Ember Base, surface base.
"Captain."
"Mm, I understand. The defensive system in the Ember Underground Core Area has activated."
Benjamin tossed aside Gang Yan's head. His pair of Cybernetic Eyes, equipped with thermal imaging, locked firmly onto the entrance to the Ember Underground Core Area not far ahead.
The warning lights around the entrance flickered on and off, stretching everyone's shadows long.
The heavy alloy blast door radiated a suffocating sense of oppression.
It was as if it were telling Benjamin and the others that if they dared cross this door and step into Ember's core area—
What awaited them would be a nightmare akin to hell.
But at this point, neither Benjamin nor the others would stop here.
Moving forward was their only choice.
Amid the muddy ruins of Ember's surface base in the rain, Gang Yan's head, which Benjamin had thrown aside, rolled for some distance before finally coming to a stop in a muddy puddle.
Not far away, his once-petrified body had returned to normal before crashing heavily to the ground with a thud.
The blood flowing from the severed wound on his neck mingled with the ceaseless rain, dyeing the surrounding puddles crimson.
His head, soaked in bloody water, stared wide-eyed, his face clearly filled with disbelief.
This Ember Star Envoy, famed for his petrification ability, seemed to be using this final state to recount his humiliating exit—one he could not believe in even unto death.
An ambush by three Rank 2 Star Envoys and several dozen Rank 1 Star Envoys.
Using such a luxurious lineup against him—those damned Association Star Envoys really thought highly of him.
Noticing Gang Yan's unclosed eyes on the ground, Benjamin's lips curled into an imperceptible sneer.
Now, one of Ember's two Rank 2 combatants was gone, while Yun Meng, their