Chapter 152: Second Round: Brutal Elimination

The words "very soft" exploded like thunder over the Nordic testing site, delivering humiliation and shock far deeper than any technical data ever could. Qin Feng used this absurd yet profoundly humiliating method not only to counter "Creation Tech's" underhanded tactics but also to deliver a crushing blow to Liu Shiying and the forces behind her on a spiritual level.

The female technician poisoned by the substance was urgently flown by Qin Feng's resources to Oslo, where, under Su Jin's remote guidance and top-tier medical intervention, she barely survived—but suffered permanent damage to her arm. This incident pushed the competition committee's suspicions against "Creation Tech" to their peak; although lacking direct evidence to disqualify them, an invisible pressure now loomed over Liu Shiying's team.

The preliminary data validation period ended. "Jingyuan Tech's" system achieved nearly flawless performance, unanimously earning the highest evaluation from the judges and advancing with overwhelming dominance. Meanwhile, "Creation Tech's" submitted "biomass catalysis" data barely met the qualifying threshold, but their mysterious demeanor and the lingering stigma from the poisoning incident rendered their advancement dim and tainted.

In the first round of elimination, "Jingyuan Tech" won cleanly and decisively.

Yet everyone knew this was only the beginning. The competition committee soon announced the rules for the second round—and this time, the brutality and danger escalated by orders of magnitude!

The theme of the second round: "Extreme Environment Adaptability Validation."

All qualifying teams must transport their core energy modules to the "Perennial Frozen Frontier," an extreme scientific observation station buried deep within the Greenland ice sheet. There, they must sustain uninterrupted operation of their systems for 72 hours under conditions of minus fifty degrees Celsius, ferocious winds, and perpetual darkness, while supplying no less than the specified minimum power output to the station.

This is not merely a test of technical stability—it is the ultimate trial of equipment cold resistance, team survival capability, and psychological endurance! The Greenland ice sheet's environment is brutally harsh and wildly unpredictable; any malfunction or accident could prove fatal, with rescue nearly impossible—a true test of life and death.

"The second round… it's too dangerous!" Chen Ming gasped as he read the rules. "In that environment, not just the equipment—even humans could suffer frostbite or hypothermia just by being outside for too long. And they expect us to keep the system running?"

Lei Zhan's face was grim: "The ice terrain is treacherous, the climate erratic. We must haul our core equipment over long distances—security pressure is immense."

Qin Feng stared at the screen's vast white expanse and the steel-fortress silhouette of the "Perennial Frozen Frontier," his eyes unusually bright—even gleaming with a hint of… excitement?

Extreme environment? Life-or-death trial?

Perfect.

His battles with "The Shadow" and his trials in the rainforest had taught him one truth: only in utter desperation does one's greatest potential emerge. This journey to Greenland isn't just a technical validation—it's the perfect stage to further forge himself and prepare for potential attacks from the Foundation.

"Prepare. We're participating," Qin Feng said calmly, yet with unshakable resolve. "Trim the team to only core technicians and essential security. Reinforce all equipment for extreme cold. Stockpile ample survival supplies."

"Understood!"

As "Jingyuan Tech" scrambled to prepare, "Creation Tech" unsurprisingly announced their qualification for the second round. Liu Shiying even hinted in an interview: "True technology fears no extreme environment." Her tone carried a ruthless, no-turning-back determination.

All eyes turned to this Arctic wasteland, where the "Ice and Fire" symphony was about to unfold. The second direct confrontation between "Demon King Qin Feng" and the "Queen of Creation Tech" had become the biggest spectacle of the competition.

Days later, several specially modified transport planes pierced the snowstorm and landed at a temporary supply point on Greenland's edge. From here, teams must switch to custom snowmobiles and sleds to travel over a hundred kilometers to the "Perennial Frozen Frontier" station.

The moment they stepped off the plane, bone-chilling cold pierced their heavy winter gear like countless needles, stabbing deep into their marrow. Wind-driven ice shards stung their faces. All around, the world was an endless, suffocating white—silent, desolate, and utterly lifeless.

"Jingyuan Tech's" team was pared down to the bare minimum: Qin Feng, Lei Zhan, four "Shield" operatives, and three core engineers—only nine people total. Their equipment had been lightened and cold-reinforced; the core photonic-hydrogen conversion membrane was rolled into a specialized cylinder and transported on sleds.

"Creation Tech" fielded over a dozen personnel, their equipment bulkier and tightly wrapped in black insulating material, radiating an air of mystery. Liu Shiying wore a white polar suit and windproof goggles, her expression hidden—but her icy aura felt colder than the Arctic wind itself.

