423: Ignore all defenses with Dan Jin! Mission accomplished, return home!

Chapter 415: Dan Jin Ignores Defense! Mission Complete, Return Home!

The vehicle sped along the desolate highway, its wheels kicking up clouds of dust.

The blonde giant driving, Clay, had a multi-tactical scope integrated into the black alloy mask covering half his face, constantly scanning the road ahead and the surrounding environment.

As he glanced into the rearview mirror, intending to check the road behind him—

The red electronic eye on the right side of his mask, usually dark and used for precise aiming, suddenly erupted in dazzling crimson light, as if sensing an incomprehensible, extremely high threat!

The frequency was as urgent as an alarm on the verge of overloading!

"What the Hell... is that?"

Clay's breath hitched. Through the small rearview mirror, he saw it clearly.

On the railing of the car's trunk, which should have been empty, an old man in a dark Zhongshan suit, holding a cane, sat there!

When did he get on?!

Why did all his sensors, weight sensors, and thermal scans show no reaction at all?

He sat there quietly, as if he had been there from the beginning, integrated with the entire car and the desert.

What terrified Clay even more was that the old man in the rearview mirror seemed to... meet his shocked "gaze" through the mirror.

In the depths of those profound eyes, a faint golden light flowed, carrying an indifference that looked down on ants.

A shiver, originating from his life's instinct and even beyond what his cybernetically enhanced body could comprehend, instantly coursed through Clay's entire circuit like high-voltage electricity!

"Enemy attack!!!"

He used almost all his processor resources to squeeze out this distorted electronic roar from his stiff vocalizer.

"Hank! Someone's on our car! In the back! Kill him!"

Clay, the driver, let out a distorted electronic roar, his voice filled with unbelievable horror.

The heavily armored giant in the back seat, named Hank, had just reflexively tried to raise his terrifying heavy rifle to find a target when—

Pfft!

A dull but crisp piercing sound rang out.

Without any warning, a seemingly plain wooden cane, like a hot knife through butter, easily pierced through the tough seatback.

The tip of the cane was precisely pressed against the thick, high-strength alloy armor on Hank's chest!

Although the indestructible alloy shell successfully resisted the physical penetration of the cane tip—

But, before Hank's face could show the relief of surviving a disaster, an indescribable terrifying force had already penetrated through the cane, through the hard alloy, and seeped in without any obstruction!

This was not a simple physical impact.

This was the Divine Power of a Great Grandmaster of Baodan, a Dan Jin—the perfect Fusion of the Physical Body's majestic Qi and blood with Martial Dao Will!

Its power and profundity were far beyond the penetration of An Jin (Hidden Force) or the balance of hard and soft of Hua Jin (Transformative Force).

This force ignored physical defense and directly acted upon the Physical Body inside the alloy!

"Ugh ah—!"

Hank felt as if an invisible, ten-thousand-foot mountain, carrying the might of heaven, had slammed into his internal organs, crushed every nerve, and even impacted his Mental Energy connected to the mechanical parts!

Hank's alloy armor appeared intact, but in reality, his flesh and blood body encased in the armor, as well as his semi-mechanized internal organs and neural interfaces, suffered devastating shock and erosion in an instant!

In a flash, Hank's eyes bulged, bloodshot instantly filling the whites, and a mouthful of blood mixed with fragments of internal organs spurted from his mouth, staining his cold mask red.

His massive body seemed to have all its bones removed in an instant.

Along with his heavy equipment, he collapsed with a crash, and the heavy rifle in his hand clanged to the floor.

At this moment, Hank's internal organs were not only completely shattered, and his life force cut off—

His nervous System and consciousness were completely shattered under the impact of that majestic Mental Energy, like the might of heaven.

Even if a trace of physiological reaction remained in his Physical Body, his consciousness had long been crushed into nothingness, falling into eternal darkness.

In just an instant, a fully armed, cybernetically enhanced warrior lost all signs of life in this bizarre and tragic manner of internal and external destruction.

"Fuck you! Damn bastard! Ryan, hold on!"

The blonde giant, Clay, saw the entire process of Hank being killed in one blow clearly through the rearview mirror.

A chill instantly shot up his spine to the crown of his head, almost freezing the consciousness within him.

