Chapter 445 – Return of Combat Power

“…According to the police, the incident was caused by an armed cult terrorist organization.

Currently, the police are continuing their investigation and urging the public to remain vigilant and limit outings…”

Lu family, hall.

Under the massive holographic projection, three members of the Lu family were sitting on the sofa, watching the live news broadcast.

A group of maids stood by with various snacks and fruits, embodying the elegance of nobility.

“Boring…”

Dressed in beige pajamas with wavy hair, Lu Qiyuan lazily pouted and casually pressed the remote control.

The live news broadcast on the light screen instantly switched to a variety show featuring handsome men and beautiful women playfully chasing each other on a sunny beach.

Lu Yuan glanced expressionlessly at Lu Qiyuan, who sharply noticed his gaze and defiantly raised her chin, quickly saying, “What? Do you have a problem with me changing the channel?”

Lu Yuan remained silent, but the beautiful woman doing her beauty routine intervened first to ease the tension.

“Why the temper so early in the morning? Why can’t you just give in to your younger brother? I think watching the news is quite good. Yuanyuan, switch it back…”

“Dream on.”

Lu Qiyuan snorted, grabbed a golden pillow, and nestled into the sofa, staring at the light screen with a pointedly interested demeanor, as if daring anyone to challenge her channel choice.

Lu Yuan couldn’t be bothered to play such childish games and got up, heading towards the stairs.

“Qiyuan, where are you going?”

Their concerned Mom quickly called after him, worried he might be upset.

“Cultivation.”

Lu Yuan casually replied without stopping, making his way upstairs on his own.

As soon as he left, Lu Qiyuan, who had been engrossed in the TV, turned her head, muttering suspiciously to herself, “Cultivation? Ever since that kid got back from the hospital, he’s been hiding upstairs all day. Is he planning to stir up some trouble again?”

“Can’t you wish something good for your younger brother? Didn’t he say he’s cultivating? Qiyuan is much more motivated than before, he really has become more sensible now…”

The beautiful woman spoke up in Lu Yuan’s defense, her face full of relief.

Lu Qiyuan, however, was full of disdain, “Do you believe someone who doesn’t even go to school when they say they’re dedicating themselves to cultivation every day? Don’t you know your own son’s character?”

“Lu Qiyuan, don’t go too far!” The beautiful woman paused, her pretty face showing some displeasure.

Lu Qiyuan snorted lightly and said nothing more. She got up from the sofa and headed towards the door.

“Where are you going?”

“Out for a walk.”

“The news mentioned there are armed cult members outside. It’s best not to go out!”

“Tch~”

Lu Qiyuan casually pressed a spot on her wrist, and with a flicker of light, her pajamas transformed into a hot outfit of a leather skirt and high heels, complete with makeup.

Ignoring the beautiful woman’s warning, she walked out the door without looking back.

The beautiful woman couldn’t help but frown, but when her gaze shifted to the second floor, her eyes showed a hint of relief and relaxation, not sparing another glance at Lu Qiyuan’s departure.

…

“Who would have thought there’d be a cult organization in Duoling… and it seems quite powerful to confront the official authorities head-on…”

As Lu Yuan headed upstairs, he kept thinking about the content reported in the news broadcast.

Yesterday’s Empire terrorist attack continued even into today.

The official authorities hadn’t released a concrete assessment, and the news remained vague and unclear.

To Lu Yuan, it seemed unbelievable.

In the capital of an Empire dominated by the absolute might of Starry Sky Mecha, there were cult organizations brazenly attacking the hospital, a high-traffic area, in broad daylight.

A day after the incident, no one was caught, and the crisis wasn’t resolved.

He couldn’t decide if the so-called cult members were just that audacious and cunning or if the police station in District 15 was just that incompetent.

Of course, none of this was Lu Yuan’s concern.

His thoughts were focused on Xu Mingguang’s situation.

If Xu Mingguang ended up dying in this chaos, retrieving that golden Magic Cube could become a significant hurdle.

“Let’s hope he’s okay.”

With these thoughts in mind, Lu Yuan slowly walked into the mecha control room.

As soon as he entered, he saw the brand-new, sleek Blue Falcon Type 4 mecha standing quietly in the center of the room.

The dark blue exterior shell shone with a mesmerizing gleam under the indoor lights, exuding an indescribable charm.

Yet, who would have guessed that the inside of this mecha had already been devoured by Lu Yuan, leaving it “riddled with holes,” with nothing more than its polished surface remaining?

