Thunder System

“What’s happening?”

“There’s another intense spiritual energy fluctuation from the back mountains.”

“This is the second time today!”

“Is a high-tier Spirit Wielder throwing a party back there?”

“Don’t panic, everyone.”

“The Branch Head should be back at the branch soon.”

“He’s a Tier-3; is there anything he can’t handle?”

Due to the frequent anomalies these past few days, many staff members at the Heaven’s Will Bureau branch were already on edge.

The detection of two spiritual energy bursts in the back mountains today made them even more frantic and overwhelmed.

If a high-tier Spirit Wielder truly went mad and decided to attack the city, they weren’t entirely without means to respond.

Ever since the current President took office, he had implemented a series of significant reforms.

One of his greatest achievements was setting aside differences and collaborating with the Alchemist’s Pact to develop the ‘Heavenly Thunder System’.

Simply put, this was a ‘giant cannon’ installed at every Heaven’s Will Bureau base.

It rapidly accumulated spiritual energy through special alchemical devices, unleashing terrifying lightning energy blasts.

Even at partial power, a single shot from this cannon could easily level a mountain.

The full power output, however, remained a mystery to the public.

It was said that no crisis had yet required the Heavenly Thunder System to unleash its full might.

Since the development of this system, while the number of Spirit Wielders killed by it was not vast, its efficacy was undeniable to both the public and Spirit Wielders alike.

There was even a widely circulated video online, showing a Tier-4 Spirit Wielder melting away within a Heavenly Thunder blast.

The Heavenly Thunder System hung like a sword over the heads of Spirit Wielders.

The Heaven’s Will Bureau constantly warned restless, powerful Spirit Wielders: ‘Dare to cause trouble, and I dare to fire the cannon.’

Wufeng City’s Heavenly Thunder System had never been activated, but now, it had begun its preparations, slowly accumulating spiritual energy.

“Damn it, I’ve finally found my chance.”

Replacing the operator who had been drugged and was suffering from an upset stomach was Old Liu, his eyes heavily shadowed and his hair a disheveled mess.

“How dare they threaten me?”

“Today, I’ll send your Wolf Fang Gang to hell with one shot!”

Hèlóng was no longer someone he could suppress.

As an official Spirit Wielder, Old Liu had secretly colluded with a gang.

If this were exposed, he would not only lose his job but also face criminal charges.

Given the circumstances, he decided to strike first!

Before the Branch Head returned, he would use the Heavenly Thunder System to erase his incriminating evidence.

It didn’t need to be fully charged; just enough power to completely evaporate Hèlóng, a Tier-2, and that abandoned factory from existence would suffice.

Old Liu had already bribed a Wolf Fang Gang member to install a tracking device on Hèlóng.

Now, the device showed that the man was in the back mountains!

The energy was sufficient for two consecutive shots.

Die!

Old Liu raised his arm and slammed it down onto the launch button.

Drip!

He raised his fist again, just as he was about to launch the second shot—

Clap!

“What are you doing?”

“Branch Head?”

Boom!

Although most people regarded the Heavenly Thunder System as a mere cannon, upon firing, it truly lived up to its name, soaring into the sky like a thunderbolt before plummeting from above to its target.

The sound of the Heavenly Thunder System activating was dull and tumultuous.

Even from within the safety-belted operating room, its launch could be heard.

But Old Liu heard nothing now, distracted by the man who had appeared before him.

Old Liu thought he was hallucinating, but the person standing before him was indeed the Wufeng City Branch Head—Féng Yè!

‘No, he wasn’t supposed to return until this afternoon, was he?’

Old Liu had originally had ample time to conceal himself and pin the blame on some other unfortunate soul, but Féng Yè’s early return completely disrupted his plans.

“Do you realize what you’ve done?”

Féng Yè was usually a very stern man in front of his subordinates, and now his face was utterly grim.

Old Liu felt his arm was clamped by an iron vice.

Forget struggling; his entire arm was immobile.

He was merely a small Tier-1, while Féng Yè was Tier-3.

The disparity in their strength was too immense; he couldn’t resist at all!

“As a Heaven’s Will Bureau staff member, what were you trying to achieve by unauthorized use of the Heavenly Thunder System?”

“I, ah… I.” Old Liu had intended to push the Wolf Fang Gang forward as a shield, but the reason wasn’t compelling enough.

No matter how disgusting that gang was, it wasn’t reason enough to use the Heavenly Thunder System to turn everyone into ashes.

The President of the Heaven’s Will Bureau had repeatedly emphasized at the system’s launch that it was not a weapon to intimidate ordinary citizens but the last resort to protect their safety.

In other words, it was not to be used unless absolutely necessary.

“Branch Head, I…”

“Take him away!”

“Yes, sir!”

Almost as soon as Féng Yè’s words fell, a group of people rushed in from outside the door, quickly subduing Old Liu.

Among them were several faces he recognized well.

“Old Liu, what foolishness have you gotten yourself into?”

Old Cui’s expression was complex.

He recalled how Old Liu had looked after him when he first joined the Heaven’s Will Bureau, proving himself a competent senior.

But now…

Old Liu pressed his lips tightly, speechless.

After the culprit was escorted to the holding cells, Féng Yè’s expression did not relax.

Apprehending the troublemaker was merely the first step to quell the incident.

The activation of the Heavenly Thunder System was bound to cause a huge stir in Wufeng City.

How many people had lived their entire lives without witnessing the true power of this giant cannon?

For a long time to come, news headlines would be dominated by the day’s events.

“I was only away on a business trip for a short while; how could so many things happen?”

Féng Yè rubbed his temples, feeling as though he was losing even more hair.

First, the Four Sacred Courts’ young lady broke off an engagement with a good-for-nothing.

