Imminent Defection

As Xiang Lin Tian successfully lit his cigar, the video abruptly ended.

Wang Jixuan and Zhou Zhengde stared at each other, wide-eyed.

"What happened next?"

"This is all they sent. It's the first time I've seen it too."

Zhou Zhengde clicked his tongue in amazement. "It seems Maternal Grandfather has been setting traps for this guy all along, just to get him to come over."

"Traps?" Wang Jixuan was a little confused.

Zhou Zhengde chuckled. "I'm guessing Commander Dongfang definitely showed our Commander-in-Chief your attitude, maybe even a recording of a few words you said. The Commander-in-Chief then took that to Xiang Lin Tian, actively luring him here... Only by meeting him can we persuade Xiang Lin Tian, and only by persuading Xiang Lin Tian can we further attempt to truly push for D2's deep reform and restore the War Zone's combat power."

Wang Jixuan's expression cleared with understanding.

He pondered for a moment and finally understood why the D2 higher-ups cared so much about that formula.

It was because that formula controlled a large number of officers in the D2 Comprehensive War Zone who were loyal to the Psionic Capital.

What Xiang Lin Tian and his group wanted to protect was actually their relationship with the Psionic Capital. And the reason Xing Tian was able to smoothly control a large number of politicians was actually due to the tacit approval of the real powers behind D2.

The two sides could be said to have hit it off immediately.

The materials that Xing Tian took to the Psionic Capital and the Snow Mountain Base, those countless blood debts, the powers that be in D2 also bore some responsibility for.

After thinking through this point, Wang Jixuan was momentarily unsure how to comment.

Bless them, I guess.

What else can you do?

Zhou Zhengde was also sighing. "This is the current era, the two ideologies that exist within the entire human faction: one optimistic, one pessimistic. Clearly, these D2 higher-ups are thorough pessimists."

"Old Fu has held on alone until now; it truly hasn't been easy."

Wang Jixuan sighed, then lightly changed the subject.

"How was the effect of that pill?"

"This, it's very strong... From now on, you're my big brother..."

Zhou Zhengde's expression turned slightly odd. He leaned closer to Wang Jixuan and whispered, "It's like this, I have a friend..."

As for the rest of what he said, Peony in the corner pretended she hadn't heard anything and continued to focus on gathering information from various sources.

This kind of topic was not something they, as Mechs, could participate in.

After Zhou Zhengde left, Wang Jixuan continued cultivating for a while longer, successfully concluding this aptitude enhancement.

Xiang Lin Tian's expression kept flashing before his eyes.

It was a kind of despair, not a passive despair, but the despair of having strived hard only to find that all efforts were futile.

This already shattered world, from the widespread tragedy in the Lower City of the Fortress to the despair of the highest-ranking meritorious generals, all stemmed from that powerful external enemy.

Under immense pressure, many things had become twisted.

Daoist Wang had initially thought he wouldn't care too much about these things;

but he soon found himself being influenced by this emotion, subconsciously contemplating how to help humanity defeat the Blade Beasts.

My connection to this world is indeed growing deeper.

The Daoist decided to stop cultivating and told Peony to wait for him at the studio. He went for a walk around the area to clear his head.

The wheat seedlings in the fields were still growing;

the children in the nursery were playing joyfully, carefree;

enemies hiding in unknown places were whispering in the darkness.

Wang Jixuan walked alone, gradually calming his mind and trying not to think about these bothersome matters.

The mortal world is full of disturbances; most are self-inflicted.

"Commander?"

Ding ding!

The ringing of a bicycle bell and Gao Huating's surprised shout made Wang Jixuan turn his head.

Wang Jixuan snapped back to reality, realizing he had unconsciously walked near Gao Huating's studio. Gao Huating seemed to be on her way to record a song for the evening broadcast.

The previous second, Gao Huating had thought she could face Commander Wang Zheng with composure;

but unexpectedly, leaving the familiar environment of her studio and encountering him on a country path, her heart began to race uncontrollably.

If she were prone to romantic notions, she might have already mistaken her feelings for this commander;

unfortunately, she clearly knew that she was simply nervous, coupled with a touch of social anxiety.

"Are you going to record a song?"

Daoist Wang asked knowingly, with a hint of novelty, "Can I watch?"

Gao Huating quickly nodded, then immediately shook her head and whispered, "My place is too messy..."

"It's fine, I've used my detection abilities to check many times."

"Huh?"

Gao Huating was a little confused, then dizzy, and half-heartedly, half-persuaded, she led Wang Jixuan into the elevator, which descended to her studio.

Although Gao Huating's music studio wasn't large, it was quite messy, with instruments and sheet music scattered everywhere.