Without the slightest hesitation, Clay let out a distorted roar, and the hydraulic Systems of his arms immediately pressurized to the limit, violently turning the steering wheel!

Screech—!!!

The tires of the high-speed off-road pickup truck shrieked in excruciating friction with the road surface, and the entire vehicle instantly lost balance.

Like a spinning top gone wild, it swerved across the road in a breathtaking arc, kicking up a sky full of yellow sand.

The enormous centrifugal force violently flung unsecured objects inside the car, hitting the cabin walls with a crackling sound.

Clay felt like he was driving an out-of-control cannonball.

Because everything that had just happened was a hundred times more terrifying than watching the most horrifying ghost movie!

Oh my god, God bless, what the Hell is this monster? That old man sitting on his car's tail was not human at all!

He now had only one thought—to use the most frantic swerving to throw this terrifying old man off the car!

However, what almost made Clay's Mental Energy collapse was this:

Through the rearview mirror, he clearly saw that the old man, standing on the wildly swerving and violently bumpy rear of the car, still stood as steadily as if his feet were rooted to the ground.

He even maintained his posture of leaning on his cane, not even a corner of his clothes was disheveled, as if the uncontrolled scene of the world spinning around him was nothing more than an insignificant breeze to him.

"Crazy! Truly crazy!" Clay roared in despair in his heart, the strings of his sanity snapping one by one.

And Ryan, sitting in the passenger seat, was even more miserable. He was completely unable to stabilize himself in such violent chaos.

The expensive tactical data lenses on his eyes and his custom revolver had long been flung out of his hands by inertia, flying around the cockpit like cannonballs with "bang bang" sounds.

Several times they hit his own alloy helmet hard, making dull thudding sounds.

Fortunately, he had this sturdy helmet for protection; otherwise, those dents would not have been on the metal, but would have directly opened bloody holes in his head!

Seeing that the vehicle was about to completely overturn, or that the monstrous old man might walk from the rear of the car to the driver's window in the next second... immense fear overwhelmed all of Clay's Battle Intent and dignity.

He almost squeezed out two humiliating words through gritted teeth.

"Jump!"

These people were the proud Great Eagle Federation's killing machines. When had they ever suffered such humiliation?

As the driver, he was forced to actively abandon the vehicle and jump out to escape to avoid risk!

But in the face of the instinct for survival, so-called dignity was worthless.

"Bang! Bang!"

With two loud bangs, Clay and Ryan almost simultaneously used their mechanical arms to roughly smash open the twisted and deformed car doors beside them.

The out-of-control off-road pickup truck continued to slide into the distance with an ear-splitting screech of friction.

And Lu Xuan still stood quietly at the rear of the car, as if none of this concerned him.

"Boom—!"

The two mechanical warriors had just tumbled out of the out-of-control vehicle.

The immense inertia carried their bodies, sliding and grinding wildly on the rough asphalt road!

Screech—!!! Sparks flew and lightning flashed all the way!

Their heavy alloy armor rubbed violently against the road, emitting countless dazzling orange-red sparks, instantly generating unimaginable high temperatures.

The air distorted due to this extreme heat, forming visible ripples, and parts of the armor even began to turn red and soften.

Then it burst open, erupting in bursts of flames and rolling black smoke!

Among them, Ryan's situation was the most tragic.

The alloy protective device on his right arm had not been fully locked in place when he jumped from the car, and under the terrible friction and impact, his entire mechanical right arm was brutally torn from its connection to his torso!

That expensive mechanical arm bounced and rolled on the road, leaving a shocking dark red bloodline mixed with engine oil and biological fluid.

Even more terrifying, the exposed wires and hydraulic tubes at the fracture point instantly ignited.

High-temperature flames, like a parasitic bone-marrow worm, immediately spread up Ryan's shoulder, engulfing half of his body!

"Ah ah ah ah—!"

A bloodcurdling wail, not human-like, erupted from beneath Ryan's alloy mask.

He rolled and twisted in agony on the highway, trying to extinguish the flames on his body, looking like a ball of fire moving frantically on the ground.

A moment ago, Ryan was a Great Eagle Federation's top killing weapon, capable of directly confronting an army, with power comparable to a Hua Jin Grandmaster.

The next moment, he became a "dead dog" wailing and rolling on the highway, on the verge of destruction.

