221: 221. Provocative behavior

The members of Candlelight Squad silently and efficiently cleared the battlefield.

They gathered the bodies of the Bright Light Society members, confiscating energy weapons and exoskeleton equipment far beyond their era, each piece priceless, containing astonishing technological secrets.

A faint smell of blood and gunpowder hung in the air, mixing with the inherent humidity and heat of the rainforest, forming a strange scent.

Lu Feng did not participate in these trivial matters; he slowly walked to the symbolic stone pillar lying on the ground.

The stone pillar was dark gray, and the geometric symbols on it were still clear.

This was once the core area of the Mayan civilization, Lu Feng realized, perhaps a thousand years ago, there were also geniuses among the Mayans with an affinity for these symbols, who gained knowledge of astronomy, mathematics, and architecture beyond their time, thus creating that short-lived yet incredibly brilliant civilization miracle.

The rise and fall of civilization were so closely related to these mysterious symbols.

He reached out a finger and gently touched the stone pillar.

"Buzz!"

No longer a torrent of information fragments, this time, what flooded into his consciousness was a relatively complete, yet even more soul-shattering image!

He saw the boundless, dead silent void.

There was no starlight, no matter, only absolute darkness and nothingness.

However, in the center of this nothingness, floated a colossal, indistinct figure whose size defied description!

The outline of that figure was indescribable, as if composed of pure shadow and chaotic laws.

Its mere existence exuded a pressure that made Lu Feng's soul tremble!

He could not see the details, only feel an ancient, cold, and utterly indifferent will.

He felt that with every breath of the colossal figure, it stirred cosmic-scale energy tides!

The light of starfields abruptly dimmed, and countless stars, like extinguished candles, instantly annihilated!

The destruction of stars and the collapse of civilizations were, before that colossal figure, nothing more than insignificant dust in a breath.

"Hmph!!!"

Lu Feng recoiled in shock, his breathing becoming incredibly rapid, his body involuntarily trembling slightly.

That sense of insignificance and fear, facing an existence beyond dimensions, almost crushed his mind.

This was no longer a cycle of history, but... a threat from the deep cosmos, brought by an incomprehensible "existence"!

He felt as if he was peeling back layers of mist, getting closer and closer to the core of the despairing truth.

Could the periodic destruction of planetary civilizations perhaps not be a natural law, but rather... a cleansing or... harvesting by some higher-level existence?

At the same time, he clearly felt that after absorbing the symbolic elements of this stone pillar, his own abilities had undergone a qualitative leap!

The control over the dream space improved, with its coverage almost encompassing the vastness of America.

When he entered the dream space, countless complex bubbles appeared in his mind; those were the human consciousnesses of the entire continent.

Before Lu Feng could fully investigate, the scene in the dream space greatly shocked him!

That existence, which was originally just a tiny crack, had now expanded by a thousandfold!

It was no longer an insignificant mark, but rather like a hideous, massive scar spanning the bottom of the dream space!

The edges of the dark crack continuously twisted and writhed, as if alive, eroding the surrounding space.

The incomprehensible geometric symbols seeping from it became denser and more active, emitting an ominous aura that almost solidified.

Even more terrifying, the trend of the crack's expansion was already affecting the area above.

Some white and yellow bubbles, representing the dreams of ordinary people, floating at lower positions, began to become unstable and their colors dimmed after approaching a certain range of the crack.

Several fragile bubbles even silently shattered and dissipated, meaning their owners' consciousness might have suffered permanent damage!

"I must speed up!" The urgency in Lu Feng's heart reached its peak.

The expansion rate of this crack far exceeded his expectations; it was like a constantly spreading tumor, not only threatening the foundation of his abilities but also potentially gradually eroding the entire real world through the dream plane!

He remembered the crucial information he dug out when forcibly invading Horn's dream: the Bright Light Society's ancient castle headquarters, within that inverted triangular underground palace, still held at least two symbolic stone tablets!

There, more key information about the crack, the colossal void shadow, and the truth of civilization cycles was likely hidden, and perhaps... methods to control or slow the crack's expansion existed!

