Feng Qi had assumed that the trace discovered by the unmanned reconnaissance aircraft belonged to a Technology Research Institute scouting squad that had accidentally exposed itself.
Yet he still had doubts.
Given the caliber of the Technology Research Institute's subordinate battle groups, they should not have made such a fatal mistake as accidental exposure.
To get to the bottom of the situation, he had brought Mu Qing and Lü Yue to investigate.
But he had not expected to encounter an old acquaintance, Li Xingchen.
At that moment, he understood what had happened.
The investigation squad's sudden exposure had clearly been orchestrated by Li Xingchen in secret, all so Feng Qi would learn of their arrival.
After a brief battle, only a little over twenty people remained from the squad of nearly a hundred.
The survivors were warriors who had followed Li Xingchen while undercover among Black Shadow's forces, as well as potential fellow travelers of the Dawn Organization.
They had all once been soldiers retired from the front lines.
Because of physical disabilities and other reasons, they had undergone complete mechanical modification with the Technology Research Institute's assistance so they could keep fighting.
The various organs within their bodies had all been replaced by technology.
Other than their unmodified brains, the only thing proving they were still human was their thoughts.
After the battle, spirit energy rippled across Li Xingchen's body. Energy flowed downward from his neck, washing away the blood staining him.
He then pulled a cigarette from his body, lit it with practiced ease, and exhaled a cloud of white smoke before looking at Feng Qi with a smile.
The sight felt remarkably familiar to Feng Qi.
On the resistance timeline when he had established the Dawn Organization, he had once faced a life and death crisis.
At