In contrast, Captain Clay, relying on his more sophisticated full-body armor and tenacious Battle Intent, endured the high-temperature burning pain from his body rubbing against the road.

The moment he stopped rolling, he forcefully propped up his damaged Physical Body with his mechanical arm.

His crimson electronic eyes instantly locked onto the off-road pickup still sliding ahead, and… the figure still standing steadily in the truck bed.

Infinite fear, at this moment, transformed into a hysterical desire for destruction.

"Damn monster! Go to Hell!!!"

The rocket launcher mounted on Clay's shoulder suddenly adjusted its angle, and he pressed the firing button without hesitation!

Boom—!!!

A deafening roar exploded on the empty highway!

The rocket launcher's tail spewed dazzling flames, and a high-explosive missile trailed a bright white exhaust.

It tore through the air at an astonishing speed, accurately hitting the fuel tank area of the off-road pickup!

Bang—!!! A more violent explosion, and raging flames shot into the sky!

The entire pickup was instantly engulfed by a huge fireball, and the scorching flames, like blooming red lotuses, shot several meters high into the sky.

The powerful explosion's shockwave, carrying scorching hot air, rapidly spread in all directions, even knocking Clay, who was not far away, into a roll.

The sturdy vehicle body was torn apart in the explosion, countless metal fragments shot out like a downpour, and thick smoke billowed up, turning that area into a charred Hell.

Clay lay sprawled in the sand, his electronic eyes fixed on the burning wreckage.

"Did I get him… that monster…"

However, amidst the towering flames and rolling smoke.

The blurred outline of the figure that had originally stood at the rear of the vehicle had silently vanished in the instant before the missile hit the pickup and the explosion occurred.

At this moment, only dead silence remained at the scene.

The vast and empty highway stretched across the endless desert.

Only the wreckage of the off-road pickup burned fiercely in the center of the highway, black smoke billowing, emitting crackling explosions.

In the sand on both sides of the road, Rayne still twitched unconsciously; although the flames on him had extinguished, half of his body was charred and carbonized.

Clay, on the other hand, lay sprawled beside a sand dune, sparks flying from his damaged armor, his eyes fixed on the flames, trying to find any trace of the monster's presence.

At this moment, the dead silence was broken by a series of urgent "beep-beep" sounds.

It was Clay's armor's built-in communicator; the encrypted channel from command base was frantically calling.

With his only movable mechanical finger, Clay tremblingly pressed the connect button.

"Hello!"

"Clay! Rayne! Hank! Where did you three bastards disappear to?

Fuck you! I really want to kill you! Those damn Dragon Country people are about to reach the international airport!"

"If the mission fails, you'll face a military court and be completely 'recycled'!"

"Hello... hello! Answer me! Holy shit!!!"

In the communicator, the commander's exasperated and panicked roar sounded particularly harsh in the empty desert.

Clay opened his mouth, but only a hoarse, unintelligible crackle of electricity came from his damaged voice emitter.

He looked at the tragic battlefield before him, feeling the sharp pain from various parts of his body and the System's warning that it was about to shut down.

An unprecedented cold despair, more biting than the desert night, completely engulfed him.

Clay couldn't even report, "We failed."

On the other end of the communicator, only the commander's increasingly desperate and angry curses remained.

Finally, after a broken "Holy shit!!!", the signal was abruptly cut off.

Great Eagle Federation International Airport.

Outside the terminal building, people bustled, and traffic flowed endlessly.

The commercial vehicle carrying three scientific researchers and two National Art Grandmasters slowly came to a stop in front of the designated terminal.

The car door slid open, and the five individuals exited one by one.

The two Grandmasters—the white-robed elder and the black-robed elder—almost simultaneously scanned their surroundings the moment they stepped out of the car.

The sound of the wind, human voices, the rolling of luggage wheels… every subtle movement was taken into their hearts.

However, after a few breaths, a hint of undetectable doubt flashed in both their eyes, and they exchanged glances.

How strange.

They read the same information from each other's gazes.

Throughout the journey, both of them had maintained high Mental Energy concentration, with Qi and blood surging internally, always prepared to deal with sudden, thunderous attacks.

Based on their understanding of the Great Eagle Federation's modus operandi, it was absolutely impossible for the other party to let them pass so easily; there must have been numerous killing traps laid along the way.

But what was the result?

