In the vast hall, almost everyone held their breath. Only the sound of the dancing candle flames could be heard.

Du Peng was kneeling, prostrate beside the crystal coffin. Following the shout of "Brother," he ceased all movement. He remained utterly still, face down.

The two brothers, Du Chaoqun and Du Chaopeng, exchanged a swift glance. In the crucial moment, they saw the killing intent in each other's eyes. Stomping their feet once on the ground, they lunged toward the heavily injured and unconscious Du Peng.

Du Peng’s display of power today had been too astonishing. Both Du Chaoqun and Du Chaopeng were deeply worried; if Du Hen decided to favor this bastard, they would never see the light of day again.

Though they lacked Du Zhanpeng's genius and diligence, they were still relatives of the Du family. The martial arts they had learned were techniques that ordinary families could not acquire even with immense wealth. The moment they moved, they unleashed the [Snowflake Piercing Cloud Step].

This [Snowflake Piercing Cloud Step], when mastered to its peak, was rumored to allow a martial artist, amidst a heavy snowfall, to race across the surface of snowflakes before they even touched the ground.

Even without reaching the peak, with their strength at the pinnacle of the Three-Star realm, the speed they achieved while executing this technique was still terrifying, reaching a level many Four-Star martial artists could only look up to in awe.

Without any intervention from Du Yu, none of the attendees dared to step forward and stop them.

Qin Fen also remained still. The instant the Du brothers made their move, he sensed an intense, unreleased rage building within a certain individual. The muscles in that person’s calves exploded in that split second, unleashing power capable of cleaving gold and shattering stone.

Xing Wuyi floated out as if performing a dance. His [Chasing Wind Super Shadow], by no means inferior to the [Cloud Piercing Snow], blossomed brilliantly with his Four-Star strength. With a single leap, he closed the distance behind the two brothers. His ten fingers separated and curved; silently, he clamped onto their shoulders and, with a sudden exertion of force, drove them down from the air.

Thud!

Neither of them expected anyone to interfere, let alone that the intervention would come from Du Zhanpeng’s sworn brother, Xing Wuyi.

Du Chaoqun twisted his ankle, mobilizing the strength from his waist, and violently shook his shoulder. The movement allowed his shoulder to slip sideways. Like an eel escaping a grasp, he shed the force aimed at his shoulder.

But then he heard Xing Wuyi’s cold laugh behind him. Xing Wuyi’s wrist twitched repeatedly, using his knuckles to draw two circles in the air. This action sent the very same eel-like force he had just shirked directly back into Du Chaoqun’s body. The fabric of his sleeves vibrated, and Xing Wuyi pressed down again with renewed force.

[Soaring Crane Capturing Dragon Hand]!

Du Chaoqun was inwardly shocked. Before he could react further, a sudden wave of numbness struck his knees. Completely out of his control, he buckled and slammed onto the ground with a thump, the force of his knees shattering the stone slabs beneath him into dust.

Du Chaopeng looked at the ground with ashen despair; he had lost the will to even resist.

When the [Soaring Crane Capturing Dragon Hand] is mastered to its peak, it is rumored to be capable of grasping even the dragons of myth. Given that there was an entire level of martial rank separating them, what hope did he have?

“Xing Wuyi, do you know what you are doing?” Du Chaoqun’s eyebrows shot up furiously as he twisted his head to glare viciously at Xing Wuyi. “The Du family’s affairs—you dare meddle? Are you tired of living?”

A faint, detached smile touched the corner of Xing Wuyi’s lips, yet the inherent arrogance of a scion of a noble house remained in his expression. Facing the two younger members of the Du family, his eyes held undisguised contempt. “Of the Du family, I only respect Zhanpeng. Anything he asks me to do, I will do.”

Saying this, Xing Wuyi raised his eyelids to look at the unconscious Du Peng, a faint shadow of sorrow and disgust crossing his features. “Even if I hate that person, I will fulfill my promise to Zhanpeng.”

“You—”

Du Chaoqun was about to speak further when Xing Wuyi suddenly released his grip on his shoulder and kicked him squarely in the face, sending him tumbling into the crowd.

“What right do you have to speak to me?”

Xing Wuyi then released Du Chaopeng as well. He stood perfectly still, hands clasped behind his back, as straight and rigid as a javelin, his chin tilted slightly toward the ceiling.

For a moment, many people felt as if their eyes were playing tricks on them—was the person standing there not Xing Wuyi, but Du Zhanpeng himself?

