The helicopter didn't fly directly back to Elysium. The process and outcome of this mission had completely exceeded the expectations of the brass in the military headquarters.

The veterans with infiltration experience hadn't even been deployed. Nearly a hundred raw recruits, whom the military brass didn't truly value, had managed to wipe out every single terrorist on the island without heavy weaponry.

Moreover, the number of terrorists on the island was not just the hundred accounted for in military intelligence, but closer to three hundred.

For a contingent of nearly a hundred new recruits to eliminate three hundred well-equipped terrorists, the price paid—only a fool wouldn't guess this with their gut—must have been devastatingly severe for that squad of rookies.

Excluding the nearly sixty new recruits who had died, almost all the survivors bore injuries to varying degrees.

During the intense focus of the battle, they hadn't noticed any abnormalities in their bodies.

As soon as they boarded the aircraft and left the nameless island, that crushing exhaustion immediately assaulted every recruit. Many simply collapsed onto the floor of the plane and fell asleep.

The accompanying medics swiftly moved into emergency triage mode.

"This one is dead..."

A medic passing by Qin Fen offered a brief, kind reminder as he looked at him.

A faint aura of sorrow caused the medic to flinch involuntarily.

The flight time was far longer than the journey out for the mission. After flying for several times the initial duration, the aircraft finally began its descent from the sky.

The moment the plane touched down and settled, more than a dozen large military vehicles immediately converged on the tarmac. Ranks of disciplined veterans, armed and ready, stood stiffly beside the helicopter.

A military sedan slowly drove onto the airfield, finally stopping steadily beside the helicopter carrying Qin Fen.

The door of the black military car opened slowly. The first thing visible was a pair of highly polished, ebony leather shoes. The surrounding veterans instantly straightened their backs even further, all staring with eyes full of reverence at the person emerging from the car.

The person who stepped out walked directly toward Qin Fen, who was descending from the helicopter, scrutinizing him from head to toe.

As Qin Fen was being appraised, he, too, was sizing up the man.

The man appeared to be in his early forties, with slight streaks of white at his temples. An aura of lean capability radiated from him; anyone could tell at a glance he was an extremely seasoned soldier.

Yet, no matter how capable he seemed or how iron-willed his demeanor, the light in his eyes could never be entirely concealed—it was a gaze brimming with profound sorrow.

"You were the last person to see Peng'er?"

The man standing before Qin Fen spoke slowly. Although it was phrased as a question, it carried an undeniable weight of finality.

Qin Fen, still cradling Du Zhanpeng, nodded slowly.

The man who looked middle-aged, a general officer, shared a slight resemblance in his features to Du Zhanpeng. Qin Fen was certain this man was a close relative of Du Zhanpeng.

"Then do you know what he said last, what he did?"

"I do."

"Very good." The middle-aged General raised his wrist and made a subtle gesture: "Take him away."

Before Qin Fen could react, the two officers behind the General subtly shifted their stances, both appearing instantly beside Qin Fen. They simultaneously extended their slightly cupped hands toward his shoulders.

Comet Level?

Only a flicker of thought crossed Qin Fen's mind. His shoulders were instantly pinned. Qin Fen, who had recently broken through to the Five-Star realm, crossing the immense gulf into the Meteor Level, but had been forced to revert to the peak of Four-Star after funneling his purest vital energy to Du Zhanpeng, was as helpless as an infant against a Comet Level master, offering no resistance.

"Grandpa Du..."

Xing Wuyi, standing behind Qin Fen, swayed slightly, positioning himself between Qin Fen and the King of Vipers, Du Hen. He spread his arms slightly, shaking his head. "Young Master Du did not wish for you to harm his friend."

Du Hen was slightly shorter than Xing Wuyi, but as he looked up at him, he gave the impression of a towering brute looking down on a child.

The eyes that had been filled with grief just moments before suddenly widened! Xing Wuyi felt as if his entire world had been crushed beneath ten thousand tons of cargo, as if his very spirit was on the verge of collapse.

That sorrowful gaze had instantly transmuted into frigid killing intent.

"Wuyi, do you know who you are speaking to?" The chilling words were squeezed out between Du Hen's teeth. "Even your own grandfather wouldn't dare speak to me like that."

"I... I know..." Xing Wuyi was already finding it difficult to speak, as if some immense force was pressing down on the back of his neck, compelling him to bow his head.

