With those thoughts in mind, Kane stood up.

  He stretched his arms forcefully, his spine and joints letting out a series of faint but crisp cracks—a necessary release for the muscle stiffness brought on by hours of remaining in the same posture.

  As he loosened his frame, his gaze grew exceptionally deep. He didn't stop moving; instead, he began to pace back and forth, his mind churning at high speeds, sinking into a state of profound calculation.

  The sound of his footsteps echoed rhythmically within the silent cave, each step seemingly treading upon his own taut nerves.

  To uncover the truth behind Old Tock’s death and peel back the thick, lethal fog surrounding the incident, Kane currently saw only one path forward—he had to start with Andrew Zoe.

  In his mind, Kane ran through the list of every person potentially involved, ruthlessly crossing them out one by one.

  Of all the individuals within their current reach—or rather, within their current sphere of influence—Andrew Zoe was the only target who might actually possess inside information.

  The low-level thugs and enforcers were merely cheap gears in a massive machine, replaceable at any moment. They followed orders blindly, knowing nothing of the core secrets held by the upper echelons.

  As for those of a higher rank, they were still completely beyond Kane's reach.

  Only Andrew Zoe occupied that crucial middle ground.

  Furthermore, they were already Andrew’s primary targets. The two sides were locked in a struggle that could only end in death.

  However, defeating—let alone capturing—Andrew Zoe would be no simple feat.

  Based on the combined strength of Kane and Crag, they were still lacking.

  Kane pulled out his flat-panel terminal, his fingers sliding across the virtual console to pull up the intelligence Felix had gathered at great cost and effort.

  A pale blue holographic projection unfurled in the air. Chilly data cascaded down like a waterfall, reflecting off Kane’s grim face.

  According to Felix’s agonizingly detailed report, Andrew Zoe held the title of Regional Chief for Kunlun Corp in the sector encompassing Blackrock Town.

  Kunlun Corp—how massive was this suffocating, monopolistic giant?

  Its tentacles extended into every corner of the world, controlling countless resources, technologies, and lives.

  Within Kunlun Corp’s organization, which was as dense as a cluster of stars, there were hundreds upon hundreds of sectors like Blackrock Town.

  This meant there were hundreds of Regional Chiefs like Andrew Zoe within the company.

  They were like the feudal lords of a vast empire, stationed across the land to manage the operations of the lower classes.

  But this was merely the tip of the iceberg.

  Above these hundreds of Regional Chiefs lay a much more rigid and formidable hierarchy.

  Every few dozen Regional Chiefs were collectively governed by a superior officer.

  Climbing further up this chain of command, the intel clearly identified Andrew Zoe’s direct superior—a man named Sato Juichiro.

  In the internal circles of Kunlun Corp, and even throughout the underworld, the name Sato Juichiro represented a chilling authority.

  He held full responsibility for all specific affairs of Kunlun Corp across the entire Southeast Region.

  The Southeast Region was no ordinary commercial territory. Its strategic importance and historical significance were unique, for the Southeast happened to be the very heartland of the Kunlun Faction.

  As the birthplace and core of Kunlun Corp’s power, the Southeast Region was a tangled mess of roots. It hid the conglomerate's most central secrets, its cutting-edge technology, and its most loyal military forces.

  To serve as the Chief of Operations in such a hornet’s nest meant Sato Juichiro’s status was beyond question.

  Technically, Sato was not yet a member of the Board of Directors—Kunlun Corp’s highest decision-making body—but the actual power he wielded in day-to-day operations was immense.

  The intelligence report gave him a terrifyingly high evaluation: a meticulous, ruthless, and incredibly difficult man to handle.

  Touching Andrew Zoe meant inevitably tripping Sato Juichiro's tripwires. It was like dancing on the nose of a sleeping behemoth; one wrong move would invite a devastating strike.

  Kane took a deep breath and continued scrolling through the holographic screen.

