NOVPUBWoo—!
High above the skies, a transport aircraft raced southeast away from Xilan City, flanked by several Lightning-2 Aerospace Fighters. At this moment, all the anti-aircraft weapons in the southern and eastern districts had activated their fire-control radar. Wen Zhuo personally led a squad of airborne Ability Users to follow for a stretch. Everyone was nervously monitoring the departure of the Reboot Team.
But just as they expected, after being marked with a Level-5 Mark, the surrounding area of Xilan City didn’t experience any attack—even though it was still dark.
Watching the transport aircraft vanish into the blizzard, Wen Zhuo, flying with the escort squad, narrowed his eyes and muttered, “Let’s hope the Courier Unit has it this smooth too.”
Inside the transport aircraft, Lin Xian and the Emperor Project team members were all on edge. Since Apocalypse Day, high-altitude flights had become incredibly dangerous. Up to now, every monster Lin Xian had encountered in the skies had been hell to deal with. Even the Corpse Crows of Jiazhou City had inflicted heavy casualties. And once an aircraft crashed, even someone wearing a Power Suit like Lin Xian couldn’t guarantee a safe landing.
After a stretch of smooth flying, aside from the booming thunder up above, the flight group didn’t encounter any attacks. This brought Yuheng a mix of relief and dread.
“We’re carrying a Level-5 Mark, and those monsters are purposely not attacking us. That’s just terrifying.”
Chen Wei let out a cold laugh. “It’s obvious. To that monster, we’re already dead meat.”
Lin Xian, however, felt a bit puzzled. He’d prepared for a breakout fight, but this eerie calm made him even more uneasy.
Because it didn’t make sense.
“That’s weird... So if the whole city were to evacuate now, would they attack or not?”
“It’s not that simple,” Yu Yuheng pushed up his glasses. “Captain Lin, I’ve been wondering—why did that monster have to issue a Level-5 Mark? According to your research data, even tens of thousands of regular Snow Wraiths would only register a Level-4 at most. If the Level-5 Mark is some kind of special signal, one that only that monster can release for certain targets, then it makes sense.”
Lin Xian frowned. “For creatures of the Polar Night?”
“That’s possible. So you’re right—we absolutely can’t carry this mark into the Polar Night, not even to the Abyssal Periphery. We might not survive it,” Yu Yuheng said gravely. “And another thing—there’s probably a limit to how far that S-class monster can project its influence. It doesn’t know whether we’re evacuating or staying. To it, there’s no difference.”
Lin Xian nodded. “If we stay in Xilan, we’re its prey, its offering. If we leave its domain, we become prey for other Polar Night Entities...”
“Hah, sounds like this beast is playing the lackey role real well,” Chen Wei scoffed. “Went through all that trouble just to serve us up as a tribute?”
Lin Xian fell silent.
Abyss. Polar Night.
What exactly were these beings in the darkness? They evolved, blanketed the world in Abyssal Shadows, all for one goal—human slaughter.
BZZT BZZT—
Turbulence rattled the outside of the aircraft. As the flight continued, the tense atmosphere inside the cabin gradually eased. Many of the Emperor Project researchers resumed work.
At this time, Sun Kai and Jing Tian walked into the cabin with a few soldiers from the escort group, holding several specially made metal cases, distributing them to the researchers. Lin Xian, Yu Yuheng, and Chen Wei each received one.
When Lin Xian opened his, he found—a black cloak from the Nightwalkers Organization!
“Director Zhao specifically arranged this,” Jing Tian explained. “It’s the Mistcrown Cloak from the Nightwalkers. Made of special material—it’s bulletproof, fire-resistant, and can harden into a gliding surface for short-range glides. Most importantly, it reduces the chance of being detected by Dark Entities.”
Chen Wei frowned and asked Sun Kai, “Old Sun, why are you only handing these out now?”
Sun Kai exchanged a look with Jing Tian and said helplessly, “Orders from the top. I’m not sure why either.”
