Silence!
Absolute silence!
On the holographic big screen, the final frozen image was that face, so close, with crimson pupils burning with mad flames, wearing an expression of ultimate mockery, and… that… perfectly upright middle finger!
Immediately after, the screen was engulfed by the intense explosion of fire! The signal… completely cut off!
Piercing alarms shrieked like the wails of dying beasts, roaring wildly in the silent command center!
Qin Weiguo stood frozen in place as if under a petrification spell! He stared intently at the screen that had turned to static!
His pupils instantly constricted to pinpricks due to extreme shock and towering rage!
The muscles on his face twitched uncontrollably!
An unspeakable… feeling of being humiliated! Trampled! Enraged to the core! Exploded within his chest like a volcano!
"Ling Chen—!!!"
A roar filled with ultimate fury! Exploded from the depths of Qin Weiguo's throat! Shaking the entire command center!
He slammed his fist onto the control panel! The hard alloy surface instantly dented with a clear fist print!
"It's him! That bastard! He's not dead! He's not dead!!!"
Qin Weiguo's voice was distorted by extreme anger! He suddenly turned! His crimson eyes swept across the stunned crowd, equally shocked beyond belief!
"He's in the Zoo! He's right there! He's declaring war on us!!!"
Chu Hang's pupils under his mask sharply contracted! He clearly "saw" it! In that last moment on the screen! The… cold, tyrannical, dragon-like aura of the Bone Eater Realm that Ling Chen released!
That aura… was from the same origin as the dragon blood contamination that erupted within The Boulder before… even… purer! Even… more terrifying!
"Ling… Chen…?!". Chen Xue shrieked, her voice distorted by extreme shock and fear! She stumbled back a step as if all strength had been drained from her, knocking over the chair behind her!
The silver light in her palm instantly exploded out of control! Shattering a glass cup nearby!
"It's him!"
Lin Wei stared intently at the frozen face on the screen, her amber pupils contracting violently! Her Discernment ability operated frantically!
"Bone Eater Realm… mutated body…" Chu Hang's cold voice, like metal grinding, broke the silence, "Rules… collapsing."
His gaze under the mask, for the first time, showed… an extremely subtle… fluctuation.
Ling Chen! The young man Chen Xue couldn't forget, the one Lin Wei had doubts about! Not only was he alive! But he had become a monster of the Bone Eater Realm! No, he was a monster to begin with!
This wasn't just an attack! This was a declaration of war! A trampling of Panshi Fortress's dignity!
"Commander! Owl… confirmed crashed! No signs of life!"
Inside the command center, there was dead silence! Only the low hum of instruments and… the heavy, suppressed breathing of everyone!
Anger! Fear! Shock! Disbelief! All kinds of emotions surged through everyone's nerves like a tide!
"He… how could he…"
Chen Xue slumped onto the chair, her face ashen, tears uncontrollably welling up.
She looked at the familiar yet strange face on the screen, with its sinister smile, and felt as if her heart was tightly gripped by a cold hand!
The immense shock left her mind blank, her faith almost collapsing!
Lin Wei pressed her lips tightly together, her fingers gripping the edge of the tablet computer so hard her knuckles turned white.
Every detail captured by her Discernment ability violently assaulted her understanding—Ling Chen's injuries were fake!
His weakness was faked! He had been deceiving everyone! He had been lurking within The Boulder, his purpose was for that reverse scale pendant!
And now… he possessed the power of the Bone Eater Realm! He had returned! With blatant malice! A chill ran down her spine to the top of her head!
"Bone Eater Realm… mutated body…"
Xiong Yan licked his lips, and instead of fear, a hint of bloodthirsty excitement appeared on his bronze face, "Damn it! Finally, someone strong enough! Commander! Let me go! I'll burn him to ashes!"
Li Fan didn't speak, but a sharp… killing intent… flashed in his cold, dark golden vertical pupils! The Chi dragon tattoo on the back of his neck… seemed… to faintly… burn!
