"The elevator hasn't arrived yet?" Powell was taken aback. His mental energy field surged out, forming a blazing armor. He was fully prepared for battle. On the other hand, his six colleagues also had their mental energy fields ready to be unleashed, but the elevator still hadn't arrived. This shouldn't be happening. Even if the elevator were twice as slow, it should have reached the exit by now.
“Powell, it seems things have changed a bit,” a tall, burly man said calmly. He was a strongman of the same level as Powell and had just spoken with him. His name was Chamberlain.
Another blond man, about the same height as him, walked over and said, "Powell, the elevator seems to be stuck on the second floor. It's neither going up nor down, and someone has set up an isolation barrier inside. Our senses can't penetrate it. Should we continue to stay here and wait for the deputy director to arrive, or should we take the initiative?"
Powell hesitated for a moment. Given his personality, and the fact that they were in the Supernatural Abilities Bureau, where they had the advantage of numbers and home ground, he should take the initiative. Although the opponent was a high-level expert, he and his six mid-level experts were not to be underestimated. No matter how strong the opponent was, could he really kill all six of them instantly? However, when he thought of the opponent's abyss-like pressure, Powell's heart suddenly shrank. "I'd better wait for the deputy director to arrive. If we act rashly, we might alert the enemy."
The others didn't say anything either. Although they felt that Powell seemed to have suddenly lost his charging spirit, Powell was a powerful figure in charge of command within the Superpower Bureau. Even powerful figures of the same level had to obey orders. Besides, waiting, while not the best method, was the safest one.
"Did the enemy take the opportunity to escape through the elevator?" Powell suddenly remembered something and asked the others.
“Impossible, our senses have completely enveloped the elevator shaft.” The only female among the seven said without hesitation, “We can’t penetrate their isolation barrier, and he can’t escape either, unless he can teleport.”
When everyone else nodded in agreement, Powell finally felt relieved. His female colleague's perception was the strongest among all the mid-level experts in the Special Abilities Bureau. With her guarantee and the monitoring of the five experts, even if that person was incredibly powerful, there was absolutely no way he could escape silently.
Just to be on the safe side, Powell projected his senses and circled the elevator, which was stuck on the second floor, trying to find a gap to squeeze through and see what was inside. Although the elevator was an airtight metal canister, it still offered no resistance to the senses of a superhuman. Even a truly sealed canister, if it didn't have a certain thickness and density, couldn't withstand the penetration of senses.
His senses had just slipped through a crack in the corner of the elevator when they were immediately blocked by another soft force. It seemed his colleague was right; the person had set up an isolation barrier inside the elevator. Powell condensed his senses into needle-like shapes, trying to penetrate them, but the soft force immediately transmitted through his senses. Powell was startled, wondering what tricks the other party had played inside the barrier. He quickly summoned his senses back. Seeing that he had the upper hand, he stopped, and the other party also retreated slowly.
The group held their breath, focusing intently on the elevator's location. They had already learned from Powell that the enemy was no ordinary opponent—a super-strong individual on par with the deputy director. This was no joke; an ordinary superhuman might be instantly killed. Even with seven mid-level experts guarding the area and prepared beforehand, they weren't guaranteed to stop the enemy. Their only hope was that Deputy Director Loki would arrive soon, allowing them to swarm in and capture the enemy. The idea of overwhelming numbers was no longer relevant.
Super strong individuals are few and far between; there are fewer than fifty in the entire world. While they may not all know each other, they have at least heard of each other's reputations. Moreover, the American Superpower Bureau is one of the four major super organizations. Which super strong individual would dare to take such a risk and venture deep into the Bureau's underground base? These were the thoughts in the minds of all the strong individuals.
Powell thought a step further; he was not only a mid-level commander in the Bureau of Supernatural Abilities, but also one of the barrier controllers.
