"Quickly activate your mental energy field protection!" Ling Yun shouted urgently. His mental energy field instantly formed a semi-circular silver light shield around the three of them. Just as Xia Lan and Xiao Rou were encased inside, the giant silver hand slammed heavily onto the surface of the light shield.
With a deafening boom, a heavy, clear sound like an ancient temple bell tolling echoed far and wide. Ling Yun's body jolted violently, his head buzzing as countless stars flashed through his vision. He nearly collapsed to the ground, overwhelmed by the immense force. The tremendous power was released to the ground from his mental energy field, and with a cracking sound, countless crisscrossing cracks spread out in a spiderweb pattern over an area of tens of meters, centered on the spot where Ling Yun stood.
Xia Lan and Xiao Rou were shocked. They had just erected their mental energy fields to protect themselves when Ling Yun had already blocked a devastating attack for them. Judging from the intensity of the attack, even if they defended with all their might, their defenses would be breached instantly. Seeing the line of blood slowly trickling from the corner of Ling Yun's mouth, Xiao Rou felt both heartache and anger. Unable to continue protecting herself within Ling Yun's mental energy field, she suddenly threw herself into his arms, hugging him tightly. Suddenly, her mental energy field blazed fiercely from her body, instantly merging with Ling Yun's.
Ling Yun was startled and was about to push her away, but he immediately understood Xiao Rou's intentions. It represented a resolute determination to live and die with him, to endure any attack together, to be together in life and death. Feeling the deep, ocean-like tenderness and unwavering commitment of the girl in his arms, Ling Yun's heart suddenly seemed to explode, and he couldn't help but let out a thunderous roar.
Xia Lan gritted her teeth, her face showing a resolute and determined expression. Although she couldn't express the same deep affection as Xiao Rou towards Ling Yun, it didn't mean she would just stand by and watch the two of them shield her from the attack of that super strong expert. She suddenly turned around and stood behind Ling Yun, her snow-white hands already pressed against his back. Her mental energy field poured into him like a tidal wave, transferring her power to Ling Yun to the greatest extent possible. The mental energy fields of the three of them converged in Ling Yun's body, merging together in the shortest time to form an extremely blazing ball of light, desperately resisting the silver hand.
As she channeled her mental energy, Xia Lan felt her body growing hotter and hotter—a sign of her mental energy burning intensely. Deep within her, a profound longing suddenly welled up: how wonderful it would be if she could be like Xiao Rou, nestled in his arms…
She suddenly felt incredibly envious of Xiao Rou. In that life-or-death moment, she resolutely chose to face the attack alongside her beloved boy. This emotion suddenly made Xia Lan want to cry. Her two slender arms suddenly bent, and she leaned forward, pressing her hot, delicate body tightly against Ling Yun's back, hugging his thin but firm back. A sense of bewilderment suddenly blossomed in her mind. This feeling was so good.
The large, gleaming silver hand gripped the hemispherical protective barrier of the mental energy field formed by the combined efforts of the three, as if it were holding a round glass dome. The immense force caused the glass dome to crack under the strain, and it seemed on the verge of collapse, but it stubbornly refused to fall.
Suddenly, a layer of pure white flames ignited on the mental energy field protection, as if it were a sentient being. It instantly ignited the silver giant hand, burning it into an extremely blazing fire. The air twisted and blurred under the intense heat, and at the center of the flames were countless bizarre and unpredictable phenomena.
Ling Yun certainly felt a hot, fragrant body pressed against his back, but he was already struggling against the overwhelming energy and had no time to analyze why Xia Lan was doing this. Moreover, his responsibility as a man made it imperative for him to protect the two girls in front of and behind him. His mental energy field had been amplified to its maximum extent, even draining the energy of the barrier. He was struggling against the giant silver hand. The two girls' weak supernatural abilities were like a trickle, drained as soon as they entered Ling Yun's body, and had no effect whatsoever. But Ling Yun knew that Xiao Rou and Xia Lan had used all their strength. It wasn't that they lacked the ability, but that their opponent was simply too powerful.
The super-strong man hidden in the space was also extremely surprised. He had used nearly 70% of his power, fully expecting to kill and capture these three young men instantly. However, to his surprise, the boy's anger and superpowers had been able to withstand his attacks for so long without being at a disadvantage. Moreover, the boy was able to use a high-level supernatural technique like the Pale Flame, which truly surprised him and made him feel deeply apprehensive. How old was this boy? He already had such power. If he was given time to grow, his future power would be unimaginably strong.
