[Bone Desert, Central Building of the Energy Ruins]
An Qin, leading Lin Feng, Zhao Yu, and Vivian, finally arrived outside the central building.
This structure was far taller than the surrounding wreckage. Its main body remained intact, constructed of dark black walls carved with countless eerie runes that shimmered with a faint luster under the sunlight.
To everyone's surprise, the entrance to the building, which should have been deserted, was guarded by two men in black uniforms. Upon seeing Lin Feng and the others, they immediately stepped forward with respectful stances.
"Lord Lin, Lord Zhao, everything is ready."
Lin Feng nodded and turned to An Qin. "Let's go. It's time to execute the original plan."
An Qin's body trembled slightly. She stared at the macabre runes on the entrance and, after a moment of deliberation, secretly crushed the Star Power Jammer in her pocket.
"What are you trying to do?" Lin Feng instantly sensed something was wrong. His Enhancement-type Star Power erupted as he lunged toward An Qin.
An Qin did not dodge. Instead, she released her full Star Power.
In the next second, a "scaly" barrier—a mix of dark green and murky purple—manifested, shielding Vivian behind her.
In the public records of the Star Envoy Association, An Qin's Star Source was listed as "Universal Listening." It allowed her to hear the sounds of many tangible and intangible substances, categorized as a Special-type ability.
In reality, this so-called listening was merely a sub-ability of An Qin's "Dark Spirit Serpent" bloodline.
Her decision to act now wasn't just born out of her goodwill toward Chen Kong and his team. One could even say that helping Chen Kong was merely an excuse she gave herself.
Having been able to hear the "inner feelings" of others since childhood, she had seen and heard too much of the unspoken "pain" and "terror" of her companions. Had she never come to the Star Envoy Association, she might have continued to endure it. But after experiencing a taste of a normal life, she had long grown weary of her past existence.
Furthermore, she was not entirely unprepared for this move.
"Vivian, now! Go!"
"What?!"
Vivian was shaken by An Qin's sudden betrayal. She had considered many possibilities, but never this one. From her perspective, even if An Qin wasn't the mastermind of this operation, she was certainly an indispensable link.
Yet, she had personally sabotaged her own "plan." Unless, of course, this was her true plan all along.
In a flash, Vivian connected the dots and made her choice without hesitation. She circulated her Magitronic Star Power, preparing to break out immediately.
Seeing this, Zhao Yu's face darkened instantly.
"Traitor!"
The short blades in Zhao Yu's hands transformed into "Mantis" scythes as he lunged at An Qin.
Right then, Chen Kong's figure suddenly burst out from behind the nearby wreckage. The silver-white "Void Weaver" erupted around him, transforming into a line of Star Power that precisely entangled Zhao Yu's arm.
In an instant, Zhao Yu's "scythe-arms" vanished, and the momentum of his blades stalled.
"Apologies, but I am your opponent."
Chen Kong's sudden appearance caught Zhao Yu completely off guard. First, his presence was unexpected; second, the Void Weaver's ability to erase presence had made it impossible for them to detect him beforehand.
After neutralizing Zhao Yu's attack, Chen Kong raised his Void Weaver and fired without hesitation.
With a loud bang, Zhao Yu crossed his arms in front of his chest. He staggered back several steps, successfully blocking Chen Kong's "ambush." However, his expression did not improve; instead, it grew even more grim.
This was because Liu Ma and Isabel had also stepped out from behind the ruins.
Possessing an Enhancement-type Star Source, Liu Ma immediately engaged Lin Feng on the other side. His gold-transformed body made him look like a heavy armored tank as he swung a fist at Lin Feng.
Meanwhile, Isabel activated her Star Source, "Absolute Zero," releasing a massive cloud of frost toward the two men in black at the entrance, instantly freezing them in place.
The tide had turned in an instant.
An Qin looked at Chen Kong and the others with a flash of surprise in her eyes, followed by a smile of relief. She knew she had made the right choice. However, they couldn't change much on their own. Besides, her trump card... didn't lie with Chen Kong's team.
As An Qin thought this, Lin Feng, who had been forced back by Liu Ma's fist, wore a ghoulish expression and completely tore off his disguise. His body began to undergo a Star Beast transformation, eventually turning into a five-meter-tall humanoid lion-like creature.
