"Originally, we planned to go to Dragon Country to spread the angels' ideals of justice. But we detected the energy fluctuations from the battle here just now, so we came over at short notice."
"Unless something unexpected happens, we'll continue with our original mission."
"Does spreading your ideals of justice really require all four of you high-ranking angels?"
Qin Feng looked a little puzzled, then a harmless smile appeared on his face.
"Why not leave Zhi Xin here? The three of you can go."
The moment he said that, alarm bells went off in Yan's head.
"What are you trying to do? I'm warning you, don't even think about making a move on Zhi Xin. I'm..."
Before Yan could finish, Leng suddenly reached out from behind her and clamped a hand over her mouth.
"Mmph! Mmph!!"
Leng locked one arm around Yan's waist like an iron band and kept her other hand firmly over her mouth, while giving A Zhui a knowing look.
A Zhui understood. She gently pushed the still-dazed Zhi Xin in her arms toward Qin Feng, then stepped back twice to put some distance between them, a teasing smile on her face.
"Have fun, you two!"
Leng dragged the still-struggling Yan into the air, her white wings stirring up a gust of sand as they spread.
A Zhui followed close behind, giving Zhi Xin an encouraging gesture before turning away.
The three figures soon disappeared over the horizon.
Only Qin Feng, Tara, and Zhi Xin, who stood at a loss, remained in the desert.
Zhi Xin wrung her hands in front of her, her pale golden eyes lowered, not daring to look up.
Seeing her look as though she wanted to shrink herself into a quail egg, Qin Feng couldn't help chuckling.
"You don't have to be so nervous. I'm not going to eat you."
Zhi Xin's shoulders shifted slightly, and she finally raised her face.
"I... I'm not nervous. I just..."
She bit her lower lip. "I don't know why you wanted me to stay behind alone, my god."
"Don't call me your god."
Qin Feng waved a hand. "It sounds awkward. Just use my name."
Zhi Xin blinked and tentatively called out in a soft voice, "Qin Feng?"
"Yes, that's better."
"Zhi Xin, are you interested in scientific research?"
The sudden change of subject made Zhi Xin pause briefly. Then she nodded, some of the nervousness fading from her voice.
"Yes. My main responsibilities in the Angel Civilization are researching energy systems and analyzing void factor compatibility. My teacher, He Xi, says I have some talent in those areas."
"Not some. A great deal."
Qin Feng corrected her. "As I see it, your talent for research is among the best in the Known Universe. I just don't know whether you'd like to try something new."
Zhi Xin froze for a second, tilting her head in confusion.
"What kind of new things?"
"I have a group of people doing research too. They want to change the current direction of scientific research, but their foundations are weak, and they're lacking quite a bit in basic theory. I'd like you to lend them a hand, provide technical guidance, and exchange ideas with them now and then."
At his words, Zhi Xin's eyes lit up, and a trace of excitement entered her voice.
"You mean you want me to take part in your research?"
"Yes. I believe that with you joining them, they can finish their current tasks faster. Would you be willing?"
"I can do that."
Zhi Xin agreed without hesitation.
As far as she was concerned, this was simply doing what she loved.
Besides, it would help Qin Feng and strengthen their relationship at the same time. Two birds with one stone!
Qin Feng smiled in satisfaction, as though he had already known she would agree.
Then he raised his hand and casually swiped it through the air.
The space before him seemed to tear open, revealing the thick darkness of the Shadow Realm.
"Then come with me."
With that, he stepped through first, and Zhi Xin hurried after him.
Meanwhile, on the bridge of the Taotie Vanguard Fleet.
Cool white light spilled through the metal grilles in the vaulted ceiling, illuminating the cold, orderly lines of the bridge's interior.
The Main Control Console was arranged in an arc, with dozens of holographic screens hovering before the operators, dense streams of data and star-chart coordinates scrolling across them.
A faint mixture of metal and coolant hung in the air, while the low hum of running machinery echoed continuously through the enclosed space.
The space at the very center of the bridge suddenly twisted.
A dark purple rift tore open without a sound, a ring of unstable energy ripples flickering along its edges.
Sno stepped out of the rift.
Although the wound on his right shoulder had stopped bleeding, the dark stain on his clothes was still clearly visible.
Xiong Lu and Feng Lei, who had been discussing something at the Main Control Console, turned around at the same time. Both their expressions changed when they saw who had arrived.
"Lord Sno, what brings you here?"
Xiong Lu set down the data tablet in his hand and hurried over, obvious surprise showing on his iron-gray metal face.
Feng Lei followed close behind. His gaze landed on the dark stain on Sno's right shoulder, and his pupils contracted slightly.
Both of them knew Sno's duties very well. Unless something major had happened, he would never take the initiative to appear among the Taotie fleet.
Sno walked up to the Main Control Console, his voice low and hoarse. "Crocodile God Soton, whom My God Karl prepared for you, has been taken."
"What?!!"
Xiong Lu and Feng Lei cried out almost simultaneously. They exchanged a glance, shock surging in both their eyes.
Soton was one of the trump cards Karl had prepared specifically for the Taotie invasion of Blue Star.
A third-generation Beast Body warrior, he was tough and thick-skinned, with astonishing regenerative abilities. He could hardly have been better suited to serving as a damage sponge for breaking through enemy positions on the front lines.
They had originally planned to send him to deal with the Super Soldiers of the Super God Academy once the landing operation began.
But who could have imagined that someone would dare snatch him directly from Sno?
"Lord Sno, who was it? Was it a Super Soldier from the Super God Academy?"
Feng Lei stepped forward, his tone tense.
There was a barely perceptible trace of unease in his voice.
The Taotie's large-scale invasion was imminent. If someone powerful enough to fight Sno head-on had suddenly appeared on Blue Star, they would probably have to scrap their landing plans entirely.
What difference would there be between sending a group of ordinary soldiers charging at someone who could defeat a Third Generation Divine Body and sending them to their deaths?
"I don't know."
Sno shook his head, his voice beneath the mask clearly irritated.
"I came to you because I want to use the bridge systems to examine Blue Star's Dark Plane information."
He paused, a dull pain coming from the wound on his right shoulder. "At first, I thought they were just wanderers from some lost civilization. Strong enough, but incapable of causing any real trouble."
"But as the fight went on, I realized that wasn't the case at all. That dark red warrior was absolutely no weaker than me, and that young man could even alter the ownership permissions of an object imbued with my Great Clock Computational Power without any visible effort."
At that, Xiong Lu and Feng Lei both fell silent.
What did it mean to alter the permissions of an object imbued with the Great Clock's Computational Power?
It meant that the other party clearly had a Celestial Computer backing him.
At that moment, they both wondered whether the angels had intervened personally.
Before you continue