“Ralph is right. We need to give the Chinese a nudge from time to time, otherwise they will easily overshadow the reputation of the Superpower Bureau. We must be able to guarantee our military strength in this world so that we can deter other organizations!” Another deputy director with gray hair added.
Loki looked calmly at Mike, Ralph, and the last deputy director, and said indifferently, "Mike, Ralph, and Genilia, I know you have always maintained a radical attitude towards China, but I want to remind you that there is no point in saying these things now. All we have to do is wait. This is the director's order."
“Loki, if the director’s actions harm American interests, then even if it’s his order, we can disobey it or execute it conditionally. My idea is that now is a golden opportunity. Without Tang Tiejin, the China Superpower Headquarters is just a sick cat, and we are well-rested and ready to take advantage of this opportunity to eliminate the China Superpower Headquarters. Otherwise, we may never have this chance again. What, Loki, don’t you want the Superpower Bureau to be the biggest winner?” Mike stared at Loki for a long time before slowly speaking.
Loki's heart sank. It seemed that Mike had planned this all along. He really didn't know why Mike had become so radical. Originally, Mike was a moderate dove. Together with Weish, Loki, and Hans, the majority of the super-strong doves in the Bureau of Superpowers were strong. But now that Weish was gone and Mike had changed drastically, the hawks in the Bureau of Superpowers had gained the upper hand.
However, Loki had to admit that Mike's idea was indeed very tempting. If they could take down the Chinese Superpower Headquarters in one fell swoop, then there would be no official organization in the world that could rival the Superpower Bureau. As for the Sky Eye Society, it was just a private organization and not worth worrying about.
Hans hesitated and said, "But holding the base is the director's order! How can we disobey our superior's orders?"
Mike smiled gently: "Alright then, Loki, Hans, you two stay at the base as you see fit. Ralph, Genie, and I will go find the Chinese. As long as we can eliminate the Superpowers Headquarters, I'm willing to bear the infamy for the benefit of the Superpowers Bureau."
"Everyone turn around and go to the Chinese area!" Ralph and Genie shouted the order. Both were typical hawks and naturally had no objection to Mike's words.
“Wait, Mike, I just want to ask you if you’re absolutely certain? If you can take down the Superpower Headquarters in one go, I don’t mind you doing it,” Loki sighed. “But it seems that apart from Tang Tiejin, the number of super-strong Chinese people is equal to ours, and there’s also Tang Tiejin’s daughter. In terms of strength, we don’t have the upper hand.”
"Loki, believe me! I will do it!" Mike smiled mysteriously, patted Loki's shoulder hard, and walked away.
Chapter 427 The Golden Wolf King
The mental field silently swept over the ground where the battle had just ended, and the churned soil was swept back into the depths of the earth, burying dozens of corpses on the ground that had witnessed the horrific event.
Dark creatures surged towards Lingyun from all directions like a tide, but no one noticed what had happened moments before.
Soon, the dark creatures formed a massive encirclement around Ling Yun, standing densely packed in layers without any gaps. Even disregarding the strength of individual creatures, their sheer numbers were enough to create immense psychological pressure. The dense dark spiritual energy field completely covered an area of several hundred meters in radius.
Ling Yun stared in astonishment at these hideous creatures, utterly bewildered as to why so many dark beings would appear on American soil. Weren't they afraid of incurring the Arbiters' wrath? Even without the Arbiters, the US Supernatural Abilities Bureau would never tolerate such rampant gathering of dark creatures. This unusual situation clearly indicated one thing: the US Supernatural Abilities Bureau was in trouble, and a serious one at that, most likely a confrontation with Supernatural Abilities Headquarters.
The dark creatures did not launch an attack immediately. Instead, they stopped about twenty meters away from Lingyun, watching the boy with vigilance and solemnity, occasionally letting out a muffled growl.
They weren't unwilling to attack Ling Yun immediately, but rather seemed to be waiting for something, just as a pack of wolves always waits for the alpha wolf to appear and give the order before launching an attack. Ling Yun's heart skipped a beat; it seemed he was lucky to have encountered such a powerful figure among the dark creatures, possibly a super-strong being like Grand Duke William the Vampire.
