The escape pod activated in an instant!
Then, under the resentful gazes of all present, it was caught in a tractor beam by a distant warship, one that had long been waiting and was saturated with an Aura of Chaos.
The warship fired up its engines and swiftly vanished into the deep Cosmos.
The entire process was impossibly fast!
Executed in one flawless motion!
Clearly, this wasn’t the first or second time Shi Dang had pulled a "hit and run."
He always had an extraction vessel on standby!
THUMP... THUMP... THUMP...
Once the terrifying aftershocks of the battle had completely dissipated,
Dragon Jade, Nissan, and Ning Jing immediately rushed to Qin Feng’s side.
At that moment, Qin Feng was in a state beyond miserable.
His indestructible steel arms, encased in the [Destroyer I] power armor, were now completely twisted and deformed!
The precise internal framework and transmission systems had been shattered by the terrifying force.
Blood continuously seeped out—a shocking sight.
"What a shame..."
Qin Feng said with regret, gazing in the direction Shi Dang had vanished.
"If a more powerful Martial Artist had arrived in time, Shi Dang would have certainly died today!"
"Sigh..."
Qin Feng added, "Shi Dang himself is wary of the pursuit missions from Canaan.
Otherwise, with the crushing power he just displayed, if he’d been determined to stay and fight to the death, we probably all would have died here..."
"We’re still just too weak."
...
Afterward, Qin Feng and the others carefully inspected the entire passenger ship again.
After confirming there were no remaining Believers of Khorne, they submitted their mission report and chose to return to Cannan Star Martial Arts University.
VMMMM—
Accompanied by a faint Energy Fluctuation unique to spatial teleportation, the figures of Qin Feng’s group of four reappeared on the Teleportation Platform of Cannan Star Martial Arts University.
Unlike the confident, high-spirited posture they held when they left, all four now carried a thick, lingering stench of blood and Evil Qi.
This was especially true for Qin Feng. His [Destroyer I] power armor, once radiating majesty and an oppressive aura, was now covered in scars.
Its steel arms hung limply at his sides at a bizarre angle, the armor riddled with hideous cracks and dents. It was clearly a complete wreck.
The four exchanged few words, simply walking in silence toward the 24-hour "Power Armor Maintenance Base" next to the Teleportation Platform, a facility that exclusively served Warband members.
PSHHH— PSHHH—
Amid the hissing of high-pressure air jets, the heavy power armor on the four was slowly disassembled by precise robotic arms and sent down an automated maintenance line.
It revealed their slightly weary faces, also stained with traces of blood.
Inside the maintenance base was a dedicated rest area.
The four found a corner to sit. As they waited for their expensive "iron companions" to be restored, they began to debrief the perilous and unexpected battle.
"Shi Dang’s strength... it’s just too terrifying."
Nissan was the first to break the silence.
He picked up a complimentary Energy Drink from the base, took a huge gulp, a lingering trace of fear still on his face.
"A vitality index of 28,000, that terrifying ’One Heart, Twelve Uses’ killing technique... He’s on a completely different level from us."
"Yeah..."
Dragon Jade nodded as well, a hint of helplessness and regret on their face. "And not a single reinforcement arrived, even though we reported Shi Dang’s latest coordinates immediately."
"Forget it. No point dwelling on it."
Ning Jing’s voice was concise as ever.
"In any case, the mission is finally complete. The Contribution Points are in. Counting our previous savings, we’ve finally gathered enough to buy the ’Crystal Meditation Method’."
"Yeah, yeah!"
The moment Nissan heard the two words "Contribution Points," their spirits lifted, the gloom on their face vanishing completely. "Let’s hurry back and redeem that Meditation technique!
I hear that once your Spiritual Power Index is higher, the speed at which you cultivate killing techniques also increases!
Then we can go find Shi Dang and get our revenge!"
...
Ning Jing, Nissan, and Dragon Jade chatted idly, trying to use conversation to dispel the oppressive atmosphere left by the brutal battle.
Yet from beginning to end, Qin Feng just sat there silently, his brow tightly furrowed, not saying a word.
His deep eyes were filled with complex, inscrutable emotions.
There was anger, resentment, and lingering fear, but more than anything, there was an unspeakable confusion.
The other three all noticed Qin Feng’s strange mood.
They also had a tacit understanding not to disturb him.
They all knew that to Qin Feng, the name Shi Dang represented more than just a powerful enemy.
It also represented a friendship once filled with trust that had ended in the most brutal of betrayals.
Qin Feng and Shi Dang had once been good friends and teammates.
They all knew that in that horrific betrayal, another of Qin Feng’s close friends, Lei Meng, had died a miserable death at Shi Dang’s hands.
Shi Potian, Xiong Yanfu, and Tie Mu had also been seriously injured and crippled.
Qin Feng was later interrogated by the Imperial Court of Justice for a long time over the incident.