Chapter 94: Everything Exploded

Chapter 94: Everything Exploded

"Title: What’s Up with the Tower of Evil’s Official Account Posting So Late at Night?"

On the Star Horizon forum.

Netizens, always the first to jump on the latest drama, quickly noticed the sudden frenzy of the Tower of Evil's official accounts.

This usually reserved account, which typically only updates with important notices or arrest and wanted messages, suddenly uploaded a bunch of videos. Without any explanation, the videos resembled various surveillance angles, but with the added sophistication of audio.

From the leaked conversations, it seemed that besides executions, they were also conducting some inhumane experiments on people.

When these videos first appeared, people were more confused than shocked.

"Is this some new kind of scare tactic? Reminding us not to do bad things, or we'll be caught and punished in the Tower of Evil?"

"Is this some outdated documentary-style filming technique??"

"By the way, I just want to ask, did the Crown Prince make a cameo?"

The internal videos were all released by Xu Qingran via the Tower 1 system.

In fact, as soon as he found these video records, he had already begun plotting. Leaving Tower 1 was a given; he didn't come here just to seek revenge on Mu Ziyue, but also to deliver a full-blown gift package to the Tower of Evil.

The videos were only the beginning.

Over the years, the Tower of Evil had amassed a huge number of videos.

The videos numbered in the tens of thousands, and the data was overwhelming. If all the secret files from the Tower of Evil were uploaded, it would take at least several hours. So, before today, Xu Qingran had taken the time to do some screening, packing them all into one folder.

He focused on selecting clips that would fully expose the Tower of Evil's atrocities.

The selected videos were all of victims who had already been marked as dead, perhaps their final chance to be seen by the public.

Except for Shen Tingyu.

He was still alive.

Xu Qingran agonized for a long time before deciding whether Shen Tingyu's suffering should be made public.

The more he thought about it, the more unwilling he became. Why should Shen Tingyu's suffering be buried forever? So he still included it, but out of personal sentiment, he included only one video. It was the footage of Mu Ziyue ordering someone to test drugs on him, driving him to shoot himself.

Once he confirmed the release, Xu Qingran left the data room.

He went back to where Mu Ziyue was being held, knocked him out, and hauled him toward the exit of Tower 1.

—His time in the Tower of Evil was coming to an end, but as long as Mu Ziyue, this scum, was not dead, he wouldn't let him leave under his watch.

Xu Qingran walked to the entrance of Tower 1.

The corridor was still the darkest place in the entire tower, eerily illuminated by red light. Before leaving, Xu Qingran placed his hand on the machine by the door. The power of his lightning-based ability overflowed from his fingertips, spreading like a spiritual spring through the wires to the entire tower's circuits.

One minute later.

Explosions were heard from the main electrical boxes throughout Tower 1, and at the same time, the entire circuit of Tower 1 was cut off, including the surveillance system, plunging the entire tower into darkness.

Outside the tower, wind and rain raged.

In the distance, thunder and lightning clashed.

In the darkness, no one could see a tall figure carrying a burly, unconscious man emerging from the Tower of Evil.

Xu Qingran found the most functional and comprehensive aircraft from the spacecraft Mu Ziyue had arrived in.

After tying up Mu Ziyue and roughly tossing him into the rear cabin, he began flying toward Tower 2.

The online buzz continued to grow.

Relevant reposts, comments, and posts were increasing, and netizens gradually noticed something off in their discussions.

"Holy crap, is that General Shen from when he was a kid? Himself??"

"If I remember correctly, General Shen was indeed in the Tower of Evil at that age. Wait... these videos, could they actually be real documentaries?!"

"OMG, have you seen the latest videos? I got goosebumps all over!"

The most recently uploaded videos weren't from corner surveillance angles anymore.

They were close-up shots taken by staff using cameras, and during the prep work, you could hear them chatting and checking info.

"Oh, finally, another E-type test subject."

"Yeah, E-types have better physical fitness. The last S-class death row inmate they brought in didn't last a week before he died."

