Amidst the mountain range. The multiple layers of barriers surrounding the core laboratory of the Yafeisu Kingdom had been utterly annihilated. Along the flanks of the peak leading into the lab, all gun emplacements were seized by hulking figures clad in grim, crimson uniforms. Dozens of bizarre, jellyfish-like creatures, shrouded in thick clouds of electrical energy, hovered in the air, constantly sweeping the surroundings with powerful mental waves, guarding against any potential intruders.

Several first-class battleships emblazoned with the Yafeik Kingdom's crest floated less than a kilometer above the ground. These behemoths, accompanied by nearly a hundred smaller vessels, darkened the mountain ridges near the core lab like an oppressive, impenetrable storm cloud. Roughly thirty thousand Yafeik soldiers, working alongside the crimson-clad brutes, established defensive positions outside the laboratory. A multitude of light-duty combat vehicles completely choked the valley leading to the entrance. A few Yafeik nobles, dressed in white robes, nervously scurried about with several of the crimson-uniformed commanders, inspecting defenses at every point.

Suddenly, a violent gale descended from the high altitude. The intense wind flattened all the "delicate" Yafeik soldiers to the ground. The crimson-clad men looked up in utter terror, nearly simultaneously unleashing shrieks of despair. A battleship was plummeting straight down from the heavens, an unprecedented, terrifying leviathan descending like a mountain.

The super-carrier, stretching three hundred kilometers in length, resembled an elegantly shed cicada skin. Its thinnest section exceeded five kilometers, while its thickest point reached an astonishing thirty kilometers. Its narrowest width spanned twenty kilometers, broadening to forty-five kilometers at its widest. The ship’s exterior armor, entirely golden, bore the classic coloration of the Roman people. The intricate, delicate patterns etched upon the armor seemed alive, writhing and flowing. This colossal vessel dropped through the sky as if its power had failed, the sheer pressure enough to shatter the sanity of any observer.

“Gods!” Of the more than thirty thousand Yafeik personnel present, from the lowest-ranking common soldier to the leading nobles, every single one fainted from shock.

“Gods!” In the raging gale, nearly half of the crimson-clad soldiers were also knocked to the ground, paralyzed by fear. Some soiled themselves, their stench fouling the air. In this regard, the Yafeik soldiers were considerably cleaner; the Yafeik troops and nobles fainted too quickly to even manage such a base reaction.

The nearby mountain region plunged into twilight. The immense carrier blocked the sun, and when it hovered less than five thousand meters overhead, not a sliver of sunlight touched the mountainside. Only the warship’s energy shield emitted a dim, blue luminescence, casting the vast expanse of forest below in a faint cyan glow. This ghostly light illuminated the distorted, savage faces of the crimson-clad men, making them resemble ghastly fiends escaped from the underworld.

Gu Yechen drifted off the warship, speaking in a low tone into his communicator: “There must be an inside collaborator. The core laboratory has been breached. Fuya, issue an emergency broadcast to the entire Yafeik nation, declaring a state of emergency, demanding that all rebel soldiers immediately lay down their arms, or face annihilation of their entire lineage!”

Fuya Ming acknowledged the order, then posed a question that left Gu Yechen speechless: “Nine Clans, what are the Nine Clans?”

Gu Yechen paused, dumbfounded. Surely, a nation as peaceful and harmonious as the Yafeik Kingdom wouldn't employ such a brutal concept as extinguishing nine generations? He offered a brief, helpless explanation. Gu Yechen switched his comms to the combat channel and roared: “Hade attack!”

Eight thousand resonant voices bellowed back in manic fervor: “Hadewar, Attack! Long live the Boss! Long live! Kill!”

Eight thousand black armored figures leaped from the super-carrier, descending like reapers from the sky. The personal flight packs behind them spat pale blue flames as the eight thousand combat suits rapidly surged toward the entrance of the core laboratory. Sections of the super-carrier's external armor flowed open like petals, revealing millions of weapon muzzles, large and small. One cannon, situated dead center on the hull, possessed a terrifying muzzle diameter of five hundred meters, eliciting desperate cries from the Blood Fang Adepts on the ground below.

Gu Yechen, Peng Hua, and Ducate—three embodiments of destruction—leapt straight down from the high altitude.

Gu Yechen landed lightly, stepping upon water clouds. Peng Hua, wings unfurled, dove like a whirlwind. Ducate was the most savage; he made no concessions for landing, plummeting straight down like a meteorite.

The earth trembled faintly. Ducate sank deep into the solid bedrock, more than half his body embedded. He braced himself with his hands and slowly hauled himself out of the massive crater.

“Surrender, or die. You have two choices,” Gu Yechen said with a cheerful smile, hovering on the water clouds and politely saluting the stunned, terrified Blood Fang members.

Nearly half of the Blood Fang contingent chose to resist, raising their weapons and pulling the triggers toward Gu Yechen.

Vast waves erupted from the Taiyin Robe, and countless high-energy beams dissolved harmlessly within the gray-white torrent. Dozens of the bravest, most fearless Blood Fang members charged Gu Yechen, unleashing a barrage of various powers. The white water ripples shimmered again, shredding a dozen Adepts into powder within the waves, while the others were blasted away by dozens of gray-white energy mines.

