Liu Feng and Li Fang strode towards them.
At first glance, they looked like two savages, for they were covered head to toe in grey dust.
Liu Feng grinned, his white teeth neatly exposed, which was quite comical.
"Brother! You have no idea what I've been through these past few days, it was so exhilarating! I've never done anything like this in my life!" Liu Feng laughed, throwing an arm around Gu Ya's shoulders.
Compared to before, Liu Feng seemed more robust. The man, over six feet tall, was even taller than Gu Ya, with shoulders as broad as mountains and calloused palms.
In contrast to Liu Feng's sturdiness, Li Fang appeared exceptionally thin. He hadn't shaken off his bad habit of hunching, looking like a ripe sorghum stalk as he walked with a limp.
"Captain, Liu Feng and I were defending against the Black Star outside Xianxia City with the garrison. Then the enemy army arrived, and we were scattered. We were chased by the enemy, then encountered reinforcements. Anyway, after a lot of twists and turns, we finally made it back, haha!" Li Fang said with a smile.
Gu Ya was overjoyed to see his old teammates, and with Xianxia City relieved, his face broke into a broad smile. But then he remembered something: "Where's Tao Na?"
As soon as Tao Na was mentioned, the smiles of the two young men gradually faded.
Liu Feng said with a hint of heaviness, "We got separated from her. We don't know where she is now."
The originally complete team, formed only a few months ago, had now lost two female members. Gu Ya felt a pang of sadness.
Ever since Rui Zi's death, Gu Ya felt he had been constantly busy, never having the time to calmly reflect on the team's future.
But thankfully, Ye Ying was coming soon.
Then, Liu Feng's smile returned as he said, "I heard the Xianxia garrison destroyed a hundred thousand enemy troops with one cannon shot! That's awesome! Brother, you must have been there, tell us how it happened!"
Li Fang also laughed heartily and said, "Yeah, Captain! Awesome! I heard from other garrison soldiers that you're a hero of Xianxia? Hurry up and tell us to cheer us up."
Gu Ya's face turned cold, and he said sternly, "There can't be two jokers in one team. You two, discuss it and decide who will take on this role."
These two young men had one thing in common: they loved to laugh and chatter. One was already more than enough, and now there were two.
After speaking, Gu Ya turned and stepped over a pile of high gravel. Liu Feng and Li Fang followed him, one on each side, throwing their arms around Gu Ya's shoulders and chattering incessantly into his ears.
They were like two imposing gate gods flanking the main figure. Although both were taller than Gu Ya, anyone could see at a glance who had the strongest presence.
With these two around, Gu Ya's gloomy mood vanished.
...
Mu Ye Xing Chen, currently in Black Star's Shanhai City, was quietly undressing in the lounge.
He showed his true self without any reservation to Fu Ya Fang, who was tied up on the sofa, her eyes filled with smug delight.
An automatic dressing machine put on a mecha pilot's suit, black with orange trim, onto Mu Ye Xing Chen. He stepped down from the circular platform and silently adjusted his clothes in front of the mirror.
"Are you going to lead the charge? Aren't you afraid the Xianxia army will capture you? Haha!" Fu Ya Fang couldn't hide her joy at the impending victory.
Xing Chen glanced at her sideways and said calmly, "Rest assured, you are my hostage. I will forge you into a hidden blade, to be planted by Lai Jing Fa Nan's side. This will be beneficial for both me and Xianxia."
"My motives are different from that guy's. At least I want to preserve Xianxia's foundation and lead the world in humanity's advancement."
"But that guy is a complete lunatic. He must have even darker intentions. My hidden blade says he seems to be researching human augmentation technology."
Fu Ya Fang looked at Xing Chen with playful eyes and smiled, "Not killing me is your biggest mistake. A top-tier intelligent person actually imprisons a Xianxia agent and spills all his motives and secrets. Heh, it seems you're not that smart. In my opinion, you're stupid to death, are you forcibly lowering your intelligence?"
