Translator: CinderTL
Splash!
Wind-driven waves rippled across puddles.
The ink-black clouds gradually retreated, allowing a sliver of sunlight to finally pierce through to Black Harbor City's North District.
Raindrops trickled down the glass windows of towering skyscrapers. Near a toppled streetlight pole, a puddle rippled, reflecting the scene of a deep crater in the distance.
"It seems we've won," Wang Cheng said calmly, standing on the opposite side of the kilometer-deep crater.
The silver metal armor covering his body was riddled with cracks, imprinted with countless palm-shaped dents and scorched by gunshots. His ion light shield had shattered completely, leaving him seemingly critically wounded.
Yet his energy level magnetic field remained stable, and the crimson arcs of energy crackling across his surface continued to flicker relentlessly.
"You..."
In stark contrast, Helena lay in a pool of blood on the opposite side, her flesh disintegrating. A gaping hole had been burned through her chest.
Wriggling flesh buds and sinews were suppressed by some high-heat energy source, preventing her wounds from healing.
The muddy ground, stained with blood and rainwater, reflected her disheveled appearance.
The proud, condescending gaze she once wore was gone, replaced by a pallid face etched with confusion and terror.
She had actually lost?
She was no match for the Red Nation warrior before her, who had just completed his second-stage transformation.
"You..."
"We fear no one," Wang Cheng interrupted calmly, his metallic visor slowly retracting to reveal the face of a young man with sword-like eyebrows and starry eyes. A vibrant, undying light seemed to burn within his gaze.
"Whether in the past, the present... or the future."
"Dare to harm us, and you will pay with your blood."
Whoosh!
As his words landed, the aftershock of the battle swept through the deep crater.
Federation aircraft slowly approached from above, attempting to mediate, but Helena's eyes clouded with despair.
The conflict had ended. Neon lights flickered across Black Harbor City's districts, and holographic projections drifted erratically.
A massive crater and long, jagged fissures tore through the streets, while collapsed structures had crushed public facilities.
Witnessing this scene, shadows stirred atop distant skyscrapers. A raven, as black as ink, had appeared unnoticed, observing everything.
A severed lamppost lay haphazardly across the street, and the figure in the pool of blood was critically wounded, hovering on the brink of death.
The entire scene was dyed crimson in his vertical, crimson pupils, meticulously recorded with an eerie clarity.
Sensing something, Wang Cheng suddenly looked up.
From afar, the skyscraper rooftop appeared empty, save for the fiery red sunset.
Sensing something was amiss, he frowned.
"A false alarm?"
That evening, the Red Nation delegation returned to their embassy.
The heavy metal gates slowly closed, activating the synchronized security systems.
Patrolling guards remained vigilant within the embassy grounds, while the core members reconvened in a second-floor conference room.
"We truly owe Councilor Chen our gratitude this time."
"Indeed. Without him, we might not have escaped safely."
"I never imagined the federation would be so treacherous. We nearly fell into the worst possible scenario."
"The Roth Family is definitely involved. I suspect they're holding Han Mingchuan right now."
Murmurs of relief, gratitude, and simmering resentment toward the federation filled the room.
Several Red Guard officers and high-ranking military officials wore complex expressions, their thoughts drifting to the comrades they had lost.
"I've already reported this incident to Red City," Chairman Li Yun said gravely, his face etched with a mix of regret and guilt. "The fallen warriors will be posthumously awarded the highest honors, and their families will receive preferential treatment and compensation."
Everything had been for the sake of negotiations.
But without his decisions and arrangements, these men wouldn't have sacrificed their lives.
The atmosphere grew heavy as some recognized his self-blame.
"When we came to the Federation, we all prepared to make sacrifices," one senior military officer said solemnly, and others nodded in agreement.
They had to look forward.
Moreover, the true culprits had already been identified: the members of the New Covenant Faction.
In an instant, all eyes turned to a metal box on the table. Its sides were made of transparent fiberglass, crisscrossed by glowing blue arcs that pulsed with energy.
Through the surface, they could see a bio-engineered mechanical eyeball resting inside.
Every flicker of consciousness within the room seemed to freeze to absolute zero. Traces of blood still clung to the eyeball's surface.
The embassy staff stared with complex emotions—anger, murderous intent—each wishing they could annihilate Andrei on the spot.
But...
A cold restraint gradually surfaced, veins throbbing in their clenched fists.
In the end, the delegation members suppressed their emotions, stifled their murderous impulses, and turned their heads toward Chen Feng, who had remained mostly silent in the center of the room.
"Councilor Chen, most of Andrei's consciousness is contained within this eyeball, isn't it?"
"Yes," Chen Feng replied with a slight nod, his Perception sensing the turbulent emotions swirling within the eyeball.