How could a super-strong individual infiltrate an underground base silently? The barrier gave absolutely no warning. There are only two possibilities: one is that the super-strong individual deciphered the Bureau of Supernatural Abilities' barrier. No, that's completely impossible. Powell immediately dismissed his guess. Even a master of barriers couldn't decipher a barrier in less than six months. Besides, half of the barrier's functionality comes entirely from high-tech systems. No one would be proficient in both barriers and high technology, let alone reach the pinnacle of mastery in both.
Then there's only the second possibility: there's a mole within the Superpower Bureau! Only by granting super-strong individuals or forging their barrier-certified identities could they infiltrate the underground base. Perhaps these super-strong individuals have already mastered all the secrets of the underground base, or even completely copied the Superpower Bureau's cloning technology files. For superpowered individuals, this could be accomplished without anyone noticing in the shortest amount of time, while ordinary staff would be completely unaware.
Thinking of this, Powell was filled with rage. His cold gaze swept over the faces of his six colleagues. If the second possibility was true, then the traitor could only be among the mid-level or higher powerhouses, because ordinary ability users wouldn't have the authority to control the barrier's identity verification. That damned traitor! He's betraying the interests of the United States of America, treating his own comrades like monkeys.
Powell suddenly couldn't suppress his impulse and wanted to rush into the elevator immediately. Even if he was no match for the so-called super strongman, he had to fight him. For the honor and interests of the Superpower Bureau, he would rather die than let this thief be killed.
He had just stood up abruptly when Clark suddenly exclaimed in surprise, looking at the group and saying, "It seems the elevator's isolation barrier has been dispelled?"
Powell and the others were all stunned. They had scanned the elevator with their senses dozens of times, but had encountered the same situation as Powell, so they simply stopped scanning. They didn't expect the isolation barrier to be lifted. Did the other side lift it on its own? Or did someone on their side intervene? They looked at each other, all full of questions.
However, this was not the time for questions. Just as everyone was about to probe the elevator again, with a ding, the elevator, which was stuck on the second floor, suddenly started moving upwards. In just one more second, it would pass through the 15-meter-high ceiling and reach the exit that the seven people had prepared.
Immediately, all seven mid-level experts tensed up. Could it be that the super-strong expert, seeing that there was no way to dodge, was worried that dragging things out would be disadvantageous to them, and was preparing to fight to the death? Everyone raised their mental energy fields to the peak, and silver light surged from their hands, ready to unleash a fatal blow at any moment. They knew that the enemy was a super-strong expert, and if they didn't go all out, they might not even know how they died.
Powell's heart jumped. He raised his hands, already conjuring a silver aura of mental energy. Why hadn't the deputy director arrived yet? Had the subordinates not been notified? Powell thought anxiously.
The elevator dinged again and came to a steady stop at the exit. Then the elevator doors slowly opened to both sides.
A powerful aura emanated from the elevator, and the tall figure walked out of it with an air of nonchalance, completely disregarding everything.
The mid-level experts at the Superpower Bureau were all furious. Even if this guy was a super-strong individual, he was far too arrogant. This was the American Superpower Bureau, one of the four major superpower organizations, boasting the world's strongest expert, Director McWish. Even the Arbitrator of the Arbitration Institute, Tang Tiejin of the Chinese Superpower Headquarters, and Golden Miracle of the Sky Eye Society wouldn't dare to be so disrespectful. Who was this guy, daring to be so arrogant?
Countless silver beams and orbs of light, enraged, unleashed their full power, hurtling towards the enemy emerging from the elevator like a tidal wave. Interspersed among them were intensely hot flames capable of melting gold and corroding iron, as well as ice spikes at minus two hundred degrees Celsius, all aimed at this reckless super-strong individual.
The newcomer roared angrily, raising his left hand to create a mental energy field in front of him, blocking all the attacks: "Stop right there, you bunch of fools!"
The seven powerful individuals were stunned. Only when the attack was launched did they realize that the person who stepped out of the elevator was none other than their superior, Lord Loki, the deputy director of the U.S. Bureau of Paranormal Abilities.
