Chapter 287: Mist Crown Cloak (10,000 Explosion!)

Whoosh!

High above, a transport aircraft swiftly departed from Xilan City under the escort of five Lightning-2 aerospace fighters; all air defense weapons south and east of the city had activated their fire-control radars, and Wen Zhuo personally led a squad of aerial psychics who followed for a distance, everyone tense as they watched the Restart Team's departure.

But as suspected, after being marked with a Level 5 tag, Xilan City and its surroundings suffered no attacks, even though daylight still had not come.

Watching the transport vanish into the blizzard, Wen Zhuo, flying with the escort squad, gazed coldly and murmured, "I hope the Courier Group has equal luck."

Onboard the transport, Lin Xian and the Emperor Project team members were all tense; post-Apocalypse Day, high-altitude flight was extremely dangerous—so far, every monster Lin Xian had encountered in the sky was formidable, and even the corpse crows of Jiazhou City had inflicted heavy losses; if the aircraft crashed, even Lin Xian in his powered armor could not guarantee an unharmed landing.

After a period of smooth flight, apart from the constant thunderclaps overhead, the flight team encountered no attacks, leaving Yu Yuheng both relieved and grim.

"We're marked Level 5, yet those monsters deliberately avoid us—this is terrifying."

Chen Wei sneered: "Clearly, before that monster, we're all doomed prey."

Lin Xian, however, felt puzzled—he had prepared for a breakout battle, yet this calm made him feel even greater danger.

Because it was contradictory.

"Strange—if the entire city evacuates now, will they attack or not?"

"It's not that simple," Yu Yuheng adjusted his glasses: "Lin Team Leader, I've been wondering why that monster insists on marking us Level 5. Why, in your research data, even tens of thousands of ordinary snow wraiths never exceed a Level 4 mark? If Level 5 is a unique signal—perhaps one only this monster emits to specific entities—that makes sense."

Lin Xian frowned: "A signal for creatures in the Eternal Night?"

"Possible. So you're right—we must never enter the Eternal Night with this mark, not even near the Star Abyss's edge; it might be beyond our capacity to handle," Yu Yuheng said gravely. "Also, that S-class monster's influence range must be limited, and it doesn't know whether we're evacuating or holding the city—because to it, there's no difference."

Lin Xian nodded: "Staying in Xilan City makes us its prey, its offering. Leaving its territory just makes us prey for other Eternal Night creatures…"

"Then this bastard's got a real sycophant's streak," Chen Wei chuckled. "All this effort just to offer us as sacrifice?"

Lin Xian remained silent, lost in thought.

Star Abyss. Eternal Night.

What beings dwell in the darkness? They evolve, use the Star Abyss to smother light—all their purpose is to slaughter humanity.

Hummm~

Outside the transport, turbulent airflow rattled the hull; as flight continued, tension eased slightly in the cabin, and several Emperor Project scientists resumed work. Then Sun Kai and Jing Tian entered with several guard squad soldiers, handing out custom metal cases to the scientists—including Yu Yuheng, Chen Wei, and Lin Xian—each received one.

Lin Xian opened his: inside was a black cloak from the Nightwalkers!

"Director Zhao ordered this," Jing Tian explained. "It's the Nightwalkers' Mist Crown Cloak—made of special material, bulletproof and fireproof, with hardened wing panels for short glides. Most importantly, it reduces detection by dark creatures."

Chen Wei frowned: "Sun, why are you only bringing this out now?"

Sun Kai glanced at Jing Tian, sighing: "Orders from above—I don't know the reason."

"It's simple," Lin Xian said, pulling out the cloak and studying it with a complex expression. "If we'd been ambushed immediately after leaving the city, we could've aborted the mission under city defense and escort protection. But once we're out, we're on our own. Director Zhao's intent is clear: beyond controlled zones, every bit of help counts."

"Exactly," Sun Kai nodded, watching Lin Xian.

Lin Xian touched the cloak—it was exquisitely engineered, composed of hexagonal plates of some special composite material, seemingly absorbing light, profoundly mysterious.

He immediately activated his Mechanical Heart and scanned rapidly.