“The progress is even smoother than I expected. In just one day, I’ve devoured a third of its interior. Another three to four days for the remaining parts, including the exterior shell, should suffice to complete the devouring…”

Lu Yuan was beginning to understand the power and peculiarity of the Spirit Devourer Clan’s Talent.

To think that a combat mecha over six meters high was a third “eaten” in just one day.

And this was only with the lv1 [Devour] skill. Imagine if the level of the [Devour] skill increased-how overpowering would it become then?

“Once the whole mecha is devoured, the [Devour] skill should level up to lv2.”

Lu Yuan glanced at the professional panel and saw the experience points next to the lv1 [Devour] skill showing (23/100), revealing a satisfied expression.

This amount of experience points was considerably more than what he had gained from devouring Lu Qiyuan.

Apparently, the increase in [Devour] skill experience points relates to the duration of skill activation and the strength of the target being devoured.

Lu Yuan opened the mecha cockpit and lay inside.

His body silently transformed into a mass of viscous black liquid, seeping into the chassis, silently devouring and transforming the mecha components.

This process required no significant control-just following his instincts sufficed. This allowed him to free his mind to cultivate mental power.

In the following days, Lu Yuan focused intently on executing his mecha devouring plan.

Meanwhile, the terrorist attack at the Empire hospital continued to escalate; instead of settling down, it seemed to be intensifying.

Within two days, three more small-scale armed conflicts broke out in District 15, all located in bustling urban areas.

In these armed clashes involving mechas, the presence of ordinary people was virtually insignificant-comparable to ants-and even a slight graze or contact with the combatants meant annihilation.

The official reports did not disclose the casualties resulting from these three conflicts, leaving the residents of District 15 in a state of unease.

Many schools and shopping centers chose to suspend activities, and even Lu Lingfeng started ordering his family members not to go out.

Lu Qiyuan, who was accustomed to going out with friends every day, was greatly displeased by this, but Lu Yuan didn’t mind.

He received information from Lu Feng that Xu Mingguang had been safely discharged and had been staying at home during this period.

This news reassured him even more.

He only needed to wait for the terrorist attack to subside to retrieve what he wanted smoothly.

…

A few days later.

In the peaceful mecha control room.

The Blue Falcon Type 4 mecha, standing quietly in the center of the room, suddenly trembled slightly, as countless strange and viscous black liquids emerged abruptly from every crevice of its structure.

These black liquids, like living creatures, spread from the inside out, enveloping the entire massive Blue Falcon mecha.

In no time, a huge black sphere over six meters tall appeared in the room.

This enormous black sphere seemed to be composed of the flesh of some unknown creatures, continuously and perpetually pulsating.

After a moment, the entire black sphere began to contract inward.

Within the span of a few breaths, the massive sphere had shrunk from over six meters tall to less than two meters.

Along with it, the Blue Falcon mecha it had previously enveloped seemed to vanish into thin air.

Finally, a tall and slender figure slowly emerged from the black sphere.

The entire process felt like an eerie yet magnificent magic show.

A magical transformation of a mecha?!

“Whew…”

Lu Yuan spread his arms outward, making a movement as if emerging from water.

He closed his eyes and exhaled softly, as countless viscous black liquids receded from his body like retreating tides, shrinking back into his skin through countless pores.

When the last bit of black liquid disappeared beneath his skin, Lu Yuan opened his eyes, with a subtle radiance flickering on his face.

“Finally… finished…”

It took a little longer than he had anticipated, but after a week in total, he finally completed the devouring of the entire Blue Falcon Type 4 mecha.

Now, the combat mecha, which cost over a hundred million, had transformed into a small blue-black sphere, silently nestled within Lu Yuan’s body.

After seven days of devouring, Lu Yuan’s [Devour] skill had successfully leveled up to lv2.

Perhaps it was because he was wholly focused, or maybe Lu Yuan truly had an exceptional Talent in cultivating mental power.

Over the seven days, Lu Yuan’s [Rhythm of the Wind] unexpectedly also increased a level, reaching lv3.

The golden whirlwind core in his mind had more than doubled in size, and his intelligence attribute increased slightly, improving from a limit break of 21 points to 22 points.

“Let’s see if the mecha transformation plan is feasible.”

A strong sense of anticipation arose on Lu Yuan’s face. Without a word, he directed his thoughts to the blue-black sphere within his body.