"He couldn't even handle that small dose of drugs; he must have barely qualified as S-class, hahaha..."

"So what capital crime did this E-type commit?"

"Naive, there aren't that many E-types committing major crimes. Let me see... this one was reported by a coworker three years ago and sent here. He hasn't left in the past few years because his violence index was too low, but he hasn't killed or set fires."

"Being born as an E-type is just his bad luck. Any record will be blown out of proportion."

"Let's start. Are we using the D13 test virus today?"

"Yeah..."

In the video, you could see a man on a recliner, shaking with fear and struggling in anger.

He seemed confused by his situation, fearfully asking, "I haven't done anything heinous, I haven't committed any capital crimes, I've been trying hard to control my nature, why was I sent here..."

Unfortunately, the researchers in the lab, used to the arrogance granted by Mu Ziyue's authority, didn't care.

Not only did they ignore the man about to be used as a test subject, but they also treated this unfair and inhumane setup as normal, continuing with their work.

Tower 1's smart system blurred out images that could cause psychological trauma to the public when uploading the videos.

Even so, the audience could clearly see what was going on.

Gradually, they began to raise louder questions.

"...So this is for real?"

"We respect the confidentiality of the Tower of Evil, but they're doing such scary stuff behind the scenes??"

"I get researching medical drugs for health, but what's the point of researching viruses and illegal drugs??"

"I heard the Tower of Evil is now managed by the Golden Wing and the royal family, so can someone from the Golden Wing Battalion explain what's going on?"

"@GoldenWingBattalionOfficial @GoldenWingMilitary @GoldenWingPolice..."

Public outrage erupted once again.

Back on the road to headquarters, Mu Ziyu was also dumbfounded.

Those videos sent shivers down his spine.

It wasn’t just the suffering of the people inside that got to him.

As a member of the royal family, he knew a bit about the underhanded operations within the Tower of Evil, but he hadn’t expected it to be even more horrifying than he’d imagined, and he had no authority to intervene in its management. What terrified him even more was that this level of insanity—only Xu Qingran could pull it off.

The real question was, how did Xu Qingran, as a detained person, manage to do it?

The Tower of Evil’s AI system is highly advanced, with state-of-the-art security defenses. How could Xu Qingran possibly take over under his elder brother's nose? Did he beat someone into submission and then threaten them?

Not to mention whether Mu Ziyue would give in so easily.

For Xu Qingran to pull this off, he’d have to first regain his freedom. With so many people keeping an eye on Tower 1, how the hell did he get out?!

Mu Ziyu thought about how calmly Xu Qingran had communicated with him on the communication line, even saying that he could go to the base without needing anyone to pick him up.

The more he dwelled on it, the more horrifying it seemed.

Could it be that Xu Qingran, that deranged madman, had regained his freedom much earlier than he thought?

If that’s the case, why hadn’t there been any word about it?

With so many people in Tower 1, someone should’ve spilled the beans by now, and he should’ve been caught ages ago.

As Mu Ziyu mulled it over, he slowly grew more bewildered.

Could Xu Qingran have single-handedly taken over the entire Tower 1...?

Meanwhile, at the Tower of Evil.

By midnight, the number of staff on duty had dwindled significantly compared to the daytime.

It wasn’t until a higher-up called that they realized what was going on outside, discovering that their official account had inexplicably released so many confidential videos and documents. The staff responsible for managing the online account had been chatting with colleagues outside their office when the incident occurred.

"Shit, were we hacked?"

By the time the call reached them, the videos had already been out for a while.

In major incidents like this, the first person they’d contact would be the Tower Master. But no one answered the phone in the Tower Master's office, and after several attempts, they called the secretary, who said he had gone to Tower 1. The call was then transferred to Tower 1, but the connection was lost.

After several tries, they finally got through to the office in Tower 5, where most of the admin staff were stationed.

They rushed to log into the account to deal with the situation.

Only to find that all their account passwords had been changed, and even the identity information of the responsible employees no longer had access.