“It’s not that complicated,” Lin Xian said, holding up the cloak with a complicated look. “If we got ambushed leaving the city, we’d still have city defenses and escort teams to fall back to. But now that we’re out here... we’re on our own. This thing’s all we’ve got.”
“Well said,” Sun Kai nodded at Lin Xian.
Running his hand across the cloak, Lin Xian found the material and design extremely refined—interlocking hexagonal plates made of some kind of special composite, seemingly able to absorb light. Mysterious.
He activated his Mechanical Heart and quickly scanned it.
[Scan Complete: Acquired Honeycomb Matrix Profile using Tungsten Carbide Fiber Material.]
He triggered the sensor switch—a faint current surged through, and the entire cloak tightened into a solid aerodynamic glider panel. One more switch, and it fluttered back down like a regular cloak. It wasn’t powered by any motor, just clever design and advanced material use.
Lin Xian was amazed. The design was stunning. He thought, Maybe with some special modifications, this thing could have more potential.
“We’re almost there, Captain Lin, Team Leader Yu.”
Sun Kai’s voice came through the Communicator, and the escort soldiers had all locked and loaded.
Lin Xian checked the time. 7:20 AM. Still over five hours till dawn. But daylight itself only lasted under four hours.
With Abyss Zone No. 3 expanding and converging with Zone No. 5, nightfall was arriving far quicker than when Lin Xian had escaped from Jiang City. To avoid getting caught between two Polar Night Abysses, they had just one last day and night to leave Xilan City at dawn and charge into Abyss Zone No. 5—toward the abandoned city of Quancheng.
At the edge of the Trakamar Ice Canyon, the old defense camp’s tents were half-collapsed and buried in snow. The battlefield was now blanketed, leaving behind only towering piles of Snow Wraith corpses, looking eerily unnatural.
The transport aircraft and six aerospace fighters descended onto the old camp’s clearing. Their landing gear sank into the snow. As the hatch opened, a blast of howling wind and a sky-swallowing blizzard slammed into them.
“Hurry up, we don’t have much time! Get the tents back up—the tech team needs time to redeploy Unit 01’s System!”
Yu Yuheng led dozens of escort and tech team members off the transport ship, unloading equipment. Sun Kai and Jing Tian quickly set up perimeter defenses and sent out recon squads.
“Check everything—two o’clock, four o’clock, eleven o’clock, all the way down the valley!”
“Raise the tents!”
“Mecha unit—move the generator first. Protect the Unified Neural Sync Pod. That comes last!”
WHOOOOSH—
Lin Xian, now wearing the Mistcrown Cloak, stepped off the aircraft with Chen Wei. They were immediately engulfed by blinding wind and chest-deep snow. He trudged past the transport belly and looked up at the cliff.
Camp lights flickered in the storm, but Lin Xian still saw it—a towering silhouette standing silent atop the cliff, one fist pressed to the ground.
He didn’t hesitate. Struggling through the snow, he reached Unit 01’s right arm and climbed up.
WOOOO—
Wind whistled through a crack in the head cockpit’s nanoceramic visor—ripped nearly in half. The damage was horrifying. This thing was tougher than the Infinite Train, yet something had torn it apart. You could almost imagine the monstrous force behind it.
CRACK—
Lin Xian snapped off a frozen icicle of leaked golden antifreeze and crawled through the gap into the Neural Sync Cockpit.
Inside, broken cables dangled from above. One of the Neural Synchronization Devices was crushed, and blood was sprayed across nearly half the cockpit—like something had exploded inside. The sharp stench of chemicals filled the air.
Lin Xian frowned. In his mind, he pictured Chen Lie getting shredded by a claw mid-fight—blood spraying as the head cabin was ripped open.
“You planning to use your ability in here?”
Chen Wei’s voice came from the breach behind him.
