Wēi suddenly plunged into a world of blinding white, enveloped head to toe in it, as if transported into the clouds. She slowly closed her eyes, a faint smile touching her lips.

Vaguely, she heard a sigh so faint it was almost nothing, not clearly discernible, like a sound drifting from a far-off, ethereal place.

"Fool."

A soft voice, one familiar beyond all recognition, exploded beside her ear, stirring up titanic waves in her soul, which had been reduced to cold ash. Her eyes snapped open, but before her was still only the swirling white. Her body struggled violently, her voice trembling, "Is... is that you..."

"He isn't dead." A fierce will to live erupted from her psyche, but it was too late; not a trace of strength remained in her body. Unable to resist the pull of gravity, she plummeted straight toward the earth.

No—she shrieked internally. Suddenly, the sound of rushing wind by her ears ceased. Two strong hands sliced through beneath her neck and behind her knees, catching her in an embrace.

In that instant, her heart nearly stopped beating. She strained her head back, desperate to see that face once more, but the deluge of tears blurred her vision. No matter how hard she tried, she could only make out a vague silhouette.

"Is it you?"

Wēi’s lips trembled; uttering those words seemed to drain the very last of her strength.

"Don't speak," a warm, deep voice murmured near her ear. That familiar cadence made Wēi's tears flow even faster.

She felt her body being settled into some kind of containment unit. Throughout the entire process, she was as docile as a kitten; at that moment, whatever he intended to do, she would not have resisted in the slightest.

"Stay put right here. I’ll clear out the trash around here first. I'll be back shortly." A hand, slightly rough, gently stroked her cheek. The hand felt so incredibly warm that she couldn't help but rub her face against it.

The hand pulled away. Wēi suddenly felt him about to leave. Anxiety spiked instantly. Summoning a sliver of strength from an unknown source, she grabbed his hand, pleading desperately, "Don't go..."

"Fool." As he spoke, Zhōng Yún cupped her delicate head, pressing a light kiss onto her forehead. "Be good. Close your eyes. Count to three hundred. Then open them, and you’ll see me."

Wēi released his hand and obediently shut her eyes, beginning the count. "One. Two. Three..."

Zhōng Yún smiled as he watched her, closing the hatch of the Lone Goose. With the Lone Goose protecting her, Wēi would be safe from any mishap.

Just moments ago, he had been hidden inside the Lone Goose, weathering that massive bombardment. Had he not, he would have been reduced to ash.

However, although the Lone Goose had successfully activated, only one function remained operational: the defensive system. All other offensive and weapon systems were utterly destroyed.

In short, the Lone Goose could only serve as a shield; it could no longer be used for killing.

As soon as the hatch sealed, Zhōng Yún’s expression hardened, becoming chillingly murderous. Now was the time to settle accounts—not just his accounts, but Wēi's as well.

Though the white mist could block detection rays and the perception of body technique masters, it could not stop signal transmission. He had used a decoder to crack the outer system of the Kè Dōng family residence. (This residence actually had two sets of control systems, internal and external; Zhōng Yún, unaware of this complexity, only breached the outer layer, which is why the alarm triggered at the last moment.) Through the surveillance monitors set up in the courtyard, he had watched the enemy’s every move.

Sitting inside the Lone Goose, he had witnessed the entire sequence of events. Things had unfolded too rapidly; by the time he realized something was wrong and tried to rush out to rescue her, Wēi had already been injured and was falling from the sky.

Seeing her so utterly weakened, the fury in Zhōng Yún’s heart was nearly uncontrollable. Only the blood of his enemies could extinguish it.

He drew his Ion Vibrating Blade and sprinted out swiftly. His perception range was vast, meaning he usually detected the enemy first upon engagement, granting him a complete advantage. In a mere minute and a half, he had slaughtered every single intruder.

He stepped out of the white mist and strode toward the operation's commander, Old Third.

Old Third stared at the figure who looked like a god of slaughter emerging from hell, his heart seizing with terror. He could barely believe his eyes. "You... you're alive?"

Zhōng Yún was clad in black protective gear, holding the meter-long, hand-width Ion Vibrating Blade aloft. With every step he took, it felt as if he were stomping directly on Old Third’s heart. He had never experienced such terrifying, crushing pressure.

The men beside him held Ion Guns, a dozen barrels pointed at Zhōng Yún, yet they dared not fire.

This was "Intimidation," a skill Zhōng Yún had learned that proved highly effective against those weaker than himself. It created an overwhelming psychological burden, causing enemies to collapse automatically—a technique for achieving victory without battle.

Ultimately, it was because these people were weaker than him. If he used this technique on Wēi or Zēng Chényǔ, it wouldn't achieve much effect.

Perhaps affected by that wave of pressure, Wén Zhú stirred and awoke faintly. The moment she looked up, she saw the scene. "Zhōng Yún, you didn't die?" She couldn't tell if surprise or joy colored her voice.

