Translator: CinderTL
"Domain Nine Mecha confirmed destroyed. 100% damage. Unrecoverable."
"Ninth Legion's Fourth Main Battleship: 92% damage. Repair rate: 4%."
"Mechanical Formation 52nd and 73rd Regiments confirmed completely destroyed."
Above the bustling main city, a War Fortress hung suspended.
An emergency meeting was convened within its interior space, with holographic projections of high-ranking officials surrounding the central projection.
The three-dimensional image at the center was chilling. The advanced intelligent deep web, known as the Deep Web, had compiled all the data collected from the front lines.
Explosive flame abilities, a domain-class pitch-black Mecha, and a race suspected to be the legendary giants.
"This individual's threat level and Life Energy Field data are approaching SS-class."
"Status: Fugitive."
"Identity: Unconfirmed."
Analysis data continued to flood the screen. The high-ranking officials of the Tedo Kingdom present at the meeting frowned deeply, their expressions grim.
"Could this be a Judicator secretly cultivated by the Ancient Taiduo Empire?" someone speculated, but no one could provide a definitive answer.
"Whoever dares to act so brazenly and recklessly within the borders of the Tedo Kingdom is showing contempt for us all," the figure in Military uniform declared, his face grim and his voice booming. "I propose we immediately dispatch the seventh, eighth, and ninth legions, each sending two main fleets to pursue this individual!"
"Furthermore, activate the Celestial Dome Lockdown with top-level authority to instantly lock onto their trail!"
His words met with widespread approval.
This was a critical moment in the war against the ancient empire, and it was all the more crucial to ensure stability in the rear.
In an instant, a decisive decision was made.
The corresponding arrangements were converted into electromagnetic signals and transmitted through the advanced intelligent deep web to the nine great war legions.
The near-perfect night curtain of the starry sky seemed to flicker in response, as if invisible waves of light were once again cascading down.
Two days later, inside a wilderness cave.
Thud!
A figure collapsed unconscious. Chen Feng withdrew his hand, lost in thought.
"So that's how it is."
Looking around, he saw several other unconscious figures scattered throughout the cave. They were scavengers he had encountered in the vicinity over the past two days. Through questioning, he had finally learned more details about this world.
The Tedo Kingdom and the ancient empire to the north had been locked in perpetual war for centuries, fostering highly advanced technology and intelligent inventions.
Internally, the kingdom operated under a council system. The Supreme Council oversaw all affairs of the main city circles and the nine great war legions.
Peace Fortress served as the headquarters of the Tedo Kingdom's council. The Silent Regulations constituted the kingdom's highest law, binding all citizens without exception.
Legend had it that the Silent Regulations were automatically monitored by the deep web, an advanced intelligence. Any violation would trigger warnings and scrutiny from the deep web, leading to automatic penalties or war readiness measures of varying degrees.
"The deep web is everywhere, present in every corner of the Tedo Kingdom's territory."
"It watches and monitors every person within the Tedo Kingdom's borders."
Recalling the final piece of information he had learned from the scavenger, Chen Feng narrowed his eyes and instinctively looked up at the sky.
The daytime sky was a clear, azure expanse, dotted with a continuous layer of clouds.
Yet, strangely, two suns—one large and one small—hung simultaneously in the sky, radiating intense, scorching light.
This scene mirrored the night sky's appearance, but precisely because of this, Chen Feng found it deeply unsettling.
The closer he got to human settlements or the main city circle, the more acutely Chen Feng sensed the two suns and moon in the sky emitting an invisible wave, trying to lock onto him.
Only deep in the wilderness did this feeling diminish significantly.
That's why he hadn't acted rashly in the past two days. Instead, he'd been gathering more information in the wilderness, just in case.
"It seems one of those celestial bodies is likely artificial," he mused. "The so-called advanced intelligent deep web probably uses it to monitor every single person."
Having pieced together a rough theory, Chen Feng then turned his thoughts to mecha pilots and awakened individuals.
The former were citizens of the main city circle who had earned the right and opportunity to pursue this profession. They had to join one of the nine great legions and accumulate enough contribution points, as well as secure approval from the Central City Council, to gain access to Mecha.
The latter, however, relied entirely on luck. Some were born with awakened abilities, while others had to rely on a special substance called the awakening potion. Not everyone succeeded, and the consequences of failure were brutal, often resulting in instant death.
"It's somewhat similar to the Extraordinary Ones of Qinggang City."
Chen Feng's eyes flickered. He knew that the abilities he had gained—Azure Armor, Steel Bones, and others—were essentially the same kind of awakened abilities.
He shook his head, then put the matter aside.
He could already feel the urge to return.
The Central City Council meeting was approaching, and the Martial Dao Alliance had just been founded. He needed to leave temporarily and return to Earth.
Though this journey hadn't allowed him to fully upgrade Steel Bones, it had significantly improved, bringing him very close to a breakthrough.
Moreover...
Looking at the azure mark on his wrist, he felt satisfied.
The upgraded Azure Armor had received all-around enhancements in strength, speed, and defense.
Especially after activating Overlimit State - Strength, when combined with his own power, he had almost surpassed the Envoy Rank, rivaling even the Holy Shield Colossus.
His charged Black Flash could now shatter even Melting-Grade Rainbow Iron, and his Gravity Well had gained considerable power, capable of turning a hundred-meter radius into a silent force field.