"How is this possible? The security system of the Tower of Evil is on par with national defense. Who could hack it?"

The staffer in charge of account updates cursed under his breath.

The nature of the Tower of Evil is different from other social media platforms.

They don't need to maintain active and stable updates to consolidate their fan base, nor do they need to frequently post promotional content. After all, everyone in the empire knows about this place, and the military and police will inform them about anything that needs attention.

So the Tower of Evil's account has always been very laid-back.

Unless necessary, staff wouldn’t bother logging in to check, so they had no idea how long the account had been compromised.

Since they couldn’t delete it directly from the account, they had to reach out to different platforms to have them urgently remove the videos that were posted.

However, not all platforms are under their control.

This "they" refers to the forces primarily led by the Golden Wing faction.

Among the platforms that posted the videos, some are controlled by the forces and capital of the Silver Dragon. The videos were clearly aimed at the Golden Wing faction, especially involving Mu Ziyue, so they were definitely not going to cooperate, relishing the chaos.

Particularly the capital circle headed by the Mo family.

Everyone knows that Mo Chengfei has been dissatisfied with the news of Xu Qingran being held in the Tower of Evil. This unusual behavior seems to indicate some internal meddling and chaos within the Tower of Evil. As retaliation, he’s even less inclined to help them out.

Honestly, even if all platforms agreed to take down the videos now, it wouldn’t make much difference.

Even if they were only uploaded for a minute, they have already been saved or recorded by some internet users. By now, the mysterious veil of the Tower of Evil and its hidden crimes are being exposed, and it’s irreversible.

"These videos are only available in Tower 1, right?"

In the Tower 5 office, the staff were panicking.

They dispatched people to the monitoring room to check on the other towers—especially Tower 1.

They found that the night shift workers, taking advantage of the lack of attention, had fallen asleep leaning back in their chairs.

Sound asleep, mouths wide open.

The leader of the same building led the charge, kicking the door open.

Only to discover that the screens monitoring Towers 1 and 2 were completely blacked out.

"...Shit!"

Furious, the leader put all his strength into kicking the chair of the monitoring staff—who hadn’t stirred since they came in.

The wheeled chair slammed hard into the wall.

Sending the person on it tumbling to the ground, waking up dazed: "Wh-what’s going on?"

The leader slapped him on the head: "What’s the deal with the monitoring for Towers 1 and 2?!"

"How long has the power been out, and you didn’t even notice?!"

The on-duty staff rushed to the screen, checked the situation, and looked baffled: "How is this possible? It was fine before I dozed off..."

A colleague asked him: "How long have you been asleep?"

The person stammered: "I’m not sure, maybe two, two hours?"

"..."

In the silence, another on-duty staff from the neighboring monitoring room suddenly rushed over.

Leaning by the door, first startled by the commotion, then hesitantly said: "...Um, I was just about to go out and find you, I can’t see Tower 3 anymore, their signal and power supply system seem to have some problems?"

Hearing this, the leader’s face went even paler.

For the Tower of Evil, there is no more terrifying accident than a power outage.

Looking further ahead, the Tower of Evil without power could very well become a breach for invasive species wandering in outer space to attack the Queen's Star. On a more immediate note, the prisons within the Tower of Evil are largely controlled by the power system.

If a large-scale power outage occurs, it means those prisoners will be released...

The staff at Tower 5 gradually realized the severity of the problem.

One staff member tried to stay optimistic: "...It must just be a partial power outage caused by the thunderstorms these past few days!"

As soon as they finished speaking, the sound of running footsteps echoed through the corridor outside.

The staff assigned to contact Towers 1 and 2 returned to report: "What should we do? We can't reach them at all! Every communication channel is down!"

Upon hearing this, everyone fell completely silent.

Only the leader let out a shrill scream: "How is this possible?!"

If all the towers have lost power, that would be catastrophic!

The power supply system of the Tower of Evil is highly specialized.

Except for Tower 1, the smallest and not primarily used as a prison, which relies entirely on the main power supply system, each of the other towers is powered by hundreds of independent power generation systems.

