Chapter 676: Realization

Chapter 676: Realization

Deng Shentong began to feel a strange unease.

“There’s no way I could lose! How could I possibly lose?”

“With my power, what tricks could he possibly use to fight me?”

“It must be because...”

While Deng Shentong struggled, Phoenixin Ren had already charged in.

The Phoenix Power blazed around him, and its flames reacted violently with the fire already engulfing Deng’s body, intensifying his pain.

“Hahaha! Come on, Captain of Celestial Squad! Let’s see who lasts longer!”

“But I’ll give you a friendly reminder—I. Can’t. Die!”

This time, it was Phoenixin who was tormenting Deng Shentong.

Deng forced himself to channel Sacred Form Enhancement, trying to withstand the phoenix fire’s searing heat—

While simultaneously fending off Phoenixin’s relentless attacks.

The battlefield was ablaze with fire, roaring and explosions echoing nonstop.

Even while burning, Deng Shentong was still Deng Shentong—

When he counterattacked with full force, Phoenixin still found it hard to endure.

But Phoenixin’s strategy was clear—a deathmatch style.

Trading his life for yours.

And until Deng found a way to overcome Undying, this could only end one way:

Phoenixin would wear him down until he died.

But Deng was running out of time—and strength.

The phoenix blood covering his body burned at such high temperatures that it made him want to die then and there.

Yet he knew—he couldn’t give up.

He fought on with everything he had, managing to kill Phoenixin three more times.

But no matter how many times he died, that bastard always crawled out of the flames—grinning savagely and charging back in.

Despair. Utter, inescapable despair consumed Deng Shentong.

Even his immense ability reserves couldn’t sustain a never-ending battle.

“Am I… really going to fall here?”

The crimson flames surrounded him.

The silver radiance of his sacred body dimmed to almost nothing.

At that moment, he was forced to face a truth—

He could no longer continue fighting.

But teetering on the edge of life and death, a single thought finally crystallized in his mind.

The reason he had lost this fight—

Wasn’t because he wasn’t strong enough...

“Bam!”

Phoenixin drove a knee straight into Deng Shentong’s chest.

Even with his combat suit absorbing the blow, Deng flew back dozens of meters, crashing hard into the rubble.

Blood gushed from his mouth, and he could barely lift his eyelids.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Phoenixin—naked, grinning like a devil—walking slowly toward him.

Ah… I see it now. I finally understand.

I was the target from the beginning.

Blood bubbled from Deng’s lips. He didn’t even have the strength to get up.

“But… at least I have to bring back the intel...”

He thought weakly.

Phoenixin stood over him, looming like a victor, looking down from above.

“Beep... beep…”

Deng Shentong closed his eyes.

From within his silver hair, a faint light began to pulse.

Just as Phoenixin reached out to tear off his head—BOOM!

Deng’s head exploded violently!

A terrifying force blasted out, instantly clearing the surrounding mist for over a kilometer.

The fog recoiled in all directions, and the explosion at its core killed Phoenixin again.

A silver storm erupted from the center of Jiangning Plaza, spreading like a glowing orb that lit up the entire sky.

But this beautiful, radiant glow brought dead silence to the Operations Command Center in Blizzard City.

Everyone knew what it meant.

Each Captain-level paranormal had a high-powered micro-bomb embedded in their skull—

A joint project between Deng Corporation and Blizzard City’s research division.

Its power was immense.

But it wasn’t designed to kill enemies—

It was for self-destruction.

Captain-level paranormals were too powerful.

In death, they had to ensure their core couldn’t be consumed by the enemy.

So the appearance of that giant silver light orb meant only one thing—

A Captain-level paranormal had fallen.

And the only Captain present at that battlefield was Deng Shentong.

In other words—

Deng Shentong was dead.

The command center was utterly silent.

Many staff members froze, forgetting their tasks.

Some of the women fainted on the spot, unable to accept the truth.

Deng Shentong’s death signaled complete defeat for Blizzard City in their battle against Moon of Corrosion.

Lan Xincheng’s eyes widened; his tall body trembled, expression frozen in shock.

Tu Yunlie, his face hidden beneath his collar, was stern and sharp-eyed—yet visibly seething.

As for Baili Changqing, his mouth hung open—speechless.

None of them could fathom that the Jiangnan District would suffer such a loss in this operation.

And as the weight of reality sank in, one by one, their eyes drifted toward the elderly man seated at the head of the command platform.

Zhu Zheng.

He gripped the table with both hands. His body trembled, his once-steady shoulders shaking violently.

Though he hung his head, everyone knew what kind of expression he wore now—

It must be terrifying.

His face was twisted with rage and grief.

Bloodshot eyes.

Blood trickled from the corners of his lips from grinding his teeth too hard.

His fingers, death-white from the pressure, scraped the table until the nails nearly peeled back.

Zhu Zheng was on the brink of a breakdown.

His most elite team had been slaughtered by a ragtag group.

Over half the team was dead.

And the enemy—still rampaged freely across their territory.

This would be the greatest stain on his military record—one that could never be erased.

“Zhu Shuai...”

Lan Xincheng looked on with concern.

He understood how devastating this loss was to Zhu Zheng.

Zhu Zheng kept his head lowered as he growled out one command, word by word:

“Issue the order... pull back all forces. Immediately. I said now! Withdraw everything—now!!”

His voice sounded like it was being squeezed out through gritted teeth, raspy and strained.

If it weren’t for the crowd, he might have exploded already.

But he couldn’t—not yet.

Because the battle wasn’t over.

He had to preserve what forces they had left.

As painful as this failure was, he couldn’t collapse now.

Tu Yunlie responded immediately.

“Understood!”

He issued orders for the two remaining VTOL aircraft to return at once.

After Tu Yunlie finished, Zhu Zheng could no longer contain his fury.

He threw back his head and smashed his fist down on the command table.

“Prepare Death Reaper of Love! Level Jiangning City to the f***ing ground! Bury those monsters once and for all!!”

Everyone was stunned.

Death Reaper of Love—their ultimate weapon—was really going to be deployed?

Back when Moon of Corrosion first appeared, there had been a proposal to use it for a full purge.

But Zhu Zheng had rejected it.

Now, driven beyond the limits of his rage, he had chosen it himself.

Because even he knew—

If Celestial Squad couldn’t destroy Moon of Corrosion, then their only remaining option to minimize losses was the Death Reaper.

Otherwise, throwing more soldiers into the fray would only lead to catastrophic casualties.

Author's Note