Feng Qingmo held Long Jingxuan in his arms as he stood more than a hundred meters in the air, Phoenix Wing beneath his feet, gazing down below.
The ground below trembled faintly, yet made no sound, giving the scene an eerie feel.
"Such a shame to lose all that research equipment..." Long Jingxuan murmured regretfully.
"There's nothing we can do. The energy ran out, and we had no way to replenish it, so we had to let the place self-destruct..."
They had entered through a circular portal, and opening it had already consumed a considerable amount of energy. When they left, they had to open several passageways, using up what little energy remained. After they left the base, the ruins had begun to self-destruct because their energy had fallen below the minimum threshold.
"Let's go back and find them." Holding Long Jingxuan, Feng Qingmo flew off on Phoenix Wing. The incredible speed was exhilarating. It was far faster than he could fly on his own.
As they sped through the air, the powerful wind resistance rushing toward them formed waves of air along the patterns on Phoenix Wing. Under the patterns' influence, countless waves formed a streamlined, visible shield of air, protecting him and Long Jingxuan.
The waves of air did more than form a shield. Guided by the patterns along the tips of the wings, they also became thrust, propelling Phoenix Wing forward and making it fly even faster.
The base exit was only a little over a hundred kilometers from where they had been. At Phoenix Wing's speed, they covered the distance in just a few minutes, even though Feng Qingmo had only just acquired it and wasn't especially skilled at controlling it yet.
Held in Feng Qingmo's arms as they raced through the sky, Long Jingxuan felt