No greetings. No eye contact. The two teams, like predators meeting on a narrow path, rested briefly, then set off separately toward the heart of the deathly ice wasteland.

The journey was beyond imagination. Bottomless crevasses, sudden blizzards, and soft snow made sleds stall with every step—each meter advanced demanded immense physical and mental strength.

Qin Feng led the team, his enhanced physique allowing him to endure the cold better than others—but he remained vigilant, constantly sensing environmental shifts. Lei Zhan moved like a watchful alpha wolf, guiding his "Shield" team to guard against threats from both nature and "Creation Tech."

On day one, after narrowly avoiding several minor avalanches and navigating treacherous crevasses, they advanced a grueling forty kilometers.

Night fell (in perpetual darkness, "night" merely meant dimmer light), and temperatures plummeted to minus sixty degrees. Howling winds screamed like ghosts. They had to find shelter behind a leeward ice cliff, erect a temporary camp, and rely on high-energy fuel for warmth, taking turns on watch.

In the darkness, Qin Feng faintly spotted the dim lights of "Creation Tech's" camp—flickering like ghostly flames across the ice.

He knew the real trial had yet to begin.

On day two, a fiercer blizzard struck, reducing visibility to less than ten meters. They were forced to hunker down, cut off from the outside world. Communications flickered and died, as if swallowed whole by the frozen realm.

On the morning of day three, the blizzard eased slightly, but biting winds persisted as they pressed forward. Only twenty kilometers remained to the "Perennial Frozen Frontier."

Then, as they crossed a relatively flat stretch of ice, disaster struck again!

"Bang!"

A dull, unnatural sound—distinct from the howling wind—echoed from behind!

Moments later, one of the "Shield" team members hauling a sled groaned, blood bursting from his calf as he collapsed face-first into the snow.

A sniper?

In the middle of this endless ice desert?!

"Ambush! Take cover!" Lei Zhan's pupils contracted as he roared, shoving Qin Feng behind a snowdrift.

The rest reacted instantly, scrambling for cover and dragging the wounded man to safety.

"Bang! Bang!"

Two more shots struck the ice mound they hid behind, spraying ice shards into the air!

The enemy was prepared—and using high-powered sniper rifles optimized for polar conditions!

Qin Feng lay flat in the snow, his gaze as cold as ancient ice. Through the storm, his sharp eyes locked onto the approximate origin of the shots—an elevated ice hummock roughly eight hundred meters away.

Foundation operatives. They dared strike here.

"Lei Zhan, cover me!" Qin Feng growled, his body coiled like a hunting leopard.

"Boss, it's too dangerous!" Lei Zhan cried. Exposing yourself on open ice was suicide.

"Execute the order!" Qin Feng's tone brooked no argument. He couldn't stay pinned down—he had to strike first and eliminate this threat.

As Lei Zhan prepared to order covering fire, Qin Feng moved.

He didn't charge straight—he zigzagged across the undulating ice with eerie, fox-like agility, moving at blinding speed, leaving only a blurred afterimage in the storm.

His maximized biological enhancement, combined with stealth and assault techniques honed in the rainforest, erupted in perfect synergy.

The distant sniper, stunned by the target's impossible speed, fired two rushed shots—both missed.

Eight hundred meters—covered in an instant by Qin Feng's full sprint.

Behind the hummock, a white-camouflaged gunman, clutching a heavy sniper rifle, stared in horror as Qin Feng materialized before him like a phantom. He dropped his rifle and frantically drew his sidearm.

But it was too late.

Qin Feng leapt like a tiger descending a mountain, driving his knee with crushing force into the man's chest.

"Crack!"

The sickening sound of breaking bone was swallowed by the wind.

The gunman flew backward as if struck by a high-speed train, blood spraying across the pristine snow in a vivid crimson arc. He twitched twice, then lay still.

Qin Feng landed, didn't glance at the corpse, swiftly searched him—and found no identification, only weapons.

Of course. Professional assassins.

He lifted his head, his gaze piercing through the snowstorm toward the direction of Chuangsheng Technology's team, his eyes icy cold.

Liu Shiyin…

Is this your second-round elimination match?

Good.

Then let's see, in this icy Purgatory, who… is the one who will ultimately be eliminated!

He turned away, like a death god amid the ice and snow, returning toward his own team's direction.

The second-round brutal elimination match, accompanied by blood and death, officially entered its fever pitch!