Long Feng stayed in that city for three days, secretly visited his family a few times, then resolutely hurried back to the base.
Just as he entered Nuwa's sensor range, Long Feng received a message from the base: "Lieutenant Colonel Long Feng, please report to Marshal Long's office immediately."
Long Feng handed his luggage to the equipment department and hurried toward the headquarters building.
Ten minutes later, he stepped into Marshal Long's office, where all the other Special A1 team members were also present.
Marshal Long nodded, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly as he said, "Very well, all of you have passed the test, making you the group with the highest pass rate in this batch. The base with the lowest rate had only 23% of its members pass. Enough small talk—Long Ao and the others are already prepared. Except for Long Feng, the rest of you have fifteen days of leave to decide your next moves."
The other members nodded and filed out one by one.
Marshal Long glanced at Long Feng and said calmly, "Back?"
Long Feng gave a noncommittal "Mm" and said, "Yes. Does Pangu know everything about our families?"
Marshal Long nodded and said, "Correct. Pangu can access the Social Management Center's database at any time, so it indeed has all the information about your relatives. Is there a problem?"
"Feng Qingyang has a younger brother. However, when I checked the records, there was no mention of this." Long Feng frowned deeply.
Marshal Long looked somewhat surprised and shook his head repeatedly, saying, "Impossible. Everyone's files are registered, and even if someone has left their family, it would be documented. Although Feng Qingyang's commercial background is unclear, his social records from childhood to adulthood are complete. He's an orphan—how could he have a younger brother?"
Tapping quickly on the keyboard, Marshal Long said urgently, "Nuwa, connect to Pangu and inquire about Feng Qingyang's detailed records. Long Feng has discovered he has a younger brother, yet the Social Management Center's data shows no record of this."
Not long after, Pan Gu's resonant voice sounded: "The data is correct. Feng Qingyang is an orphan. All his educational and business records are on file. Apart from his current wife, daughter, and Lieutenant Colonel Long Feng, he has no other relatives."
The office fell silent. After a long pause, Long Feng said calmly, "Forget it. They were probably sworn brothers. Such interpersonal relationships aren't recorded. It's not a big issue anyway." Marshal Long nodded and said in a deep voice, "Pan Gu, thank you."
Pan Gu replied calmly, "You're welcome. Also, just to inform you, Marshal Long, your base needs to dispatch a fleet to assist in the encirclement and suppression of pirates from the New Sun Empire. The operation begins in three days. That is all."
Long Feng stepped forward and asked, "Send me?"
Marshal Long shook his head: "No need. You have automatically forfeited the remaining twelve days of your leave. Starting tomorrow, you will begin your real training. Your instructor will still be Long Ao. The other members will be assigned tasks after they return. Any questions?"
Shaking his head, Long Feng said, "No questions. Tomorrow, the special training begins." He turned and walked out.
In the early morning, Long Feng lay quietly on his bed and opened the porthole of his bedroom. Looking out through the skylight, two enormous moons generously cast their silvery glow downward. Long Feng took a slow, deep breath, and the vibrant energy mass within his body began to circulate joyfully. It seemed to absorb a trace of the faint violet light, with threads of coolness seeping into his body, causing the energy mass to grow slightly larger. A flicker of emotion stirred in Long Feng's heart, disrupting his usual still, placid state of mind. That sensation vanished swiftly, leaving behind only the gentle warmth of the circulating energy mass.
Suddenly, with a loud "boom," the alloy sliding door of Long Feng's bedroom was struck forcefully from the outside, leaving a clear fist imprint on the five-centimeter-thick metal. Slowly, the memory metal door returned to its original shape. Long Feng leaped up quickly, opened the door, and steadily aimed his high-energy laser gun at the forehead of the person outside.
Long Ao stood grinning weirdly at the doorway, saying nonchalantly: "Hey, little buddy, well, I wanted to see if I could get in without bothering you to open the door, so I just gave it a friendly punch. You're not mad, are you? Look… heh, the door's fine."
Long Feng grunted in acknowledgment, put away his gun, and said quickly: "Wait for me, three minutes." Then his body levitated and glided just above the floor into the bathroom. Long Ao, without waiting for an invitation, swaggered into Long Feng's bedroom, clicking his tongue: "Your conditions really are something—a lieutenant colonel, and just one room. Sure, it's spacious, but so plain. Hmm, my place is much more comfortable. I've got four rooms all to myself."
