novelraw Chapter 18 : The Symphony of Steel
Chapter 18 : The Symphony of Steel
Chapter 18: The Symphony of Steel
Although Chen Mo’s entire plan had been carefully designed, everyone in the 【Candle Dragon】 task force—including Chen Mo himself—was still trapped in conventional thinking, completely underestimating the true power of a transcendent being.
They did not know—or perhaps they knew, but could not comprehend without personal experience—that the era had changed!
The day before Chen Mo’s capture operation began, Liu Gang already sensed that something was wrong.
He stood by the window of his office, observing the surroundings of the company through a high-powered telescope.
He noticed several unfamiliar “sanitation workers” around the area. Their sweeping movements were clumsy and stiff, yet their eyes occasionally flicked toward the company’s front gate.
An “delivery driver’s” electric scooter broke down three times at the same intersection, each “repair” lasting more than half an hour, yet he never left.
Their postures, gazes, and the seemingly casual positioning among them—all carried a scent Liu Gang knew all too well. It was the unmistakable aura of elite scouts who had undergone rigorous military training.
“Being watched.”
Liu Gang put down the telescope, his gaze turning cold.
He did not know whether the other party were police officers or other players from the game.
But years of military service had instilled in him the habit of always preparing for the worst.
While he was pondering countermeasures, a call came in on his satellite phone—an encrypted number he had never seen before.
“Mr. Liu Gang?” A processed, genderless synthetic voice came through the receiver.
“Who are you?” Liu Gang’s voice was low and wary.
“Someone who wants to help you stay alive.”
The electronic voice continued, “You’ve already been targeted by the authorities—a secret department codenamed 【Candle Dragon】. They’ve confirmed your ‘special nature’ and are preparing to capture you.”
Liu Gang’s heart sank sharply, but his face remained expressionless.
“Their plan is to capture you alive.”
The electronic voice maliciously emphasized the words “capture alive.” “They want to take you back, tie you to a lab bench like a lab rat, cut open your body, and study the secrets of your abilities.”
“They want to know what extraordinary secret lies within your blood.”
To be treated as an experiment? To be dissected and studied?
Those words pierced straight into the place Liu Gang resisted most.
Above all else, he valued his dignity. To be dissected like some lab animal was something he would never accept.
A violent fury surged from the depths of his heart!
“Why should I believe you?” Liu Gang’s voice carried a killing intent.
“Believe it or not.”
The synthetic voice seemed to chuckle. “A friendly reminder—they’ll move in at four a.m. tomorrow. Good luck, Transcendent.”
The call ended abruptly.
Liu Gang listened to the busy tone for a long while, then slowly crushed the satellite phone—battery and all—into a lump of twisted scrap metal.
“Dissection and research…”
He raised his head and looked out the window at those disguised “eyes.” The last trace of his hope for a peaceful resolution vanished completely, replaced by a cold, bone-deep killing intent.
That night, he did not go home. Instead, he stayed in the company and activated the highest-level defense protocol.
He would let those who sought to make him a lab rat understand—they were not facing a helpless rodent, but a steel lion driven into a frenzy!
……
Four a.m., the darkest hour before dawn in Jiang City.
“Action begin!”
With Chen Mo’s command, a manhunt targeting the “Transcendent” officially began.
More than a dozen unmarked police vehicles stopped silently around the perimeter of the “Blackwater Security” company. Dozens of fully armed SWAT officers, like panthers in the night, swiftly occupied key positions—a vast net quietly closed in.
“Team One reporting: outer perimeter secured!”
“Team Two reporting: in position, ready to breach!”
“Sniper Team Three reporting: all vantage points locked, ready to provide fire support at any time!”
Reports came one after another through the comm channel.
Inside the command vehicle, Chen Mo stared fixedly at the real-time drone feed.
“Team Two, proceed as planned! Remember—our primary objective is to draw him out! Do not open fire recklessly!”
“Roger!”
Soon, two detectives dressed in power company uniforms, carrying toolboxes, walked to the gate of “Blackwater Security” and pressed the doorbell.
“Who is it?” A wary voice came through the intercom.
“Power company. Checking the line,” one detective replied.
There was a short silence, then the gate creaked open.
The unexpected ease stunned everyone.
A foreboding feeling rose in Chen Mo’s chest.
Too smooth—so smooth it felt like a trap.
From behind the gate, only Liu Gang emerged.
He wore a black tactical uniform, hands in his pockets, calmly observing the two “electricians” before glancing up toward the building, where a few sniper scope reflections flashed faintly.
“Checking the line? You came all the way here to check mine?”
“Or perhaps you’re someone else. I’m not a fan of talking in circles—speak plainly.”
A faint, mocking smile curved Liu Gang’s lips.
The two detectives felt their hearts leap to their throats, momentarily speechless.
“Mr. Liu Gang, we’re with the Jiang City Public Security Bureau’s 【Candle Dragon】 task force,”
At that moment, Chen Mo’s voice boomed through a loudspeaker across the street, “You are suspected of involvement in multiple incidents seriously endangering public safety. Please cooperate with us and come in for investigation!”