Xing Wuyi did not spare a glance for Du Chaopeng at his feet. He said dismissively, “Scram.”

In that instant, Xing Wuyi seemed possessed by Du Zhanpeng. Every gesture, every movement was imbued with Du Zhanpeng’s imposing aura.

Du Chaopeng saw a reflection of Du Zhanpeng in Xing Wuyi. Years of ingrained awe compelled him to instinctively retreat rapidly.

Xing Wuyi strode to the crystal coffin. Staring down at Du Zhanpeng, who appeared to be merely asleep, he said with quiet clarity, “Rest now. I will handle what you should have done.”

Bending down, Xing Wuyi hoisted Du Peng onto his back, turned, and bowed deeply to Du Yu. Under the gaze of the crowd, he swiftly exited the mourning hall.

Qin Fen gazed at Du Zhanpeng’s coffin, silently executing a perfect military salute. He spoke in a voice only he could hear, “You were an excellent soldier, and a good brother.”

With that, Qin Fen turned and pushed his way out of the throng.

The mourning hall, after that brief flurry of activity, slowly returned to its former solemn order.

However, the already heavy atmosphere of grief was elevated to an even greater intensity by Du Peng’s departure.

Every person who paused before Du Zhanpeng’s coffin cast a gaze of reverence upon him—this was a man who truly stood tall and mighty.

Back in the hospital, Du Peng was once again a bloodied figure.

The residual effects of enduring Du Yu’s blow had only now truly erupted. The fierce destructive power was such that blood seeped out even from his pores.

“Doctor, the patient’s right hand is clenched too tightly. I can’t pry his palm open. If he doesn’t relax, I can’t administer the injection…”

The young nurse’s forehead was already beginning to bead with sweat.

Qin Fen stepped forward, tapped several spots on his shoulder and arm, then leaned close to his ear and murmured, “I am Qin Fen. I’ll hold it for you for now. Relax. I won't let anyone take it.”

The tightly clenched fist slowly opened. The nurse looked with curiosity at the metal box in the palm. What was this object that compelled a man on the verge of losing all consciousness to cling to it so desperately? Could it truly be that important? More important than his own life?

Qin Fen withdrew from the room at a silent signal from Xing Wuyi.

“Shall we go see the other comrades?” Xing Wuyi asked slowly. “There’s an order from above. Due to heavy losses incurred while completing the mission successfully, we are granted a temporary leave. Effective immediately, we are on vacation.”

“Vacation?” Qin Fen walked out with Xing Wuyi, a hint of difficulty coloring his brow.

“What is it? A problem?” Xing Wuyi looked out at the sky. “I’m something of a local authority here. If you have any issues, tell me.”

Qin Fen answered directly, “Lodging. Do you know where I can find the cheapest place? The absolute cheapest! Somewhere that just keeps the wind and rain off. I don’t want to stay at the Du residence anymore.”

Xing Wuyi nodded silently. The Du family wouldn't host Qin Fen for free, after all.

“Why not stay at my place?”

Qin Fen gently shook his head at the invitation. “No. I imagine your methods of handling this will not sit well with your family. It’s better if I don’t burden you further.”

Xing Wuyi shrugged with a flourish. “Then, how about the barracks? The Federation has regulations: active-duty soldiers deployed on missions can seek temporary lodging at the nearest military camp. Even though we are on leave, we still qualify for that statute.”

“Stay at the barracks?” Qin Fen frowned, thinking quickly.

Shengjing was a major city across the entire Federation. The military units here should be top-tier, meaning their training equipment would certainly surpass that of a recruit camp. If he could use all that for free, it would be excellent.

“Can I use the training equipment at the temporary barracks?”

“Of course, you can,” Xing Wuyi clapped Qin Fen on the shoulder. “You have sharp judgment. In the entire Federation, there are perhaps only a dozen places whose training gear rivals the Shengjing Military Camp. But equipment that surpasses it? There truly isn't any.”

“That settles it, the barracks it is,” Qin Fen followed Xing Wuyi toward another wing of the hospital. “Let’s check on our comrades first, then head to the camp.”

All expenses for this mission were covered by the military department. The new recruits, like Du Zhanpeng, had also received the benefit of high-level medical care.

However, none of the others were as gravely injured as Du Zhanpeng, so the conditions in their wards were naturally slightly less superior than his.

The recruits had no complaints about this; compared to the brothers who had died in action, simply being alive was their greatest satisfaction.

What surprised Qin Fen the most was the Mute.

