Welcome to Annihilation Mode

Yun Jingheng looked at the girl staring thoughtfully at the camera in the surveillance footage and sighed helplessly.

"Tsk, Silver Dragon King... you're too perceptive."

"Forget it, the core program is already running automatically anyway. As long as the furnace doesn't explode, this amount of radiation is just a tickle to Soul Master."

Yun Jingheng quickly pressed several concealed buttons on the control panel, activating the highest-level concealment array in the basement to completely isolate that faint light and special energy fluctuations.

He then straightened his slightly disheveled collar, took a deep breath, adopted a lazy and relaxed expression, and pushed open the hidden door leading to the ground.

As soon as he returned to his study, before he even reached the front door, he heard Xie Xie's hoarse shouts and banging on the door from outside.

Yun Jingheng's lips twitched slightly. He strode to the door and flung it open.

"Stop taking pictures! Stop taking pictures! You're going to break the door apart!"

The four people outside the door were startled by the sudden sound of the door opening.

Yun Jingheng was dressed in loose-fitting home clothes, with a hint of impatience on his face after being disturbed.

"Jing Heng?!"

Xie Xie's eyes widened. "You're home? We've been calling outside for ages, our throats are practically hoarse!"

"Shout? Did I hear you?"

Yun Jingheng raised an eyebrow and shrugged innocently. "I was in the bathroom just now."

Tang Wulin and Gu Yue exchanged a glance. Although they felt something was off, they didn't press the matter further, given Yun Jingheng's flawless and "natural" demeanor.

After all, everyone needs to use the restroom sometimes.

"Come in and sit down? By the way, what do you want with me?"

Without further hesitation, the four filed in.

However, the instant they crossed the threshold, Gu Yue keenly detected an extremely faint and fleeting strange fluctuation.

It was an lingering energy with both Destruction and regenerative properties.

"We'd like to go and take a look at the Star Pavilion."

"Go ahead, why did you come all this way just to tell me what it means?"

"We can only go in three days. Do you have any way to get us up there directly?"

"Yes, but it violates school rules."

Yun Jingheng leaned against the doorframe, looking at the group with a half-smile, deliberately drawing out the last syllable, "If Dean Cai or those elders catch us, we'll be in for a 30,000-word self-criticism."

"Violating school rules?!"

Xie Xie's eyes instantly lit up like two 100-watt Soul Guidance Lamp. Far from backing down, he rubbed his hands together excitedly. "Jing Heng, what are you saying! When have I ever been afraid of breaking the rules? Tell me quickly, what's the plan?"

Xu Xiaoyan nodded vigorously beside her, echoing with anticipation, "Yes, yes, Jing Heng, as long as we can get in and see it ahead of time, it's worth getting a scolding!"

Although Tang Wulin did not speak, his firm gaze clearly showed his stance.

Gu Yue, standing to the side, frowned slightly. She felt that Yun Jingheng's smile at that moment concealed some ill intentions, so she chose not to go up.

"Alright, since you're so committed, I'll take the risk."

Yun Jingheng closed the door and even added a soundproof soul-guided barrier before mysteriously walking to a table, opening a drawer, and taking out four uniquely shaped badges.

This badge is not the Sea God Pavilion emblem commonly used by the Shrek Academy, but a minimalist six-pointed star pattern with a faint metallic sheen on its surface.

"What's this?"

Tang Wulin took the badge; it felt cold and heavy in his hand, clearly made of some kind of high-grade metal.

"This is the internal access key to ' The Star Pavilion,' and it's also my private backdoor."

Yun Jingheng lowered his voice and explained with a smug look, "The official opening in three days is for the time transfer station for students; you'll have to queue and pay."

"But this thing is different. Once activated, it can directly activate the emergency traction beams on the periphery of the ' Star Pavilion ' and instantly pull you up."

"That's amazing?!"

Xie Xie held the badge with obvious delight, "Doesn't that mean we can go up now?"

That's how it is in theory.

Yun Jingheng stroked his chin, then changed the subject, "But let me make this clear from the start: this constitutes illegal intrusion. If it triggers any defense mechanisms, or is discovered by patrolling soul-guided mechs, I'm not responsible for rescuing anyone."

Don't worry!

Xie Xie patted his chest and assured him, "Let's be quick, we'll leave as soon as we're done, without anyone noticing!"

"Then let's go."