With his words, dozens of SWAT officers armed with shields and rifles surged out from all directions, encircling Liu Gang.
Dozens of black muzzles pointed at him from every angle.
Above, police drones hovered, infrared targeting lights locking firmly onto his body.
Liu Gang glanced around, his gaze finally resting on the open space in the center of the parking lot.
He smiled faintly, raised both hands, and began walking step by step toward the “trap” Chen Mo had prepared for him.
“Good, target is entering Zone A!”
“All units standby—prepare to engage!”
Chen Mo stared at the screen, his palms slick with sweat.
Liu Gang calmly walked to the center of the parking lot, stopped, and lowered his hands.
He looked at the drones circling overhead, then at the SWAT officers surrounding him, and a cold smile spread across his face.
“Endangering public safety? Cooperate with investigation?”
His voice was not loud, but it carried clearly to everyone present. “You want to take me back—to see how my transcendent power came to be, right?”
Hearing that, Chen Mo’s heart plummeted.
How did he know?!
A leak!
“Warning! Suspect Liu Gang! Immediately surrender! Otherwise we will use force!” shouted the SWAT captain.
Liu Gang ignored the warning. He slowly raised his right hand.
Then, under everyone’s horrified gaze, he snapped his fingers lightly.
“Then let me show you…”
“…the wrath of steel.”
In that instant, centered on Liu Gang, an unprecedented storm of metal erupted!
“Rumble—!”
The ground shook violently!
Dozens of parked cars in the lot and nearby streets suddenly lifted into the air, as if seized by invisible hands!
Doors, hoods, tires—every metal component disassembled, twisted, and reformed in an instant!
Metal guardrails were uprooted, writhing like silver serpents!
Heavy manhole covers shot skyward like whirling blades!
Huge billboard panels ripped apart from high-rises, turning into a blizzard of metallic shards that merged into a sky-darkening torrent of steel!
“Open fire! Open fire!”
The SWAT captain screamed hysterically.
Gunfire thundered. Bullets poured toward Liu Gang like rain.
Yet, within three meters of his body, they froze midair—as though colliding with an invisible wall—then reversed direction, flying back even faster than before!
“Puff! Puff! Puff!”
Blood sprayed everywhere!
The dozen SWAT officers in front didn’t even have time to scream before their own bullets riddled them like sieves!
“Monster! He’s a monster!”
The surviving officers broke completely. Facing this apocalyptic sight, they panicked, dropped their guns, and fled.
“Snipers! Fire! Fire!” Chen Mo roared from inside the command vehicle, eyes bloodshot.
Several muffled gunshots followed—high-caliber sniper rounds screamed through the air toward Liu Gang’s head.
Liu Gang merely flicked his wrist.
The ground beneath him cracked open, and a thick wall of reinforced concrete rose up, effortlessly blocking every bullet.
“My turn.”
Liu Gang’s eyes turned frigid as he swung his right hand downward!
The dozens of floating car wrecks plummeted like a meteor shower, crashing into the police positions with world-shattering force!
“Boom! Boom! BOOM!”
Explosions erupted one after another, fire roaring skyward!
Sturdy armored police vehicles were torn apart like paper before the rampaging steel beasts!
Even the elite soldiers equipped with the newest exoskeleton armor became living targets.
Their proud armor became their deadliest cage—Liu Gang merely willed it, and their suits twisted and crushed inward, pulping the men inside!
Inside the command vehicle, Chen Mo stared blankly at the screen, his mind blank.
The plan he had been so proud of, the modern weaponry he trusted—before this overwhelming, irrational power—they all seemed absurd, laughably fragile.
At the center of the chaos, Liu Gang slowly rose into the air.
Countless shards of metal circled him, converging into a grotesque yet majestic throne of steel.
He sat upon that throne, overlooking the inferno of his own creation, his gaze devoid of mercy—only the detached indifference of one who ruled above all.
This scene was recorded clearly by countless shocked citizens from afar, trembling as they held up their phones.
Within minutes, the videos spread across the entire internet like wildfire, shattering all attempts by the authorities to suppress public discourse.
This time, no one claimed it was special effects. No one called it a hoax.
Because that apocalyptic reality had surpassed the limits of human imagination.
Transcendents were no longer whispers hidden in the shadows.
They had descended before everyone—in the most violent, most domineering fashion imaginable!
……
Inside Yun Ge’s apartment.
Yun Ge looked at the image of Liu Gang—like a god descending from the heavens—and the burning ruins of steel beneath his feet.
A satisfied smile appeared on his face.
He lifted his teacup and blew gently.
“Excellent. Excellent.”
“The debut of the Transcendent needs a stage grand enough.”
“When the order and weapons mortals are most proud of collide with absolute power, what kind of despairing sparks will fly?”
“I’m very much looking forward to it.”
He took a delicate sip of tea.
“Now let the mortals of the entire city witness this ‘Symphony of Steel.’”