Chapter 104: Panic

Just as Qin Feng was soaring freely in the virtual world, familiarizing himself with the ultimate performance of his future vehicle, the "Shadow Shuttle," a silent panic, like a plague, was rapidly spreading in the real world among the surviving members of the "Viper Group" and certain shadows behind them.

Several days had passed since the failed operation on the flight. The three members of the "Shadow Fangs" squad taken away by Lei Zhan had vanished without a trace, like stones sinking into the sea. Neither the organization's internal emergency communication channels nor the preset crisis alarm devices had produced any response.

This in itself was extremely unusual. The members of the "Viper Group" were elites who had undergone brutal training; even if captured after a botched mission, they should have had ways to transmit at least a minimum of information, or trigger a self-destruct procedure. Such complete silence could only mean one thing—they had fallen into the hands of an enemy far beyond their ability to cope, their most basic resistance and communications snuffed out in an instant, and perhaps... even the luxury of seeking death had been denied them.

Inside the "Viper Group" headquarters, located deep underground in a command center in some war-torn region, the atmosphere was so oppressive it was suffocating.

The organization's leader, codenamed "Viper," a middle-aged man with a vicious scar on his face, was growling lowly into the communicator, a hint of undisguisable shock and fury in his voice:

"Still no response? Not a single trace to be found?! When did the waters over in Huaxia get this deep?!"

A bitter voice came through the communicator: "Leader, we've mobilized all our dormant channels, even tried going through third-party intelligence brokers to probe. All we know is that the target safely reached the Imperial Capital, attended that Peak Forum, and then returned safely. As for our people... it's as if they simply evaporated. There hasn't been any related information leaked from official Huaxia channels either. The cleanup was... too clean."

Too clean!

That was the most terrifying part. Given the "Viper Group"'s capabilities, even if an operation failed, they could usually find out who did it—whether official forces or private armed groups—there would always be some clues to follow. But this time, the opponent was like an invisible black hole, swallowing their most elite squad without leaving a single thread to investigate. This kind of unknown was more terrifying than a known powerful enemy.

"The assessment of the target's security forces needs a complete revision!" Viper ground his teeth. "This is absolutely not the level of defense an ordinary rich man should have! There must be some force behind him that we don't know about!"

He slammed his fist violently onto the control console, a flash of regret crossing his eyes. That exorbitant commission now looked more like bait, a trap designed to drag them into an unknown abyss.

"Leader, then... should we continue with the commission?" a subordinate asked cautiously.

Viper's face was dark and uncertain. Continue? They couldn't even get a clear picture of the opponent; sending more people would likely just be sending them to their deaths. The "Viper Group" might fear no death, but they never made meaningless sacrifices. Yet if they gave up here, not only would the massive commission they'd been about to receive fly away, but the organization's reputation would also take a severe blow—how could they continue to operate in the circles after that?

Just as he was hesitating, a top-priority message from an encrypted satellite channel suddenly popped up on his main screen.

The message contained no text, only a processed, extremely brief audio clip.

Viper opened the audio.

Inside was only a short, almost imperceptible, inhuman shriek, filled with the utmost agony and terror, followed by deathly silence.

Viper vaguely recognized that this shriek belonged to the missing "Shadow Fangs" squad leader—that man renowned for his iron will!

A chill instantly shot from Viper's tailbone to the top of his head, making every hair on his body stand on end!

This audio clip was a warning! A demonstration!

The other side had not only captured their people but was interrogating them using the most brutal methods! And they had the ability to deliver this "result" precisely to his doorstep!

What did this indicate? It indicated that the other side was not only powerful and ruthless, but also possessed an unimaginable intelligence network and technical capabilities—and perhaps... had already locked onto the location of their deeply hidden headquarters!

Panic, like a cold-blooded serpent, coiled tightly around Viper's heart.

He could no longer care about any commission or reputation.

"Cancel the mission! Cancel it immediately!" he roared into the communicator, his voice slightly distorted by fear. "Cut off all contact related to this mission! Activate the contingency plan, prepare to relocate headquarters!"

He had to leave here as soon as possible! That target named Qin Feng was simply a monster they couldn't afford to provoke! The power hidden behind him far exceeded their imagination!

Similar unease and panic were also faintly rippling through the client's side. They had likewise lost effective contact with the "Viper Group," only knowing that the operation had failed, and that the "Viper Group" seemed to have been greatly frightened, unilaterally canceling the contract.

"Who exactly is this Qin Feng...?" In some secret room, a deep voice rose with suspicion and astonishment. They had originally thought they were merely dealing with a relatively capable business genius, but now it seemed they had been gravely mistaken.

To be able to so cleanly and decisively eliminate the "Viper Group"'s elite squad, and make the organization behind them feel panic and retreat... this had already gone beyond the scope of commercial competition.

For a time, the wariness of certain gazes hidden in the dark toward Qin Feng abruptly rose to a new level.

And at this moment, the source of all this panic—Qin Feng—was sitting calmly in his office, listening to Lei Zhan's report.

"President Qin, those three were tight-lipped, but the 'Truth Serum' (a certain neurochemical provided by Su Jin's laboratory, with effects far exceeding conventional drugs) combined with some special methods eventually pried them open. They are members of the 'Viper Group''s core squad, 'Shadow Fangs,' hired through a multiply-encrypted middleman; we can't trace back to the ultimate client for now. We've already sent the warning message to several known contact points of the 'Viper Group.'"

Lei Zhan's tone was flat, as if he were mentioning some trivial matter.

"Mm." Qin Feng nodded, not paying it much mind. To him, the "Viper Group" was nothing more than a small stumbling stone on the road ahead—crush it and move on. What concerned him more was his own advancement and the progress of the "Shadow Shuttle."

"Any new developments from Dr. Su?"

"Dr. Su reports that the seventeenth simulation test of the Energy Stabilization Module has just been completed, with the success rate increasing by three percentage points. She indicated that a breakthrough may come soon."

A flash of satisfaction crossed Qin Feng's eyes.

Let panic be left to the enemy.

And he need only press forward unswervingly toward higher goals.

When one's power reaches a certain level, any covert observation and scheming from the shadows are nothing but a gentle breeze brushing past a mountain ridge, unable to shake it in the slightest.

He was becoming that very mountain ridge that enemies looked up to—and panicked at.