Chapter 73

Arizona fell into darkness as all the power from the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station was drained by Li She. In the darkness, Li She transformed back into human form and, once again, found himself running naked. Fortunately, he rushed into a dry cleaner's in the dark, found a suitable set of clothes, and put them on. He then found a parked car, broke into it, and drove away at high speed.

A complete power outage in the entire state of Arizona was an impossible event in the industrially advanced United States. Such a major incident caused panic, as without electricity, all infrastructure came to a halt.

The Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station had to operate at full capacity to barely maintain the basic power output.

Such a significant event could not be kept secret, and major media outlets reported the situation, but the U.S. government covered it up as a nuclear power plant accident.

At this time, in the specialized medical area of 'Zone D-10,' the most advanced doctors in the country were working frantically. Sixty A-class and thirty S-class psychics were all severely injured. Vincent's ribs were all broken, piercing his internal organs and causing massive internal bleeding. If he were an ordinary person, he would have died long ago, but as an S-class psychic, Vincent's body was strong enough to survive.

This incident alarmed the U.S. President. 'Zone D-10' was a critical guarantee for U.S. national security and the foundation of America's status as the world's leading superpower. Now, with all the high-level combatants severely injured, such a heavy blow had never been encountered before, not even during World War II.

After more than twenty hours of emergency treatment, Vincent, on a ventilator, finally woke up. The nearby surveillance cameras had captured the battle scene, and the two-minute footage shocked all the U.S. leadership. After Li She transformed, his appearance with double wings and a red armor was like a demon from hell. His supersonic speed and overwhelming power convinced the Christian U.S. leadership that this was indeed a demon from hell. Otherwise, how could all the high-level combatants of 'Zone D-10' fail to deal with him? This was the only explanation they could think of.

After all, 'Zone D-10' had deployed thirty S-class and sixty A-class psychics, a force capable of destroying a large city. Only a demon from hell could possess such extraordinary power. The U.S. government even brought in a large number of clergy and experts in mysticism to analyze the battle footage.

The Liu family, once a top family in China, had lost much of its influence due to the death of the old patriarch and attacks from political rivals. However, even a fallen camel is still larger than a horse. The Liu family was aware of the significant events in the U.S., though they knew much more than the general public.

"Five nuclear power plants in the U.S. have experienced power leaks? The Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station was completely drained of its power reserves? Brother, do you think this could be Li She's doing?" Liu Baojia, the second son of the Liu family, asked Liu Weiguo.

Liu Weiguo, smoking a specially supplied cigarette, looked at the documents in his hand and remained silent for a long time. After the last incident, the Liu family had lost its influence, and many former political rivals had come forward to accuse the Liu family of abusing their power. Without the protection of the old patriarch, the Liu family had lost much of its influence.

"How many people were lost in 'Zone D-10'?" Liu Weiguo asked Liu Baojia.

"According to the intelligence bureau, 'Zone D-10' suffered a significant blow. Thirty S-class and sixty A-class psychics were severely injured, and the power reserves of the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station were completely drained, causing a power outage in the entire state of Arizona!" Liu Baojia said.

Hearing his brother's words, Liu Weiguo crushed the cigarette butt and remained silent for a long time. "It seems to be the same person. I didn't expect Li She to be so strong. 'Zone D-10' is the ultimate combat force of the U.S., and even they couldn't handle Li She."

Liu Baojia, a major general in the military, naturally knew what 'Zone D-10' represented. It was an organization similar to the Central Special Operations Group. Why was the U.S. able to maintain its status as the world's leading superpower? Besides its massive nuclear arsenal, it was because of the psychics in 'Zone D-10.'

China's position among the world's nations was also due to its nuclear arsenal and the Central Special Operations Group. However, the Central Special Operations Group had only 23 S-class psychics and 10 masters of internal strength. While the high-level combatants were comparable to those in the U.S., the number of A-class psychics and masters of subtle strength was much lower, which was why the U.S. had always suppressed China.

"Brother, the old patriarch's incident has made our Liu family a laughingstock. If we don't avenge this, we will never be able to hold our heads high in the country," Liu Baojia said solemnly.

"Yes, after this incident, many families that once supported us have turned to others, and even our own power has been divided. I can't swallow this humiliation!" Liu Weiguo said through gritted teeth.