That suicide operative who had risked his life throwing the high-explosive incendiary grenade had miraculously survived.

The formidable Dragon Scale Armor had saved his life, leaving him the only person whose injuries surpassed Du Peng’s. He remained unconscious in the highest-level intensive care unit. Twelve bullets had failed to kill him, a fact that even veteran doctors found astonishing. This recruit’s will to live was too strong.

Or perhaps, it shouldn't be called a will to live, but rather a certain obsession that forced even the Grim Reaper to grow weary and abandon his task of collecting the soul.

The others were delighted to see Qin Fen unharmed. Although they hadn't spent long together, they had shared life and death, and their bond had become incomparably solid without them realizing it.

The warm atmosphere persisted late into the night. Even Xing Wuyi’s heavy heart was somewhat eased by this profound warmth.

Du Zhanpeng’s mourning hall lacked the bustle of the daytime. Only a few soldiers remained, standing guard, awaiting the morrow when his body would be taken for cremation.

In the quiet night, under the pitch-black sky.

Several figures appeared silently behind the guards.

Hand-chops, perfectly uniform, struck the base of the guards' skulls simultaneously. These guards never knew what happened before they fell unconscious.

The hall, stripped of its guards, grew even quieter. Several figures clad in black clothing stepped inside together.

“Brother Zhan, even if I don’t understand why you’re interested in stealing a corpse, for such a minor matter, you only needed to give an order. There was no need for you to come personally, was there?”

A black-clad man addressed the man leading the group—a figure one hundred and eighty-five centimeters tall, with a body sculpted into perfect golden proportions.

The man called Brother Zhan stared at Du Zhanpeng in the crystal coffin, speaking as if to himself. “He has his reasons for me to come personally. If the legendary Seven-Star Immortal Thunder Sacred-Grade Wheel is truly as miraculous as rumored, then…”

Brother Zhan’s hand gently stroked the crystal coffin. This material, reasonably sturdy, dissolved into dust in an instant.

The black-clad men following him watched with eyes shining with reverence.

This feat of turning stone to dust, they could all accomplish. However, to do it like Brother Zhan—to silently vibrate the shattered powder into fine ash, or perhaps to break it down into individual molecules—that was beyond them.

Brother Zhan bent down lightly. He gently lifted Du Zhanpeng, who lay amidst the flowers, and turned toward the exit of the hall.

The black-clad men shook their heads repeatedly. They couldn't fathom why this man, who usually seemed indifferent to everything, insisted on personally rushing from Jupiter to Shengjing just to collect a corpse.

But did his objective matter? The eyes of the followers were filled with smiles. Whatever he intended to do—just follow him!

“Halt.”

A deep voice echoed from the room adjacent to the mourning hall.

Du Yu, clad in the uniform of a Major General, stepped out from the inner chambers.

His pace was unhurried. The floorboards beneath his feet were not shattered into dust like those subjected to the battles of Qin Fen and his group.

He hadn't even utilized any internal energy. Years spent in high office had fostered a profound, imposing pressure, but when near Du Hen, as his son, he had deliberately restrained his aura.

Du Yu calmly regarded the masked black-clad men. His measured tone carried an undeniable command: “May I ask you to put down my son?”

The eyes of the black-clad men lit up simultaneously, a brilliance that rivaled the searchlights on a dark night. The hairs on their bodies stood on end instantly. A martial artist’s intuition screamed that this middle-aged man, releasing no true qi, was a powerhouse! A very, very strong powerhouse!

“May I?” Du Yu did not look at the other men. He fixed his gaze on the man called Brother Zhan.

This man, too, used no true qi, and his eyes showed no surprise, or indeed any discernible emotion. He, too, was a master.

Du Yu could sense that the others were also strong, but the most formidable among them was undoubtedly this man named Brother Zhan.

Du Yu was, in fact, quite astonished. He couldn't comprehend where so many powerful masters had suddenly appeared. Why were they here now, simply to take away Du Zhanpeng’s body?

What faction did these people belong to?

Du Yu desperately wanted to detain them and demand answers to all these incomprehensible matters.

Yet, he did not actually act on that thought. None of these individuals were weak, and the one called Brother Zhan was a rare elite master.

“No.”

Brother Zhan shook his head almost imperceptibly. His tone remained utterly flat, so plain that it suggested he was utterly disinterested in everything.

“I think you should stay,” Du Yu’s voice was as casual as inviting an old friend to dinner. Before his words even fully faded, his right hand shot out, reaching toward Brother Zhan, who was more than twenty meters away.