Felun Sea lay at the northernmost edge of the Central State District. Because it was close to the northern end of Fellinton Star's rotational axis, it was a vast frozen ocean.
In this uninhabited place, the moonlight was no longer as bright as before. Accompanied by biting winds, the entire sea surface exuded a sense of desolation and loneliness.
The wind rose, and inky rolling clouds covered the moonlight as they swooped down from the north. Snow piled atop the sea was swept up, like someone wielding a wolf-hair brush to splash ink across the sky. The enormous cloud of snow dust rose dozens of meters high, and the temperature plummeted.
In such a harsh environment, even ordinary people wearing cold-resistant suits could not last for a single quarter of an hour. Yet Hua Zhen, Gus, and Andre were completely unaffected.
Standing at the edge of an iceberg and looking down at the enormous mirror of ice below, the three wore different expressions. Hua Zhen looked calm, with a hint of anticipation. Andre, meanwhile, wore a cold expression as he sat on the ground, hanging the clothes he had taken off one by one over the bent arms of Gus, whose mouth kept twitching beside him.
"Your Highness, you said Felinton's Research Base was here, but..." Gus looked around. All he could see was a field of white. Turning to his prince with a frown, he said, "There's nothing here at all~"
"With seawater as a natural barrier, and Dark Energy shielding devices installed inside the base, it'd be strange if you could find it!" Hua Zhen snorted with a laugh and pointed into the distance. "Don't worry. That Ya Erman, in order to stay alive, already transmitted the exact coordinates to me. See that ice field over there? The entrance to the base is beneath it~"
Ao Ge had long since secretly assembled the armies of the Five Great State Districts in the Central Coastal Area. Just as Hua Zhen had expected, because the battlefield had been chosen on the home planet, large flagship fleets had not been included in the deployment list.
Even so, the scale of the military assembly could not be underestimated. According to the intelligence obtained from Ya Erman, nearly all medium and small warships of the five federations had been mobilized. There were close to ten thousand Gorden combat mechs, and countless individual combat personnel. Such a force had been gathered solely to successfully capture Hua Zhen, the Third Prince of the Heavenly Palace.
This war held immense significance for Felinton. It concerned the future of the entire civilization. Would they break free from the Angel Civilization's rule and emerge from the cocoon as butterflies, or would they fail and vanish into the dust of history? Ao Ge did not dare be even the slightest bit careless. He had to give it sufficient attention.
Tomorrow was when the war would officially begin. Naturally, Hua Zhen could not let others dictate the pace like this. Sitting around and waiting to die was not his style. Thus, relying on the Angel Civilization's powerful technology, he blocked the federation's surveillance network and brought Gus and Andre here.
There were only three purposes in finding Felinton's Research Base.
First, he wanted the Super Gene research data. If he wanted to live longer, he had to continuously upgrade his genes. From a First Generation Angel to a Second-generation Angel, until finally attaining that longed-for Sacred Body. If he slowly researched everything himself, who knew how long it would take? But with the data here, Hua Zhen could avoid the trouble of starting from scratch.
The second purpose was to prevent information leaks. Ya Erman had told him that the scientists involved in Super Gene research within the base all knew about the Ancient Ruins. If Ao Ge secretly took those people away during the battle, finding them later would take time and effort. Since that was the case, why not catch them all in one net?
As for the final purpose... At that thought, a cold smile curled across his lips.
Gus watched him for a while before hesitantly asking, "Your Highness, the matter of the Ancient Civilization Ruins is of great importance. Is it really alright to have only Ai Wen and the others seal off Fellinton Star?"
Hua Zhen could not help sighing. "Actually, I originally wanted to assign this mission to you and have you lead it, but I later rejected the idea. I think you understand the reason..." As he spoke, he walked to Andre's side and patted the brute's broad shoulder. "With only A Lie and me facing a Spacefaring Civilization... it would be far too difficult~"
Gus nodded in understanding. There was no doubt that Andre was powerful, but his flaws were obvious as well. Not only was he born with a screw loose, but if no one kept an eye on him for even a moment, who knew what kind of trouble he would stir up?
"...I'll protect Your Highness!" Andre, having stripped down to nothing but his underwear, furiously asserted his presence.
"You big oaf~" Hua Zhen laughed and scolded him, then turned to Gus. "At first, I didn't think much of this trial Old Stick gave me. But after learning about the Ancient Civilization Ruins..."
He did not finish. He stepped toward the cliff's edge and stopped. Without turning back, his low voice slowly rang out. "Gus, the rest is up to you!"
"Rest assured, Your Highness. News of the Ancient Civilization Ruins absolutely will not leak out in the slightest. Gus guarantees it to you!"
"I trust you to get things done. Alright, follow me. Prepare to move!"
