The saying, "Seeing the mountain makes the horse run to death," perfectly described the situation Fang Senyan and his group were in.

As the magnificent Divine Artifact Royal Palace at the city's core grew larger and taller in their sight, the buildings radiating a Protoss aura before Fang Senyan and the other kept appearing endless, one layer after another, resembling an infinite Bagua formation.

Suddenly, Aldaris frowned. "There's a fight over there! I feel energy fluctuations. Someone is unleashing a Psi Storm."

Fang Senyan's mind stirred. "Unleashing a Psi Storm in this location? It seems ineffective inside structures like these. In a street battle environment like this city, a Psi Storm doesn't seem like a good idea."

Aldaris shook his head. "I don't know, but now probably isn't the time to be distracted."

Fang Senyan shook his head. "I seem to smell blood—not the disgusting fishiness of Zerg blood, nor the faint, alcohol-like scent of Protoss blood. If that’s the case, then it’s very possible my companions are in danger. No matter what, I have to go take a look."

Aldaris was naturally indignant and scornful of Fang Senyan's decision, but walking through this deathly silent city without an MT's cover was indeed a perilous undertaking. They passed through shops brimming with merchandise but utterly empty, traversed squares dotted with numerous neat and scattered seats, and eventually found a patch of blood-stained armor.

This armor was forged from manganese carbon steel. The keywords were simple: sturdy and lightweight, which is why it had been widely adopted for the protective gear of Terran Marines. However, judging by the location of this piece, which was over the heart, the wearer had almost no chance of survival.

It was worth noting that near the fragments, traces of a Zealot being killed were also found, looking very much like Ronnie's handiwork: vanishing silently. One strike, instant kill!

After advancing roughly another kilometer, they distinctly heard the familiar, fierce firing of 10mm C-14 Gauss Rifles from ahead, though they could vaguely make out that only three machine guns were in action.

Suddenly, a scream rang out, and the firing became even more chaotic. Fang Senyan charged forward, just in time to see Ronnie locked in fierce combat with a Protoss hero cloaked in a black robe. That hero's head appeared unusually large, as if a massive tumor had sprouted and was seeping inward, and its eyes had turned the blood-red of the Zerg.

At that moment, the Protoss hero’s sickle-shaped Psi Blade had already spun around and descended for a overhead chop. This was also the moment he exposed a huge weakness. Given Ronnie's skill, thrusting directly into the vital point in the center of the chest would have ended the fight instantly. However, if Ronnie struck, he too would suffer a severe injury. Thus, accustomed to taking the enemy's sharpest edge head-on, he could only evade.

But just then, Fang Senyan shouted loudly, "Ronnie, don't dodge, thrust!"

Ronnie's heart clenched. After a multitude of thoughts, he gritted his teeth. The Bloodied Weapon in his hand manifested an indescribably brilliant glow. He resolutely halted his evasion posture and aimed directly at the enemy before him, stabbing forward.

A trade of injuries!

The sharp Psi Blade sliced down with a faint, vibrating hum, dragging a long arc of electrical energy. Ronnie only managed to guard his head, the vital area, but his shoulder instantly erupted in a series of terrifying explosions, like a sudden, bloody storm materializing out of thin air!

Yet, to Ronnie, the damage he sustained felt superficial, nowhere near as severe as anticipated.

However, when Ronnie saw Fang Senyan’s body stagger slightly, he knew that Fang Senyan had likely absorbed the majority of the damage he himself should have endured.

Yes, the moment Fang Senyan roared, he had used Survival Mark on Ronnie.

Ronnie, gripping his Bloodied Weapon, fiercely stabbed toward the enemy before him. The creature immediately let out a pained grunt and reached out, grabbing the edge of Ronnie’s weapon blade. But the overwhelmingly powerful force caused his left hand to explode completely, leaving only half a stump at the wrist, exposing raw, pale bone ends.

Ronnie’s thrust pierced its sternum like splitting bamboo. The Dark Templar Hero’s eyes nearly bulged out, its face flushed a deep, blood-red color. The power of the Bloodied Weapon erupted violently, burrowing deep into its internal organs. Even with the Hero’s tough physique, could one imagine the sensation of the blade slicing a hideous wound across its core with every single heartbeat?