"What should we do? Li She is so strong that even using nuclear weapons might not be enough. How many experts would it take to deal with him?" Liu Baojia said helplessly. After all, if an individual's strength could rival a nation, ordinary people were truly helpless. Although the Liu family had immense power, they were at a loss against such an unpredictable expert.

"Hmph! Since Li She has fled to the U.S., let the U.S. deal with it. 'Zone D-10' has suffered a heavy loss, and the grudge between Li She and the U.S. is now deep. You should leak Li She's information to the U.S. and let them take action!" Liu Weiguo said.

Liu Baojia's eyes lit up. That's right, Li She had fled to the U.S. and caused such a commotion. The U.S., as the world's leading superpower, would not let this loss of face go unpunished. "Brother, this is a brilliant move! If we send some people to impersonate Li She and cause more trouble, the U.S. will have no choice but to take drastic action!" Liu Baojia said.

Next, the Liu family used their connections to subtly 'send' Li She's information to the U.S. After the U.S. government's full efforts, all ninety psychics from 'Zone D-10' were saved. Most of the injuries were external, and Li She had controlled his attacks. Although the injuries looked severe, with the expertise of U.S. medical professionals, only a few with spinal injuries remained in a coma, while the rest were out of danger.

The President had visited several times. Seeing the 'Zone D-10' psychics gradually recover, he was relieved. If 'Zone D-10' had been paralyzed due to this incident, it would have been a significant blow to the U.S.'s national status.

Vincent, the head of the 'Psychic Management Zone,' slowly regained consciousness after treatment. The intelligence personnel of 'Zone D-10' also provided the information obtained from China.

Vincent's chest was wrapped in bandages, but the internal injuries were not a big deal in 'Zone D-10' with its advanced medical facilities. Vincent had suffered even more severe injuries before.

Enduring the pain in his chest, Vincent began to read the detailed information about Li She, which even mentioned his master, 'Old Ghost.'

Vincent frowned and said, "A Chinese person?" Recalling how Li She was suppressed by gravity and air psychics and endured the attacks of everyone, revealing half of his yellow skin, Vincent was more certain that this was Li She, with the same skills and audacity, and the ability to absorb nuclear power.

"China is truly a land of hidden dragons and tigers! I didn't expect a fugitive to have such strength. But why did he transform into a demon? Wasn't he identified as a martial artist with internal strength in China?" Vincent muttered, puzzled. The more they investigated, the more confused they became. This failure of 'Zone D-10' and the injuries to all high-level combatants were Vincent's responsibility. However, this blow made Vincent more clear-headed. A powerful enemy was not to be feared; what was to be feared was an unknown enemy. The more they investigated Li She, the more mysterious he became.

What could turn a thief into a martial arts expert? Watching the footage of Li She's battle with the seven scholars at the Chinese nuclear power plant, Vincent thought about the battle he and his team had with Li She. What could turn a martial artist into a demon?

Meanwhile, as Vincent and the U.S. leadership were troubled, Li She was driving to Las Vegas. Li She, unaware of all this, had returned to Las Vegas with the stolen car. This time, he had gained a significant amount of energy, a total of 14 million energy points. This amount of energy was enough to sustain him in a high-level world for several decades. With such a long-term plan, he was confident he could gain more fortune. In the days that followed, Li She studied various TV shows and movies with Wang Yuyan and her daughter. The advancement of 'Drought Demon' relied on blood and yin energy. Excessive yin energy would attract the world's will, while the yang energy in the blood could mitigate this impact.

However, ordinary human blood, besides mitigating excessive yin energy, could not help with advancement and would instead create immortal monsters known as 'zombies.' Only blood rich in spiritual energy could advance the 'Drought Demon.'

Such blood could only come from divine beasts or beings with cultivation. This was why Jiang Chen could not advance. In the world of "My Date with a Vampire," divine beasts were extinct, and those like the Queen Mother, the Human King, and the Bodhisattva Guanyin were either too powerful for Jiang Chen to consider or too weak to be of any use if absorbed.

However, Li She, with the 'Divine Thief Order,' was different. He could break through the barriers of different worlds and travel through countless realms. Li She was like a loophole, a computer virus, that invaded countless worlds, and the world's will had the least effect on him. This was why Li She had the ability to steal the fortune of countless worlds.