193: Chapter 192 Burning with Rage! A surge of grief and anger reignites old wounds; a lone warrior bravely charges into the enemy camp (1)

The night wind of the Southwest Deep Mountains carried a damp, bone-chilling cold as it swept through layers of evergreen shrubs and whistled mournfully through the rugged rocks. The cold wind, like countless fine ice needles, scraped against Mu Li's cheeks and pierced through the gaps in his combat suit. Yet, it could not dispel the burning pain and despair blazing in his chest; the sensation was like a prairie fire, scorching his internal organs until they were searing hot.

He curled up behind a dense, dark thicket, his back slightly arched. The stealth module of his combat suit was running at full capacity, with faint blue energy glimmers appearing intermittently on the fabric, perfectly blending his form with the pitch-black night and the emerald leaves. Even so, his gaze remained as sharp as a cold-quenched blade, fixed unwaveringly on the Shadow Tribe camp not far away, his every blink a display of extreme restraint.

It was a black fortress constructed from dark energy crystals. Irregular crystal blocks were stacked layer upon layer, their surfaces flowing with a cold, eerie violet-black glow that crawled slowly like congealed venom. The signal tower atop the fortress pierced the night sky, echoing the vanguard warships of the Void Temple circling outside the atmosphere. Beams of dark purple energy flickered repeatedly between heaven and earth, like a venomous snake flickering its tongue, emitting a faint "sizzling" sound. They were clearly conducting final rendezvous deployments, waiting only for the Defense Barrier's energy to be exhausted before merging forces from within and without to sweep through the various Xuanguang Energy Bases in the southwest and drag this land completely into darkness.

[System Prompt: Detected an increase in enemy communication frequency encryption level. Attempting to crack... Crack failed. Suggest destroying the dark energy signal transmitter as soon as possible; otherwise, the Defense Barrier energy will be exhausted in 3 hours, the enemies will complete their rendezvous, and the Xuanguang Energy Base will face a catastrophic disaster.]

The cold, mechanical system prompt echoed slowly in his mind, but Mu Li had no intention of responding, nor did he even knit his brows. At this moment, his entire mind was firmly occupied by a message on his private communicator that he could not shake off.

The private communicator was gripped tightly in his palm, its icy body seeping through his fingertips into his marrow. The anonymous encrypted message on the screen was like a brand seared deep into his bone, etched firmly onto his retina, every word carrying a bone-chilling coldness.

"Watch out for Lin Wei. She is the true infiltrator. She was the one who gave the interference equipment to Chen Mo, and she intentionally leaked the base's vulnerabilities."

He subconsciously raised his hand, his fingertips lightly stroking the icy casing of the communicator. That touch felt just like the temperature of Lin Wei's fingertips not long ago when she stood before him, her eyes gentle as she exhorted him, "You must stay safe." But looking back now, that gentle gaze, that concerned tone—every word was wrapped in a hypocritical chill, like poison-quenched needles piercing into his marrow one by one, making his heart ache sharply.

"Why... why does it have to be her?"

Mu Li's Adam's apple rolled violently. His throat was as dry as if it had been scorched by fire; every breath brought a tearing pain, and even swallowing saliva felt like swallowing sharp shards. He subconsciously raised his hand to press against his throat, the touch of his fingertips rough and scalding.

He forced himself to close his eyes, trying to forcibly erase that familiar figure from his mind. However, those once incredibly warm images that had supported him through countless desperate situations flooded his mind uncontrollably, every detail as clear as if it had happened yesterday—

During the most difficult and desperate years of Mystic Light Energy research, the laboratory lights remained bright all night. He had been at his wit's end facing a pile of data and experimental equipment, and it was Lin Wei who stayed by his side, fighting for three days and nights straight. Her eyes were bloodshot, yet she would still silently hand him a cup of perfectly tempered hot coffee when he was exhausted and dozing off at the table, saying softly, "Engineer Mu, have a sip to warm yourself up."

When Dark Soldiers raided the Core Laboratory and dark energy bullets whistled toward them with lethal coldness, she had lunged in front of him without hesitation. Her combat suit was pierced by a bullet, and blood gushed from her shoulder, staining his arm and her own collar. Yet she endured the sharp pain of the wound and pushed him toward the safety passage, her voice raspy but firm: "Go! The xuanguang core cannot exist without you!"

When he collapsed from years of overexerting his mental energy and a sudden flare-up of his old ailment, she was the first to carry him on her back and rush to the medical area. She ran the whole way, stumbling but never stopping. With red-rimmed eyes, she stayed by his hospital bed all night without closing her eyes. It wasn't until he woke up that she smiled tiredly and said, "It's good that you're okay."

Those moments of companionship and trust he once regarded as most precious, those instances that made him feel warmth in the midst of despair, now all turned into the sharpest blades. They slashed his heart again and again, each cut bringing a tearing pain that left him almost unable to breathe.

