Fang Senyan smiled, remaining silent. He walked all the way down into the gorge, nearing the water's edge, before a hint of confusion crossed his face: “How strange.

Why hasn’t he arrived yet?” The Android One coughed lightly: “Perhaps he arrived long ago, but you simply failed to notice.” Fang Senyan stated flatly: “Impossible. Because he is hunting prey, not ambushing it!

Look at animals like cheetahs, lions, or wolves; they can be patient while waiting for their quarry, but during a chase, they won’t surrender even the smallest opportunity to take down the target. Any animal that dares to waste an opening gets… brutally eliminated by Nature.” “Something must have happened,” Fang Senyan stopped walking, his gaze serious.

“Based on the data we possess, even a standard Predator has rapid healing capabilities, let alone this one, clearly a boss-level entity… Could it be Roney, or perhaps D'Artagnan? Only they would possess trump cards.

Roney seems highly likely. Does this mean I’ve gained some precious time for setting the stage?” The Android One remained silent.

In his mind, Fang Senyan should have run here to exploit the powerful Predator’s lack of technological gear, smear himself with mud, hide in the water, and successfully evade capture. However, even the cunning Android One overlooked one crucial fact: the direction Fang Senyan was currently advancing was the exact same direction as the massive, bizarre footprint they had previously discovered!

At this moment, 2.7 million kilometers away from Aepulon, inside the Little Eagle Base, Mongo was already firmly in control. He felt little pressure now.

The mission he was supposed to complete had been more than fulfilled: not only had he confirmed the presence of extremely rich deposits of the Qian ore vein on Aepulon, but he had also established a connection with Prince Pomparou. He could even afford to be a bit perfunctory with the Old Man on minor issues now.

Fang Senyan and his cohort’s wretched predicament was visible to Mongo, yet he was powerless to intervene, and in his helplessness, he felt a deep, aching frustration! Because every single one of Fang Senyan’s group who died meant the world lost at least two hundred pounds of high-purity Qian element bars.

Most importantly, it now appeared likely that none of them would escape. This feeling of watching a perfectly cooked duck fly away was intensely irritating to Mongo.

But aside from giving his nearby female secretary a firm pinch on the backside, he had no other avenue for release. “In the future, I’ll just have to take down a few more Aliens for you,” Mongo thought without a shred of decency, kicking his legs up onto the executive chair.

Despite the Aliens’ technology being superior to humanity’s, Mongo remained full of unshakeable confidence. The reason, to put it crudely, or perhaps biologically speaking, stemmed from the structural differences between the two races’ **.

Currently, the Empire’s total population numbered… over seven thousand zhao people, and that didn't even account for the countless planets under the Empire’s dominion, nor did it factor in the census data from thirty years prior. It certainly didn’t include that group of… rebels from the Autonomous Alliance.

According to precise intelligence, the total number of Aliens ranged between five hundred thousand and one million. One million against over seven thousand zhao.

And although there was a disparity in technological levels, both sides were still operating within the same general era. Therefore, the war's outcome was never in doubt.

Once the war began, the only consideration was how many warships and how much population the Empire would lose. The Empire’s previous hesitation was mainly due to needing to heed the scientists' warnings: deep entanglement with a divergent species from another plane could trigger unpredictable consequences and immense risk.

But in the face of sufficient profit—specifically, sufficient Qian ore veins—this risk shifted from being "potentially unmanageable" high risk to "manageable" low risk. However, just then, a green light suddenly flashed on Mongo’s desk.

Being in a state of boredom, he pressed the button on the console: “Enter.” Mongo’s adjutant entered, escorting a lieutenant named Archer. Archer was an administrative officer, though quite skilled in technical matters; otherwise, he wouldn't have climbed from the lowest civilian class to his current position.

Archer was, in fact, the man previously assigned to guide Fang Senyan. Archer glanced at Mongo’s bald head and stammered: “General, I have understood from your address that the mission has been successfully completed, but I also heard that some allied forces remain trapped inside.” Mongo had indeed announced the successful news immediately after his triumph to boost morale.

However, he was also coveting the high-purity Qian element bars held by Fang Senyan’s group, so he had also mentioned their predicament. A good leader knows how to delegate pressure to subordinates, and sure enough, someone stepped forward.

