Translator: CinderTL
For the next several months, the Blue-skinned Assassin became the Scarlet Research Institute's primary research subject.
In addition to studying its physical structure, Wei Wei began subjecting it to brutal interrogations, hoping to uncover the truth behind its origins, particularly the detailed history of the black tracking orb.
Language barriers proved relatively easy to overcome. The Scarlet Research Institute base connected to external databases, allowing them to access the Domain Creature Language Database established by the Galaxy Research Institute and translate in real-time.
However, no matter how much they tortured the Blue-skinned Assassin, it remained stubbornly silent about the truth. Even when injected with a mind-altering substance similar to a "truth serum," they couldn't extract any useful information.
The interrogation reached a stalemate.
Just as Wei Wei was preparing to change her interrogation methods, another unexpected event occurred.
Feng Qi was targeted for assassination once again.
This time, the assassin was even more formidable than the Blue-skinned Assassin. Even with Feng Qi activating his "Frenzy" ability, he barely managed to hold his own.
Fortunately, Liu Yue arrived in time to capture the assassin alive once again.
This assassin, like the previous one, had blue skin and a third eye on its forehead, clearly belonging to the same clan of Blue-Skinned Domain Assassins.
A small black tracking orb was also found inside its body.
The repeated assassination attempts made Feng Qi realize his current situation was extremely precarious.
He was now certain that his silent death in the previous timeline was also connected to these shadowy Blue-Skinned Domain Assassins.
In this timeline, thanks to the Demonic Dragon Rune modification, he possessed greater strength than before, allowing him to resist the assassins.
In the previous timeline, he had likely succumbed to mental corruption and died a bizarre, sudden death.
But this raised a crucial question:
Why were these Domain Assassins targeting him?
It couldn't be a case like the Domain Weakling Alliance, where weak races accepted contracts from powerful clans to eliminate human geniuses.
Even the most daring weakling races wouldn't dare infiltrate the Scarlet Research Institute.
And even if they did, the institute's layered security would easily detect them.
After all, the Scarlet Research Institute's strength was undeniable, and the warriors guarding both inside and outside the base were no weaker than the top battle groups on the front lines.
Coming here was pure suicide.
Therefore, the actions of this Blue-Skinned Domain Creature Clan seemed highly suspicious.
Considering the matter from a purely self-interest perspective, he couldn't fathom what he possessed that the Blue-skinned Assassin's clan coveted.
Judging by his death in the previous timeline, his corpse remained intact, proving they weren't after his body.
So, what exactly were they plotting?
The Blue-skinned Assassin's behavior eerily mirrored that of little black—both acting without apparent reason or logic, engaging in bizarre actions.
In the days that followed, to ensure his safety, he kept Liu Yue by his side at all times, preventing the assassin from reappearing.
Two months later, as he had predicted, the assassin struck again.
This time, the Domain Assassin was exceptionally powerful, even posing a challenge to Liu Yue, who sustained minor injuries after the battle.
However, by exerting his full strength, he managed to kill the Blue-skinned Domain Assassin without leaving any survivors.
The relentless assassinations painted a grim picture.
These repeated attempts also raised a question in Feng Qi's mind.
If the Blue-skinned Assassin's clan was so desperate to kill him, why didn't they send a group all at once instead of sending assassins one by one to their deaths?
This defied logic.
Reality wasn't a novel where villains sent weak minions to give the protagonist opportunities to grow stronger. If they were determined to assassinate him, they would naturally act decisively.
The exact reason remained a mystery.
Faced with these relentless assassination attempts, Feng Qi realized he couldn't stay at the Scarlet Research Institute any longer.
If the subsequent assassins grew even stronger, even Liu Yue might be unable to defend him. At this point, only one person could guarantee his safety:
Mu Qing.
Over the past few years, Mu Qing had established the Dawn Battle Group, which had quickly risen to become one of the Top Ten Battle Groups.
Feng Qi had originally planned to seek refuge with her only after she formed the Dawn Army.
But given the current situation, he wouldn't even survive long enough to see the Dawn Army's formation.
As he had suspected before entering this timeline, he might die young.
While Liu Yue's strength could protect him for now, it was only a temporary measure.
Judging from the three assassination attempts, the next assassin might rival Liu Yue's power, and the one after that could surpass him.
The only viable course of action was to seek Mu Qing's protection.
Although this might alter the Dawn Army's predetermined future trajectory, remaining in the Scarlet Research Institute and doing nothing would be tantamount to waiting for death, making it impossible to contact Mu Yao, who might appear in the future.
With this in mind, he convened a Scarlet High Council meeting.
During the meeting, he detailed his plans.
Ultimately, the Scarlet Research Institute's top executives agreed to his proposal to seek Mu Qing's protection ahead of schedule.
They also decided that after his departure, the Scarlet Research Institute would move forward with their secret laboratory plans to shape the future.
As for the interrogation of the assassins and subsequent research findings, they would be communicated to his future self.
After the meeting, Feng Qi followed Wei Wei to the Genetics Department's laboratory.
