If Neither of Us Blasts Them, When Will the Fish Grow Up?

He dared not take any chances and hurriedly drew on the earth and stone outside the training ground that had not yet been eroded, raising three thick earthen shields around himself and enclosing himself like the filling in a dumpling.

But this defense was practically useless against the Crab Shadowkhan.

The next second, the Crab Shadowkhan burst out of the ground in front of Cheng Yaowen, his Cone Hand whistling through the air as it stabbed straight at his face.

Cheng Yaowen hastily combined the three shields into one in front of him, but the instant the pointed tip touched the earthen shield, the entire shield shattered with a crash.

Amid the dust and debris, the enormous pincer was already raised high, ready to deliver the final blow.

Suddenly, a Space Wormhole opened silently behind Cheng Yaowen.

Qiangwei flashed out of it, grabbed Cheng Yaowen by the shoulder, and wrenched him bodily off the ground with a powerful beat of her wings!

At the last second, the two escaped the Crab Shadowkhan's attack range and climbed into the air along the edge of the training ground.

The Crab Shadowkhan's enormous pincer struck empty air, then smashed a shallow crater into the ground.

He tilted his head up slightly, his crimson V-shaped Vertical Pupils locking onto the two figures ascending into the air.

He raised his left arm's Cone Hand, firing black energy blades one after another from its tip, sending them screaming toward Qiangwei and Cheng Yaowen.

At the sight, Qiangwei gritted her teeth and rapidly adjusted the angle of her wings, carrying Cheng Yaowen as she darted left and right through the barrage of energy blades.

But carrying someone clearly hampered her speed and agility, and several energy blades skimmed past her wingtips.

"Qiangwei, put me down."

As Cheng Yaowen spoke, he manipulated chunks of earth into gathering beneath his feet.

"I can stand on the earth. You'll be faster on your own."

"No."

Qiangwei refused flatly, her voice tight. "Your earth moves too slowly. Putting you down would make you a sitting duck."

"That's still better than both of us getting knocked out!"

Qiangwei pressed her lips into a thin line and did not answer.

In that instant of hesitation, an energy blade struck her wing dead-on.

"Ah!"

Qiangwei cried out in pain.

Both of them fell from the air, crashing onto the mass of earth Cheng Yaowen had formed earlier.

Seeing this, the Crab Shadowkhan adjusted his aim slightly, black energy gradually gathering at his conical tip.

"Enough!"

Rena's voice suddenly rang out from outside the field.

"Everyone, stop!"

The Crab Shadowkhan stopped at the last moment.

He did not lower his arm, merely turning his head slowly, his crimson V-shaped Vertical Pupils looking toward Qin Feng on the throne as though awaiting confirmation.

Qin Feng chuckled and waved a hand casually. "Come back."

Upon hearing the order, the Crab Shadowkhan immediately lowered his Cone Hand.

He turned into a shadow and returned to Qin Feng's side, standing still and silent, as though that storm of attacks had never happened.

The shadows covering the entire training ground also receded instantly, revealing the grayish-white ground beneath.

Rena looked at the silent Crab Shadowkhan standing beside Qin Feng, her gaze rather complicated.

She planted her hands on her hips and let out a long sigh. "Come on, couldn't you let this goddess save a little face? Having your soldier take down Ge Xiaolun and the others so easily makes me look incompetent."

After all, she was the captain of the Super Soldier Company, in charge of their daily training.

Now that the team she had trained had been beaten into disarray by a single soldier, how was she supposed to save face?

"The more you sweat in training, the less you bleed in battle. Besides, if neither of us blasts them, when will the fish grow up? Wasn't I helping you test the results of their training? Though, judging by how they did, they seem a little underwhelming."

Qin Feng shrugged slightly.

Rena rolled her eyes and said irritably, "Ge Xiaolun and the others have only trained for a month. How could they possibly be a match for that battle-hardened soldier of yours?"

She had figured it out.

Qin Feng had not come to tour the Super Soldier Company at all. He was here for the Super God Academy's resources.

All that talk about sparring was just a pretext.

His real goal was to swindle Du Kao and the others out of their things.

But she did not want to expose him.

After all, they were not her resources he was swindling.

Just then, Ge Xiaolun and the others walked over, supporting one another.

Lian Feng hurried to meet them, her eyes quickly scanning their injuries. Only after confirming that none of them was seriously hurt did she breathe a sigh of relief.

"Reporting in. We lost. Please punish us."

Ge Xiaolun and his companions straightened up, but every one of them hung his head.

Looking at their dejected faces, Lian Feng forced a gentle smile.

"It's all right. Victory and defeat are part of a soldier's life. You already did very well this time. Just keep working hard next time."

She dared not blame them any further.

The match had already dealt them a harsh enough blow. If she added a scolding, these young people who had never been on a battlefield might have even their last shred of confidence crushed.

Although losing those ten sets of Dark Alloy Armor pained her, at least this match had shown her the Super Soldier Company's actual current capabilities.

As long as Ge Xiaolun and the others could learn from it, it would all be worth it.

Of course, what troubled her most was the conflict between Liu Chuang and Cheng Yaowen.

Lian Feng sighed inwardly, her gaze involuntarily drifting toward Qin Feng on the throne.

The young man had already sat up straight and was smiling at her with his hand outstretched.

"Miss Lian Feng, don't forget my payment."

"Don't worry. I've already notified the logistics department and told them to bring your things over."

There was a trace of pain in Lian Feng's voice, but she maintained her outward composure. "Ten sets of Dark Alloy Armor. You won't be short a single set."

Hearing that, Qin Feng nodded in satisfaction.

"Good. Working with you has been quite pleasant. Call me again next time you have an opportunity this good."

The corner of Lian Feng's mouth twitched, and she did not reply.

Meanwhile, in the conference room of the base's main building, the atmosphere was nowhere near as relaxed as it was on the training ground.

Cool white light poured down from the ceiling, illuminating the long conference table.

Du Kao sat in his wheelchair, his expression perfectly calm, but his knuckles were slightly white where he gripped the edges of the armrests.

Angel Yan sat opposite him, her long golden hair glowing softly beneath the lights.

She leaned back in her chair with her legs crossed, her posture composed and her lips curved in the hint of a smile.

Leng and A Zhui stood behind her on either side like two silent statues.

"Du Kao, you certainly live up to your title of war maniac."

Yan spoke first, her voice neither loud nor soft, yet carrying a chill that sent shivers down one's spine.

"Blue Star is now laid completely bare before all the major powers of the Known Universe, yet you stubbornly refuse to join our angels' Justice Order. Isn't that a deliberate attempt to start a war?"