Chapter 483: So It Was You
There was no denying...
These Demon Arrival members were nothing but weaklings.
To the Demon Arrival Organization, these people were clearly disposable pawns. Regardless of their talent or combat ability, they were forced to merge with inferior demon blood, artificially boosting their levels far beyond their actual capabilities.
In short, they were paper tigers.
But now, Ling Zhan didn't even consider these Demon Arrival members worthy opponents.
Under the influence of his "Space Domination" talent...
His figure suddenly appeared at the top floor of the shopping mall.
And when he appeared...
Jonathan, who had been lurking in the shadows, finally revealed himself.
He stared at the familiar yet unsettling figure of his supposed companion with a serious expression.
With a wave of his hand...
Dozens of figures also emerged from the shadows.
They were all members of the Free Federation's seventeenth squad!
Just as Jonathan was about to speak...
Ling Zhan, disguised as a member of the seventeenth squad, casually snapped his fingers.
And as soon as the snap echoed...
Buzz!!
In an instant...
A massive magic formation surged, enveloping the entire shopping mall!
The moment Jonathan and his teammates saw this...
"No!!"
"This person isn't Rio!"
Everyone immediately realized that the man who resembled Rio in both appearance and stature was not Rio at all!
He was an imposter!
And, even worse, this imposter had set up an enormous magic formation with just a snap of his fingers!
They didn't need to be told—this formation was clearly aimed at them!
And judging by the power emanating from it, it had to have been set up by more than ten third-tier archmages!
And what's more, it had been set up in advance!
This...
They were all struck by overwhelming fear!
They realized this person was targeting them specifically!
What shocked them even more...
Was that this man, disguised as Rio, wasn't emitting any trace of inferior demon blood!
Who was this person?
"Contact the Dragon Kingdom and Fusang squads immediately! Tell them to rush to the top floor and support us!"
Jonathan now understood the gravity of the situation.
He had never imagined things would escalate this way!
And...
Where were the Demon Arrival members? With such a huge magic formation activated, surely it should've drawn their attention?
Or maybe...
Had this man already killed all of them?
And had Rio fallen to this man's blade as well?
At that moment...
Countless thoughts raced through the Free Federation members' minds, but none of their questions had any answers.
Fortunately...
Just five seconds after sending the distress signal...
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!!
The sound of multiple figures cutting through the wind reached their ears!
Jonathan's eyes lit up with joy as he saw Zhou Xue'er and Matsuda Rika arrive with their teams!
Perfect...
Now they had nothing to fear from this man!
"Zhou Xue'er, Matsuda Rika! This guy is likely a Demon Arrival member!"
"Hurry and take him out!"
"Once he's dead, the magic formation will shatter, and we can get out of here!"
Jonathan's subordinate shouted excitedly.
He still assumed they were superior to everyone else, even going so far as to bark orders at Zhou Xue'er and Matsuda Rika.
However...
To his dismay...
He suddenly realized that Zhou Xue'er and Matsuda Rika weren't moving at all!
In fact...
Their eyes were filled with nothing but cold indifference as they looked at him!
This...
Something wasn't right!
Something was seriously wrong!
Jonathan's subordinate finally realized the gravity of the situation.
He stepped back toward Jonathan.
Jonathan's face was equally grim.
He suddenly felt as though he had walked into a trap.
"Zhou Xue'er, Matsuda Rika, what's the meaning of this? And..."
"Where's your new captain? Could it be he's already dead?"
Jonathan asked coldly, glaring at Zhou Xue'er and Matsuda Rika.
Zhou Xue'er merely smiled slightly without answering.
But the more she acted this way...
The more uncomfortable Jonathan felt!
"Damn it! Answer me!"
"Zhou Xue'er! Don't tell me you're siding with this guy!"
"Or do you intend to kill your own comrades? Let me warn you, such actions will never be tolerated!"
"If the higher-ups find out, you'll be sent to the Transfer Tribunal and sentenced to death!"
Jonathan's deep voice resonated through the room.
He was keeping his composure, at least for now.
Even at this moment, he still believed that no one would dare act against him.
However...
He seemed to forget...
If he dared to plot against the non-specialist, why couldn't others plot against him?
"Jonathan, don't you find your words laughable?"
"Our Ghost-Slaying Corps has carried out countless missions with your squad, and how many members have died 'accidentally'?"
"And now you have the nerve to bring up the Transfer Tribunal!"
Matsuda Rika snarled with a twisted expression.
By now...
The dead-eyed, petite girl had stopped addressing Jonathan with the respectful "sir."
This change in title spoke volumes about Matsuda Rika's true thoughts.
It also clearly signaled Jonathan's current predicament!
Sure enough.
The moment Jonathan realized that even the usually timid Matsuda Rika dared to rebuke him...
He fully understood the seriousness of the situation!
These people...
They genuinely intended to use this opportunity to wipe out the Free Federation's seventeenth squad!
The irony was...
They had been planning to kill others all along!
It was as if they were living out the saying...
"When you gaze into the abyss, the abyss gazes back at you!"
"I just want to know who this person really is..."
As soon as he finished speaking.
Ling Zhan dispelled his disguise completely.
Revealing his true face.
"So it was you!"
"I didn't expect this!"
"To borrow a phrase from your Dragon Kingdom, this was supposed to be a classic 'the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind,' but it turns out we've walked straight into the hunter's trap!"
Upon seeing Ling Zhan's true face.
Jonathan finally understood.
Damn it!!
This non-specialist must have decided to target the Free Federation the moment he walked into that meeting!
And...
The worst part was, this guy actually dared to do it!
"Surprised?"
Ling Zhan asked calmly.