Lin Xian turned and nodded. “If you don’t mind, I want to seal this hole first—it’s freezing in here.”
Chen Wei stepped in and pointed to the right console. “My brother and I had just taken down the big bug, but didn’t expect a second one. Left arm almost got torn clean off.”
CLANK CLANK CLANK.
Lin Xian crafted a temporary metal plate to block the gap, muffling the howling wind.
Seeing it, Chen Wei looked impressed. “That’s one hell of an ability. But don’t tell me you plan to fix it with tin sheets.”
“Nope. Just a temporary fix.”
He sat down and began running Mechanical Heart to start scanning and repairs.
“Hey...”
Chen Wei looked at him, expression a bit complex. “Thanks for finding my brother’s stuff. And... thanks for backing my plan at the meeting.”
Lin Xian paused, then smiled. “Don’t mention it. Your plan’s solid. This mecha might be our game-changer.”
Chen Wei took a deep breath. “It is. Against an S-class Eerie Entity, there’s nothing better. Trust me—if you fix it, you’ll see what it’s really capable of.”
Lin Xian nodded, feeling the same anticipation. He focused and initiated the scan.
Right away, he frowned. The pressure was immense—far beyond normal.
At least it’s just the cockpit, left arm, and some drive components. I’ll have to fix it in stages...
Below, the Unit 01’s backup systems powered on, and lights blinked on the holo-display. The tech team had restored partial systems and started inspections.
Lin Xian estimated—just scanning the cockpit and Unified Drive Mechanism would take 7–8 hours. Repairs? Easily over 12. Maybe more. The left arm damage was extensive, and material conversion had to wait until scanning finished. So he prepped some composite armor materials ahead of time.
“Faster, faster, faster!”
Back in Xilan, it was already the night of the 31st. The Ability Hunting Corps was using Hell’s Black Chrysanthemum to lure enemies. Everyone was facing a worse situation than last night—every second mattered.
Lin Xian pulled out a vial of Cold Dark Reagent and downed it without hesitation.
The burning chemical flavor surged down his throat, and a high-density energy spread like fire through his body. Digestive absorption was conservative—safer than IV—but even so, Lin Xian’s body spasmed involuntarily from the shock.
But soon, the heat gave way to a surge of adrenaline-like focus. His mind burned hot, his heart raced, and clarity returned sharper than ever.
“D*mn, this high-end stuff feels like chugging bootleg liquor...”
Despite the grumbling, Lin Xian could clearly feel the boost in focus. Maybe not raw power, but definitely alertness.
With the cold pushed back, he dove fully into scanning the mecha.
Meanwhile, in the Emperor Project camp below, tents were back up, equipment pouring in, lights gleaming in the icy canyon. The escort squads kept constant patrol around the perimeter.
12:40 PM. Daylight.
The Extreme Cold Vortex was moving closer. The blizzard worsened, hammering tents, covering the six aerospace fighters in layers of snow. Their core systems stayed online for emergency readiness.
Back in Xilan City, now under daylight, tens of thousands of survivors and Investigation Corps soldiers remained on full alert. The pressure in the air was heavier than ever.
All routes and tracks had been blocked—part for defense, part for resolve.
They were burning bridges.
There was no Plan B.
Only a fight to the death.
VROOM VROOM VROOM—
Phoenix’s transport trucks raced nonstop across the city, hauling ammo to the three defense lines. Survivor convoys scavenged for anything useful to fortify the front.
“Tear down those doors—grab the railings, security grates, anything metal! Load it all up!”
“Take all the signal towers—we’re converting them into autocannon towers at the radar station!”
“Move, move, move! Even the wrecked cars—haul ’em to block the roads!”
“Every useful thing in this city—we’re taking it! Lives depend on this. No wasting time!”
RUMBLE RUMBLE. RUMBLE RUMBLE.
