From the scorched remains of the gray-silver mutants, Lin Lan extracted a residual signal. She frowned.
"It's a command fragment. The encryption matches Zhang Ming's old system."
He Xuan ran a rapid comparison.
"Source traced to the northwest ruins. An underground lab facility."
Zhao Yang stood, blood mist quietly rising around his hand.
"He's still alive."
Chen Mo's voice was low and sharp.
"Then let's make sure he stays dead."
Lu Ye studied the map, his tone calm and final.
"We move. Time to end the Maker."
There was no hesitation. Zhang Ming wasn't just an enemy—he was the origin, the contamination, the variable that had to be erased.
The underground lab was buried beneath a collapsed industrial zone. Its entrance was sealed under layers of formatted wreckage. The squad forced their way through.
Inside, they found rows of incomplete mutant embryos—some still twitching, as if waiting to be activated.
Zhang Ming stood at the center. His body was no longer human— Skin turned gray-silver, embedded with multiple mutant cores. His spine was exposed. His consciousness split into three synchronized entities.
His voice echoed through the chamber, devoid of emotion:
"You were always failed prototypes."
He unleashed a wave of psychic interference, aiming to fracture the squad's coordination. Space warped. The floor shimmered with illusionary echoes— the lab itself mimicking fragments of their memories.
Zhao Yang stabilized his blood mist field, forming a "quiet layer" to resist the mental disruption. Chen Mo tore through the illusions, his shattered-time punches ripping open space to locate Zhang Ming's true body. Lin Lan and Qin Hao built a sensory circuit, feeding real-time feedback on Zhang Ming's neural fluctuations. He Xuan deployed a magnetic disruption array, severing the synchronization between Zhang Ming's split minds.
Lu Ye activated the Eye of the World. Star trails spun in his irises as he locked onto Zhang Ming's multi-node consciousness. He raised his right arm, lightning gathering in his palm.
"Thunder Domain Slash – Intermediate."
Lightning burst forth. Arcs of energy laced the air. Zhang Ming's body convulsed violently within the storm.
Zhao Yang sealed his movement with a blood-needle array. Chen Mo struck—his fist shattering the core crystal.
Zhang Ming collapsed. His body disintegrated into ash. The lab fell silent.
But just before he vanished, he whispered:
"You… will be seen by it."
The battle was over. The squad returned to their temporary base—a ruined house on the outskirts.
No celebration. No words. Just quiet breathing and exhausted movements.
Zhao Yang sat by the window, blood mist curling like smoke in his palm, eyes fixed on the fading sky. Chen Mo lay on the couch, staring at the ceiling, his fists still trembling. Lin Lan adjusted her equipment in the corner. He Xuan boiled water in the kitchen. Qin Hao sat on the balcony, soaking in the sun—his silhouette still as a painting.
Lu Ye sat at the doorway, watching the last light fade down the street. He spoke softly:
"At least this phase… is over."
No one replied. But everyone heard him.
They hadn't truly relaxed. But they knew—this moment of quiet was something they had earned.
Elsewhere, in a military command center, a mid-level officer reviewed the battle reports. He stared at the data for a long time.
"These three… aren't ordinary espers."
Lu Ye: Tier 3 Mid. Capable of tactical reconstruction and area-wide purging.
Zhao Yang: Blood mist field stabilized. Resistant to psychic interference.
Chen Mo: Multi-phase shattered-time strikes. Exceptional close-combat suppression.
"Their combat efficiency already exceeds some of our senior commanders."
He didn't alert the higher-ups. Instead, he dispatched an observation unit to the outskirts of the ruins.
The mission wasn't capture— It was contact.
At the end of the report, he wrote:
"Recommend initiating cooperative engagement to assess alignment. If refused, do not force intervention. They are not assets. They are variables."
Squad Combat Profile🧿 Lu Ye (Squad Leader)
Tier: Tier 3 Mid (Stable)
Core Abilities: Eye of the World – Second Form + Thunder Domain Slash – Intermediate
Perception Range: 500 meters; capable of analyzing space, energy, and time flow
Tactical Tools: Spatial Fold Zones to suppress enemy jumps and movement
Attack Modes: Dual-eye energy beams (precision piercing) + Thunder Domain Slash (area clearing)
Combat Style: Calm, precise, suppression-based commander
Role: Tactical brain + precision firepower + battlefield architect
Military Assessment: Holds independent command authority; combat power exceeds some senior officers
🩸 Zhao Yang
Tier: Tier 3 Peak (Breakthrough Achieved)
Core Abilities: Dark Blood Mechanics + Blood Mist Field + Blood Needle Array
Specialty: Detects blood anomalies, tracks life signals
Field Capabilities: Multi-layer mist for spatial lockdown and neural disruption
Combat Style: Sensory hunter + control disruptor + precision assassin
Role: Battlefield perception + single-target suppression + emotional tension driver
Military Assessment: Possesses "consciousness resistance" and "mutation potential"; highly dangerous but stable
🧱 Chen Mo
Tier: Tier 3 Early (Stable)
Core Ability: Shattered-Time Fist (Three Phases)
Phase 1: Tears space
Phase 2: Freezes time
Phase 3: Breaks jump trajectories
Combat Style: Close-range burst + spatial destroyer
Role: Frontline suppressor + formation breaker + raw battlefield force
Military Assessment: Exceptional melee suppression; valuable as a "battlefield breach point"
🌬️ Lin Lan
Tier: Tier 3 Early (Stable)
Core Abilities: Sensory Circuit + Data Analysis + Mental Disruption
Function: Real-time enemy behavior analysis
Support Role: Tactical feedback system; assists Lu Ye's command
Combat Style: Support analyst + mental disruptor
Role: Tactical support + intel processing + consciousness defense
Military Assessment: Potential "tactical core"; suited for high-density coordination
⚙️ He Xuan
Tier: Tier 3 Early (Stable)
Core Abilities: Disc Constructs + Magnetic Disruption + Tactical Devices
Function: Builds magnetic barriers; disrupts enemy jumps and perception
Support Role: Deploys tactical tools for area lockdown and data capture
Combat Style: Technical controller + battlefield architect
Role: Environmental control + tech support + tactical engineering
Military Assessment: Valuable "tactical engineer"; ideal for complex terrain operations
🌐 Qin Hao
Tier: Tier 3 Early (Stable)
Core Abilities: Light-Thread Perception + Neural Sync + Coordination Boost
Function: Constructs light-thread network to link squad perception
Support Role: Temporary consciousness sync to enhance coordination
Combat Style: Sensory linker + synergy accelerator
Role: Team cohesion + intel relay + mental stabilizer
Military Assessment: Capable of "consciousness network construction"; ideal for command support
🧠 Hu Hao
Tier: Tier 3 Early (Stable)
Core Abilities: Mental Command + Consciousness Manipulation
Function: Neural sync and short-term control
Combat History: Stabilized squad rhythm in multiple battles; ability failed against Hels; currently on independent mission
Role: Consciousness coordinator + emotional stabilizer
Status: Temporarily departed; likely pursuing solo objectives