In the vast, unending expanse of the Arctic, where eons are less than a blink, time had swiftly rushed past.

The secret-realm-class amphibious stealth warship surfaced for the first time from the deep Arctic ice sheets.

Seven days had passed. Little Dragon King Yang Lie’s chin was obscured by a thick growth of stubble, and his tangled hair concealed any vestige of handsomeness. Only the sharp, flickering light in his eyes told everyone that he was no longer the man he once was.

Qin Fen remembered the first words Yang Lie spoke upon returning to the ship: "Kill Zuo Dongting, then stay here for a while."

"General! We have found the secret-realm-class amphibious stealth warship belonging to Ye Wuyi!"

On the projection phone, a Middle Eastern colonel reported to Sleeping Lion Zuo Dongting, his face alight with triumph after seven days and nights without rest: "They have appeared in the Arctic!"

"The Arctic?" Zuo Dongting lightly tapped his index finger against his temple. Beneath his thick brow, his eyes held a look of profound confusion. "The Arctic? How can they reach the Sahara from this distance? Do they think they can arrive in the Sahara before I take them down?"

The colonel glanced secretly at Zuo Dongting and whispered a reminder, "General, the secret-realm-class amphibious stealth warship is very fast. If they fly at full speed, they will surely reach the Sahara quickly."

Zuo Dongting slightly lifted his chin, abandoning his pensive posture. He made a throat-slitting gesture with his hand and said, "I understand. Whether it's true or not, and regardless of Zuo Lin's fate, shoot it down for me first. They absolutely cannot be allowed to reach the Sahara Desert safely."

The colonel snapped a crisp salute. He knew that at this moment, numerous powerful families across the globe were watching this event. Downing the ship before it entered the Sahara would suffice; if it actually reached the desert, Zuo Dongting would suffer a massive loss of face.

Zuo Dongting fell back into contemplation. Why were these Eastern youths exposing their location now? Was it suicide? He had no intention of keeping the appointment; all he cared about was killing Xie Wuyi. "General, please look at this—"

The projection showed scenes of Zuo Lin being tortured, accompanied by an introduction to Zuo Lin and a profile of Zuo Dongting's military career.

This was the Federal Republic’s highest-rated television station; normally, it would be impossible for such material to be aired. Yet, the impossible had become reality.

"Very clever. This is forcing my hand." Zuo Dongting’s face darkened as he watched the projection. The methods these young people employed were formidable; to utilize the television station for such a provocation under these circumstances was audacious.

The General of the Federal East Asia Military Region’s grandson had been kidnapped by a group calling themselves "terrorists," and they were openly insulting the Sleeping Lion on television with extreme arrogance. Even if Zuo Dongting could endure this, the entire Federal Republic could not.

The Federal Democracy had many advantages, but also many drawbacks. If it were just people from Hanzhou shouting defiance at the military headquarters, never mind them cutting off their own fingers, even if they followed Snake King's suggestion and tried new methods of self-mutilation, it would be useless.

Today, everyone in the Federation, including people on other planets, was watching, and the viewership numbers were still climbing. If the entire Republic began to whisper that a dignified General couldn't even protect his own kin and thus had no qualification to remain a General, the resulting chain reaction would be immense.

Zuo Dongting was genuinely surprised. Using the official Federal television station for such an announcement was an unexpected tactic, especially that the station agreed to broadcast it.

"This is amazing! With so many servers ready as backup, taking over a place like the Federal Television Station becomes effortlessly simple!"

Jessica Weir cheered excitedly in front of rows of computers, raising her can of cola high, celebrating with the other master hackers she had invited.

Every field has its own circle. Besides being a soldier, Jessica Weir was also a master computer hacker with connections to many hackers in the Federation.

When Wuyi, using Qin Fen’s connections, found her and promised to provide sufficient resources to take over the Federal Television Station at a precise time—including several of the highest-rated channels—to broadcast the material Xie Wuyi required, Jessica Weir agreed immediately and enthusiastically, without hesitation.

Resources were a massive headache for ordinary soldiers and hackers. Computer technology had advanced further, making professional equipment prohibitively expensive.