Then, an unidentified high-tier Spirit Wielder released spiritual energy within the city.

And now, a staff member had unauthorizedly activated the Heavenly Thunder System.

If he had returned any later, he feared the entire Wufeng City might have been turned upside down!

Once his deputy returned to his side, Féng Yè asked coolly, “How are things?”

“There’s good news, Branch Head.” His deputy pushed up his framed glasses.

“That Heavenly Thunder blast just now wasn’t aimed at the city center; it landed in the back mountains.”

“Oh, that’s good then.”

“However… just a short while ago, we also detected two distinctly different spiritual energy bursts in the back mountains.”

“Based on our estimations, the Spirit Wielders involved are at least Tier-3.”

“Is it related to that high-tier Spirit Wielder you were investigating?”

“Perhaps.”

Féng Yè let out a heavy sigh, then turned to leave.

“Branch Head?”

“I’ll go personally.”

“If it truly is an unworldly Spirit Wielder who just wants to stretch their limbs and enjoy themselves, it’s better to establish good relations with them beforehand.”

After all, changing the weather was not something a Tier-3 could achieve.

Understanding his meaning, his deputy quickly followed behind him, asking if he should prepare a car immediately.

“No need.”

“By the time the car reaches the foot of the mountain, they’ll be long gone.”

“Branch Head, can you fly?”

“No, but I have a way to fly.”

Féng Yè’s words left his deputy utterly bewildered, thinking, ‘Can you fly on a magic carpet or something?’

Indeed, when the deputy saw Féng Yè sitting on a carpet embroidered with red patterns, floating in mid-air and soaring towards the horizon at an astonishing speed, his mouth was agape, wide enough to fit an apple.

Sitting on the ‘magic carpet,’ Féng Yè also felt a pang of emotion.

The variety of new contraptions was truly growing by the day.

Ever since the Alchemist’s Pact was allowed to establish branches and expand its influence within the Sacred Dynasty, more and more peculiar alchemical creations had been introduced.

While many old conservatives still insisted it was a disgrace, younger Spirit Wielders found these alchemical creations immensely interesting.

Féng Yè was not an old conservative.

This business trip was precisely to bring back a new trial product from the Alchemist’s Pact: a flying device called the ‘magic carpet’.

Any Spirit Wielder, with a little practice, could easily master it.

“Tsk, the lives of young people today are truly getting better by the day.”

“Soon enough, even low-tier Spirit Wielders will be able to soar freely in the sky.”

As for how long it would take for the sky to become as crowded as a road, that would depend on when the price of magic carpets dropped from exorbitant to something ordinary people could afford.

With the magic carpet, Féng Yè flew directly through the air, reaching the back mountains in hardly any time.

Then he saw it: the aftermath left by the Heavenly Thunder blast.

A scorched crater, trees burned to ashes, a truly horrific sight.

Fortunately, it hadn’t struck the city.

Otherwise… hmm?

What’s this?

Féng Yè recognized the crater as the work of the Heavenly Thunder System, but why was there also a deep gully on the adjacent mountain?

Although it didn’t fully penetrate the mountain, it looked quite shocking.

‘Could that high-tier Spirit Wielder be responsible for this?’

Féng Yè spotted someone below, immediately leapt from the magic carpet, and landed behind them.

Upon hearing the movement, the person also turned around in surprise, staring at him warily.

“Hello, my name is Féng Yè.”

“I am the Branch Head of the Wufeng City branch.”

Féng Yè briefly introduced himself, wasting no words, and directly inquired about the person’s identity and purpose.

“Qín Yuè.”

“Oh, Miss Qín, may I ask what you are doing here?”

“That Heavenly Thunder, was it released by you?” Mù Qīngyǔ, with her dark hair and golden eyes, pointed at a charred corpse in the deep crater.

If one didn’t look closely, it would be hard to spot.

“Who is that person?”

“The leader of the Wolf Fang Gang, my enemy.”

“I see.”

“Are you that high-tier Spirit Wielder?”

His deputy had told him before he left that the Heavenly Thunder blast’s landing point coincided with the location of the spiritual energy burst.

Upon reaching the destination, he was to be extremely wary of a surprise attack from a high-tier Spirit Wielder.

Féng Yè knew about the Wolf Fang Gang and had planned to deal with them thoroughly upon his return from this business trip.

But was this unfamiliar woman the high-tier Spirit Wielder?

Féng Yè was filled with doubts, and Mù Qīngyǔ’s heart was pounding just as hard.

She was fortunate that a bolt of lightning had descended from the sky, striking Hèlóng into charcoal.

Otherwise, Mù Qīngyǔ truly wouldn’t have been able to resolve the situation, as Hèlóng’s unleashed power had clearly far exceeded Tier-2.

‘He even split the mountain!’

‘I couldn’t possibly have dealt with him!’

While she wasn’t entirely sure why the Branch Head had come personally, since someone had helped her, Mù Qīngyǔ still felt she should thank him and inform him of some of the events.

“I see, you also have a disciple…”

Féng Yè had already concocted a complete story in his mind: a disciple caused trouble, attracting a gang.

The master came to save the day and confronted the gang leader, only to be interrupted by the Heavenly Thunder System.

So… was this person also responsible for splitting the mountain?

It certainly couldn’t have been the Wolf Fang Gang leader; even if that person had been incredibly lucky and advanced to Tier-2, they couldn’t have done such a thing.

The most crucial task now was to confirm that this high-tier Spirit Wielder named Qín Yuè posed no threat.

Powerful individuals often had eccentric temperaments.

If she decided to destroy Wufeng City because her disciple was injured, that would be disastrous.

‘As the Branch Head, I should stand at the forefront, buying time for the Heavenly Thunder System’s second charge.’

‘In short, I must keep her within a sufficiently safe range.’