Fu Yeseng looked surprised and asked, "Is that the club's car? How did they manage to get it out?"

Cathy, filled with excitement, responded, "I don't know! Maybe when the purple mist descended, these cars were not at the club and just happened to be near the escape route, so they could get them out now. I'm going to check it out; maybe I'll find some familiar faces!"

Cathy's eyes sparkled with hope. As long as she could run into someone she knew, she might be able to hitch a ride. Among the wealthy heirs at the club, she was considered somewhat attractive—many men liked her. Besides that bitch Lancy, she was the prettiest one around.

Thinking of Lancy made Cathy seethe with rage. Lancy had always been the club's brightest star, prettier than her with a wealthier family, stealing much of her spotlight. Standing next to Lancy made Cathy feel like a mere sidekick. Hmph! But now, she was an ability user. Lancy... pfft! She probably died already!

Quickly fixing her hair, Cathy declared, "That RV belongs to Li Shao, and that Hummer is the younger son of the Jin family. I'm on good terms with both of them. I've heard Li Shao's family has high-ranking officials in the military district; this tank is probably here to rescue him."

Fu Yeseng felt a wave of relief. After all, he was a foreigner in this chaotic era, feeling quite fearful indeed. It would be great if he could latch on to the military—everyone knew the U.S. government was pretty "friendly" to foreigners.

"Let's go! We'll catch up with them!" he urged.

"Alright!" Cathy agreed without hesitation.

Fu Yeseng led a few Korean athletes alongside Cathy as they jogged toward the vehicles.

A few minutes later, they saw a convoy parked by the roadside, encircled by a group of people. They could vaguely glimpse a few individuals clad in military uniforms, although they appeared somewhat petite.

Fu Yeseng's heart leaped with excitement. "It's definitely military personnel!" He hurriedly approached them, and just as they neared one vehicle, a man stepped out, eyeing them coolly.

James Lone frowned and said, "Get out of here."

He scrutinized the group before him, noting the expressions and appearances of the few Koreans, but the woman didn't look the same; she seemed to be American. Nevertheless, James Lone wasn't entirely sure, as Korean plastic surgery was renowned worldwide.

Both the woman and the leading man were ability users. James Lone scanned their ability auras—the man was a physical enhancement type, and the woman's power seemed related to flames.

[Cathy] [Age: 23] [Quality: 7.5 (slim and delicate)] [Moral Character: 6 (open lifestyle)] [Overall Rating: 6] [Beep! Does not meet the system's minimum requirement!]

Seeing an American woman mingling with a group of Koreans instinctively made James Lone feel a wave of disgust.

Fu Yeseng puffed out his chest and spoke in broken Chinese, "Sir! We are Taekwondo athletes from Great Baekje. You're military, right? I request to be taken to the 910th unit—I'll request a reward from your commander for you."

Of course, they were Koreans who practiced Taekwondo. James Lone felt more irked. "Get lost!"

Fu Yeseng's face darkened.

Damn it! Just then, a curiosity piqued in James Lone's female companions as they gathered around. Fu Yeseng was about to speak when he was dumbfounded.

The soldiers he had seen a moment ago were all stunning beauties!

How could they be wearing military uniforms? Were they part of some military bigwig's talent troupe? It had to be that way!

Damn it! The American officers were too corrupt!

Fu Yeseng quickly pieced it together; this young man in front of him was likely a confidant of a military officer, tasked with escorting these women back to the 910th unit.

Meanwhile, Cathy spotted a familiar face and exclaimed, "Lancy! You're here too?"

Her surprise was evident. Why was Lancy wearing a military uniform as well?

Lancy, noticing Cathy, furrowed her brow in disdain.

James Lone coldly asked, "Are you close with her?"

Lancy sneered, "Master, this is Cathy. She's gone through eight boyfriends in three years."

Cathy's expression shifted instantly, fearing that Fu Yeseng would judge her; she immediately retaliated, "Bitch! Don't spout nonsense!"

Lancy was unyielding, retorting, "Slut! If you can do it, don't be afraid of the consequences!"

At that moment, a Korean stepped forward, shouting, "This is Fu Yeseng, the former Taekwondo runner-up from Great Baekje! Him riding in your car is your honor, you know!"

James Lone didn't understand the last phrase but was already fed up with the clamor around him.

"Stop speaking gibberish to me!"

With that, James Lone lashed out, kicking fiercely.

Boom!

The Korean screamed as he flew back, collapsing into the purple mist and slipping into unconsciousness.

Fu Yeseng roared in anger, "Damn! You're asking for death!"

He prepared to retaliate, but Cathy was quicker. She suddenly pulled out a lighter, igniting it.

Instantly, flames ignited and transformed into blue fire, radiating an intense heat that caused the surrounding women to recoil in fear.

James Lone, however, found himself intrigued, observing the flames closely.

This woman could control fire?

Fire could be considered a form of energy, and her control over it was somewhat akin to his own manipulation of source energy. The difference was that he could only control the energy within his body—once directed outward, his sword energy would lose control.

Yet this woman seemed different.

She could manipulate the flames outside her body.

"Die!" Cathy glared at Lancy furiously and suddenly pointed.

The blue flames shot toward James Lone like a lightning bolt.

The Koreans erupted in joy.

This man was doomed!

They had witnessed Cathy use her fire to kill before; the flames moved at astonishing speeds, and anyone touched by them would ignite and meet a gruesome end.

What a devious woman!

James Lone snickered, remaining unfazed as he effortlessly dodged the flames.

With a physique over 200, he had superhuman reflexes.

James Lone felt no panic; he had even found the time to analyze the flames mid-air.

To him, the fire exuded a bright glow, evidently gathering immense energy. Of course, it couldn't compare to his infused steel spheres.

The Koreans, oblivious to the situation, cheered, believing the man's first dodge had been mere luck.

"Kill him!"

"Lucky bastard!"

"Chase after him! Burn him alive!"

"Hahaha, dodging won't save you! No one can outrun flames!"

...

As flames pursued him, James Lone weaved around them.

He side-stepped while scrutinizing the flames.

This marked his first close-up examination of an elemental ability; he needed to gather as much information as possible.

Meanwhile, Cathy initially felt smug, but it quickly dawned on her that her flames couldn't catch up to him.

After several frustrating seconds, she found herself exhausted.

The Koreans fell silent, their excitement waning as they began to realize that this man seemed exceptionally fast.

James Lone had gleaned enough about her ability.

Could he extinguish her flames with water?

A thought struck him. In the heart of the fire, he activated his Condensed Water ability.

The blue flames extinguished almost immediately.

Cathy was dumbstruck.

How did the fire go out?

James Lone felt disappointed.

It appeared to be just a normal flame; he had expected something akin to the legendary true fire he had heard about.

Cathy frantically produced another lighter, igniting the flame again.

James Lone activated his Condensed Water once more.

The fire was extinguished once again.

Cathy was baffled:

"Could it be that I'm too tired? Lacking stamina?"

She lit it again.

And again, it went out.

Cathy was frantic.

The Koreans looked on, utterly confused.

What was happening?

Suddenly, a handgun appeared in James Lone's hand, aimed squarely at Cathy.

"Are you done playing around?"

Cathy froze in fear.

"No! Don't shoot! I'm Pedro's daughter! My grandpa is—"

Bang!

Cathy fell back, lifeless and unseeing.