  More importantly—and more troublesome—the report detailed Andrew Zoe’s rise to power.

  Andrew hadn't clawed his way to the position of Regional Chief for Blackrock through business acumen, social grace, or management skills. He had done it through pure, shuddering violence.

  In the management hierarchy of Kunlun Corp, where profit and efficiency were god, Andrew was an anomaly.

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  But his position was dictated by the unique geography and politics of the Blackrock sector.

  Blackrock sat on the border between the Southeast and other territories—a true lawless zone. Far from the constraints of the core districts, it was a cesspool of gray industries, smuggling, exiles, and mercenary groups.

  Here, laws and business regulations were nothing more than scrap paper. The only things people listened to were a heavy fist and a warm barrel.

  Thus, the higher-ups—specifically Sato Juichiro—needed a man with overwhelming martial force to suppress the chaos of the frontier and ensure Kunlun’s interests remained inviolate.

  Andrew Zoe was that sharpened blade.

  Kane’s eyes then locked onto the detailed breakdown of Kunlun Corp’s internal combat ratings.

  This system was the authoritative standard derived from countless hours of combat data, human limit testing, and cybernetic integration assessments.

  From highest to lowest, the ranks were: SSS, SS, S, A, B, C, and the bottom tier, D.

  These weren't just letters. Each major rank represented an insurmountable chasm—a generational gap not just in physical strength, but in neural reaction speeds, cybernetic synchronization, and tactical processing power.

  To be even more precise, each major rank was further divided into three sub-tiers.

  For instance, Rank A was not a broad label; it was strictly split into A+, A, and A-.

  This granularity meant that even within the same class, the difference in power was visible to the naked eye.

  According to Kunlun Corp's standard operating procedures and personnel standards, a Regional Chief for a normal-sized sector generally only needs to possess B-Rank or B+ Rank combat capabilities to handle daily riots and conflicts.

  A B+ Rank combatant has typically undergone significant gene optimization or basic cybernetic augmentation. They are proficient with heavy ordnance and possess neural reaction speeds far beyond a normal human—more than enough to dismantle small local gangs with ease.

  However, Andrew Zoe’s rating was a staggering A- Rank.

  Seeing this, Kane’s brow furrowed into a deep knot.

  While A- Rank and B+ Rank might seem close on paper, this was the most terrifying "watershed" in the Kunlun Corp rating system.

  Breaking through from B-Rank to A-Rank—even if it was only the entry-level A-—meant the combatant had achieved a qualitative leap.

  The combat power of an A-Rank versus a B-Rank was simply incomparable; it was a gap akin to a dimensional strike.

  The tactical simulations in the intelligence report provided despair-inducing data: an A-Rank combatant, fully equipped, could simultaneously take on at least twenty B+ Rank combatants.

  Moreover, this would not be a grueling battle or a narrow victory—it would be a one-sided massacre.

  The neural conduction speeds of an A-Rank allowed them to evade and counter-attack before a B+ Rank could even pull the trigger.

  Their muscle density and advanced cybernetic plating could shrug off the kinetic impact of most B-Rank weaponry.

  Most terrifyingly, their brains were usually equipped with advanced tactical assistance chips, allowing them to parse battlefield dynamics in an instant and pinpoint the weaknesses of twenty B+ enemies with crystal clarity.

  To an A-Rank powerhouse, a siege by twenty B+ combatants was nothing more than twenty moving targets in slow motion.

  This overwhelming military superiority also perfectly explained another mystery in the intel: why Andrew Zoe remained securely in his position despite making numerous administrative errors, losing significant supplies, and bungling the situation with the Stoneborn.

  In the eyes of Sato Juichiro and the Kunlun high command, administrative flaws and minor economic losses were insignificant compared to an A-Rank asset—a weapon of mass destruction that could suppress any rebellion and be deployed in border conflicts at a moment's notice.

  Andrew Zoe’s mere existence was the ultimate deterrent against the lesser factions in the region.