The sky suddenly flashed brilliantly. A searing white light consumed everything.

The tens of thousands of high-energy cannons on the carrier had finished charging and executed a low-yield bombardment. The gun emplacements on the cliffs instantly vaporized. The towering mountainside had two hundred meters of its upper layer shaved away. Several thousand crimson-clad men turned to ash in the incandescent white light. The mountain face was coated in a thick layer of red lava, billowing heat rising from the magma. The air warped and pulsed, blurring the surrounding scenery as if viewing a phantom from a nightmare.

Perhaps hundreds of thousands of years, or even longer, had passed since the killing instruments forged by the ancient Roman people finally bared their ferocious fangs.

Gu Yechen raised his thumb toward the sky. He knew Fuya Ming could see the gesture. Only Fuya Ming, aboard the carrier, could have dared to issue the order for such a devastating bombardment on the Blood Fang Adepts. She Li would never have, nor did she possess such concentrated killing intent.

Peng Hua streaked like a black bolt of lightning across the space occupied by dozens of Adepts, his fists landing heavily on their heads. Blood and pulp sprayed hundreds of meters, and dozens of headless bodies were hurled far away by the sheer kinetic force, rocketing like cannonballs.

Ducate roared, and massive, imposing, ruthlessly armed robots, chanting his name, emerged from the silver light. Dense beams of energy swept the position ahead, and in an instant, over two thousand Adepts fell screaming to the ground. The accuracy of these robots was astonishing; every wounded Adept had been struck in the limbs, with not a single fatal wound inflicted.

“Surrender, or die!” Gu Yechen laughed loudly.

The remaining nearly ten thousand crimson-clad men dropped their weapons, kneeling simultaneously according to the pirate code, signifying their submission to Gu Yechen.

Dozens of giant jellyfish uttered shrill cries of terror. They awkwardly turned their bodies, churning the ionized clouds surrounding them, and fled rapidly toward the core laboratory entrance.

Peng Hua spread his wings and was instantly beside the giant jellyfish. He raised a completely black Immortal-grade war hammer and brought it down with all his might on one of the creatures. With a deafening explosion, a ball of fire erupted within the jellyfish. The creature, possessing strength approaching the peak of the Venus-class, could not unleash its full array of powers and was instantly incinerated to ash by the fierce flames.

“Moo,” the remaining jellyfish responded in perfect unison. They raised all their tentacles, dispersed the ionized clouds shrouding their bodies, and obediently drifted down, pressing the massive dome of their heads heavily onto the ground. They had quickly adopted the local custom, mimicking the human or near-human subordinates in expressing their fealty.

The sound of heavy, muffled footsteps echoed as the eight thousand Hadewar mercenaries charged forward. Paying no heed to the unconscious Yafeik soldiers, they marched with heavy steps, trampling over the prone bodies and pouring into the Yafeik core laboratory. Ducate’s armed robots escorted the mercenaries straight inside. Peng Hua’s eyes burned with excitement; he let out a piercing shriek toward the heavens.

With a clattering sound, several thousand white-haired zombies burst forth from the blood-red light. These figures, heavy with deathly energy and radiating malice, shuffled forward with stiff gaits, hopping and shouting "Aoo-aoo," merging with the charging ranks. With rapid bounds, these creatures reached the very front of the formation in the blink of an eye, leading the charge into the great gate of the core laboratory.

The slight resistance within the base was quickly suppressed, and Gu Yechen’s subordinates gained control of the entire laboratory. Mo Liqing, Xin Jia, and others employed their divine abilities, tirelessly searching the massive, complex corridors and structures of the lab, continually unearthing hidden rebels and Blood Fang Adepts. Large groups of dejected rebels and Adepts knelt obediently, hands clasped behind their necks, awaiting judgment.

Fuya Ming entered the core laboratory with her retinue. She looked upon the Yafeik officers and soldiers who had once again betrayed her with undisguised disgust and coldly issued the execution order.

“Since you have forsaken me, I no longer acknowledge you as citizens of Yafeik. I no longer assume the obligation to protect you; I bear no responsibility for your welfare. You are my enemies, and my enemies are the enemies of Yafeik. All enemies of Yafeik must be annihilated. Anyone who poses a potential threat to Yafeik will be utterly destroyed!”

Fuya Ming waved her hand icily.

Gu Yechen tilted his head toward Holm.

Holm quickly sliced his own throat with his thumb, grinning wickedly as he led a contingent of mercenaries to drag the rebels out. Killing was merely a job for the mercenaries; just simple labor.

Jin stood triumphantly before the surrendered Blood Fang Adepts, hands behind her back in a display of arrogance, and announced: “Submit to the Broken Hook Faction, or die. You have no other option.”

All the Adepts chose submission! The bizarre and terrifying powers of Gu Yechen, Peng Hua, and Ducate had thoroughly frightened them. The unprecedented, terrifying super-carrier spanning three hundred kilometers had terrified them. All their courage, pride, and honor had been utterly destroyed. The Blood Fang Adepts were now even more obedient than newborn lambs. (To be continued)