This way, even if an accident causes one power generation system to fail, it only affects a part of the tower, not causing the entire tower's security system to fail. This includes the surrounding defense, communications, and monitoring, each managed by different power supply systems.

Even if one main power source is compromised, other systems can still function.

Currently, all monitoring in Towers 1, 2, and 3 is down.

No matter how they switch, the monitoring in every corner shows no signal. Although they cannot monitor the situation, it is speculated that all power sources in these towers might have been cut off simultaneously.

This seems impossible.

After all, unless there was a large-scale external attack, even the top E-type couldn't pull this off so quickly, right?!

The atmosphere in the room grew tense.

The staff monitoring Towers 3 and 4 next door had been in the duty room all night, watching dramas, and only just checked their phones.

So they inquired again: "By the way, I just saw our official account posting several strange videos... Are we finally trying to boost our account's popularity like marketing accounts?"

The room fell into complete silence.

No one felt like answering his question.

The supervisor of Tower 5, upon hearing the news, arrived at their office.

The chaotic scene inside gradually settled as he appeared, and all personnel gathered around him.

The supervisor roughly understood the current situation from the leaders of various departments.

He immediately began assigning tasks: "Contact the closest Tower 4 and have them send people to investigate the situation at those three towers immediately."

"Contact the base closest to the Tower of Evil on the Queen's Star and tell them there's been an accident here requiring urgent support."

"Also, report the situation to the palace and the government office."

"If possible, ask them to immediately order the stationed troops of the Celestial System to send reinforcements."

His tone was exceptionally serious.

With a serious expression, he said, "We might have a very serious matter to deal with tonight."

His thoughts drifted back to many days earlier.

That day was the day the Tower Master was set to go to Tower 1 to receive Mu Ziyue.

Before leaving, he was still sitting in his office, chatting with him. But his spirits were not high, and he kept staring out the window, clearly preoccupied.

After a long while, he suddenly said to him, "I still think the Grand Prince shouldn't mess with someone as special as Xu Qingran."

The supervisor of Tower 5 didn't take it seriously: "No matter how powerful he is, he's just a camp colonel. He's only dealt with minor figures before. In front of the Grand Prince, who wields immense power, and our trusted defense system at the Tower of Evil, what kind of trouble could he possibly cause alone?"

The Tower Master sighed, "You're right."

"I've run through countless scenarios in my mind, even imagining General Shen from the Golden Wing Battalion flying a fighter jet to storm the tower and rescue him. I still believe that once he's detained in Tower 1, he won't be able to break free on his own."

"But, who knows?"

The Tower Master chuckled lightly, "After all, it's Xu Qingran, who always manages to shock the entire empire."

The supervisor of Tower 5 didn't take the matter to heart at the time.

During this period, apart from the Tower Master not returning, he had been maintaining communication and contact with them from Tower 1, and it didn't seem like there were any issues.

Until tonight.

The occurrence of various sudden accidents seemed to cast a shadow over them.

The supervisor of Tower 5 appeared calm, but in reality, he was already drenched in sweat.

He thought to himself, could it really be related to Xu Qingran?

·

Booming thunder—

The thunderstorm had not yet ceased.

Outside Tower 5, the military guards were coming and going, looking very tense and busy.

Just 30 minutes ago, Tower 4 also lost contact with Tower 5.

Like the other towers, all communications were completely cut off, and the surveillance systems were collectively severed.

It's important to know that Tower 4 is the largest tower besides Tower 5, with an extensive power supply system.

What could possibly cause it to lose contact in an instant, even cutting off the nearby signal towers, rendering mobile phones and communicators useless?

Tower 4 holds serious criminals from various star systems of the empire, and there are many of them.

It's hard to imagine the chaos that would ensue if they were all released at the same time.

On the roads from the main gate to the parking lot and the landing pad, many military guards were seen coming and going.

They were all part of the emergency rescue team preparing to go to Tower 4 to investigate the situation.