  What truly sent a chill down Kane's spine was a red-colored annotation at the end of the report.

  According to Felix’s cross-referencing and analysis of past combat footage, to this day, no one in Blackrock Town or the surrounding areas had ever seen Andrew Zoe fight at full strength.

  Whether he was facing renowned bounty hunters or well-equipped assault teams from rival gangs, he ended every representative conflict in a matter of seconds, maintaining an air of ease—even playfulness.

  No one had ever pushed him to the brink. No one had tested his physical limits or the overload threshold of his cybernetics.

  In battle, the unknown is often the most terrifying factor.

  Kane enlarged the holographic screen, meticulously studying Andrew Zoe’s equipment manifest and the structural diagram of his bodily augmentations.

  This information had been siphoned from Kunlun Corp’s medical and ordnance databases via high-level hacking.

  According to the intelligence, Andrew Zoe was not a practitioner of ancient martial arts relying on raw physical strength; he was a cybernetic monster—a perfect synthesis of technology and slaughter.

  His core augmentations were staggering. First, he was equipped with A-Rank Ocular Implants. These eyes didn't just grant him dynamic vision dozens of times superior to a normal human’s; they integrated thermal imaging, electromagnetic spectrum scanning, ballistic trajectory prediction, and microsecond-level weakness analysis. In any lighting condition, no matter how complex, an enemy’s movements had nowhere to hide.

  Second, he had undergone an A-Rank Skeletal Plating transplant. This meant the critical weight-bearing bones and joints throughout his body had been replaced with high-molecular composite alloys. This A-Rank skeleton granted him terrifying durability and load-bearing capacity; he could shrug off the kinetic impact of a mid-caliber sniper rifle and generate enough explosive force to tear through an armored vehicle with ease. He could leap from a ten-story building and land unscathed, or weather a small-scale explosion with his bare body.

  The most lethal components, however, were the A-Rank Gauntlets implanted in his forearms. These were no mere metal brass knuckles, but devastating weapons deeply integrated into his nervous system and A-Rank skeletal structure. The intel indicated that these gauntlets housed high-frequency oscillation generators and miniature directional explosive charges. When he threw a punch, it carried not only horrific physical momentum but also released high-frequency shockwaves upon contact, instantly shattering the target’s internal armor and organs.

  Aside from these three core A-Rank augmentations, every other part of Andrew Zoe’s body—including his subcutaneous ballistic fiber layers, artificial heart-pump system, and tactical neural interfaces—was top-tier B+ Rank. This luxurious and scientifically optimized modification scheme left his body with virtually no discernible shortcomings or weaknesses.

  He was a heartless, tireless, and perfectly armed killing machine.

  The ghostly blue light of the holographic projection flickered in the room, casting shadows over Kane’s face, which had grown pale from prolonged contemplation.

  He stopped pacing and slammed his hands onto the table, his eyes locked onto the photograph of Andrew Zoe’s arrogant face on the screen.

  The suffocating gap in power, the formidable background of Kunlun Corp, and the looming shadow of Sato Juichiro—each was a mountain capable of crushing him to dust.

  Facing such a nightmarish adversary, Kane felt an immense pressure, so great that his heart trembled slightly.

  But in that trembling, there was no retreat. There was only a slowly boiling rage and the resolve for a desperate, life-or-death gamble.

  The image of Old Tock lying in a pool of blood often haunted his dreams; it was a debt that had to be paid in blood.

  Even if the path ahead was a bottomless abyss, even if he faced an invincible killing machine, he would not falter. He would have his revenge.

  Besides, he held something in his hands that Andrew Zoe would never expect...

  "Aaaaagh—!!"

  Suddenly, a shrill, agonizing scream tore through the silence of the canyon.

  The sound came from the southeast, piercing through the barrier of the rock walls and echoing in the valley. It wasn't the howl of a beast, nor the roar of an indigenous species.

  It was Crag!

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