Translator: CinderTL
Feng Qi initially believed the traces detected by the unmanned reconnaissance drone belonged to a Technology Research Institute scouting team that had accidentally exposed their position.
Yet doubts lingered in his mind.
Given the elite training of the Technology Research Institute's battle groups, he found it hard to believe they would make such a fatal mistake.
To investigate further, he brought Mu Qing and Liu Yue to the site.
To his surprise, they encountered an old acquaintance: Li Xingchen.
At that moment, Feng Qi finally understood what was happening.
The scouting team's sudden exposure was clearly orchestrated by Li Xingchen, his true motive being to alert Feng Qi to their presence.
After a brief skirmish, the hundred-strong team had been reduced to just over twenty survivors.
These remaining soldiers were all veterans who had retired from the front lines.
Due to severe injuries and other reasons, they had undergone complete cybernetic augmentation with the Technology Research Institute's assistance, replacing every organ with mechanical substitutes.
The only vestiges of their humanity were their unaltered brains and their thoughts.
As the battle concluded, spirit energy rippled across Li Xingchen's body, cascading downward from his neck to cleanse the bloodstains from his armor.
At that moment, Li Xingchen pulled out a cigarette, lit it with practiced ease, exhaled a plume of white smoke, and smiled at Feng Qi.
The scene felt eerily familiar to Feng Qi.
Back when he was establishing the Dawn Organization's resistance timeline, he had faced a life-or-death crisis.
Future City was then conducting a massive manhunt for Dawn Organization members, and Feng Qi had unexpectedly found himself cornered, nearly losing his life.
It was then that Li Xingchen had appeared.
Just like before, Li Xingchen had betrayed his teammates, helped Feng Qi escape the perilous situation, and revealed that a fellow traveler like himself was lurking within the Technology Research Institute.
The image of Li Xingchen being led to the execution ground remained vivid in Feng Qi's mind.
Taking two steps forward, Feng Qi shook hands with Li Xingchen, a smile spreading across his face. "I never expected you to be leading this investigation mission."
Hearing this, Li Xingchen nodded with a smile. "Compared to the Technology Research Institute's other battle groups, the black shadow clearly trusts me more. Besides, as tech-augmented humans, our life signatures are extremely faint, making us very difficult to detect... If I hadn't deliberately simulated life signatures multiple times to send signals, I doubt you would have discovered our arrival."
After hearing Li Xingchen's explanation, Feng Qi confirmed his suspicions.
After some casual conversation, Li Xingchen's expression turned serious.
"By the way, there's something I need to tell you. At the recent core meeting of the Technology Research Institute, someone proposed using a nuclear strike against you. Although the proposal was temporarily rejected, nuclear weapons are already being manufactured—and they're even more powerful spirit energy nuclear weapons!"
"Nuclear weapons?" Feng Qi was stunned.
He knew little about nuclear weapons, having only seen them mentioned in history textbooks.
He knew these weapons had once shaped the world's geopolitical landscape before the cataclysm, and the few recorded instances of their use demonstrated their immense destructive power.
However, they had become obsolete in the post-cataclysm era and faded from history.
Feng Qi's expression immediately turned grave.
A nuclear strike's wide-ranging effects meant that if one detonated above the Dawn Army's marching column, it would inflict catastrophic damage.
Beyond the explosive force, there were also shockwaves, extreme heat, radiation, and severe electronic interference—all critical threats.
He had considered the possibility that the Technology Research Institute might resort to carpet bombing to counter them.
He never imagined they would resort to nuclear weapons.
After all, such weapons existed only in history; they had long been completely destroyed in this era.
But he quickly realized why the black shadow had rejected a nuclear strike against the Dawn Army.
The answer clearly lay in the black shadow's future plans.
Using such weapons would bring pressure from all sides, even within Future City itself, where dissenting voices would inevitably arise.
This would drastically undermine the authority and influence of the Technology Research Institute.
As a result, the institute's access to resources would be severely restricted, directly impacting the Black Shadow Faction's future strategies across all domains.
Yet he knew this issue couldn't be dismissed lightly.
If they were truly driven to a final, desperate showdown, the Black Shadow Faction might very well deploy the spirit energy nuclear weapons they were already developing.
With this thought, he suddenly turned to look at Mu Qing.
He wasn't sure if his Blood Source Form could withstand a nuclear strike in the core zone, but he was certain Mu Qing possessed that capability.
For this mission to escort the brain, no one seemed more suitable than Mu Qing.
He had thoroughly studied the capabilities of the Brain Retrieval Team.
As one of the Scarlet Research Institute's core combat forces, this small team's overall strength rivaled that of a top-tier battle group's elite squad.
Especially their captain, Gu Ke.
A rune augment, Gu Ke had clashed with Liu Yue in a previous timeline.
Their battle ended in a draw.
Though Liu Yue hadn't drawn his sword, Gu Ke hadn't fought at full strength either.
This was a key reason why the Brain Retrieval Team had consistently managed to return his brain to him across every timeline.
However, in previous timelines, their operations had been small-scale. This time, it was war—an entirely different concept.
War was a sea of variables, where death lurked at every turn.
Even the formidable Brain Retrieval Team was but a floating leaf in this vast ocean. The idea of them cutting through enemy lines to reach him at a critical moment was simply unrealistic.
Yet the battle lines had already been drawn. He had no choice but to press forward.
He felt no fear of potential nuclear strikes, nor did he expect the Black Shadow Faction to abandon such weapons.
This campaign was like an arrow loosed from its bow—once released, there was no turning back.
Even if the Dawn Army suffered catastrophic losses under nuclear fire, as long as a single warrior could continue the fight, it wouldn't be the end.
After his conversation with Li Xingchen, Feng Qi understood the daunting challenges that lay ahead.
Before parting ways, Feng Qi turned to Li Xingchen and asked, "Old Li, how are you going to explain this back home? After all, nearly everyone you brought here is dead."
Li Xingchen took a deep drag from his cigarette, then grinned. "Don't worry, I'm used to handling these situations. You don't need to concern yourself with that."
"Oh, and one more thing. The Technology Research Institute will be entering a war deployment phase soon. They might install tracking and monitoring devices on all core members, so we won't be able to contact you through normal channels anymore. Remember to check your email frequently—I might send you intelligence that way."
"Thank you."
Li Xingchen turned, waved casually over his shoulder, and led the remaining soldiers into the distance without looking back.
With the interlude over, Feng Qi, Mu Qing, and Liu Yue returned to the head of the marching column.
Even before they drew near, the savory aroma of roasted meat wafted through the air.
Feng Qi glanced at Mu Qing beside him, and as he'd expected, her eyes were already gleaming with anticipation.
(End of the Chapter)
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