Translator: CinderTL
As the alarm blared, a flurry of footsteps echoed through the corridor.
Moments later, a squad of fully armed Black Armor Warriors stormed into the monitoring command room. After forming a neat line, they leveled their weapons at Feng Qi.
Seeing this, Feng Qi instinctively clutched Suction Cup tighter.
The black-armored man leading the squad raised his right hand, pointing at Feng Qi. With a swift series of hand seals, he manipulated the surrounding spiritual energy particles, drawing them toward him.
Feng Qi could distinctly feel the oppressive force emanating from all directions, pinning him in place.
The black-armored man's ability was remarkably similar to Feng Qi's telekinesis, the only difference being that Feng Qi's telekinesis was derived from mental energy, released from within his body outward.
The black-armored man's method of casting art magic, however, more closely resembled the "Hand Seal Flow Art" pioneered by Lin Ran.
Moreover, it was even more advanced than Lin Ran's original system.
Lin Ran's Hand Seal Flow Art involved each hand seal corresponding to a specific spiritual energy circulation path within the body. In contrast, the black-armored man directly manipulated the spiritual energy in the surrounding air, rapidly tracing fixed spell trajectories.
[Old Lin has an heir now, which fills me with great satisfaction. I hope he himself will step up, defeat the Lord of the Mist, and successfully ascend to become my Right Protector.]
Ignoring the Narrator's sarcastic commentary, Feng Qi, under the pressure of spiritual energy, quickly lowered his head to look at Suction Cup in his arms.
Just as he'd suspected, Suction Cup raised her fist again.
Seeing this, Feng Qi was horrified.
If she threw this punch, the Black Armor Warrior clearly wouldn't survive.
It was too late to stop her now.
But just as Feng Qi was about to activate his "Blood Origin Form" and forcibly break through the spiritual energy ring's restraints to suppress Suction Cup, her fist, aimed at the Black Armor Warrior, suddenly stopped mid-swing.
A gust of wind then swept forward, knocking the Black Armor Warrior and the members of the combat readiness squad behind him to the ground.
With the restraints lifted, Feng Qi quickly embraced Suction Cup, fearing she might strike out and hurt someone.
[I think I understand now. At the last moment, Suction Cup must have recognized they were all human. So, even though they intended to kill you, she only knocked them back instead of harming them. If they were domain creatures, they'd probably be holding hands on the Road to the Underworld right now, singing 'Friends for Life.']
Feng Qi agreed with the Narrator's analysis.
Even though Suction Cup had lost consciousness, her instincts remained.
Besides Mu Qing's attitude toward humans, Wei Wei had definitely sternly instructed Suction Cup not to harm them.
Feng Qi had seen this in Mu Yao's memory fragments, where Mu Yao told Suction Cup that she must strive for the rise of Human Civilization in the future.
(PS: This passage originally appeared in Chapter 116.)
Therefore, Suction Cup's refusal to attack humans was clearly another instinct retained after losing consciousness.
Gazing at the chaotic surveillance command room, Feng Qi felt ashamed and realized the situation was still extremely precarious.
He immediately turned to Xia Qian and explained, "Commander Xia, please let me explain."
At that moment, the fallen members of the combat squad rose to their feet, once again aiming their weapons at Feng Qi. The tension in the room was palpable.
Just as they were about to strike, Xia Qian suddenly turned to the squad and said sternly, "Stand down! There's been a misunderstanding here."
Then, turning his gaze to the Black Armor Warrior leading the squad, he continued, "Xiao Ye, take your people and secure the main entrance to the command room. If anyone asks, tell them we're conducting a combat readiness training exercise."
Hearing this, the Black Armor Warrior's expression turned surprised. He glanced at the meat paste hanging on the wall, his expression thoughtful. Then he nodded and said, "I understand!"
With that, he waved his hand. "Everyone, follow me to the entrance for battle readiness."
As his voice faded, the Black Armor Warrior led his squad out of the command room.
The three staff members responsible for observation also turned their gazes toward Xia Qian.
"You three, get out too!"
