.

Relying on the battle armor’s powerful sensing capabilities, he acutely detected several vague figures quietly approaching in the distance.

“Who’s there?!”

Xiao Ran shouted alertly, his voice echoing on the empty mountain peak.

With this shout, the silence that had been hidden in the dark was instantly broken. From among the surrounding strange rocks and shadows, several mysterious Black-Robed Persons slowly emerged.

Their figures appeared particularly eerie in the moonlight, their black robes fluttering in the wind, but their faces remained obscured.

“Clap, clap, clap…”

In the night wind, a series of crisp claps broke the silence of the mountain peak.

The leading Black-Robed Person clapped his hands, making sounds of admiration.

“Not bad, not bad. As expected of Jiangcheng’s former genius, Xiao Ran. It seems even if your talent is gone, you still have quite a few good things hidden on you…”

His voice was low and slightly playful.

After speaking, the Black-Robed Person slowly raised his hand and gently pulled down his black robe, revealing his true face.

The moment he saw this face, Xiao Ran was struck as if by lightning, completely stunned.

Because standing before him was none other than the renowned City Lord of Jiangcheng.

“What are you talking about? Who is Xiao Ran? I don’t know him…”

Since he was wearing battle armor, Xiao Ran held onto a sliver of hope, attempting to conceal his identity.

He tried his best to make his voice sound calm and composed, but his heart was churning like a stormy sea.

“Stop pretending, Xiao Ran, the great genius.”

The City Lord revealed a meaningful smile, his eyes glinting with an all-knowing light.

“From the moment you returned to the city, I’ve had people watching you. My men saw you put on that mysterious battle armor with their own eyes.”

The City Lord’s words were like heavy hammers, striking Xiao Ran’s heart one after another.

Hearing this, Xiao Ran knew he could no longer keep up the act.

He sighed helplessly, giving up his disguise.

“Oh, I really didn’t expect the City Lord to value me so much, even sending people to keep an eye on me.”

On the surface, Xiao Ran’s tone was relatively calm, as if he didn’t care about the matter.

However, his heart was a tangled mess, filled with regret.

“Damn it, I was too careless!”

Xiao Ran cursed himself frantically in his mind.

“I didn’t even realize I was being followed and watched. This is big trouble now.”

He secretly clenched his fists, his brain working rapidly, contemplating a countermeasure.

“After all, you are the great genius Xiao, if I didn’t care, that would be a dereliction of duty!”

The City Lord’s face held a half-smile, his words carrying an elusive meaning.

“Since the City Lord knows all about my affairs, may I ask why you are looking for me? I’ve thought it over and over, and it doesn’t seem like I’ve ever offended you, have I?”

Xiao Ran’s eyes were full of vigilance, staring intently at the City Lord and his group.

Judging from their aura and tone of voice, Xiao Ran clearly sensed that this group of people obviously meant trouble.

But he had always kept a low profile, and he really couldn't figure out how he had provoked this City Lord. Could it be just because of an Armored Bear that he was targeted?

“Hmm… it’s a long story, but you just need to know that I don’t want you in Jiangcheng…”

The City Lord narrowed his eyes slightly, his expression somewhat complex, yet he had no intention of explaining further, merely waving his hand dismissively.

Seeing this, one of the Black-Robed Persons behind the City Lord immediately understood. He swiftly advanced like a phantom, heading straight for Xiao Ran. From the looks of it, he intended to deal with him on the spot.

“Damn it, are you guys crazy?!”

Xiao Ran was furious, cursing under his breath.

In this critical moment, he had no time to think. He quickly raised his finger high, pointing it at the approaching person.

In an instant, the battle armor’s energy rapidly converged. A dazzling laser shot out from his fingertip like lightning, carrying scorching light and powerful energy, heading directly towards its target, cutting through the dark night sky.

The Black-Robed Person had not expected Xiao Ran to launch such a fierce attack instantly. Unprepared, he had no time to react at all.

The laser, like a searing blade, pierced directly through his body, leaving a hole about two to three centimeters in diameter.

Fortunately, this blow did not hit a vital organ. Although the Black-Robed Person was severely wounded, he did not die immediately.

His eyes were wide with terror and unwillingness, and his body slumped to the ground, gasping for air like a fish out of water, each breath accompanied by painful convulsions.

“Interesting, truly interesting.”

The City Lord looked at his injured subordinate, yet there was no trace of anger or panic on his face. Instead, it was as if he had seen a novel toy, and his eyes gleamed with an unusual light.