Achieving Demon Godhood from Unlocking Talents

「That day, at dusk.」

A crimson sunset painted the sky. The last rays of light spilled into the neighborhood, filtered through the glass storefront, and settled on a seat by the window of the coffee shop.

"Your orange juice, sir."

"Thank you."

The young waitress placed the golden-yellow orange juice on the table. Lu Chao, wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, smiled and nodded as he sat down, leaning against the window.

This was the location Manager You had arranged: the outer ring district of Satellite City No. 4.

Unlike the bustling districts housing the Superpower Bureau and the Storm Club, the buildings here were relatively old. The district was very close to the city's high perimeter walls, practically bordering them.

The apartment buildings outside the window were only seven or eight stories tall. Their facades were tiled, mostly in white and dark yellow, while their sides were bare concrete. These walls, a deeper shade of gray, showed signs of weathering and had a few ivy vines creeping up them.

Below, the asphalt road was uneven with shallow potholes. The flowerbeds in the green spaces lining the street were covered in dust. On the ground floor, shops began to light up their neon signs. Clothing stores and small restaurants kept their doors wide open.

As people came and went, the common gray Pintuos and black Zhongtus were a familiar sight parked along the road.

Occasionally, sanitation workers in orange-yellow jumpsuits appeared, sweeping trash from the curbs with their brooms and brushing past commuters and laborers.

This scene had a much more lived-in, down-to-earth feel than the central city district, and Lu Chao found himself inexplicably relaxing.

WHOOSH!

A gentle breeze blew past the window.

Lu Chao looked away from the window, raising his hand to check the time on his watch.

6:47.

He was more than ten minutes early for the meeting.

He had a good idea why Manager You had chosen this place to meet.

It was far from the bustling city center, so the Tan family would be unlikely to notice them. This would also minimize the chances of Manager You being targeted later.

Lu Chao's expression remained placid at the thought.

He never let a moment go to waste, so he decided to use the time to scroll through the information on his watch.

'Ma Biao: A Superpower Level metahuman and one of the five commanders of the Iron Sand Army. His Life Energy is suspected to be between 120 and 130 points. A veteran at the Limit-Breaking Level.'

'Ability: Muscle Enhancement. Can greatly boost his physical strength and bodily defense!'

'This man once clashed with Shi Chonghu, a Superpower Level commander from the Blackthorn warlords, and fought him head-on to a standstill. He has also engaged the City Guard Army in the wilderness, unleashing power at the Peak of Limit-Breaking Level...'

The information scrolled past Lu Chao's eyes, all of it about the Iron Sand Army commander, Ma Biao.

This wasn't a sudden impulse, nor was it simply because of what Li Xiyuan had said.

After all, he had killed Ma Kui, and the man clearly hated his guts.

For reasons both personal and professional, he had to settle this grudge to eliminate any future trouble.

Besides, there was the mission: 'Class-A Mission: Capture or kill Ma Biao... Thirty thousand contribution points, five million Alliance Coins...'

A glint appeared in Lu Chao's eyes as his gaze swept over the mission details.

The rewards for the mission were undeniably handsome.

But by the same token, the difficulty of killing or capturing someone at the Superpower Level was obvious, especially when the target was hidden somewhere in the wilderness.

'I wonder if Gao Hu's side has made any progress.'

The thought flashed through his mind, and Lu Chao recalled an order he had given previously.

Right after Team Five had completed its first mission and he had heard about Ma Biao, he had sent Gao Hu and his men to the buffer zone to gather intelligence on the Iron Sand Army, focusing on Ma Biao's whereabouts.

In fact, he wasn't the only one. Yao Jin and the others were also eyeing this mission, sometimes even exchanging intelligence when appropriate.

After all, every Superpower Team leader wanted to develop their Life Energy faster and obtain more resources.

WHOOSH!!

As he was lost in thought, the sound of rushing air suddenly came from outside.

Lu Chao looked up to see a Biotechnology Company hovercar streak across the sky, descending toward a city block several hundred meters away.

His eyes flickered, breaking his train of thought. He quickly became aware of other voices inside the coffee shop.

"The Biotechnology Company's here again. How many times is that this month?"

"Damn, you don't think that 'Green Demon' is actually hiding in our neighborhood, do you?"

"Could be. After all, this place is remote enough, and it's right next to a city-circle exit. A person could slip away at any time…"

"Why do you think the Green Demon dares to attack the Biotechnology Company? Must be some old grudge, right?"

About a dozen people were seated in the coffee shop's booths—some by the window, others near the bar, and a few in an area sectioned off by a wooden trellis draped with vines. Across the pale white floor tiles, the last rays of sunlight stretched their long, slanted shadows.

Overhearing them, Lu Chao remained in his seat and deactivated his watch's display.

He picked up the orange juice in front of him and took a sip. It was sweet enough, with a hint of artificial flavoring.

'Biotechnology…'

He glanced toward the spot where the hovercar was landing, but the low-rise apartment buildings gradually blocked his view.

Over the past two months, the name "Green Demon" had become known to everyone in the Red Maple City Circle.

The Green Demon had repeatedly escaped the Biotechnology Company's encirclements, proving extremely skilled at hiding and disguise. He had even launched targeted retaliations, attacking two of the Biotechnology Company's pharmaceutical factories.

Several theories flashed through Lu Chao's mind as he recalled some of the information he had gathered.

Ever since the Green Demon had appeared, the Biotechnology Company hadn't sent anyone to tail him. Their attention was clearly diverted.

The two sides were fighting fiercely, a development he was quite happy to see.

'I hope you can buy me some more time.'

DING-DONG!

Just as the thought crossed his mind, the chime of the coffee shop's door sounded.

The clacking of high heels on the floor approached quickly. Lu Chao looked up slightly and saw two familiar figures.