Lu Feng suddenly raised his head, his eyes sharp as blades; the previous weakness and shock were replaced by a resolute decisiveness: "Captain Fan, leave this place to others. Immediately select the most elite personnel; we must proceed to the European Nation at the fastest speed!"

Target: Bright Light Society's ancient castle!

Time was already running out.

Fan Hao did not hesitate for a moment, immediately calling for support through the highest-priority encrypted channel.

In less than half an hour, a sleek, new type of heavy strategic fighter jet from the Summer Nation, never publicly seen before, tore through the sky with a low roar, landing on a temporarily cleared open space at the edge of the rainforest.

Its powerful engine jet blast violently shook the surrounding trees, demonstrating unparalleled power.

"Mr. Lu, please board!" Fan Hao said solemnly.

Lu Feng nodded, and with his core team members, quickly boarded the plane.

The fighter cabin space was not spacious, but the layout was extremely efficient, full of futuristic technology.

The pilot had received the highest level of instructions; without any unnecessary words, once everyone was seated, the fighter instantly erupted with powerful thrust, vertically taking off, then adjusted its direction, breaking through the air towards the European Nation continent at a speed far exceeding conventional passenger planes!

Such an action amounted to military provocation within another nation's sovereign airspace, highly likely to trigger unpredictable diplomatic incidents or even military conflicts.

This was severely inconsistent with the Summer Nation's consistent foreign policy of peaceful coexistence and respect for sovereignty.

However, at the Summer Nation's Supreme Command Center.

The Helmsman watched the light dot representing the fighter's position move towards the European Nation at an astonishing speed on the screen, his eyes firm and unperturbed.

He personally issued the final order to Fan Hao: "At all costs, ensure Mr. Lu completes his mission! Act expediently; if any problems arise, the nation will bear the consequences!"

This brief order conveyed a determination to support Lu Feng even if it meant opposing the entire world!

...When this ghost-like Summer Nation heavy fighter brazenly intruded into the European Nation's sensitive air defense zone and directly penetrated its heartland, the entire European Nation's air defense alarm system instantly erupted!

Piercing alarms blared across major military bases and command centers.

"Unidentified high-speed target invading! Speed... My God, this speed exceeds all our active fighter jets!"

"Unable to lock on! Radar reflection area is too small!"

"Hurry!!! Immediately dispatch fighter jets for emergency interception!"

Several of the European Nation's most advanced fighter jets roared into the sky from different bases, attempting to intercept this unwelcome guest.

However, they despairingly discovered that the opponent's speed and maneuverability completely overwhelmed their own; they couldn't even maintain a stable radar lock, only watching helplessly as that black lightning, with an almost barbaric attitude, ignored all international aviation rules, sped towards the deep mountains of their inland!

The European Nation's Helmsman raged in his office, grabbing the red hotline phone and directly connecting with the Summer Nation's Helmsman, his tone filled with anger and disbelief: "What exactly do you want to do?! This is blatant aggression! Immediately order your fighter jets to withdraw, otherwise we will consider it an act of war!"

On the other end of the line, the Summer Nation's Helmsman's voice was as steady as a mountain, yet carried an unprecedented, undeniable dominance: "Now, I must enter. For a more important matter. If you agree, I will enter; if you do not agree, I will still enter! We will bear all consequences!"

"You!!!!"

The European Nation's Helmsman trembled with rage at these extremely forceful words but was helpless.

The disparity in strength was fully evident at this moment.

He angrily slammed down the phone, only able to grudgingly go through diplomatic channels, holding an emergency press conference before the whole world to strongly condemn the Summer Nation's "brazen invasion of airspace" and "mad actions" of "destroying international rules and peace."

For a time, global public opinion was in an uproar!

All nations were stunned by the Summer Nation's sudden, completely unconventional move.

Some nations that usually liked to point fingers at the Summer Nation were now silent as cicadas in winter.

They suddenly realized how terrifying the deterrent force was when a normally rule-abiding giant suddenly stopped abiding by the rules!

No one knew the Summer Nation's purpose, but this unknown, instead, intensified the fear and watchfulness of various countries...