Chapter 144: One Punch, One Defeat

In the lower lockdown zone, the cold, chaotic energy had not yet fully dissipated. Qin Feng gripped the half-fragment of the chaotic crystal, its glow interwoven with ghostly blue and dark red, its violent energy like a trapped venomous serpent surging wildly within his palm—yet it was utterly suppressed by his furnace-like Qi and Blood and his body, enhanced to its absolute limit by Life Enhancement.

On Team A's end, Lei Zhan also reported success. Leveraging precise intelligence from Planet Scan, they crippled the Hydra outpost's energy core and main control system at minimal cost; the entire outpost now lay plunged into darkness and chaos, shrill alarms echoing uselessly as surviving guards and researchers scattered like headless flies.

"Team B, withdraw along the planned route! Team A, execute final cleanup protocol—regroup in ten minutes!" Qin Feng issued the order through an encrypted channel, his voice cold and utterly unruffled.

"Understood!"

The mission was nearly complete; the core objective was secured, the outpost on the verge of destruction. The wisest choice now was to withdraw swiftly before the enemy could organize an effective counterattack.

Qin Feng carefully stowed the chaotic crystal fragment and prepared to lead Team B back along their original route.

Yet, the instant he turned—

An extremely subtle yet needle-sharp killing intent struck without warning from behind! Its speed and angle surpassed any enemy he had faced before!

Qin Feng didn't even have time to fully turn—he relied solely on his battle-honed instinct, snapping his waist and abdomen with explosive force, his body twisting sideways like a creature without bones!

"Ssschhh!"

An invisible force tore through his diving combat suit; a searing sting flared across his skin—a shallow blood trail appeared.

A blurred black figure, like a ghost woven into shadow, vanished instantly after the failed strike, disappearing into the darkness around the corridor's bend. His movements were fluid, swift, devoid of any wasted motion—he was clearly a top-tier assassin, master of stealth killing.

"Boss!"

Team B members, shocked and furious, immediately raised their weapons, forming a protective circle around Qin Feng.

Qin Feng raised a hand to stop them, his gaze cold as he stared at the direction where the figure had vanished. He touched the bloodstain on his shoulder—his eyes held no fear, only blazing battle lust.

"You withdraw," Qin Feng said calmly, his tone leaving no room for argument. "Regroup with Team A as planned."

"Boss! It's too dangerous!" one member cried.

"Execute the order!" Qin Feng's voice turned icy.

"... Yes!" The team members gritted their teeth, knowing their presence would only become a liability, and swiftly retreated along the evacuation route.

The corridor was now empty save for Qin Feng—and the cold killing intent still hanging in the air.

He slowly turned to face the darkness, rolled his neck, and a crisp crack echoed.

"Come out. Hiding in shadows—is that the Prometheus Foundation's style?" His voice echoed through the hollow corridor, laced with mockery.

Silence lingered in the dark for a moment.

Then, a figure clad in a black form-fitting combat suit, nearly indistinguishable from the surrounding shadows, stepped forward slowly.

He was not tall, even somewhat slender, yet he radiated like a drawn blade of supreme ferocity, exuding a chilling, razor-edged aura. His face was covered by a black mask, revealing only a pair of emotionless eyes, cold and serpentine.

He carried no obvious weapon—but his bony hands, fingers unnaturally pale, were more dangerous than any blade.

"Shadow, Foundation Cleaner," the man spoke, voice hoarse and dry, as if unused to speech. "Your life is worth many resources."

Indeed—a Foundation operative! And clearly a top-tier assassin assigned to eliminate "problems"!

Qin Feng studied the assassin known as Shadow, sensing the extreme refinement within him—a lifeless, inhuman stillness radiating from his core. This was no ordinary foe. His strength likely rivaled Lei Zhan at his peak—and perhaps even surpassed it in danger.

"Want my life?" Qin Feng's lips curled into a cold smile. "See if you have the skill to take it."

Before the words had fully left his mouth, Shadow moved!

His motion held no warning—he became a true shadow, skimming the ground at blinding speed, eyes too fast to track. Both hands curled into claws, fingertips gleaming with dark luster, striking straight for Qin Feng's throat and heart—ruthless, lethal, meant to kill in one blow!

Qin Feng's pupils contracted—he dared not hesitate. Life Enhancement surged through his body, senses pushed to their peak. His feet shifted like a phantom, retreating backward in a blur, arms crossing to intercept the deadly claws with perfect precision.

"Thud!"

A dull, heavy impact rang out.

