"I'm back." Ning Yu looked at Mu Xue, a confident smile on his lips, and said slowly.
Stepping out of the valley, Ning Yu took a deep breath, feeling the surging energy within him, as if he possessed inexhaustible power. He was no longer the naive man he once was. Returning to Mu Xue, who was waiting outside the valley, he simply said, "Let's go back," then grabbed her hand and vanished in a blur.
Back at the base, everyone who saw Ning Yu was shocked. The leader, who usually appeared thin and even somewhat frail, now seemed to be enveloped in an invisible aura; a single glance from him inspired awe. Ning Yu said nothing. He suspended the precious pearl he had obtained from the ruins in the center of the base, and instantly, a soft light enveloped the entire base.
"This power..."
"My superpower seems to be improving!"
A gasp of astonishment erupted from the crowd. The doubts and dissatisfaction that had arisen from the previous failures were now overshadowed by this miraculous sight. Ning Yu placed his hand on the precious pearl, guiding the energy to flow slowly towards the crowd. He could sense that although the pearl's power was immense, it was not inexhaustible; every drop used diminished it. Therefore, he did not keep it for himself but chose to share it with everyone.
"I once said I would lead you out of this predicament and establish a new order. Today, I fulfill my promise." Ning Yu's voice was not loud, but it clearly reached everyone's ears. "This power is our common wealth; it will help us defeat all enemies!"
A burst of enthusiastic cheers erupted from the crowd, and everyone's face shone with hope. Those who had once doubted and opposed Ning Yu now lowered their heads in shame. They had witnessed Ning Yu's strength firsthand and felt his selfless spirit; their past barriers vanished in that instant.
Outside the base, a figure hidden in the shadows witnessed everything, a sinister glint in his eyes. He swiftly turned and left, leaving only a cold whisper echoing in the wind:
"We can't wait any longer..."
The news spread like wildfire through the desolate and ravaged world. From ruined city walls to wilderness overrun by mutated creatures, all factions heard the legend of Ning Yu and the precious pearl.
"Damn it! How dare he!"
"We can't wait any longer; we must eliminate him before he becomes too powerful!"
Fear spread like a plague among the leaders of those who had once considered themselves powerful. They had scoffed at Ning Yu's rise, deeming it nothing more than a clown's charade, fleeting and insignificant. But now, they realized they had made a fatal mistake.
In an underground fortress hidden deep within steel ruins, the atmosphere was so heavy it seemed to drip with oppressive tension. Several figures sat around a metal table, each with a gloomy expression on their face.
"Is the intelligence confirmed? Did he really obtain the treasure from the ruins?" a burly man with a hideous scar on his left cheek asked in a deep voice.
“It’s absolutely true. Our people who were planted inside him saw it with their own eyes,” the thin man sitting opposite him replied. “It’s said to be a precious orb containing enormous energy that can enhance the strength of superhumans.”
The scarred man slammed his fist on the table, the metal surface groaning painfully, leaving a clear fist-shaped dent. "Damn it! This should have been ours!"
“It’s pointless to say all this now,” a woman sitting in the shadows said coldly, her voice hoarse and low, as if it came from the depths of hell. “The important thing is, what should we do? If we let him continue like this, we will all be trampled under his feet!”
“What else can we do? Of course we are…” the scarred man said menacingly, but his words were interrupted by a deep voice.
"A direct assault? Do you think you have any chance of winning with your current strength?"
Everyone was startled and turned to look in the direction from which the sound came. There, a person dressed in a long black robe, his face hidden in the shadow of the hood, slowly stood up.
"Who are you?" the scarred man asked warily.
The man in black ignored his question and continued, "A direct assault is a poor strategy; it will only waste our strength in vain. We need a more prudent plan..."
He paused, a cold glint flashing in his eyes, "A plan to wipe out Ning Yu and his rabble in one fell swoop."
The black-robed man's words seemed to possess a certain magic, gradually cooling the previously tense atmosphere. In their place came a cold, cruel calculation.
"Tell me about it..." the scarred man said in a deep voice.
The man in black robes smiled slightly, revealing a set of gleaming white teeth in the shadows. "We need to unite all forces we can, utilize all the resources at our disposal, and deliver a fatal blow..."
Inside the room, the group discussed in hushed tones, their voices growing softer and colder, like a group of venomous snakes plotting to kill their prey.
Meanwhile, hundreds of miles away from this underground fortress, Ning Yu stood on a high place, gazing into the distance. Behind him, a team was training, each face radiating hope and confidence.
“You don’t seem worried at all?” Mu Xue walked to his side and handed him a piece of roasted meat.
Ning Yu took the roasted meat, took a bite, and laughed, "What's there to worry about? We'll deal with whatever comes our way."
"You seem to have foreseen all of this?" Mu Xue looked into his eyes, as if she could see through his thoughts.
Ning Yu didn't answer, but just smiled and looked up at the sky.
The once clear sky was now shrouded in dark clouds, and a fierce wind howled, as if foreshadowing a massive storm that was about to break out...
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