Starting to Gain Experience from Push-Ups Chapter 1199 - 583: Skyscraper Tower, The World in the Apocalypse (2/2)
Previously on Starting to Gain Experience from Push-Ups...
Grains of black sand swirled across the landscape, propelled by a howling gale that scoured the rocky terrain, producing a relentless, raspy sound.
"The Lord is currently in the middle of his Cultivation at the pinnacle of this tower; he has reached a vital juncture in his breakthrough attempt."
The man clad in white kept his hands tucked away in his sleeves. With his features hidden by the blowing dust, he spoke with a cold, detached indifference:
"Even if the heavens were to collapse, he must remain undisturbed."
The man with the red hair creased his brows, a trace of nervous agitation crossing his sharp, defined features.
"I have a matter of extreme urgency."
As he took a step forward, the solid rock beneath his boots crumbled into fine dust instantly:
"The cleanup mission in East Capital has spiraled out of control and is now jeopardizing our joint venture with the military."
"This information must be conveyed to the Lord without delay."
"An urgent matter, you say?"
The man in white curled his lips, exposing a sneer of undisguised disdain as he cast a sidelong glance:
"Searching for an excuse to beg for mercy, perhaps?"
"Black Shark was once the organization's deadliest weapon, yet under your command, it seems to have withered into mediocrity over these past years."
His voice was measured, each word striking like a needle against the other man’s vulnerabilities.
"That cleanup operation consumed vast quantities of both manpower and resources, scouring the globe to track the target, only to leave the final strike to you."
"And yet, you performed admirably—failing to dispose of a mere S-Class body enhancer and allowing him to continue undermining our other initiatives in East Capital."
Despite his location in the desolate, post-apocalyptic wasteland, the man in white seemed intimately familiar with the outside world.
His frigid gaze pinned the other man down, ruthlessly highlighting his failures:
"Claude, you have become an utter embarrassment to the Ideal Land."
"Enough!"
Claude, the red-haired man, glared back with eyes burning with menace.
A ripple of visible heat surged from his body.
The surrounding atmosphere warped from the intense thermal output, causing even the sand on the floor to show signs of liquefaction.
It was clear that long-standing blood feud existed between them, requiring only the slightest provocation to explode.
"The target... he is no simple man!"
Claude ground his teeth, desperate to justify himself:
"He is far beyond a typical body-enhanced mutant. He is actively colluding with the Special Search Team."
The man in white let out a sharp, mocking laugh:
"The renowned leader of Black Shark, the man feared globally as the ’Red Flame Demon King,’ is actually afraid of those lapdogs from the Special Search Team who bark at shadows? If this tale were to spread, the world would die laughing."
"What could you possibly know?"
Claude roared in fury:
"I am concerned that initiating open conflict and slaughtering members of the Special Search Team might jeopardize the years of careful planning the Lord has invested in Xia Country!"
"Were it not for that, I would have crossed the sea already to reach East Capital and rip that bastard’s head off to use as a plaything. Do you truly believe I fear the Special Search Team?"
Seeing the impassive expression on the man in white, Claude dampened his aggression slightly before dropping a bombshell:
"Furthermore, there is a strong possibility that the target of that alleged murderer, White Owl, is an old member of our organization who defected seventeen years ago—Fang Shijie."
The man in white hesitated, his demeanor shifting slightly.
He recalled the name from the recesses of his memory and knitted his brows:
"Fang Shijie? He was incinerated in that massive conflagration during the siege seventeen years ago."
His eyes suddenly gleamed as he scrutinized Claude:
"What proof can you offer?"
Claude’s expression hardened, his eyes filled with grim resolve as he spoke in a resonant, grave tone:
"During this mission, I dispatched two senior officials stationed in East Capital to coordinate the hunt, one of whom was tasked with targeting the son Fang Shijie left behind."
"Upon locating the residence of the son, they uncovered ties to the Special Search Team and opted to interrogate him for intelligence."
"However, things went awry during the interception, and one of my men was ambushed by a third party and perished in the struggle."
"But the lookout responsible for perimeter security managed to record Fang Shijie’s son admitting that his father is not only alive but is now acting as an informant for the Special Search Team!"
With those words, Claude stomped forward.
His hulking frame loomed like a fortress of steel, casting a crushing weight upon the man in white, his dark crimson eyes blazing with undeniable certitude.
"I have subsequently investigated the boy’s movements. He has indeed been meeting frequently with high-ranking officials of the Special Search Team, and their alliance is plain to see."
"Perhaps our previous operation against the Chen Family in Tian Nan Province was thwarted specifically because of this, with the Special Search Team intervening to sabotage us."
"So, it is logical to conclude that the target the Lord commanded us to track—the man who murdered Xuan Zhen—cannot be the son, but is instead the man who faked his demise: Fang Shijie himself!"
"He has spent these many years in the shadows only to reemerge as a lackey for the Special Search Team, solely to exact his revenge upon us. Only then does the entire puzzle fit together!"
Claude’s lips curled into a menacing, predatory grin, his voice scraping like grinding metal as he exuded absolute confidence:
"He thought he had spun a flawless deception, never realizing that even while he scurried like a rat in the sewers, I had already deciphered his hand."
"And you, like a fool, simply gulped down the bait he dangled?"
The man in white spoke with icy detachment, shattering Claude’s bravado:
"Fang Shijie’s charred remains were verified repeatedly by our intelligence division back then. How is it possible for a corpse to walk?"
"Claude, are you inventing this preposterous fantasy merely to mask your own incompetence?"
"You..."
Stung by the brutal criticism, Claude lost his composure, his patience evaporating in a flash of blind rage.