A battle nearing the angel-level scale had quickly stirred the Survivor’s Plaza into a frenzy. Lu Xingchen’s powerful fire abilities and his wide-range attacks caught the heated attention of many convoy leaders. Such a member could undoubtedly be considered a top ace against the night creatures and the Abnormalities.

High above, watching Lu Xingchen withdraw, Qin Feng smiled faintly. “Brother Lu, your superpower display is incredible. With your strength, I believe you can firmly secure a place among the Four Heavenly Kings of my convoy!”

Lu Xingchen did not respond. His expression, rarely so serious, turned grave. He took a deep breath and estimated the plaza’s area and the dense crowd with his peripheral vision. Suddenly, he shot upward into the sky. Seeing this, Qin Feng furrowed his brow, already guessing something, and immediately floated up to follow.

If the opponent was considering the crowd’s safety, then as the leader of the Unlimited Alliance, he naturally had to set an example. Moreover, he had to show calm and decisive suppression rather than passive retaliation.

However, the higher Qin Feng ascended, the more he felt a searing heat wave like a raging sea. Looking up, he was shocked to see an inexplicable extinction cloud spreading for kilometers above the sky—a burning red blaze rolling like a tidal wave.

The crowd on the plaza all looked up and saw that the original clouds seemed to have scorched into a phoenix’s wing spreading across the sky, flames burning fiercely. The heated air surged upward wildly, stirring a strong gale over the entire Galag Black Market district.

Qin Feng frowned and quietly gathered a large amount of metallic elements, swirling like black smoke around him.

“This guy is quite troublesome. Even if he’s not angel-level, he definitely exceeds 9000. He must be dealt with decisively.”

Watching the sky, Qin Feng spoke into his communicator, “Deploy 200 Thunder Prison drones to assist me. After I block his next move, immediately stun him!”

In the underground facility, in front of Wen Dong, dozens of technicians operated various weapons and drones through AI controls, with many equipment components ready. These were all props for Qin Feng to showcase his mechanical manufacturing abilities.

Unexpectedly, the recruitment plan went extremely smoothly. Someone even demonstrated mechanical superpowers for them. Now, their task was to help Qin Feng quickly defeat Lu Xingchen. As long as no one else challenged afterward, the recruitment meeting would be deemed a success. The entire alliance could then aggressively expand recruitment and influence, utilizing the Federation’s abundant resources, weapons, and the Silver Star train to complete a major transfer.

“Two hundred Thunder Prison drones—such firepower. Could there be problems?” Wen Dong couldn’t help but ask.

“Don’t worry. An annihilator-level superpower user has very high physical resilience. Besides, I can’t lose face here. As long as he’s alive and limbed, I’ll catch him and take care of any trouble behind him,” Qin Feng seemed to have considered everything carefully. After receiving the reply, a large swarm of Thunder Prison drones flew from all directions, deployed from aerial airships, disguised as if they were produced by Qin Feng.

At this moment, in the sky, a massive fire suddenly burst from the clouds—a huge, rapidly spinning fire tornado, like a blazing red top descending from the clouds. This “top” was as big as blotting out the sky, with a diameter of several hundred meters. The violent rotation whipped up a fierce hurricane, producing a scorching, roaring sound. From below, unaware observers might mistake it for a giant meteor falling from the heavens.

Lu Xingchen stood above this massive fire tornado, arms wide open. Infinite rings buzzed and spun on his wrists. The furious heat waves whipped his hair upright. Looking at this ‘masterpiece’ created by his superpowers, he couldn’t help but shout the name of his self-invented technique.

“Divine Blaze Skyfall!”

Boom!!!

The violent tornado explosion instantly shocked tens of thousands on the plaza, while millions online watched the livestream erupt with excitement. Qin Feng’s face turned ashen, regretting only calling for 200 drones instead of 2,000.

But it was too late. This had already reached angel-level standards. Qin Feng never psychologically considered himself weaker, and he couldn’t retreat in front of so many witnesses, or else his earlier bravado would be in vain.