Eastern Industrial Zone —
Excavators, breakers, and all kinds of engineering equipment from the Engineering Corps roared nonstop. Soldiers wearing gas masks were embedding napalm charges into pre-made trench slots, while the clanging of metal and the rhythmic pounding of hydraulic hammers echoed again and again between blast-proof walls.
Boom boom boom, boom boom boom!
Southern District —
Several high-rises collapsed in a chain of massive explosions. A shockwave swept through, carrying a waterfall of shattering tempered glass down onto the streets, blocking them completely. The crumbled buildings and wreckage transformed into makeshift impact-resistant fortifications.
Inside the radar station’s inner base camp, tens of thousands of people were busy preparing.
Loading ammunition, checking weapons—everyone, men and women alike, worked without pause to get ready for war. Even the youngest children were helping move supply crates, while the elderly and women rushed to prepare hot meals for distribution.
At the Michelle Church Command Center, Zhao Yu kept a constant eye on the preparation progress of each defensive front.
“All the remaining ammo has been sent out. This time, we’ve really got nothing left in reserve.”
He Zhen walked in quickly from outside and said, “But at least we’ve had time to train these survivors on how to use weapons. Most of them aren’t military trained—they’re figuring it out as they go. Old Zhao, would you call this clutching at straws?”
Zhao Yu’s face was grim as he stared at the holographic sand table and muttered, “Clutching at straws is still better than nothing. Every bit of preparation we do might mean a thousand fewer deaths.”
He tapped a few locations on the holographic display with his command stick. “Rough estimates say over 6,000 died last night. More than 40 convoys were completely wiped out. We had the rescue team merge some of the survivors into other convoys, and a few are temporarily under Phoenix’s care.”
“No point splitting them up now,” He Zhen replied coldly as he glanced at the marked locations. “All of us are in this war together anyway. And look—those spots you marked are all near the tunnels those bugs dug. Underground ambushes. These things are even nastier than shield tunneling machines. They hit us hard and fast. That’s why the death toll’s so high.”
Zhao Yu exhaled deeply. “That’s what worries me the most.”
“You think those things might tunnel up from inside our defenses?” He Zhen asked.
Zhao Yu nodded. “The south side’s a little better. There’s an old mine and former underground air defense infrastructure beneath the radar station, and we poured millions of tons of concrete in. But the north and east…”
“There’s no other way,” He Zhen cut in. “Our only current plan is to use a Blood Scourge Flora to lure that thing into appearing on Central Avenue. Then we hit it. Based on the past two encounters, it should work.”
Zhao Yu thought for a second and pressed his communicator.
“Wen Zhuo, how’s it going over there?”
“Running drills,” Wen Zhuo’s voice replied.
Central Avenue Plaza —
Thirty-five teams, each led by a Rampage-level combatant, were gathered.
Wen Zhuo, KIKI, Han Jun, Qin Xueming, and Lu Xingchen stood at the front as the main assault force. The rest were grouped based on their abilities and previous test data by the Nightwalkers—many of them strangers to each other.
Beep beep.
Hovering in mid-air, Wen Zhuo wore a battle suit coated in electro-optic camouflage synced to the blizzard. He had a pair of transparent tactical glasses on, and his wrist-mounted terminal projected a holographic sand table directly into the HUDs of the Hunting Corps.
To ensure tactical cohesion, every team member had been issued these tactical glasses by the Nightwalkers. They provided a real-time 3D map of the surrounding urban battlefield.
“Tactical link established across all combat units,” a mechanical female voice sounded in everyone’s earpiece. KIKI touched the holographic display in front of her, curiosity lighting up her eyes.
“This thing’s kinda fun~ Hmm, should I bring one back for Lin Xian later?”
Just then, Wen Zhuo spoke:
“Listen up. This communicator was prepared specifically for battle by the Nightwalkers. I’ve set up two anti-jamming channels—one for your five-person squad, and one for the entire Hunting Corps. From this moment on, only team leaders are permitted to speak. Everyone else, radio silence on your personal comms. I’ll be handling the overall coordination. No stragglers.”