He remembered how, not long ago, he was filled with guilt for suspecting her and struggled with the pain of doubting her; he had even avoided her gaze when she handed him medicine, his heart full of self-reproach. But looking at it now, that guilt and self-reproach had become one giant joke.

Immense humiliation, anger, resentment, and heartache exploded in his chest like a volcanic eruption. The scalding rage almost consumed him entirely, and with it, the hidden danger of his old ailment quietly awakened at this moment.

"I was actually... this stupid!"

Mu Li suddenly slammed a fist into the thick tree trunk beside him. A dull, heavy thud echoed through the silent mountain forest, shaking withered leaves from the branches to fall in flurries. A puff of dust swirled from the ground, and even the earth beneath his feet trembled slightly. A piercing pain came from his knuckles, but he was completely oblivious to it, feeling only that the rage in his heart had nowhere to vent and was about to drive him mad.

The violent movement suddenly tugged at his chest, and an incredibly familiar wringing pain struck without warning, more intense than any time before.

Mu Li's face instantly turned as pale as paper, devoid of any color, and his lips turned blue-purple. He clutched his chest tightly, his body uncontrollably curling into a ball. His shoulders shook violently, and large beads of cold sweat rolled down like broken pearls, dripping along his jaw and instantly soaking the collar of his combat suit, pressing against his skin with a bone-chilling cold.

[System Alarm: Detected a sudden spike in the host's heart rate and energy turbulence in the chest, matching the characteristics of an old ailment recurrence! Xuanguang Energy is fluctuating violently; the stealth function is about to fail! Please take medication immediately to stabilize vital signs!]

"The old ailment... has flared up again..."

Mu Li's teeth were clenched so hard they chattered. Every breath carried a heavy scent of blood. The wringing pain in his chest made him almost suffocate, and even his vision began to blur.

This was a chronic condition—angina—left behind from the early years of frantically throwing himself into Xuanguang research and long-term overexertion of his heart and body. Once he experienced extreme emotional agitation or excessive mental strain, it would trigger a severe attack. For years, he had relied on special medication and stable Xuanguang Energy to suppress it, and it had never flared up this violently. But on this day, the total betrayal of a trusted person, the anxiety of his teammates being kidnapped, the crisis of the encroaching enemy, the endless rage and humiliation in his heart... all the pressure exploded at once, forcibly breaking through his body's final line of defense and completely igniting this old ailment that had been hidden for years.

Trembling, he took out a small silver medicine bottle from the storage module of his combat suit. His fingertips shook so much he could barely hold the bottle, nearly dropping it several times. Using all his strength, he unscrewed the cap and poured out two white tablets. The tablets carried a faint medicinal fragrance. Lacking water, he could only swallow them by force with the metallic-tasting saliva in his mouth.

The tablets dissolved instantly. A wisp of cool air slid down his throat into his chest, like ice water poured onto a raging fire, barely suppressing that heart-wrenching pain and allowing him a moment to breathe. However, he knew clearly that this was only a temporary measure. The medicine's effect would only last a short time. To completely suppress the old ailment, he had to meditate and stabilize his emotions.

But at this moment, the raging flames in his heart had already become a prairie fire, and hatred was coiled around his heart like poisonous vines. Where was there any room for peace?

"Lin Wei... what exactly did you take my trust in you for?"

Mu Li's voice was raspy and trembling, and his eyes were filled with bloodshot streaks. His once clear and steady pupils now held only a frozen hatred, a hatred mixed with a trace of hard-to-conceal pain and resentment.

"I thought we were partners fighting side by side, comrades who lived and died together, people striving together to protect our country and Xuanguang... But you, from beginning to end, were deceiving me, trampling my trust under your feet, and stabbing me in the back!"

"The turmoil at the base, the injured teammates, the energy leaks, the traitors running rampant... all of it was your doing! The blood of those injured teammates and those who sacrificed themselves to protect Xuanguang is all on your head!"

"Are you worthy of those who trusted you? Are you worthy of this land where you grew up? Are you worthy of the oath you once made to protect Xuanguang together with me?!"

As his emotions grew more intense, the sharp pain in his heart suddenly surged. The slight coolness brought by the medicine was instantly consumed by his rage. The wringing pain felt like countless steel needles densely piercing his chest, leaving him almost unable to breathe.

A mouthful of thick, metallic sweetness suddenly rushed up his throat, carrying the taste of rust.

Mu Li jerked his head to the side and spat a mouthful of fresh blood onto the green fallen leaves in front of him. The dark red blood was exceptionally striking against the emerald leaves, a shocking sight. The blood flowed slowly along the veins of the leaves before finally seeping into the soil beneath his feet, as if silently recounting his pain and anger.