Using the projection power of his spiritual world, he had relentlessly suppressed Andrei's strength, preventing him from withdrawing his consciousness and escaping.
This also meant that even if a fragment of Andrei's consciousness remained in the Deep Sea, it would be difficult for it to awaken and manifest independently.
The group nodded in agreement, their thoughts turning to tomorrow's exchange.
"Commissioner Moke has sent word that they will locate Han Mingchuan tomorrow and complete the exchange with us."
"What are your thoughts on this?" Chairman Li Yun asked.
A deep voice shook its head. "They've undoubtedly controlled Han Mingchuan for some time now."
"If not for Councilor Chen's unwavering stance and overwhelming power, they would have continued to stall."
The group nodded in agreement, their respect and gratitude for Chen Feng deepening.
Some also suggested that upon returning to the Red Nation, they should devise a plan to strike back against the Federal Consortium.
The Roth Family, in particular, was a major concern.
"I've already reported this incident to Red City," Chairman Li Yun said. "We'll need a detailed plan for the aftermath."
"Velatu's appearance was undoubtedly orchestrated by the Roth Family. Having suffered such losses, they won't let this go easily. We must be even more vigilant during tomorrow's hostage exchange."
The room grew somber as Chairman Li Yun reminded everyone to remain cautious.
Chen Feng narrowed his eyes, recalling the faint, intangible sensation he had felt earlier.
To extinguish Velatu's consciousness seed, he had dispersed a strand of mental power imbued with the Wrath of the Storm, using it to track and lock onto the target before completely annihilating it.
He had hoped to use this opportunity to pinpoint the Roth Family's Deep Sea location and their base.
However, he encountered some kind of obstruction and failed to achieve his goal.
Afterward, when he questioned Chairman Li Yun and the others, he learned the reason.
"Legendary-grade consciousness possesses an indestructible nature and generates extremely high energy level fluctuations. Therefore, their corresponding Virtual Deep Seas require higher-tier energy systems for maintenance and are typically hidden very deep."
"Typically, these virtual environments are constructed using quantum devices. This provides both shielding against tracking and maximum concealment of electromagnetic fluctuations, ensuring exceptional stability."
"Moreover, based on past cases, we can't rule out the possibility that the Deep Sea device is hidden within some kind of mobile real-world environment."
Hearing this, Chen Feng frowned slightly.
A mobile environment?
"He probably means submarines, cargo ships, land trains, and so on," Star Spirit explained telepathically. "Ordinary Virtual Deep Seas have too many limitations. Moving the equipment is difficult, and they require extremely precise electromagnetic conditions."
"But a Deep Sea designed for Legendary-grade entities perfectly overcomes these shortcomings and can enhance concealment through mobile carriers."
Chen Feng nodded in understanding, but then shook his head, sensing something was off.
The obstruction he had encountered didn't seem to stem from this kind of force.
Instead, it felt more like interference from a third party.
"Perhaps... it's a third-stage legendary," Chairman Li Yun suddenly suggested, his voice grave.
Chen Feng's eyes flashed at this.
Before arriving at the Federation, the delegation had briefly discussed this matter.
Though only mentioned in passing, it was classified as top-tier confidential information.
Second-tier legendaries represented the peak combat power on Earth, the highest individual rank below the divine.
Even the Federation adhered to this standard.
However...
"Third-stage Legendary Technology requires extremely rare resources and is nearly impossible to achieve."
"Yet the Platinum Federation briefly succeeded twice."
Relevant data reappeared, forming a projected light screen.
Chairman Li Yun set down the documents handed to him by his assistant and speculated, "The Federation considers these experiments taboo and has concealed much about them."
"All we know is that the successful third-stage Legendary Technology seemed to have a critical flaw."
Chairman Li Yun's tone grew serious as he explained, "It was an extremely unstable state, prone to causing individuals to lose control and enter a negative emotional state, indiscriminately targeting friend and foe alike."
"The Roth Family once conducted related research. Whether they succeeded remains unknown, but intelligence suggests they paid a heavy price, with numerous casualties."
"And following that experiment..."
His voice trailed off, and the image on the light screen froze.
Chen Feng looked at the image—a white man's identification photo.
His wine-red, shoulder-length hair was combed back, revealing a sharply chiseled, masculine face.
Deep-set eyes burned with crimson pupils.
The slight upturn of his lips gave him an unsettling, almost manic air.
"The Roth Family's former Legendary-grade foundation—a second-stage Cyborg."
"Mad King Will—he never resurfaced."
The room fell into an unnerving silence.
The delegation members frowned, their minds racing with speculation and apprehension.
A third-stage Legendary-grade Cyborg... if this theory proved true...
"I'll handle it," Chen Feng said calmly, cutting through their unspoken fears.
The faces around him brightened, and gazes turned toward him once more.
Chen Feng's expression remained unchanged, showing no reaction to the mention of a third-stage Legendary.