【Scan successful. Acquired a honeycomb matrix material of tungsten carbide fiber.】

Lin Xian triggered the sensor switch—a tiny current flowed, and every hexagonal plate contracted inward, forming a single aerodynamic gliding panel. He triggered it again—the cloak unfurled with a rustle, lightweight, no motors or power sources, entirely reliant on its unique material and structure.

Lin Xian was astonished—this design was astonishing. He thought: if adapted for special modifications, it could open vast new possibilities.

"Lin Team Leader, Group Leader Yu—we're almost there."

Sun Kai's voice crackled over the comms; the guard squad soldiers readied their weapons.

Lin Xian checked the time: 7: 0. Five more hours until dawn—but daylight and darkness were only four hours apart.

Star Abyss #3 was expanding and merging with #5; nightfall was arriving faster than when Lin Xian escaped Jiang City. To avoid being crushed between two Star Abyss Eternal Nights, they had only this final day and night—depart Xilan City at the first dawn of September, then immediately enter the tides of Star Abyss #5 to reach the abandoned Quancheng.

Deep in the Trakama Ice Valley, at the edge of the former defensive line's cliff, several large camp tents had been half-buried under snowdrifts from the blizzard; the previous battlefield was entirely covered, leaving only towering piles of snow formed by stacked meters-high snow wraith corpses—strangely eerie.

The transport and six aerospace fighters landed slowly on the former camp's open ground; landing gear sank into the snow. As the hatch opened, howling valley winds and blinding blizzard slammed into them.

"Hurry—we're short on time! Reinflate the tents! Tech team needs time to redeploy Unit-01's system!"

Yu Yuheng, battling the wind, led dozens of guard and tech personnel unloading equipment from the transport; Sun Kai and Jing Tian rapidly deployed perimeter defenses and dispatched multiple squads for long-range reconnaissance.

"Check 2 o'clock, 4 o'clock, 11 o'clock, and the valley floor!"

"Raise the camp tents!"

"Mech squad—move the generator first. Protect the Neuro-Shared Interface Pod—transfer it last."

Whoosh whoosh whoosh~

Lin Xian donned the Mist Crown Cloak and descended with Chen Wei; before them: raging snowstorm, snow up to his waist. He crossed the transport's belly, gazing toward the cliff.

The camp's floodlights glowed. Despite the blizzard obscuring vision, Lin Xian instantly saw the colossal silhouette towering atop the cliff—one fist planted on the ground, silently sleeping.

Without hesitation, Lin Xian moved forward, trudging through deep snow to Unit-01's right arm, then climbed directly up it.

Ooooh~

From the broken hexagonal nanoceramic viewport of the cockpit, a mournful hum echoed—a gash nearly splitting the entire head armor was horrifying. This armor was far stronger than Infinity's, yet it had suffered such devastation—imagine the horror and strength of whatever had struck it.

Click.

Lin Xian snapped off frozen golden antifreeze icicles, crawled through the hatch into the neural interface cockpit. Frayed cables hung from the ceiling; one of the two neuro-synergy units was twisted and deformed. A spray of blood splattered nearly half the cockpit, while a pungent chemical odor filled the air.

Lin Xian frowned, instinctively picturing the vicious claw tearing open Unit-01's head, ripping Chen Lie apart, blood spraying—surely during a furious battle. The carnage was unimaginable.

"Are you going to use your ability here?"

Chen Wei stood at the breach, speaking to Lin Xian.

Lin Xian turned, nodded: "If you don't mind, I'd like to seal this gap first—it's too cold inside."

Chen Wei stepped in, pointing to the neuro-synergy console on the right: "When my brother and I finished that giant bug, we didn't expect a second one. Left arm nearly torn off."

Scrape scrape scrape.

Lin Xian hastily fabricated a metal plate to block the gap; the howling wind lessened considerably.

Chen Wei stared, surprised: "Your ability's incredible—but you're not seriously planning to patch it with sheet metal?"

"Not permanently. Just temporary."

Lin Xian sat in a corner, preparing to activate his Mechanical Heart for scanning and repair.

"Hey."

Chen Wei suddenly looked at him, his gaze complex: "Thank you for finding my brother's things. And… thank you for supporting my proposal at the war meeting."

Lin Xian paused, then smiled: "Nothing. Your proposal was excellent. This mech might be our key to breaking the deadlock."

