Chapter 268 - 267

Gu Qi asked again, but this time he turned to Jian Yu. "Do you think we can win?"

Jian Yu’s heart was in her throat as she watched the battle.

Her eyes were fixed on the fight. "We can."

She wasn’t sure about the specifics of being Super 3S, only that Xi Yu’s and Ling Yanzhi’s soul domain values were far higher than a typical Level 3S Awakener’s.

Gu Qi relaxed. "Don’t be nervous. See? All those guys ran off. The only one left is that arrogant old man. This is a guaranteed win for us."

’Wait, a few of the enemy’s mechs weren’t shot down. Those people really did get away!’

Jian Yu finally realized what felt so wrong.

Some of them had escaped!

Given Zhao Jiangyou’s fanatical loyalty to Admiral Yan, Jian Yu was certain they had gone to get reinforcements.

She had to call them back.

Sheng Yue suddenly spoke up. "I’ll go intercept them. You stay here and help."

He hadn’t recovered much of his energy, but he wasn’t someone just anyone could mess with.

Jian Yu grabbed his arm.

Sheng Yue’s blue eyes softened. "If I can’t beat them, I can still get away."

He gently pulled his arm from Jian Yu’s grasp. "Admiral Yan wouldn’t trust his trump card to anyone else. It’s better for you to stay here."

Sheng Yue was incredibly fast. He flickered into a few afterimages and vanished in an instant.

Gu Qi remembered a conversation he’d overheard. "Trump card... I know what it is! Could it be the Poison Needle? The person I heard said it was specifically developed for the seven of them from Imperial Capital Star. He said the materials were special, and there are only two of them."

Jian Yu’s breathing grew shallow. Her gaze snapped back to the battlefield, her senses instantly sharpening.

She saw Admiral Yan with one hand on his knee, panting heavily.

Gu Qi fell silent, nervously wringing his hands.

Ling Yanzhi drove Yan Tianba back with a side kick.

Xi Yu’s eight tentacles shot out, seizing him with precision.

Working together, they used his own momentum to slam him violently against the cliff face.

BAM! BAM! BAM!

Rocks crumbled from the cliffside, and the impact sent birds in the forest to their right scattering into the sky.

Yan Tianba stopped struggling. But the moment Xi Yu let his guard down, he raised his hand and fired two long needles in quick succession.

Jian Yu’s eyes narrowed.

The sharp tip of the needle pierced his soul shield and bypassed his Immune Defense Card, striking Xi Yu directly in the abdomen.

The second needle likewise failed to trigger the defensive item Ling Yanzhi was carrying.

But just as it was about to bury itself in his shoulder, Ling Yanzhi dodged out of the way.

Who knew a needle could have a mind of its own? It curved through the air, still locked on to Ling Yanzhi, and then whipped back around for a surprise attack.

Ling Yanzhi spun around, about to raise his hand to intercept it.

A cloud of purplish-green mist enveloped the long needle. The dense soul mist almost swallowed it whole, acting like a conveyor belt to deliver the black needle right into Jian Yu’s hand.

Ling Yanzhi’s heart hammered in his chest as panic surged through him.

He didn’t breathe a sigh of relief until he saw Jian Yu put on a pair of gloves and place the Poison Needle into a medical storage container.

’It’s just... those medical gloves and that container are a bit annoying. One look and you can tell they’re custom-made by Pei Yin’s lab.’

Ling Yanzhi was turned sideways to Xi Yu, his back to Yan Tianba.

Yan Tianba couldn’t see the needle, so he assumed it had already dissolved into their bodies.

Defeating two Level 3S Awakeners in the span of a few breaths, Yan Tianba was immensely pleased with himself and burst into arrogant laughter.

He shook out his numb wrists. His face was spattered with blood, and a mocking smile touched his lips.

"How does it feel to have your Soul Power sealed? Not so good, is it? One-on-two? Hah! Forget two of you. I could take on all seven of you at once and still win!"

"???" Xi Yu ignored the man’s delusional rant.

’I didn’t dodge. I just chose to trust Jian Yu.’

Xi Yu blinked, his fingers brushing against the wisp of purplish-green mist that lingered on his abdomen.

’It’s amazing. I can see it.’

’My sweetheart took the needle.’

’It floated over on the wind, then snuck away with the needle.’

’Just as pretty and cute as my sweetheart.’

