The next second, a soft teleportation light enveloped all four of them.
When the light faded and they opened their eyes again, they were back on the familiar, reassuringly safe Teleportation Platform of Cannan Star Martial Arts University.
At almost the exact same moment, a crisp, pleasant notification tone chimed from all four of their personal terminals, signaling the mission settlement.
A light golden screen, filled with a sense of glory, popped up before each of them.
[Mission Settlement]
[Mission Name: Eradication of the Chaos Hotbed]
[Mission Rating: Nightmare-level]
[Mission Completion: 120% (Primary objective and potential threats have been completely eradicated)]
[Final Evaluation: Perfect (S+)]
[Final Rewards: 300,000 Battle Team Points, 200,000 Contribution Points, 600,000 Warband Reputation.]
[Reward distribution plan has been automatically executed according to the squad’s contribution agreement...]
Following that was the breakdown of individual rewards.
When Dragon Jade, Nissan, and Ning Jing saw the crystal-clear Contribution Points distribution on the screen, the blank looks on their faces instantly turned to astonishment.
[Captain: Dragon Jade. Contribution Points Awarded: 15,000.]
[Member: Nissan. Contribution Points Awarded: 15,000.]
[Member: Ning Jing. Contribution Points Awarded: 20,000.]
[Member: Qin Feng. Contribution Points Awarded: 150,000.]
Out of the total 200,000 Contribution Points awarded, Qin Feng alone had taken 150,000!
The remaining 50,000 were divided among the three of them based on their respective contributions in the earlier stages of the battle.
The distribution ratio was absurdly skewed.
"This..."
All three of them were stunned.
They knew very well that this kind of distribution was performed automatically by the super-AI based on a real-time analysis of combat data. There was no possibility of error.
And that proved one thing—after the three of them had unknowingly fallen into the illusion, it was Qin Feng who had shouldered all the pressure by himself, ultimately slaying the powerful Tier Six Slaanesh Demon and destroying the altar.
He alone accounted for over seventy-five percent of the contribution for the entire final stage of the mission!
’But... how did he do it?’
’That Slaanesh Demon, its Realm Killing Technique so bizarre that it instantly trapped three "Lesser Limit" powerhouses like us... how did Qin Feng resist it and turn the tables?’
Countless questions surged into their minds like a tidal wave.
"Let’s go!"
Ning Jing was an impatient man. Without another word, he grabbed Qin Feng’s arm.
"To the Power Armor Maintenance bay! First, we get the armor repaired, then we watch the recording!"
Dragon Jade and Nissan immediately understood and followed suit.
They were desperate to know what earth-shattering events had transpired on the battlefield during their "absence."
Soon, the four of them arrived at the Power Armor Maintenance bay.
While handing their battered power armors over to the automated system for maintenance, Ning Jing used his authority to pull the full combat recording of the "Nightmare-level" mission from the Warband’s database.
The combat footage, recorded from the perspective of Qin Feng’s power armor, was a "one-man show" filled with furious roars and savage bombardments. When this scene played out clearly before the three of them, the entire maintenance bay fell into a deathly silence.
Dragon Jade, Nissan, and Ning Jing—three of the Fearless Warband’s most elite Level 5 Powerhouses—were like statues, staring blankly at the screen, their mouths hanging open, unable to close them for a long time.
Only after the recording finished and the screen slowly dimmed did they seem to awaken from a dream, slowly turning their heads to stare at Qin Feng as if he were some kind of monster.
"You’re... you’re something else, Brother Qin..."
It was the ever-boisterous Nissan who broke the silence first.
He walked up to Qin Feng and clapped him heavily on the shoulder, his eyes filled with a mix of complex emotions: shock, admiration, but more than anything, a profound, heartfelt stirring.
"To think your deepest desire is... is to slay a Chaos Demon. I haven’t been truly impressed by many people in my life, but today, you’ve earned my respect."
With that, he let out a long sigh, a bittersweet smile of relief on his face. "To be honest," he said with emotion, "in that illusion, I saw myself. A version of me that was just crying, constantly weeping. I’ve... I’ve been holding it in for hundreds of years. Ever since I set foot on the path of the Martial Dao, I’ve had to bear all the pressure, all the pain, all the loneliness by myself. Sometimes, I really just want to find a place, forget everything, and just have a good, loud cry. To get all this shit out of my system... But I always held back. I told myself that the strong don’t cry."
"Yeah. For me, it was sleep."
Dragon Jade also spoke softly, a tired yet incredibly relieved smile on his face. "A bed. A very, very soft bed. I was lying on it, not having to think about anything, not having to worry about anything, just sleeping peacefully. You might not believe it, but I haven’t... I haven’t had a proper rest in many, many years."
"I also have a beast I want to kill."
Ning Jing’s voice cut in. He grinned, revealing a set of white teeth, but his smile carried a chilling killing intent. "Unfortunately, he’s not a Chaos Demon. But even if my desire had been to kill a Chaos Demon, I doubt I could have beaten it to death like you did, Brother Qin. I’d be more likely to get myself killed. Brother Qin, your Combat Power is just terrifying."