Thus, Qin Feng shouted coldly, raised a towering black metal mist that condensed into a giant sword, and charged upward with a heavy slicing sound, aiming straight at Lu Xingchen’s fire tornado!

Boom!

Like a thunderclap, the sharp white sword—Jiang Yun Xing—collided beneath the fire tornado, instantly spraying molten metal. The sky below burst into dazzling sparks, resembling a spectacular ironwork display, both awe-inspiring and terrifying. Many gasped at the sheer ferocity.

Within a moment, the sword felt a faint suppressive force from the low-temperature fire tornado, almost causing Qin Feng to lose his breath. After enduring a few seconds, one-third of Jiang Yun had melted away. The sword, controlled by the powerful magnetic forces, caused severe brain pain and drenched Qin Feng in cold sweat.

The giant sword had not yet unleashed its full power. Controlling the light to ascend, Qin Feng whispered into his earpiece.

“All drones, circle around and take him down!”

Buzzing!

At the control center, 200 Thunder Prison drones with pilots and another 200 artillery drones with pilots formed a sparse swarm, rising into the sky. They precisely dodged the fire tornado, preparing for a frontal sneak attack on An Guangbei.

“Let him see the expansiveness of mechanical superpowers. This is what intelligent warfare means!” An Guang watched quietly, smiling to himself. He thought, I have just adapted to this superpowered body;

the aftereffects and damage are minimal. Combining my experience and the difference in superpowers, I expect my angel-level 10150 combat power can definitely defeat that Lu fellow. Besides, this is my home turf. As a mechanical superpower user operating drones in a systematic battle, I still have some tricks.

Just then, a thundercloud exploded above the fire tornado. Qin Feng looked up and suddenly saw the space above the tornado twisting. Within the lightning clouds, a huge mechanical gate slowly opened. Beyond that gate was a black hole spinning like an exiled distant star, with countless electric arcs flashing. Qin Feng’s drones appeared uncontrollable, swarmed in, and were swallowed by this mechanical spatial gate, which then shut and vanished instantly.

Beep...

In the underground facility, technicians in charge of drone control saw the signals of 400 drones disappear simultaneously on their monitors, their faces turning pale, stunned in place.

“Lost contact?!” a technician shouted loudly.

“What did you say?!” Wen Dong’s expression changed. “Lost contact?”

“Our drones... all... all disappeared!” another technician screamed as if seeing a ghost.

Wen Dong immediately sensed a bad premonition. Pointing at the screen, he ordered, “Quick! Deploy all remaining drones!”

“It’s already too late...” the monitoring subordinate anxiously watched the giant fire tornado gradually engulf Qin Feng’s black sword and said.

Above the plaza, Qin Feng was completely blank, stunned by the sudden disappearance of his entire drone swarm.

“Where are my drones?”

“No...”

Boom!

The fire tornado violently charged down like divine punishment, setting the entire plaza’s sky ablaze.

At this moment, Qin Feng completely lost his senses. His mental energy spiraled out of control;

a large amount of metallic powder scattered chaotically. The giant sword, condensed by his superpower, quickly loosened from sharp and solid to a pile of scattered ash, instantly swallowed by the fire tornado.

In panic, Qin Feng felt a near-death sensation flood his heart. Staring at the fire tornado about to devour him, he forgot defense and escape, his brain crashing as he cried out,

“Stop, stop, don’t kill me!”

Whoosh!

The fire tornado instantly shattered into a storm of blazing fire stars. Lu Xingchen stood arrogantly on the flames as if a god descending from the sky. Upon hearing Qin Feng’s plea, he immediately withdrew. However, the explosion’s shockwave from the tornado still slammed the bewildered Qin Feng down. Many saw a black smoke-emitting figure fall from the sky, crashing into the dry grass pile in the plaza park with a thud, kicking up dust and leaving a human-shaped crater.

Silence.

The scene became terrifyingly quiet.