"Good, very good. I didn't expect you lot to be so much smarter than I thought, and I certainly didn't expect a traitor among us."
"But it doesn't matter. Since you're here, you can all stay!"
As he finished speaking, Lin Feng suddenly roared toward the central building.
"Activate the Conversion Device!"
In the next second, the walls of the central building glowed with a crimson light. The eerie runes began to flow, and a powerful suction force emanated from within the building. The surrounding sand was sucked inside, forming a massive sandstorm.
Chen Kong's expression shifted drastically. He pushed his Star Power to the limit, the Void Weaver swirling frantically around him as he attempted to resist the bizarre suction.
An Qin was facing the same predicament.
"Everyone, be careful! This is a 'Broodmother' unique to our 'Abyssal Heavens' organization. Its effect is to suck in all biological matter within a certain range and create entirely new 'beings' through continuous fusion."
Hearing An Qin's words, a heavy weight settled in everyone's hearts. They finally understood why An Qin and the others possessed beast-like traits despite being Star Envoys. They were clearly products of the "Broodmother's" modification.
Due to the interference of the strange energy in the air, everyone except Chen Kong—who relied on his unique Void Weaver—was struggling to resist. The others found their Star Power fluctuations weakening and their thoughts becoming muddled.
Unspeakable whispers echoed in their ears, guiding them toward the depths of the Broodmother. If this continued, it wouldn't be long before they became another link in the "modifications" An Qin had described.
"How do we break free from this Broodmother?" Chen Kong shouted to An Qin.
An Qin's answer was unexpected.
"Wait."
"Wait for what?!"
Chen Kong looked at An Qin in bewilderment. He never imagined her "betrayal" would result in... waiting. Waiting for what? To die?
As if by some pre-arranged signal, the moment An Qin finished speaking, a beam of golden light descended from the sky. It pierced through the eternal sandstorm of the Fallen Zone and struck the wall of the central building.
As the eerie runes dimmed, the suction force vanished.
Everyone looked up to see a golden Star Power Ship hovering in mid-air, the hull bearing the exclusive emblem of Tendo Simei.
As the undisputed "No. 1" of the current Heavenly Martial Training Base, Tendo had the authority and the means to purchase and operate a private Star Power Ship. This was a privilege of the rank.
The hatch opened, and Tendo, Jing Liuli, and Caroline stepped out. Tendo looked down at the stunned group below, his tone lazy.
"Liuli, I told you... this place would be interesting."
"Tendo Simei?!"
At the sight of Tendo, Lin Feng's face turned as pale as paper. The Star Power in his body fluctuated violently and uncontrollably. He was afraid—terrified of the man above who shouldn't have been there.
"How are you here?"
The two men in black behind him were shaking like leaves. They instinctively turned to flee, but their ankles were caught in Isabel's residual frost, leaving them to struggle in vain.
Tendo remained reclined in his hovering massage chair as a mechanical arm lowered him slowly from the ship. When he landed, he didn't even bother to lift an eyelid.
Jing Liuli and Caroline followed closely. The former stood with her arms crossed, her eyes scanning the battlefield with interest. The latter stood expressionlessly beside Tendo, surrounded by a faint golden Star Power, her eyes sharp as a hawk's as she surveyed the surroundings.
"Just passing through."
Tendo's voice was casual, yet it carried an undeniable pressure. His gaze swept over Lin Feng and the others indifferently before settling on Chen Kong, a playful curve tugging at the corner of his mouth.
"Kong, I didn't think you'd pick such a spot."
Hearing this, Chen Kong asked with curiosity, "Brother Tendo, you knew something was wrong here?"
Tendo yawned. "More or less."
With a flick of his finger, a "Black苍" orb shot out and struck the wall of the central building.
In the next second, the walls shook violently. The runes upon them writhed like living things before being completely annihilated under the merciless crushing force of the Black苍.
Once finished, he said plainly, "I noticed a while ago that there seemed to be a deeply hidden faction within the Association. But they were hidden so well that I could never catch their tail—until someone suddenly contacted me."
As he spoke, Tendo's peripheral vision shifted toward An Qin. It was clear who that "someone" was.
Then, he looked toward the strange building in the center of the desert. With the outer walls destroyed by the Black苍, the special device inside, known as the "Broodmother," was finally exposed.
