Though the foul phantom particles looked utterly repulsive in both sight and smell, Zi maintained a remarkably composed demeanor. This was likely because a method used to process one of her favorite coffees involved grinding unabsorbed beans recovered from lemur feces—a process possessing a striking similarity to this vile substance.
Fang Senyan meticulously inquired about the manner of Freddy’s kills as observed by Old Charlie. He realized that if this method were used covertly to ambush someone, it was utterly insidious and vicious to the extreme, a perfect example of subduing an enemy without a fight.
However, according to Old Charlie, after killing this Contractor, Freddy had vociferously expressed his desire to savor the unprecedented thrill of this particular method of slaughter. He then burrowed deep into Old Charlie’s Sea of Consciousness, suggesting that the expenditure of his own energy must have been quite substantial.
From the information Freddy extracted from the mind of the man named Gulisi, the military had another plan: to air-drop the entire transport system using a heavy-lift helicopter like the Z-8. This approach was chosen because land-based operations create massive noise and draw away most of the attention. Therefore, their other two companions should currently have one person positioned to intercept aerial assets while the other continues to monitor and gather intelligence to prevent alternative routes.
Without external tools, humans obviously cannot fly. Thus, to successfully intercept the airborne operation, one would surely need to station themselves not far from the landing zone, in a location boasting high ground.
Consequently, despite lacking any concrete intelligence, Fang Senyan and his team consulted their map and easily identified the three most suitable high points within the valley surrounding Peace Town. By establishing positions at these three vantage points, no matter which direction the transport Z-8 approached from, it would be within their effective range.
En route to Peace Town, San Zai activated the built-in LCD television in the vehicle. Suddenly, a news report captured Fang Senyan’s attention:
“Recently, rumors surrounding the Mayan prophecy of 2012 have plagued the globe, leading to social unrest in numerous regions. Incidents of looting and arson have been particularly pronounced. In the famous American Motor City, Detroit, a massive terrorist incident occurred. A skyscraper exploded violently, even leading to its collapse, causing heavy casualties among innocent citizens. According to eyewitness accounts from the scene, certain events occurred that defy scientific explanation. Please tune in for follow-up reports.”
“Detroit??” The three words immediately snagged the attention of Fang Senyan and the others, as the powerful, blood-soaked Lieutenant General Sword, Apophis, had been acquired from that very city. However, this news segment was delivered purely through text; there was no visual material that Fang Senyan’s group desired. Fortunately, the vehicle they had 'borrowed' also contained a laptop computer, which they immediately connected to the WiFi to delve deeper.
The incident was clearly causing a major stir within the US, and detailed accounts had already surfaced on numerous forums. Fang Senyan instantly recognized the collapsed building; it was the very location where they had jointly slain the Servant of God. Reference photos of the building before its destruction, posted alongside the news, clearly showed a terrifying crescent-shaped gouge in the lower-middle section of the structure. This crescent deeply carved into the building's interior, and even by the naked eye, one could determine its height and radius exceeded twenty meters! This created a distinct, sweeping arc deep inside the structure.
At the edge of the eroded breach, twisted rebar, splintered wood, and other debris hung loose like gruesome, shredded viscera. One could almost sense the smoky residue, pulverized into ash, ready to drift away on the wind!
The bizarre aspect was that, according to gravity, the building should have collapsed toward the direction of that massive corrosion. Instead, it defied all logic: it fell backward, exposing the enormous wound in its abdomen, as if some vast, mysterious, unknown force, while eroding the structure, had simultaneously generated an immense outward pushing power that literally shoved the building over.
Beneath the picture, the subsequent comments were filled with astonishment:
“Good heavens, this building wasn't even five years old, yet its steel framework is corroded like it’s been submerged at the bottom of the Atlantic for a hundred years? Even though I’m in China and not back home, I still have to condemn such corruption.”
“The guy above is just showing off.”
“I’m so thrilled I ate KFC there last week before it fell! Even more thrilled that I didn't go for KFC that day. —A Chinese student in Detroit.”
“Life is as lonely as snow. I bought a set of Versace there on my last trip to Detroit.”
“Rich, handsome guys looking for sponsorship.”
“Looks like shoddy construction is a global problem.”
“This is clearly a fight between Ultraman and Godzilla. The 2B below should continue.”
“Down with American Imperialism… Continue your mom…” Fang Senyan quickly searched several other forums; the pictures were largely similar. However, a website based in Taiwan appeared to have posted photographs taken from an adjacent skyscraper. From this aerial perspective, the demolished building was indeed the worst hit, but several other nearby structures also showed severe damage and were emitting thick smoke.