"Grandpa Du, I know everything you said." Xing Wuyi clenched his fists, his entire body trembling uncontrollably as he fought to resist Du Hen's intimidating aura. "But this is my only friend, Young Master Du. If I cannot fulfill his final wish, it is not my disgrace, but Young Master Du's. It would mean he was blind to judge my friendship. I cannot allow him to suffer any more shame now, not even from you."

Du Hen frowned slightly. Even a Comet Level master would tremble and dare not speak under such oppressive force. For a mere Four-Star to possess such spine...

His anger subsided considerably, replaced by a satisfied smile curling his lips. "Peng'er's judgment was sound. You shall come with me..."

As the words fell, Xing Wuyi met the same fate as Qin Fen. He had no chance to resist before his shoulders were seized by the two Comet Level masters.

"You are Du Zhanpeng's grandfather?" Qin Fen couldn't move, but he looked down at Du Zhanpeng in his arms. "I don't believe Du Zhanpeng is dead. Perhaps there is still a chance to save him. Could you..."

Qin Fen felt his vision darken. Du Hen seemed to teleport, appearing instantly before him. His large palm pressed against Du Zhanpeng's wrist, pausing for only two seconds.

In those mere two seconds, the King of Vipers, who looked only forty, seemed to age thirty years overnight. The spirit and vitality drained from his eyes, leaving only an indescribable, crushing grief.

Du Hen slowly shook his head. He struggled to steady his composure. "Come with me."

Faced with overwhelming power, neither Qin Fen nor Xing Wuyi could offer any resistance as they were 'escorted' into the cars.

"Wait!"

The roar came simultaneously from nearly thirty recruits. Du Hen, who was just stepping into the car, paused and looked back calmly at them.

"You are Young Master Du's grandfather. We respect you, but you are taking our comrades..."

Click... click...

The safeties on every P308 carbine were simultaneously disengaged. The dark muzzles were all aimed squarely at Du Hen.

The veteran guards watching were stunned. Had these recruits gone insane? Did they know what they were doing? Were they deliberately seeking an early death?

Du Hen's eyebrows slowly drew together towards his brow. Being pointed at with guns? This was an event he hadn't experienced in years. These youngsters truly had nerve.

"Do you know what you are doing?"

"We know," the Snake Head replied with a reckless grin. "In small terms, we are disobeying orders, which means confinement. In large terms, this could be called mutiny—aiming weapons at a General."

Du Hen's eyebrows lifted slightly. "Then you..."

The Snake Head smiled brilliantly. "Apologies, General. We have no habit of abandoning our comrades."

"Even in death?" Du Hen's tone sharpened with a hint of killing intent.

"Yes," the Snake Head nodded repeatedly. "We all collectively died once today; we won't mind dying a second time."

"Very well," Du Hen's tone held a sliver of approval. The next instant, a chilling glint flashed in his eyes, and his voice abruptly turned severe: "Take them down!"

The thirty-odd recruits didn't even have time to resist before figures flew in from all directions, instantly injecting and neutralizing all of them.

"Take them away," Du Hen dropped the command and was already slipping into the car.

Qin Fen looked anxiously through the car window at those being loaded into different military vehicles. Just as he was about to inquire, a message reached his mind: Do not speak. Say nothing. They will be fine.

Reassured by Xing Wuyi's assurance, Qin Fen remained silent, refocusing his attention on Du Zhanpeng, his eyes heavy with unspoken exhaustion.

The entire flight, Qin Fen had never stopped sending the vital energy of the Rejuvenation Art into Du Zhanpeng's body. He felt as if his entire physical form had been hollowed out; a subtle, needle-prick pain now lingered in his Dantian—the sign that his vital energy was nearly depleted.

Give up? Qin Fen stubbornly shook his head. Perhaps once they reached the Du family, with their influence, they could urgently convene renowned physicians for consultation, and perhaps truly bring the dead back to life.

If he gave up now... Qin Fen believed he would regret it for the rest of his life.

The cars traveled smoothly on the asphalt road. The King of Vipers, a high-ranking military official, hadn't opted for the flashy mag-lev speeders like Song Jia, choosing instead the old-fashioned sedan where the wheels made physical contact with the road.

However, the cost and configuration of this 'old-fashioned' sedan were likely not inferior to Song Jia's saucer-shaped mag-lev flyer.

"Here."

The Comet Level expert sitting opposite Qin Fen handed him a bottle of brown liquid.

Though lacking Inzarota's mastery of pharmaceuticals, Qin Fen, having studied under a master chef for a few days, knew that what the man offered was an expensive bottle of nutrient solution.