Defeat

"Is this High-Energy Compression Array Soul Guidance Device really that powerful?"

After hearing Kong Deming's explanation, Snow Empress's cool voice held a note of doubt and curiosity.

In her perception, the human before her was only at rank ninety-four, not even a Super Douluo.

Although she sensed something strange about him, she was confident she could crush him outright.

Only after reaching the rank of Limit Douluo had she truly experienced the power of the gods.

She didn't believe it could slay a god. He couldn't even defeat her, so how could he possibly slay a god?

"It would definitely be powerful, but it wouldn't be very effective. You can't expect your opponent to stand there for ages while you charge it up, then take a blast, can you? Besides, I told you that current technology can't achieve that kind of power."

After explaining, Kong Deming chose not to argue with Snow Empress.

After all, you couldn't discuss your professional expertise with a layman, especially one who knew nothing about the basics.

"All right, let's hurry out. I'm starving. I've been eating dry rations for days, and I can't wait to have a proper meal."

Xu Lanqing came out with a smile and shot Snow Empress a glance.

Snow Empress turned her head away and ignored him.

As they were leaving, Xu Lanqing caught a flash of blue out of the corner of his eye. He went over and found a fingernail-sized gem glowing blue on an experimental table.

"Teacher, I really like this gem. Can I take it?"

Kong Deming glanced at it. "It's just a Starlight Sapphire. If you like it, take it."

Inside the elevator.

Nobody spoke. The cramped, enclosed space felt stifling.

"Teacher, why is there nobody at the base? Did something happen?" Xu Lanqing casually brought up a topic.

Unusually, a dejected, sorrowful expression appeared on Kong Deming's face.

The atmosphere seemed to grow even heavier.

He fell silent for a while before speaking. His aged voice was hoarse.

"Just now, His Majesty urgently summoned us. News came from the front lines.

"The empire has lost..."

"How could that be?"

Xu Lanqing exclaimed in shock. "Wasn't everything going well before? How did we suddenly lose?"

He suddenly remembered Xu Tianyuan rushing back to the battlefield earlier.

"According to the reports from the front lines, a large number of powerful Soul Masters suddenly appeared on the Heavenly Soul and Star Luo battlefronts. Some were even Super Douluos.

"They didn't engage us head-on. Instead, they kept assassinating the empire's commanding officers. Almost all of them were targeted.

"With so many officers dead, the chain of command fell into chaos. On top of that, Star Luo had a new marshal with exceptional command abilities—the Duke White Tiger, Dai Hao.

"He coordinated the Heavenly Soul and Star Luo armies and took advantage of our confusion to catch us off guard.

"Once the army began to crumble, it was like a landslide.

"To cover the retreat, all two thousand Soul Engineers of the Second Soul Engineer Legion, including their commander, fought to the last man. Not one survived. The losses were catastrophic.

"Now all we can do is preserve as much of our remaining strength as possible. Everyone who can be mobilized has been sent out to cover the army's retreat. Even the researchers from the Royal Research Institute and Mingde Hall have been sent to the battlefield."

Kong Deming let out a breath and delivered it all in one go.

Xu Lanqing opened his mouth, but for a moment he didn't know what to say.

Besides the Five Great Guardian Hands Soul Engineer Legions, the empire had four regular Soul Engineer Legions.

The Five Great Guardian Hands Soul Engineer Legions each had five hundred members, all at least fifth-ring. The regular Soul Engineer Legions had two thousand members each, all at least third-ring.

By this point in the war, the Sun Moon Empire had committed almost everything it had.

Nearly two million troops had been deployed, along with nine Soul Engineer Legions. The Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Legion was the only one stationed in Mingdu; the other eight were all on the front lines.

Now they had somehow been defeated, losing a Soul Engineer Legion and a Rank Nine Soul Master in the process. It was a devastating blow.

It would probably take at least ten years to rebuild a Soul Engineer Legion.

"Do we know who those powerful Soul Masters were?"

Xu Lanqing's mouth felt dry. He knew those powerful Soul Masters were the key.

"They concealed their appearances and figures. Nobody knows where they came from. It was as though they appeared out of thin air." Kong Deming shook his head.

Though he hadn't gotten an answer, Xu Lanqing already had a suspicion.

There were only so many powerful Soul Masters in the world. How could a whole group suddenly appear out of nowhere?

He suddenly asked, "Has anything unusual happened at Shrek School lately?"

"Why do you ask that all of a sudden?

"A few days ago, some people did go to Shrek and cause trouble. But aside from a number of civilians being killed, there wasn't much damage. Apparently, the troublemakers were Evil Soul Masters, and they all got away.

"Afterward, there was also a strange phenomenon over Shrek City. They say everyone in the city saw a huge Golden Giant Dragon rise into the sky from Shrek Academy, circle overhead, and finally disappear.

"Then a golden rain fell. Those who were bathed in it, including people who had been ill or injured, miraculously recovered.

"Everyone says it was a miracle. I can't say how much of it is true."

As he spoke, Kong Deming froze. After pondering briefly, he understood.

"You think people from Shrek were involved with those mysterious Soul Masters? That's certainly possible."

"It's only a suspicion," Xu Lanqing said softly.

But after hearing all this, Xu Lanqing was even more confused.

Why had the Evil Soul Masters suddenly gone to Shrek and caused trouble? What had prompted them to do it?

And that strange phenomenon, that Golden Giant Dragon—if anyone could cause such a tremendous commotion, it would have to be Mu En.

Could Mu En have fallen? The death of a Limit Douluo could indeed trigger a phenomenon in the heavens and earth.

One thing was certain: something had happened that he didn't know about. Things were heading into increasingly uncharted territory.

"What will the empire do now?" he asked.

"What else can we do but negotiate peace? The empire has been dealt a severe blow. We'll have to spend the next decade or more recovering, and we may not even be able to hold the borders." Kong Deming sighed.

Nobody spoke again. Only the clanking of the elevator as it continued to rise filled the silence.

"Click—"

The metal doors opened, and Xu Lanqing stepped out.

He breathed in the fresh air, and the oppressive atmosphere eased a little.

"Lan Qing, I won't see you home. I still have some matters to attend to downstairs," Kong Deming said from inside the elevator.

Xu Lanqing nodded.

"By the way, go see His Majesty first. His old injuries have flared up, and years of overwork have taken their toll. Then the news of our sudden defeat upset him so badly that he took to his bed. I'm afraid..."

Kong Deming trailed off and shook his head. The elevator doors closed again, and it began to descend.

Xu Lanqing stood there for a while, then turned to Snow Empress. "Let's go."

The horizon was filled with fiery red clouds.

The sun's ruddy light streamed through the palace doors and fell across Xu Lanqing, leaving a long shadow behind him.

It made her feel a little sorry for him.

"If you're upset, just cry," Snow Empress said, coming to stand beside him.

"A real man sheds blood, not tears."

Xu Lanqing stretched and spoke with easy confidence.

"Besides, at first, I cared more about myself than other people. I wanted to get stronger to protect myself. When you get right down to it, I'm a selfish person. But..."

As he spoke, he turned to look at Snow Empress's face, flushed by the sunset.

"Now I have someone I care about. So I think I can finally understand how those people who've lost their homes and families and been driven from their homes must feel."

He strode forward, toward the light, as though he meant to merge with it.

"I'll live on. I'll make sure the people I care about, my father, and the people of the empire all live on, too..."

His voice gradually faded into the distance and scattered on the wind.

Snow Empress stood watching him, her beautiful eyes shimmering, as if they held half a lifetime of mist and rain.