Chapter 123: Everyone Fled

When Xuan Xuan and Zhan Yu arrived, Wanqi Weihao and Wanqi Weihan had already emerged from their mechs. Both looked rather unwell; their faces were pale, yet flushed with an unnatural heat.

Xuan Xuan jumped down from Zhan Yu’s mech and handed each of them a bottle of "Recovery Potion." It appeared to be nothing more than severe mental exhaustion and physical fatigue—their spirits were still highly agitated, but it was nothing critical.

Upon arrival, Zhan Yu and Kuang Shao joined forces to quickly eliminate the surrounding Zerg guards. The sight left Wanqi Weihao and the others wide-eyed with awe. They had only ever heard vague rumors of their strength, but seeing it firsthand was truly staggering. These Zerg, who had pushed them to the brink of death, were wiped out in mere minutes. It was hard to imagine that these men were only about twenty years their senior. A fervent light burned in the eyes of Wanqi Weihao and the others; they, too, dreamed of reaching such heights one day.

Xuan Xuan then passed a bottle of "Concealment Potion" to each person. Moving out with such a large group without it would be unrealistic—it would neither be safe nor help them avoid drawing the Zerg's attention. Zhan Yu and Kuang Shao stowed their mechs, accepted the potions, and nodded in agreement; leaving with a low profile was indeed the better choice.

With her mental energy covering a wide radius, Xuan Xuan led the group, carefully avoiding all Zerg. Zhan Yu and Kuang Shao brought up the rear with the Wanqi brothers. Thanks to the "Concealment Potion" and Xuan Xuan’s deliberate navigation, they did not encounter any major swarms.

From a distance, looking back at the Zerg gathering point, Zhan Yu finally set Wanqi Weihao down. He looked at the group and said in a cold voice, "Who gave you the nerve to enter the heart of the Zerg territory?"

Wanqi Weihao, Wanqi Weihan, and the others fell into an instant, heavy silence, too intimidated to speak. They knew full well that if not for the timely arrival of Kuang Shao and Zhan Yu, they would never have made it out alive.

Xiao Daopeng set down Lou Yitong, whom he had been carrying on his back. He hesitated for a moment under Zhan Yu’s gaze, but still took a step forward. "Instructor, scold me instead. It was my insistence on not leaving that caused this."

"None of you will be let off the hook," Zhan Yu said coldly. New calves are not afraid of tigers, but if they truly had met their end, it would be too late. Each one of them was the future of the Federation; it would be a tragedy for them to perish so early.

Gritting his teeth, Wanqi Weihao stepped forward. "We were at fault, but this has nothing to do with Lou Yitong. It was us who insisted she come; if it weren't for her, we wouldn't have been able to get out at all."

"Hmph. If it weren't for her, you wouldn't have gone in the first place," Zhan Yu scoffed. They were getting bold, daring to talk back to him. Still, it was good that they had some sense of responsibility and didn't let a girl take the fall. In truth, without Lou Yitong, the others wouldn't have had the strength to enter, nor would they have even considered it, let alone found the location.

Lou Yitong bit her lip and remained silent, feeling a twinge of self-reproach. If she had stopped them before they entered, none of this would have happened.

Xuan Xuan watched from a tree branch, looking quite leisurely as she observed Zhan Yu lecturing them.

"Shall we go?" Seeing the pitiful look on Wanqi Weihao’s face, Xuan Xuan interrupted Zhan Yu.

Zhan Yu glanced at Xuan Xuan with a complex expression in his eyes and nodded. "Let's go."

"To Ai Zhe and the others?" Xuan Xuan asked. It seemed they hadn't started their operation there yet, and it was unclear what the situation was.

Zhan Yu nodded. He contacted one of his subordinates to confirm they had mostly arrived, then walked behind the group, beginning to arrange the encirclement. He passed all the data Xuan Xuan had collected to them and organized a team to keep watch over Xuan Guo and the others.

When Xuan Xuan and the others arrived, Xuan Guo still had not made a move. Although everyone was unharmed, there was clearly no evidence yet to prove that Xuan Guo was compromised.

Not wanting to wait any longer, Zhan Yu had Xuan Xuan and Lou Yitong stay behind while he took the remaining five to observe the encirclement of the Zerg. Even the pale-faced Wanqi brothers did not refuse.

Xuan Xuan sat on a tree branch, watching them calmly. Ai Zhe had also left. Lou Yitong sat beside Xuan Xuan, while Xuan Guo and the others huddled around a campfire, guarded by several soldiers.

A smirk tugged at the corner of Xuan Xuan’s mouth. Xuan Guo’s state was not good; it seemed the Zerg parasite within her was not as simple as it appeared. To the Zerg, however, Xuan Guo, an ability user of the dark element, was a prime source of nourishment.

Xuan Xuan covered her mouth in a yawn, using her mental energy to monitor the situation with Wanqi Weihao’s group. She wondered how long it would take to finish; she was already growing sleepy.

Having spent a long time with Xuan Xuan, Lou Yitong instinctively offered her shoulder. Xuan Xuan leaned against it and closed her eyes to rest.