Gao Huating dashed out with a stride, quickly tidied up some blank papers, and moved a stool in front of Wang Jixuan.

"Please, Commander, have a seat!"

"Thank you," Wang Jixuan nodded, gestured to the refrigerator not far away, and a can of drink flew over by itself.

He asked, "Didn't your agent send anyone to help you clean this place?"

"They clean it once every half month now," Gao Huating said softly, "Someone should be coming the day after tomorrow, probably."

"Have Peony arrange for a Mechanical Maid to help you clean."

Wang Jixuan took a sip of the drink:

"Go do your work, I'm just feeling a bit down. I'll listen to some music here and recharge."

Gao Huating nodded quickly.

Did you encounter any difficulties?

She really wanted to ask, but the words at the tip of her tongue were honestly swallowed back.

She was just a little shrimp who could sing.

"Then I'll go get to work..."

"Just pretend I'm not here."

Wang Jixuan said with a smile.

Gao Huating lowered her head and walked to her workstation. After gripping her guitar, her mind finally settled down. She began to skillfully tune, test, and adjust, doing the work of both a musician and a technician by herself.

A few minutes later, the strumming of the acoustic guitar quietly bloomed under her fingertips.

Gao Huating began to find her rhythm, then looked up again towards the corner.

Wang Jixuan was leaning against the wall, a communicator already in his hand, typing away, not paying attention to her.

Gao Huating felt a little relieved and much more at ease.

She cleared her throat and sang the song she needed to record today. Her voice, accompanied by music, echoed back and forth in the small space.

Daoist Wang raised an eyebrow.

His state of mind indeed became more stable;

How did she manage to do it?

Gao Huating quickly got into character, her facial expressions conveying joy and sorrow along with the music.

Wang Jixuan took the opportunity to release a wisp of his Spiritual Sense, carefully encircling Gao Huating. He felt and comprehended this inexplicable Dao Charm.

The more he comprehended, the more Wang Jixuan felt...

It seems that the affairs of Spiritual Practitioners are not that simple.

--Gao Huating's abnormality is clearly related to psionic energy, and her dreams have various hints. Moreover, she couldn't possibly be from the cultivation world. Wang Jixuan can confirm that his cultivation world doesn't have the scenes from her dreams. Therefore, by elimination, it's likely related to the Spiritual Cultivation Civilization.

He couldn't understand it, couldn't figure it out, it was very mysterious.

Wang Jixuan pretended to be in contact with someone, listened to the music, and pondered calmly.

Half an hour later.

A transport plane was slowly descending from the sky. The surface camp of Fortress No. 76 was solemn.

Two burly figures stepped out of the transport plane, one after the other.

Xiang Lin Tian had already confirmed that he had been thoroughly calculated by Fu Jian.

But Xiang Lin Tian didn't reject this calculation.

Fu Jian was right.

After using that cigar, Xiang Lin Tian completely believed it.

He hadn't felt this way in many years. This body, which had felt somewhat heavy, was now... incredibly light!

He couldn't wait to find a King-Class Blade Beast and have a good fight with it!

"Old Fu," Xiang Lin Tian called out to Fu Jian, who was walking ahead, frowning, "Is there anything I need to pay attention to later?"

"No need to be too nervous."

Fu Jian looked left and right and said slowly, "Pay attention to your image and your identity. Nominally, he is my subordinate, and you are here to visit and inspect work."

"Some necessary respect is still needed," Xiang Lin Tian frowned. "Also, is my granddaughter really here?"

"Mhm, follow me."

Fu Jian had already pressed the elevator button, signaling the guard team to stay put.

The two old comrades, activating their stealth mode and masking their tracks, calmly entered the elevator. They first went to the sixth floor of the fortress, then passed through a checkpoint, arriving at the seventh floor.

"The security here is quite strict."

Xiang Lin Tian looked around, couldn't help but click his tongue:

"Old Fu, you didn't specifically set this up, did you? The seventh floor has the best scenery, and the most protected area is given to the nursery... I really don't see any signs of building small villas."

Fu Jian replied calmly, "I've always been principled."

"Alright," Xiang Lin Tian gave a wry smile, "I was also very principled before I retired... After retiring, I turned a blind eye to most things because it felt meaningless."

Fu Jian didn't say much more and took Xiang Lin Tian for a stroll around the seventh floor.

They first went to Uncle Tai's studio.

Fu Jian intentionally showcased the production line for the Demon-Breaking Dagger, allowing Xiang Lin Tian to see it.

Although there were already over a dozen production lines for the Demon-Breaking Dagger, this place remained the R&D center and trial production base, with the production lines constantly in operation.