Ling Yun's gaze swept across the faces of the dark creatures one by one. Vampires and werewolves made up half of them, while the rest were dark creatures whose names he did not know. Most of them looked like humans, but they were either born with a ghostly face or had deformed organs such as sharp horns or long ears. Some of the dark creatures looked like a group of connective tissues, waving long tentacles, which made people feel afraid.
A dozen powerful auras emanated from the dark creatures without any concealment, demonstrating their formidable presence. In the vicinity of such powerful beings, the lower-level dark creatures cautiously maintained a delicate distance, fearing that they might inadvertently invite trouble.
The dark creatures looked at Ling Yun with eyes full of fervor, cruelty, and excitement, eager to rush forward and tear their enemy to shreds. Just now, when Ling Yun was eliminating the dark creatures hiding underground, he precisely limited the Holy Light Rain to the smallest possible area of impact, delivering the highest intensity attack without revealing the aura of the Holy Light. Therefore, these dark creatures who had rushed over from afar were unaware of the terrifying existence of the young man before them.
The encirclement didn't last long. The dark creatures, as if by unspoken agreement, opened a five-meter-long gap, and three golden beams of light appeared far on the horizon. Before they even got close, an overwhelming and powerful aura wafted over.
Ling Yun squinted, not using the panoramic view to see the powerful enemy appearing in the distance. His mental energy field was operating silently within his body, converting all his power attributes into holy light, and then he began to powerfully gather his strength.
What kind of power would a technique that even super strong individuals need to gather their strength have?
In the blink of an eye, the golden light had moved very close, causing a strange commotion among the dark creatures before they quickly returned to calm. However, most of the lower-level dark creatures began to tremble uncontrollably.
Three golden beams rushed forward, and Ling Yun finally saw what the powerful enemy looked like. It was none other than three tall, golden werewolves. When they ran at full speed, they were on all fours, which made them very fast. When they slowed down, they walked upright.
The golden werewolves were almost identical; at least in appearance, Lingyun couldn't tell the difference. The three-headed werewolves were at least two heads taller than ordinary werewolves, and their gleaming golden fur made them stand out from the crowd.
With each heavy footstep, the golden wolf hairs stood upright, without the slightest bend, whistling through the air like fine needles crafted from pure gold, as if the three werewolves were covered in thorns. Sunlight shone on the werewolves, reflecting a dazzling brilliance. At the tips of the hairs, flashes of vibrant color occasionally appeared and disappeared, revealing that the wolf hairs were not as simple as they seemed.
Three werewolves slowly walked in through the gap in the encirclement. Their six amber wolf eyes, cold and sharp like lightning, struck Ling Yun's face. If it were an ordinary strong person, facing the werewolves' burning gaze, they would probably feel a chill in their heart. Those were three pairs of eyes that contained both the ferocity and indifference of wild beasts and the cruelty and cunning of humans, possessing characteristics of extremely high intelligence.
However, Ling Yun simply stared silently at the golden werewolf, his gaze unfathomable, as if lost in the distance, causing all the scrutinizing eyes to fall on empty space.
The golden werewolves' eyes widened in surprise and wariness. They couldn't fathom the human boy's true strength, which meant he was an equal to them.
Unexpectedly, the golden werewolf did not choose to speak with Ling Yun, but instead turned its wolf head towards a powerful vampire. The golden werewolf in the middle then spoke in a human voice, deep, pleasant, and very magnetic. If one only listened to the voice, one might mistake the werewolf for a handsome middle-aged gentleman.
"Edward, is this boy the prey you're talking about?" he said, pointing his furry claws at Ling Yun.
A bald man who looked reasonably pleasing to the eye emerged from the dark creatures. He was a marquis-level vampire. He glanced at Ling Yun and said hesitantly, "Your Highness, King Mario the Wolf, the prey Edward sent back was indeed a human, but it didn't specify whether it was male or female, only that it was a pure spirit. Perhaps this boy is the prey, Your Highness."
Before he could finish speaking, the Golden Wolf King interrupted him rudely, its voice turning into a fierce roar: "Edward, I really suspect that you bats grew up eating shit. Have you ever seen a man with a ghostly body? You're supposed to be a marquis, yet you summoned a large number of your kind without even knowing who your prey is. If we encounter the Arbiter here, we will suffer heavy losses, and all of this is because you, you idiot, didn't do your intelligence gathering properly, understand? You stinking bat!"