In the wind and rain, a tall figure walked leisurely towards Tower 5 amidst the crowd.

He was wearing a Silver Dragon uniform, with a stylish long coat and a hat on his head, both already soaked by the rain. Yet, he seemed unfazed, walking calmly in the rain, standing out in stark contrast to the disheveled crowd.

The scene was chaotic, and it was now night.

The soldiers passing by him didn’t notice him. Even if they did, they didn’t immediately realize he was Colonel Xu, who was supposed to be detained in Tower 1.

Xu Qingran thus entered the area of Tower 5 without any hindrance.

He didn’t enter the building, nor did he need to exert any effort to find the main power sources distributed in different areas.

He just needed to find a simple power source.

From there, his abilities would surge into the circuit system through this connection point. Even though the wiring was intricate and connected to different main power sources, he could disable them all at once.

Inside the tower, staff were frantically contacting the outside world.

Everyone was busy until loud explosions erupted both inside and outside the tower.

In the next moment, the entire Tower 5 was plunged into darkness.

"...What happened?!"

Every power supply system around and inside Tower 5 exploded!

One after another, they exploded as if struck by intense internal damage.

Even larger power supply systems in some areas burst into flames.

Even the backup generators were not spared. The situation was critical, yet they couldn’t even trigger the full-area alarm.

The towering and vast Tower of Evil, its flames slowly spreading in the rain.

The soldiers outside the tower, initially preparing to depart, now ignored other towers and were summoned by their leaders.

Tower 5, besides the administrative offices, also had a prison.

Though it housed only ordinary criminals and individuals awaiting re-education, the number was large, and they urgently needed to deploy all military personnel to contain them.

Tonight was fated to be the Tower of Evil’s worst night.

The chaos was enough to bring these people immense hardship.

After delivering his grand gift to the Tower of Evil and the empire, Xu Qingran made his way back against the crowd to the parked aircraft.

"Colonel... Colonel Xu?!"

As he neared, two soldiers rushing back from a distance recognized him.

They were speechless with shock.

Xu Qingran looked up and smiled at them: "Good evening."

After speaking, his eyes hardened, and he swung his fist, crackling with thunderous energy, at the two unsuspecting soldiers.

Behind him, the noise continued unabated.

On the nearly hundred-story building, flames danced in various corners, resembling orange-red blossoms blooming across the structure.

"...Huh! Where did that wolf-dog come from?!"

A distant shout made Xu Qingran halt instinctively.

He paused and glanced back, watching the bold white figure kick aside anyone who tried to block its path, then rushing towards him.

Those icy blue beast eyes gleamed brightly in the darkness.

Xu Qingran's face registered rare astonishment.

Gazing at the white dog standing before him, he let out a speechless chuckle.

When he was taken away, he had left the white dog at Shen Tingyu's home.

He didn't know how it found out he'd been captured and taken to the Tower of Evil, but for a dog to make its way alone from Tianlang to the Tower of Evil to find him was truly impressive.

"As expected of the Dog King, so revered by the people of Beicheng," Xu Qingran, with rare admiration, raised an eyebrow and asked, "So, do you also want to accompany me to save someone?"

The white dog looked up and met his gaze.

Its gaze spoke volumes.

Xu Qingran smiled, slung an arm around its neck, and walked with it to the parked aircraft: "Alright, let's go pick him up and take him home."

Inside the aircraft.

Xu Qingran set the course for the military base Mu Ziyu had mentioned.

But the white dog in the rear cabin suddenly grew restless.

Its agitation was directed at Mu Ziyue, whom Xu Qingran had tossed in the back.

Mu Ziyue was teetering on the edge of insanity.

He was covered in wounds, and a part of his lower body had ruptured from an overdose of medication Xu Qingran had given him, causing severe congestion.

His pants were soaked with grimy blood.

He huddled in the corner, his eyes flickering between focus and vacancy, fixed on the white dog a short distance away.

The white dog bared its teeth, its usually calm blue eyes now filled with murderous hatred for the man before it.