Upon receiving the order, the three staff members immediately removed their communication devices and left the command room.
Now, only Feng Qi and Xia Qian remained in the command room.
Gazing at Xia Qian's calm expression, Feng Qi suddenly realized something.
Xia Qian had known all along that a domain creature was lurking within the shelter. Otherwise, he wouldn't have recovered his composure so quickly after his initial surprise.
Considering the Black Armor Warrior's earlier expression, Feng Qi became even more certain of his suspicion.
"Are you surprised I didn't arrest you?"
In response, Feng Qi shook his head.
At this moment, Xia Qian still believed that Feng Qi was unaware of the situation within the shelter. He assumed the sudden incident was merely White Eyes being triggered by the domain creature's appearance, leading her to eliminate it.
As for him, he remained a mere bystander from beginning to end.
Seeing Feng Qi shake his head, Xia Qian's expression turned genuinely surprised.
"Did you know White Eyes would intervene?"
"If I'm not mistaken, that pile of rotten flesh hanging on the wall should be a domain creature, right?"
"How did you know?" Xia Qian asked, his face astonished.
"The Victory City Shelter where I used to live faced a similar situation. It was infiltrated by Domain Force, ultimately leading to tragedy."
"Tell me more," Xia Qian urged immediately.
In response, Feng Qi chose not to reveal his true identity. Even though Xia Qian seemed trustworthy, he couldn't be certain whether the room or Xia Qian himself was bugged. This matter was too critical; he needed to understand the shelter's true situation first. Revealing his identity directly could have dire consequences, especially if a super domain creature like the Lord of the Mist was lurking within. Even Suction Cup might not be able to withstand such a threat.
Instead, he recounted the Scarlet Research Institute's prepared narrative about the Victory City Shelter in detail. The story revolved around Domain Force infiltrating the shelter, ultimately breaching it from within and causing its downfall.
But the words that Xia Qian spoke next caught him completely off guard:
"The situation in the Star City Shelter is similar to yours in the Victory City Shelter, but not exactly the same. In reality, the domain creatures within the Star City Shelter fear the destruction of the base's defenses even more than we humans do."
"Why?" Feng Qi asked, astonished.
"The expansion rate of the Domain Field is accelerating. The only reason these creatures are still hiding within our human shelters at this stage is because they are too weak to survive outside, fearing being swallowed up by other Domain Forces."
"But the situation inside the base isn't much better. The remaining domain forces are trying to drive us humans to extinction so they can seize control of the entire base for themselves."
"Why haven't you resisted?" Feng Qi asked sternly.
Hearing that his human juniors were being bullied by domain forces ignited a fire of fury within him.
In response to his question, Xia Qian forced a bitter smile:
"You won't believe this, but for a time, the domain forces actually controlled this shelter. They planned to gradually take over the entire shelter by suppressing human growth. When we discovered this, we threatened to blow up the entire base, a scorched-earth strategy, to regain partial control."
"We've reached a kind of balance with the Domain Force now, but I know they haven't given up. They still want to regain control of the entire shelter as their future breeding ground."
As he spoke, Xia Qian removed his glove, revealing a red button encased in a transparent shell embedded in his mechanical arm.
"If I press this button, the base will enter a self-destruct countdown. It's the only thing that truly intimidates them."
"Do the other residents of the shelter know about the Domain Force's infiltration?"
"We haven't told them. The future is already bleak enough," Xia Qian said with a bitter smile.
"Do you know which individuals in the shelter are domain creatures in disguise?"
"I have a general idea of some, but I don't know how many domain creatures are actually lurking among us. Although the shelter has advanced detection methods, they're completely useless for screening. And we can't conduct a thorough search unless we're prepared to destroy everything along with them."
"Sometimes I wonder if the thirty thousand survivors in the shelter are the last embers of Human Civilization. I don't want to be the one to extinguish it."
Hearing these words, Feng Qi could imagine the immense pressure Xia Qian carried.
With external crises looming and domain creatures within the shelter vying for control, Feng Qi lived in constant fear that Human Civilization would meet its end.