Before leaving, he decided to have a Scarlet Research Institute-developed tracking device implanted at the base of his neck.
This device would help the institute retrieve his brain for the Brain in a Vat Project.
After the procedure, he contacted Mu Qing.
The call didn't go through, clearly Mu Qing was busy.
He sent her a text message and waited for her reply.
After more than ten days, Mu Qing finally replied, giving him an address and adding a smiley face emoji.
Upon receiving her message, Feng Qi decided to formally head to the front lines.
That day, he and Liu Yue left Scarlet Base.
On the open ground outside the base, a Scarlet Special Plane bearing the Scarlet Research Institute's emblem was parked.
Before boarding, he carefully checked the items in his backpack, paying particular attention to a metal box labeled "Brain Repair."
Inside the box were ten vials of brain tissue revitalization fluid, the most crucial item he was carrying.
After death, the brain's activity doesn't last long.
On the front lines, the Scarlet Research Institute might not be able to retrieve his body before brain death set in.
Currently, the institute only had brain preservation technology, not brain revival technology.
These ten vials of revitalization fluid were therefore essential.
As Wei Wei had put it, "Just inject yourself with a vial before you die, then wait for the base soldiers to collect your body. The fluid will maintain your brain's activity as long as possible."
After confirming everything was in order, he boarded the Scarlet Special Plane with Liu Yue.
Under Wei Wei's watchful gaze, the plane took off, heading straight for Winterfrost City.
A day later, guided by the runway lights, the Scarlet Special Plane landed at the Winterfrost Supply Zone Airport, located north of Winterfrost City.
The airport occupied one-fifth of the entire supply zone, making it exceptionally vast.
The daily flight volume even exceeded that of Winterfrost City's airport.
The reason was simple:
Although the Winterfrost Supply Zone was just one of the frontline supply hubs, massive quantities of domain resources were shipped daily from here to major cities.
The airport had been specifically established for this purpose.
For domain warrior deployments, personnel could easily travel along the supply zone's connecting route to Winterfrost City and then fly to other cities from there.
Stepping off the plane, the temperature plummeted.
The outside world was draped in silver and white, with feathery snowflakes drifting down from the sky like a scene from an ice-and-snow world.
Even the warm breath they exhaled crystallized into ice crystals in the air.
After retrieving their luggage, he glanced at Liu Yue, who was standing beside him in a short-sleeved shirt.
"Shouldn't you change into warmer clothes?"
"No need, I'm not cold."
Hearing this, and feeling only a slight chill himself, he abandoned the idea of changing.
He pulled out his phone, opened the map app, searched for the address Mu Qing had provided, and tapped "Navigate."
A route immediately appeared on the map.
"Let's go."
Braving the wind and snow in their light clothing, the pair set off toward the Dawn Battle Group's estate.
Behind them, the Scarlet Special Plane, having completed its mission, took off and began its return journey along the same route.
This was Feng Qi's first time at the front lines, and he curiously observed his surroundings.
The small supply zone town was nearly buried in snow, with snowplows constantly clearing and maintaining the streets.
Despite its remote location, the town was fully equipped with all essential facilities.
Even within the town, the frontline warriors they encountered were almost always fully armed and armored.
This didn't surprise Feng Qi.
Every supply zone was the closest frontline to the Domain Field, making it the most vulnerable to attacks by Domain-Transcending Creatures. Constant readiness was essential.
Their current vigilance was born from hard-earned lessons from past tragedies.
The Winterfrost Supply Zone stretched approximately 23 kilometers north-south and 27 kilometers east-west. A route connecting it to Winterfrost City ran through its entire territory. The zone's technological level surpassed many areas within the city itself, with advanced technology visible everywhere and surveillance cameras lining every street.
Looking up, Feng Qi noticed a towering structure over a hundred meters tall in the town center.
This tower was known as the Watchtower.
In the topmost room, guards maintained a 24-hour vigil, monitoring the Domain Field's expansion northward.
Over the years, much of the Domain Field had been dispersed.
Yet the battle lines in the Winterfrost Supply Zone had barely advanced.
Many newly dispersed Domain Fields were quickly reabsorbed by those behind them.
Consequently, the Winterfrost Supply Zone's expansion remained painfully slow.
Originally intended as a mere transit hub, the Winterfrost Supply Zone had steadily grown into a fortified supply city.
Following the navigation system, Feng Qi and Liu Yue arrived at the domain combat team's garrison area within the city.
Here, sprawling estates lined the streets, each bearing the name of its resident domain combat team.
After some searching, they reached a massive metal gate.
Inscribed above the gate were the bold characters "Dawn Battle Group," with the S-Class Combat Team certification label from the battle group headquarters affixed below.
The metal gate stood ajar, revealing a familiar figure waiting inside.
Their eyes met.
"Long time no see, Feng Qi."
Amidst the swirling snow, the reunion with an old friend stirred memories of bygone days.
"Senior sister, it's been too long."
As their gazes locked in a warm smile, a familiar sense of camaraderie flooded their hearts.
(End of the Chapter)
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