Countless eyes glanced at the fallen Qin Feng, seemingly unaware if he was dead, then looked at Lu Xingchen standing amid the blazing clouds. This sudden reversal stunned everyone for a moment.

After a few seconds of silence, uproar erupted in the plaza.

“Is that the one who fell Qin Feng?”

“Dead?”

“Probably not...”

“Whoa!!!” The noisy voices kept rising.

“Qin Feng is supposed to be angel-level. How did he get knocked out in two minutes?”

“Damn, fire superpowers are really awesome!”

“Mechanical superpowers are this weak?”

“What the hell, that guy was acting so cocky, challenging sixteen people. He couldn’t even beat one of the Four Heavenly Kings. What kind of recruitment is this...”

“This is a huge embarrassment...”

At the large convoy camp, Lin Qingyu, Lei Zhen, Luo Heng, Han Tiege, and other convoy leaders stood up. Meanwhile, Xu Yufei, standing among the Four Heavenly Kings, looked utterly incredulous.

“Lost already?” Lei Zhen widened his eyes in surprise, slapping his thigh and laughing loudly. “Oh man, this is so embarrassing, hahaha.”

“Angel-level combat power of 10150 shouldn’t lose so easily,” Luo Heng muttered, looking at the chaotic recruitment scene. “Even if superpower indexes are only references, can mechanical superpowers not defend or evade?”

“Either he underestimated his opponent, or his angel-level is inflated,” Han Tiege said bluntly.

Lin Qingyu shook his head. “The Evolution Light rankings are monitored by the Seraph department, so no fudging. But superpower combat depends on more than indexes. The attribute differences matter greatly. For the same superpower index, beast and blood-type powers are hard to compete against natural elements like fire and lightning. But Qin Feng’s defeat was too quick—he was so composed in the first two moves.”

He then glanced at Jiang Yun, whose expression remained calm, unlike theirs. He asked, “Captain Jiang, what’s your take?”

“I think Qin Feng shouldn’t worry about losing the duel now,” Jiang Yun’s eyes brightened. “He should be concerned about how this recruitment meeting will end.”

“That’s true,” Lin Qingyu’s eyes darkened. “Looks like trouble is brewing.”

At the front, the recruitment plaza was in chaos. Li Jian rushed over anxiously with some subordinates and pulled the charred Qin Feng out of the pit, like pulling a radish.

Fortunately, Qin Feng wore interstellar-grade nano power armor, which protected him. Since Lu Xingchen had withdrawn, Qin Feng had no major injuries but was unconscious. His mental chaos caused his eyes to roll back repeatedly, foam at the mouth, and convulsions. The tragic scene was a stark contrast to the previous heroic and impassioned recruitment meeting where he vowed to challenge twelve Zodiac Lords and the Four Heavenly Kings.

Seeing this, Li Jian’s face turned deathly pale. He turned angrily toward Lu Xingchen, who had descended from the sky.

“Are you cheating? Where did Qin Feng’s drones go?!”

“Hey, be reasonable,” KIKI, one of the Four Heavenly Kings, stepped forward with a disdainful look. “The rest of you can’t even use power armor, and we haven’t even talked about you using so many ready-made drones as weapons. How can you lose and then accuse others of cheating? So many people saw the fight. Losing is losing. Can’t you be a bit graceful?”

KIKI’s words struck deep. The recruitment duel required others not to use weapons, but since Qin Feng was a mechanical superpower user, most assumed those drones and his armor were part of his combat method. Few considered that such a duel was unfair from the start.

If you brought 10,000 drones or a robot army, how could it be a contest of superpower strength?

After KIKI’s remark, many began to realize the issue. Qin Feng used pre-prepared drones in battle, which might be acceptable, but now he lost and can’t even accept it?

Li Jian grew furious, glaring at KIKI and accusing, “Oh, I know! It must be you! You’re a mechanical superpower user. Hand over our drones!”