“As for internal squads, get familiar with each other fast. I’ve already walked everyone through this part of the city. Remember the key terrain. Your survival depends on your squad functioning as a unit.”
He swept his gaze across the crowd. “Everyone listen. Except for our Spark Team members, many of you were core combatants in your original convoys. But this time, we’re going up against A-Class and even S-Class Eerie Entities. No hero sh*t. No lone wolf nonsense. You’ll die. Follow your squad leader’s commands. Got it?!”
“Got it.”
“Understood…”
“OK!”
The group responded in unison.
This Hunting Corps represented the most elite Evolvers and Ability Users in all of Xilan City. The only ones not present were those like Daluo, whose mobility made them more suited for defense rather than offense. Many of the gene-evolved fighters wore power suits, using their enhanced physiques for swift movements.
On the Infinite Train side, Shu Qin, Lü Chang, and from Dragon Mountain No. 1, Ning Jing and Xiao Qing were teamed up. Their squad leader was Spark Nightwalker Wang Mocheng—an Ability User like Jiang Yun, but with a very different wind-based power. Instead of flying, he constantly generated turbulent air around his team, giving them a sense of weightless momentum and enabling short glides.
“Five hours till nightfall. Start setting up defenses.”
Wen Zhuo turned to look at KIKI. The Hell’s Black Chrysanthemum was secured in a special container.
“Hand it to me.”
KIKI nodded and used her telekinesis to float the flower to him. Wen Zhuo grabbed it and summoned a swarm of metallic fragments that instantly formed a chain, securing the container to his side.
“Just in case, let’s begin moving between locations. Use your powers to reinforce the defensive lines.”
Han Jun raised his hand and summoned a platform of ice crystals from the surrounding air. “Right on. Let’s go.”
15:30 — Trakamar Ice Canyon
A mechanical arm hoisted the massive Monument Core into place, sliding it into the embedding slot beneath Unit 01’s cockpit. Whirr… hissss…
The mecha unit sealed itself back up. On Yu Yuheng’s mobile terminal, a self-check progress bar began to fill.
“Captain Lin, it’s done. Next up is core reheat ignition.”
“Copy that.”
CLANG.
Whirr…
The twin nuclear fusion turbine engines of Pangu Unit 01, still partially frozen, began to emit Cherenkov radiation. The niobium-titanium superconducting loop in its chest reactor started to heat up, melting the ice around it in seconds.
A strange energy ripple spread outward!
Inside the cockpit, Chen Wei, already suited up in neuro-sync driving armor, calmly ran system checks. Twelve spinal interfaces buzzed in sync with Unit 01’s core. Lin Xian remained in the corner, still using Mechanical Heart to scan the mech. Repair work hadn’t even started yet.
[Scan Progress: 73%]
16:25 — Xilan North Passenger Terminal
The plaza was completely walled off with containers and heavy vehicles. Every window on the five-story terminal building had been removed to mount heavy machine guns and cannons.
Outside on Zhongzhi Avenue, layers of anti-tank barricades, flame canisters, barbed wire fences, and spike traps had been laid. A kilometer-long flame trench had been dug on both sides. All the directional pressure was funneled toward the plaza.
Above the city and around the rails, 22 Doomsday Train weapon systems were on standby. On the rooftop, over a dozen YJ-03 anti-aircraft guns were mounted, all aiming skyward, adjusting their firing angles under radar and smart-fire protocols.
17:00 — South District, Durga Radar Array Station
Tanks blanketed the snow-covered hills around the station. Beyond the wall of vehicles was a newly built concrete wall with gun towers. Further out were vertical layers of redirecting iron mesh fencing, forcing the monster horde into narrow kill zones below, where rows of flamethrowers were lined up, ready to pour fire like a waterfall down the mountain.
