176: Peace talks

It might have been the fear in everyone's hearts that unleashed unprecedented energy, or perhaps the combined Superpowers of the group had leveled up, as they managed to block Ai Yue's lightning snakes one after another.

However, every time they blocked a strike, a few stray sparks of electricity still leaked through and landed on them, causing their entire bodies to tremble.

Ai Yue controlled the attack from a distance, ensuring the thunderclouds above their heads did not weaken in the slightest; lightning continued to rain down upon Gu Xiheng and the others.

"Young General, I can't hold on much longer."

"Me neither!"

"Young General, I... can't... either!"

...More and more Ability Warriors were reaching their limits.

Gu Xiheng's face was tense. He glanced up at the thick thunderclouds and gave a bitter smile.

He had still underestimated Ai Yue's abilities. He hadn't expected her to be able to control her Superpower so skillfully from such a distance to strike them with such precision.

"Hold on a little longer, the thunderclouds will disperse soon," Gu Xiheng encouraged them, though his words sounded hollow.

"Brother, stop lying to us! Look at how thick those clouds are, not even light can get through. They don't look like they're going to disperse at all!"

Gu Xitian, who was hiding in Yan Li's arms, couldn't help but speak up with a long face upon hearing Gu Xiheng's words.

Gu Xiheng's expression, already grim, darkened even further at her words.

His eyes glared as he barked a reprimand, "Shut up! You're not contributing any effort at all, so what right do you have to be whining here!"

Seeing her brother's terrible expression, Gu Xitian suddenly understood his intention. Her face turned pale, and she pulled her head back, saying no more.

But it was already too late. When the Ability Warriors heard Gu Xitian's words, the spark of persistence they were holding onto suddenly vanished.

They collapsed one after another in large numbers.

The Superpower barrier above everyone's heads instantly thinned out significantly.

Gu Xiheng gritted his teeth and persisted, but in the areas where Superpower was no longer being injected, the barrier gradually failed. The protection over the Ability Warriors slumped on the ground began to disappear bit by bit.

Seeing that they couldn't escape death, those Ability Warriors who were unable to move on the ground closed their eyes in despair, waiting for the lightning strike.

To their surprise, Ai Yue did not manipulate the lightning to attack those defenseless Ability Warriors.

Instead, she increased her power to wear down the remaining Superpower barrier.

The Ability Warriors still struggling to hold on realized something: the person Ai Yue wanted to deal with wasn't them, but someone else.

Now that they had withdrawn, they wouldn't be in any danger.

Most of them had dealt with Ai Yue to some extent and had some understanding of how she operated. Unless pushed to the brink, Ai Yue wouldn't kill people.

Thinking of this, the warriors who were already at their limit let go and collapsed limply to the ground.

Sure enough, once the Superpower barrier above their heads vanished, no lightning attacked them.

The Ability Warriors mourned in their hearts for Gu Xiheng and the others, hoping that their Young General wouldn't be struck too miserably in a moment!

No matter what, they hoped she would leave him with a breath of life.

Seeing that Gu Xiheng and the others still had strength left, Ai Yue stopped attacking bit by bit. She pressed her hands down hard, and all the lightning within the thunderclouds poured down onto their heads.

The Superpower barrier that Gu Xiheng and the others were struggling to maintain shattered with a "crack" under the violent assault, and the remaining lightning power poured onto them indiscriminately.

"Ah..."

Gu Xitian let out a terrified scream.

Cheng Siyu bit her lower lip so hard that blood flowed, but she didn't care. Feeling the extreme pain radiating through her body, she felt an intense longing to possess such powerful strength.

At this moment, she envied Ai Yue immensely. She wished she could have the power to challenge others just like Ai Yue did, making it so that people wouldn't dare to overlook her easily.

"Ai Yue, how are you so powerful? We're both human, so why are you the only one this strong? What is your secret? Did you have some kind of fortuitous encounter to become this powerful?" As waves of pain hit her, Cheng Siyu roared repeatedly in her heart.

A moment later, the thunderclouds in the sky completely dispersed, and Ai Yue did not continue her attack.

Gu Xiheng and the others lay on the ground, completely unconscious. Even now, their bodies were still trembling slightly uncontrollably.

Seeing several important figures in an unknown state of life or death, the Ability Warriors lying on the ground without strength could only watch on in anxiety.

After an unknown amount of time, the sky gradually darkened, and Gu Xiheng and the others finally began to wake up.

"Young General, you're awake? Are you okay?"

A circle of Ability Warriors surrounded Gu Xiheng. Seeing him regain consciousness, several of them asked nervously.

Gu Xiheng moved his arms and legs, then slowly stood up, finding that he hadn't reached the point of being seriously injured.

Although he winced in pain with every movement, he could endure it.

Injuries that didn't affect his mobility were minor to him and didn't count for much. After clarifying his current physical condition, he said, "I'm fine. Is everyone else okay?"

"Young General, none of us have any major issues. It's mainly the few of you who were seriously injured. You're the only one who has woken up so far! The others are still unconscious."

"Their lives aren't in danger, right?"

"Don't worry, Young General. Their injuries look serious, but it's actually not a big problem. They'll be fine after resting for a while. Right now they've just fainted from exhaustion; they'll wake up naturally when the time comes."

Gu Xiheng breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing there were no fatalities.

Ai Yue had really played hardball this time. None of the leaders had escaped; she had tormented them all from top to bottom. Fortunately, although she was angry, she hadn't actually dealt a killing blow.

But he would absolutely not give up on Nameless Mountain!

Since she had escaped the enhanced knockout drug, he could only resort to heavy weaponry.

But before that, he still wanted to try negotiating with Ai Yue.

He used a satellite phone to contact Ai Yue, stating that he was willing to add another condition to the original terms: he would give Ai Yue a batch of firearms. He hoped they could stop fighting, as people would truly start dying if it continued.

By then, their relationship would truly be irreconcilable.

Ai Yue felt a bit tempted after hearing this.

Currently, she only had a few simple types of light firearms and a single tank. She had long wanted to own more, but firearms had always been controlled by the Safety Towers, and she had no opportunity to obtain them.

Now that Gu Xiheng was willing to deliver them to her doorstep, Ai Yue was indeed a little moved.

She understood in her heart that her family alone could not possibly hold this mountain. If it wasn't Yingjin Safety Tower, it would be some other Safety Tower or outside force.

She didn't want to spend her energy dealing with endless factions, nor did she want to make enemies everywhere and become a target for all.

Although Ai Yue was tempted, she didn't give in easily.

She hoped her concessions would yield the maximum benefit.

After consulting with Gu Yan, Gu Xiheng stated he would give her five military combat drones, five assault rifles and five submachine guns each, and five artillery pieces. Not only that, but also individual remote-controlled attack munitions, individual missiles, multi-functional bayonets, and so on.