“Tch, who’s got your drones?” KIKI, typical troublemaker, stood with hands on hips, scolding, “You lost, so what? In times like this, a convoy leader doesn’t have to be the strongest fighter but must lead the team to survive. Mechanical superpowers can do so much—manufacture weapons and ammo, modify convoy defenses, develop survival tools, farming equipment, even shelters, vehicles, flyers, starships. These are important potentials. You might not beat fire powers, but at least respect your teammates. Is this how you treat your new team members?”

Her words caused a huge uproar among the thousands recruited into the Unlimited Alliance. Spectators chattered, laughed, and debated loudly, making the recruited members embarrassed. Their leader was being carried away charred, while the recruitment’s referee was in sharp conflict with the team’s backbone. The awkward atmosphere caused many to consider quitting, fearing the recruitment might fail, leading some to leave the ranks.

“You!” Li Jian’s face darkened. He felt the situation slipping out of control. Through his earpiece, Wen Dong shouted, “Stabilize the situation! Arrange squads and accommodations. Get everyone back to the base!”

Li Jian’s eyes darted between KIKI and Lu Xingchen, then softened and said, “Fire powers are truly strong with high attack. Superpower battles are unpredictable. But our goal is the Abnormalities. Miss Chen is right. As a mechanical superpower user, you know best—mechanical superpowers have great functional and support potential. As a civilization-building-level ability, the development space is huge. I believe if we all work together, we will create miracles!”

KIKI squinted and smiled, glancing at the carried-away Qin Feng. “Maybe wait until the captain wakes up? With so many watching, maybe everyone thinks this fire superpower user is more suitable as captain?”

Lu Xingchen nodded cooperatively. “I have no objections.”

Everyone’s expressions changed at once. They looked at Lu Xingchen, who had just descended like a god of fire, gaining many fans. The online network was ablaze with his fame. Though not on the Evolution Light rankings, he quickly became a known expert.

Li Jian’s face darkened. Even a fool could see these people were here to cause trouble. He felt trapped and quickly sought help from Wen Dong.

“This is bad. Both of these guys are troublemakers. The scene is about to get out of hand.”

No sooner had he said this than Wu Bin, standing among the Four Heavenly Kings, turned coldly and left the team.

“King Wu, where are you going?” a recruiter anxiously shouted, but Wu Bin silently left the plaza, clearly not planning to return.

Meanwhile, Lu Xingchen and KIKI exchanged glances and, hearing Lin Xian’s orders, left the plaza as well.

Three of the Four Heavenly Kings left abruptly. Seeing this, Li Jian was dumbfounded. With these heavy-hitters gone, the plaza erupted in chaos. Many new recruits also began to leave.

“It’s over. They left before recruitment finished. This alliance probably won’t take off,” someone gloated.

“Not necessarily. Qin Feng is angel-level, and the benefits are good. They’ll still recruit people.”

“They might recruit, but the strong ones are gone. This recruitment meeting is basically pointless and damages team morale.”

“Yeah, Qin Feng didn’t need to do duels anyway. Just showing mechanical powers casually would attract people.”

“Exactly. Non-combat superpowers forcing duels. The fire superpower god ran away. What a pity...”

“Look, many convoys are approaching Miss Chen Sixuan and Lu Xingchen. Probably trying to recruit them.”

At the plaza, watching many teams leave, Xu Yufei, the only remaining Heavenly King, sighed with disappointment. For him, joining the team was fine if it succeeded, but with this situation, even if he wanted to, his over ten thousand subordinates wouldn’t agree.

He told Li Jian, “Looks like cooperation is off the table. Tell Captain Qin that Steel Bastion is quitting the Unlimited Alliance.”

Li Jian gritted his teeth, eyes red from watching the mass loss of recruits. He wanted to explode but was helpless.

Wen Dong’s curses rang incessantly in his earpiece. The underground city was probably even angrier.

With Xu Yufei included, they had recruited over twenty thousand people, most elites. The Four Heavenly Kings, mechanical superpowers, and twelve Zodiac Lords attracted more talent. This model was exactly what Li Jian and Wen Dong had planned. They were so close to success, but angel-level Qin Feng bizarrely lost before millions of eyes, which was unacceptable.