The blue-black sphere instantly exploded.

In a split second, the clothes Lu Yuan was wearing tore apart, disintegrating into countless fibrous fragments, scattering like smoke in all directions.

Under the gentle white light, Lu Yuan’s fair and well-proportioned body swiftly began to expand and protrude. Thick, twisted blue-black flesh and bone structures broke through his skin, rapidly proliferating…

Lu Yuan was entirely engulfed by the ballooning blue-black flesh structure, which formed a rapidly expanding humanoid shape.

A few seconds later, Lu Yuan’s figure vanished.

In his place stood a towering humanoid form over six meters tall.

This giant humanoid appeared sinister and bizarre, like a giant stripped of its skin.

The peculiar blue-black flesh covering it was exposed to the air and continued to pulsate.

But as time passed, the exposed flesh gradually receded, and the giant humanoid began to undergo another transformation.

Its body took on smooth and graceful contours, growing a skin with a metallic texture.

The overall appearance and form became elegant and well-proportioned.

Moments later, a familiar yet somewhat unfamiliar “Blue Falcon Type 4” mecha stood in the room.

Compared to a standard Blue Falcon Type 4 mecha, its color appeared deeper.

It lacked some of the flamboyance and splendor, offering a more profound and restrained presence.

Its form was also more robust.

If the original Blue Falcon Type 4 mecha resembled a nimble Scout, an elegant swordsman, the current Blue Falcon was more like a cold, composed warrior, with hidden and reserved power.

“Crack, crack, crack-“

Lu Yuan gently twisted his body after completing the transformation, causing the joints of the mecha to emit deep, bone-collision-like sounds.

“This is true Human-Mecha Integration, with a Resonance Degree of one hundred percent…”

He inspected his entire form, and the Blue Falcon mecha’s face showed a human-like smile, which was slightly eerie.

“Let’s test the current combat power.”

Lu Yuan stepped forward sharply, stomping his foot onto the high-density alloy floor, creating a shallow indentation.

The large “mecha body” shot forward like a cannonball.

A giant alloy wooden dummy for training descended from the ceiling ahead, and Lu Yuan punched it forcefully.

“Dragon Devourer!”

The combat technique ingrained in his bones activated instinctively, causing the blue-black muscles beneath the steel frame to vibrate at high speed.

A black glow bloomed from the fist of the mecha’s right arm, rapidly expanding into a small black sun.

“Boom!”

His punch landed heavily on the alloy wooden dummy, creating a massive dent, with metal shards flying in all directions, along with pieces of blue-black flesh.

Lu Yuan retracted his punch immediately; his right arm and forearm were shattered into pieces, with severed blue-black tendons writhing in the air like snakes.

He didn’t mind at all. Instead, his eyes shone with unparalleled brilliance.

“It can even release Qi?! Excellent!”

As a former martial arts Grandmaster, Lu Yuan was thoroughly familiar with the principles of Qi activation. However, in his human body as Lu Qiyuan, his constitution was too weak to even meet the requirements for releasing inner strength, let alone Qi.

But after the transformation into a mecha body, his attributes had improved dramatically, allowing him to easily unlock this ability again.

“Divine Elephant Style. Great Monument Crushing!”

“Divine Elephant Style. Battering Ram!”

“Divine Elephant Style. Heaven and Earth Reversal!”

“Underworld Crow Style. Seize the Moon!”

“Underworld Crow Style. Dead Nation of Penglai!”

…

Lu Yuan unleashed all his best and most skillful moves as a martial artist against the mecha wooden dummy acting as his opponent.

The overload of power caused his body to erupt with one shocking wound after another due to the forces of recoil.

Yet, Lu Yuan seemed completely unfazed, the light in his eyes growing brighter, and his movements becoming increasingly bold and unrestrained.

He needed to vent.

No one could understand what it was like to suddenly fall from the peak of the star spirit realm’s tenth stage to a level where even first-stage combat power was almost nonexistent.

During the time he had taken on the identity of Lu Qiyuan, everything seemed calm on the surface.

In reality, Lu Yuan was walking on thin ice, prepared at any moment to face life-or-death crises.

He was exceedingly weak in his current form, especially in an environment like the starry sky advanced civilization where combat power was generally high.

A moment of carelessness could mean being crushed like an ant.

Those cautious, anxious, lonely, and repressed emotions were piling up in his heart, and he desperately needed an outlet to release them.

…