"Rescue mission? Rescue who?"

"Our people," the uncle said.

Seriously? Of course I know it’s our people! Why are you being so difficult? Do you get some kick out of bullying rookies? Hurry up or your people won’t last much longer!

Sensing the crumbling frustration beneath Lixin’s increasingly twisted expression, the uncle dropped the act.

"During battle, three exceptionally strong Ability Users from our side were captured alive after defeat. Preyas doesn’t usually do this. We’re certain they’re planning something."

He handed Lixin a sheet listing their profiles.

Two Class A, one B Rank. The Class A’s wielded Lightning and Reinforcement abilities… The third, a B Rank, was a Materialization user?

"Exactly. That third one was nearly invincible against regular Preyas troops. But they ran into an elite squad—seven hulking Preyas Combatants ambushed them. Their attacks barely pierced the enemy’s defenses. After taking down five, they were captured. Clearly targeted."

The uncle added, "We sent a search team into enemy territory. Their last report confirmed they’d located the targets… then the signal cut. They never returned."

"Sounds dramatic. What makes you think a C Rank like me can handle this?" Lixin had zero desire to go.

The uncle’s reply was blunt: "As an S Rank, I can’t gauge the depth of your C Rank power. You’re the first person to give me this feeling since I ascended… Plus, I’ll pair you with a Class A partner. Deal?"

Typical high-rank arrogance. This was pure negotiation. Go, and they’d get food and shelter regardless of success. Refuse? Heh. No choice.

"Fine," Lixin conceded. Old foxes know best—leaning on his S Rank authority to size people up. If he were an enemy, she’d have punched him already. "But skip the partner. Give me the coordinates. I’ll go alone."

"Sure?"

"Sure."

Amid the crowded operations hall, an unspoken deal sealed within their bubble of silence.

………………………………………………………………

Strange.

Preyas had never taken prisoners before. But building a fortress like this—just for three captives? Unthinkable.

Lixin stared at the colossal twenty-story metal fortress. If not for the pile of Preyas corpses behind her, she might’ve looked like a lost girl who’d wandered into enemy territory.

This wasn’t a military base. It stood alone—a separate facility, a department unto itself.

"Why bring prisoners here?"

No answers mattered. Amorphous Void Essence seeped from her, corroding the metal barrier ahead into a gaping hole. She stepped through without hesitation.

All she wanted was to finish this and get back to bed. Qin Fan had hogged the bed long enough. Time to drag him off it.

"Ah. Did I even tell them I was leaving…?" Lixin suddenly remembered, scratching her head.

*Click-clack!*

The sound of guns cocking. Only then did she register her surroundings: a heavy-industry factory. She stood at its lowest level. Above, on tiered walkways, ghastly green figures lined the railings—every barrel aimed at her.

Huh? Ambush? Trap?

"Hmph." A Preyas commander waved his hand. A hundred rifles fired. Blinding yellow beams flooded downward, swallowing Lixin in a storm of fire.

Impossible. This mission was secret. How did they set up such a precise, disciplined ambush?

A spark of fury ignited in Lixin’s chest.

From the smoke-choked factory floor, countless two-meter black spears erupted. Implacable. Unstoppable. They pierced every green-clad body. The hundred-strong ambush force became pincushions. Spears jammed the walls, the ceiling—even the distant edges of the vast chamber. The space transformed into the gut of a monstrous "Iron Maiden."

Lixin’s eyes bled crimson again. But unlike last time, clarity cut through the rage.

"Command, this is Lixin." She pressed her earpiece.

"Wang Wei here."

The uncle’s name.

"I just walked into an ambush by hundreds. Are you *sure* about this mission’s secrecy?" Her voice was ice.

"I guarantee its confidentiality. Since you’ve been compromised, abort immediately—"

Static crackled. The signal died.

"…………"

Lixin held the pose a moment longer. Then she walked deeper.

The fortress’s design was bizarre. The lower level—a ruined factory—lay shattered under her spears. As the weapons dissolved back into amorphous Void Essence, the destruction was clear: not a single intact surface remained. Even the ceiling gaped open, revealing the bright lights of the second floor.

Lixin climbed the trembling spiral stairs. The upper level stunned her: rows upon rows of nutrient tanks. Several lay shattered by her stray spears.

*Clap. Clap. Clap.*

Applause echoed. Lixin turned. A Preyas stood there—barely taller than her, a runt among his kind. His white lab coat and manic grin screamed one thing: mad scientist.

"Welcome to my laboratory, human," he rasped in broken, shrill tones.

"Oh? One of you actually speaks human?" Lixin shifted to attack.

"Wait! Don’t rush, human. I admire your strength. I *like* specimens like you."

"I don’t like you." A spear shot from her palm.

Lixin never wasted words in a fight.

But it missed. A hulking, green-skinned man—built like a Hulk—swept the scientist aside. Six more figures surrounded her. Their eyes glowed an eerie green.

Lixin recognized them. Three were the rescue targets. The others? Previous search team members.

"HAHAHA! My modifications have perfected them! Their abilities are now *enhanced*! Surrender, human, and I might—"

The scientist’s boasting choked off. His jaw dropped as he stared at Lixin.

"Say cheese."

Lixin calmly raised her wristwatch, snapping photos of the three "humans."

"Good. Proof for the report later."

She saved the images, then lifted her head. Crimson eyes locked onto the scientist.

"Done talking? My turn now."

As her words faded, wind stirred in the sealed chamber.