Formidable Enemy: Huo Rong!

Fortress No. 76, Seventh Floor. Kinoe had only been gone for half a minute.

Swallowing the pill, his aura returned.

Wang Jixuan coughed up a mouthful of blood, his spirit soaring once more.

These Great Blood Qi Pills were indeed good, even though they were produced through Demonic Path methods. Eating too many had some side effects, but the overall effect was quite good.

—The main issue now is the lack of materials to refine the Herbal Spirit Pills.

Peony pulled out a damaged X Armor component and saw that Wang Jixuan's wound had already closed, surrounded by Blood Qi.

She frowned and asked, "Commander, what should we do about this?"

"Don't worry about it, it's not a serious injury... Bring his severed leg here."

Daoist Wang responded softly, guiding the Blood Qi around the wound while contemplating if he had recorded any soul-chasing techniques in his past life.

Damn, he really hadn't.

Their sect wasn't a Demonic Path sect, after all, so they didn't collect such techniques.

Or perhaps they did, and he had overlooked them during his search.

Kinoe had left a leg behind...

The only technique Wang Jixuan could use was a secret curse from the Miao Jiang Gu Poison Arts, but using such a curse would require sacrificing hundreds of lives at a minimum to inflict serious injury on Kinoe. Given Kinoe's previously displayed potent self-healing abilities, it seemed unlikely to kill him directly.

This...

Let's forget it.

He would settle the score with Kinoe after breaking through to the Golden Core Realm. He would simply remember this sneak attack.

The Daoist was feeling rather displeased.

Peony hastily leaped back into the gap, and Ling Tong brushed past her.

Ling Tong frowned, looking at the wound on Wang Jixuan's shoulder. The Blade-Slaying Armor's faceplate automatically opened, revealing her slightly tense, pretty face.

She knelt on one knee before Wang Jixuan, and an emergency tourniquet extended from the side of the armor.

Ji Xiao and Ji Yale also crowded around. The two brothers appeared calm and stable, with compassion in their eyes.

The Buddhist Dharma had made them kind and gentle.

Wang Jixuan didn't stop Ling Tong from bandaging him and asked softly, "Can we transfer now? Other Psionicists will definitely come after us. They should be like the Blade Beasts, seeing me as the successor of the Spiritual Practitioner civilization."

"Hm?" Ling Tong asked softly, "Aren't you?"

She was too perceptive.

"Not entirely."

Wang Jixuan chuckled:

"This Kinoe is truly disgusting. A dignified S-Class Psionicist engaging in reconnaissance. But his target should have been the Demon-Breaking Dagger."

"He took a Demon-Breaking Dagger with him."

"Is there a tracking device on it?"

"Yes, but it's been jammed. The last recorded location was deep underground, in a passage where Blade Beasts had been active."

Ling Tong said quickly:

"Headquarters has already dispatched two second-generation Half-Human Mechs to provide support. They will arrive in this airspace in thirty minutes.

"The entire fortress is under full lockdown. We have deployed six Half-Human Mechs and two thousand special operations troops here. As long as they don't have Kinoe's abnormal infiltration abilities, there shouldn't be any problems afterward. This was indeed a lapse in our defense, I apologize.

"Everyone is now armed. I've told them not to come down for now and to guard all access routes.

"If we were to transfer rashly, we would be more likely to fall into danger.

"Moreover, if we need to transfer later, it's best to go to General Headquarters. Although there are still many spies in the lower and middle levels there, at least the higher echelons have been purified, and their military strength is the most abundant."

Wang Jixuan nodded, about to say, "Then I'll listen to you," when Wan Xiaoqi, already beside him, shouted loudly:

"New S-Class reaction! Entering the atmosphere at high altitude! High-altitude cameras have captured a woman! Retrieving her information from the database!"

"They're here so fast?"

Wang Jixuan wasn't particularly nervous, just a little puzzled.

If she was allied with Kinoe, why didn't she intervene when Kinoe was being attacked? Although the siege was brief, she should have appeared when the fight started...

If she wasn't allied with Kinoe, was she also after the Demon-Breaking Dagger?

They had anticipated that once the Demon-Breaking Dagger began to be widely distributed, the Psionic Capital would inevitably target it.

But they truly hadn't expected the other party to act so quickly, sending two powerful S-Class individuals right away.

Ling Tong immediately said, "Wang Zheng, don't worry. We can handle this. Even if the opponent is fierce, we can hold out for half an hour without any problems."

Deep Sea corrected on the communication channel: "Half an hour is just for the two instructors to reach this airspace. It will take at least forty minutes for them to truly enter the battlefield. If Kinoe was just an investigator, a vanguard, then the subsequent intensity of the attack is predictable. Have Ji Xiao prepare; we'll need to use his abilities to transfer Wang Zheng."

Wang Jixuan quickly said, "I'm fine now, I can still fight. The injury is a minor issue, and my mental strength has already recovered."

