The Entire City on High Alert

As Xiao Feng darted through the streets of Black Whale City, the piercing wail of alarms shattered the sky above. This dreadful cacophony abruptly tore through the tranquility that the citizens had just begun to enjoy, plunging them once more into a state of panic. People hastily abandoned the streets, shops shuttered, and families retreated into their homes.

Xiao Feng's modified sports car came to a halt before the headquarters of the Alliance's Psychic Operatives Bureau. His smartwatch screen displayed Kerry, who regarded him lazily. "Xiao Feng, do you have some business with me?" she drawled.

Xiao Feng sneered coldly. "Yes, I do. Are you currently in your office?"

"Mm, I'm here. The alarms for your X army have already been sounded. Why aren't you rushing back? What are you hanging around here for?"

"Of course I have business with you. I'm on my way..."

Kerry lowered the communicator and said to Louise beside her, "What scheme has this guy cooked up this time? You must remind me not to let him deceive me again."

Louise, with an air of dignified grace behind her glasses, smiled faintly. "Heh, understood. But Xiao Feng is utterly inscrutable—I can't always fathom his intentions."

Just then, Xiao Feng appeared at Kerry's office door. Louise, startled, barely had time to utter two sentences before he arrived—an impossibility that left her astonished.

Xiao Feng strode up to Kerry, hands planted firmly on the desk, and asked bluntly, "Does your Alliance's Psychic Operatives Bureau have anyone with visual energy evolution?"

Kerry frowned. "Why do you ask that?"

Meanwhile, Louise immediately seized her ever-present laptop and rapidly typed. Two figures materialized on the screen, and she showed it to Kerry.

Xiao Feng chuckled softly at Kerry's expression.

...

Rush stood atop the city walls, awaiting the first wave of the beast horde. A dull ache lingered in his arm, his brow deeply furrowed as scenes from hours earlier replayed relentlessly in his mind.

In a dimly lit room, Xiao Feng spoke coldly, "This time, you and K won't be enough to handle what's coming."

"What about Doberman?" Rush asked.

"Yes, Doberman is formidable in combat, but he's not a true psychic evolver. His defense is fragile, perhaps even vulnerable—much like Hades. I remain skeptical of relying on robots."

"You're right. I've never agreed with our company's focus on developing robots, especially with someone like Doberman—not quite man, not quite machine. Hades is somewhat better; those robots were essentially humans with augmented skeletons. But Doberman is something else entirely..."

"Indeed, but this isn't the time for such debates. To defeat the Seven Gods, we need more psychic operatives ranked above level eight."

"You said you had a method—tell me what it is."

"Have you ever wondered why I possess more than three types of psychic abilities?" Xiao Feng countered.

"I have. Three types isn't unusual, and your ability levels aren't very high," Rush remarked.

"That's because I haven't yet encountered operatives stronger than myself…"

Rush gazed at Xiao Feng curiously. "What do you mean?"

"Heh, if I meet a powerful psychic, I can become just as strong, even stronger." Under the dim light, Xiao Feng fixed his gaze on Rush like a leopard eyeing its prey.

"Y-you... what are you trying to do?"

"Borrow a little of your fresh blood..." Without hesitation, Xiao Feng seized Rush's arm and bit down. In the gloom, Rush's agonized screams echoed ceaselessly.

"Rush, what are you thinking? You've been spacing out for quite a while," Rice said.

Rush chuckled. "Nothing much. I'm just baffled by Xiao Feng—he's so strange."

"What do you mean?"

"You'll understand soon enough. If I explain now, you won't feel the wonder. Xiao Feng is nothing short of a miracle."

"Yes, that boy is truly unpredictable. As for his origins, all I know is that he was taken in by Old White."

"Taken in? No wonder. I really want to know his true identity." Rush gazed into the distance, sensing something amiss.

Rice's communicator suddenly lit up. "Report, Captain Rice—the first beast wave is ten kilometers from Black Whale City."

Rice commanded, "Order the artillery to prepare... fire as soon as they come into range. No need to conserve ammo—the time to test our mettle has come."

"Yes, sir."

Rush told Rice, "No need to rush. Beasts are always easier to handle than humans."

Rice glanced at the other side of the wall, where armored soldiers and Doberman still joked casually, then frowned. "Rush, may I ask—how many robots has Victoria Corp produced?"

"I don't know. Why do you ask?"

"If there are many like Doberman, why not send more to help us fight?"

"I'm not sure. As far as I know, Doberman and the others are still experimental. I've never even seen the strongest robots."

Rice glanced at Rush. It seemed he wasn't lying, but it was strange that Victoria Corp hadn't deployed their most powerful machines. There must be a reason.

As Rice pondered, the artillery opened fire. Gigantic shells arced skyward at forty-five degrees, then plunged in parabolic trajectories. Seconds later, the first volley exploded amid a vast beast swarm, followed by fierce detonations and a raging inferno.

Clearly, these were incendiary shells.

The swarm consisted of mutated giant rats—no one expected their numbers to be so great. The horde resembled a tsunami.

Yet, these mutated rats had weak defenses. The flames formed an insurmountable barrier.

Still, the tidal wave of rodents refused to charge through the fire. Instead, they split and circumvented the inferno from both flanks, pressing onward toward Black Whale City.

Brada manned the artillery command post, eyes glued to the display. The sight of the horde stirred excitement in his corpulent frame. "Artillery regiment one and two, adjust targets. Regiments three and four, maintain current objectives. Switch to cluster shells. Fire!"

A thunderous barrage erupted. The sky above the battlefield darkened with an unrelenting shower of munitions.

The shells burst midair, releasing countless smaller bomblets that rained down like a storm upon the rat swarm.

Though devastating, the cluster bombs only sowed chaos among the rodents, who scrambled over fallen comrades to widen the encirclement. Even Brada's artillery regiment couldn't halt their advance.

Xiao Feng appeared beside Rice, brow furrowed as he stared into the distance. "Why are you employing this tactic?"

Rice looked at him in surprise. "Did I err? Using cannon fire to seal off and strike is completely correct."

"No, you're mistaken. You should have had the artillery target both flanks, creating a trapezoidal fire blockade to control the horde's direction, forcing those damned rats into a tight cluster. Not scattering them right away. This is reckless command."

Upon hearing this, Rice realized his error. "Indeed, Xiao Feng, you're far smarter. Very well, you take command of this battle. What should we do now?"

"Prepare Uncle White's infantry division. They're sufficient for this first wave. Use artillery to contain the rats, then have Ivy's sniper company open fire to cull their numbers. Finally, consolidate the division to annihilate the swarm."

Rice raised no objections, swiftly issuing orders. Brada recalibrated the cannons, replaced incendiaries, and fired in unison.

Instantly, Rice peered through his binoculars to see a colossal funnel of flame rising miles away. The rodent tide shifted course, consolidating.

Though many still escaped the barrage, their threat was negligible.

Rice lowered his binoculars and told Xiao Feng, "The swarm is under control..." Then he noticed Xiao Feng's gaze fixed intently on the horizon, his pupils vividly reflecting the shape of the beast horde.

"Xiao Feng—your eyes..."