Chapter 169: The Electric Flying Sword
Chapter 169: The Electric Flying Sword
"Luring the snake out of its hole..."
Ji Xinghuo pondered for a moment. The plan was simple and had a high chance of success, but there was one problem: he would be facing immense danger.
The Qingyuan Association had sent a legendary assassin to kill him, and the next time, they might send an even more formidable foe.
The only ones stronger than a Legend Tier Two were the Heavenly Kings.
Ji Xinghuo smiled bitterly. "Director Zhou, what if this plan of luring the snake out of its hole attracts a Heavenly King instead?"
He could withstand a few blows against a Legend with his strong defense, but if he encountered a Heavenly King, he estimated he would be instantly killed.
There were only 49 Heavenly Kings worldwide.
The Qingyuan Association, which had dispatched a legendary assassin, might also be able to enlist a Heavenly King.
"I know it's dangerous, but this is the decision of the bureau," Zhou Yishang explained. "The Sharp Sword Bureau currently knows nothing about the Qingyuan Association. However, we speculate that the probability of a Heavenly King making a move is low. After all, there are only a few Heavenly Kings, and once they take action, their identities will be exposed."
This was just a guess...
Ji Xinghuo scoffed inwardly. The so-called decision of the bureau was probably made by the director and the three deputy directors.
If the life of a Chi Xiaojian Shi could be exchanged for the enemy's identity information, the Sharp Sword Bureau would likely not hesitate.
Zhou Yishang understood Ji Xinghuo's thoughts and said seriously, "Rest assured, the bureau won't deliberately send you to your death. We value the safety of every swordsman."
"How much value?" Ji Xinghuo glanced at Yao Xuan, who was silent beside him. "Will you assign more Xuanyuan Swordsmen to protect me in secret?"
"No," Zhou Yishang replied unexpectedly. "The bureau will gradually withdraw all protection."
"What?"
"Just listen to me first," Zhou Yishang smiled. "If there's always a Xuanyuan Swordsman by your side, the enemy might not dare to make a move. So, the bureau is considering another way to ensure your safety, which is to enhance your strength so that you can protect yourself."
Ji Xinghuo's eyes lit up. "What specifically will we do?"
Zhou Yishang smiled mysteriously. "Do you know why the Sharp Sword Bureau was originally called the Sharp Sword Bureau?"
"No," Ji Xinghuo shook his head.
"Because we have a sword, the sharpest sword on Earth." Zhou Yishang replied.
Yao Xuan's face changed slightly beside them.
Ji Xinghuo noticed her reaction and guessed something. The bureau's idea was to give him a powerful sword for self-protection?
"We analyzed your combat video with Gui Lang, and your defense is very strong, comparable to a Legend. Your speed, reaction, and burst strength are all quite good, but you have two weaknesses. First, your star power is insufficient and cannot support prolonged battles, and second, your lethality is lacking."
Zhou Yishang smiled and said, "There's no quick way to increase star power, but we can give you enough lethality to threaten or even kill legendary aliens."
"That's the Purple Electric Sword!"
Purple Electric Sword? Ji Xinghuo had never heard of it before and asked curiously, "Is this sword very powerful?"
Zhou Yishang nodded.
Yao Xuan obviously knew about this sword as well and whispered, "The Purple Electric Sword is a Tianqi one-star weapon."
"Ah?" Ji Xinghuo was astonished.
At the end of the 21st century, the Star Defense Council (ADC) established a standard grading system for weapons and equipment. In reality, this grading system originated from the stars with only minor changes in nomenclature to make it more understandable to Earthlings. Its essence remained the same.
The grades, from low to high, were: Regular, Fine, Superpower, Apocalypse, and Myth! The Fine and Superpower grades were further divided into three stars, with one star being the lowest and three stars the highest.
Superpower equipment came with supernatural effects and was made from expensive materials using advanced craftsmanship. Their value ranged from millions to hundreds of millions of yuan.
Generally speaking, the more supernatural effects and the stronger the power, the higher the value.
For example, the Magic Sound Longsword that Ji Xinghuo possessed was a top-tier Superpower three-star weapon with six sound-based supernatural abilities. If it were auctioned off, its selling price would undoubtedly exceed 100 million yuan, and if the buyer was eager, it might even fetch two or three hundred million.
Superpower three-star was the strongest equipment that most aliens could obtain.
The next grade was Apocalypse.
The most significant characteristic of Apocalypse-grade weapons and equipment was that they couldn't be mass-produced and were almost always unique, with only one piece existing worldwide.
Of course, there were a few exceptions.
The word "Apocalypse" implied world destruction.
Apocalypse-grade weapons and equipment were further divided into five stars. Even the lowest Apocalypse one-star had far superior power to Superpower three-star, and its value couldn't be measured in monetary terms.
On Earth, there were fewer than ten well-known Apocalypse-grade weapons and equipment.
And most of them were Apocalypse one-star.
These Apocalypse-grade equipment were all famous and extremely powerful. They either belonged to Heavenly Kings or were in the hands of various national agencies. Many enthusiasts had ranked them, but the rankings were subjective and often disputed without a conclusion.
Ji Xinghuo knew quite a bit about those Apocalypse-grade equipment but had never heard of the Purple Electric Sword.
However, since it was Apocalypse one-star, it must be extraordinary.
"Don't think too far ahead," Zhou Yishang reminded him. "The Purple Electric Sword is only temporarily lent to you, not given to you. Moreover, when you carry the Purple Electric Sword, you must maintain constant contact with the bureau, restrict your range of activities, and cannot leave Chang'an."
