The sight of the throwing icon on the sub-vessel left Fang Senyan with a heavy, stone-like weight in his chest; the image of that cylinder seemed to swim perpetually before his eyes.

At that moment, he lacked the energy to say much more to Android No. 1, and strode out.

As soon as Fang Senyan saw the others, his face hardened:

"The ship is damaged! It's completely grounded now. Paul, I suspect you’re behind this!"

This was the final step of Fang Senyan’s plan: to see Paul utterly isolated by everyone!

Fang Senyan was a man who held deep grudges. Paul had previously bought off two people within the team, attempting to cause a rift, which had delivered a crushing blow to Fang Senyan. While it hadn't left him seeing stars, it had undeniably dismantled a series of plans he had lined up.

Faced with such a situation, how could Fang Senyan simply let it go with a laugh? Repaying evil with good—that wasn't his style, and in the Nightmare Space, no one truly operated that way!

Thus, Fang Senyan, in his role as MT, collaborating with Aldaris and Ronnie, pressed Paul relentlessly but with calculated restraint. The goal was to corner Paul bit by bit, leaving him absolutely no room for maneuver or mercy. The tighter Fang Senyan squeezed, the more Paul would cling to any opportunity to take desperate measures, thus making mistakes—mistakes that Fang Senyan could exploit to destroy him!

As for the destruction of the Predator ship, Fang Senyan possessed such deep cunning that he had long prepared countermeasures and wasn't overly concerned about that detail.

When Fang Senyan voiced his suspicion toward Paul, the crowd erupted, naturally directing all their animosity toward the man. Paul, however, remained cool:

"If I say I didn't do it, you all certainly won't believe me, will you?"

Fang Senyan replied evenly:

"You are the only one with the motive to do this. Because if you did it, you wouldn't have to risk death, and instead, you could utilize the modifications you made to your own Wasp flyer to achieve a one hundred percent escape rate."

A strange, cryptic smile suddenly crossed Paul’s face:

"What if it was me?"

Fang Senyan regarded him slowly:

"Nothing much. Killing you won't be particularly difficult!"

Fang Senyan’s tone was calm, yet his words carried a chilling, sharp edge.

Paul scoffed dismissively:

"Based on you? If you didn’t have those two lackeys helping, would you dare say that to my face?"

Fang Senyan stated calmly:

"I recall I was the one who killed Greyback Belon first, and then returned to help you eliminate a Predator. Killing you alone wouldn't be much harder than killing a dog."

Everyone had witnessed Fang Senyan’s brilliant combat record. To a great extent, this was why D’Artagnan and Bokhan were slowly beginning to align themselves back with Fang Senyan’s faction—an MT whose offensive power was so immense he could single-handedly slay a leading figure among the elite Predators!

At this thought, another matter couldn't help but surface in their minds: Ronnie had already fully sided with Fang Senyan, and now there was Aldaris too! How overwhelming would the combined offensive might of these three be? If they ever turned against him, could he possibly withstand it?

Faced with Fang Senyan’s sharp retort, Paul sneered:

"I truly wish to show you what real power is. It’s just that I have things to attend to right now, no time to waste on meaningless back-and-forth with you..."

Before Paul could utter the last syllable, a deep, shadowy gleam flashed violently behind him, immediately followed by an incredibly crisp sound of clashing metal. "Paul" froze on the spot. A grating sound emanated from the center of his forehead as a fissure slowly cracked open, revealing complex mechanical structures within.

Ronnie, without anyone noticing, had crept up and delivered a lethal strike!

However, this Paul was merely an astonishingly lifelike Iron Puppet!!

Fang Senyan’s pupils contracted slightly. He hadn't expected to be fooled by Paul yet again! He hadn't even realized when the substitution had occurred! But even if Paul had seized the opportunity to escape, everything still remained within Fang Senyan's grasp, not deviating from his overall trajectory.

He was about to speak with a stern expression when a series of roars suddenly echoed across the horizon—a sound like a string of thunderclaps detonating in the sky!

Everyone looked up simultaneously and saw a meteor, resembling a massive ball of fire, appearing in the heavens. It grew from small to large, closing the distance rapidly, speeding directly toward their location! That thunderous sound was the violent sonic boom caused by its excessive speed, preventing the air in front of it from parting quickly enough.