Qin Feng's arms went numb—a cold, cunning force tried to pierce his flesh! Such a strange power!

Shadow, unfazed by the block, twisted midair like a weightless spirit, legs whipping like steel whips, cracking through the air in rapid succession, targeting Qin Feng's skull!

His assault came like a storm—relentless, continuous. Every strike aimed for vital points, embodying pure, efficient killing art.

Qin Feng dodged and twisted within the narrow corridor, deploying every martial skill honed in elite combat training—barely avoiding or blocking each lethal strike. Their figures blurred in the dim light, fists and kicks colliding like rapid-fire gunshots.

Shadow's strength was truly terrifying. His combat style was born solely for killing—no wasted motion, timing precise to the millimeter. Had Qin Feng not possessed physical conditioning far beyond normal humans thanks to Life Enhancement, and endured the life-and-death trials of elite training, he would already be dead.

Prolonged defense invites defeat.

After a direct fist clash, Qin Feng used the recoil to step half a pace back—his breath flickered with the faintest disturbance.

Shadow's serpentine eyes flared instantly—he seized this fleeting opening! His body compressed like a spring, then exploded with unprecedented speed, becoming a bolt of black lightning. His right hand extended into a spear, his fingertips condensing into a point of chilling, dark radiance—aimed straight at Qin Feng's third eye!

This was his long-prepared ultimate technique—Shadow Pierce! Concentrating all his strength and killing intent into a single point, its penetration was terrifying.

This strike was fast. Accurate. Ruthless. It sealed off every possible escape route.

As the deadly fingertip neared his brow, Qin Feng's eyes did not show panic—instead, a cold glint of triumph flashed through them.

That slight disturbance in his breath? A deliberate feint.

His goal: to lure out this strongest attack.

At the very last instant—

Qin Feng moved.

He did not retreat. He did not block. Instead—he stepped forward, directly into the path of the lethal fingertip! Simultaneously, his right fist erupted like a coiled dragon breaking from the abyss—late to start, but faster than any response, simple, direct, and utterly ferocious, driving straight into Shadow's chest!

Attack against attack! Life against life!

This punch held no flourish—it channeled every ounce of his post-Life Enhancement physical power, fused with the core principles of force he'd learned in elite training, and infused with his indomitable, battle-tested will. Where his fist passed, the air itself seemed to rupture, emitting a low, thunderous sonic boom!

For the first time, Shadow's eyes widened in shock—he had never imagined Qin Feng would be this reckless, this utterly irrational! His Shadow Pierce could pierce Qin Feng's skull—but Qin Feng's suicidal punch would shatter his chest!

In a flash, Shadow made his most instinctive choice—he forcibly redirected Shadow Pierce, attempting to strike Qin Feng's fist and neutralize this mutual annihilation.

But his change of direction was rushed—his power was already scattered.

While Qin Feng's punch surged forward, unstoppable, roaring with momentum!

"Boom—!!"

Like a sledgehammer striking rotten leather!

Qin Feng's fist struck Shadow's hastily raised forearm—then smashed through his defense, crashing violently into his chest!

Crack-crack-crack…

The sound of snapping bones erupted like popping beans, grating on the nerves!

The "Shadow"'s body was struck as if hit head-on by a high-speed train; he flew backward uncontrollably, blood spraying from his mouth in a sharp, tragic arc! He slammed hard against the rigid Alloy Wall behind him with a dull, thunderous crash, then slumped to the ground like mud, his chest caved in deeply—he was clearly dead.

His snake-like eyes locked onto Qin Feng, wide with disbelief and bitter resentment, until finally, the light in them faded completely.

One punch!

Just one punch!

The Foundation's top cleaner, "Shadow," was defeated!

Qin Feng slowly retracted his fist, standing in place, breathing lightly. The wound on his shoulder bled again from the exertion, but the light in his eyes burned brighter than ever before!

He walked to the "Shadow"'s corpse, knelt down, and tore off the mask, revealing the pale, ordinary face of a middle-aged man.

"Cleaners… are nothing special."

Qin Feng stood up, no longer glancing at the corpse on the ground, and turned toward the evacuation passage.

His steps were steady, his silhouette like a mountain.

That punch didn't just kill a powerful enemy.

It also shattered the faint shadow of doubt in his heart, cast by the system's Cooling Period, and reforged his invincible belief!

His power came from the system—but it was never limited to the system!

True strength lies in one's unextinguishable will, and in the courage to swing a fist at any mighty foe…

"Prometheus Foundation"…

I killed your cleaner.

Next… it's your turn!