159: The second attack failed

Inside the basement, violent energy raged; frost and thunder intertwined, while particle blades and energy beams danced chaotically.

Right in the midst of this man-made storm of destruction.

Those heavy mechs and the commanders of the hovering tanks behind them almost simultaneously sent emergency reports to their superior command headquarters via the encrypted communication Systems built into their battle armor or vehicles!

"Command Headquarters! Command Headquarters! This is the Iron Wall Squad of Tianquan City! Target confirmed! The traitor Lu Zhifei is here! But the Thunder Dominator Lin Fei is also here, and he is currently fighting against Lu Zhifei! The situation is extremely chaotic! Requesting instructions!"

"Yuheng City Command Center! Starbreaker Tank reporting! Friendly fire is fierce; if we get too close, we might get caught in the crossfire! The Thunder Dominator and the target Lu Zhifei are in a chaotic battle! Requesting tactical guidance!"

Emergency communications with similar content flew like snowflakes toward the supreme command rooms of their respective giant cities.

Upon receiving the shocking news from the front line, the generals of the seven giant cities, who were already restless due to having dispatched their main forces, unanimously interrupted their ongoing affairs and almost instantly connected to the highest-level secret communication channel restricted to them.

In the holographic projection, faces that were grim, astonished, or thoughtful appeared.

"How could Lin Fei be there too? And why is he fighting with Lu Zhifei?" General Chris broke the silence first, his brows furrowed, his face filled with confusion and the anger of being deceived. "Wasn't he just sitting there calmly, waiting for our main force to clear the obstacles?"

"Hmph, it seems this Thunder Dominator isn't as loyal to the Alliance as he makes himself out to be." The old representative from Yuheng City had a flash of understanding in his eyes. "Who can resist the temptation of a Star Core Divine Weapon? He entered early, probably to seize the initiative and claim the Divine Weapon all for himself!"

"Indeed, he must be trying to snatch the Divine Weapon ahead of time!"

"That is an interesting variable." The middle-aged man from Yaoguang City, known for his cunning, stroked his chin, his eyes flickering. "Two top-tier combatants: one is a Genius defector possessing a Star Core Divine Weapon, and the other is an up-and-coming hero with infinite potential and rising prestige. Letting them fight each other is more beneficial to us."

Everyone present was shrewd and immediately understood the implication.

A bolder and more sinister idea spread and festered like a virus in the minds of these powerful generals.

"Watch the tigers fight from the mountain!" The representative from Tianxuan City, a cold-faced woman, pointed it out directly. "Let them fight! It would be best if they both end up severely injured!"

"Exactly!" The general from Tianquan City immediately agreed, a greedy smile appearing on his face. "Order the frontline troops to temporarily slow down their offensive and observe from a distance! When they have decided a winner, or are both severely injured, we will reap the benefits!"

"What if one of them wins?" the silent Lord of Tianji City suddenly asked.

General Chris's eyes flashed with ruthlessness: "Regardless of who wins, both of them, along with the Star Core Divine Weapon, must be brought back! Lu Zhifei is a traitor and must be severely punished! As for Lin Fei, hmph, although he is not easy to handle, as long as we control him, there will always be ways to make him serve us. For example, some necessary technical means."

He deliberately emphasized the words "technical means," and the implications were self-evident—brainwashing, mental control, memory tampering... these were dark technologies that were already commonplace in the shadows of the Alliance.

A wicked and surprisingly consistent consensus was reached in just a few seconds!

The generals quickly issued new, disguised orders to their respective frontline troops—roughly meaning "tactical adjustment, slow down the frontal assault, suppress with long-range fire, observe target movements, and wait for the best time to strike."

Just as this secret order was issued, the frontline firepower slightly weakened, and the situation of the encirclement became subtle. Inside the basement, Lin Fei, who was locked in a fierce battle, keenly captured this change.

"Hmph, as expected, they have ill intentions!" He sneered inwardly, but his hand movements did not slow down in the slightest.

He feigned being forced back several steps by a powerful particle beam from Lu Zhifei, while simultaneously appearing to be carelessly exposed to the crossfire of several heavy mechs.

"The firepower is too heavy! This woman's Divine Weapon is strange! I can't hold it!" Lin Fei shouted in a disheveled manner, while suddenly clasping his hands together. "Absolute Zero: Freezing Domain!"

Boom! A frigid blast of freezing air erupted from him as the center. Although the range was far less than his full power, it instantly condensed a thick layer of ice on the ground, hindering the enemy's pursuit.

Immediately after, under the cover of the ice mist and the hole blown through the ceiling, he shot into the sky like a cannonball. But at the moment of jumping, he did not forget to use frost energy to scoop up some of the heavy soldiers from Tianquan City who had been knocked unconscious by the explosion's shockwave.

"Cover my retreat! This place is not suitable for staying long!" Lin Fei's voice came from afar, carrying a hint of unwillingness, and quickly disappeared beyond the smoke and the hole.