Xu Qingran, seated at the controls, noticed its agitation.

Remembering a dream involving Shen Tingyu, the white dog had displayed similar hatred towards Mu Ziyue.

Though he didn't know why, he trusted the white dog had its reasons.

So he told it, "Hold back a little; don't kill him."

"I still want to keep him around for a few more years of fun."

The white dog arched its back, growling fiercely, as it closed in on Mu Ziyue.

Its claws seemed to sharpen as a psychic glow lit its eyes.

Queen Star. The 3rd Military Base. The scene was calm, the skies clear and peaceful.

The sun hadn't yet breached the horizon, but a faint light already touched the distant sky.

One after another, vehicles loaded with supplies and resources drove into the massive military airship on the tarmac under command.

Xie Nanjun, accompanied by several team members, quickly boarded the airship.

A hundred meters away, in the parking lot.

Lu Cheng sat alone in the car, holding a phone in his hand, and rubbed his temples with his other hand.

The phone screen displayed a public opinion page from a trending topic on a social platform.

It was about the Tower of Evil's official account acting erratically late at night.

Online public opinion had descended into complete chaos.

Whether it was citizens of the Golden Wing or Silver Dragon factions, they were all demanding explanations from the empire, especially the Golden Wing, which held the most power. The situation was more serious than ever before.

As of now, the empire had not yet responded.

Lu Cheng was aware that Xu Qingran had been detained in the Tower of Evil.

He even began to suspect that the entire uproar was related to Xu Qingran. Last night, when the Tower of Evil's official account acted erratically, he also received a call from Mu Ziyu, temporarily altering his mission plan.

Mu Ziyu said that if Xu Qingran arrived before the support team departed, Lu Cheng wouldn't need to go.

Xu Qingran would take the support spot, while Lu Cheng stayed behind to oversee the main command tasks in the empire's disaster-stricken area.

Thinking of this, Lu Cheng heaved a deep sigh.

When he opened his eyes again, they held a trace of desolation.

A few more messages appeared on his phone.

They were from Xu Qingan, asking, "Lu Cheng, can we get married as soon as you return?"

"I'm terrified."

"Lu Cheng, you're all I have now. Will you back out at the last moment?"

"Lu Cheng, I gave you my first time... and everything else I had. You promised to take responsibility for me! I swear I'll never bother Xu Qingran again. I'll do everything you said and be the perfect partner."

Lu Cheng ignored the chat box.

Nor did he reply.

He had no idea how Xu Qingan had been released from the Tower of Evil so quickly.

But Xu Qingan shamelessly sought him out, begged for forgiveness, vowed to repent, and promised to apologize to Xu Qingran to earn his forgiveness.

Lu Cheng hadn't wanted to agree at first.

It's just... just that during that time, he saw too many comments online about Xu Qingran and Shen Tingyu being together. And when he and Xu Qingan returned to the Soulmate Center for a rematch, he stumbled upon a set of separately stored data from Xie Nanyi.

Since it involved Xu Qingran, he secretly accessed it to check.

He discovered the truth about his compatibility with the child from the Shen family.

Even the last hope that could prevent him from being with Shen Tingyu was shattered.

Indeed, their official compatibility data was only 0.01.

But he felt he understood Xu Qingran a bit better now. For instance, he realized Xu Qingran wasn’t bound by data—he followed his instincts.

Lu Cheng couldn’t accept it.

Why was Xu Qingran able to move on, build new connections, and live happily, while he remained stuck in past mistakes, alone and isolated?

In a fit of impulsiveness, he ignored Lu Wennian’s objections and decided to go through with marrying Xu Qingan.

He refused to lose.

Yet, happiness still eluded him.

He didn’t feel the satisfaction of keeping up with Xu Qingran’s life—only emptiness, numbness, and endless loneliness.

Lu Cheng stared at his phone.

Blank-faced, he wondered if Xu Qingran’s insistence on joining the mission was all for Shen Tingyu.