This was the most densely populated area in the entire city. Xiao He felt the pressure like a mountain as he moved nonstop through the snowstorm, checking every section of the defensive line with his team.
17:30 — Michelle Church Command Center was now empty.
Zhao Yu and He Zhen had both headed to the East and North frontlines. Only the Hunting Corps remained, stationed across various key points near the plaza.
Eastern Wall Defensive Line
Zhao Yu stood in the tower, face sharp and focused. Preparations were complete. His eyes remained locked on the canyon beyond.
Suddenly, a voice came through his headset—it was Zhang Chengzhi from the airstrike squadron.
“Director Zhao, radar’s picked up a swarm of Winged Demons in the clouds. They're not heading toward the city. Direction seems to be southeast.”
Zhao Yu’s eyes narrowed. “Why now?”
“No idea.”
“Send out a recon team to follow their route. If they're reacting to the Emperor Team's movements, and that’s confirmed, switch them to reinforcements!”
“Yes, sir!”
Whooooo~
A dozen fighter jets roared into the sky, heading toward Trakamar Ice Canyon.
17:40 — About 10 minutes to nightfall
Inside the Emperor Team camp at Trakamar Ice Canyon, Yu Yuheng and his crew were still busy with final adjustments.
“Night’s almost here. Keep those monsters away from Unit 01’s cockpit at all costs,” Yu Yuheng said urgently.
“Understood.” Nightwalker Jing Tian glanced out at the massive mech through the tent flap. “Captain Lin said it’ll take a few more hours. Hopefully, none of those monsters are nearby.”
Yu Yuheng nodded as he worked. “By the way, I’ve heard about your Nightwalker fog cloaks. But based on our tests, the material doesn’t seem to block detection from Dark Entities. You guys still testing them? Anything special we missed?”
“Not sure,” Jing Tian replied. “I think it’s related to some ability research our group is doing—something to do with Cold Dark Fundamental Particles. Anyway, as long as it resists fire, bullets, and helps with gliding, that’s good enough. Even if it only offers 1% shielding, it’s better than nothing, right?”
Yu Yuheng eyed the cloak on himself and frowned.
“Let’s hope… it’s useful.”
“Captain Jing, it’s time. Ready to proceed.”
That’s when Sun Kai entered with his security squad, expression steely.
“Alright.”
“Huh?” Yu Yuheng suddenly noticed none of Sun Kai’s team were wearing the fog cloaks. Not one of them. “You Nightwalkers are stingy, huh? Why don’t even your guys have these key items?”
Jing Tian glanced at Sun Kai, then looked away.
Sun Kai answered directly: “We have a different mission. So we don’t need them.”
“What mission?”
Yu Yuheng looked confused. “Aren’t we all on the same task?”
Sun Kai took a deep breath and said, “Director Zhao talked it over with us. Based on current estimates, the number of Eerie Entities outside Xilan might be low—but we still need to be ready. After reviewing footage from the Falcon Squad, we believe there’s a high risk of an air raid. The attacks will come fast. Since we’re all Level-5 marked, we plan to use the fog cloaks to create a contrast in signal intensity and lure the enemy.”
“Lure them?” Yu Yuheng’s expression darkened. “What the h*ll do you mean?”
“I’ll be leading a flying squad to patrol the airspace before nightfall. We’ll spread out. Once the enemy takes the bait, we run—draw them off—buy time for Unit 01 and Captain Lin.”
Yu Yuheng paled. “You’ve got to be kidding. These fog cloaks aren’t foolproof. There’s no solid scientific basis for them to work! You’ll—”
“We know,” Jing Tian cut him off. “Like I said before—even a 1% chance of success, if it creates a difference that draws attention—it’s enough.”
As he finished, not just Yu Yuheng, but the entire technical team froze. One by one, they looked down at the fog cloaks they were wearing, their faces filled with shock.
“Huh?”
“What’s going on?”
“Using ourselves as bait?”