"What are you trying to do?" She quickly registered her Third Uncle's perilous situation. She struggled to stand, rushing forward to interpose herself between Old Third and Zhōng Yún. "I won't let you harm my Third Uncle."

Her body technique ranked Fourteenth Level, slightly lower than her uncle’s, but under Zhōng Yún's pressure, she was performing far better. Spreading her arms, she shielded Old Third, who was nearly forced to his knees by the oppressive force.

"Move aside," Zhōng Yún's voice was cold as ice.

"It really is you." Wén Xiù grew agitated, tears involuntarily welling up. "Why are you doing this to me? You burst into my home and killed so many of us, and now you want to kill my Third Uncle—why?"

She screamed with all the strength in her body, her voice shrill, "Why? Why? Why?..."

She couldn't comprehend how things had devolved to this state. Only hours ago, they had been inseparable friends, having arrived together arm-in-arm. How could everything have flipped in just a few short hours?

Zhōng Yún’s steps finally halted. He looked at the heartbroken woman. "I just want what belongs to me..."

"Whatever you want, I’ll give it to you, just promise to spare us," Old Third reacted swiftly, grasping onto this as a lifeline.

Zhōng Yún looked at him coldly. That silent gaze sent a chill through Old Third's heart.

"What I want, your Kè Dōng family cannot afford to give."

Zhōng Yún’s declaration was impossibly bold. What exactly was he demanding? Old Third wondered, unable to fathom it.

Before Zhōng Yún, he lacked the courage to resist. In truth, with his own strength plus the dozen or so Level Ten masters surrounding him, a desperate, all-out fight might not have defeated Zhōng Yún, but it could have caused him significant trouble, perhaps even inflicting a wound.

Unfortunately, being born into a noble house, he lacked the recklessness of a desperate brawler. The moment Zhōng Yún displayed power they felt utterly incapable of confronting, he surrendered. This reflected the survival doctrine of the great houses: faced with superior force, they submit.

"Don't bargain with him!" Wén Xiù suddenly shrieked, losing control.

Old Third paid her no heed. Unlike Wén Zhú, he wasn't naive; this wasn't the time to play the hero. Survival was paramount.

He gritted his teeth. "Second Brother is missing. I am in charge of the entire Kè Dōng family now. I will pay you a substantial price to redeem my life."

"Heh heh heh..." A deep, muffled laugh rumbled from Zhōng Yún’s chest, making Old Third’s nerves jump and his tension reach its absolute peak.

"Deal."

Old Third swelled with wild elation, his taut nerves finally relaxing. "Do you want money? Or something else? How much? I’ll send someone to fetch it. Rest assured, I’ll stay here as a hostage; my men absolutely won't cause trouble."

If he agreed to a trade, then he was surely doomed. Old Third lowered his head, fearing the triumph shining in his eyes might be detected by the other man.

The dozen bodyguards behind him let out a collective sigh of relief upon hearing the negotiation and relaxed their vigilance.

"I want..."

The moment the word 'want' left his lips, more than a dozen spiraling blue beams shot out from his body, piercing through Old Third and the remaining dozen or so bodyguards behind him. At that range, killing the men behind Wén Xiù while bypassing her was laughably simple.

Pitiable Old Third, who had thought victory was imminent and felt triumphant for less than three seconds, met his end right there. The dozen bodyguards perished with him.

Zhōng Yún had no intention of sparing them whatsoever. His accounts, and Wēi’s accounts, could only be settled with blood.

The entire front courtyard held only Wén Xiù among the living Kè Dōng family members.

A gust of wind swept by, carrying a faint scent of blood. Ion Guns were weapons that killed without visible blood; this scent of gore came from those who had died under the "Infinite Restraint."

"Kill me too," Wén Xiù suddenly collapsed onto the ground, murmuring weakly.

"I won't kill you." The edge of the Ion Vibrating Blade vanished, and Zhōng Yún tucked the weapon back into his waist sheath. He turned around. "Because you are her best friend." With that, he walked back into the white mist and disappeared.

Wén Xiù could no longer contain herself, sobbing uncontrollably on the ground. She didn't know why she was crying—was it sorrow? Fear? Or regret?

Wēi counted to three hundred in her mind and opened her eyes. Sure enough, she saw Zhōng Yún’s face. A smile bloomed on her face as she struggled to sit up, leaning her body against his.

The cockpit of the Lone Goose was not large. After Zhōng Yún closed the hatch, the two were locked in a face-to-face embrace, not a millimeter of space between their bodies.

"Let's go," Zhōng Yún began activating the Lone Goose.

"Mmm," Wēi hummed softly through her nose, resting her delicate head in the hollow of his shoulder, eyes closed. She didn't want to think about anything, wishing only to remain tightly held like this forever.

The "Insect Bee Two" was already inbound to retrieve him, hovering two kilometers overhead, ready to dock with the Mars.

The Lone Goose suddenly shot upwards, soaring straight into the heavens.

P: Only one chapter today. I got stuck again here; I’ll make up for it tomorrow once I have a clearer outline.