On the building's rooftop.

  Xia Li casually crouched in a corner. Just one floor below his feet was the location where Qiming Mining would conduct their transaction with an unknown party.

  Currently, he was waiting for Ke Xiao to transmit the order to strike.

  【Xia Li, bad news. I just received information support from the Democratic Government about the security personnel's armament levels】

  【Over thirty D-class personnel, ten C-minus class personnel, one quasi-B class personnel】

  【The mission difficulty has now risen to B+】

  Neither the Democratic Government nor Hidden Wing could fully predict the opposing party's security strength—they could only provide a rough range.

  As for margins of error, rising from B to B+ actually fell within reasonable tolerance.

  【Convert armament levels to standard realm strength】

  Xia Li had Heaven Chip help him convert the combat power measurement standards—these two values corresponded.

  Some Spirit-Tech didn't follow the cultivation path. For example, full mechatronic modifiers had integrated Heaven Chips and integrated Spirit Cores but no cultivation realm.

  Spiritual energy was only used as a power source.

  Therefore, besides standard realm strength, the more accurate classification system of armament levels emerged.

  【Using E-class armament as an example: equals standard Qi Refining strength. E-minus corresponds to early Qi Refining, E-plus corresponds to late Qi Refining】

  After Heaven Chip provided the data, extrapolating could determine this transaction's security level.

  D-class armament meant standard Foundation Establishment combat power.

  C-minus class armament meant early Golden Core combat power.

  And quasi-B class equaled half-step Nascent Soul.

  【Sister Ke, are you sure this is a single-person mission completable at Golden Core?】

  Xia Li was stunned by their luxurious security lineup. He'd assumed the difficulty would be no more than three Golden Cores and about a dozen Foundation Establishment.

  That difficulty he could completely handle.

  【Except for the quasi-B target, all other personnel are full mechatronic combat modifiers—three parts weaker against cultivators】

  【Against us Hidden Wing, another half weaker】

  【You're not who you used to be. Now you're their natural predator】

  Ke Xiao explained why this mission was rated B-class. Full mechatronic modification was somewhat weaker against cultivators of equivalent combat power.

  After all, Earth's cultivators also had full tech loadouts. Having both tech and cultivation naturally made them stronger than purely tech-based mechatronic modifiers.

  And Hidden Wing had many technical attack methods specifically targeting intelligent machinery, specializing in countering mechatronic modifiers.

  Xia Li was previously easily defeated by a D-class personnel because the Xia Li of that time couldn't even reach the threshold to leverage technical advantage.

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  Now was naturally different!

  【So in other words, the main difficulty is actually that quasi-B personnel?】

  【Yes. That person is secondary objective one—Qiming Mining General Manager Kim Soo-tae】

  【Didn't expect that guy to have quasi-B combat power...】

  Xia Li was slightly surprised. That seemingly frail, scholarly-looking person actually had considerable combat strength.

  Indeed, one shouldn't underestimate these faction leaders—with sufficient resources, combat power could be piled on.

  After learning all this, Xia Li suddenly recalled his last armament level assessment.

  Back then he couldn't beat a company D-class combatant, and his armament level was rated F+.

  【What does F+ armament level equate to?】

  Xia Li asked Heaven Chip.

  【Stronger than an ordinary adult. Equivalent to an experienced martial artist or a special forces soldier with hot weapons】

  Hearing this assessment, Xia Li also recalled his conditions back then. Though he had seventh-layer Qi Refining cultivation, he lacked weapons and effective attack techniques.

  Divine thought hadn't been cultivated yet, and his control of Divine Sense Intrusion was insufficient.

  Both Heaven Chip and Spirit Core performance were rather outdated.

  【Calculate my current armament level】

  【Please wait...】

  【Your armament level is currently C】

  The armament level calculated by Heaven Chip delighted Xia Li, showing his growth during this period had been quite remarkable.

  C armament level equaled standard Golden Core strength.

  With his current mid-Foundation Establishment cultivation, reaching standard Golden Core strength was already impressive.

  Adding Hidden Wing's technical advantages, those mechatronic combatants actually posed no threat. Ultimately, the only threatening target was just one person.

  After evaluating the enemy-versus-self gap, Xia Li's confidence surged. He'd always harbored fear toward Earth's cultivators and tech armaments, always feeling he couldn't pull ahead of them.

  After all, he'd witnessed Spirit-Tech's terrifying power.

  【Xia Li, operation begins in three minutes. You can deploy the signal jammer now】

  【After operation begins, you have ten minutes to resolve everything. Regardless of outcome, immediately retreat after ten minutes!】

  Ten minutes.

  This was how long it took for the various detection devices throughout Upper City to detect anomalous signal zones and dispatch people to investigate.

  【Understood】

  Xia Li had the phase ring operate at minimum energy consumption. Though this greatly slowed the speed of retrieving items, it also suppressed spatial fluctuations to minimum.

  A full minute later.

  Xia Li finally retrieved the phone-sized signal jammer.

  Setting a two-minute delayed activation, Xia Li stuck it to the rooftop. The signal jammer's effective radius could cover the entire floor below.

  Then...

  Xia Li walked to the rooftop's edge with extremely light steps, lightly leaping onto the outer wall, then turning to face the night sky.

  The night view from atop the building was beautiful—like a sea, a sea of light, also like the Dirac Sea he'd once seen.

  He closed his eyes.

  Raised both hands in a posture as if embracing something. He was feeling the wind.

  The rooftop wind was indeed quite strong...

  When he was critically ill, he'd also gone up to a rooftop. He'd had thoughts of jumping off and ending it all, because his family's attitude was too resolute—they insisted on continuing treatment.

  He felt like a burden.

  Yet he didn't dare actually jump. He'd be letting down his family, and would die looking ugly. Cancer had already worn him down to skin and bones—he felt that if he had to die, he wanted to die peacefully.

  But five hundred years later today, jumping from the rooftop was instead for survival.

  Time to prove himself!

  Awakening from cryogenic sleep...

  Waking from darkness...

  Let the embers burn once more!

  【Xia Li, operation begins!】

  Ke Xiao transmitted the operation start order.

  Xia Li also opened his eyes at this moment, falling backward facing the sky with his back to the ground.

  【Copy】

  Meanwhile.

  Inside the conference hall that had reserved an entire floor.

  Kim Soo-tae stood before a large glass window, wine glass in hand, admiring the night view.

  Once this deal was complete, his parent company's position would also rise.

  But...

  Suddenly something fell!

  What was that?

  It was...

  A person?

  His gaze and Xia Li's gaze met at this exact moment. More terrifyingly, Xia Li's hand was already aimed at him, a concentrated ball of flame gathering in his palm.

  "Security personnel, prepare for combat immediately!"

  Kim Soo-tae roared. The glass window shattered at this moment as Xia Li fired a Dragon Breath round directly through, scoring a close-range hit on Kim Soo-tae.

  Then Xia Li twisted in midair, riding the wind and charging into the floor.

  Xia Li pulled out a human-height large sniper rifle, aimed at Kim Soo-tae's head, and fired directly.

  But what came after was even more terrifying.

  Large sniper rifles were difficult to fire continuously.

  Yet a phantom appeared behind Xia Li. The phantom was actually generating bullets and handing them to Xia Li, allowing him to rapid-fire the sniper in short succession!

  However, Kim Soo-tae also reacted quickly. He raised his hand and blasted a fireball to smash the ceiling, burying himself within, then activated his force-field shield and immediately began emergency recovery.