Spirit Stone!
Even though the small object inside the pendant was wrapped in a metal shell, Wang Jixuan was sure he couldn't be mistaken. The faint fluctuations of spiritual energy inside were unmistakable! It was definitely a spirit stone or something very similar to it! However, the spiritual energy inside had been drained, and when it got close to Zheng Shiduo's body, it was masked by the 'flickering energy' he emitted.
Wang Jixuan held back his urge to ask what this thing was. His intuition told him that this could be the core of a Blade Beast! He just needed to casually ask Zheng Shiduo or Ling Tong, who had plenty of experience on the front lines. If he could get three pieces of this thing that still had spiritual energy left, he could set up the simplest 'Three Talents Gathering Spirit Formation' to convert the energy inside into spiritual energy, greatly boosting his cultivation speed in a short time!
If he could gather enough of these, the issue of thin spiritual energy in the air would no longer trouble him! Right now, he was focusing on re-cultivating, and he had no shortage of insights. However, the higher a cultivator's realm, the greater their demand for spiritual energy. Wang Jixuan wasn't sure how many spirit stones he would need...
"Mu Liang, Mu Liang?"
Zhou Zhengde waved his big hand in front of Wang Jixuan.
"Hmm, what is it?"
"We need to go," Zhou Zhengde said. "Ling Tong left a route for us. We need to hide on the nearest floor, wait for half an hour, and then take elevator number 7 to the forty-fifth floor."
The three elite officers looked at the screen on their arms and quickly said, "Things are not looking good. Unknown spiritual energy users are gathering towards this fire escape. We might encounter them."
"We have no confidence in confronting these spiritual energy users directly."
"If necessary, we can surrender. We can help distract the enemy for Captain Ling Tong, and with Captain Zhou here, the spiritual energy users won't dare to go all out against us. Even Kong Nu, no matter how crazy he is, wouldn't directly provoke the Commander."
"Follow me, I know the way."
Wang Jixuan picked up the metal box that Zheng Shiduo had been carrying earlier.
Zhou Zhengde immediately said, "Listen to Mu Liang; he's our guide."
The three officers, new to Fortress 76, nodded in agreement, their spirits high but tense as they each held their weapons tightly.
Two minutes later.
On the thirty-second floor of the fortress, a discarded fire door was kicked open, and a few figures quickly entered. Two of them moved forward, crossing paths, kneeling with their guns ready, while the others stood against the wall, observing their surroundings.
Wang Jixuan carried the large metal box, gripping Zhou Zhengde's arm with his left hand and holding an automatic rifle in his right, moving swiftly. His spiritual sense was at its peak. Within a forty-meter radius around him, any movement or sound couldn't escape his awareness.
"There’s no danger nearby," Wang Jixuan reminded, pulling Zhou Zhengde along as he led the way.
The three officers exchanged glances, shrugged, and expressed their dissatisfaction with this inexperienced young man, quickly following behind.
The five of them entered a capillary passage.
Each floor of the fortress was designed differently due to the various factory types, and the layout of residential areas varied slightly. However, the structure was mostly the same: capillary passage – cross intersection – circular hall – main passage – central circular garden. The elevator locations on each floor were identical.
Wang Jixuan led them through the maze-like passages, avoiding most cameras and the few residents moving about. It was a normal workday, and the place felt like a quiet school dormitory during class time—calm, spacious, and generally tidy.
"Mu Liang, I can walk on my own. No need to pull me," Zhou Zhengde said quickly.
Wang Jixuan nodded in agreement. The moment he let go of Zhou Zhengde, his left hand trembled slightly, and a few nut caps flew out from the sleeve of his light blue uniform.
As they dashed out of the intersection, he turned, and the nut caps shot out from his palm. A few thugs who were sneaking a smoke collapsed with soft grunts, bruises appearing on their necks as they fell into a brief unconsciousness.
Zhou Zhengde took out a communicator, searching continuously. "Should I contact the security team leader on the thirty-second floor? It's strange; they should have noticed us by now."
"They might be deliberately watching," Wang Jixuan replied. "We can't be sure how much influence Kong Nu has over these people. For ordinary folks, the Thirteenth Institute is a giant."
"Alright."
Zhou Zhengde muttered softly, "Is it because of my threat to Kong Nu that he decided to act independently? A fight to the death?"
The female officer said, "I don't quite understand either. Kong Nu is directly confronting the command center and Commander D5. What does he rely on?"
"His reliance is," Ling Tong's voice came through the earpiece, "a T511 stealth transport aircraft that left the Arctic area three minutes ago, expected to arrive in the Central Basin in three hours."
Zhou Zhengde raised an eyebrow. "So, the Spirit City has chosen to protect Kong Nu?"
Wang Jixuan asked, "Spirit City?"
"The headquarters of the spiritual energy users."
"There are three spiritual energy users entering your floor," Ling Tong said. "I’m sharing their locations with you in real-time. Stay hidden, and you can surrender at the right moment. Leave the rest to me."
With that, Ling Tong ended the long-distance call, and the equipment on one officer's arm began to blink.
"Behind us! Someone is moving fast! They came from the fire escape!"
"Damn it! Why are the spiritual energy users listening to Kong Nu?"
"Kong Nu seems to have direct control over the lives of the stationed spiritual energy users... Who is in charge?"
Zhou Zhengde stepped forward.
"I am," Wang Jixuan said calmly, scanning the area. "Let’s set up an ambush nearby and take out this target from behind. Once the fight starts, the enemy will quickly converge here, and we can use the elevator to move quickly between floors."
