82: Chapter 82 The instrument was destroyed??

The setting sun was like blood, dyeing the shimmering surface of the sea a golden red.

Although the fighting had subsided, the harbor remained busy; countless engineering ships were salvaging sea beast corpses and repairing the damaged breakwaters.

*Swoosh!*

The hatch slowly opened, and a white mist of balanced air pressure gushed out.

The first to walk out was Xiang Lie.

This kid's appearance had undergone a world-shaking transformation; he wore the B-grade alloy battle armor seized from the Deep Sea Dragon Palace, and his entire body exuded a murderous aura that warned others to stay away.

Su Xiaoxiao followed closely behind.

She wasn't wearing a mecha, but she looked somewhat comical at the moment, as three necklaces hung around her neck, her ten fingers were covered in various rings (all spatial storage rings), and even her belt was laden with captured high-explosive grenades.

"We're rich, we're rich," Su Xiaoxiao muttered to herself, looking exactly like a bandit queen who had just ransacked a vault.

The last one to step out was Lin Yuan.

Unlike his two "fully armed" teammates, Lin Yuan looked... somewhat returned to nature.

He had changed into a clean training uniform; there wasn't a trace of blood on him, nor any exaggerated equipment.

After the baptism of the "god-demon furnace" and "true dragon bone replacement," his skin possessed a warm, jade-like texture, with a faint, shimmering light.

"Lieutenant Colonel Lin!"

The major in charge of receiving them saluted and was about to step forward to shake hands.

However...

*Creeeak!*

When Lin Yuan's foot stepped onto the ground paved with special harbor steel plates, the plate—strong enough to withstand the weight of a heavy tank—actually dented three inches deep under his seemingly light step!

"Uh..."

The major's hand froze in mid-air, his eyes nearly popping out.

These steel plates were meant for parking mechas! Just how much density and weight did it take to stomp a hole in it with one foot?

"Sorry."

"I just finished some strength training and haven't quite adapted to my current weight yet."

He wasn't trying to act cool.

It was simply that the primordial true dragon marrow was too heavy; although it had fused into his body, the heavy sensation of carrying a divine mountain made his current physical density comparable to highly enriched uranium.

Right now, just by standing there, he was like a humanoid, man-made black hole.

Commander was studying the battle damage reports from the past few days in front of a holographic map, his brow furrowed.

"Report! Lieutenant Colonel Lin Yuan of the Special Operations Group has returned to the unit!"

Hearing the guard's announcement, Commander's furrowed brow instantly smoothed out. "Quick! Let him in!"

The door pushed open, and Lin Yuan walked in with Xiang Lie and Su Xiaoxiao.

"Good! It's good that you're alive!"

Commander looked the three of them up and down. Seeing they weren't missing any limbs, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He pointed to the sofa. "Sit. Tell me, what exactly was in that Deep Sea Dragon Palace? Did you run into any danger?"

"It was nothing much," Lin Yuan said nonchalantly.

"It was just a bunch of biochemical labs left by ancient humans. There were some mechanical shrimp soldiers inside, so we dismantled them for parts. Oh, right..."

As if remembering some trivial matter, Lin Yuan pulled a broken trident from his system space and tossed it onto the coffee table.

"On the way back, we ran into a small squad from the Sea Race. The leader was someone named 'Sha Lu,' apparently the Third Prince."

"I thought he was too arrogant, so I just... stewed him."

"*Pffft—!!!*"

A mouthful of hot tea that Commander had just sipped was sprayed all over the table.

This Seventh-Rank Grandmaster, who had seen his share of storms, now stared wide-eyed at the broken deep-blue trident on the coffee table, his voice changing pitch.

"What did you say?!"

"You killed Sha Lu?!"

"That's the Sea Emperor's favorite youngest son! Recognized as one of the next successors of the Sea Race! A Fourth Grade Peak of the Royal Bloodline! The Sha Lu who carries at least two life-saving artifacts?!"

Commander felt his head buzzing.

He sent Lin Yuan to scout the ruins, but not only did the kid empty the place, he also killed their prince along the way?

This was poking a hole in the heavens.

Oh no, it was an astronomical achievement!

"He attacked first," Lin Yuan shrugged, looking innocent. "Besides, he was too weak. I didn't even use much strength before he was done for."

"Didn't use much strength?"

Commander's lips twitched. A Fourth Grade Peak royal was as easy as killing a chicken in your mouth?

He looked at Lin Yuan suspiciously. Although he knew this kid was a bit uncanny and had relied on the "God-Slaying Crossbow" to kill the Beast Emperor before, he could feel that the aura on Lin Yuan had changed now.

It had become more unfathomable and more dangerous.