[System Prompt: Host's vital signs are dropping; Xuanguang Energy reserves have decreased by 15%! Please stop the emotional agitation immediately and perform energy harmonization! Otherwise, the old ailment will worsen further!]

"Harmonization?"

Mu Li chuckled lowly, a laugh filled with sorrow and wild fury. The blood at the corner of his mouth had not yet dried, and with his laughter, another trace of blood seeped out. He raised his hand to wipe away the blood, his fingertips covered in warm gore, but his gaze grew increasingly cold and sharp, like the ice and snow of midwinter.

"The person who betrayed me is sitting safely in the Command Center behind me, plotting and waiting to see my reputation ruined and the base destroyed; the teammates I trust are being held hostage in Binhai, their lives hanging in the balance; the enemy is right before my eyes, about to rendezvous and trample our base, destroying the hard work of our many years—and you're telling me to be calm now? To harmonize? Tell me, how am I supposed to be calm?!"

His low roar echoed in the mountain forest. It wasn't loud, but it was wrapped in endless despair and rage, tearing through the heavy night. Even the leaves beside him trembled slightly.

Inside the Shadow Tribe camp not far away, two patrolling Dark Soldiers turned their heads at the sound, keenly sensing something unusual. They stopped in their tracks, exchanged a wary look, and immediately gripped their dark energy rifles. Their muzzles scanned the surrounding vegetation as they approached the direction of Mu Li's location slowly and cautiously, every step filled with vigilance, not missing any sign of movement.

[System Prompt: Two enemy patrol soldiers discovered, 100 meters from the host! Stealth function has failed; suggest immediate concealment or combat!]

Mu Li took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the wringing pain and blood surging in his chest. His fingers clenched tightly, and the Xuanguang Cutting Blade in his hand vibrated slightly. A golden stream of light flashed momentarily in the pitch-black night, carrying a sharp edge. His shoulders were still shaking and his face was still pale, but his gaze had become exceptionally determined.

The anger and sense of betrayal had almost crushed him, and the pain of his old ailment was constantly eroding his body. Yet it was also this sky-high rage that ignited the dormant Xuanguang source within him, awakening the stubbornness and resolve in his bones.

The golden light on his combat suit was faint but steady, like a spark in the darkness, yet it carried a sharp edge and a determination to never retreat, even in death.

He did not choose to hide or conceal himself.

At this moment, his heart was filled with pent-up fire, grief, and indignation. He desperately needed a vent; he desperately needed to use the enemy's blood to quench the flames of rage burning within his chest; he desperately needed a victory to sustain him as he moved forward.

The footsteps of the two Dark Soldiers drew closer and closer. Their low conversation reached Mu Li's ears clearly, carrying arrogance and bravado.

"Was there a sound just now? It sounded like a human roar. A human couldn't have broken in, right?" The Dark Soldier on the left lowered his voice, his tone carrying a trace of vigilance but also a hint of disdain.

"Impossible. This area is blocked by the Defense Barrier; humans can't get in at all. Besides, with the intelligence provided by Lady Lin Wei, their base is in a total mess. Who would have the mind to come here?" The soldier on the right chuckled, his tone certain. "It was probably a mountain beast, maybe scared by our aura. Don't mind it, keep patrolling. Once we rendezvous with the lords from the Void Temple, we can completely destroy those Xuanguang Energy Bases."

"True. When that time comes, the whole of Huaxia will be ours, and those humans will all become our slaves!"

"In your dreams!"

Mu Li snarled inwardly, the hatred in his eyes growing more intense. The pain in his chest seemed to be suppressed slightly by this hatred. He slowly lowered his body, his feet touching the ground lightly without making a sound, like a crouching leopard waiting for the best moment to strike.

In the next instant, his form turned into a ghostly afterimage, suddenly erupting from the bushes. His movement was so fast it was only a golden stream of light. In the blink of an eye, he had rushed in front of the Dark Soldier on the left.

The golden Xuanguang Cutting Blade in his hand sliced through the darkness, carrying an incomparably sharp momentum as it slashed straight toward the Dark Soldier's neck. The blade cut through the air with a faint "shoo" sound.

The speed exceeded the Dark Soldier's expectations. He didn't even have time to react, let alone cry out; a trace of arrogance and disdain still remained in his eyes.

The blade edge swept across the neck with a soft "squelch."

The head rolled off accordingly, and black blood erupted like a fountain, splashing onto the surrounding leaves and soil, emitting a pungent, foul stench. The corpse slammed heavily onto the ground with a dull thud, twitching a few times before becoming completely still.

The soldier on the right was scared out of his wits. His face turned pale instantly, and his body shook uncontrollably. The dark energy rifle in his hand nearly fell to the ground. Once he regained his senses, he instinctively raised the rifle and pointed it in Mu Li's direction, about to pull the trigger to fire.