Was Shen Tingyu worth risking his life for?

·

The golden sunrise cast a ginkgo-like glow across the sea.

At Queen’s Star’s 3rd base, fewer people lingered outside—most had already boarded the starship.

Xie Nanjun led the Golden Wing team for this mission.

As deputy commander, he worked under Major General Lu of the Silver Dragon Battalion, the mission’s lead.

For the last hour, he’d been managing every detail on the starship.

He raced from the top deck to the lowest level, inside and out, handling every decision, big or small.

Sweating and increasingly irritable, he was stretched thin.

He snapped at a Silver Dragon soldier, “Where’s your Major General?!”

Cursing, he fumbled to unwrap a candy from his pocket and popped it into his mouth.

Skipping breakfast, his low blood sugar was kicking in.

The Silver Dragon crew hadn’t seen their Major General in over an hour.

They shrugged helplessly: “No idea...”

Xie Nanjun was seething.

He’d always heard Lu Cheng was the Silver Dragon’s “Shen Tingyu”—a disciplined and skilled commander.

—This is the so-called Major General Lu they raved about?

Departure’s imminent, and even the Silver Dragon crew is aboard.

The Major General’s been MIA for over an hour, and now he’s holding everyone up?!

He barked, “This mission’s urgent—we can’t waste time!”

“Ten minutes! Find your Major General now! If he’s not here in ten, I’m taking control and leaving without him!” The Silver Dragon soldier didn’t argue, scrambling off to find their Major General.

Ten minutes.

Still no trace of him.

Supplies and resources, including the prepared medical equipment and military doctors, had all been loaded.

Xie Nanjun stood by the hatch, checked the time, and issued a cold command: "Close the hatch. We're leaving now."

The pilots at the main control console obeyed without question and immediately complied.

The starship's engines powered up.

The noise signaled an imminent takeoff.

Xie Nanjun glanced at the massive hatch door as it slowly closed, then turned to leave the hangar filled with various aircraft and fighters, heading towards the control room.

Suddenly, he heard a startled exclamation from the staff behind him.

Turning around, he saw a light-colored aircraft slip through the narrowing gap just before the hatch closed, landing in the back row.

The aircraft's lights and engines were swiftly shut down by the occupant.

But not entirely powered off, with some life-support systems still active.

Xie Nanjun instinctively assumed it was the tardy Lu Cheng.

He braced himself, ready to reprimand him the moment he emerged. However, a quick look revealed the Golden Wing insignia on the aircraft.

...?

Did Major General Lu hastily grab any available aircraft from the base to catch up?

The other guards, startled by the commotion, stared wide-eyed at the sudden intruder.

Until the cockpit door opened, and the occupant stepped out.

Xie Nanjun's anger melted into confusion, then shock: "...Xu Qingran??"

Wait, wasn't he supposed to be in the Tower of Evil?

What's he doing here?!

As the shock set in, Xie Nanjun broke into a cold sweat.

Wait, if he's here, does that mean he's aware of Shen Tingyu's predicament?

—Hey, don't look at me.

I kept my mouth shut; Xu Qingran figured it out himself!

Xu Qingran looked... utterly disheveled.

He was drenched, like he'd just emerged from the ocean. The white dog accompanying him shook off vigorously, sending water droplets flying.

Xie Nanjun watched him approach, hesitated, then asked, "...Did you two end up in the sea?"

The tension hung heavy in the air as they entered the lounge.

Xu Qingran sat on the edge of the bed, already changed into clean and fresh clothes.

He had also taken a shower, feeling fresh, and was holding a hairdryer to dry his hair. He then summoned the white dog.

He set the hairdryer to a gentle mode to dry the dog's freshly bathed fur.

Xie Nanjun casually sat on the sofa nearby, legs crossed.

He picked up his phone, turned the screen towards Xu Qingran, and pointed at the page, asking, "Xu Qingran, isn't this your handiwork?"

The screen displayed news about the Tower of Evil video.