’The best part is, Yan Tianba can’t see it.’

Xi Yu turned to Ling Yanzhi, wanting to share his secret.

He failed.

Ling Yanzhi jabbed him with an elbow. "Dodge when you can dodge! If your brain’s broken, go have Pei Yin replace it for you. Just don’t you dare die in front of me!"

’He’s clearly angry.’

’And really, really angry at that.’

Xi Yu froze. He went quiet, the light in his eyes dimming.

He gazed at Jian Yu in the distance.

’She’s too far away. I can’t see her expression.’

’Too bad.’

Ling Yanzhi glanced at Xi Yu’s stomach. "It didn’t get you, did it?"

Xi Yu’s eyes lit up again. "You can’t see it? My sweetheart didn’t let you see it? Only *I* can? See? My sweetheart really does love me most."

"I saw it!" Ling Yanzhi smacked him on the head, speaking through gritted teeth. "I’m asking you how you *feel*. Are you hurt?"

Xi Yu shook his head.

’Ayan’s gotten so mean.’

’So much for our decade of friendship. My sweetheart is way nicer and cuter.’

Seeing that they still had the nerve to chat, Admiral Yan’s mouth twisted in a furious snarl.

’If I didn’t need them alive, I’d kill them right here and now.’

He had been bottling up his frustration for too long. From Yan Yu to Yan Li, then Yan Ying and Yan Mingjiao...

Half of his pawns were gone. No matter what, he couldn’t let these two escape today.

"Imperial Capital Star has been lording it over Emperor Wolf Star for far too long! Today, I’m going to drag you back down into the mud and show the Alliance just how blind they’ve been all these years!"

Since Ling Yanzhi had seen Sheng Yue leave to set up an ambush, he wasn’t worried about any immediate problems.

He asked, perplexed, "You’re an Admiral. You’re in charge of Emperor Wolf Star. What more could you be unhappy about?"

Yan Tianba’s eyes were red-rimmed and bloodshot.

"I earned that! I risked my life for it! And you? You’re just in your twenties. What right do you have to leapfrog over me and steal my authority?"

"During the Beast Tide, I killed over a dozen Mutant Beast Kings by myself. Ten years ago, when I was taking down Soul Ghost Body strongholds, you lot were still in the military academy reciting regulations."

Ling Yanzhi cut him off.

"We’ve sacrificed just as much as you, if not more. Everything you just mentioned? I was doing that when I was sixteen. There’s a Beast Tide every year. Who here hasn’t killed a few Beast Kings? Last year, there was an uprising of over a hundred Beast Kings. What’s so great about your dozen?"

"And as for the Soul Ghost Body—weren’t we the ones who dealt with the situation on Emperor Source Star not long ago? Over the years, Emperor Wolf Star hasn’t sent even a tenth of the personnel to the Alliance that Imperial Capital Star has."

"And even with that, resources were still allocated to Emperor Wolf Star on your account. Have you ever been shorted a single credit? We even had our Super 3S classification publicly announced as regular Level 3S just because you whined about it. Don’t stand there and play the victim after you’ve already reaped the benefits."

Yan Tianba’s face contorted with shame and rage.

"You know damn well who’s benefiting here! A planet’s development demands more and more resources, but the Alliance still allocates them to us based on the old quotas. Meanwhile, you’re getting several times what Emperor Wolf Star receives!"

"Emperor Wolf Star is rich in resources, with vast territory and a large population. We’re better than Imperial Capital Star in every way! But just because a few of you showed up, the Alliance funnels all its resources to you."

"Is it because our numbers are few? Is it because we’re useless? No! It’s because you stole what rightfully belongs to our planet for your own development!"

Xi Yu didn’t believe a word of it.

He gave him a scrutinizing look, his voice calm. "You just can’t bear to part with your power."

Yan Tianba’s gaze turned venomous.

’Yes, he was right. He couldn’t bear to part with his power.’

’He had tasted power and knew just how intoxicating it was.’

’They’re just kids in their twenties. What could they possibly understand?’

’Without their Soul Power, do they really think they can still defeat me?’

"Sooner or later, you’ll end up just like me. But you won’t live to see that day."

Humiliated and enraged, Yan Tianba lunged at them. "Everything I’ve done is for Emperor Wolf Star! Since you’re here, don’t even think about leaving!"