From Benin Street to the international airport, the journey was smooth and unimpeded.

Not to mention the anticipated gene warrior raids or mechanical troop interceptions, not even a minor incident like an unexpected traffic jam or a deliberately caused car scrape, which would be used to delay time and create chaos, had occurred.

It was unbelievably calm.

"Could it be… that the other party temporarily changed their plan?" The white-robed elder used the method of sound transmission to condense his voice into a thread and send it into the black-robed elder's ear.

The black-robed elder shook his head slightly, his gaze still sharply scanning the bustling crowd around him, his brows slightly furrowed.

"Something abnormal must indicate something evil; the calmer it is, the less we can let down our guard."

Although that was true, this "flawless" smoothness indeed caused a vague, indescribable unease to rise in the hearts of these two experienced Grandmasters.

This credit seemed to have come too easily.

Inside the first-class cabin, the environment was elegant and tranquil.

The two National Art Grandmasters and three scientific researchers had just settled into their comfortable seats.

Just then, an ancient wooden cane tapped on the soft carpet of the aisle.

Lu Xuan, dressed in a dark Zhongshan suit, walked slowly, his gaze sweeping over the five individuals, a calm and gentle smile on his face, like an ordinary elder greeting travelers.

The three scientific researchers were unaware of Lu Xuan's identity, only seeing him as an extraordinary old gentleman. Out of politeness, they all smiled and nodded in response, their attitudes humble.

However, the white-robed elder and the black-robed elder, sitting in the aisle seats, the moment their eyes met Lu Xuan's face—

Their bodies suddenly stiffened, their eyes widened abruptly, and an incredible brilliance burst forth from the depths of their pupils, staring intently at Lu Xuan!

It was a sudden realization, an earth-shattering discovery!

Before coming here, the higher-ups had vaguely hinted that a "respected elder" would personally assist to ensure everything was foolproof.

They had been guessing at the time which reclusive Senior could make the higher-ups so secretive.

They never expected… it would be this one!

The person before them was a legendary figure who had once served as Elder Huang's chief guard!

His Wanhui Guilongquan had long reached Transcendent, becoming superb and incomparably powerful.

Decades ago, he had already firmly stood at the pinnacle of Dragon Country's National Art, recognized as one of the few old monsters who had achieved Perfection as a Hua Jin Grandmaster!

As Hua Jin Grandmaster of Major Achievement, they two had also been fortunate enough to spar and exchange pointers with this Senior back then.

Lu Xuan's appearance and aura were deeply etched into their Divine Souls; they would recognize him even if he turned to ash!

In an instant, all their doubts were answered.

Why the journey was calm and smooth, why all the anticipated ambushes had not occurred… With this existence, almost like a Land Immortal, providing hidden protection, what kind of demons and monsters could even approach?

Lu Xuan, however, seemed to have anticipated this. His peaceful gaze lingered on them slightly, with a subtle hint of a shake of his head.

The two instantly understood, forcibly suppressing their surging Qi and blood and reverence, and sat down somewhat stiffly.

"Many years have passed… I never expected that this one, far from showing any signs of decline, actually feels… even more unfathomable!"

They both clearly remembered that, in terms of actual age, Senior Xuan was already ninety years old, nearly twenty years older than them!

An ordinary Martial Artist at this age, even a Hua Jin Grandmaster, would inevitably see their Qi and blood begin to decline, and would be enjoying their golden years.

But what about the one before them?

Just the sensation at this close proximity, the vitality contained beneath that peaceful exterior, was like that of someone in their prime, so vigorous it was heart-stopping!

That majestic Qi and blood had not only not declined but had become even more refined and introverted, as if it had undergone a thousand refinements, returning to its original simplicity.

This legendary Grandmaster… to what step had he truly progressed?

Thoughts raced through their minds, and a Realm name, long circulated in the National Art world but almost regarded as a mythical legend, instantly exploded in their minds.

"Could it be… that Senior Lu has already taken that legendary step, broken through the limits of human power, and reached the Realm of a Grandmaster of Baodan?"

The Baodan Realm!

That was a Realm that only existed in ancient texts and in orally transmitted anecdotes!

Condensing the Qi and blood of the entire body, embracing the sphere of inner power, greatly increasing Lifespan, truly deserving the title of Land Immortal!