Strangely, his promise and unwavering composure reassured them. The weight on their shoulders seemed to lift by half.
"Then... we're counting on you."
That night, as darkness deepened, Chen Feng excused himself from the meeting and returned to his room.
Click!
The door closed, and the Star Spirit's voice echoed in his mind.
"Third-stage Cyborgs... I don't recall any defects like this."
"Could there be a flaw in the technical blueprints the Federation acquired, or perhaps an anomaly during the consciousness upgrade process?"
She tilted her head, her small face etched with confusion.
This was the pinnacle of technology from the Ancient Taiduo Civilization—the ultimate expression of individual-level technological prowess.
Throughout the civilization's long history, no such defect had ever been reported.
Yet, according to intelligence provided by Li Yun, the Platinum Federation's technical experiments in this area seemed to have hit a bottleneck.
Buzz!
Electromagnetic waves subtly pulsed as she began searching the database for answers.
She even attempted to contact another sub-entity within the Windrider to leverage its superior computational power for further investigation.
Meanwhile, Chen Feng paid no attention to her inquiries, silently striding into the bedroom.
The Federation had long been hostile to the Red Nation, and its Consortium factions and council factions were his sworn enemies.
The emergence of flaws in third-stage technology actually benefited him, so he had little interest in understanding the underlying causes.
Moreover, compared to that...
Click!
The window closed, sealing out the night's gentle breeze.
Chen Feng gazed up at the night sky, his eyes drifting into a distant, contemplative gaze as he stared at the twinkling stars.
"Sacred Being."
When Chen Feng moved to suppress Andrei and the others today, he had prepared for the worst.
Yet the anticipated intervention never came.
The platinum five-star, comparable to a Divine General, remained silent.
He couldn't determine if the Red Nation's Divine General had intervened again to stop it, or if the secret realm black tide—which the delegation had been investigating—was simply too large-scale, diverting the platinum five-star's attention.
Regardless of the reason, he found it deeply unsettling.
Five Sacred Beings had remained utterly still, showing no reaction whatsoever.
This was strikingly inconsistent with the federation's historically aggressive behavior.
Could there be another layer of strategic maneuvering at play?
His gaze deepened as he pondered for a moment, but ultimately he decided not to delve further.
Whatever the truth, the Han Mingchuan matter would be resolved completely tomorrow.
With negotiations progressing, their stay in the federation would be short-lived.
As these thoughts flashed through his mind, he drew the curtains, levitated into the air, and settled cross-legged on the bed.
The Star Spirit was still focusing most of her energy on the Windrider. According to her, the self-repair process was partially complete, with the weapon and energy modules gradually regaining functionality.
Through the mental link, Chen Feng saw the ocean's depths, where Gata and the Mermen were still assisting, acting as mechanical arms to move materials.
"It seems it won't be long before we can activate the warp drive," he murmured.
Casting a final glance at the Windrider, Chen Feng knew that the ark's departure would likely trigger another storm.
But before that...
He withdrew his Perception, delving deep into his mind.
Though the brilliant platinum flickered erratically, Chen Feng clearly sensed its Origin energy gradually strengthening.
"You're almost ready too, aren't you?"
Through the mental link, Chen Feng witnessed another scene within the Dead Crow Secret Realm.
At the base of a majestic mountain range, a thriving city had been built.
Simplely dressed figures moved about, most gazing reverently and expectantly toward the mountain's slopes.
The grand, brown-hued temple stood imposingly, its layers shrouded in drifting clouds.
Yet within this serene and dignified setting, a peculiar resonance echoed from the palace's depths.
It sounded like the mountain itself breathing, or the earth's crust undulating.
The mystical rhythm resonated like a divine miracle, drawing Earth God Cult Believers to their knees in prayer.
The source of this phenomenon lay deep beneath the palace, in a vast cavern within the earth's bedrock.
There, the Holy Shield Colossus sat cross-legged, now dormant and transformed into a gray Stone Statue.
It steadily drew wisps of Earth Vein Power into its body.
Brown and platinum light emanated from its surface, swirling around it in divine halos.
Clearly undergoing a transformation, the Colossus was completely focused inward, striving to ascend to the level of a High-Ranking Angel.
Several Earth God Cult Bishops sat nearby, seemingly following the Earth God's command to protect and assist its transformation.
Witnessing this, Chen Feng felt all his worries vanish.
His mental link remained intact, assuring him he could recall the Colossus to reality at any moment.
Without disturbing the process, he withdrew his Perception.
Though every day in the Platinum Federation was fraught with danger, his confidence grew stronger with each passing moment.
Moreover...
Looking at the nine Fragments of Divinity in his interface and recalling the Angel Fire Seed within the Heroic Spirit Hall, Chen Feng made his decision.
(End of the Chapter)
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