Chen Wei took a deep breath: "Of course. To face an S-class anomaly, nothing else fits. Believe me—if you truly restore it, you'll witness its true power."

Lin Xian nodded, a hint of anticipation in his expression. He steeled himself and activated his Mechanical Heart.

Instantly, his brow furrowed. Though prepared, before the scan even extended into the cockpit, he felt immense, crushing pressure.

'Good—it's only the cockpit and left arm, plus some drive structures. We'll tackle this in segments…'

Lin Xian thought.

Ooo~

The cockpit's backup power system activated; holographic panels flickered to life. Lin Xian saw—below, Yu Yuheng and the tech team had reconnected Unit-01's subsystems and begun rechecking.

Lin Xian estimated: scanning this massive, complex cockpit and neuro-shared drive system alone would take at least seven to eight hours—add repair, and it would exceed twelve, possibly much more. Given the left arm's severe damage, his Fabrication Core couldn't begin material conversion until scanning finished. To save time, he'd prepare materials in advance based on his earlier scan of the composite armor.

"Faster, faster, faster!"

In this time, Xilan City had already entered the night of the 31st. Since the Psychics' Hunting Teams had to use Hell Black Chrysanthemums to lure enemies, everyone faced even greater danger than last night. Every second now could decide the battle and the convoy's survival.

Lin Xian immediately pulled out a Cold Dark Reagent, without hesitation, swallowed it whole.

As it entered his mouth, it felt like some alien chemical—pungent, flooding his gut, releasing intense high-energy heat that spread rapidly through his body.

Absorbing it via the digestive system was already a conservative approach—better than IV injection—but even so, Lin Xian felt a searing, burning sensation flare through him, triggering involuntary spasms and convulsions.

But the sensation soon calmed. Moments later, he felt an adrenaline-like surge—his mind heated, energy rapidly restored, heartbeat accelerated unnaturally, focus sharpened.

"Damn, this high-end stuff tastes like cheap liquor…"

Though he mentally complained, Lin Xian clearly felt his mental focus intensify. Whether his power had grown was hard to tell—but the alertness boost was undeniable.

With this energy, the cold of the storm receded. Lin Xian settled in, fully focused on scanning the mech.

Below, in the Emperor Project camp, tents were raised, instruments brought in, lights flickering across the frozen valley. Sun Kai, Jing Tian, and the guard squads patrolled ceaselessly.

12: 0. Dawn arrived.

As the Extreme Cold Vortex neared, the blizzard intensified, roaring against the tents, snow piling thickly on the six aerospace fighters.

To respond instantly, all fighters kept their main systems running; personnel periodically cleared snow.

Meanwhile, in Xilan City, tens of thousands of survivors and Investigator Corps soldiers remained on edge—the pressure of impending doom grew heavier.

Rail lines and evacuation routes were all blocked—not only to defend against monster hordes, but to burn the bridges: a message to all—there was no second path. Only death or victory.

Hummmmm.

Phoenix Society transport vehicles constantly shuttled through the city, delivering ammunition to the three defense lines. Everywhere, survivor convoys hauled anything usable to reinforce defenses.

"Strip all doors! Fences, security grates, metal frames—load everything onto trucks!"

"Take down those signal towers—transporters are coming. Convert them into anti-air gun towers at the radar station."

"Hurry! Drag every abandoned vehicle—use them as roadblocks!"

"Scavenge everything useful in the city—this is life or death. No time to waste."

Boom boom boom.

In the eastern industrial zone, engineers' excavators, crushers, and heavy machinery roared. Soldiers in gas masks embedded napalm shells into pre-cut trenches; metallic clangs and rhythmic hydraulic hammer strikes echoed against blast walls.

Boom boom boom! Boom boom boom!

In the south, several high-rises collapsed under massive explosions; shockwaves sent cascades of tempered glass down the streets, sealing them—rubble became impervious fortresses.

Inside the radar station's camp, tens of thousands labored feverishly.

Loading ammunition, checking weapons—men and women worked nonstop for war. Children helped carry crates; elders and women prepared hot meals.

At the Michel Church Command Center, Zhao Yu continuously monitored the readiness of all defense lines.

All remaining ammunition has been deployed; we truly have no stock left at all.