At this moment, he also understood something.
Why the information on cultivation techniques within the shelter was restricted by authority.
Clearly, the Domain Force lurking within the base had seized control of this authority.
They aimed to stunt human growth through this method, like slowly boiling a frog, waiting for the day they could exterminate humanity and seize control of the shelter.
Humanity's last refuge had become a coveted survival space for these weak domain races.
But Feng Qi felt no sympathy for these domain races.
All he wanted now was to wipe them out.
With this thought, he looked up at Xia Qian and declared, "I'll help you exterminate them!"
Hearing this, Xia Qian glanced at the Suction Cup in his arms. "If White Eyes acts, there's no doubt we'll succeed. But are you sure you can control her?"
"Yes."
Upon hearing Feng Qi's confident reply, determination flashed in Xia Qian's eyes. "Very well. I'll gather everyone in the shelter at the underground plaza. You can begin the purge then."
Feng Qi frowned at this.
He had no objection to eliminating the Domain Force, but if they followed Xia Qian's plan, the domain creatures would inevitably resist, harming innocent residents.
Sensing his concern, Xia Qian immediately spoke:
"Later, I'll have the shelter residents equip themselves with Defensive Spirit Talismans. These talismans automatically activate to block incoming damage and are mandatory equipment for emergency evacuation drills."
"While domain creatures also possess these talismans, even their defenses won't withstand White Eyes' attacks. As long as we swiftly eliminate the domain creatures, there shouldn't be any major issues... There might still be sacrifices, but no poison extraction process can be perfect."
After hearing Xia Qian's explanation, Feng Qi understood this was indeed the best course of action.
There was no perfect choice in this situation.
History proved that every revolution inevitably came with sacrifice.
From a strategic perspective, Xia Qian's decision was sound.
After a moment of inner struggle, he nodded. "Alright. When do we begin?"
"One of them is already dead, but the news hasn't spread yet. We should strike now, before they have time to react."
As he spoke, Xia Qian pressed his hand on the table, causing a microphone to rise from its center.
After switching it on, he announced in a grave tone:
"Attention all residents of the shelter! This is Commander Xia Qian. I am announcing an emergency evacuation drill. All residents are to immediately cease their current tasks, gather your drill equipment, and assemble at the underground plaza!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Xia Qian switched off the intercom and turned to him.
"It's up to you now. I'll support your actions!"
He rubbed Suction Cup's small head, knowing Xia Qian hadn't truly relied on him. The commander was more concerned about the creature in his arms.
But he was confident in clearing the base of domain creatures.
He knew exactly how powerful Suction Cup was.
Since there was no super domain creature like the Lord of the Mist, their combined assault would leave the Weak Domain Races within the base utterly defenseless.
[Combined assault? Isn't there a weakness that suction cup is holding onto, or perhaps the Narrator and Suction Cup, along with their personal weakness.]
Hearing the Narrator's snide comment, he couldn't help but roll his eyes.
With Xia Qian's help, he removed the binding rings from his wrists and ankles.
At that moment, Xia Qian pressed a button on his desk. The bookshelf slid open to reveal a set of silver-white armor neatly arranged inside.
After removing his jacket, Xia Qian donned the silver armor.
As he put on the helmet, the blue lights on the chest of his battle armor lit up one by one, accompanied by the humming sound of the energy core within.
With a casual gesture, he drew his battle blade from his back.
The blade's surface quickly turned crimson, radiating waves of heat.
After testing the performance of his equipment and weapon, Xia Qian sheathed the battle blade on his back and turned his gaze to the surveillance monitor on his desk. He spoke:
"We'll leave once everyone has assembled."
"Understood!"
After waiting for over ten minutes, Xia Qian, who had been watching the monitor the entire time, finally spoke:
"Let's move out!"
He immediately followed Xia Qian as they strode out of the command room.
Pushing open the iron door, they found the underground plaza already filled with shelter residents standing in neat rows.
