By the time Feng Qi returned to Tiger Soul Research Institute, the sun had already risen.
It was 7 AM.
With the list retrieved from the Night Shadow Clan Leader, Feng Qi confirmed that there had been 17 Night Shadow members operating outside on assignments.
After an entire night of relentless effort, every single Night Shadow operative outside had been eliminated.
In this timeline, the Night Shadow Clan had officially become a thing of the past.
This operation's success was entirely dependent on intelligence.
With the intelligence he had, Feng Qi structured this Night Shadow purge mission into three distinct steps.
The first step was to infiltrate Tiger Soul Research Institute.
This was the easiest part. His application for entry had been approved without a hitch.
The second step was to launch the core operation at 1 AM, prioritizing the control of the institute's central command system.
On the surface, this seemed incredibly difficult.
But Feng Qi had already memorized the layout of Tiger Soul Research Institute's headquarters.
He had personally drawn a complete map of the building.
Because of this, there was no chance of wasting time aimlessly searching for targets once the operation began.
Controlling the central command system meant gaining authority over the institute's surveillance, power supply, and lockdown protocols for the core zone.
Once these systems were under his control, the Night Shadow Clan would be completely isolated, unable to send distress signals to their operatives working outside.
The third step was the most crucial—hunting down the Night Shadow members stationed outside and ensuring their complete eradication.
In the previous timeline, Feng Qi had obtained a detailed task list from the Night Shadow Clan Leader.
That list documented:
Tiger Soul Research Institute's resource stockpile
The exact details of personnel assigned to various missions
Back then, Feng Qi had been forced to work for the Night Shadow Clan.
The tablet containing this mission list had always been with him.
Whenever he needed to take inventory of supplies, he had relied on that tablet's authority to help him conduct statistical checks.
Which meant…
He knew the password to unlock it.
The third step took longer than anticipated, but no accidents occurred.
They executed the final round of hunts smoothly and efficiently.
At this point, the entire operation felt like running through a game's final boss battle with a complete strategy guide.
Now that the Night Shadow Clan had been wiped out, Feng Qi regrouped with Mu Qing and the others at Tiger Soul Research Institute.
The battle was over.
Now, it was time to clean up the aftermath.
Aside from eliminating Night Shadow Clan members, Feng Qi had personally executed a group of human traitors.
These traitors had been registered scientists and personnel working within Tiger Soul Research Institute.
Their deaths would eventually require an explanation to the public.
To address this issue, Feng Qi held a meeting with Tiger Soul's current leadership.
After careful discussion, they agreed on a cover story—
They would fabricate an experimental explosion in the core research area, presenting it as an accidental disaster.
This way, they could justify the deaths in a way that seemed reasonable to outsiders.
Whether or not the outside world believed this story didn't matter.
First, the general public would react with shock upon hearing the news.
But questioning a top-tier authority like Tiger Soul Research Institute?
That wouldn't even cross their minds.
Most people blindly trusted such institutions.
Plus, experimental accidents were not uncommon.
The only unusual aspect was that this incident had resulted in such a high number of casualties.
Second, the Star City Military Department and Tiger Soul Research Institute were both top-tier institutions of equal standing in Star City.
Because of this, the military department would never interfere in Tiger Soul's internal affairs.
The only true governing authority in the city was the Star City Supreme Council.
Unlike Tiger Soul Research Institute, which focused on internal development, the military department was responsible for security and external warfare.
If a major research incident occurred, the military department would only send condolences.
They would never interfere in the matter.
The only real concern was the Star City Supreme Council.
This council was composed of top-level decision-makers from various elite institutions.
They had the authority to investigate major incidents within the city and issue recommendations accordingly.
But Feng Qi wasn't worried.
Within the Star City Supreme Council, there were three institutions with absolute voting power.
Each of these three institutions held six voting rights, which was six times more than the votes of any regular member.
These three institutions were known as the "Three Elders of Star City."
They were:
Star City Military Department
Tiger Soul Research Institute
Crimson Research Institute
For any major decisions regarding Tiger Soul Research Institute, Crimson Research Institute could step in as a supporting force during the Supreme Council's discussions.
This ensured that no unexpected challenges would arise.
As for other research institutions from outside cities coming to offer condolences—
That was just a diplomatic formality.
None of them had the authority to launch an actual investigation.
This was why the Mist Lord had originally chosen Tiger Soul Research Institute as its base of operations.
Unless they completely exposed their secrets, leading all of Star City's elite institutions to vote in favor of a disciplinary action, Tiger Soul's foundation would never be shaken.
After concluding the meeting, Feng Qi initiated a direct connection between Tiger Soul Research Institute and Crimson Research Institute.
Moving forward, Crimson Research Institute would send personnel to coordinate with Tiger Soul, ensuring that the next phase of crisis management was handled smoothly.
At the same time, after learning everything that had transpired, the upper echelons of Tiger Soul Research Institute formally pledged their full support for the upcoming battle.
Feng Qi was not surprised by their decision.
These were people who had refused to submit to the Night Shadow Clan, even when threatened with death.
