Achieving Demon Godhood from Unlocking Talents

SCRAPE!

Beneath the night sky, a cloud of dust and debris kicked up.

Two figures in tactical helmets charged toward the side wall of the factory, hastily slowing their steps as they neared it.

RAT-A-TAT-TAT!!

The sound of an assault rifle tore through the air from above, spraying fire indiscriminately.

Several figures providing cover fire on the concrete ground to the side scrambled for cover, their raised riot shields CLANGING as they were peppered with bullets.

Seizing the opportunity, Lu Chao and Yang Wangtao quickened their pace, hugging the concrete brick wall as they rounded it toward the back.

Perhaps sensing something, the gunman at the window seemed about to lean out to take a look.

But then,

BANG!

a Patrol Department officer below suddenly fired, aiming near the window.

A chunk of concrete exploded, startling the gunman, who quickly ducked back to the side.

"These sons of bitches from the Patrol Department actually dare to shoot back?"

Lu Chao faintly overheard the furious mutter, but he couldn’t afford to stop.

Hunching over slightly, he and Yang Wangtao continued forward, finally reaching the rear wall under the cover of the other officers.

The distant gunfire no longer deafened them, and both men relaxed for a brief moment.

Looking over, they saw that much of the concrete surface on the rear wall had peeled away, revealing the red bricks underneath, one after another, creating an uneven surface.

Then, their gazes drifted upward.

Near the top of the wall, which was over ten meters high, close to the rooftop, a section of the wall was a much deeper color than the surrounding gray.

It was a patch of black, tinged with a rusty yellow.

It was a steel plate, nearly half a meter long and wide.

’Just as I thought.’

Relieved, Lu Chao and Yang Wangtao exchanged a look and nodded discreetly.

Then, pressing his ear to the wall, he tried to listen for any sound from inside.

There was no movement at the rear wall, only a faint tremor from the grenade explosions.

"Let’s begin,"

Yang Wangtao said, doing the same.

A lock of hair escaped from under his tactical helmet. His side-parted hair was clearly disheveled, and several beads of sweat trickled down his square face.

"Alright."

Lu Chao nodded. He was also sweating; the earlier rush had taken a toll on both of them.

Then, he reached out, ready to use the cracks between the exposed bricks on the corner pillar to start climbing.

But just then, a hand clamped down on his shoulder. He saw Yang Wangtao looking at him.

"You may be more talented than me, but don’t forget."

A rare smile touched the man’s square face as he said frankly, "I’m the captain."

Everyone knew the terror of the unknown. The first person to enter the ventilation duct would naturally face the greatest risk.

And for that very reason, as the captain, he couldn’t be the one to hang back.

"Captain..." Lu Chao frowned, but the other man just shook his head slightly.

"Listen to me. I’ll go first."

Yang Wangtao pulled him aside, stepped up to the corner of the wall, and said, "No matter what happens in a moment, don’t worry about me."

"Just focus on saving yourself first."

He added this instruction, his smile vanishing. His tone left no room for argument.

Seeing this, Lu Chao’s expression grew complicated.

In every respect, he had always felt the man was worthy of the title "Captain."

He also knew this was indeed the most prudent approach.

"Alright."

Finally, forcing himself to remain calm, Lu Chao said no more. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

Then, one after the other, they both reached out.

Lu Chao’s fingers tensed like iron hooks, gripping the corner of an exposed brick on the pillar. Using the uneven gaps to steady himself, he followed Yang Wangtao and began to climb.

Their feet moved nimbly, one after the other in similar motions, pushing off the edges of the bricks to gain height.

Gradually, the two of them climbed higher and higher.

One meter, three meters, five meters...

The Patrol Department officers pinning down the factory’s occupants with suppressive fire seemed to notice something. From behind their riot shields, they quietly glanced over.

Though their expressions varied, they all now showed looks of anticipation and admiration.

’Ten minutes left...’

Yu Yong’s expression was complicated. The mission timeline, relayed by a trusted subordinate, crackled in his earpiece.

Captain Wang, Ruan Hui, and the others would reach the factory’s hidden passage exit in ten minutes and infiltrate from there.

If he wanted to claim the credit for himself, to personally take down Qiu Shan and his men, he had to end this within those ten minutes.

’Can they do it?’

Someone with a similar thought subconsciously clenched their fist.

Before they could snap out of it, they saw Yu Yong push aside all distracting thoughts, take a deep breath, and once again shout a cold command.

"Move in with me!!"

「...」

BOOM!!

As the thunderous sound of an exploding grenade erupted, Lu Chao and Yang Wangtao used the cover of the noise to pull the steel plate open.

The teeth-grinding CREAK was perfectly masked by the grenade’s blast. Lu Chao’s face was grim as he held onto a crack in the bricks with one hand, while Yang Wangtao, now lying on the rooftop, wore an equally serious expression.

Then, they exchanged a glance.

Neither of them moved, quietly listening for any activity inside the factory.

"Kill them! Kill all these sons of bitches from the Patrol Department!"

"RAT-A-TAT-TAT!"

"Cry! You cry again and I’ll fucking kill you right now!"

It was as if a switch had been flipped; the sounds from within the factory suddenly became much clearer.

After confirming there was no other movement near the entrance to the passage, Yang Wangtao gave Lu Chao a reassuring look. He then slid down from the rooftop, grabbed the edge of the ventilation duct with both hands, and, with a powerful pull and tensed muscles, began to squeeze inside.

The sound was faint, almost nonexistent.

His control over his body was clearly superior to that of a typical professional, allowing him to perfectly manage all his muscles and muffle any sound from his movements.

Watching from behind, he looked like a gecko clinging to the duct, crawling forward at an incredibly slow and steady pace.

’Just what you’d expect from the captain.’

Lu Chao’s eyes narrowed as he nodded to himself.

Then, after the other man gave him a slight raise of the hand and an "OK" sign,