The three officers hesitated slightly.
Wang Daochang tossed a nut into the air and suddenly thrust his palm forward.
Crack!
The nut embedded itself into the metal wall.
The three officers nodded simultaneously.
"Understood!"
...
'So fast, but the energy isn't too strong.'
In the dim capillary passage, Wang Jixuan crouched behind a bench at the end, appearing to be resting with his eyes closed.
Zhou Zhengde sat on the bench, facing a large alloy box shaped like a tombstone, which was said to withstand rocket attacks. Naturally, he caught the attention of the pursuers coming from behind.
The three officers took their positions: one guarded their retreat route, while the other two hid behind cover in the circular hall, their firepower aimed at the exit of the capillary passage.
The figure of the pursuer appeared in Zhou Zhengde's line of sight.
In the dim light of the passage, he could see that the pursuer was a tall guy, nearly two meters, with a slightly thin build, holding a handgun in his left hand.
'D-level spiritual energy user.'
Wang Jixuan made an accurate judgment.
The pursuer's snake-like vertical pupils flickered in the shadows, quietly watching Zhou Zhengde.
"I've spotted the target; it's Zhou Zhengde. You don’t need to come over."
This spiritual energy user spoke into the button on his collar, then slowly advanced.
He calmly said, "Captain Zhou, Minister Kong wants to have a calm talk with you again. He instructed us not to kill you directly and told your subordinates on either side not to resist foolishly. I’m not one of those lazy spiritual energy users who just enjoy life in the fortress."
"Wow," Zhou Zhengde chuckled. "He clearly said he wanted to kill me."
"You showing up is just to cover for another group, right?"
The D-level spiritual energy user sneered, now less than twenty meters away from Zhou Zhengde.
He said slowly, "Every move you make is under our watch. We have two plans ready—one for the upper city and one for the lower city. No matter how strong the people you bring are, they can't contend with an ambush from three C-level and nine D-level spiritual energy users. That half-mechanical body shouldn’t be here. Clearly, Minister Kong has hidden some things from us, but that’s not for me to worry about... Do you want to fight? Because I might end up killing everyone else except you."
The spiritual energy user revealed a sinister smile, his vertical pupils suddenly shifting.
He lunged forward like an arrow, his body enveloped in a layer of light blue energy shield!
Military short-term shield!
The two hidden officers immediately opened fire, their automatic rifles unleashing a barrage. The shield around the spiritual energy user could only hold for five seconds, but that was enough time for him to reach Zhou Zhengde!
Zhou Zhengde curled up behind the alloy box, covering his head.
Wang Jixuan sprang up, his left fist swinging forward!
The Diamond Talisman and Divine Power Talisman lit up on his left arm as he held two piercing nails between his fingers!
The spiritual energy user, who hadn’t sensed Wang Jixuan's presence, showed a look of shock as he leaped forward, unable to change his momentum. In the blink of an eye, he activated all his abilities, relying on his rich combat experience.
The scales on the spiritual energy user's right hand expanded in an instant, reaching out to grab Wang Jixuan's fist.
Brute force was not to be met head-on.
Wang Jixuan's fist suddenly became 'soft.' The moment it made contact with the user's right hand, Wang Jixuan's left hand pulled to the side, lightly nudging the knuckles, causing the user's right hand to be deflected. The user's body veered off course, his wide eyes showing a hint of confusion.
In Wang Daochang's cultivation world, this kind of physical combat skill was something only lower-level cultivators would occasionally practice.
Now, due to the limitation of spiritual energy, Wang Jixuan had been unable to reach the Gathering Spirit realm. Recently, he had taken some time to learn these small techniques.
Wang Jixuan opened his left hand, casually tossing the two piercing nails, seemingly weak fingers hooking onto the spiritual energy user's elbow, completing a flip with the momentum.
Drawing on the Two Instruments, creating the Tai Chi.
The rushing spiritual energy user seemed to gain speed as he flipped through the air, soaring over the bench and crashing back-first into the wall of the circular hall several meters away.
Wang Jixuan was surrounded by the shadow of a Tai Chi diagram formed by condensed energy.
He lightly tapped his toes, following the trajectory of the thrown spiritual energy user.
The user barely managed to raise his left hand with the handgun, but before he could fire, he slammed hard against the wall, making a dull thud.
This was how fights were fought; one had to adapt to the environment, act according to the situation, fully utilize one's energy, find the opponent's weaknesses, and unleash the power of their artifacts.
Click.
The muzzle of a 5.8mm small-caliber sniper rifle was pressed against the spiritual energy user's forehead.
"This is in line with the fortress clearance protocols."
Wang Jixuan calmly reported, pulling the trigger.
Bang!
Wang Jixuan calmly picked up the communicator from the corpse's collar, bringing it closer to hear the conversation inside.
"Over by the crocodile!"
"The crocodile is in trouble! The pulse signal has disappeared! We told him not to go alone! That E-level spiritual energy user next to Zhou Zhengde is very dangerous!"
"Quick! Surround them! Don’t kill Zhou Zhengde; everyone else must be eliminated!"
E-level spiritual energy user? Who?
Wang Jixuan felt a few black lines on his forehead. He turned and rushed back to Zhou Zhengde, picking up Ling Tong's alloy box. With his left hand slightly open, the two piercing nails were drawn back into his palm.
He tossed the communicator to the female officer running beside him, holding the sniper rifle as he charged into the retreat route.
"We need to run faster."
Wang Jixuan thought carefully, turned, and threw out a few movement talismans.
(End of chapter)