Under fifteen times Earth's gravity, all beings were equal. Even legendary-grade modified humans or other Envoy Ranks would be crushed by the immense pressure, completely suppressed.
Furthermore...
"Overlimit State - Speed."
Chen Feng carefully examined this new ability gained from the Azure Armor upgrade.
Similar to Overlimit State - Strength, it required significant stamina and imposed a heavy burden, but it focused specifically on speed.
Based on his own speed, he could stack this ability.
Over the past two days of travel, he had tested it several times. At full power, he could reach six times Mach speed.
This surpassed the first stage of a Legendary Flying General, as well as the domain-class mecha he had encountered earlier.
As the thought crossed his mind, Chen Feng glanced one last time at the scavengers in the cave.
They wore camouflage combat uniforms, leather jackets, and tactical gear, and carried firearms, ammunition, and compressed rations.
All were unconscious, both male and female.
He had no quarrel with them, and he was only after information, so there was no need to kill them.
With a flicker of movement, he suppressed the urge to activate the Dark Dream Mark and embraced the sensation of returning.
Buzz!
A few seconds later, an unusual sound echoed through the cave.
The woman in tactical gear lying on the ground frowned slightly and slowly opened her eyes.
The brown cave walls came into view, and she could still feel a lingering pain in her neck.
Memories of her unconsciousness flooded back, and she cautiously scanned her surroundings.
The incredibly powerful black-robed youth had vanished, leaving behind only smooth, empty stone walls.
Relieved, she remained vigilant, unwilling to move carelessly.
This scene seemed to serve as a signal. Others began to awaken one after another, mostly her companions.
The same confirmation environment, followed by a mixture of relief and anxious bewilderment.
"Who exactly was that person?"
How had such a formidable figure emerged in the wilderness, capable of controlling them so effortlessly?
No one could answer, as most eyes turned to the tactical suit-clad woman who had woken up first.
"Joey, let's escape together," someone suggested, knowing she was the strongest among them.
Visibly gritting her teeth, the woman hesitated for a few seconds before nodding.
Although the black-robed youth seemed harmless, merely seeking information, the feeling of their lives being held in someone else's hands was deeply unsettling.
With cautious steps, the group carefully exited the cave.
A clear blue sky greeted them, layered with white clouds stretching as far as the eye could see.
The black-robed youth had not reappeared, true to his word, having only sought information and spared them.
"It seems we've survived," relief surged through the group, intensifying their curiosity about his identity.
Buzz!!
Just then, the sky trembled, and everyone felt their vision dim.
A massive shadow suddenly enveloped the ground. The tactical suit-clad woman, Joey, froze, her body rigid as she looked up in disbelief.
Ripples spread across the high sky, the void shimmering like an ocean.
A colossal warship, over a hundred meters in size, stretched across the sky like a celestial behemoth.
One... two... three...
A total of six warships appeared simultaneously, blotting out the sun and casting a shadow over everything below.
The powerful silent force field pressed down like a mountain, making the air thick and heavy, making it difficult to breathe, as if sinking into quicksand.
The atmosphere froze instantly, and the wilderness fell into absolute silence.
Not just those in the cave, but every scavenger within several thousand meters around it looked up in shock at the sight.
Yet, despite such a grand display, there was a brief magnetic field anomaly and communication disruption.
"We... arrived too late."
Whoosh!!
A flying car zipped across the Martial Hall, its lingering white exhaust dissipating slowly.
The surrounding streets were partially repaired, with over a dozen crane-like construction devices and numerous construction vehicles working at full capacity.
Leveling foundations, restoring roads...
Observing this scene through his Perception, Chen Feng saw Nanjiang City slowly recovering like a patient undergoing treatment.
"It seems it won't be long before the city is fully restored."
Withdrawing his Perception, Chen Feng adjusted to his return and slowly rose from the soft cushion on the wooden floor.
Gazing out the window at the many workers in hard hats on the high-rise buildings, his eyes grew thoughtful.
While Nanjiang's reconstruction was progressing steadily, he knew that restoring its former glory would require the Federation to take action on other fronts as well.
After all, the Black Tide Disaster had erupted here.
Many people worried about a recurrence, and some had already moved away in secret.
Meanwhile, the truth behind the Black Tide was causing a stir online, though it hadn't been fully disclosed yet.
With so many complex issues, Chen Feng shook his head, knowing that Chu Shihong, Speaker Li, and others were likely grappling with them.
The upcoming Central City Council meeting was sure to address these matters with related proposals and decisions.
Since he wasn't skilled in such matters, he decided not to dwell on them.
Instead, he silently recalled his experience in the Calamity Secret Realm, realizing he needed to prepare.
The Tedo Kingdom's omnipresent intelligent surveillance wouldn't let him wander freely again.
If he were in charge, he would have mobilized a massive army and elite experts, using tactical tracking and encirclement to hunt him down.
He had already experienced the relentless siege of warships and spatial support, understanding their formidable nature.
Therefore, to avoid a similar situation, he needed to find a countermeasure before his next entry into the Calamity Secret Realm.
"It should be similar to the Sky Eye."
"I'll ask Old Chu and Han Chao later about the Sky Eye's logic..."
As the thought arose, Chen Feng picked up his phone.
It was filled with unread messages, which he quickly scanned. Most were from familiar faces in the Martial Arts World.
Zhou Wuren.
And Zhang Hengshan, the venerable Old Chief of the Saint Sect.
He opened the messages, and their contents surprised him.
(End of the Chapter)
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