Behind the iron gate, instead of the sword fights Lu Zhaoming had anticipated, lay a long, dark corridor. On the walls on either side, red indicator lights flickered on and off, like the eyes of some kind of monster, sending chills down one's spine.

The air was thick with the smell of engine oil and rusty metal. Underfoot, an unknown sticky liquid made a "splashing" sound, which inevitably brought to mind some unpleasant images.

Lu Zhaoming cursed inwardly, but remained outwardly calm, and continued to follow Xiao Qi deeper into the area.

At the end of the corridor was a spacious basement with a huge metal round table in the center, surrounded by several oddly shaped chairs that looked like the skeletons of some alien creature.

Gui Dao sat in the main seat, toying with a gleaming dagger in his hand, his eyes fixed on Lu Zhaoming with a sinister gaze.

Several burly men stood guard at the entrance, resembling door gods, exuding a dangerous aura that seemed to say, "If you dare to play any tricks, I'll turn you into mincemeat."

"Mr. Lu, I've heard so much about you." Ghost Blade spoke sarcastically, his tone full of mockery. "I've heard you possess important information about the 'Azure Core.' Is that true or not?"

Lu Zhaoming sneered inwardly; this Ghost Blade was indeed after the experimental data.

He feigned a panicked expression and stammered, "Boss Ghost... Ghost Blade, you... you've misunderstood. I... I'm just a small-time information broker, what... what important information could I possibly have?"

"Stop playing dumb with me!" Ghost Blade slammed his hand on the table, making the wine glasses on it jump. "I'm not so easily fooled! If you know what's good for you, hand over the stuff, otherwise..." He made a throat-slitting gesture, the threat obvious.

Lu Zhaoming secretly activated the system scan and discovered that although the basement's defense system seemed solid, it had a fatal flaw: the energy supply was too concentrated.

If the energy core is destroyed, the entire defense system will be paralyzed.

His eyes lit up, and an idea came to him.

He deliberately feigned panic and said, "Ghost... Ghost Blade Boss, I... I do have some information, but... this information is too important, I... I can't hand it over easily..."

"Oh? Looks like you're trying to bargain with me?" Ghost Blade narrowed his eyes.

"No...no, Boss Ghost Blade, please...please listen to me," Lu Zhaoming hurriedly explained, "My...my information is more valuable than you think, even...even related to the real secret of the 'Azure Core'!" As he spoke, he secretly activated the system to simulate a false energy fluctuation diagram and projected it into the air.

When Ghost Blade saw the energy fluctuation diagram, his expression immediately changed.

This wave pattern is very similar to the information he had previously obtained. Could it be that this kid really has the secret of the "Azure Core"?

He suppressed his shock and asked calmly, "Mr. Lu, what do you want?"

Just as the two sides were locked in a stalemate, a violent explosion suddenly came from outside the stronghold. With a loud "boom," the entire basement shook.

"What's going on?!" Ghost Blade roared.

Lu Zhaoming was secretly delighted; it seemed someone had come to the rescue.

He seized the opportunity and decisively activated the system's "Special Ability Amplification Module," instantly increasing his speed several times over, rushing towards Ghost Blade like a bolt of lightning.

Before Ghost Blade could react, Lu Zhaoming kicked him away, sending him flying and knocking over the table behind him.

Upon seeing this, Xiao Qi immediately drew his gun and fired, but Lu Zhaoming was too fast, and the bullets could not lock onto his position at all.

He moved through the crowd like a ghost, easily taking down several guards before they could even fire a shot.

He took advantage of the chaos to sneak deep into the stronghold, searching for Su Li's whereabouts.

Finally, he found Su Li in a secret room.

At this moment, Su Li's face was pale and her breath was weak, clearly affected by the "Azure Core".

"Su Li, hang in there!" Lu Zhaoming quickly took out the medicine and fed it to her.

"Cough cough... Zhaoming, you... you've come..." Su Li said weakly.

"Don't speak, I'll get you out of here first!" Lu Zhaoming picked up Su Li and quickly ran towards the exit.

Just then, a system notification sounded: "Unknown variable detected. Judgment skill enhancement mode has been unlocked."

Lu Zhaoming didn't have time to think it through. He felt the energy fluctuations around him becoming more and more intense, as if something was about to erupt.

He acted decisively, using the system to analyze the energy distribution within the base, triggering a small-scale energy overload.

"boom!"

The entire base was thrown into chaos, with alarms and explosions ringing out everywhere.

Taking advantage of the chaos, Lu Zhaoming led Su Li to escape from the stronghold.

Standing outside the stronghold, Lu Zhaoming glanced back at the burning buildings in the distance, a cold smile playing on his lips: "Ghost Blade, this game has only just begun..."

"It seems there are people who want this place to be lively even more than we are..." Su Li leaned weakly against Lu Zhaoming, but her eyes were unusually bright.

After escaping the black market, Lu Zhaoming glanced back at the burning building in the distance. Thick smoke billowed, flames soared into the sky, and the air was filled with a pungent smell of burning.

An inexplicable unease welled up inside him, like the discomfort of forgetting to add sesame paste to a hot pot. "This fire is burning quite interestingly..." he murmured, but felt a chill run down his spine.

Suddenly, the system's cold notification sounded in his mind: "The host's behavior has attracted the attention of higher-level forces. It is recommended to evacuate the current area, otherwise you will bear the consequences." This was as urgent as his mother calling him home for dinner.

“Run away? That’s no fun…” Lu Zhaoming was pondering when he heard Su Li’s weak but urgent voice: “They’re here…” Lu Zhaoming looked up and saw a strange purple light appearing in the distance, like a huge purple curtain slowly being drawn back, bringing a suffocating sense of oppression.

A strange energy fluctuation permeated the air, like countless tiny electric currents dancing on the skin. "Holy crap, these special effects... is this the end of the world?" He couldn't help but complain, but then he noticed that Su Li's expression had become unusually serious.

"Zhaoming, this time... I'm afraid we won't be able to escape..."