Just as Long Ao was clumsily flipping through the books on Long Feng's desk, Long Feng had already finished washing up and changed into a black training outfit—a black shirt, black trousers, and black off-road combat boots.
Long Ao made a few grumbling sounds, turned his head, and said: "How come you don't have a single entertaining magazine here? Can't you find one in the whole base? It's all stuff like 'Theoretical Discussions on Large Fleet Combat'—way too serious, isn't it?"
Long Feng didn't respond, silently following the chattering Long Ao as they headed out of the dormitory building.
Long Ao reached the entrance when his expression suddenly turned stern, and he said in a serious tone, "Listen up. When you were younger, I never demanded anything regarding your personality, but remember this—having such an icy demeanor, with even the way you walk, sit, and stand being excessively rigid, will do you no good in future missions. All living beings instinctively become wary of those who exude killing intent. If you want to survive and make it back alive someday, you must change yourself. Learn from me, learn to smile like I do. Even if you're seething with the desire to kill the other person, you must wear a friendly smile. A smile is the most powerful weapon in the world."
Long Feng said, somewhat taken aback, "Our previous instructors only taught us…"
Long Ao swiftly cut him off, "I don't care what your previous instructors taught you. From now until you become an official member of the Dragon Force, you must listen to me. Follow my instructions, and what's more, you need to learn how to interact with people. Whether they are men or women, old or young, beautiful or ugly, you must be able to establish a connection with them within three minutes. I have no doubt you'll quickly master the killing techniques I teach you, but you might not necessarily grasp the art of human interaction that I embody. Even if you can shatter a space carrier with one punch, can you withstand the assault of ten thousand main gunboats? Charging in cold and ruthless like this simply won't work."
Long Feng nodded, forcing a smile even uglier than a grimace from his indifferent lips, and said slowly: "Alright, I will try."
With a satisfied smile, Long Ao reverted to his usual frivolous demeanor, walking unsteadily as he led Long Feng toward the main building of the base.
In a spacious, empty hall on the 150th underground floor, measuring over a hundred meters in both length and width, Long Ao brought Long Feng inside, clapped his hands, and over a dozen fully armed soldiers along with seven or eight combat robots escorted in a man tightly bound with alloy chains. The guy was half a head taller than the already imposing combat robots beside him.
Long Ao chuckled playfully: "Do you recognize him?"
Long Feng said coldly: "Onizuka Hideo… of course I know him." A faint cracking sound came from his joints as a subtle stream of air began to swirl slowly around his body, stirring the hem of Long Ao's clothes and his hair nearby.
"Okay, no nonsense. Guizhong Yingnan, I'm giving you a chance for revenge. Show us the might of a noble warrior from your New Sun Empire—teach my little friend here a proper lesson. Weren't you the one he took down last time? Don't you want payback? Don't you want to wash away the shame? Don't you want to tear his body apart? Here's your opportunity—a fair duel."
With a wave of his hand, one of the soldiers unlocked the alloy chains binding Guizhong Yingnan. They clattered noisily as they were dragged away. Long Ao slowly backed toward the wall, grinning as he said, "Little friend, catch up with him. Relive that feeling of facing **super powerful enemies."
Without a word, Long Feng moved forward slowly and cautiously. Last time, even using Tai Chi—his best technique for deflecting force—he had been knocked down by a single punch from Guizhong Yingnan. Long Feng didn't dare underestimate the combat power of this giant.
Guizhong Yingnan let out a sound like a tiger's roar, leaned slightly forward, and began slowly circling Long Feng within a diameter of no more than four meters.
Onizuka Hideo clenched his two large fists together, his knuckles emitting loud, crisp cracks. With a furious roar, he swiftly threw a punch straight at Long Feng's chest.
Long Feng exhaled sharply, channeling his internal energy fiercely. The shirt on his upper body burst apart abruptly, his muscles bulging all over as he crossed his arms into an X-shape to block. With a dull 'thud', a shockwave of air scattered outwards. Long Feng's body was sent flying backward, his bones feeling as if they were about to shatter, especially his arms, which seemed completely crushed, wracked with excruciating pain.
Enraged, Long Feng let out a furious roar. While still mid-air, he suddenly activated his psychic force, halting his momentum abruptly and suspending himself in the air. He then slowly levitated, hovering three meters above the ground. Faint electric sparks flickered across his body, and his shoulder-length hair floated eerily, stirred by an unnatural airflow.