Archer stammered again: “The Little Eagle’s reactors are all operating under extreme overload. You must be using this ultra-high-frequency output to penetrate the Predator blockade, and then observing the situation inside via the Androids’ built-in cameras, correct?” Mongo frowned, displeased: “Get to the point!” Startled, Archer immediately said: “Sir, if you could redirect the energy from the overloaded reactor output and channel it into our radar jammers, then by simply aggregating the wave bands, it should also be effective against the Predator mothership.

To put it simply, it could disable at least 80% of their detection systems.” Mongo was fully aware of Fang Senyan’s current situation. After hearing Archer’s suggestion, he slapped his thigh: “Excellent!

You take charge of this operation! If you succeed, you get two promotions.

If you fail, you face a court-martial!” Fang Senyan stopped walking. The terrain here was particularly unusual.

On this plateau, the river flowed through a deep, sheer gorge, its cliffs typically vertical, making climbing nearly impossible. Only at this specific location did the slopes on either side of the gorge, spanning about three to four kilometers, present a breach—the incline was at most forty degrees, showing clear signs of collapse.

The river’s width also noticeably increased here, causing the current to slow down naturally. As a result, the riverbank was littered with house-sized boulders, the ground was slick and covered in moss-like vegetation, making the terrain exceedingly complex.

This presented a significant tactical disadvantage for the Predator Arbitrator, who relied solely on spears. It was obvious that water was readily available here, so no clan would establish its lair in this spot.

Creatures usually came here to drink their fill before sunset, so the area was currently relatively deserted. Fang Senyan had chosen precisely this spot for the confrontation.

For him, finding such a location increased his chances of victory from a mere four-tenths to five-tenths. If he could drag the enemy into a water battle, the odds could even reach six-tenths!

Suddenly, a small pebble tumbled down from the adjacent cliff, bouncing off the rock face with a series of light taps before plopping into the not-so-turbulent river water, stirring a tiny ripple that shattered the area’s stillness. Instinctively, Fang Senyan looked up towards the source of the stone and saw a person.

A man, covered in blood, clearly in a state of near-death. Roney.

He looked dreadful; not only was his right arm severed at the shoulder, but his abdominal wound was allowing his intestines to spill out, dangling nearly half a meter outside his body. Furthermore, he was bound tightly, wrapped in a hunting net, dangling precariously from a hook embedded in the rock face hundreds of meters up the cliff, his only support a blood-red spear driven into the stone.

“Finally arrived?” Fang Senyan asked calmly. At that moment, the Predator Arbitrator’s lean, imposing figure appeared on the slope.

He looked little different from when he had first stepped off the medical platform, save for a terrifying cross-shaped gash deeply carved into his chest. The surrounding blood scab was dark green and looked freshly formed; the bare, white bone inside was clearly visible.

He stood there, facing Fang Senyan’s position, gripping a blood-colored spear, and began his descent step by measured step, completely fearless, brimming with an unwavering conviction. Although the Blood Spear was severely wounded and completely defenseless now, he believed in the battle spear in his hand.

This belief transcended mere life and death! To be precise, he had entrusted life and death itself to this conviction!

Fang Senyan retreated shamefully, which was expected and no cause for embarrassment. He needed to buy more time—he had to stall until his engineered disease took effect on the creature; that would be the prelude to the counterattack!

The disease had already been acting on the Predator Arbitrator for nearly ten minutes, painstakingly deciphering its immune system. Now, it was continuing to break down the data.

Therefore, Fang Senyan set his personal goal: eight minutes. Stalling the Predator Arbitrator for eight minutes in this labyrinthine field of broken rocks might be an arduous task, but it was one Fang Senyan had no choice but to face and challenge.

Suddenly, an overwhelming sense of threat surged through Fang Senyan. Since the Predator Arbitrator had lost his sensory amplification gear, his sensory capabilities were perhaps the only area where Fang Senyan held an advantage.

Thus, Fang Senyan decisively leaped aside. While airborne, an indescribable beam of light pierced through him!

Only then did the Predator Arbitrator perform his signature move—a slow-motion replay of a throw as he calmly straightened his body! I must recommend a book to fellow arcade enthusiasts: KOF Dao: Game World.

This is a truly captivating novel. For those who play arcade games, you will see your own experiences from middle school, high school, and beyond reflected within its pages—it is truly unforgettable!

.RT