Zhuang Ziruo clutched the treasure sword, unable to let go, the excitement on her pretty face impossible to conceal.
Her master and several elders had also attempted to refine the sword last time, aiming to turn it into a sixth-grade magical artifact, but in the end, they failed.
Who would have thought that, in Lin Mo's hands, a simple incineration would enable it to advance a rank again, which was simply too astonishing to contemplate.
Lin Mo was just a teenager, yet he was a superpower user and an artifact refining master, if he wasn't a monster, then what could possibly qualify?
"Thank you, Lin Tanyu," Zhuang Ziruo muttered, her lips pursed as her eyes, filled with admiration and a peculiar intensity, turned towards Lin Mo.
"It was no more than lifting a finger," Lin Mo said with a faint smile, as he once again formed a spell and transformed his clothes to cover his physique.
"Someone's coming." Li Yang suddenly frowned, his face taking on a solemn expression.
"And there are many people, and cars too," Wu Yihan also tightened his fists.
It seemed Lin Mo had already anticipated this, he said, "You guys go first."
Upon hearing Lin Mo's words, Lu Xing, Zhuang Ziruo, Wu Yihan, Li Yang, Chen Yanghao, Zhang Yesheng, and the others all looked at him at the same time.
"The upper echelons of Han Country are mobilizing; if you don't leave, do you plan to stay here for a funeral?" Lin Mo squinted slightly, his eyes shooting out two icy beams.
Lin Mo had long calculated that although Han Country's upper echelons had considered his Sky Group Chief Instructor identity, it wasn't openly acknowledged. If Liu Zhengming could kill him, Han Country's upper echelons naturally wouldn't act, but if he killed Liu Zhengming, subjecting Han Country to humiliation, they would mobilize, and they wouldn't give him any chance to explain, opting for immediate execution on the spot.
In that case, even if Huaxia demanded his return, Han Country could firmly deny everything.
The faces of the group changed at the same time, Han Country had dispatched the military.
Although they were all top-notch fighters, in the face of the current Breaking Weapons, they were still too weak; otherwise, why would these underground forces hide in the shadows? Back in the Middle Ages, when the Church Court was at its peak of power, brimming with formidable individuals, it directly controlled the major nations of Europe and America.
Ever since the world's great powers developed Breaking Weapons and nuclear arms, these underground strengths had shrunk away as if disappearing entirely, was it not out of fear of the might of modern military forces?
"Yingzi, you should leave with them first, and wait for me in Chinatown in a couple of days," Lin Mo said gently to Yingzi, his face showing a warm smile.
"Okay, I understand," Yingzi nodded obediently.
Lu Xing, Zhuang Ziruo, and the others hesitated, but they all knew Lin Mo's strength, and staying here would only be a burden to him, so the group sprinted off towards the mountain range behind them.
The combined strength of a few individuals was enough to break through an opening and escape the encirclement.
As Xiao Zhu ran alongside Yingzi, she asked doubtfully, "Yingzi, aren't you very close to your family head? How can you be at ease with him staying behind alone?"
"If I stayed, I would only become a burden to my master and wouldn't be able to help him. Besides, my master is so powerful, he will surely be fine," Yingzi bit her silver teeth, her pretty face showing resilience.
"However, the Han Country Military Department has always been researching weapons to counter martial artists and superpower users, I hope he'll be alright," Xiao Zhu retracted her gaze and muttered to herself.
The group leaped from tree to tree, leaving trails of afterimages, and indeed, after about five hundred meters, they encountered a small squad. However, several King-Level fighters tore open a breach and left the encirclement.
"Captain, a group of people just broke through our encirclement. Should we send someone to track them...?" a soldier approached a Han Country man in military uniform and asked.
"No need. Lin Tanyu is still there, he hasn't left. Our goal is to kill him," Xuan Zhongso narrowed his eyes slightly and said flatly.
"Yes," the soldier nodded and withdrew.