They had proven their loyalty to humanity.
Even after all these years, they still remembered the oath they had taken when they first entered academia.
"We study, not just for knowledge, but to pave the way for the future of mankind."
With Tiger Soul Research Institute now standing firmly behind the Dawn Rebellion, the future of the resistance had never looked brighter.
The Crimson Research Institute had always taken a conservative approach—prioritizing stability over everything else.
They avoided external conflicts at all costs.
The moment a crisis loomed, they would retreat into their hidden bases and isolate themselves from the world.
Because of this, they couldn't offer much direct support to the development of the Dawn Rebellion.
In fact, they would actively distance themselves from the movement.
But Tiger Soul Research Institute was different.
As a publicly recognized authoritative institution, it could openly provide assistance to the Dawn Rebellion's growth.
More importantly—
Tiger Soul Research Institute controlled 70% of Star City's media outlets.
Feng Qi had already suffered from the consequences of public opinion manipulation.
If the Dawn Rebellion was ever labeled as a "human traitor organization," they wouldn't just have to deal with domain forces.
They would also face Star City's military department, as well as law enforcement and military institutions from other cities.
Even ordinary citizens would be encouraged to rise up against them.
Since he had already experienced this mistake once, he wasn't going to repeat it.
This was the main reason why he had chosen to secure Tiger Soul Research Institute first in this timeline.
With Tiger Soul Research Institute backing them, they could prevent many political pitfalls before they even emerged.
For example, if the Psionic Race controlling Old Day City ever decided to launch a propaganda war against the Dawn Rebellion,
Tiger Soul Research Institute could use its media influence to counter their manipulation and block their influence from infiltrating Star City.
At the very least—
They could ensure Star City remained a stable rear stronghold for their movement.
With the Night Shadow Clan completely eradicated, and Tiger Soul Research Institute now under control,
Feng Qi led his students back to Star City Academy.
At this stage, the Dawn Rebellion was still in its early development phase.
The most important priority was strengthening their overall power.
And Feng Qi had already planned this out in previous timelines.
Feng Qi had already devised a recruitment plan in his mind.
First, he already had a list of talented individuals.
This list was something he had obtained in a previous timeline when he had first founded the Dawn Rebellion.
At that time, the Dawn Rebellion had infiltrated Future City, engaging in covert battles against the Institute of Technological Research.
During those operations, he had met Li Xingchen—
Who not only saved him, but later entrusted him with a list of talented individuals.
Using that list, the Dawn Rebellion had recruited numerous experts, steadily increasing its influence and power.
However, that recruitment method had a major flaw.
Back then, the Dawn Rebellion had operated in strict secrecy.
Every member used a code name, and their real identities were hidden.
Only Feng Qi knew the full roster of members.
Most members didn't even know each other.
This strategy had some advantages.
Even if the Institute of Technological Research managed to capture some Dawn Rebellion members,
No amount of interrogation, torture, or mind control would allow them to expose the entire organization.
But it also came with major drawbacks.
Operating in such a fragmented manner made it difficult to coordinate combat power.
The Dawn Rebellion at the time had been like a pile of scattered sand—lacking cohesion.
Without a centralized base, they had relied on a long chain of command to relay information,
Which resulted in extreme inefficiency.
However, in this timeline, that issue no longer existed.
With Star City as their base,
Feng Qi could now gather all the talented individuals into a unified force.
That said, recruiting the talents from Future City wasn't an immediate priority.
Right now, Feng Qi hadn't fully secured Star City yet.
If they started poaching talent from Future City too early, it could trigger alarms.
If too many brilliant minds started vanishing from Future City,
The Institute of Technological Research would definitely take notice.
From there, they might trace the disappearances back to the Dawn Rebellion.
Feng Qi wasn't particularly afraid of the shadow forces backing the Institute of Technological Research.
After all, Mu Qing was with him.
Her combat power alone was equivalent to an entire army.
As long as the enemy didn't send out Little Black, there was nothing to fear.
That said, he still felt it was best to be cautious in the early stages.
If the Dawn Rebellion was going to last for the long haul,
They needed to fully secure Star City first before expanding elsewhere.
Aside from the Future City talent list,
Feng Qi also had another list—a Star City talent roster.
This list was something he had obtained in a previous timeline
During his time controlling Tiger Soul Research Institute.
This particular list came from the Night Shadow Clan.
It contained names of gifted individuals that the Night Shadow Clan had planned to brainwash and convert.
The total number of individuals on this list was only a few dozen.
Far less than the list given by Li Xingchen.
However, even a small number of elite talents could greatly aid the Dawn Rebellion's growth.
Among them, one name stood out the most—
Tian Shu.
On the potential ranking list, Tian Shu was ranked first.
At present, he was being held prisoner in the sub-base of Tiger Soul Research Institute.
He was classified as a top-secret entity.
Even Tiger Soul Research Institute's leadership had no knowledge of his true identity.
The Night Shadow Clan had attempted to mentally control him in the past.
But their mind-control techniques, which had worked on countless others, completely failed against him.