Peony emerged from the pit with a look of disgust, still holding a severed leg, trying to keep it away from herself.

Wang Jixuan suddenly asked, "What if Peony wears my X Armor?"

"It's possible, but we'll need to file an application with the Commander-in-Chief. He'll likely grant temporary approval."

Ling Tong decisively scooped up Wang Jixuan, cradling him in her arms. She turned and sprinted towards the sixth-floor exit.

"Let's head to the sixth floor first. There are too many children here."

Her voice echoed in Wang Jixuan's ears and reached the ears of all the unit commanders:

"All units, be advised: a powerful Psionicist is about to invade Fortress No. 76!"

"All units are authorized to open fire freely! Eliminate any Psionicist that enters radar range!"

"This fortress is activating Psionic Disaster Level One response protocols. Blast doors will descend on all levels, communications will be cut, and the Upper City's automated defenses will be activated! From this point on, we must hold for forty minutes at all costs!"

"Immediately transfer the Fortress Governor and Commander to the safe room on the eighth floor."

"Understood!"

More responses flooded the rapidly expanding communication channel.

As Ling Tong, carrying Wang Jixuan, reached the sixth floor, Wan Xiaoqi caught up in a supply vehicle, shouting quickly:

"Commander! We just received a video! It's from them! The Psionicist descending from high altitude will reach the surface in three minutes. Her codename is Huo Rong! She's ranked 19th among known S-Class Psionicists! She specializes in fire abilities and once single-handedly eliminated a King-Class Blade Beast! She's an old monster from Xing Tian's era!

"We've suddenly detected over a hundred Psionicist signals on the perimeter! Their strength is A-Class or B-Class, and they have shuttle craft underground!

"They will attack the camp within three minutes of Huo Rong reaching the surface!"

Ling Tong's expression remained calm. She held Wang Jixuan tighter and leaped into the supply vehicle with its rear door open. Shen Hai, already in the back seat, reached out and pulled Wang Jixuan in.

Wang Jixuan: ...Actually, this Daoist can walk.

"Play the video first."

Hiss.

The projection screen flickered slightly, displaying a 'young' woman in a red gel bodysuit. She placed her hands on her hips and sneered:

"Hello there, residents of Fortress No. 76 in the Ancient Basin.

"I regret to inform you that half of you will face death within the next twenty minutes.

"I can tell you what we're going to do here.

"I will descend from high altitude and destroy your surface defenses. Then, these powerful, righteous, adorable, and great Psionicists I've brought will utterly annihilate all defensive systems from your first to sixth floors.

"After that, we will reach your eighth floor. That's your reservoir, isn't it? We will deploy a rapidly spreading virus designed to kill forty percent of the people within this fortress. Note, at least forty percent of the human population.

"If you ask why we're being so extreme, this is actually a punishment.

"The D5 Comprehensive War Zone has been constantly provoking our Psionic Capital recently, severely damaging our positive image within human society.

"The military dictatorship led by Fu Jian refuses to embrace progress, refuses to view the relationship between Psionicists and humans with a more open perspective, arbitrarily tears up our agreements, destroyed hundreds of thousands of Crystal Cores that rightfully belong to us, and denies our contributions to fighting Blade Beasts, all while aiming to establish military dictatorship over all of humanity.

"Our actions today are necessary and unavoidable.

"Fu Jian and his lackeys even murdered dozens of high-ranking officers we painstakingly cultivated for you, officers who bore great responsibility. This has seriously crossed our bottom line.

"Therefore, this sanction is necessary.

"Furthermore, you've hidden something in this fortress, haven't you? You've been disobedient. According to various intelligence we've obtained, there's a secret factory here producing peculiar items. I know you're definitely destroying them now, but it doesn't matter.

"As long as you produce these things, we will continue our attacks.

"Whether it's here, there, or your Commander-in-Chief's General Headquarters, no one can challenge the Psionic Capital's interpretation of Psionic energy, even if we pay a heavy price.

"Remember, we are killing you because you crossed the line, not because we are cruel."

Huo Rong blinked lightly.

The projection screen flickered and then disappeared.

Inside the supply vehicle heading towards a corner on the sixth floor, everyone fell silent.

Ling Tong remarked, "Arrogant and conceited. It fits my stereotype of high-level Psionicists."

"They intend to destroy this place," Shen Hai, clad in the Blade Armor Set, frowned. "This is an act of revenge, and it's clear they're targeting the Demon-Breaking Dagger."

Ling Tong replied, "After all, the Demon-Breaking Dagger broke their monopoly on Psionic energy, and it also made them feel panicked."

"There's one more thing."

Wang Jixuan exhaled lightly. The wound on his shoulder had already begun to heal:

"This video was likely recorded in advance.

"They're explaining their motives; this is a show of force and a threat to other Comprehensive War Zones. The Psionic Capital, at its wit's end, can only use fear to intimidate human society and delay their reckoning.