Its gaze rapidly dimmed. Initially filled with resentment and deep-seated unwillingness, as the tumor on its head rapidly withered, its expression shifted to relief. With a soft poof, it spat out a mouthful of blood, its muscles slackened, and it crashed to the ground, dead.

Watching the Dark Templar Hero slowly dissolve into light particles, Fang Senyan said uncertainly, "This guy seems to have been... controlled by the Zerg?"

"Yes," Aldaris confirmed. "The Queen of Blades’ abilities are mysterious. She previously only needed to find a Protoss Executor with compatible genetics to successfully master the ability to unleash Psi Storms. Based on my inference, her mastery of mind control might not be any less extraordinary."

Intense gunfire and Pantan's roar sounded from the distance again. Fang Senyan quickly gathered the others and rushed over, discovering dozens of normal Zerglings swarming Pantan. He was shielding Annie Lu and Gilgishina behind him and was already riddled with wounds, though he seemed to be holding on.

With the addition of the three, especially Aldaris whose particle beam provided area damage, dealing with the smaller Zerglings was something he was very skilled at; one sweep took out a large portion. But by the time Pantan and the others were rescued, Gilgishina had stopped breathing; her trachea had been torn open by a Zergling. Pantan had fought with all his might just to keep her corpse from being devoured.

Clearly, Gilgishina's death hit Pantan hard. Even after all the Zerglings were dead, he maniacally swung his welding torch, screaming hoarsely, until Fang Senyan knocked him out and took the torch away.

Watching the large man collapse on the ground, Fang Senyan first pulled out Endless Vodka and gave Annie Lu, the medic, two large swigs. She groaned, quickly regaining consciousness. The rest was simple: disinfection, wound cleaning, removal of foreign objects—a series of actions executed skillfully. Indeed, life-saving and healing matters were best left to the professionals.

Although time was pressing, they couldn't linger to wait for the two to recover. Seeing how worried Annie Lu was about Pantan, and with some of her own parts still oozing blood, she immediately began treating him, complaining that Fang Senyan and the others had hit too hard when knocking people out.

Fang Senyan could only shrug, his mind dwelling on one question: why were Pantan and the others still being attacked after arriving here?

"This attack has felt unusual from the very beginning... From a personal vengeance perspective, I, who took the Queen of Blades' cherished possession, should be her primary target of hatred. Even if there were grudges requiring action, they should have been hunting us."

"Looking at the composition of the attackers, it's primarily controlled Protoss heroes supported by Zerg forces. This combination has never appeared in previous assaults... So, after ruling out all other possibilities, the most likely explanation, however coincidental, must be the closest to the truth..."

"The meeting of the two groups was a coincidence. It’s highly probable that this controlled Protoss hero knew some secret, so the Queen of Blades sent someone to act as a guide. Wait, this isn't a coincidence! When I indicated the direction of travel, I was explicitly leading them toward the Judicial Council, which possesses the strongest military power. If the Queen of Blades is also targeting this area, doesn't that mean we are on the correct path??"

With this realization, Fang Senyan abruptly declared, "The Protoss likely sent people here too. Their main objective must be the Divine Artifact at the city center! Therefore, the people they sent must be few but elite. If we can handle them, we might uncover that secret!"

At this moment, Pantan woke up. Seeing Gilgishina's corpse brought him immense grief. Fang Senyan walked over, clipped off a lock of Gilgishina's hair, wrapped it carefully, and placed it in Pantan's hand, stating seriously, "If you wish to revive her, there is a way."

Pantan asked in shock, "What?"

Fang Senyan smiled. "High-end cloning technology is operational now, though its massive cost limits it to small-scale use. If we achieve a great merit this time, using this lock of hair to clone Gilgishina will not be difficult. Of course, her memories will only extend up to the moment before her death."

"Really?" Pantan's eyes widened.

Fang Senyan nodded. Pantan was instantly filled with intense fighting spirit.

Subsequently, they continued forward for another two kilometers and, just as Fang Senyan had predicted, encountered an attack from a small contingent of Protoss troops. The leader was none other than the Dark Zealot Kaka, who valued speed above all else.

Kaka plus about twenty ordinary Zealots clearly stood no chance against Fang Senyan and his group. Aldaris alone, relying on his area-effect Particle Beam, could take care of those twenty Zealots without much trouble, and once Kaka was engaged in close combat by Ronnie or Fang Senyan, defeat was almost certain.