Down below, Xuan Guo glanced up at Xuan Xuan, her eyes filled with anxiety. Why had the action suddenly stopped? The Zerg that were supposed to come never appeared, and the thing inside her had gone deathly quiet the moment Xuan Xuan arrived. Xuan Guo felt restless and uneasy. Based on Zhan Yu’s reaction earlier, they must have discovered the Zerg location—would they also discover the situation inside her? As time dragged on, Xuan Guo felt worse; the calmer things were, the more she worried.

She threw a piece of firewood into the flames. Bu Baibai asked, "What’s wrong? Are you in a bad mood?"

Seeing that Xuan Guo didn't answer, she whispered, "Ai Zhe won't change his heart."

At the mention of Ai Zhe, Xuan Guo calmed down a bit. Regardless, she had already successfully controlled Ai Zhe. With Ai Zhe on her side, Wanqi Xuan Xuan and the others couldn't do much to her. Besides, hadn't they failed to notice anything unusual about her last time?

Xuan Xuan’s eyes suddenly snapped open. She looked down at Xuan Guo and called out in a low voice, "Kuang Chi?"

Kuang Chi hesitated for a second before stepping out from the nearby bushes. "Miss Wanqi."

"Keep a close watch on her. She is not allowed to make any sudden moves. If she does, shoot her on the spot." Xuan Xuan glanced at the hateful-looking Xuan Guo, then at the shocked Kuang Chi. "I will take responsibility for the consequences."

She then turned and walked away.

"You..." Xuan Guo stood up, but before she could speak, Xuan Xuan said without looking back, "Kuang Chi."

"Sit down and don't move," Kuang Chi said, immediately stepping forward. He knew the status this young lady held in the Kuang family, and he had detected a hint of danger in her tone just now. He immediately barked at Xuan Guo to stop her movement.

Xuan Guo wanted to resist, but seeing that Kuang Chi had already drawn his energy gun, she gritted her teeth. She couldn't afford to provoke such a battle-hardened soldier.

Xuan Xuan said to Lou Yitong, "Keep an eye on her actions. If there’s anything suspicious, tell Kuang Chi to shoot her."

Though she didn't specify who, Lou Yitong understood and nodded. The students below were terrified; even Bu Baibai, who usually spoke up for Xuan Guo, dared not interject.

After giving her instructions, Xuan Xuan disappeared from their sight. She went straight to Zhan Yu without stopping. "There is a problem down below."

Zhan Yu paused. "I have already had the entire gathering area cordoned off. What problem could there be?"

Xuan Xuan shook her head. "No, it's underground."

"Our men are already down there. Is there an issue?" Zhan Yu asked.

Xuan Xuan could only feel a massive fluctuation of spatial energy below, but the distance was a bit far, and she couldn't probe the deep underground. "Let's go down and take a look."

"I'll go down myself," Zhan Yu said, about to call Kuang Shao to join him.

Xuan Xuan blocked him. "You won't be able to find the place even if you go."

Zhan Yu hesitated for a moment, then nodded in agreement. Based on the current situation, they truly hadn't discovered anything. Xuan Xuan told Zhan Yu not to call anyone else. The two of them went together, and Xuan Xuan used spatial shifting to move them quickly to where they had been before.

After a quick scan, Xuan Xuan said firmly, "They've all run away."

"What?" Zhan Yu was shocked. The army was still fighting in the middle layers and hadn't even entered the heart of the territory yet. They had surrounded the area completely—how could they have all escaped?

Xuan Xuan shrugged. "Haven't you noticed how quiet it is here?"

Zhan Yu sensed the area and nodded. Indeed, it was far too quiet. Moreover, there were too many Zerg fighting their men outside; when they first entered, there hadn't been that many Zerg guards. It seemed most of their forces were concentrated on the periphery, while the interior had already been emptied. But, "How exactly did they escape?"

"Let's go in and see." Xuan Xuan couldn't be certain yet how they had managed it, but she had a faint guess.

Zhan Yu nodded. Xuan Xuan cast a barrier over both of them before teleporting them to the deepest part of the lair. It was clearly the location of the Queen Zerg, but there was no movement; all the Zerg had retreated. Zhan Yu circled the area, searching every cave, but found nothing—no other exits, no signs of life.

"How did you know they ran away?" Zhan Yu asked, turning back to Xuan Xuan after his thorough search. There had been no movement; how could she have known, especially from so far away?

Xuan Xuan unleashed a "Spatial Blade." The spatial elements here were still highly active.

"They used a spatial method. I don't know exactly how they managed to transport so many of them," Xuan Xuan explained. The spatial fluctuations here were so intense that she had detected them even from a great distance. However, performing a spatial shift for such a large number of Zerg was extremely difficult; she didn't understand how they had pulled it off.

Zhan Yu’s face darkened. He was deeply frustrated. A massive group of Zerg—and such dangerous ones at that—had been transferred right under their noses, and he had no idea where they had gone, all while being so close to the Imperial Capital.

Xuan Xuan searched again, but still found nothing. In the end, she had no choice but to take Zhan Yu out of the Zerg gathering point. Seeing that the battle outside was already more than half finished, Zhan Yu’s expression did not improve.

Kuang Shao saw them return and stepped forward. "What did you find?"

Xuan Xuan spread her hands, saying nothing.

"The Zerg inside have all escaped," Zhan Yu said, his face grim. With so many of them, they had actually let the Zerg vanish into thin air.