"They're telling everyone that we're not just Psionicists, but we also have a virus capable of eliminating forty percent of the remaining population... Truly! They're not human!

"But now, Xing Tian has escaped.

"We can reasonably assume that this Huo Rong has learned about the awakened Spiritual Practitioner within Fortress No. 76, making her motives even stronger."

Shen Hai asked, "In that case, should we immediately dispatch transport planes, pretend to be transporting the awakened Spiritual Practitioner, and lure them away?"

"Their original plan was to destroy this place."

Ling Tong said quickly:

"Even using this method, it will at most only draw away a small portion of their combat power. Whether they are interested in awakened Spiritual Practitioners, and whether Xing Tian has already shared intelligence, are all unknown.

"What we need to do now is to safely transfer Wang Zheng."

Shen Hai said firmly: "In a few minutes, we can't possibly get far away!"

Ling Tong immediately retorted: "Then let's lure them into the fortress's Upper City and fight in the streets, then use Ji Xiao's ability to get Wang Zheng out!"

"Instead of taking him away, why don't we fight them with all our might!"

Shen Hai's eyes were filled with fire:

"Just like how we surrounded Xing Tian earlier, let's surround Huo Rong again!"

Wan Xiaoqi, who was driving, reminded them: "There are over a hundred Psionicists outside the camp reacting, all A-Class and B-Class. This number already exceeds our defensive limit. Also, the special drones (arrays) Teacher Wang set up were mostly damaged earlier and need repairs before they can be used."

Silence fell within the vehicle.

Wan Xiaoqi gently applied the brakes, and the supply vehicle stopped in front of an ascending elevator.

The second and third transport vehicles chasing behind also stopped simultaneously. Ji Xiao, Wu Man, Ji Yale, Zheng Shiduo, Peony, and a group of Special Operations Team members all jumped out.

They thought they were going to the surface to meet the enemy.

Shen Hai and Ling Tong exchanged glances, neither willing to back down.

Wang Jixuan raised his hand slightly: "How about... I go talk to these people? Then, during the negotiation, Peony can take me towards the wilderness, we can lure them out of Fortress No. 76's range, and then use nuclear bombs to deal with them?"

"And what about you? Are you going to take the nuclear bomb too?"

Ling Tong suddenly became a little agitated, but she restrained herself:

"Your value far exceeds mine, Shen Hai, or everyone here combined!

"Failing to anticipate that they would encircle the Demon-Breaking Dagger production site is already a mistake on my part. I don't want to personally bury the only hope for human civilization to counter the Blade Beasts.

"Wang Zheng, you are this hope!"

Wang Jixuan, however, said: "I am not. I am just a cultivator trying to become stronger. You provide me with shelter, and I give you technology. This is a fair trade."

"Then this fair trade is our hope. If you die, or if they capture you, then we will have nothing left."

Ling Tong's chest rose and fell slightly. She took a syringe from Wan Xiaoqi and looked at Wang Jixuan.

"I'm sorry, if there must be a villain, then I will be it.

"I can go down with Fortress No. 76, but you must obey my orders. When we lure the Psionicists into street fighting, Ji Xiao will take you away from here. I will have Shen Hai and Peony provide support outside to receive you. All other Half-Human Mechs will enter the Upper City to ambush.

"The ground forces are already spreading out to the perimeter, maintaining their strength during the first wave of impact, and then covering your retreat.

"When you leave here, we will eliminate these Psionicists at the smallest cost.

"This is an anesthetic for Psionicists. I don't want to use it on you... Wang Zheng, look at me! Please execute the order!"

Wang Jixuan sighed slightly, then showed a slight smile:

"As you command, Commander."

Ling Tong breathed a sigh of relief.

Wang Jixuan, however, secretly admired her.

She looked quite charming when she was serious.

However, the current situation was not so easy to break. In such chaotic times, wanting to cultivate peacefully was like a fool's dream.

Since that was the case, then they shouldn't blame him.

Wang Jixuan suddenly said:

"Ji Xiao, Wu Man, you two come with me.

"Peony, protect Ling Tong closely. If Ling Tong intends to use self-detonation tactics, remove her mechanical arm.

"Shen Hai will be responsible for the subsequent command. Ling Tong has lost her composure."

Ling Tong frowned: "Wang Zheng is a Junior Mechanic, and I am the one issuing orders now!"

Wang Jixuan knocked on the car door and ducked out. Peony had already rushed forward, displaying an order from the Commander-in-Chief on her arm projection screen.

"I apologize, Major Ling Tong, my superior officer has the highest command authority here, overriding all emergency orders. This is a confidential personal letter from the Commander-in-Chief!"

Wu Man and Ji Xiao quickly followed Wang Jixuan.

Wang Jixuan waved his hand without looking back, and then clenched his fist towards the sky.

"You fight normally, don't worry about me.

"Also, humanity's hope lies in its own will. My fair trade with War Zone D5 is just one path to realizing this will.

"Let the storm rage, I will ride the wind and ascend to the clouds!"