If there were capillaries on the skin, Edward's face would have turned a deep liver color. Not only him, but all the vampires among the dark creatures had changed color. The wolf king's merciless insults not only described Edward as trash, but also insulted the great vampire race. Every vampire was furious. What right did these barbaric and uncultured beastmen have to lecture the vampire race? While the noble vampires were dancing gracefully in the upper echelons of medieval society, these uncivilized barbarians were still toiling away hunting in the forest.
Despite their discontent, not a single vampire dared to oppose the Golden Wolf King. The power hierarchy among dark creatures was strictly hierarchical; a difference of even one level was a world of difference. Although vampires and werewolves were different races, even a disgruntled glance could bring death. Naturally, the vampires dared not remain silent.
Edward was filled with extreme hatred. He was a marquis, a figure of great prestige even among vampires, but here, he could only be humiliated by the wolf king like a grandson.
"When Duke Ulysses arrives, I'll make you beasts pay!" Edward thought fiercely, but on his face he gave a wry smile of fear and trepidation: "Yes, yes, yes, Your Highness Wolf King, I have failed in my duty and have truly let you down. However, I think that even if this boy is not the prey, he is the prey's companion. James said they were in an airplane, and it is very likely that this boy hid them with a barrier. We just need to catch him and ask him to find out."
The golden wolf king, standing on the left, snorted disdainfully, his shrill voice ringing out: "Do you even need to tell me? Don't we know what to do? If the prey weren't so important to the sacrifice, do you think you could have persuaded the three of us brothers?"
"Yes!" Edward Nono replied, his bald head bowed. He wished he could take a knife and chop these three hateful werewolves into mincemeat. Unfortunately, no important figure was present among the vampires. Duke William and Duke Ulysses had both gone to Europe. Otherwise, the three wolf king brothers would not have dared to speak so boldly.
Ling Yun's heart skipped a beat. He gleaned something from the conversation between the Golden Wolf King and Edward. Priest? This wasn't the first time he'd heard this term; James had mentioned it before, but James wasn't high enough to know what a priest was for. These dark creatures had their eyes on Lingling, clearly coveting her pure form after being modified by the Yin Spirit, wanting to use her as a sacrifice. Even the Wolf King, a super-strong being, had personally intervened; this showed how important priests were to the dark creatures.
What exactly is the purpose of sacrificial rites?
"Where is that girl? Hand her over!"
The golden wolf king on the right spoke almost simultaneously with Ling Yun, and then both of them were taken aback.
"Who are you to the Huntress?" The golden wolf king in the middle stared at Ling Yun and said slowly. As a wolf king, it possessed extremely high intelligence and was far from being a low-level werewolf who only knew how to kill instinctively. Although Ling Yun did not show any domineering aura, judging from the fact that it was impossible to see through the other party's strength, the young man was obviously quite powerful. Otherwise, he would not have remained unmoved despite seeing so many dark creatures, including himself and three other super strong individuals present.
In this situation, caution was advised; at least the situation needed to be clarified before proceeding. The Golden Wolf King carefully considered this. There was no trace of the prey at the scene, not even a hint of its presence; it was as if the prey had vanished into thin air. Edward, though a lowly bat, couldn't possibly be wrong with the information he relayed. Even if this boy was incredibly powerful, he couldn't possibly turn an airplane into nothing, could he?
“Friend!” Ling Yun answered readily, then immediately countered, “What exactly do you dark creature priests want?”
The three golden wolf kings grinned, their mouths wide open. This boy seemed quite naive. Such a secretive activity as the priesthood was unknown even to low-ranking beings among the dark creatures. How could they possibly tell a human about it? Did they expect this guy to report it to the Arbitration Council and cause trouble? The dark creatures had been suppressed by the Arbitration Council for thousands of years. This priesthood was the only chance to turn the tide. No matter how great the sacrifice, the priesthood had to be carried through to the end.
"You don't need to know that, human. You just need to hand over your companion, or I'll consider letting Edward give you the Embrace, granting you near-immortality. Wouldn't that be the best of both worlds?" the golden wolf king on the left sneered.
The dark creatures burst into loud laughter. They also harbored an inexplicable hatred for humans. If they could turn the boy into a vampire's vassal and torture him to their heart's content, that would be a truly gratifying thing for them.