“Captain Sun, he…”
Yu Yuheng stared at Sun Kai, then turned to Jing Tian.
“You’re a Nightwalker too, and you’re not wearing one. Why?”
“We’re handling ground-based bait ops,” Jing Tian replied, pointing to a young man nearby. “His name is Fang Chen. He’s a flying Ability User. If needed, he can evac four people.”
After speaking, he turned back and exchanged a look with Sun Kai.
“Let’s move.”
“Got it!”
Whoosh whoosh whoosh— In an instant, thirty or forty people stepped out of their camp tents in unison. Sun Kai led five people toward the Lightning-2 Aerospace Fighters, while Jing Tian took his team toward the outer defense line.
“Wait!!”
Yu Yuheng stumbled out, shouting, “Do you realize you’re walking into your deaths?!”
The group only left him their retreating backs, quickly fading into the snowy wind—none of them responded.
Yu Yuheng stood dumbfounded at the tent entrance, watching those figures disappear into the blizzard, his expression stunned.
Before long, the surrounding fighter lights flickered on.
“Prepare for liftoff. Maintain altitude separation.”
Sun Kai sat calmly in the cockpit of the lead Lightning-2, putting on his helmet and starting up the launch sequence.
He gave orders to the other five aircraft: “Turn on all nav lights, anti-collision lights, and landing lights. Circle at 1,000 meters altitude. The goal is to grab the attention of the Eerie Entities. If we succeed in luring them out, any survivors must draw the horde away from the camp immediately!”
“Roger that!!”
Wooo—
The wind and snow scattered as the six aerospace fighters lifted off and shot skyward, roaring into the blizzard until they reached 1,000 meters. Then, they began circling Unit 01 below.
Meanwhile, Jing Tian led a group of Starfire Division Ability Users and a team of soldiers in Exoskeleton Power Suits toward the mouth of the valley.
Jing Tian knew this was the only route the Zombie Tide could use to attack, so he instructed, “Spread out. The objective isn’t to kill, it’s to lure them. Move in waves!”
“Yes, sir!”
Whoosh whoosh whoosh—the team strapped on some kind of motorized skis and began zigzagging across the snowy field in front of the camp.
Minute by minute, time ticked by. The blizzard gave them no room to think.
Soon, it was 17:50.
The howling wind and snow suddenly cut off like someone flipped a switch. The entire Trakamar Ice Canyon plunged into darkness. At that moment, flashing colored lights lit up on every team member’s body, turning them into glowing beacons.
High above, Sun Kai and the five pilots stared intently at their radar screens. Even though he was mentally prepared, Sun Kai still felt tense.
Beep beep beep beep!
The moment the sky blacked out, red blips began flooding the radar!
“11 o’clock! They’re coming from Xilan City!”
“Jet 3, increase speed!”
Whoooosh—
Before anyone could react, a swarm of red dots had already closed in on one of the fighters. The pilot, seeing the whole cockpit lit up with warning signals, gritted his teeth and yanked the control stick.
Wooooo!!!
The engine roared as the jet surged forward, the window going white with snow. But just then, the radar lit up with a surging tide of red, directly ahead—
They were coming... from the vortex!
He looked up. In the moment the clouds cleared, he saw a dense flock of Winged Demons, mouths wide open, rushing straight at him.
“Ahhh!!!”
BOOM!
“Jet 3 is down! 11 o’clock—9 o’clock—evade, now!”
“Ah!!”
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
In a flash, Jets 4, 5, and 6 exploded mid-air.
The extreme g-forces from emergency maneuvers caused a spike in blood pressure among the pilots. Sun Kai clenched his teeth, yanking his aircraft sharply upward, eyes locked on the radar.
He screamed in his heart—
Follow me!
Follow me!!
Beep beep beep beep—
The radar’s rear sweep panel suddenly turned blood red!
At the same time, in fully locked-down Xilan City, 70,000 people held their breath, watching the blackened sky descend.