He Zhen walked in quickly from outside and said, "But we still have time to train these survivors in weapon use. Civilians without military training rely entirely on trial and error. Lao Zhao, don't you think this is like clutching at a Buddhist statue in desperation?"

Zhao Yu stared coldly at the holographic sand table and murmured, "Having something to clutch is better than nothing. One extra bit of preparation might save a thousand lives."

He tapped several positions on the sand table with his command rod: "Rough estimates show at least six thousand dead last night. Over forty convoys were wiped out. The rest have been temporarily reassigned—some merged into other convoys, others placed under our Phoenix Society's care."

"What's the point now? We're all going to fight together anyway," He Zhen said, his gaze sweeping over the spots Zhao Yu indicated. "These locations are all near the tunnels those damn bugs dug. Underground ambushes—this thing's even worse than a tunnel boring machine. It caught us completely off guard, which is why casualties are so high."

Zhao Yu exhaled slowly: "That's exactly what I'm worried about."

He Zhen looked at him: "You're worried the bug will surface from inside our defensive lines?"

Zhao Yu nodded: "The south city is slightly better—the radar station sits atop a mineral vein and the original underground air defense system, with hundreds of millions of tons of concrete poured in. But the north and east sides…"

"We have no other options," He Zhen said. "Our only plan is to lure the thing out onto Central Street using disaster flora, then strike. Based on the previous two encounters, it should work."

Zhao Yu thought for a moment and pressed his communicator.

"Wen Zhuo, how's your side going?"

"We're running drills," came Wen Zhuo's voice.

…

On Central Street Square, thirty-five squads led by Rampage-class individuals had gathered.

Wen Zhuo, Kiki, Han Jun, Qin Xueming, and Lu Xingchen stood at the front as the core team; the other squads were temporary groupings based on abilities and prior test data from the Nightwalkers.

Some knew each other, but most were cooperating for the first time.

Beep.

Wen Zhuo hovered in midair, his combat suit's photonic camouflage flickering in sync with the snowfall. He wore a transparent tactical visor, and his wrist-mounted terminal projected the holographic sand table onto each hunter's tactical eyepiece.

To ensure tactical unity, every member of the squads had been issued such a tactical eyepiece by the Nightwalkers, allowing them to clearly see a real-time 3D holographic map of the surrounding streets.

"Tactical link established across all combat units," a mechanical female voice echoed in their earpieces. Kiki reached out and touched the hologram, finding it strangely fascinating. She muttered under her breath, "This thing's so cool~ Hmm~ Should I bring one back for Lin Xian later?"

Wen Zhuo spoke up:

"Listen up. This communicator is specifically designed by the Nightwalkers for combat. I've set two interference-resistant frequencies: one for your five-man squads, the other for the entire hunting force. From now on, except for each squad's temporary leader, everyone must remain silent on their original comms. All coordination will be handled by me. No one falls behind."

"Within your squads, you must quickly learn to coordinate. I've already walked you through the surrounding district's terrain—remember the special zones. Only through functional synergy can your survival rate increase."

"Attention everyone!" Wen Zhuo scanned the group. "Aside from our Starfire squad members, many of you were once the mainstays of your convoys. But now we're facing an A-rank anomaly—and an S-rank anomaly. No individual heroics. Fighting alone means certain death. Obey your squad leaders. Understood?!"

"Everyone pay attention!" Wen Zhuo's gaze swept across them: "Besides our Starfire Team members, you may all have been the mainstays of your respective convoys, but today we face an A-class anomaly—a class S anomaly. Individual heroism is forbidden; going solo means certain death. You will follow your squad leaders' orders. Understood?!"

"Got it…"

"OK!"

The crowd responded in unison.

This hunting force comprised the most powerful psychics and evolved individuals in Xilan City. Except for those like Da Lou, whose mobility made them unsuitable for hunting and who were assigned to the defensive lines, everyone else had been conscripted here. Many genetic evolvers wore powered armor, leveraging their superior physicality for mobility. On the Infinite, Shu Qin, Lu Chang, and from Dragon Mountain No. 1, Ningjing and Xiaoqing formed a team, with their leader being Wang Mocheng, a Nightwalker Starfire member—a wind-type psychic similar to Jiang Yun, though vastly different: instead of riding the wind, he constantly generated powerful wind currents around him, giving his entire squad a sense of being lifted by the breeze and enabling short-range gliding.