The object screamed past just above their heads, then slammed into the grassland two or three kilometers ahead at a thirty-degree angle. It kicked up enormous plumes of dirt and debris, soaring nearly a hundred meters high, almost blotting out the sky. Where it landed, a horrifying crater the size of a basketball court appeared, indicating the sheer violence of the impact!

Fang Senyan instantly recalled the scene he witnessed inside the Predator ship. His heart tightened, and he said sternly:

"This is likely the final gambit dispatched by the Yautja race against us! Everyone, be cautious!"

Knowing Fang Senyan was not one to alarm others unnecessarily, the group felt a deep tremor of apprehension. Taking deep breaths, they followed Fang Senyan as he strode forward. The air still carried an indescribable, searing heat, mixed with the smell of scorched earth rising from underground—a bizarre combination.

When they reached the edge of the massive crater, they noticed that although most of it was buried under collapsed earth, a corner of dark ochre was still faintly visible deep within the pit. Bokhan pointed his staff, and the obscuring dirt instantly parted like waves, revealing a very strange object.

The overall shape resembled a capsule, albeit magnified many times. It was about five meters long and two meters wide. Its surface temperature was extremely high, clearly still smoking from its violent friction with the atmosphere.

Fang Senyan narrowed his eyes. The surrounding people stood ready, awaiting any sign of movement. After waiting about a minute with no activity, Fang Senyan decided to advance toward the ‘capsule’ with firm steps! Although the soil was soft and the pit still radiated intense heat, Fang Senyan walked as if on solid ground, sinking deeply into the earth with every footfall, clearly proceeding with extreme caution.

The reason Fang Senyan dared to approach was his own formidable vitality, coupled with the instant escape ability granted by the magical ring from Hogwarts. If the enemy couldn't instantly kill him, Fang Senyan could vanish after one strike. While his movement speed wasn't exceptional, he possessed the monstrous Dark Gold Leech to ensnare and suppress any sniper, greatly increasing his chances of survival.

A creature capable of dealing over four thousand points of terrifying damage to a Contractor in a single blow—honestly, in the entire Nightmare World, such beings were few and far between, probably limited to titans like the Dark Lord Sauron. Otherwise, if Fang Senyan himself could be instantly killed, the others would likely suffer gruesome fates from even the residual shockwaves. The Space wouldn't typically stage such astonishing scenarios without reason.

Fang Senyan closed the distance to the flying apparatus step by step. It would be a lie to say he wasn't tense, but Fang Senyan concealed it well, maintaining a composed demeanor that suppressed his innate fear and panic.

Upon closer inspection, he realized the object wasn't a bomb, but rather resembled a life pod. Next, Fang Senyan spotted a button. A gentle touch caused a handle to spring out beside it.

The handle was enormous. Fang Senyan, already a sturdy adult, found that his hand barely covered the grip, making him feel like a child. He glanced back at the others; they all admired Fang Senyan's courage and sense of responsibility, nodding their heads in agreement to remain vigilant.

Though the handle was massive, Fang Senyan’s strength was considerable. He pulled hard, but the resistance offered was surprisingly light, causing him to stumble half a step, looking somewhat flustered.

With that pull, the life pod door hissed open, and a collective sound of astonishment rose from behind him. Because the door blocked his view, Fang Senyan didn't see the interior immediately, but he reacted instantly, crossing his arms defensively in front of him. However, a sharply pungent smell of sulfur immediately assaulted his nostrils.

Fang Senyan rolled backward in a flip and looked up. His pupils contracted sharply—the life pod was completely EMPTY!!

The Predator certainly wouldn't abandon a life pod without reason! Thoughts flashed through Fang Senyan’s mind as he scrutinized the interior again, immediately spotting subtle differences in the details.

Firstly, this life pod appeared custom-made; the interior was dominated by a vibrant crimson hue. Based on the pod’s dimensions, the Predator inside would be at least a head taller than an ordinary Yautja. Furthermore, indentations on the side indicated that this being carried a substantial amount of elite weaponry.

This pod had landed and moved out of their line of sight for less than a minute. In that timeframe, this creature managed to climb out, reorganize its gear, and vanish without leaving a single trace. Such capability... it was chilling to contemplate.

"Could this be the ultimate weapon deployed from the Predator mothership? Can this single Predator, one that favors the color red, eliminate all of us??" (To be continued) RQ