Xiang Lin Tian picked up a Demon-Breaking Dagger and examined it carefully.

He knew his stuff and had encountered relevant intelligence before, but seeing such cold weapons being mass-produced still came as a shock.

"Old Fu, how long have you had these things?"

"Just recently, Wang Zheng and a team developed them."

"I thought you were already hoarding everything for yourself."

"Our common goal is the continuation of civilization. I won't monopolize it with hegemonic thinking. We will gradually promote it when the time is right."

Fu Jian didn't say much more and led Xiang Lin Tian towards a corner on the seventh floor.

Fu Jian knew very well that there were many inconveniently public technologies on the second floor of Uncle Tai's studio. He just wanted Xiang Lin Tian to firmly believe in following D5, not to specifically show off Wang Zheng's technology.

The two old men quietly hurried to the vicinity of the fifth Spiritual Practitioner's stone slab.

It was a nursery that had not yet been put into use.

They didn't approach directly but stood on another high point, observing from afar—a sentry post had already been set up here. From the sentry post's position, one could directly see the spiritual practitioner's stone slab wall behind the window.

"That's the spiritual practitioner's stone slab?"

Xiang Lin Tian murmured, his gaze searching everywhere. He soon spotted the figure of a young girl.

Xiang Tiantian, the exclusive Spirit Slave of the Fifth Spiritual Practitioner, the young girl whose body had been borrowed by Number Five, was going upstairs, chatting and laughing with Wan Xiaoqi.

They were carrying plastic baskets filled with pieces of cloth, seemingly discussing how to sew some strange clothes.

Xiang Lin Tian's old eyes became a little cloudy, then returned to normal. He lowered his head, sighed softly, and stood hunched over, leaning on the railing.

A moment later.

Fu Jian asked from the side, "Do you want to go over and say hello?"

"No," Xiang Lin Tian said with a bitter smile, "I sold her before, so I have no right to step forward now."

"She has always wanted to write a letter to her family, but Wang Zheng didn't allow it."

Fu Jian said in a slow voice:

"Actually, I suggested you two meet. If you think this place is good, I can arrange for her to enjoy a relaxed and happy life here."

"You're playing the hostage game too?"

"Not exactly," Fu Jian said slowly, "D2 needs to scrape the bone to cure poison, which will inevitably be accompanied by turmoil and bloodshed. You are the only suitable candidate, Little Xiang... I know you, you're a junior I watched grow up, and your combat power is particularly remarkable."

Xiang Lin Tian didn't reply directly.

He said, "Let's go see Wang Zheng. I want to see this young man with my own eyes before making a decision... Isn't that what you taught me? Every decision we make concerns the lives of tens of millions of humans."

As soon as he finished speaking, Wang Jixuan's voice sounded in both his and Fu Jian's minds simultaneously.

"Come to this location. There's a small room here where we can chat, and you can listen to music for free."

Fu Jian gave a wry smile, "It must be your outdated system that exposed us."

Xiang Lin Tian glanced at the Fifth Spiritual Practitioner's stone slab a few more times. His gaze lingered on Xiang Tiantian for only a few seconds, and more on the stone slab itself.

"Old Fu, is what Xing Tian said in that video true?"

"In what aspect?"

"The Six Elders opened the Starry Sky Gate, attempting to summon spiritual practitioners, which also attracted Blade Beasts, leading to the subsequent Civilization Invasion disaster."

"It hasn't been confirmed," Fu Jian said, "but history books will probably write it that way in the future."

"History books are always written by the victors... Alright, I'm even more curious about that young man now. Your confidence is about to explode, Old Fu."

"Let's go, I'll take you there."

Fu Jian turned and left with his hands behind his back.

There weren't many guests he would act as a tour guide for, and Xiang Lin Tian at this moment was definitely one of them.

Xiang Lin Tian, Fu Jian, and Daoist Wang will meet soon;

D2 Comprehensive War Zone, Xing Tian's Snow Mountain Base, the periphery of Rainbow Town.

A simple military camp has appeared here, with a large number of machines docked in the camp. A giant drill machine, modeled after a drill worm, is currently being assembled and debugged.

In the center of the military camp, a circular, large hole is emitting a constant mechanical hum. An elevator brings up several young soldiers, dusty and in a hurry.

The soldiers jump out before the elevator even stops, sprinting towards a certain direction within the camp.

Each of them is holding an alloy box, seemingly containing something important. However, their mortal eyes cannot perceive the strangeness; they fail to see the faint black energy constantly spreading from the gaps of the boxes.

That is...

Demonic Qi.