The entire hunting party consisted of the most powerful psychics and evolved individuals in Xilan City; except those like Daliu, whose lack of mobility made them unsuitable for hunting and thus assigned to defensive lines, all had been summoned here. Many gene-evolved soldiers wore powered armor, leveraging their superior physicality for mobility. On the Infinite, Shu Qin and Lu Chang formed one team; on Dragon Mountain No. 1, Ningjing and Xiaoqing formed another. Their squad leader was Wang Mocheng, the Starfire Nightwalker—a wind-type psychic similar to Jiang Yun, yet vastly different: instead of riding the wind to fly, he constantly generated violent wind currents around him, giving the entire squad the sensation of being lifted by the breeze and enabling short-range gliding.

Wen Zhuo turned to look at Kiki, where the Hell Black Chrysanthemum rested in a specialized container: "Give it to me."

Kiki nodded and used telekinesis to send the container over. Wen Zhuo reached out, and countless metal fragments flew toward him, instantly assembling into a chain that secured the container, which he then cradled in one hand.

"To be safe, we'll begin moving between positions now and use our abilities to reinforce the defensive lines."

Han Jun waved his hand; ice crystals and moisture condensed beneath his feet, forming a towering ice platform: "Exactly what I had in mind. Let's go."

Han Jun waved his hand, and countless ice crystals and moisture condensed beneath his feet into a towering ice platform: "Exactly what I had in mind. Let's go."

15: 0

At Trakama Ice Valley, a mechanical arm lifted the heavy core and inserted it into an embedded slot beneath the cockpit of the Primus Mech. Whirrr—hiss.

The mech unit sealed shut. On Yu Yuheng's mobile terminal, a self-diagnostic progress bar appeared.

"Team Leader Lin, it's done. Next step is re-igniting and reheating the core."

"Team Leader Lin, it's done. Next step is to reignite and reheat the core."

!

Clang.

Whirrr~

The twin fusion reactors of the Pangu Primus Mech, previously frozen, emitted a Cherenkov radiation pulse. The niobium-titanium superconducting rings in its chest began heating up; ice shards instantly melted!

The twin fusion reactor turbines of the Pangu Unit-01, previously encased in ice, emitted a Cherenkov radiation surge; the niobium-titanium superconducting rings in its chest reactor began heating up, and vast amounts of ice shattered and melted instantly.

Inside the cockpit, Chen Wei, clad in the neural-synched pilot armor, quietly calibrated his gear. The twelve interfaces along his spine resonated with the Primus's main control core. Lin Xian sat quietly in the corner, running the Mechanical Heart scan—still far from the repair stage.

Inside the cockpit, Chen Wei, already clad in the neural-synched pilot armor, quietly calibrated his gear. The twelve interfaces along his spine resonated in hum with Unit-01's main control core, while Lin Xian remained seated in the corner, running the Mechanical Heart for scanning—still far from the repair phase.

【Partial Jitisaomiaojindu -73%】

At Xilan City's North Passenger Station, the entire plaza was surrounded by shipping containers and heavy vehicles. All windows on the five-story passenger terminal had been removed and replaced with heavy machine guns and autocannons. Outside, Central Street was layered with barricades, incendiary barrels, barbed wire walls, and land spikes. Two-kilometer-long fire trenches had been dug on either side, converging all assault pressure toward the plaza.

Above and along the orbital perimeter, twenty-two Doomsday Train weapon systems prepared to engage. Meanwhile, atop the passenger terminal, over a dozen YJ-03 anti-aircraft cannons were mounted, their black muzzles aimed at the sky, adjusting their firing arcs in unison under radar and AI fire control.

Above and along the orbital perimeter, twenty-two Doomsday Trains deployed their weapon systems. Meanwhile, atop the passenger terminal, over a dozen YJ-03 anti-aircraft cannons were mounted, their dark muzzles aimed at the sky, synchronizing their firing arcs under radar and AI fire-control protocols.

At the Du Jia Radar Array in the south city, the slopes and radar station were packed with snow-covered tanks. Beyond the tank-wall perimeter stood hastily built concrete walls and machine gun towers. Further out, vertical mesh fences channeled the dense hordes of monsters into the most heavily armed zones. Countless flamethrowers lined the slopes in tight formation—when fired, they would cascade down like a waterfall of wildfire.