This emergency evacuation drill was clearly not their first. Each resident wore standard-issue light armor and carried a shoulder bag containing essential supplies: compressed energy paste, compressed water pills, hemostatic bandages, and medical spray.
These items were intended for use during an emergency evacuation.
While the shelter was originally built as humanity's last refuge, unforeseen circumstances could force its residents to evacuate urgently.
This exercise was designed to prevent such a situation from ever occurring.
At that moment, a shelter warrior clad in silver-white armor approached Xia Qian and began to speak:
"Commander, the emergency evacuation personnel assembly status is as follows..."
Before he could finish, Suction Cup, who was nestled in Feng Qi's arms, suddenly leaped up and unleashed a devastating punch at the warrior.
Instantly, a distorted rune imprint materialized on the warrior's body, forming a transparent barrier in front of him.
But against Suction Cup's immense power, this spiritual energy barrier offered no resistance, shattering instantly.
Boom!
Before the stunned onlookers, the warrior was reduced to a bloody pulp by Suction Cup's single blow, his armor twisted and shattered in the process.
"Lock onto the domain creatures around you and kill them!"
Xia Qian's voice, amplified through his armor's communication system, echoed across the underground plaza.
The warriors, who had been participating in the exercise, were momentarily stunned. Then, they suddenly understood Xia Qian's true intentions.
While they couldn't identify every domain creature, they immediately turned their attention to those whose identities had already been confirmed, scanning their surroundings for any lurking threats.
Realizing that humanity was prepared to fight to the death, the lurking domain creatures finally reacted, launching a decisive counterattack.
The killing intent they unleashed during their counterattack was as clear as a beacon in the darkness to Suction Cup's senses.
Her form transformed into a streak of light, hurtling toward the crowd.
Her limbs churned furiously across the ground, and wherever she passed, the domain creatures' bodies exploded instantly.
At this moment, Suction Cup was like the Grim Reaper, her form darting swiftly through the crowd.
While eliminating the domain creatures, she never harmed humans, even actively shielding the shelter's residents from attacks at critical moments.
Just as she had single-handedly fought off the Silver Moon Domain Field's invasion of Star City, protecting humanity had become an instinct.
As the battle erupted, Feng Qi wanted to help, but he couldn't tell who was a domain creature and who was human.
It seemed like a battle between humans themselves.
He couldn't distinguish any physical differences between the domain creatures and the human residents.
Realizing this, he immediately called out:
"Narrator, hurry up and help me find my targets! This is driving me crazy!"
[I can't help,] the Narrator explained. [Although I have detection abilities, the cultivation systems of 1500 years from now are incredibly diverse. Each person's internal energy is unique. I can't distinguish domain creatures from ordinary humans based on their internal energy or appearance alone. What if I make a mistake?]
Hearing the Narrator's explanation, Feng Qi turned his gaze to Xia Qian.
He decided to use his telekinesis to assist Xia Qian in battle, restraining the targets he was attacking. In this way, he joined the fight.
However, telekinesis proved to be nearly ineffective against these domain creatures.
Most restraints lasted only a few seconds before being broken.
Fortunately, the ordinary residents of the shelter in 1500 years from now possessed extremely strong combat awareness. Amidst the chaos, they began to dodge and evade.
Combined with the protection of Defensive Spirit Talismans, the domain creatures found themselves unable to harm them for the time being.
The focal point of the entire scene was Suction Cup, who had transformed into a jade-colored bolt of lightning, weaving through the crowd.
Her kill rate was astonishingly high.
In just five minutes, she had already slain hundreds of domain creatures.
At full power, Suction Cup was a blur. The domain creatures didn't even have time to defend themselves. When the jade-colored streak brushed past them, their bodies would explode instantly.
Realizing the dire situation, the domain creatures' faces twisted in terror.
But they didn't choose to wait for death. Instead, they launched a desperate counterattack.
However, the moment Suction Cup struck, their fate was sealed.
Moments later, the underground plaza was a scene of carnage. Over a thousand figures lay sprawled in pools of blood.
Suction Cup stopped her assault, rising from the pile of mangled limbs.