Soon, fewer than five thousand remained on site, and only three Zodiac Lords were left. These people had been key figures with ability and ambition. A deflated team couldn’t hold members.

“Uncle, why not let the Night Patrol arrest those two troublemakers? Then we can prove ourselves and turn the situation around. These people just want protection and benefits. I don’t believe we can’t recruit top talent!” Li Jian cursed at the chaos.

“No need,” Wen Dong’s voice grew serious in the communicator. “Just received notice: the council has had an incident. Have people immediately bring recruits back to the orbital station for resettlement. You and Qin Feng return to the Geocore Administrative Hall, quickly!”

Li Jian’s face changed. He hurriedly responded, “Understood.”

He handed the scene to recruiters and cadres, then left through the ground passageway with the unconscious Qin Feng.

Watching the hastily ended recruitment meeting, the crowd erupted with complaints. It was 4 p.m., and the Unlimited Silver Star Alliance’s failure brought fresh reinforcements to other large convoys.

Suddenly, a commotion arose as someone shouted in the crowd:

“Bad news! The Federation announced council dissolution! City curfew lifted! City gates are open!”

“What? Federation dissolved?!”

“What’s going on?”

The city erupted. Countless people took out phones. The Dawn City intranet was nearly paralyzed. All control seemed gone. Many convoys queuing to leave found the population control bureau and city defense replaced by garrison soldiers, with all gates fully open and unrestricted.

Not only was leaving uncontrolled;

entering was also completely free!

At the convoy camp, all convoy leaders receiving the news wore grim faces.

“Something big is about to happen!” Jiang Yun watched messages pouring in. “South City E Defense Sector reported intercepting over 3,000 survivors carrying level-two dark marks, all escaping from the Qilian Mountains.”

“No expulsion?”

“No way to expel them. The garrison consolidated them into a quarantined zone in the outer city,” Luo Heng reported news from his subordinates. “A large-scale battle is guaranteed tonight.”

“Mass influx of people into the city now. Both exits and entrances are damn clogged,” Lei Zhen sighed. “Everyone, take care. Tonight, we’re stuck. I expect a city defense battle. Once the gates open, the city can’t be safe.”

Han Tiege saw Xu Yufei’s convoy leaving quickly. “Captain Xu’s pretty fast.”

“He’s leaving tonight. Ignore him. Coward,” Lei Zhen waved and left.

“Escaping through the dark won’t be safer than inside, but the city is chaotic. Many fear Dawn City’s doom,” Lin Qingyu’s face grew stern. Before leaving, he told Jiang Yun, “Captain Jiang, when possible, let me and Captain Lin meet. Our alliances should support each other during the transfer.”

“Definitely.”

After finishing communication, Jiang Yun hurried to meet Lin Xian.

Among the crowd, Lin Xian, Ning Jing, and Shiori began retreating. He knew the recruitment was basically over. Seeing Qin Feng being carried away moved him. His earlier scan had found a nearby underground passage entrance in the facility suitable for infiltration. He planned to contact Zhou Jin to discuss operations.

At Dawn City’s Geocore Administrative Hall, the failed recruitment meeting cast a heavy atmosphere.

Zhou Mingyuan was furious but knew anger was useless given the chaotic scene.

He dismissed the former Federation officials and deputies, leaving only Wen Hui.

Wen Hui frowned, completely unsettled.

In the huge hall, only Zhou Mingyuan and Wen Hui remained.

Zhou Mingyuan tapped his fingers slowly on the table, deep in thought. After a long pause, he said, “Wen Hui, if it were you—between suing for peace and the Phoenix Society fleeing Dawn City and the Vanguard Initiative—which would you choose?”

Wen Hui slightly frowned. “I’d choose the former. But would the Phoenix Society spare us? If cooperation leaks, our troops would betray us.”

Zhou Mingyuan nodded and sighed. “Yes. In this world, power can only be maintained by force, which we lack.”

