"Die!"
Lone Wolf's roar tore from his chest, thick with grief and hatred.In that single word lived the faces of every brother he had lost—men who once followed him, laughed with him, bled with him.
They had failed the official exams despite their abilities, never becoming detectives.Instead, they chose the dangerous path of mercenaries just to survive.
Now every one of them was gone.
Lone Wolf's hatred wasn't for Chen Fan.It was for what Chen Fan represented—the Detective Alliance.
"Lone Wolf," Chen Fan said coldly, "I don't know what hell you lived through these past years. But what you've done has cost the lives of innocents. As a detective, I cannot, and will not, accept that."
He raised his voice, air frosting around him.
"By the authority of the Detective Alliance—Lone Wolf, you are under arrest."
A chilling aura radiated from Chen Fan, the temperature around him plummeting so sharply that even the air seemed to freeze.
Wind howled, whipping up dust into a swirling wall.
Then—Both men vanished.
BOOM!
Space rippled violently.Their fists collided midair with a thunderous crash. Shockwaves burst outward, blasting dust and debris across the abandoned yard.
"That's it? That's all you've gained in two years?"Lone Wolf's lips curled with open disappointment."For someone like you… this is pathetic."
He shook his head.
"It's hard to believe that in just two years the gap between us has grown this wide."His eyes sharpened, voice dropping to a growl."Let me show you what true power looks like."
A surge of pressure exploded outward.
The unmistakable aura of a Level-3 Esper enveloped the air.Wind whirled around Lone Wolf, forming a miniature storm with him standing firmly at its eye.
"Level 3…"Chen Fan's face tightened. The overwhelming energy made his blood churn.
When they parted ways two years ago, Lone Wolf had been Level 2—same as him.But now… the difference was an entire realm.
"So be it."Chen Fan slid back several meters before digging his feet into the ground, anchoring himself.
"If you've grown stronger… then I'll show you what I've been training."
His eyes burned with battle intent.
"Spark to Wildfire!"
A faint flame flickered in Chen Fan's palm.Feeble.Fragile.As though a breeze could snuff it out.
And yet Lone Wolf instinctively stiffened. Something in that tiny ember felt… dangerous.
Chen Fan watched the flame, eyes growing solemn.
It was orange—ordinary in appearance.But inside that flame pulsed a terrifying density of power… more substantial than his lightning ever was.
"This is only the orange stage. When it becomes blood-red, the Fire-Sky Devouring Art will reach its true peak—flames so fierce they dye the heavens crimson."
A chill crept down Lone Wolf's spine.The two men behind him—those in duckbill caps—burst out laughing.
"Seriously? That little spark is your big secret move?"One jeered. "Even a Level-1 Esper could put out that candle!"
Chen Fan shot them a cold, expressionless glance.
Their power was similar to his… but something about them felt dangerous.Together, they could amplify each other—like two blades forming a guillotine.
They didn't realize they were already standing inside their own grave.
"Spark to Wildfire!"
Chen Fan roared.
Orange flames burst from his fists—silent, unwavering, unreadably hot.
He swung his arm.Dozens of tiny flame-sparks shot out, scattering across the battlefield—surrounding Lone Wolf… and the two men beside him.
The two men laughed louder.
"Lone Wolf, look at this clown! Leave him to us—we can beat him easily."
"Yeah, Chen Fan, keep going! Use your full technique! Honestly, even ten more years of training won't make that spark worthy of the word 'wildfire'!"
Their sneering voices echoed cruelly.
Chen Fan's expression… didn't change.If anything, the faint smile on his lips made them freeze.
A thin, cold dread slid into their hearts.
"What… are you laughing at?" one asked.
Chen Fan's eyes shone like sharpened blades.
"I'm laughing… because you two are idiots."His voice dropped to a chilling whisper."Without the sparks… how do you expect to ignite a wildfire?"
WHOOM—!!
The scattered sparks erupted.
In a split second the orange flames surged upward, blooming like a sunburst.Heat distorted the very air.The ground glowed.
A tidal wave of fire roared outward, swallowing all three men whole.
The flames clung like molten liquid—devouring, binding, dragging its victims deeper.
The power wasn't just destructive.It was overwhelming.
The true terror of the secret art wasn't its raw might—It was its scale.Its fury.Its unstoppable spread.
Screams tore through the inferno—high, ragged, agonized.
A silhouette burst from the sea of fire—Lone Wolf, coughing, skin scorched, hair half-burned.
He escaped.
The other two… didn't.
Their screams faded into the crackling blaze.Then into nothing.
From afar, two black dots streaked across the sky, rushing at high speed.
In moments, they materialized—two combat-suited espers.One wore dark blue armor—Level 2.The other, black battle gear—built heavier, stronger.
A Level-3 Esper.
Heat slammed into them like a wall.The air was so scorching it forced them to slow.
"What terrifying heat… what happened here?"
"Whatever it is, pray the target isn't dead yet. We need those points."
Their cold eyes pierced the distance—straight toward the confrontation at the ruined factory.
Lone Wolf chuckled, voice rough.
"Still the same as ever, Chen Fan. Always saving your strongest move for last."He sneered."But that's it, isn't it? That's your final card."
His gaze snapped to the horizon.Two presences—one cold, one sharp—entered his perception.Familiar.Unwelcome.
He grinned, baring his teeth.Bloodlust simmered in his eyes.
Chen Fan turned sharply.He felt it too—the incoming pressure.
Two young men stepped into view.Combat uniforms.Professional stance.
One in deep blue. Level 2.The other in black—sleek, reinforced, superior in every way.
A Level-3 Esper.
Chen Fan's eyes hardened.
"Liu Wei."