As a jade-colored radiance swept over her body, the blood and grime slid away. She turned her gaze toward Feng Qi and charged toward him.
Feng Qi caught Suction Cup and turned to Xia Qian.
Xia Qian had been watching as well. Their eyes met briefly before Xia Qian turned to a nearby Black Armor Warrior and said sternly, "Xiao Ye, arrange for the scene to be cleaned up and casualties tallied."
With that, Xia Qian strode toward the main control console.
Moments later, Xia Qian's voice echoed through the underground plaza's intercom. He began to reassure the shelter's residents, explaining the reasons behind the purge.
In this era nearing the end of days, nearly every resident of the shelter was a soldier. Despite the brutal scene before them, they quickly regained their composure.
In their eyes, Feng Qi saw determination.
They didn't seem overly surprised by the purge.
Perhaps many of them already knew about the werewolf in the shelter. Xia Qian was right to keep it hidden internally, but he clearly underestimated the residents' perceptiveness. Some things are better left unsaid, but no one is a fool.
"It could also be that the Future People have grown accustomed to facing brutality," Feng Qi mused.
He didn't dwell on the specific reasons.
He didn't know when the apocalypse would arrive, but while there was still time, he wanted to quickly review the database's information and cultivation techniques.
To help humanity survive the apocalypse, he needed to pursue two paths simultaneously: internal detoxification and the rise of Human Civilization.
The second path, in particular, was the key to humanity's survival against the apocalyptic crisis.
Currently, the shelter housed over 30,000 human survivors.
To increase their numbers, he needed to accelerate the progress of Human Civilization.
For now, they could only passively defend against the apocalypse's onslaught.
But if Human Civilization could accelerate its development, perhaps the next time it arrived, he would see a magnificent human shelter city.
The number of survivors would swell from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands, even millions or tens of millions.
If Human Civilization grew powerful enough, perhaps in one timeline he could stand alongside the Future People to repel the apocalypse.
He might even witness firsthand what the black shadow meant by the arrival of the Great Tide.
This was why he had to pursue two paths simultaneously:
One was to ensure the healthy development of Human Civilization, preventing internal problems.
The second was to accelerate Human Civilization's progress, giving humanity the strength to face any challenge.
Just then, Xia Qian walked over.
"Thank you," Feng Qi said.
"Commander Xia, I urgently need to complete identity verification and gain access to the database."
"Come with me to the command room first," Xia Qian replied immediately.
Feng Qi glanced at the shelter residents busy cleaning up the underground plaza and nodded.
He followed Xia Qian back to the command room.
After removing his armor, Xia Qian sat at his desk and looked at him with curiosity. "Tell me, why are you so eager to get an identity verification account? What information are you trying to access?"
"The cultivation techniques in the database that are restricted by permissions, and some historical records."
"How did you know the cultivation technique information in the shelter was blocked? And why were you checking historical records?"
Xia Qian's curiosity grew after hearing Feng Qi's explanation.
"Because every time I tried to access the cultivation technique information in the database, I was blocked by access restrictions!" Feng Qi couldn't help but roll his eyes.
"When did you enter the Star City Shelter?"
Xia Qian was taken aback by Feng Qi's answer.
By now, all domain creatures lurking within the shelter had been eliminated, and there were no super domain creatures like the Lord of the Mist, as he had anticipated.
So, facing Xia Qian's question, Feng Qi decided to reveal his identity.
He activated his bone vein ability, causing his bones to shift and realign.
After a few seconds, he returned to his original form.
Gazing at Xia Qian's stunned expression, Feng Qi smiled calmly. "Now do you know who I am?"
"Feng Qi?"
Before he could respond, the Narrator's arrogant voice echoed in his mind:
[It's your ancestor, still alive and kicking! Hurry up and kowtow twice to entertain me.]
(End of the Chapter)
---------------------------------------------------------
Continue Reading (HTT) on CinderTL• ⓒⓞⓜ
Read Ahead to Ch470 • Free Chapters • No Login
---------------------------------------------------------