He looked at Wen Hui deeply and waved her away. “Prepare for the Traveler Project.”

Wen Hui’s eyes tightened. She turned and left.

After Wen Hui left, Zhou Mingyuan returned to a secret room containing high-quality crimson inheritance bodies he had selected. One had been given to his subordinate Ji Kun for testing, and the results were clear.

Risks, side effects, mental breakdown, unstable lifespan—all his worries.

Zhou Mingyuan opened the first cryo-chamber, revealing a tall male body in the cold air. He picked up the repeatedly examined nameplate and sighed.

“It has come to this after all.”

Wen Hui left the hall, riding in a car under guard, heading outside the city. She contacted the Wen family members of the Linglong Group for an emergency meeting. The roads were heavily congested. She ordered the driver to detour and contacted Wen Dong via communicator.

“How’s Qin Feng’s condition?” Wen Hui asked.

“Overuse of superpowers caused mental disconnection. Rescuing him now might just make him an idiot. But don’t let Zhou Mingyuan or his people know,” Wen Dong’s voice replied.

“He won’t know. I guess he’s already choosing a new body.”

“Zhou Mingyuan is going to use an experimental body?”

“He has no choice. Whether fleeing with the Phoenix Society or boarding Traveler 1, he must change bodies. Otherwise, lacking strong power, he’ll lose leadership.”

“He’s a cunning old fox. He definitely doesn’t know the fungal consciousness transfer can only last three months at most.”

“Neither the Crimson World nor our side is obliged to tell him that,” Wen Hui said.

“We’ve found that Lu Xingchen and Chen Sixuan at the recruitment are Lin Xian’s people. That purple-haired Chen Sixuan is Zhao Entian’s daughter. I guess they want to take the Silver Star.”

“Let them. Just let that girl inherit them. This world only has a little time left. Private daughters, assets—none of it matters anymore.”

Wen Hui spoke, suddenly noticing the car stopped in a small alley without traffic.

“What’s going on? Why aren’t we moving?”

No response.

Sensing something wrong, Wen Hui reached for her gun. Suddenly, the car door opened. A nimble figure rushed in like lightning and quickly injected a syringe into her neck.

Wen Hui’s pupils trembled as she slowly lost consciousness.

The figure closed the door. A squad had already seized control of Wen Hui’s convoy.

That figure was none other than Chu Yan.

…

In a small alley in Galag Black Market, Lin Xian and his group gathered information with Zhou Jin.

“Headquarters sent word that the Iron Guard Brigade’s main force has reached Kang City, fleet is at Ping City. After Chu Zhaonan announced council dissolution, Dawn City was handed over to us, the Phoenix Society!” Zhou Jin reported.

“So sudden?!” Lin Xian asked.

“This was expected. Chu Zhaonan has bet everything on the Vanguard Initiative and ignores everything else. But his declaration saved a lot of trouble,” Zhou Jin said.

“You mean Zhou Mingyuan?” Jiang Yun asked.

“Yes.”

“So Dawn City is now nominally anarchic?!” Qian Dele frowned.

Zhou Jin’s expression was grave. “Exactly. Supreme command transferred to Garrison Commander Lu Tianye and Seraph Division’s Luo Ming. The outer city is in chaos, and everyone’s pushing into the city!”

“Probably fearing tonight’s black tide, so many dark markers,” KIKI said.

Jiang Yun shook his head. “It’s more than that. The western city’s AB Defense Sectors intercepted increasing dark markers. These people are the last survivors fleeing from Yunjiang Plain. They can’t be expelled or admitted. The garrison is forced into a desperate fight.”

“What about the Night Patrol and City Defense?” Ning Jing asked.

“I guess they’re Zhou Mingyuan’s private militia,” Lin Xian said. “Li Jian and Qin Feng said they’d leave in three days. We must verify that.”

“Based on Chu Zhaonan’s actions, I think the Vanguard Initiative will launch soon,” Monica crossed her arms. “If I were Chu Zhaonan, it’d be ready and could fire anytime. Otherwise, he wouldn’t dissolve the council now.”