Qin Weiguo stared intently at the frozen face on the screen, his chest heaving violently.
Ling Chen… what exactly… is he?! What else… is behind him?!
"Commander! We…" Zhou Zhengyang's voice was questioning.
Qin Weiguo took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his surging emotions.
He knew that any anger or impulsiveness at this moment would be fatal!
"Notify Tang Zhao!"
Qin Weiguo's voice was cold as a blade, with an undeniable decisiveness, "Tell him… the target… has been found! He's in the Zoo!"
He slowly raised his head, his gaze sweeping over the face of everyone in the command center, finally resting on Xiong Yan and Li Fan.
"Xiong Yan! Li Fan!"
"Here!" Both stepped forward simultaneously!
"Assemble the 'Furnace' Special Forces! First and Third Ability User Assault Teams! All standby Bone Eater Realm combat power!" Qin Weiguo's voice was as firm as steel, "Target: Zoo! Mission: Bone Eater Realm mutated body—Ling Chen! And… all his accomplices!"
"This person will definitely move towards Linghui Academy, where all his arrangements are!"
"If alive, bring him back! If dead… bring back his corpse!"
"If I encounter irresistible factors, 30 seconds after your retreat or 30 seconds after total annihilation, I will project a low-yield nuclear weapon."
"Scavenger Protocol… fully activated!"
The order was like a thunderclap! Instantly igniting the entire command center!
"Yes!!!" Xiong Yan's eyes burst with fanatical battle intent! Li Fan's lips curved into a cold arc!
Chen Xue suddenly looked up, her eyes filled with unbelievable horror and… pleading: "Commander! No! He… he might…"
"Chen Xue!" Qin Weiguo sharply interrupted her, his gaze as cold as iron.
"He is a mutated body! An enemy! The murderer of our soldiers! Put away your pointless sympathy! Otherwise… military law will be enforced!"
Chen Xue trembled as if struck by a heavy hammer, tears streaming down her face, unable to utter another word.
Lin Wei looked at Ling Chen's mocking face on the screen, then at the grief-stricken Chen Xue, her heart cold.
Her intuition told her… The Boulder… was about to face… an unprecedented… bloodbath!
And at this moment.
Inside Ling Hui Zoo.
Ling Chen stood on the viewing platform of the Giraffe House, his crimson pupils gazing towards the direction of Panshi Fortress. The cold, mocking curve of his lips… still hadn't faded.
"Come on…" He murmured, his voice carrying a hint of lazy anticipation, "Let me see… how much… fun… you can bring me."
Under the blood moon, the storm… had arrived!
Qin Weiguo took one last look at the frozen, mocking smiling face on the holographic screen, and the last trace of hesitation and deliberation in his eyes completely vanished! Only… cold, almost tangible… killing intent remained!
Zhuang Han's massive body trembled violently! His crimson beast pupils instantly turned towards the Zoo!
He clearly felt it! That… will fluctuation… from his master! Cold, tyrannical, with a hint of… excitement!
"Roar—!!!"
Zhuang Han suddenly let out a deafening roar! Filled with… ecstasy and… bloodthirsty battle intent!
"The real battle… has begun!" His crimson beast pupils swept over the horde of ghouls below, whose aura was noticeably much stronger, and whose eyes gleamed with even more tyrannical light!
"Assemble!!!"
At his command! All the ghouls in the stadium instantly stopped tearing and devouring! They all looked up simultaneously! Their crimson eyes fixed on Zhuang Han!
"The prey… is in the Zoo!" Zhuang Han's voice was like grinding metal, carrying an undeniable command! "Tear them apart! Devour them! With their flesh and blood… offer loyalty… to Master!!!"
"Roar—!!!"
"Ugh ah—!!!"
"Hiss—!!!"
Earth-shattering roars instantly echoed through the sky!
The ghoul horde, like a black tide of death! Led by Zhuang Han! With an momentum to crush everything! Madly surged out of the stadium! Rushing towards the Zoo…!