Yun Jingheng waved his hand, as if shooing away flies, "I'd also like to see if you guys can find the core control area of the ' Star Pavilion ' without my guidance."

"Oops, a slip of the tongue, a slip of the tongue."

Yun Jingheng changed his tune without batting an eye, "I meant, let's go see the scenery. Alright, go ahead, don't linger here."

Watching the three figures disappear into the distance, Yun Jingheng's smile gradually turned playful.

Wait... three people?

Yun Jingheng looked at Gu Yue, "Aren't you going to go and take a look?"

"I'm not going. I think you're up to no good."

"..."

Well, you're pretty good at judging people.

"Then, would you like to take a look too?" Yun Jingheng pointed to a room and extended an invitation.

Gu Yue looked at the three people who had walked out the door and were infusing themselves with Soul Power. "Look."

Yun Jingheng raised an eyebrow and casually tapped the wall, instantly transforming the previously empty wall into a huge holographic light screen.

In the scene, Tang Wulin, Xie Xie, and Xu Xiaoyan were just forcibly pulled into the bottom receiving platform of the "Star Pavilion" by the guiding beam.

Before they could even get their footing, the soft blue lights instantly switched to a blinding scarlet, and a piercing alarm echoed wildly through the empty metal hall.

"Warning! Warning! Unauthorized intrusion detected! Defense system activated! Annihilation mode, initiating!"

As soon as the cold, mechanical synthesized voice finished speaking, the walls around the hall suddenly cracked open, and dozens of Soul Tool Combat Puppet, all pitch black and wielding High-Frequency Vibration Blade, marched out in perfect unison.

Their electronic eyes flashed a dangerous red light, instantly locking onto the three uninvited guests.

"Holy crap! That bastard Jing Heng tricked us?! This isn't sightseeing, it's suicide!"

Xie Xie let out a scream, his Martial Soul instantly unfolding as he pulled Xu Xiaoyan along, barely managing to dodge the first wave of energy cannon fire.

Tang Wulin reacted the fastest. Blue Silver Grass surged from his palms, attempting to Entanglement the puppets charging at the front. At the same time, golden light shone brightly on his body, and the power of the Golden Dragon King erupted instantly, blasting away a combat puppet that was trying to get close with a punch.

Watching the chaotic combat drill on screen, Yun Jingheng picked up his teacup, took a sip, and calmly commented, "Hmm, the reaction speed is acceptable, Wulin's power output is five percent higher than expected, Xie Xie's dodging awareness is good, but Xu Xiaoyan's control is not precise enough."

Gu Yue stood to the side with her arms crossed, a hint of helplessness flashing in her eyes. "You call this a 'private backdoor'? This is clearly throwing them into your Soul Tool testing ground as live targets."

"How can you call this a live target? This is called a 'real-world stress test'."

Yun Jingheng waved his hand dismissively, "The Star Pavilion's defense system has just been installed, and we're worried about not finding high-level sparring partners to calibrate the data."

"One of the top combatants in our generation, might as well use it."

At this point, he turned his head and looked at the Silver Dragon King beside him with a half-smile, "How was it? Not bad, was it?"

"How about we make a bet on how many minutes they can hold out in there without begging for mercy?"

Gu Yue glanced at him, turned and sat down on the sofa next to her, her tone calm but with a hint of certainty. "I bet they won't last ten minutes before triggering an emergency call. Also, after they come down, you'd better pray that Tang Wulin's fists aren't hard enough."

"Tch, coward."

Yun Jingheng pursed his lips, but his gaze never left the light screen.

In the scene, Tang Wulin had completely unleashed his power. The terrifying strength brought by the Golden Dragon King Bloodline, combined with the tenacious control of the Blue Silver Grass, actually managed to tear a gap in the encirclement of dozens of combat puppets.

After her initial panic, Xu Xiaoyan finally calmed down and precisely bound the puppet's joints with the Starlight Chain, creating an excellent opportunity for Xie Xie's sneak attack.

As he watched his three partners work together more and more seamlessly, the playfulness in Yun Jingheng's eyes gradually faded, replaced by a hint of admiration.

He lightly slid his fingers through the air, subtly lowering the attack intensity of the next wave of puppets, a barely perceptible smile playing on his lips.

"It seems they'll have a surprise for me in less than ten minutes."

Although Gu Yue didn't speak, a cold glint flashed in the depths of her eyes as she looked at the blood-soaked blond figure on the screen.