“Makes sense,” Lin Xian nodded.

Zhou Jin said, “Iron Guard will enter the city to support tomorrow, but it won’t be easy. The military units here are all garrison troops. Though Dawn City was officially handed to the Phoenix Society, we worry Lu Tianye won’t easily let Iron Guard in.”

“Normal,” Jiang Yun said. “From Phoenix Society’s perspective, their caution is reasonable. The garrison and Night Patrol are similar;

the difference is the garrison is official military led by Lu Tianye, so procedures remain.”

Lin Xian checked his mobile terminal, quickly browsing city conditions.

The intranet was nearly paralyzed, similar to the night of the apocalypse. Major roads were blocked by two-way traffic;

horn blasts and curses intertwined. Refugees from the outer city pushed carts full of belongings toward the inner city, forming deadlocks with convoys trying to leave at intersections. City Defense, Night Patrol, and population control bureau personnel vanished, all order taken over by the garrison.

Galag Black Market and commercial areas erupted in various conflicts and riots. Garrison patrols fired warning shots but failed to quell the chaos.

Numerous convoys fled. Rumors spread in alleys;

survivors ran about shouting “Council dissolved!” Some called “All gates open!” stirring more panic and mass packing of belongings flooding the streets.

Streets were filled with vehicles armed with long guns, cannons, and heavy armor, but few flyers. Only patrol airships from City Defense and various survivor convoy drones remained in the sky. After curfew and controls lifted, these flying devices soared en masse.

Long queues of vehicles formed at city gates for kilometers. Amid roaring engines and children’s cries, the garrison removed checkpoints, only checking for dark marks on entering personnel;

all other inspections were canceled.

Lin Xian sensed disaster and rubbed his brow. The squad’s chatter echoed overhead. He took a deep breath.

“Tonight will not be peaceful. Captain Zhou, we must speed up our operation.”

Zhou Jin understood and turned off the communicator. Information expert Li Su handed over a mobile terminal and opened a terrain map.

“This is the original Star City underground military strategic facility map, top secret. I’ve reviewed it. Multiple passages lead directly to Dawn City’s inner starport. But the inner city is fully sealed now. Heard the underground city people were expelled.”

“They were expelled because this place relates to the Vanguard Initiative’s launch.”

At this moment, Chu Yan’s squad reported through communicator.

“Target Wen Hui is under control. Bad news: from Wen Hui’s consciousness, we learned neither she, Zhou Mingyuan, nor the Crimson World know the Vanguard Initiative’s exact launch time. After preparing the Vanguard Initiative, the Crimson World stopped syncing info with Wen Hui. She’s been abandoned. She and Zhou Mingyuan plan to escape Blue Star aboard the starship ‘Traveler 1’ from a secret military base outside the city. Zhou Mingyuan intends to transfer his consciousness through fungal means into another superpower user. Also, Qin Feng is actually Li Kun, captain of Zhou Mingyuan’s Night Patrol…”

Chu Yan quickly synced the information to Lin Xian: “Two key points. First, Zhou Mingyuan and Wen Hui, based on Chu Zhaonan’s personnel moves, think the Vanguard Initiative will launch during the day, likely in the morning. Second, the Seraph Division secretly transported a device containing Corrosion Cells to the starport, likely the critical equipment for breaking through!”

Everyone grew grim, realizing the severity.

The underground city was evacuating residents. The garrison and Seraph Division surrounded the inner city tightly. Entering the underground city would be extremely difficult.

Lin Xian tapped their position on the map. “Looks like we can only enter here.”

“Look for Crimson World people?” Zhou Jin asked.

“Maybe not,” Lin Xian said. “Since the Vanguard Initiative launch requires S-Class organizations to activate fungal networks, if we find the starship, we might find the person connecting the fungal network to the plan. Even if not, I and Masashi Mochizuki have Crimson World brain-machine conversion technology. If necessary…”

“Then we can connect ourselves!”