This series of actions was smooth and fluid. To the remote observers and surviving soldiers who were constantly watching the battlefield, it appeared entirely like a heroic act where the Thunder Dominator discovered the enemy's strength was too great during the fierce battle, suspected a possible ambush or trap, made a decisive tactical retreat, and did not forget to rescue friendly forces during the retreat.

Once Lin Fei retreated, the originally chaotic situation in the basement instantly became clear.

Having lost her main opponent, Lin Fei, the shock and anger on Lu Zhifei's face immediately vanished, replaced by a bone-chilling killing intent.

"Now, it's your turn." She spoke softly, her voice like the cold wind of winter.

Those few heavy mechs that hadn't reacted yet and were still aiming their weapons at her, as well as the hovering tank that was trying to readjust its cannon, suddenly found themselves as if stuck in a quagmire!

Lu Zhifei's right arm—Dawn Morningstar, shone brilliantly!

Countless nanobots, invisible to the naked eye, permeated like silver mist, silently seeping into every crevice and interface of these mechs and tanks!

Control Systems malfunctioned! Weapon Systems locked! Power cores were forced into hibernation!

Creak—creak—

Those steel beasts that were arrogant just a moment ago now stood stiffly in place like puppets with their Souls extracted, unable to even lift a finger!

The soldiers in the cockpits were terrified to find that they were completely locked inside, and even the emergency ejection devices had lost their function!

Immediately after, an even more terrifying thing happened.

On the ground, the severed mechanical arms, damaged armor plates, and fallen weapon parts all levitated as if attracted by a magnet, and under Lu Zhifei's will, they merged into the captured mechs and tanks!

The silver-white nano-streamers, like living vines, wrapped around, covered, and reshaped these war machines!

The original emblems belonging to the major giant cities were wiped away, replaced by a brand-new mark composed of stars and gears!

The scarlet electronic eyes went out and then lit up again, turning into the same cold, silver-white color as Dawn Morningstar!

This process was extremely fast, completed in less than a minute after Lin Fei left with the wounded!

While the outside observers were still arguing endlessly about Lin Fei's heroic retreat, deep within this abandoned base, the prototype of a mechanical legion, fully obedient to Lu Zhifei and sponsored by the seven giant cities, had quietly been born!

...

Lin Fei returned to the temporarily docked assault craft with several rescued Tianquan City soldiers.

The Alliance Squad members inside the craft immediately gathered around, asking about the situation in a flurry of voices.

"Captain! Are you alright?"

"How is the situation down there? That traitor?" Lin Mengzi also asked.

Lin Fei waved his hand, his face bearing just the right amount of gravity.

"That Lu Zhifei... is even stronger than imagined! Especially that Star Core Divine Weapon, it's practically a monster! The firepower is too fierce, and she seems to have some strange methods; my attacks didn't have much effect on her!" He said, still feeling lingering fear, while pointing to the two soldiers who were still unconscious. "I tried my best, but I could only barely bring out these few. The others are probably in grave danger."

The rescued soldiers were quickly carried away by medics.

And the news of Lin Fei's "bitter battle without success, forced retreat, but heroically rescuing friendly forces" quickly spread through the Alliance's public channels.

For a time, the reverence the public and soldiers in the military had for Lin Fei not only did not diminish but instead soared even higher.

"Did you see that? Even the hero Lin Fei was caught in a bitter battle; it shows how terrifying that traitor and the Divine Weapon are!"

"Indeed! To be able to save people in such a situation, he is worthy of being our Thunder Dominator!"

"Those high-ranking officials only know how to give blind orders! They almost killed our hero!"

Public opinion surged, completely drowning out the previous slight doubts.

However, in stark contrast to the public's worship was the deathly silence in the command centers of the seven giant cities.

Time passed minute by minute, and all the main forces dispatched into the base were like stones sinking into the sea, completely losing contact!

Advanced reconnaissance satellites could only capture the mess on the periphery of the base, while the core area was interfered with by a strange energy field, making it impossible to spy on.

But everyone understood that the second wave of the general offensive, on which they had pinned their hopes, had completely failed!

And they were defeated in an inexplicable way; they didn't even understand how the enemy had done it!

A huge sense of humiliation enveloped every general, and the total annihilation of their elite troops caused them to bear immense pressure within their respective factions.

Some uninformed members of the public began to panic, speculating whether the defected scientist had mastered some power capable of destroying the world.

And at the highest level of the seven giant cities, those who truly knew some of the inside story, after experiencing the initial shock, anger, and humiliation, were left with only a more fanatical covetousness for that lost Divine Weapon!

To be able to swallow the power of the joint main forces of the seven giant cities so easily!

Such weird and unpredictable power, a might that even Lin Fei was helpless against!

This Star Core Divine Weapon Dawn Morningstar was countless times more powerful than they had imagined!

Must obtain it!

At all costs!

This greed, like the most violent poison, completely eroded their sanity.