But for Qin Fen, backed by the full support of four powerful families, this was less than pocket change; it wasn't even a drop in the ocean. He quickly gathered all the equipment—astronomical figures in the eyes of ordinary people—that Jessica Weir had requested, routing them through various channels without attracting attention, and delivered them to her hands.

As for the other hackers who received the invitation, upon seeing the sheer abundance of resources, their latent desire to sow chaos ignited, and they immediately joined Jessica Weir in plunging into this frenzy.

Xie Wuyi sat quietly in the lounge of the secret-realm-class amphibious stealth warship. He had done everything within his power. His opponent was the man who occupied the command chair of the East Asia Military Region.

That man was certainly no fool. All the previous videos and calculated gambits he had deployed could only make Zuo Dongting desire his death more; they wouldn't genuinely lure him away from his base.

There were no fools among these leaders. If one expected to trick a man like Zuo Dongting out of his position solely through individual cleverness, one must be an idiot.

A battle of wits? When both sides know the trump cards, deception is useless! Because the opponent won't fall for it; because the opponent knows what your hand is.

The only way was coercion! To force the opponent, even while knowing the trump cards, to be compelled to raise the stakes. And to coerce him, one had to spend vast sums of money conspicuously, utilizing all manner of resources to achieve this goal.

"Dear Mr. Zuo Dongting."

The projector that Xie Wuyi had mailed days earlier—the one displaying the scene of Zuo Lin's arm being severed—suddenly ejected and sprang to life, surprising Zuo Dongting.

"I am about to take off for the Sahara Desert now. The execution of Zuo Lin will be broadcast live globally. If you don't wish to see that... well, come then."

Zuo Dongting knitted his thick brows, his eyes filled with dissatisfaction, and muttered softly, "Is this your wisdom? Do you have no special tactic to lure me out?"

"This is all the wisdom I have, because I know any wisdom is useless before you. Your trump card is known to you: I intend to lure you to the Sahara to kill you. If you don't come, I'll just say a second massive martial arts relic of Atlantis has been discovered here. You would still remain immobile, wouldn't you? So, I use coercion!" Zuo Dongting nodded slightly. This young man was even more detestable than expected. When he sent the package, he had concealed such a projector inside. He had calculated that Zuo Dongting wouldn't discard the item, calculated the precise moment he would be near it, calculated everything.

"I assume you still believe you can shoot us down before we reach the Sahara?" Xie Wuyi adjusted his glasses, a sharp gleam flickering behind the lenses. "Then let's make a bet. I can enter the Sahara safely."

"Safely?" Zuo Dongting pressed a button beside him. "Give the order now!"

At the Shengjing Military Command, Snake King pressed a button at almost the exact same moment. "Notify all units. Do not allow Zuo Dongting's side to launch a single missile. If prevention fails, then immediately launch interceptor missiles and shoot those missiles down."

The secret-realm-class amphibious stealth warship had completely lifted off the water. Yang Lie, Caesar, and the others were sitting in their respective cockpits, calmly cultivating their qi.

Fighting was what they excelled at, but what was needed now was to stay put and not interfere. They would leave everything to Qin Fen. Since he said it was possible, it certainly would be.

In the cramped cockpit of the secret-realm-class amphibious stealth warship, Qin Fen was no longer wearing his military uniform, opting instead for casual attire. He sat in the forward command seat, his hands resting lightly on the control sticks. Sixteen missiles... 127 kilometers away, Qin Fen quickly glanced at the radar data. He rapidly pulled the control stick to ascend, simultaneously shutting down the radar which was working at full scan.

Radar doesn't lie, but people lie to radar. So, you must learn not to use radar to fight! The words of the 'Waste Captain' flashed through Qin Fen's mind. From the rear of the massive secret-realm-class amphibious stealth warship, a blinding red light erupted. It streaked towards the incoming missiles at high speed.

Sixty-one missiles! Qin Fen quickly registered the attacking force and smiled faintly. The 'Waste Captain's' words were forever correct; in this world, radar was designed by humans. Therefore, humans could certainly trick the radar.

The iceberg, unchanged for a million years, erupted with massive pillars of fire shooting toward the sky. The whistling sounds of wind and snow were instantly replaced by explosions like world-shattering thunder! Endless shockwaves, carrying airflow that seemed capable of incinerating everything, instantly dissipated into white vapor.

