’They’re chasing me this hard? Did they know I was planning to bolt, so they opted for a missile barrage... or is this the protagonist’s halo at work?’

Qi Suian didn’t know why, but it didn’t make much of a difference to him.

’I wonder if I’ll be able to switch the protagonist’s halo on and off at will once I gain control of the Profound Virus.’

He had indeed relied on Celestial Fate: Profound for considerable growth and opportunities. But, how should he put it... basically every opportunity that came his way was just another word for trouble.

For him, growing stronger in peace was far better than being forced to do so through one crisis after another.

While he was lost in thought, the AI-controlled car suddenly spun out. Thank goodness he was wearing a seatbelt, or he would’ve been thrown clear.

But even so, the Tai Sui God was violently shaken.

Qi Suian fared a little better, since he had the Tai Sui God for protection.

BOOM!

The massive explosion erupted in an instant, leaving Qi Suian no time to think about anything else.

The AI had spun the vehicle precisely to evade that attack.

"You can’t escape!" Chunyu Bao’s furious roar echoed as the Tai Sui God rapidly exited the vehicle.

A missile screamed down from the sky, but before it could hit Qi Suian, an attack from a Floating Cannon completely disintegrated it.

At the same time, Chunyu Bao rapidly closed the distance. In the blink of an eye, he was only ten meters from Qi Suian.

The AI immediately activated the Purification Force Field at maximum power.

Chunyu Bao was now only three and a half meters from Qi Suian when, at the critical moment, he stopped in his tracks.

A bone-chilling instinct warned him that moving any closer would be fatal.

He halted and quickly retreated. Only after reaching a safe distance did he begin to seriously study the Armored Man before him. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

As expected, communications were cut off again. Chunyu Bao, however, was prepared.

"What is that? Why do I feel like I’ll die if I get any closer to you?" Chunyu Bao demanded coldly.

Based on his behavior, Qi Suian knew without a doubt that the guy’s intelligence had been nerfed.

Otherwise, what normal person would ask their enemy a question like that? And even if they did, it’s not like the enemy would actually answer.

Because of the power disparity between them, the protagonist’s halo could only go as far as nerfing Chunyu Bao’s intelligence.

Seeing this, Qi Suian unhesitatingly cranked his own infection level up to "Severe, 99%."

By doing this, the power he could exert through Celestial Fate: Profound was now infinitesimally close to that of a Zombie Dominator.

It was a good thing he had completed the D-rank talent, Virus Host. Otherwise, he would never have dared to redline it like this.

Chunyu Bao’s answer came in the form of a net woven from two Dark Energy Beams.

"Twice as fast as before. So you did optimize your energy weapons."

"Hand over the technology, and I’ll grant you the mercy of leaving your corpse intact." Chunyu Bao easily dodged the attack and sneered.

Qi Suian couldn’t help but gasp. ’The protagonist’s halo... is this terrifying.’

He had benefited from good luck before, but this was the first time he had witnessed the ’intelligence reduction’ effect up close and personal.

For Chunyu Bao to still be spouting such nonsense at a time like this... he was a textbook example of a villain who dies from talking too much.

Chunyu Bao himself, however, was completely unaware that there was anything wrong with him constantly talking instead of attacking.

[Enemy is on alert. Floating Cannons cannot land an effective hit.]

[Attempting kill by overloading Purification Force Field.]

The AI didn’t suggest retreating, as it knew the enemy was far faster. Escape was impossible.

Unless the Tai Sui God possessed a dedicated mobility module, it could never outmatch its opponent’s speed.

"You still dare to resist me? Do you have any idea..." Chunyu Bao began to say, only to see the Armored Man suddenly charge forward, supported by the Floating Cannons.

In that instant, every cell in his body screamed in terror. An aura, like that of a natural predator, momentarily stunned him.

"This... This is impossible!" Chunyu Bao was utterly stunned. He stood there dumbly, completely unable to react.

In an instant, he was engulfed by the force field.

The shock of imminent death finally snapped him out of his stupor, and he retreated without a second thought.

But he was a step too late. Though he managed to escape the force field’s range, nearly half of his body had already been annihilated.

It was the effect of the protagonist’s halo, combined with the overloaded Divine Purification Force Field, that had created that momentary stun.

Of course, the target of the stun hadn’t been Chunyu Bao himself, but the Profound Virus inside his body.

Space distorted slightly as Chunyu Bao activated his special ability, Spatial Jump, trying to put more distance between them.

But the AI had anticipated this. The Floating Cannons fired in unison, and two Dark Energy Beams precisely struck the space around him just as he was using Spatial Jump.

Hitting Chunyu Bao directly? That was unrealistic. By the time he activated his ability, he had already begun the jump, entering a state where he couldn’t be attacked.

Besides, the beams weren’t fast enough. Targeting the spatial distortions around him was far more precise.

In the next instant, Chunyu Bao reappeared. Only this time, it was just his head and half a torso. The rest of his body had been turned to paste, squeezed out of the spatial rift.

Even so, Chunyu Bao wasn’t dead. He was still trying to escape, writhing on the ground like an insect.

He wasn’t slow, but it was nothing compared to his speed at his peak.

The Floating Cannons fired their Dark Energy Beams once more, weaving a Dark Energy Net in an attempt to surround him.

But Chunyu Bao desperately tried to make another Spatial Jump.

This time, however, he failed. The Dark Energy Net interfered, preventing his ability from forming.

"It’s over, Supervisor Chunyu," Qi Suian said.

Trapped under the combined pressure of the force field and the Dark Energy Net, the activity of the Profound Virus in Chunyu Bao’s body was suppressed to its absolute minimum.

"No, you can’t kill me! Do you have any idea who my dad is?" Chunyu Bao said, his face contorted in fear as he uttered the classic line.

"Of course I know. The majority shareholder of the Watchman Morning Company."

"Don’t tell me you’re about to say that if I kill you, the Watchman Morning Company will hunt me to the ends of the earth," Qi Suian said mockingly. From the very beginning, they were already locked in a fight to the death.

Chunyu Bao started to say something else, but Qi Suian simply injected him with an inhibitor serum and used the force field to forcefully suppress the Profound Virus’s activity in his body.

He lost consciousness before he could finish his sentence.

Qi Suian skillfully hooked Chunyu Bao up to a life support system, thoughtfully staunched his bleeding, and then tossed him into a Subspace Stable Pocket.

[Enemy reinforcements detected approaching. Engage?]

"Well, they’re already here. It’s a fight to the death anyway, so I might as well kill as many as I can."

"Besides, I’m quite curious to dissect other models of combat programs."