Onizuka Hideo growled deeply, "The superpowers of the Chinese Dragon Army, huh? They're no match for us warriors of the Neo Japanese Empire. Our bodies are the toughest and most superior in the entire universe. Take another punch from me, Chinese."
With his mouth wide open, Onizuka Hideo's massive muscles bulged all over his body, veins like earthworms surfaced on his skin, his entire form no longer humanoid, an extremely powerful aura erupted from his body.
Long Feng flexed his numb arms, cupped his hands into a hollow sphere, and a small, white ball of light appeared in his palms.
Long Ao shook his head and sighed on the side: "Tsk, their bodies are the result of centuries of genetic hybrid modifications, and yet you still have the nerve to go head-to-head with them like a fool. Little friend, use your brain a bit. Although their physical strength is immense and their power unmatched, is it necessary for you to clash with him directly? If you fly up into the sky, he can't catch you; just take your time and strike him when you get a chance."
Long Feng abruptly dispersed the light sphere in his hands, landed slowly, and began racing around the hall at triple the speed of sound. The roar of shattered air barriers filled the entire hall. Except for those combat robots and Long Ao, all the soldiers hurriedly retreated.
Onizuka Hideo turned his body somewhat bewilderedly, his massive frame utterly unsuited for high-speed combat—their top speed barely reached sonic velocity. Long Feng suddenly materialized behind Onizuka Hideo, delivering a side kick that struck the back of his head with brutal force. Onizuka Hideo roared in fury, staggering before whirling around to throw a punch.
Long Feng's right foot, which had kicked Onizuka Hideo, nearly dislocated from the rebounding force. He swiftly retreated twenty meters, exclaiming in shock, "What is this guy made of? Is he even human?"
Long Ao said lazily, "Wait until you face America's modified soldiers—then you'll really have something to complain about. If you can't break through his defenses, aim for his weakest spots. But don't target the groin; your comrades still need him for training."
Long Feng accelerated even further, pushing off the floor with both feet. His combat boots scraped against the ground, emitting a trail of blue sparks as a third of the soles instantly wore away. His body shot toward Onizuka Hideo like an arrow, driving a knee strike into Onizuka Hideo's right shoulder. The tremendous impact proved too much even for Onizuka Hideo's terrifyingly sturdy body—a dull thud echoed as his right shoulder was dislocated.
Onizuka Hideo howled in pain, wildly swinging his left fist and kicking with both legs, but this only gave Long Feng more opportunities to attack. Soon, all four of his limbs were dislocated, and he collapsed powerlessly onto the floor.
Long Feng had completely exhausted all his energy. As soon as Onizuka Hideo fell, he too dropped to his knees, drained of strength, supporting himself with his hands on the ground, panting heavily as sweat poured down like rain.
Long Ao hurried over, carefully reset Onizuka Hideo's dislocated joints, then knocked him out with a fierce palm strike. Only then did he stroll over to Long Feng with a smile and say softly, "Not bad, not bad. You finally understand. Your previous instructors always taught you to destroy your opponents in the most direct way. With your strength, you could take on a hundred special forces soldiers from any country single-handedly. But when facing specially trained experts like these, you have to fight the way I taught you. Otherwise, you'll only end up hurting yourself."
Long Feng raised his head, a faint, weary smile on his face, and said quietly, "Thanks for the guidance… Brother Ao."
Long Ao was slightly taken aback, then suddenly broke into a smile, giving Long Feng's shoulder a firm pat as he said, "That's right, a handsome young lad like you should smile more often. But well, this Onizuka Hideo really can't take a beating. There are still twenty-two other youngsters who need to train with him. Looks like I'll have to have a good discussion with the Science Academy and get a couple more sent over."
Long Feng said in surprise, "Science Academy? They're prisoners of war, they should be under military control."
Long Ao glanced at the soldiers who were tying up the unconscious Onizuka Hideo and carrying him out, then pulled Long Feng to his feet and dragged him to the corner of the wall. Lowering his voice, he said, "Pah, what nonsense prisoners of war! The New Japanese Empire doesn't even acknowledge their existence—they've had to swallow this bitter pill in silence. The Science Academy happened to be looking for ** specimens to analyze their genetic makeup and physical strength, so they took them all for experimentation. I only managed to get this guy because I thought he'd be good training for you all—the brothers at other bases aren't so lucky. If it weren't for the Science Academy director owing me…"
Long Feng gazed deeply at Long Ao, who shook his head emphatically and said, "He owes me a hundred bucks, so he gave Ghost Mound Hideo to me. Don't believe me? I'm telling the truth—this guy isn't worth much, just a hundred bucks… Hey, hey, don't walk away! Big bro is telling the truth here."