A continuous series of explosions echoed, making the entire Arctic feel as if a world war were raging, with heat-swept explosions erupting everywhere, causing the vast Arctic itself to tremble and shake.

The colonel, commanded by Zuo Dongting to destroy the secret-realm-class amphibious stealth warship, stared blankly at the huge screen where red lights were spewing everywhere.

He had expected this to be an extremely easy mission. He never imagined that the privately launched missiles, forming an attack pattern almost like a celestial net, would be pierced through!

"He actually dodged them," the colonel shook his head repeatedly. "How did he do it?"

"Colonel! The enemy's speed is too fast! They've broken through the first cordon!"

"What? You mean they broke out? How long did that take?" The colonel placed both hands on the command console, staring at the unbelievable reality. The secret-realm-class amphibious stealth warship in the sky, maneuvering its rather bulky frame, moved with a terrifying agility superior to that of a swallow, soaring freely amidst the pervasive battlefield fire as easily as a fish in water.

"Colonel Huang, did you hit them?"

The colonel shuddered and connected the video call to Zuo Dongting. He faced the Sleeping Lion, his face slick with cold sweat. It wasn't fear of Zuo Dongting that caused the perspiration; the warship displayed on the screen was the true reason for his dread.

"This is...?" Zuo Dongting was stunned when he saw the projection from the missiles. "They have a super ace pilot for the warship class too? No! I know the number of personnel they have. Qin Fen? His fighter jet skills are outstanding, but when did he—"

"Flying a fighter jet? The core members of the true Waste Team even know how to pilot warships! Although the Federation doesn't give us pilots the chance to fly them, we must train to be better than the warship operators. At least, we must handle smaller Cosmic Ray battleships as if they were fighter jets."

Following the 'Waste Captain's' command, Qin Fen had learned to operate the cosmic battleship back in the recruit training camp that day. However, very few people knew this secret because he had never used it in actual combat.

Missiles whizzed past the warship. Xue Tian’s eyes widened as he exclaimed internally, 'How exhilarating!' For a Fifteen-Star Martial Arts Master, these missiles held no more destructive power than a speck of dust. But for a Fourteen-Star Quasi-Martial Arts Master, they posed a fatal threat.

Just one missile. Only one, and this world would be short one man named Xie Wuyi.

Yet, to score even a single hit on the secret-realm-class amphibious stealth warship seemed like an extravagant luxury now.

In mere seconds, the missiles Zuo Dongting had privately prepared for his plan to destroy Xie Wuyi were completely expended.

Even Zuo Dongting, as a high-ranking officer in the East Asia Military Region, had to abide by the rules of the game. If he indiscriminately exhausted his missile supply, Snake King could use that single vulnerability to have Zuo Dongting removed from the military circle.

If it weren't for Du Qu... Zuo Dongting let out a cold, resentful snort. If Zuo Dongting weren't restrained, wouldn't he have unlimited missiles to use? Downing this accursed secret-realm-class amphibious stealth warship would have been a simple matter!

Now, with someone lurking behind him, Zuo Dongting could not afford to draw more missiles.

"Impressive!" Zuo Dongting applauded lightly. "It seems even mobilizing more missiles might not guarantee your destruction? Very well, then I shall make my personal appearance!"

"Cease fire," Zuo Dongting said calmly to the colonel. "In nine minutes, launch another batch of missiles. They might become lax after realizing the missiles have stopped."

In Shengjing, Du Hen stared at the footage relayed from the projection screen, a look of surprise evident on his face. It appeared that in the roster provided by Old Zhao that day, the fact that Qin Fen could pilot a secret-realm-class amphibious stealth warship had not been recorded.

Nine minutes later, the second wave of missiles was watched by the colonel with dumbfounded awe as he witnessed Qin Fen's masterful handling technique. They all subsequently impacted the ground harmlessly.

"Is this... the art of flying?" the colonel hesitantly asked himself.

The administrator of the Federation's forum painfully informs me that the character name in the previous chapter was incorrect. I have checked, and indeed, it was a mistake. Apologies. I still owe two chapters, which I will post separately tomorrow and the day after. I am extremely tired... My apologies. (To be continued)