Chapter 99

"Impressive—you can condense Qi into blades, and even shape it into flame."

He felt his title as the top expert might be undeserved; the true top expert should be Ding Huan.

There were a few Pre-Heaven experts who could condense Qi into blades, but condensing Qi into fire—could there be anyone else besides Ding Huan?

Though he had faced the demon dragon head-on, it was Ding Huan who delivered the fatal blow.

Ding Huan smiled, saying nothing in explanation.

Any gene cultivator—even those he'd killed before, like Xiao Qiang or Antonio—could learn these if he chose to teach them.

"There's another giant gorilla here—its strength is formidable," Qi Xinyue hurriedly spoke up.

She had nearly been discovered by the giant gorilla before, so she knew its power well.

Ding Huan waved his hand. "That giant gorilla's injuries are no less severe than the demon dragon's. We'll enter the defense line openly."

As Ding Huan said, though the defense line still held many ferocious beasts, they were nothing but disorganized mobs.

Without Ding Huan lifting a finger, Zhong Chi easily slew them.

With Zhong Chi's strength, these ferocious beasts posed no threat whatsoever.

"It seems the giant gorilla and the demon dragon were wounded, leaving these beasts without a leader," Ding Huan said, watching the scattered ferocious beasts.

The three arrived at Dakar Defense Line Airport; Ding Huan discovered his plane parked in the center was gone—he was stunned.

Even if these ferocious beasts had some intelligence, they couldn't possibly fly his fighter jet, could they?

He remembered closing the cockpit door before leaving; unless a Level Four or higher beast had smashed it, the plane should be fine.

"Bad—my daughter must have been here," Zhong Chi said, spotting a painted character "Zhong" on the ground, instantly panicked.

Clearly, his daughter had come searching for him, only to find the defense line breached.

Ding Huan slapped Zhong Chi's shoulder:

"Old Zhong, look—this paint must've dried just recently; there aren't even tracks from ferocious beasts over it. That means your daughter came after the beasts retreated—she's definitely fine."

"Maybe she's the one who took my plane."

Ding Huan's guess was correct—his plane had been flown away by Han Qi and Wei Datai.

Previously, Han Qi, Wei Datai, and Zhong Daiwei had been hiding in the Steel Fortress with a severely wounded companion.

They had watched Ding Huan land his plane, and heard the giant gorilla's roar.

They assumed Ding Huan had been killed by the giant gorilla.

Afterward, they never expected all the ferocious beasts would suddenly collapse into disarray, as if stripped of organization.

The total number of ferocious beasts at Dakar Defense Line Airport didn't exceed ten; at this point, anyone with sense knew exactly what to do.

Under Han Qi's leadership, the group reached the location of Ding Huan's fighter jet.

After confirming no ferocious beasts were approaching, Zhong Daiwei painted a "Zhong" character in paint, to honor her father.

She had known before arriving that her father was gone; she came here only to mourn him, never expecting to find the defense line breached.

The three, carrying the wounded Qi Tong, calmly boarded Ding Huan's fighter jet and departed Dakar Defense Line Airport.

…

When Ding Huan and the others arrived at Dakar Defense Line Airport, the CY03 single-engine fighter had already landed at the Security Bureau's airfield.

"Ding Huan's back," Director Zhu Qinjiang stood up the instant he saw the plane touch down.

In fact, he had known the moment the plane entered Chinese airspace.

Multiple calls had come in asking about the unresponsive aircraft; he had replied it was a Security Bureau agent returning.

Only he knew it wasn't a Security Bureau agent—it was Ding Huan.

He withheld this information simply to keep Ding Huan within the Security Bureau.

Though others couldn't contact the plane, neither could he—so he simply brought a chair and waited at the airfield.

He thought, if Qu Yi hadn't unexpectedly returned to Yiling City, she'd be overjoyed to see Ding Huan back.

"Director Zhu!" Han Qi stepped out of the plane first.

Without this single-engine Security Bureau plane, she never would have made it back.

"Why are you here? Where's Teacher Ding Huan?" Zhu Qinjiang asked, puzzled.

Han Qi said, "Director, are you not glad to see us return?"

Zhu Qinjiang snapped to attention. "Of course we're glad—ecstatically glad!"

"Director, Qi Tong is badly wounded—get him to medical care immediately," Han Qi urged.

"Qi Tong's back?" Zhu Qinjiang froze, then immediately ordered someone to help Qi Tong down.

Only after Qi Tong was taken away did he have a chance to ask again: "Where's Teacher Ding Huan?"

Han Qi fell silent. Zhu Qinjiang's heart sank.

Sure enough, Han Qi said, "We saw Teacher Ding Huan land, then enter the defense line. Afterward, we heard the roar of the beast king—and then… no more news."

At this point, everyone understood: Ding Huan had likely died on the defense line.

Zhu Qinjiang sighed; even the news that his beloved disciple Qi Tong had been rescued failed to lift his spirits.

He began to suspect that the global retreat of the ferocious beasts might have been tied to Ding Huan.

…

Inside Dakar Defense Line Airport, Ding Huan's mood was low—his plane had been taken, and returning to China would now take far longer.

Worse still, Qu Yi had vanished without a trace.