It was a massive, twisted ball of flesh. Its appearance was similar to the eerie flesh orb Tendo had encountered during a mission in Tsukiyama City not long ago. However, compared to that one, this "Broodmother" not only had many mysterious runes on its surface, but Tendo could also sense something called "rationality" coming from it.
It was incredibly jarring. He was sensing logic from a twisted object that should have looked utterly mindless at a glance. Clearly, the birth of this thing was far more bizarre than he had imagined.
"So... this is the so-called Broodmother?" Vivian's brow furrowed. Her Magitronic electronic eye instantly activated at maximum power, scanning every detail of the organism.
"Mm." Tendo glanced at Vivian and gave a brief assessment.
"The Abyssal Heavens organization has been scouring for special Star Sources. Kong's Void Weaver has the effect of precise Star Power neutralization, which makes it a perfect 'energy stabilizer' for the Broodmother, helping them balance the internal Star Power riots."
Tendo paused, his gaze sweeping over Liu Ma and Isabel, and said meaningfully, "As for you two, you were just incidental test subjects."
During Tendo's explanation, Lin Feng, knowing he was no match for him, had a flash of desperation in his eyes. He suddenly activated his Star Beast bloodline, completing his transformation instantly, and lunged at An Qin.
"Since the plan failed, I'll deal with you, the traitor, first!"
He understood clearly that he was doomed; the least he could do was repay the organization's "kindness" by eliminating the defector.
Caught off guard, An Qin could only hurriedly construct a barrier. However, Lin Feng's Enhancement-type Star Power had been tempered over many years, and its strength far exceeded that of an ordinary student. The lavender barrier was covered in cracks as soon as it formed, teetering on the edge of collapse.
In that critical moment, Chen Kong acted. His silver-white Void Weaver flared, and several thin lines of energy shot out like serpents, precisely entangling Lin Feng's limbs.
With a soft hum, the Enhancement Star Power on Lin Feng's body dissipated like a receding tide. His movements froze, and he crashed heavily onto the scorching sand. He stared at his arms in disbelief, a beastly growl escaping his throat.
"A mere bottom-ranker of the Star Envoy.. why can your ability neutralize my Star Core power? This is impossible!"
"Nothing is impossible." Chen Kong walked slowly toward him, his voice cold. "My Void Weaver is the natural enemy of Star Power. Also, just because I don't measure up to the others doesn't mean I'm inferior to half-beast freaks like you."
Turning to An Qin, Chen Kong's tone softened. "Are you alright?"
An Qin shook her head. "I'm fine."
She walked over to the group and pulled a broken black device from a hidden pocket in her uniform. It was the Star Power Jammer she had crushed earlier.
"This is a secret jammer from the Abyssal Heavens. It can covertly weaken a Star Envoy's power. They planned to use this to make you lose your ability to resist before luring you into the core of the conversion device."
Zhao Yu, seeing Lin Feng subdued, knew the game was up. He quietly shifted his steps, trying to slip away in the confusion. But as soon as he turned, an invisible vector field entangled his ankles like chains, pinning him firmly to the spot.
Jing Liuli stepped forward and scoffed, "Running? Did you ask us first?"
Zhao Yu roared with false bravado, trying to use the organization's name to intimidate them. "Tendo Simei! We are core members of the Abyssal Heavens! If you dare kill us, the organization will never let you go!"
Tendo sneered, and the vector field around him tightened slightly. With a crisp crack, Zhao Yu let out a blood-curdling scream as the bones in his body shattered inch by inch.
"Abyssal Heavens?" Tendo's voice was filled with disdain. "A bunch of clowns."
Turning to Caroline, he said, "Take them back and hand them over to the Star Envoy Association for interrogation. See if we can dig out more intel on this Abyssal Heavens group."
"Understood." Caroline nodded. She raised her hand to release four Magitronic chains, binding Lin Feng and Zhao Yu tightly. She then waved her hand at the two men frozen at the entrance, and the cold chains instantly coiled around them as well.
Having finished, she dragged the four captives toward the golden Star Ship.
Only Chen Kong's team, An Qin, Tendo, and Jing Liuli remained.
An Qin took a deep breath, walked to Tendo, and bowed her head slightly. Her tone was sincere. "Tendo Simei, I know I hid much of the truth before. I am willing to accept punishment from the Association. But I truly wish to make amends. I can provide internal information on the Abyssal Heavens to help you root out more moles lurking in the base."