This was the most densely populated area in the city. Xiao He bore immense pressure, leading a team through the snowstorm, tirelessly inspecting the defensive lines.

This was the most densely populated area in the city. Xiao He bore crushing pressure, leading a group through the blizzard without pause, inspecting the defensive lines.

The Michel Church Command Center stood empty. Zhao Yu and He Zhen had departed for the frontlines in the east and north. Only the hunting team remained, waiting at scattered positions near the square.

At the East City Wall defense line, Zhao Yu stood on the command tower, his expression grim. All defensive preparations were complete. His eyes never left the canyon.

Then, suddenly, Zhang Chengzhi's voice crackled in his earpiece.

"Director Zhao, radar has detected a large number of Winged Demons—within the cloud layer—but they're not heading toward the city. Direction: southeast."

Zhao Yu's eyes narrowed: "Why now?"

Zhao Yu's eyes narrowed: "Why now?"

"Send a recon squad to track them. If confirmed, switch to reinforcement mode!"

"Deploy a recon team immediately to track the direction. They've clearly noticed the Emperor Team's movements. If confirmed, shift recon to reinforcement!"

Whooosh~

Soon, a dozen fighter jets streaked across the sky toward Trakama Ice Valley.

Soon, over a dozen fighter jets streaked across the sky toward the Trakama Ice Valley.

With ten minutes left until dusk, inside the Emperor Team's camp at Trakama Ice Valley, Yu Yuheng and his team worked frantically on final adjustments.

"Dusk is coming. Watch carefully—don't let any monsters get near the Primus cockpit," Yu Yuheng urged.

"Understood," said Jing Tian, glancing out the tent flap at the giant mech's silhouette. "Team Leader Lin says it might take several more hours. I hope our guess is right—that none of the monsters are near here."

Yu Yuheng nodded, busy with his tasks, then asked: "By the way, I've heard of your Nightwalkers' Mist Crown Cloaks. But our scans showed no properties that block dark biological perception. I heard you're still testing them—what's special about them?"

"I'm not sure," Jing replied. "It's linked to an ability our team is researching—probably combined with some cold-dark base particles. For us, being fireproof, bulletproof, and gliding-capable is already great. Even a 1% effect on blocking perception is better than nothing."

"I'm not entirely sure," Jing said. "It seems related to a psychic ability our team is researching—probably combined with some cold dark base particles or something. For us, being fireproof, bulletproof, and able to glide is already great. Even if shielding works at just 1%, it's better than nothing."

"I hope… it actually works."

"Team Leader Jing, time's up. Prepare to execute the plan," said Sun Kai, entering with his guard squad, his face stern.

"Team Leader Jing, time's up. Prepare to execute the plan."

Only then did Yu Yuheng notice—none of Sun Kai's team wore the Mist Crown Cloaks. They'd never had them.

"Your Nightwalkers are stingy! How come key gear like this isn't issued to Commander Sun and his men?"

Jing Tian's expression changed. He looked at Sun Kai but said nothing.

Sun Kai simply said: "We have other missions. We don't need them."

"What other missions?"

Yu Yuheng frowned. How could the same team have different missions?

Sun Kai took a deep breath: "Director Zhao and I discussed it. Though we judge the number of anomalies outside Xilan City may be low, we must prepare for crisis after dusk. We reviewed the Falcon Team's footage and believe aerial assault is highly likely—and attacks will come in an extremely short window. We're all Level 5-marked. So we plan to use the Nightwalkers' Mist Crown Cloaks to create concentration differences in our markings, to lure the anomalies."

"Lure them?" Yu Yuheng's face darkened. "What do you mean?"

"I'll lead a flight squad to circle the airspace before dusk, spread out. Once we lure them, we'll flee and draw them away—giving the Emperor Team and Team Leader Lin time!"

Yu Yuheng's face turned pale: "Are you kidding? That cloak can't fully conceal our trail—there's no scientific basis for it at all. How could it possibly…"

"I'll lead the flight squad to circle the airspace before nightfall, spreading out. Once we lure them, we'll flee immediately to draw them off and buy time for the Emperor Team and Team Leader Lin!"

