Night, the disaster core zone.
Smoke billowed, thick with Evil Spirit Energy and poisonous gas.
Accompanied by fire, explosions, and the crackle of high-voltage electricity...
Visibility in this environment was practically zero.
The danger level was infinitely close to a death wish!
Yet.
A solitary figure had appeared in the disaster core zone.
That figure was none other than Li Hao.
At this moment, Li Hao was standing beside the corpse of the Rank-B Exotic Beast, the Purple-Haired Rat.
He stood in silence, slowly extending his right hand to press against the creature's body.
If captured in a painting, this scene would undoubtedly shock anyone to the core!
Of course, that assumed someone could see the full picture.
Obscured by the thick smoke, everything was shrouded in haze and darkness.
From a god's-eye view, one could see it clearly.
Li Hao looked like a mere ant standing beneath an elephant.
The sheer magnitude of the Purple-Haired Rat was vividly apparent.
"Such abundant Evil Spirit Energy!"
"What a shame..."
Li Hao's lips curved upward as wisps of Evil Spirit Energy slowly flowed into his body, vanishing without a trace.
Half an hour later.
"The Divine Belt Vessel is formed!"
Li Hao clenched his fist and threw a powerful punch.
"I've got a thousand catties of force now!"
"My Vitality is currently at 0.4."
Vitality equated to a martial artist's combat power.
A martial artist with 1 point of Vitality had a combat strength of roughly one thousand catties.
Gu Qianxue's Vitality was close to 1 point, yet the combat power she could actually unleash was only around eight hundred catties, making it impossible for her to output at full capacity.
However.
With the Divine Belt Vessel successfully forged, Li Hao possessed a Vitality of merely 0.4, yet he could unleash a thousand catties of combat force.
Compared side by side, the advantages of the Divine Meridian were self-evident.
At the same cultivation realm, Li Hao could be considered invincible.
Walking over to the Purple-Haired Rat's head, Li Hao sighed.
He had hoped to pick up scraps, seeing if he could salvage something useful from the Rank-B Exotic Beast.
Alas, the rat's head and body had been severed with absolute precision.
Not a single useful item had dropped!
"What a waste of the Purple-Haired Rat's teeth. Those are prime materials for forging weapons!"
"I'm still too weak! To let such fine resources sit here unused is a terrible waste of heaven's gifts!"
Li Hao shook his head and turned to leave.
There was no trace of regret.
What a joke!
In his past life, what kind of exotic beasts hadn't Li Hao seen? He had even fought Z-grade exotic beasts.
A cannon-fodder-tier Purple-Haired Rat hadn't caught his eye in the slightest.
Still, given his current strength, it was better than nothing.
***
On the outer perimeter.
"Du Kongcheng, have you figured it out?" asked a dignified middle-aged man, flanked by several police officers.
"Chief Zhang, after ruling out all other possibilities, the only suspicious lead we have now..."
"What lead?"
"Chief Zhang, a word in private, please."
"Hmm... Very well!"
The two men stepped into a police vehicle.
"What's going on? Why so mysterious?"
"Chief Zhang, I believe all these suspicious points are connected to a high school student..."
Thereupon, Du Kongcheng gave Zhang Wei a detailed report of his judgment and the narrative provided by Zhao Qiang.
"Hoo..."
"A high school student!"
"How is that possible!"
As the deputy director of the Public Security Bureau and a Fourth-Grade Martial Artist, Zhang Wei had never witnessed such a thing in his life.
Shocked, he simultaneously turned over every possible explanation in his mind.
Yet, he remained completely baffled.
Still, the matter was entirely too bizarre for him to make a rash judgment.
Consequently, Zhang Wei offered a word of praise: "Little Du, you did the right thing. This matter is somewhat peculiar; keep it strictly confidential for now."
"Chief Zhang, what should our next move be...?"
Zhang Wei pondered for a moment.
"Arrange personnel to continue evacuating the crowd. At the same time, take a few elite operatives with you, gear up in protective equipment, and go right back inside to find this high school student."
"I want to see people if they're alive, and a corpse if they're dead."
"Yes sir, mission guaranteed!"
"Ah, someone is coming."
Li Hao had not bothered to hide. He knew he was bound to be the center of attention and needed to provide the public with an explanation.
With his hands clasped behind his back, Li Hao stood quietly beside the head of the Purple-Haired Rat.
The creature's two rows of massive teeth, resembling razor-sharp giant blades, served as his backdrop.
Beneath the dense fog, shifting with the air currents, a vague outline could be seen.
Calm against ferocity,
Minuteness against enormity.
What an unforgettable image that made...
This scene was deeply etched into the minds of Du Kongcheng and the accompanying security officers.
They remained silent for a long time...
It was Li Hao who walked over and broke the stillness.
"Are you fellows from the rescue team?"
A nod...
Du Kongcheng had not yet recovered from his shock, and he nodded in involuntary acknowledgment.
In truth, besides shock, he felt utterly speechless at that moment.
*No, seriously... we've been running ourselves ragged out here worrying about you. But looking at your relaxed demeanor, are you out for a stroll?*
*This vibe is completely wrong!*
Assuming the rescue team members couldn't hear him through their heavy gas masks, Li Hao raised his voice.
"Are you guys the rescue team?" he shouted.
By this time, the astonishment of Du Kongcheng and the others had subsided somewhat.
"Y-yes! We're here to rescue you!"
Du Kongcheng regretted the words the moment they left his mouth!
He thought to himself, *This kid doesn't look like he needs to be rescued at all!*
Hearing this, Li Hao seemed as though he could finally hold on no longer. His eyes rolled back, and he collapsed straight to the ground.
"You've got to be kidding me!"
At that moment, Du Kongcheng genuinely wanted to curse.
*What kind of stunt is this now?*
*What happened to that high-and-mighty expert aura from a moment ago? Weren't you full of swagger...?*
Internal complaints aside, Li Hao's current state finally gave him a tiny shred of accomplishment.
"Now this is more like it! We're here on a rescue mission, we can't just return empty-handed!"
"Quick, get the stretcher!" Du Kongcheng commanded loudly.
Hearing the order, several security officers let out a heavy sigh of relief.
Then, they swarmed forward and lifted Li Hao onto the stretcher.
"Fall back!"
With that, Du Kongcheng let out a deep breath as well.
He turned his head to glance once more at the ferocious head of the Purple-Haired Rat.
He couldn't suppress a sudden shudder...
The oppressive might of a Rank-B Exotic Beast was terrifying; even in death, it still sent chills down one's spine.
"Just what kind of person is that kid?"
Even with all his battle experience and having handled countless diverse incidents, he still felt a tremor in his heart when facing the corpse of a Rank-B Exotic Beast.
How on earth had a high school student managed to remain so utterly composed?
When surrounded by companions, humans often felt a strange, inexplicable courage.
This seemed to be an innate ability carved into human genes ever since the hunting age.
However, apex predators at the very top of the food chain—tigers, for instance...
Regardless of the environment they faced, they never seemed to know fear.
Perhaps this was simply the nature of the strong.
These thoughts flashed briefly through Du Kongcheng's mind, only deepening his curiosity about Li Hao.
To face all of this entirely alone...
What kind of courage and strength did that truly require?
Looking at the youth lying on the stretcher, a sense of deep respect welled up in Du Kongcheng's heart.
Retracing their steps along the original route, they encountered no danger whatsoever.
In about ten minutes, Du Kongcheng and his team emerged on the outer perimeter of the disaster zone.
"Look everyone, they're coming out!"