"Is that so?" Xing Chen turned his head and looked at Fu Ya Fang calmly. "How do you know I'm not planning a larger operation? And you, an unremarkable yet excellent woman, blessed with strong luck, multiple identities, and a heart loyal to Xianxia. Now, as long as you work for me, I guarantee Lai Jing Fa Nan and the entire Black Star Empire will fail."
"Oh?" Fu Ya Fang sounded incredulous. "There are many women more outstanding than me, why did you choose me specifically?"
"Besides, you've committed unforgivable sins by massacring tens of millions of Xianxia people. Who would care about your so-called dreams? When you're disgraced, not only Xianxia will want your life, but the entire Black Star will not let you go," Fu Ya Fang sneered.
"Fu Ya Fang." Xing Chen walked up to her, gently lifting her chin with his slender, fair index finger, tilting her head up slightly. "Don't test my limits."
"So what if I test them?" Fu Ya Fang looked at him with contempt and sneered, "You'll only humiliate me or kill me. I'm not afraid of death..."
Xing Chen gently placed his index finger on her lips and said wickedly, "What if I throw you into a filthy barracks, tie you to a crooked cross, gag your mouth so you can't bite your tongue to commit suicide, and let those hungry Black Star soldiers humiliate you day and night, making you wish you were dead?"
"What if I put five rats into an iron bucket, press it against your chest, and set fire to the bottom of the bucket, letting those maddened rats burrow through your body?"
"What if I soak your body in highly corrosive agents?"
"What if I invade your brain with consciousness machines, making you experience boundless fear and humiliation? In your consciousness, sixty years would feel like five minutes in reality. What if this continues for an hour?"
"Or what if I chop up your family into meat paste and feed it to you?"
"And your tall boyfriend, Liu Feng. What if we bring his bloody head to you and make you watch as we kick it around like a ball?"
"I have a thousand ways to make you wish you were dead."
Fu Ya Fang looked at Xing Chen with even greater contempt and sneered, "I am a Xianxia agent. I have already considered these possibilities. No matter the circumstances, my belief cannot be broken."
Xing Chen straightened up, looking down at the determined Fu Ya Fang, and cleared his throat lightly.
Metal doors opened quickly, and two guards entered.
"Lock her up," Xing Chen said, then quickly walked out of the lounge.
Fu Ya Fang's arrogant laughter echoed from behind him until a guard knocked her unconscious.
Xing Chen quickly entered the passenger elevator and finally arrived at the massive hangar located beneath the headquarters.
The wide mecha deployment bays were meticulously cleaned. All Black Star personnel lined both sides of the path. Upon seeing Xing Chen emerge from the elevator, they all placed their right hands over their chests and shouted, "Long live Black Star!"
Xing Chen silently entered a square cockpit.
Dozens of subtle flames launched from the bottom of the cockpit, smoothly settling into a groove on the ground.
Then, eight layered metal gates around the groove began to retract, covering the cockpit.
Immediately after, the ground split down the middle like a zipper, revealing a square pit, eighty meters long and wide, and unfathomably deep, beneath the surface.
From top to bottom, over a dozen parallel blue light bands wrapped around the pit, illuminating it to its deepest point. In the center of the pit, a magnificent and imposing silver-coated mecha with a rugged exterior could be seen.
Behind the mecha, eight five-meter-wide ascent pillars extended upwards from the pit, reaching the ceiling of the vast hangar.
The ceiling began to deform and retract, opening a square hole as large as the pit. Dozens of light strips lit up, and dozens of alloy gates sequentially opened, with structural deformation sounds emanating from the ceiling opening.
When all preparations were complete, a deafening "BOOM!" suddenly resounded from the pit, followed by a piercing sound of metal friction.
The giant mecha in the pit was slowly lifted, ascending towards the dimly lit ceiling opening.
Shortly after, the silver-coated mecha piloted by Mu Ye Xing Chen soared into the sky from above Black Star Headquarters, heading north.
Soon, hundreds upon thousands of mechas converged from all directions of Shanhai City, following Xing Chen's flagship, flying towards the sea.
All of this was witnessed by the residents of Shanhai City, including countless agents and intelligence personnel.
Instantly, intelligence regarding Mu Ye Xing Chen's departure from Shanhai City surged to countries worldwide like a tidal wave.