Jing Tian cut him off, serious: "That's why I said—even a 1% effect, if it creates enough disparity to draw the hordes' attention, is a success!"

At once, not just Yu Yuheng, but every member of the tech team froze. They looked at their own cloaks, stunned.

Jing Tian cut off Yu Yuheng's words, speaking seriously: "So I just said—even if it's only 1% effective, if it creates a difference, if it draws the horde's attention first, it's a success!"

No sooner had he finished than even Yu Yuheng and every member of the tech team froze, staring at their own Mist Crown cloaks, all faces filled with shock.

"Use ourselves as bait?"

"Commander Sun is…"

Yu Yuheng stared at Sun Kai, then at Jing Tian: "You're a Nightwalker. You're not wearing one either. What's going on?"

"We're handling ground bait," Jing replied, pointing to a young man beside him. "His name is Fang Chen. He's an aerial psychic. When needed, he can carry four people."

He glanced back at Sun Kai.

"You're a Nightwalker—you're not wearing one either. What's the meaning?"

"We handle ground luring," Jing Tian replied, then pointed to a very young boy beside him: "His name is Fang Chen. He's a flight psychic. When needed, he can carry four people."

Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh! Suddenly, thirty to forty people streamed out of the camp tents. Sun Kai led five toward the aerospace fighters. Jing Tian led the rest toward the outer defense lines.

Move out.

Got it!

Rustling rustling rustling, in an instant, thirty or forty people began marching out of the camp tents in unison; Sun Kai led five men toward the aerospace fighter, while Jing Tian led the rest toward the defensive line's outer edge.

"Wait!!"

Yu Yu stumbled out: "Do you know you're walking to your deaths!"

A group of silhouettes hurried away, no one answering his question.

Yu Yu stood frozen at the tent entrance, watching those figures vanish into the snowstorm, his face stunned.

Soon after, the lights of the surrounding aircraft began to glow.

"Prepare for takeoff, maintain airspace separation."

Sun Kai calmly boarded the first Lightning-2 aerospace fighter, donned his helmet, and initiated the takeoff sequence.

He directed the other five aircraft: "Turn on all navigation lights, collision avoidance lights, and landing lights. Circle at 1000 meters altitude. Your sole objective is to draw the anomalies' attention. If you succeed in luring them, surviving units must immediately lead the horde away from camp range!"

"Understood!!"

Wuuu~

The snowstorm scattered as six aerospace fighters lifted into the air, roaring upward into the heights, flying through the blizzard to 1000 meters, then began circling the prototype below.

On the other side, Jing Tian led a group of Starfire Unit psychics and a squad of soldiers in powered armor toward the valley entrance.

Jing Tian knew this was the only direction the horde would charge, so he told his men: "Watch out, spread out. Only one goal: not to kill, but to lure. Move in waves!"

"Yes!"

Whirrrr! They all strapped on some kind of powered ski boards and began weaving across the snowfield in front of camp.

Seconds ticked by. The blizzard gave the squad no time to think. Soon, it was 17: 0.

The howling white snowstorm suddenly went dark, as if a switch had been flipped. The entire Trakama Ice Valley plunged into darkness. At once, every member of the action teams activated their flashing colored lights, turning themselves into brilliant beacons.

High above, Sun Kai and the five pilots closely monitored the radar. Though prepared mentally, Sun Kai still felt tense.

Didi didi didi.

The moment the sky turned black, countless red dots appeared on the radar!

"Eleven o'clock! It's Xilan City!"

"No. 3, accelerate!"

Whirrrr!

Before anyone could react, the mass of red dots had closed in on one fighter. The pilot saw alarms flooding his cockpit, gritted his teeth, and roared as he yanked the control stick.

Wuuu!!

The power engines roared to life, surging forward. Outside the cockpit, everything turned white—but the radar showed a tidal wave of red dots directly ahead.

From… the vortex!

He looked up. The moment the clouds parted ahead, he saw a sea of winged demons, jaws wide open, charging straight at him.

"Ahh!!"

Boom!

"No. 3 down! Eleven o'clock, nine o'clock—turn now!"

"Ahh!!"

Boom! Boom! Boom!