Although his realm still showed as Third Rank Peak, the faint sense of pressure he exuded actually made even a Seventh-Rank Grandmaster like him feel a hint of palpitations.

"I don't believe it."

Commander stood up, straightened his military uniform, and stared at Lin Yuan with burning eyes.

"Stop bragging to me, kid. Let's go! To the testing room!"

This was the highest-spec martial arts testing facility in the base, usually only accessible to officers of colonel rank and above.

Inside the sci-fi-esque silver-white hall, various precision instruments were laid out.

Commander led Lin Yuan straight to the center of the hall and pointed at a transparent chamber shaped like a giant capsule, introducing it with pride: "This is the latest 'Omni-directional Pressure Sensing Test Pod' just approved by the military."

Commander patted the thick, special explosion-proof glass. "Go on in. Give it a punch with all your might. Let me see your limit."

"50 tons?"

Lin Yuan looked at the sturdy-looking machine, somewhat hesitant. "Commander, isn't this upper limit a bit low? What if..."

"What 'what if'!"

Commander glared at him. "You're a Third Rank Peak; at most, you have twenty thousand kilograms of force! This machine is more than enough to test you! Stop talking nonsense and get in!"

In Commander's view, although Lin Yuan was a freak of nature, his realm was still there. The limit for a Third Rank Golden Bone mastery was around twenty thousand kilograms. Even if he had a fortuitous encounter in the Deep Sea Dragon Palace and doubled it, it would only be forty thousand kilograms.

This machine was definitely sufficient.

"Alright then."

Lin Yuan sighed, wearing a "you made me do this" expression, and walked into the test pod.

As the hatch closed, several technicians in white coats immediately gathered around the control console to adjust the data.

"Preparation complete. Lieutenant Colonel Lin, please begin the test."

Lin Yuan stood inside the pod, feeling the dense array of sensor probes around him.

"Give it a punch?"

Lin Yuan shook his head. If he really threw a punch, this machine would probably explode into fragments.

"I'll just stretch a bit."

Lin Yuan didn't take an attacking stance. He slowly raised both arms and performed an extremely simple action—

Stretching.

Just this one simple movement.

*Boom!*

It was as if a sleeping giant dragon had awakened within his body.

As the dragon of Lin Yuan's spine slowly stretched, the recently fused primordial true dragon marrow was suddenly activated!

*Roar—!!!*

A dragon's roar, seemingly from the primordial wilderness, actually passed through Lin Yuan's body and the thick soundproof glass, clearly echoing throughout the entire hall!

Immediately after, an indescribably terrifying physical strength erupted along his spine and instantly conducted throughout his entire body.

*Crack, crack, crack, crack!*

The air inside the test pod was instantly compressed to the point of exploding.

*Beep, beep, beep, beep!!*

The red warning lights on the control console flashed instantly, and a piercing buzz echoed through the hall.

"Commander! Look at the data!!" a technician shouted, his voice cracking.

On the screen, the value representing physical strength was soaring at a heart-stopping speed!

10,000 kg...

20,000 kg...

40,000 kg...

50,000 kg (Critical Value)!

"It broke! It broke!!"

Before Commander could react...

The value smashed right through the red line and continued to skyrocket!

80,000 kg...

100,000 kg (100 tons)!

A giant red exclamation mark appeared on the screen.

The next second.

*Rumble—!!!*

The S-class test pod, claimed to be able to withstand the full-force strike of a Fifth-Rank Grandmaster, had its internal hydraulic balance rods snap instantly!

Then, the five-centimeter-thick special explosion-proof glass shattered under the immense internal pressure!

Commander, the Seventh-Rank Grandmaster, stood there with his mouth agape, staring blankly at the multi-million-dollar equipment that was now emitting black smoke and was completely scrapped.

"This... this had a 50-ton limit..."

"He didn't even throw a punch; he just stretched?"

Is he even human?!

This was clearly a tyrannosaur in human skin! No, a true dragon!

The dust settled, and Lin Yuan stood amidst the scrap metal, completely unscathed.

He innocently brushed the glass shards off his shoulders and looked helplessly at the already petrified Commander.

"Commander..."

"You really can't blame me for this."

"How about you ask the manufacturer for a refund? This must be a defective product."

"Defective product..."

Commander's lips twitched wildly.

Third Rank realm, Sixth Rank body (100 tons of strength).

A monster like this—forget the East Sea War Zone—even in the elite training camps of the Central Military Department, you wouldn't find a second one!

Commander took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the shock in his heart.

"Lin Yuan."

"It seems the temple of the East Sea... is truly becoming too small for a great Buddha like you."

"Pack your things. In three days, a military plane will take you back to Magic City."

"Your battlefield... is no longer here."