The corners of Hua Zhen's lips lifted slightly. After saying that, he spread his arms and leaped from the cliff top. Drawn by gravity, he fell faster and faster. Just as he was about to crash into the ice, a bang sounded. Snow-white wings unfurled from his back, canceling his downward momentum. The snow on the ground visibly exploded outward beneath the powerful gust. Without stopping, he beat his wings fiercely twice, instantly shot upward, and flew into the pitch-black night sky~
"Smack~"
Gus helplessly held his forehead. Did he really need to make such a spectacle of it? Would it kill him to just fly down? Sigh~ Ever since His Highness upgraded his genes, he had really been finding new ways to show off~
??
A figure flashed before his eyes—it was Andre. When Gus saw him walk expressionlessly to the cliff edge and raise his arms, his expression changed sharply. He hurried forward and grabbed him. "Hey~~~ A Lie, A Lie, don't copy him!"
"His Highness said... for us to follow him!" Andre struggled briefly before saying in a muffled voice.
Gus wanted to curse upon hearing that. Did he not know what he was capable of? Falling freely from that height and then taking off like His Highness—calculating exactly when to spread his wings to cancel his descent, was that something he could figure out? If he fell headfirst into an ice hole, how was Gus supposed to explain that to His Highness?
After frantically ranting in his heart for a while, he patiently told Andre, "When His Highness said 'follow me,' he didn't mean for you to imitate him. See His Highness? Spread your wings now and slowly fly toward him..."
A trace of disappointment flashed through Andre's eyes, but he did not insist. He spread his wings and flew into the sky.
"Sigh~ So exhausting!"
Felun Sea's surface was white as far as the eye could see. Without the coordinates Ya Erman had provided, it would have been truly difficult to find the base's exact location. Once the three arrived, Hua Zhen did not want to delay any longer due to the urgency of time. Maintaining his speed, he turned his wrist and summoned the Dark Sacred Silver Dagger.
After circling twice around him, his gaze sharpened. Following complex calculations by the Gene System within his body, Dark Energy drove the dagger forward in an instant. It transformed into a silver curtain of light, slicing through dozens of meters of solid ice as though it were tofu, pulverizing it without making the slightest sound.
Splash! Splash! Splash!
After plunging into the sea, Hua Zhen and Gus immediately set up a Dark Energy Barrier around themselves. It not only kept the seawater out, but also counteracted the immense pressure in the depths. Their wings beat continuously as they dove rapidly, leaving only trails of white water behind them.
As for Andre... Since he could not drive Dark Energy or set up a barrier around himself, he could only rely on his powerful physique to withstand the pressure of the sea. With his wings working alongside his limbs, he churned through the water using a combination of breaststroke and freestyle. He was not much slower than Hua Zhen and Gus—damn impressive.
The deep sea was filled with endless darkness. Here, all light was utterly swallowed, and the surroundings were pitch-black and deathly silent. However, Hua Zhen and the other two were unaffected. After their Gene Upgrades, not only had all aspects of their physical abilities improved, they could also see in the dark.
"Woooar~"
A strange beastly roar suddenly caught the trio's attention. Turning back, they saw an undersea creature. It was neither fish nor beast, with two horns on its head and legs beneath its ribs. It looked savage and terrifying, over thirty meters long. Its massive tail fin churned the water as it rapidly swam toward them. Clearly, it had taken Hua Zhen and the others for prey.
"Don't mind it. The mission comes first!" Hua Zhen ordered through Dark Communication.
Andre gave the creature a flat glance and snorted heavily, blowing a long stream of bubbles from his nose. By now, he had switched to dog-paddle.
"I've got another task for you, Gus!" Hua Zhen sent, narrowing his eyes slightly.
"Please give the order, Your Highness!"
"Once we get there, we'll act separately. I'll copy the data. After you deal with the guards there, find the base's energy storage facility and blow it up!"
Gus frowned. "Your Highness, the place where the data is stored may be heavily guarded as well. How about I accompany you, and let A Lie blow up the facility instead~"
"Damn, how big is your heart? You want to send that oaf? Aren't you afraid he'll blow the two of us up too?" Hua Zhen turned back and glared at him.
"Uh... true enough~" Gus smiled awkwardly. "A Lie, he... Hm? Wait! Where did that guy go?"
Hua Zhen's heart skipped a beat. Only then did he realize that Andre, who had been dog-paddling alongside him and Gus, had vanished.
Thud! Thud! Thud...
Just then, a series of extremely muffled impacts suddenly came from afar. The water seemed to be churned by something, violently rolling into whirlpools. And that was not all. With another sharp whoosh, a massive horn shot straight at Gus. Fortunately, he moved quickly enough to dodge it. Otherwise, he would have ended up with a cracked head and bleeding face.
"This..."
Hua Zhen froze for quite a while. Squinting toward that direction, he finally saw what was happening, and his expression instantly changed. "Hey, what the f—... glug glug..." He was clearly so angry that even his calculations for the Dark Energy Barrier went wrong. Before he could finish cursing, salty seawater rushed straight into his mouth.
Hua Zhen was not the only one. After dodging the giant horn, Gus looked at Andre, who was wildly pounding the sea beast, and a row of black lines immediately formed across his forehead. His chest heaved with anger. His Highness and I are discussing important business here, and you're fucking picking a fight with a fish~
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