Chapter 373 The Five Elements Techniques
"Lo...Lord Loki." The group greeted their superior with dry salutations. The moment the newcomer stepped out of the elevator, the powerful figures recognized their formidable leader. However, due to excessive tension, even though they saw that he was one of their own, they involuntarily threw their prepared attacks at Loki, and it was too late to retract them.
Fortunately, Deputy Director Loki was an extremely strong individual who managed to activate his mental energy field in time, blocking the combined attack of the seven powerful individuals. Had it been an ordinary colleague, they might have unwittingly sacrificed their lives for their country.
Loki's face was ashen, his heart filled with rage. These idiots had actually mistaken him for an infiltrator and even attacked him with all their might! Didn't they know to check who was in the elevator? Did they have any of the qualities expected of elite personnel from the Bureau of Supernatural Abilities? He had trained them every day, and this was just a bunch of useless trash? If the enemy found out, they would laugh their heads off. He, the deputy director of the Bureau of Supernatural Abilities, would truly lose face. What a bunch of good-for-nothings!
Powell steeled himself and stepped forward. As a commander of mid-level powerhouses, he couldn't remain silent, even when faced with a clearly furious superior. As he carefully chose his words, a thought suddenly struck him: Had Lord Logic already captured the enemy? He then stepped out of the elevator: "Lord Loki, our plan was to ambush the enemy at the elevator exit. Clark has already sealed the barrier exit of the underground base, but we didn't expect to find you in the elevator… Has the enemy already been captured?" He held his breath slightly as he spoke, and everyone pricked up their ears to listen.
Loki gave him a stern look, and the invisible pressure immediately made Powell lower his head. The deputy director replied irrelevantly, "Since there are so many mid-level experts here, why not take the initiative to attack instead of waiting for the enemy to come up and then intercept them?"
“Lord Loki, I briefly clashed with the enemy. They are super strong individuals on par with you. To avoid unnecessary casualties, and because the enemy is unfamiliar with the underground base, we decided to wait in ambush and catch them off guard.” Powell explained nervously. It seemed the deputy director was not in a good mood and was quite dissatisfied with his cautious and conservative approach. But if they acted rashly and provoked the enemy to fight desperately, wouldn't it be even worse if people died?
"Hmph." Loki snorted heavily, his eyes blazing with fury. He said sharply, "How do you know the enemy isn't familiar with the barrier? Let me tell you, the elevator is just an empty shell. I broke the barrier myself. By the time I got in, everyone inside was long gone. Only a bunch of you useless fools are still here waiting like idiots. If I hadn't come, would you have been stuck here forever?!"
Everyone was stunned. Loki's words were like a bolt from the blue, leaving them dizzy. The enemy had already left the elevator? How could that be? Their senses had never left the elevator; even a bacterium couldn't escape it. How could the enemy have left under such circumstances? Could it really be teleportation? Everyone found it unbelievable and couldn't help but turn their gaze to the female superhuman who had confidently assured them. Her senses were the sharpest here; if the enemy had made any unusual movements, she couldn't have missed them.
"Susan, what's going on? Is there something wrong with your senses or is everyone else's senses wrong?" Powell asked helplessly, knowing full well that it was pointless to ask. He knew perfectly well that the enemy must have some special means to keep everyone in the dark. Even the deputy director probably hadn't noticed, otherwise they would already be in the middle of a battle, instead of the deputy director walking out of the elevator empty-handed.
Susan's face turned red, and she frowned, unable to speak. Among the mid-level experts, her senses were the most acute. She had been very confident, and her senses had indeed been focused on the elevator the whole time, not missing even half a second of interval. How could she have let someone escape without her noticing? Although the barrier prevented her senses from penetrating, it didn't mean that the person could escape with the help of seven people from several rooms working together.