"So strict..." Ji Xinghuo was stunned.
"If you run away with the Purple Electric Sword, both the director and I will have to resign. Then, the first task of all the Sharp Sword Bureau swordsmen will be to find you," Zhou Yishang said solemnly.
"How could that happen? I've always been obedient to orders.
Zhou Yishang laughed meaningfully, "But you have a record."
Ji Xinghuo was speechless.
"Does your current physical condition affect your activity?" Zhou Yishang asked. Upon receiving an affirmative reply from Ji Xinghuo, he nodded and said, "Now follow me to the Sharp Sword Bureau headquarters to collect the Purple Electric Sword, and then we'll head back to the hospital for you to rest."
Ji Xinghuo changed his clothes and followed Zhou Yishang out of the ward.
A special car was waiting for them in the parking lot. After the two got in, the car drove out of the hospital and sped through the streets, entering the most core area of Chang'an, the Capital Administrative District.
This was the smallest of Chang'an's 36 districts, but also the most prestigious.
The main agencies of the Asia-Pacific Community Government were all headquartered in this district, making it the center of power and one of the most heavily guarded and safest places on Earth. It was a place that everyone was familiar with from the news and videos, yet also strange and distant.
The special car drove into the basement of an inconspicuous building that was only about thirty stories tall. The exterior of the building was a conventional rectangular structure, devoid of any distinctive features.
However, its location said it all.
This building was located less than a kilometer away from the Yuan Prefecture Government, and one could see the iconic ruling hall of the Yuan Prefecture just by looking up.
The car drove into the garage and passed through three security checkpoints before stopping in a large enclosed elevator shaft. The elevator then began to descend, going a hundred meters underground.
"Let's go."
Zhou Yishang led Ji Xinghuo out of the car.
Before them was a spacious underground space, and Ji Xinghuo saw a man standing there waiting. A magnetic field scan made his heart skip a beat.
This man was a legendary powerhouse.
He was an elderly man, his hair still black and his skin free of wrinkles, with a tall and vigorous stature. However, his eyes betrayed a life of experience, and one could tell at a glance that he was much older than he appeared, at least over a hundred years old, perhaps even older.
Although Ji Xinghuo was seeing this elder for the first time, he knew who he was, having seen his profile many times before.
He was Li Hui, the director of the Sharp Sword Bureau.
"Director."
Zhou Yishang quickened his pace and greeted the elder.
Ji Xinghuo also respectfully called out, "Director." The elder before them was a true legend, having followed the Supreme Leader in his youth, achieving great things and contributing to the creation of the Asia-Pacific Community. Born in the 1960s, he was even older than the Supreme Leader, now in his 160s.
With each evolution, an alien's lifespan extended accordingly.
Depending on the subtleties of their evolutionary progress, their lifespans varied. A legendary alien could live up to around 200 years.
Li Hui had been a legend for nearly a century, yet he remained at that stage, his physical functions already beginning to decline, making it almost impossible for him to evolve again and ascend to the rank of Heavenly King.
Thus, he had only a few more decades to live.
"Yishang, you're here," Li Hui said warmly, his gaze falling on Ji Xinghuo. He sized him up for a moment before continuing solemnly, "Starfire, we're entrusting a heavy responsibility to you this time. I have a hunch that this Qingyuan may be a powerful enemy that has been lurking for a long time, with connections to many domestic forces. We must root them out and eliminate them."
"Yes, Director," Ji Xinghuo replied loudly.
Li Hui nodded, looking pleased, and then led the way.
Ji Xinghuo and Zhou Yishang followed him into a secret passage, through multiple identity verifications and checkpoints, and finally arrived at a tall alloy blast door.
Li Hui verified his identity through iris, voice, and genetic scans. He then entered a long password and inserted a constantly changing electronic key, after which the metal door slowly opened to reveal a small chamber.
The chamber was barely 50 square meters, with nothing hidden from view.
In the center was a table-like platform, on which lay a sword.
Ji Xinghuo examined it closely.
The sword was peculiar, with no sheath, and at first glance, no blade either. However, when viewed from a different angle, a faint purple blade came into sight. It was thinner than a cicada's wing, almost transparent, about four centimeters wide, and so thin that it was invisible from the side.
The hilt was a conventional cylindrical shape, about fifteen centimeters long, made of metal, and also a light purple color. The design was extremely minimalistic, with dozens of tiny holes dotting its surface.
The most unusual feature was the lack of a guard.
The hilt and blade were connected, creating a somewhat abrupt appearance that clearly distinguished it from Earth-made swords.
"Is this the Purple Electric?" Ji Xinghuo exclaimed in surprise.
Li Hui smiled, picked up the sword, and removed a small metal disc from the bottom of the hilt. He handed it to Ji Xinghuo and said, "Stick it on your temple."
Ji Xinghuo looked at the metal disc in his hand, about a centimeter in diameter, with one side smooth and the other engraved with what looked like human facial features. Although he was seeing it for the first time, he could sense a technological beauty in the design, as if the symbol held profound meaning.
He did as instructed and stuck the metal disc to his left temple.
Instantly, he felt a sting, as if the metal disc had embedded itself into his flesh, leaving only a shallow ring on the surface of his skin.
Beep!
Ji Xinghuo heard a voice in his mind, and in the next moment, his neural network received a flood of information, all pertaining to the sword.
His eyes widened in shock. "This is an electric flying sword!"
(End of Chapter)
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