"Once we get past this area, we should be able to reestablish contact with the outside," Zhong Chi said, noticing Ding Huan's gloom.

This area had been utterly destroyed by ferocious beasts; all wireless and wired communication networks were gone. To contact anyone, they first had to leave the zone overrun by beasts.

Ding Huan said flatly, "Old Zhong, do you know what it means when the Human Corridor defense line has been breached?"

Zhong Chi fell silent—he knew full well what it meant: all of Africa now belonged to the ferocious beasts.

It can be confirmed that new defensive lines have been established between Africa and Asia.

So what? Walking from here to the border of Africa and Asia isn't something that can be done in a day or two.

Ding Huan was just wondering whether he should walk back, when his gaze suddenly fell on a mark on the ground far away.

Was this made by Wind Blade Art?

Ding Huan took a few steps and landed beside the mark; without even bending down to inspect it, he knew this was unmistakably carved by Wind Blade Art.

This wasn't cut by him. Based on his understanding of Wind Blade Art, the only person who could produce such a mark was Seeing Qu Yi.

From the trace of this Wind Blade Art, Seeing Qu Yi was unharmed.

Moreover, this Wind Blade Art cut from high to low—clearly, Seeing Qu Yi was in the air when he unleashed it.

Seeing this, Ding Huan finally let out a breath of relief.

This was the only good news since arriving at the Human Corridor Defense Line—at least Seeing Qu Yi was safe.

I only hope Fang Chong and Ai Xi are also unharmed. He could do nothing more now; next, he must prepare to enhance his own strength.

Whether the giant ape or the demon dragon, both had given Ding Huan a profound sense of danger.

The greater danger was that the Gene Alliance, those idiots, might very well attract extraterrestrial powerhouses.

"Ding Huan, are you planning to walk back, or try to fix the wireless device and send a message?" Zhong Chi asked, noticing Ding Huan had stopped examining the ground.

Ding Huan said, "Old Zhong, do you know where that alien spacecraft from seven years ago is now?"

"On Bioko Island," Zhong Chi said.

"Why is it there?" Ding Huan frowned at Zhong Chi—not that he doubted Old Zhong, but placing the alien spacecraft on Bioko Island seemed absurd.

Zhong Chi snorted, "It's all because of Shi Chang, that American bastard. The spacecraft was indeed shot down near there, and logically it should've been transported to Yanjing or Puhai."

"But that old schemer Shi Chang claimed that moving the spacecraft would require disassembling it, which would damage some components and hinder research."

"So he suggested the Federation build the Federation Alien Museum on Bioko Island to store the spacecraft and some of its contents."

"Now I get it—that sneaky bastard wanted to move the spacecraft to the Americas. Isn't it much easier to transport it from Bioko Island to the Americas? If it had gone to Yanjing or Puhai, he'd never have been able to move it."

"And he couldn't secretly study it either."

"Bioko Island—now it's probably entirely occupied by ferocious beasts, right?" Ding Huan said.

After the Human Corridor Defense Line fell, not just Bioko Island but all of Africa was overrun by ferocious beasts.

"Do you even need to ask? If this defense line has failed, it's clearly been taken over by ferocious beasts," Zhong Chi sighed.

Ding Huan said without hesitation, "Old Zhong, let's go to Bioko Island, then repair that spacecraft—I'm taking it."

No matter what, that spacecraft must not fall into Shi Chang's sneaky hands.

"Fine," Zhong Chi agreed without hesitation.

Others cared deeply about the research value of the spacecraft, but Zhong Chi didn't care at all.

It's far better for Ding Huan to take the spacecraft than for that sneaky bastard Shi Chang to get it.

……

While Ding Huan and the others were heading to Bioko Island, Huaxia's Da Han Yi Academy had become famous.

Among the Top Ten Academies of Blue Star, the most prominent now wasn't the number-one Zhen Yu Academy or the number-two Planet Academy—it was the number-ten Da Han Yi Academy.

Even after the Human Corridor Defense Line fell, Da Han Yi Academy's reputation grew louder.

As the global ferocious beast tide receded, Da Han Yi Academy's fame became unmatched.

The main reason was that Da Han Yi Academy produced two famous figures: Fang Chong and Especially Ai Xi.

Both earned the International Star Protection Rank for their contributions on the Human Corridor Defense Line.

Since the founding of the Top Ten Academies of Blue Star, this had never happened before.

Moreover, some predicted that in the next round of Blue Star Top Ten Academy rankings, Da Han Yi Academy might rise into the top three.

Li Li Wanran arrived at Da Han Yi Academy and saw promotional materials everywhere glorifying Fang Chong and Especially Ai Xi; a strange sour feeling rose in her heart.

Who is Especially Ai Xi? She, Li Li Wanran, was Ding Huan's direct disciple, for heaven's sake.

"Hello, could you help me find Fang Chong?" Standing outside the main gate of Da Han Yi Academy, Li Li Wanran could only ask the guard for help.

"Who are you?" Hearing she was looking for Fang Chong, the guard immediately eyed her warily.

Too many people had come seeking Fang Chong and Especially Ai Xi; anyone of unknown origin was forbidden entry.

"I'm Li Li Wanran. I came from Yujiang University with Fang Chong," Li Li Wanran tried to soften her tone.