Xuan Zhongso, who was the leader in charge of the 'beheading' operation, was the same captain who had been responsible for protecting Cui Xuanjian. Cui Xuanjian's tragic death in the villa had led to his disgrace, nearly landing him in a military tribunal. Being in charge of executing Lin Mo was his chance to make amends.
"Lin Tanyu, you're surely going to die this time," Xuan Zhongso clenched his fist, his gaze filled with lethal intent.
However, this time the decapitation operation Xuanzhong led didn't involve many people, roughly three hundred or so. They were the strongest special forces soldiers trained by Han Country, and they were equipped with the most advanced Breaking Weapons from the Military Department, designed specifically for Martial Artists and Superpower Users.
Lin Mo had just finished a big battle with Liu Zhengming and should be extremely weak at the moment, making this the best opportunity to assassinate him.
Lin Mo stood there quietly, waiting.
Soon, a few soldiers dressed in specialized black combat uniforms, armed with light machine guns, appeared before him. Without any hesitation, they opened fire.
The machine gun's muzzle flashed irregularly as hundreds of bullets rained down swiftly, but all were stopped by the True Qi Barrier in front of Lin Mo, quickly forming a wall that seemed to be made of coppery yellow.
Ordinary bullets would have been deflected by the barrier, but a third of these bullets actually pierced through it, indicating they were made of special materials with substantial armor-piercing capability.
Nevertheless, the soldiers were even more shocked. They were using equipment that was the latest research from the Military Department, never before shown to the public, with bullets crafted from special steel designed to pierce armor, capable of penetrating even light tanks.
But now, these bullets were frozen in mid-air before Lin Mo.
"Thud, thud, thud!"
Lin Mo's body shuddered, and the bullets reversed course, raining back towards their origin. Trailing golden streaks, they instantly pierced through the chests of several soldiers.
Yet, more soldiers rushed out, some wielding armor-piercing machine guns, others even laser guns.
Lin Mo had never experienced the power of laser guns, but as futuristic technology from sci-fi movies, their power was well known, and their speed made them almost impossible to dodge.
As he watched soldiers fall before him, Lin Mo appeared like a demon god.
Everyone was filled with fear. Knowing that Lin Mo had just fought a tough battle with Liu Zhengming, even if he had defeated him, he should have been severely injured. Yet, here he was, still displaying such formidable combat capabilities.
Xuanzhong's face gradually changed from pale to flushed as he stood at a distance, peering through binoculars at the skirmish, his hand clutching the binoculars so tightly it was almost crushed.
"Captain, our men seem no match for him. Perhaps we should use the laser guns," a soldier asked anxiously.
"Authorize the use of laser guns," Xuanzhong nodded forcefully. This time, they had to kill Lin Mo.
Laser gun research was still in its early stages. The technology was far from perfect, and each energy charging took a considerable amount of time and money. Xuanzhong would never resort to using laser guns unless absolutely necessary.
Unlike the compact laser guns from science fiction movies, the current prototype was enormous, weighing about as much as a tank and as big as a car.
Even the Military Department of Han Country had struggled to develop just three laser guns. Now, a kilometer away from Lin Mo, in a hidden patch of woods, a laser gun was set up, with ten soldiers responsible for operating and guarding it.
"We have received the Captain's orders to use the laser gun to annihilate the enemy," one soldier spoke into his headset.
At once, the group quickly began to adjust the laser gun. Aside from its destructive potential, it was equipped with the latest satellite system for precision targeting.
"Unit one is ready!"
"Unit two is ready!"
"Unit three is ready!"
"The enemy is in our sights!"
"Fire!"
At that moment, on the battlefield, Lin Mo turned a soldier's body into a Blood Fog with a slap. Suddenly, his Sword Brows twitched slightly.
And in that instant, straight ahead, a red light illuminated, no thicker than a baby's arm, shooting a kilometer in distance instantly. Everything it touched, whether stone, tree, or grass, turned into dust under the terrifying energy.
The laser's speed was nearly that of light. At such speed, almost no one could escape. In the first moment, Lin Mo concentrated True Qi instantly in front of his chest, as the laser nearly reached him in the blink of an eye.