Five hours later, Long Feng, having rested and munching on an apple, was dragged by Long Ao to the mountaintop where Long Feng had zoned out last time—the highest peak of Sagittarius II.
Gently flicking the apple core from his hand a hundred meters away, he slowly watched it plummet into the abyss below. Long Feng grumbled slightly discontentedly, "I was in the middle of lunch—did you really have to pull me out here in such a hurry?"
Long Ao said matter-of-factly, "I finished eating, so of course it's time to head out. What's your take on energy?"
Long Feng thought for a moment, then shook his head.
Long Ao straightened his expression, gazing at the half-moon still visible in the daytime sky, and said slowly: "Actually, what we call internal energy is also a form of power. By continuously circulating it, we allow this energy to accumulate and grow stronger, gradually transforming our physical constitution. Psychic force is another type of energy—depending on one's cultivation level, it can control objects of varying sizes and distances. However, even if you meditate for ten thousand years and train your psychic force for a hundred thousand years through conventional methods, at most your body would only reach the strength of those modified humans from America, and your psychic force would only be capable of what we can achieve—like teleporting a transport ship with several people working together. There's no room for greater development."
After thinking for a long while, Long Feng finally asked: "But your current achievements clearly go far beyond that. There must be another way, right?"
Long Ao nodded and said: "Yes. Relying solely on seated meditation, no matter how strong you become, you'll still remain human—let alone gather enough energy to transform your entire being into an energy-based form. Our Long family's 'Xuanyuan Dragon Art' five hundred years ago was still stuck at the level of strengthening and developing one's own body, far from reaching today's standards. Yet the core techniques and mantras haven't changed at all. Do you know why?"
Long Feng shook his head: "If I knew, I wouldn't need your guidance."
Long Ao gave an awkward "oh, oh" laugh, cleared his throat and said: "The power of the human body is limited. No matter how carefully you cultivate yourself, it can never compare to the boundless, surging energy between heaven and earth. I don't know what was wrong with our ancestors—they never understood this principle until over four hundred years ago, nearly five hundred years back. A man named Long Kuang—who knows how many generations before me—suddenly had an epiphany and began trying to absorb the purest energies between heaven and earth for his own use. The gains he made in one year were greater than what he would have achieved in a hundred years before. That's how it is: the core techniques and mantras haven't changed one bit, only the method of circulating energy shifted slightly—from focusing solely within the body to consciously connecting with external energies, absorbing them, and accumulating them. That's what has given us our current near-superhuman achievements."
Long Ao gently raised his right hand, lifting it above his head, closed his eyes, and a faint glow suddenly enveloped his palm. Clearly visible streams of pale purple light flowed along his hand and into his body.
As the howling, dry, and bitterly cold wind swept past, Long Feng suddenly felt a stirring in his heart. Two teardrops fell without reason. Slowly, he knelt toward the infinite expanse ahead, quietly merging with Long Ao into this state of oneness between heaven and humanity…
After a long while, Long Ao opened his eyes and said with some surprise, "Eh, I didn't expect practicing at such a high mountaintop to be so much more effective than on flat ground. I couldn't resist completing eighty-one cycles… Little friend, why are you kneeling on the ground?"
Long Feng slowly rose to his feet, his heart at peace, and said with a faint smile, "I was so startled by you that I fell to my knees. Actually, there's no need for you to teach us all the mantras. As long as you guide us into the state where we can absorb the energy of heaven and earth, any mantra will have the same effect, right?"
Long Ao nodded but said somewhat unwillingly, "However, it can't be put that way. Our 'Xuanyuan Dragon Art' is still useful—it absorbs energy much faster than ordinary internal techniques… Hey, what are you laughing at?"
Long Feng remained silent. Though he couldn't see the clear, visible streams of energy flowing into his body like Long Ao, he could already feel faint, cool rivulets slowly merging with his being. This was the purest energy from the twin moons overhead, the essence of heaven and earth…