The incident had already spread throughout the empire, and the situation was pretty serious, with everyone angrily condemning it.

Xu Qingran glanced up briefly before returning to drying the dog's fur.

His silence was admission enough.

Xie Nanjun exclaimed, incredulous: "No way, you're serious?"

"How did you pull this off?!"

Xie Nanjun continued: "I've heard that in the past, there were spies who tried to sneak into Tower 1 to obtain classified information."

"But no one ever succeeded, much less directly hacking into the account and releasing these videos!" He clicked on the most popular video, featuring Shen Tingyu. After watching a few seconds, he added, "Shen Tingyu really went through a lot back then."

Xu Qingran finished drying the dog's fur and turned off the loud hairdryer.

He picked up a comb to groom the dog's fur and nonchalantly replied to Xie Nanjun's question: "It's simple."

"All you have to do is take control of Tower 1's central system, right?"

He made it sound as easy as drinking water and even complimented, "Anna is indeed very smart, way more dependable than a system I know."

System: "...?" Was that a backhanded compliment, or is it just me?

Xie Nanjun looked at him like he'd seen a ghost: "You make it sound so easy?"

"With all those guards, how'd you pull this off right under their noses? And how'd you break out of the cell?"

Xu Qingran: "Not too bad. There weren't many people."

"I just kill whoever I can."

"The cell? Just a flick of the finger, and I was out."

Xie Nanjun: "..."

He really wanted to retort, 'You're just bragging,' but the fact was, this guy was sitting right here, looking like a total badass.

Is there really someone even more outrageous than Shen Tingyu?

Is this guy really like a human weapon?!

Xu Qingran, the human weapon, finished grooming the dog and said, "Let's eat. I'm starving."

Xie Nanjun: "..."

The two of them grabbed a bite in the cafeteria.

During this time, Xu Qingran also mentioned switching tasks with Lu Cheng.

Xie Nanjun gradually sensed something amiss and exclaimed in shock and anger, "Wait, so you're now in charge of the main command?!"

"Damn it, I outrank you, you know, and you've pulled one over on me!"

Xu Qingran calmly asked him, "What's the issue?"

Xie Nanjun really wanted to say he had a ton of issues.

Especially since he had never seen Xu Qingran in command before, he was worried if Xu Qingran could handle it and whether he could keep the troops from both sides in check.

But Xu Qingran didn't seem to intend to continue this topic.

After finishing his meal, he pushed the plate aside and asked, "Now, can you tell me what's the deal with Shen Tingyu's mission?"

·

Kayan Empire territory, a base station 60 light-years away.

The power station was largely in ruins.

Smoke billowed from various base structures. In different corners of the area, troops from both factions were still fighting against the alien species on the planet.

Due to the weakened power supply, besides the devil hordes, other nearby alien creatures had also joined the chaos.

The area was now a complete mess.

At this moment, in a hidden corner of the station area.

As one of the station buildings, the signal disk on top was spewing thick smoke.

Around it lay many alien bodies.

Those who had surrounded this place had been temporarily eliminated, and a new wave—especially the devil horde with a 'soft spot' for Shen Tingyu—might be heading this way.

A soldier in silver dragon uniform dropped to his knees, clasping his hands and pleading desperately, "Shen... General Shen, please let me go, I, I didn't do anything, it was all their doing!"

Shen Tingyu stood in front of him, looking down at him.

A slight smile on his lips, his eyes also curved, still wearing his usual kind expression—if it weren't for the bloodied knife in his hand.

Near the kneeling man, several of his fellow soldiers also lay.

Further away, there were soldiers from the Golden Wing.

But most of these people did not die from alien attacks; they died at the hands of Shen Tingyu.

Their throats were slit deep, and blood soaked the ground.

"Sigh." After a long while, the man holding the knife sighed.

But then he reached out and grabbed forcefully, with such strength that it seemed he could tear the scalp off the person whose hair he was pulling.

He smiled lightly, but his tone was chillingly cold, "I was finally trying to be kind for once."

"Why do you have to push me like this?"