Frustrated, the Night Shadow Clan had no choice but to keep him locked away deep underground in their sub-base.
In a previous timeline,
Feng Qi had discovered some of Tian Shu's secrets by reading through Tiger Soul Research Institute's classified archives.
However, he had never personally approached Tian Shu.
At the time, his goal in that timeline had been to act as a villain and control the domain forces.
He had no interest in recruiting human geniuses.
Tian Shu was an uncontrollable variable.
There had been no need for him to take unnecessary risks.
Even if he had approached Tian Shu,
There was no way he would have freed him.
But in this timeline, things were different.
This battle timeline had none of those concerns, and Feng Qi felt that Tian Shu might be able to bring him some unexpected surprises. But before that, his priority was still to fully control Star City and stabilize the situation within it.
After returning to Star City Academy, Feng Qi immediately began formulating the next steps of his plan. With the Night Shadow Clan completely eradicated, the next clear target was the numerous members of the Domain Weak Tribe Alliance embedded within Star City.
The intelligence from his previous villain timeline was proving useful once again.
Back then, after the Mist Lord infiltrated Tiger Soul Research Institute, he sought to solidify his grip on Star City's affairs by dealing with the Domain Weak Tribe Alliance.
In the end, he reached an agreement with the leadership of the Domain Weak Tribe Alliance by offering them resources while secretly gaining control over their intelligence network.
To the Mist Lord, the Domain Weak Tribe Alliance was a double-edged sword.
On one hand, he could use them to provide convenient information and aid his long-term plans.
On the other hand, they were notorious for selling intelligence to the highest bidder, making Star City's information an easy commodity for external forces to purchase.
If Feng Qi wanted absolute control over Star City, then the potential threats posed by the Domain Weak Tribe Alliance had to be eliminated.
At that time, the Mist Lord had faced two choices—
The first option was to completely annihilate the Domain Weak Tribe Alliance through brutal force.
But that wasn't easy to execute.
The Domain Weak Tribe Alliance was essentially a mercenary platform composed of warriors from various weaker domain tribes. It had no central leadership.
The so-called leadership of the alliance functioned more like the creators of a business platform rather than actual rulers—they held no absolute authority.
Just as the shadow forces behind the Institute of Technological Research had struggled to completely wipe out the Dawn Rebellion, it would be incredibly difficult to eliminate such a fragmented force.
A violent crackdown would indeed break apart the Domain Weak Tribe Alliance, but its members would simply scatter throughout Star City, forming an unorganized mass of independent mercenaries.
Their efficiency might decline, but the underlying threat would still exist.
These scattered domain warriors would still be able to sell information, and if the price was high enough, they wouldn't hesitate to infiltrate places like Tiger Soul Research Institute to gather intelligence—after all, they were all desperate individuals willing to risk their lives.
The second option was to first use brute force to establish dominance, then negotiate a deal to control the alliance's intelligence network.
Although the Domain Weak Tribe Alliance was just a platform, as long as the platform itself remained, all intelligence transactions would still pass through its channels.
Controlling the alliance was essentially controlling the flow of information.
This option required minimal effort while offering the greatest returns.
From a strategic perspective, the Mist Lord had ultimately chosen to seize control of the Domain Weak Tribe Alliance's leadership and use their intelligence network to indirectly rule over them.
Every mission request would have to pass through him first before being distributed to the alliance's Star City branches.
It was a brilliant move.
For example, the Dark God Clan had tried multiple times to purchase intelligence on Star City,
But before those tasks even reached the domain warriors, the leadership of the alliance had already delivered the information to the Mist Lord, allowing him to intercept and shut them down ahead of time.
In the end, the Dark God Clan's leader had been forced to personally lead his forces into Star City to conduct an on-site investigation.
Although the Mist Lord had always planned to wipe out the Domain Weak Tribe Alliance eventually,
During the early stages of his rule over Tiger Soul Research Institute, controlling their intelligence network had been the optimal choice.
During his time controlling the alliance, the Mist Lord had also obtained a list of all their hidden branch locations within Star City, provided by the alliance's leadership.
And that intelligence had once been shared directly with Feng Qi.
Such critical information wasn't something he would ever let go to waste.
At the time, Feng Qi had memorized every single coordinate, even though he knew he wouldn't be using them in that particular timeline.
But he was certain that in another timeline, he would need it.
And now, that very intelligence was in his hands.
It would serve as the perfect tool to eliminate the potential threat of the Domain Weak Tribe Alliance.
Now, Feng Qi faced the same choice that the Mist Lord had before him—
Should he eradicate the Domain Weak Tribe Alliance, or should he subjugate and control them?
Before launching this battle timeline, he had carefully weighed his options.
In the end, he had decided to follow the Mist Lord's strategy and choose the second option.
Once the Dawn Rebellion became strong enough, he would consider wiping out the Domain Weak Tribe Alliance completely.
As for how he would go about taking control of the alliance, Feng Qi found it remarkably simple.
He didn't need to come up with a new plan.
He simply had to follow the exact steps the Mist Lord had taken.
After all—
Copying homework? That's the easiest thing to do!