Whooooo—
The streets lay empty, save for the howl of the storm.
On Central Avenue, fully armed members of the Ability Hunting Corps spread out across rooftops, alleys, and the tops of plaza sculptures. Thirty-five Rampage-level teams stood ready.
Wen Zhuo crouched on the wingtip of the Angel Statue, holding the Hell’s Black Chrysanthemum. Beside him were Han Jun, Lu Xingchen, and Qin Xueming. KIKI had a Psychic Barrier up to block the blizzard.
Of the five, Han Jun and Lu Xingchen had decent mobility—though neither could fly. Qin Xueming was the least mobile, but his Energy Condensation Ability allowed for massive energy cancellation, making him a wild card.
Wen Zhuo handed out metal belts to each of them to allow him to use his Magnetic Manipulation Ability to help them fly. KIKI could also assist with flight, making Team One highly agile.
To the north, Chen Sixuan stood atop the terminal in her Black Eagle Exosuit, watching the street ahead. Beside her stood Miao Lu and Big Luo. Shasha piloted the Fire God Mecha in the plaza, with Shi Diyuan holding the line nearby. At the airport, Qian Dele, Wu Zhenhai, Liao Ming, Luo Yang, Li Yi, Liang Lei, and Shen Yao stood in full formation. On the northern city wall, He Zhen and his soldiers had their eyes locked on the snowy field ahead.
To the east, tens of thousands from the Arctic Wind Alliance, Warriors Convoy, and Torch Alliance were dead silent, their Electromagnetic Rail Cannons aimed down the street. Zhao Yu stood inside the command tower, eyes closed in focus.
To the south, the 30,000-strong defense line was quiet as a graveyard. Xiao He stood at the front, gaze icy.
VMMM VMMM VMMM!
Just as the sky went dark, a rumbling sound began approaching fast. Instantly, the glass in the city’s high-rises began to tremble, and the snow on the ground started to shake.
“They’re here. It’s that bug again.”
Atop Michelle Church, Qin Xueming clenched his fist.
“I’ve been waiting for this!” Fire Bro was fired up. After downing a Cold Dark Reagent, he could feel a raging fire energy building inside him. He was ready to explode into action!
“As I thought, that bug’s coming for our Hell’s Black Chrysanthemum,” KIKI added.
But Han Jun frowned, eyes shifting to the sky.
“Hold on.” Wen Zhuo also sensed something. He felt the vibrations in the air. “That’s not just one shockwave…”
Han Jun reached out with his Water Ability, sensing the moisture in the air—and his face changed.
Just then, an explosive air current boomed overhead, joined by an ear-splitting shriek and a massive tremor from the ground. A massive elongated black shadow expanded rapidly through the blizzard, plummeting straight down from the sky.
“Oh no—above!!” 𝘯𝑜𝘷𝘱𝘶𝘣.𝘤𝘰𝑚
“Fall back!!”
Wen Zhuo was the first to react, shouting to the hunting squads.
In a flash, he used Magnetic Control to grab four people and flung them backwards.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh! Instantly, all 35 squads scattered—some flew, some scaled walls, some leapt across buildings—everybody giving it everything they had.
The next moment, that colossal shadow came crashing down toward Central Avenue.
BOOOOM!!!
Like a meteor strike, the impact exploded out with a massive shockwave!
The massive black figure smashed directly into three high-rise towers on the avenue. The buildings crumbled, and the 200- to 300-meter towers were cut clean in half.
KIKI, Wen Zhuo, and the others, mid-air, felt the shockwave slam into them. When they looked back, they saw it—the corpse of that Abyss Worm from outside North City had been hurled down from a thousand meters up, straight into Xilan City!
RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE—!!!
The resulting blast wave tore through the city, snapping the three towers like twigs. Half of Central Avenue was obliterated, buried in smoke and snow whipped up like a tidal wave!
