As the Supreme One's laughter grew more frenzied, waves of energy rapidly emanated from his body.
"The... Supreme One?!"
"How did he appear here?"
"He's gone mad, he's here for revenge!"
"He shouldn't be as terrifying as before, right?"
"Still so arrogant, still thinks he's the Supreme One from before?"
"But what's with the bloodstains on him?"
Onlookers chattered, all backing away.
"Die!"
The Supreme One raised his right hand, shouting, veins bulging on his forehead.
Then, a beam of energy shot out fiercely.
Boom!
The populace now had the strength of ordinary people, completely unable to withstand the energy beam's attack.
Where the beam passed, people were blown to smithereens, and buildings were blasted into ruins.
Buildings without energy protection were as fragile as civilians.
Vroom! Vroom!
Beam after beam shot out, and the bustling, lively street immediately turned into a living hell.
Some survivors who were lucky enough to live dragged their mangled bodies, desperately crawling away from the Supreme One.
Others clutched their severed limbs, wailing in agony on the ground.
The Supreme One's eyes were bloodshot, and he paid no heed, killing anyone he saw, leaving a trail of corpses in his wake.
He continued this way until he reached the palace of the Supreme City.
Originally, this palace was built for the Supreme One by the survivors, allowing the strong to enjoy the treatment they deserved.
However, after the apocalypse ended, the Supreme One gave the palace to the Unified Government for its operations and voluntarily withdrew.
Unexpectedly, this place would become the end point of his journey.
In front of the palace gates stood over a dozen armed mechs, the walls were lined with guards, and two members of the special operations team in AI combat suits stood ready, facing the insignificant Supreme One before the city gate with a menacing aura.
"Lord Supreme One... you have killed so many people, stirring up the wrath of the masses. Newspapers are already fabricating stories of you becoming a demon king."
Wang Hai'an slowly walked out from among the soldiers, his expression one of profound pity, and said,
"But those are minor issues. After all, you are the great hero who ended the apocalypse. It's understandable to occasionally vent when your lover has passed away."
"However... this is the Unified Government's territory. If you take another step forward, it will be rebellion."
"People who have experienced the apocalypse yearn for peace. Causing war will be considered the most intolerable act, so I hope you can calm down."
"It's not too late to turn back now. I'll arrange a good spot for Queen Shila at the Beast Graveyard!"
Fearing that the Supreme One might be persuaded and not take that step, he deliberately mentioned Shila at the end.
The thought of Shila's tragic death only intensified the Supreme One's rage, and the energy radiating from him intensified once more.
The Supreme One's body bulged, and in front of Wang Hai'an, he smashed over a dozen armed mechs into crumpled balls of paper.
In just a few seconds, the defenses at the front gate were completely destroyed.
However, the Supreme One was not faring well either, gasping heavily due to the rapid consumption of a large amount of energy.
The recent battle, coupled with his intense emotional fluctuations, caused the Supreme One's remaining energy to drain rapidly.
He clearly felt that his current state was much weaker than when he had previously eliminated the Unified Guards.
He had to kill Wang Hai'an before his energy ran out and avenge Shila!
The Supreme One mustered his spirits and took another step forward.
"Halt!"
Wang Hai'an shouted again through the megaphone, then yanked Angina's hair forcefully, pushing her towards the city wall.
"If you take another step forward, I'll harm her!"
"Your wife is already dead, you don't want your daughter to die too, do you!"
"Angina..." Seeing his daughter's terrified expression, the Supreme One calmed down slightly.
"I know you are very strong. Why don't we talk this out properly!"
Wang Hai'an hid his body behind Angina, gripping her hair tightly with one hand, and his other hand on her throat.
The Supreme One looked at Angina without speaking.
According to the rules of the post-apocalyptic world, agreeing to negotiate meant admitting defeat.
Not only would the opponent use the hostage to make outrageous demands, but they might even kill both him and the hostage.
Too many such cases flashed through the Supreme One's mind.
But when it came to himself, he hesitated.
All the members of the former Supreme One organization were dead, Shila was dead, and now only his daughter Angina remained. She was his last kin.
If he lost her too... what would be the point of his survival?!
While the Supreme One was hesitating, Wang Hai'an turned to his secretary, Qin Wenxuan, and asked,
"How's it going? Can the AI mechs be deployed?"
Qin Wenxuan frowned and analyzed,
"The AI mechs are our trump card. If they are deployed at the wrong time, we might fail!"
"I've reviewed the Supreme One's battle at the village entrance. His combat power has greatly weakened since then!"
"This shows that our tactic of enraging the Supreme One by killing Queen Shila was successful!"
"Now, as long as we enrage him again, we can further weaken his strength, and our chances of victory will be higher! The angrier he gets, the more beneficial it is for us..."
"It's just... I did miscalculate this time. I didn't expect the Supreme One to still possess such formidable strength after five years..."
Wang Hai'an nodded and said to Qin Wenxuan,
"Everyone makes mistakes, it's nothing, and you've already helped me a great deal!"
"From ostracizing the Supreme One from the Supreme City to calculating the weakening of the other members of the Supreme One organization, almost everything was accurate!"
"The Supreme One himself is an anomaly. It's reasonable that he's beyond your calculations!"
"Thank you for your understanding..." Qin Wenxuan said emotionally.
Wang Hai'an looked at the Supreme One below the city walls. Enraging him... seemed easy enough!
A sinister smile spread across his lips, then he whispered a few words to a nearby team leader.
Upon receiving the order, the latter unhesitatingly swung his alloy combat knife, severing Angina's left hand.
"Angina!"
Boom!
The Supreme One was once again enveloped in blue energy and rapidly charged towards the city wall.
Crack!
The squad leader swung another knife, severing half of Angina's forearm.
Thus, he showed no intention of stopping, chopping down again and again, as if slicing meat, continuing to chop despite Angina's heart-wrenching screams.
Rumble!
An explosion echoed.
The AI mech special operations team had intervened.
Due to the Supreme One's excessive use of energy, leading to a double decline in both physical strength and energy, he was quickly defeated by the special operations team and pinned to the ground.
Wang Hai'an placed Angina's mangled corpse in front of the Supreme One and said expressionlessly,
"Record this: In Year 5 of the New Era, the Supreme One launched a rebellion using his own might and was suppressed by the special operations team. This incident demonstrates that excessive personal strength can lead to mental derangement and destabilize human society!"
"Therefore, from this day forward, anyone drawing energy to become stronger in any form is prohibited. All individuals with physiques beyond the norm must be registered with the Unified Government."
"Everyone must take the Supreme One's rebellion as a warning, and remember: strength is the source of evil."
"Alright, I'm done. Kill him!"