Fang Senyan's eyes suddenly lit up. He quickly magnified a photo and examined it closely. Fortunately, the pixel quality was quite good. He made out a perfectly circular hole, the size of a washbasin, visible in the glass curtain wall of a neighboring building. The truly bizarre aspect was that the view through this circular hole clearly showed the scenery on the opposite side!! This implied that some powerful energy strike had pierced completely through the entire building!
Upon seeing the hole, Zi immediately remarked:
“That’s the mark left by Loki’s Gungnir! Look at the edges where the glass curtain wall was penetrated.”
With Zi’s observation, Fang Senyan and the others noticed that the edges of the hole were coated with a residue that looked like melted and then re-solidified wax oil! But the dried, cooled marks showed a pattern of explosive splattering, illustrating the fierce sharpness at the moment of penetration!
Zi added:
“When Loki first met us, he killed someone. Although he concealed it well, I noticed it. The traces left where his Gungnir pierces something always look like this.”
Subsequently, Fang Senyan and his group collected a good deal more photographic material on their journey. It seemed many people were rather shrewdly building their happiness upon the suffering of the US. Based on their current observations, they tallied that Loki had attacked a total of thirteen times!
Fang Senyan mentally reconstructed the situation. Sensing the Servant of God had been killed, the entity called 'Fu' must have been enraged and teleported over. However, teleportation under such circumstances likely caused a huge disturbance, which allowed Loki to detect him and pursue immediately.
Loki, discovering that Fu had lost the magic sword Apophis, proactively launched his attack. The two monstrous beings engaged in a fierce dragon-and-tiger battle, much to the misfortune of the surrounding citizens and architecture...
“But we don’t know how the final battle concluded,” Reef murmured thoughtfully.
Fang Senyan considered for a moment:
“Mutual destruction, or perhaps Loki was outmatched and fled.”
Zi looked quizzically at him:
“Why are you so pessimistic about him?”
Fang Senyan explained seriously: “Loki’s Gungnir relies on a single, decisive strike—a blow so authoritative that even the gods tremble beneath its majesty, much like an Emperor’s decree is immutable: if he says you must die, you shall not live! Yet, in this battle, Loki has already cast his spear over ten times! This shows his mind is utterly disturbed. Imagine an Emperor issuing an edict more than ten times without effect; that Emperor is essentially finished, having already conceded the psychological advantage and lost all authority.”
Reef offered his perspective: “If these two clash head-on, it must be a confrontation where two tigers fight and one is wounded. Even if there are no fatalities, both sides must have suffered a massive drain on their vital energy.”
Fang Senyan nodded: “That seems right. Therefore, for the next two or three days, we shouldn't worry about being attacked by either of them. The injuries sustained from their confrontation would not heal so easily.”
At that moment, the vehicle shuddered slightly and stopped. The group realized Peace Town was just ahead. Since the threat from Fu and Loki was temporarily neutralized, they decided to split into two groups to conduct a sweep of the two pre-selected locations.
Fang Senyan and San Zai jumped out first, heading toward the protrusion on the western mountainside. The remaining members proceeded to the valley indentation on the east. If neither group found anything, they would converge toward the center point simultaneously.
About a hundred meters short of the western point, Fang Senyan suddenly sensed an intense wave of danger, causing him to halt abruptly. He looked up and saw a middle-aged man in yellow clothing staring down from about a hundred meters ahead.
The man’s complexion was ashen and sickly, suggesting malnutrition. Beside him rested a silvery-white box. After sparing Fang Senyan an extra glance, the man fixed him with an intensely malicious gaze that seemed intended to pierce his very organs, and hissed word by word:
“You will surely die here.”
As the middle-aged man finished speaking, Fang Senyan felt an intensely uncomfortable sensation deep in his chest, as if his heart had suddenly leaped to 180 beats per minute, only to drop to five or six beats a few seconds later, cycling this agonizing rhythm almost enough to make him vomit blood.
Fang Senyan also observed that after uttering the threat, the man's face had turned terrifyingly pale, and thin trickles of blood were seeping from the corners of his mouth!
But at that moment, the man's right hand plunged into the silvery-white box. Instantly, the box began to rotate and fold like a Rubik's Cube, eventually transforming with incredible speed into a terrifyingly sharp, silvery-white machine gun!!