Chapter 297

Chapter 297: Déjà Vu

The griffin extraordinary beast was dead.

It had died completely.

After the spikes had pierced it into a filter, after the ray cannons had shattered it beyond recognition, and after shadows had crushed the remaining bones, only when the heavy rain stopped and the dark clouds dispersed did everyone finally feel relieved.

While celebrating their victory, the crowd couldn’t help but glance at the lone runner from just seconds ago.

When the extraordinary beast desperately attacked with its remaining strength, even the well-trained superpowered individuals felt a bit flustered.

Even the "Blood Puppet" was too exhausted to stop it all.

However, the one who truly scattered the beast’s final retaliation was this young man standing before everyone. He looked to be just in his early twenties and had never fought a Fifth Level extraordinary beast before.

He had only appeared on the battlefield this time due to the spire’s excessive tension.

In the past, while Wang Xiao couldn’t exactly be considered a nobody, people’s impressions of him were merely vague.

When they thought of Wang Xiao, they were more likely to say—“Ah, that guy who grows really fast,” or something similar.

Yet his recent performance was enough to make everyone present today see him in a new light.

“Crack, crack.”

The transparent blood-colored crystals on the "Blood Puppet" gradually dissolved, as if melting ice under heat, transforming back into blood.

Next, the blood seemed to gain a life of its own, flowing toward the left wrist of the Blood Puppet.

Quickly, this liquid retracted back into the body from the wound, and the pale, shriveled silhouette it enclosed began to regain vitality as if it had been revived.

The corpse-like human figure stood up once more, adopting the form of a normal person.

It was then that the true appearance of the Blood Puppet was revealed.

A middle-aged man.

From his features, he appeared to be in his thirties, but his completely white hair suggested an unsettling contradiction.

“Clap, clap, clap.”

Applause came from nearby, and everyone turned to see that aside from a few members of the first team, the Blood Puppet was walking down the steps created by Holy Shield while applauding Wang Xiao.

Witnessing this scene, people either felt inspired or sought to curry favor, and they all began to clap as well, while a few members of the first team simply smiled at Wang Xiao without applauding.

At that moment, Wang Xiao, dressed in tattered clothes, stood in the center of the battlefield, surrounded by his applauding companions.

Although he didn’t understand exactly what was happening, he felt that these people should say something.

With no time to think too much, he slightly lowered his head in shame:

“Thank you, everyone, but today’s victory was not achieved by me alone. In fact, even if I had done nothing, the extraordinary beast wouldn’t have lasted for more than a few minutes.”

The "Blood Puppet" nodded in agreement and said in a convincing tone:

“That’s true, everyone understands. Applauding you isn’t just because you killed the extraordinary beast, but because you did what others didn’t. Even with abilities, enduring that kind of pain isn’t easy.

“Everyone saw your actions clearly; please accept our heartfelt gratitude.”

Wang Xiao didn’t say anything more, and after a moment of continued applause, a group of people emerged from the spire.

They were the professionals tasked with cleaning up the battlefield.

As the mission handover was completed, "Starfall," who had just been on the High Platform, descended to the ground via the elevator.

Under the guidance of the first team and Blood Puppet, more than a dozen superpowered individuals, who were either unharmed or only slightly injured, filed into the spire, preparing to review the earlier battle.

This was a fight that had taken place in the very heart of Hope City, and without a clear explanation, countless people would face punishment.

—

In the spire’s conference room, hundreds of meters above ground, the council members had gathered in this rare emergency.

Objectively speaking, this room was only a few hundred meters away from the battlefield.

But if this place couldn’t be considered safe, then there was no safe place left in Hope City.

"It’s over,"

one councilman announced, having received news from the battlefield below and quickly relayed it to the others.

"How did this situation occur?"

An elderly voice rang out, filled with undisguised anger and discontent:

"Isn’t it time to change the team? Look at these guys, the old and the injured; they don’t even look like ‘carriers.’"

His questioning did not elicit any meaningful responses, only a voice from the shadows suggesting,

"This is the best solution we have right now; good materials aren’t always available."

"The ‘best solution’ you speak of is letting a Fifth Level Extraordinary Beast charge right at us?"

"Enough! Three Holy Shields have changed in less than six months; not everyone is Lucas."

"Now you care to speak kindly? When Lucas died, where were your tears?"

"……"

The council members engaged in a symbolic quarrel but understood that no one could change the current situation.

So the discussion shifted back to the matter at hand; for everyone present, facing an extraordinary beast at such a close distance was unimaginable—

This was not the same as the dozens who often died in the outer city!

Yet, this urgent situation had happened so casually tonight.

Even after the battle within the city ended, there were no reports of extraordinary beasts attacking the outer city walls.

This meant that it was indeed a completely independent attack, and the entire sequence of events was disconcertingly clear.

As the review of the incident approached its conclusion, several people in the conference room below the spire recounted a complete version of the events.

The battle with the extraordinary beasts was far different from the power struggles among humans; in the face of such a situation, the only solution for the Hope Council was to strengthen the defenses of the superpowered individuals.

After all, in a time where technology was stagnant or even regressing, they only hoped that extraordinary beasts did not evolve faster than they could restore their technological tree.

The conference room fell into silence as the council members began to read the battle reports.

At the end, where the beast had died, a name appeared at the bottom of the document:

【The target began to launch a chaotic attack on all superpowered individuals on the ground. The Undead, Wang Xiao, suppressed it for fifteen seconds using his abilities, successfully buying enough time for the attacks from Starfall and Fortress…】

"Wang Xiao…"

In the shadows, a councilman mulled over the name, his thoughts drifting back to the early summer of this year.

After what felt like an eternity, Nia’s curious voice broke the silence:

"Is there nothing else? Should we adjourn the meeting?"

All the council members had no objections and began to leave the dimly lit conference room.

Councilman Bordeaux toyed with the shiny ring on his thumb as he stepped into the single-person elevator behind his seat.