In an instant, No. 4, No. 5, and No. 6 fighters exploded simultaneously in midair.

The extreme G-forces from violent maneuvers sent blood pressure soaring among the pilots. Sun Kai gritted his teeth, pulling his craft steeply upward, eyes locked on the radar.

He screamed inside his mind:

Come after us!

Come after us!!

Didi didi didi!

The next instant, the rear arc of the radar turned solid crimson!

…

At the same moment, Xilan City, under full alert, held its breath as seventy thousand people watched the black sky descend.

Huhuhu~

The empty city streets held only the howl of the blizzard.

On Zhongyangdajie, fully armed psychic hunter teams were deployed across several blocks.

Some perched on rooftops, others in alleyways, or atop statues in commercial plazas—thirty-five Baotu -level squads poised to strike.

Wen Zhuo crouched on the wingtip of the angel statue, holding the Hell Black Chrysanthemum. Beside him stood Han Jun, Lu Xingchen, and Qin Xueming. Kiki raised a psychic barrier against the snowstorm.

Of these five, Han Jun and Lu Xingchen had decent mobility, but neither could fly. Qin Xueming had the worst mobility, but his energy-concentration psychic type offered extraordinary energy dissipation—he could be a surprise weapon when needed.

Wen Zhuo gave each a metal belt to help them fly using magnetic control. Kiki could also assist everyone's flight. With the two of them, Team One was extremely agile.

In the north city, Chen Sixuan stood atop the passenger terminal roof in her Black Hawk powered armor, watching the street ahead. Beside her were Miao Lu and Dali. Shasha piloted the Vulcan mech on the plaza's front, guarded by Shi Di. At the airport, Qian Dele, Wu Zhenhai, Liao Ming, Luo Yang, Li Yi, Liang Lei, and Shen Yao stood ready. On the northern city wall, He Zhen and his troops stared fixedly at the snowfield ahead.

In the east city, tens of thousands from the Arctic Wind Alliance, Brave Fleet, and Torch Alliance held their breath, electromagnetic railguns aimed at the main street. Zhao Yu stood in the command tower, eyes closed, waiting.

In the south city, over thirty thousand defenders stood silent as a dead city. Xiao He stood at the front line, eyes icy.

Z Wengwengweng!

The instant the black curtain descended, a vibrating wave surged from afar. Instantly, glass on high-rises trembled, and the snow layer on the ground began to shake.

"Here it comes—the worm."

On the roof of Michel Church, Qin Xueming clenched his fist.

"I can't wait!" Huo Ge's eyes burned with battle lust. After downing a Cold Dark Serum, he felt his flame energy surging, ready to explode—his battle spirit ablaze!

"Of course. This worm came for our Hell Black Chrysanthemum," Kiki added.

But Han Jun frowned, gazing upward.

"Wait," Wen Zhuo noticed something odd—he felt the air vibrations: "There's more than one vibration."

Han Jun raised his hand, sensing water molecules in the air with his water psychic ability—his expression changed instantly.

At that moment, violent air tremors echoed overhead. A deafening sonic boom mixed with ground-shaking vibrations. From within the blizzard above, a massive elongated black shadow rapidly expanded—then plummeted straight down.

"No! Above us!!"

"Fall back!!"

Wen Zhuo reacted first, shouting to the hunter teams.

Instantly, he used his magnetic control to snatch four people and fling them backward.

Swish swish swish! In an instant, all thirty-five hunter squads scattered—some flew, others scaled walls or leapt between buildings, all giving their utmost.

The next instant, the massive elongated shadow crashed straight onto Zhongyangdajie.

Boom!!

Like a meteor striking earth, a colossal explosion erupted!

The huge black shape smashed directly into three ultra-tall office buildings on Zhongyangdajie. The structures shattered—two- or three-hundred-meter towers were instantly crushed and snapped in half!

Kiki, Wen Zhuo, and others flying through the air felt the massive shockwave hit them. They turned back—and saw it: the corpse of the Abyss Worm from outside the north city, hurled from a kilometer up into the heart of Xilan City!

Boom boom boom!!

Instantly, the ring-shaped blast wave from the corpse's impact sheared the three ultra-tall buildings in half. Half of Zhongyangdajie vanished into rubble. Dust and snow surged skyward!

(End of Chapter)