"I'm sorry, sir, Powell, I failed in my duty. I couldn't keep an eye on the enemy," Susan said softly, a flash of anger in her eyes. This guy dared to disregard her area of expertise and even deceive her without her knowledge. She had to get revenge. But in her anger, she didn't consider that if the other party could escape right under her nose, how could she afford to mess with such a person?
"You just said the enemy wasn't familiar with our Superpowers Bureau's barrier? And they were waiting to block the entrance?" Loki didn't pursue the matter further, but coldly looked at Powell and slowly said, "When I got to the elevator, I discovered that the enemy had already stepped onto a virtual passage leading to the Superpowers Bureau's main control base. I don't understand why a passage that's only for Superpowers Bureau members would be open to an enemy? Commander Powell, Clark, you two are both controllers of the barrier, can you tell me why? Hmm?"
Everyone was struck dumb again, their faces turning green. Powell and Clark, in particular, felt a chill run down their spines and involuntarily took several steps back. The enemy had stepped onto the virtual passage leading to the main control base? This was simply... simply a fantasy, how could it be possible?
The virtual passage is a special passage set up by the Superpower Bureau's barrier so that superpowered individuals in the main control base can freely reach any location within the Superpower Bureau. Within the virtual passage, one can ignore any material obstacles and gravity and pass through directly. Moreover, virtual passages can be superimposed on each other, making them extremely convenient and fast within the intricate, maze-like Superpower Bureau base.
For this reason, the Bureau of Supernatural Abilities manages virtual channels extremely strictly, stipulating that each supernatural being can only have one virtual channel. The virtual channel corresponds to the frequency of the supernatural being's mental energy field, much like a fingerprint card. No one can use another person's virtual channel, nor can any additional virtual channels be created. If a supernatural being dies or goes missing, after layers of approval, the controller of the barrier will cancel or abolish that channel.
In this situation, the enemy who broke into the base was able to escape using a virtual passage. Powell and Clark's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. Where did he get the authority to open that passage? Doesn't this clearly indicate that the Special Abilities Bureau has a spy in contact with them? But apart from a few super strong individuals, only Powell and Clark among the mid-level strong individuals have the authority to use virtual passages. What does the deputy director's question imply?
Clark and Powell both felt a chill run down their spines. Colluding with the enemy was no small matter; it was a crime akin to betrayal. If they were branded with that label, their lives would be in danger.
Knowing the gravity of the situation, and noticing the strange looks from his colleagues, Powell said bitterly, "Lord Loki, I... I really don't know what happened. Clark and I rushed to the scene when the specimen creature was in trouble. The virtual portal was closed. If the department doesn't believe me, I'm willing to be suspended and accept the investigation." As he spoke, he lowered his large head, filled with remorse. He hadn't even seen a shadow of the enemy, and now his innocence was in jeopardy. If he had known this would happen, he would have risked fighting that super-strong person; at least that would have lessened the suspicion against him.
"Hmph, wait until you catch the enemy before you prepare to be suspended and investigated. Your mistake was not taking the initiative and being too subjective. A bunch of idiots! I checked the other side's virtual passage. I can confirm that it wasn't a new virtual passage established by our internal controllers, but a passage that the other side redesigned based on changes in the barrier structure points, and added unique functions. Not only could I not destroy its passage, I couldn't even enter it. I could only watch helplessly as the other side escaped. I really don't know how this guy did it, damn it!" The deputy director angrily punched the side wall next to the elevator, and the entire passage immediately trembled.
Powell and Clark felt a bitter taste in their mouths and their throats bobbed. Even the most shocking things they had ever heard in their lives were not as horrifying as what Loki had said in those few moments. It was one thing for their colleagues not to be familiar with the barrier, but the two of them were genuine barrier controllers.
Even if one were familiar with the structural changes and operation of the entire barrier, it would be impossible to open a new virtual passage in just a few minutes. This involves matrix calculations by the world's most advanced computers and structural changes in the barrier, among other things. The whole process is incredibly complex. If possible, Powell really wanted to see who this super strong person was, or perhaps he wasn't even human, but a god of barriers.