The super strong man had secretly harbored murderous intent. He originally did not want to kill Ling Yun and the other two, but only wanted to capture them alive. However, after seeing Ling Yun's unparalleled potential, even he was secretly shocked and uneasy. No matter what, he had to kill Ling Yun in Hong Kong. Otherwise, if he let him go back, he might be cultivating a super strong enemy for himself in the future.
No matter how hard he tried, even though Ling Yun and the other two were on the verge of collapse, and the protective barrier of their mental energy field kept flashing blue, indicating that their superpowers were about to run out, it still stubbornly withstood his overwhelming attack. The super strongman couldn't help but feel anxious. He couldn't use his full strength, otherwise the barrier he had just set up would instantly disintegrate under the powerful force. At that time, not only would Ling Yun and the other two be reduced to rubble, but the entire Royal Hotel would also be razed to the ground. The impact would be too great. He and the organization behind them would become enemies of humanity, which would be an unimaginable disaster.
If the stalemate continued for a while, perhaps Ling Yun could be defeated. The super strongman was about to calm down and be patient when he suddenly felt a sense of alarm. His gaze, hidden in the void, couldn't help but glance towards the east side of Hong Kong. There, another powerful aura was rushing towards him at high speed. Judging from the speed, it would probably arrive here in less than half a minute. Judging from the strength of the aura, it was a super strongman comparable to himself.
The super strong man sighed inwardly. Suddenly, the enormous silver hand left the silver protective shield. With a single stretch and retraction, it extinguished all the pale white flames. Then, the silver hand suddenly transformed into a spear, concentrating its immense power into a single point, and stabbed fiercely into the silver shield.
Ling Yun, Xiao Rou, and Xia Lan were all violently shaken, as if they had been swept by a Category 12 hurricane. Their mental energy field protection flickered suddenly, and the silver light surged into a blazing pure white. Then, with a whoosh, the spear pierced deep into the light barrier, shattering it along with the barrier. An incredibly strong gale and high temperature swept through instantly, and the three of them were suddenly thrown sideways by the shockwave against the bright background. Ling Yun endured the excruciating pain of being pulled, tightly holding Xiao Rou with his left hand, and reaching out with his right hand to grab Xia Lan's slender arm. With his last bit of strength, he shouted, "Xia Lan, don't let go!"
A powerful mental energy field suddenly surged forth, severing the connection between Ling Yun and Xia Lan in the blink of an eye. A large hand reached out from the void, grabbed Xia Lan, and slowly disappeared into the void amidst the hazy white light.
Ling Yun gritted his teeth and used his last bit of strength to try to grab Xia Lan, but he had already exhausted his strength. He only saw Xia Lan's terrified face, filled with infinite hope, give him a deep look before gradually disappearing into the void.
A heartfelt and helpless cry faintly echoed from the void: "Ling Yun...save me." For the first time, the strong and beautiful Xia Lan appeared so fragile and helpless.
"Xia Lan..." Ling Yun roared in anguish, tears streaming down his face. This was the first time in his life he had suffered such a devastating defeat, watching helplessly as his comrade was taken away by an unknown enemy, unable to do anything more.
"If you want to save your friend, have Tang Tiejin come to the American Superpower Bureau to demand his return." A thunderous, unfamiliar voice suddenly rang out from the void, clearly reaching Ling Yun's ears, and then all the strange scenes vanished.
Ah! Before the unfamiliar voice could disappear, it immediately transformed into an angry and painful roar. A stream of blood, like an arrow, suddenly sprayed out from the void, followed by a black figure descending from the sky and landing heavily on the ground.
His face was grim as he looked towards a certain spot in the void, his expression filled with solemnity and anxiety. After a long while, he finally turned his head and looked at Ling Yun, who was supporting Xiao Rou.
Ling Yun's eyes twitched incessantly as he said sadly, "Commander Li, you're a step too late."
Chapter 277 Trump Card
Li Zhongqi looked at Ling Yun, whose face was pale, and a hint of appreciation appeared on his face. He sighed, "You did your best, Ling Yun. If it weren't for you holding on, I might have only found the three of you dead by the time I arrived. I didn't expect there to be someone even stronger than Tian Yuning lurking in Hong Kong. Alas, it's all my fault. I thought things were too simple. I assumed that everything was just Tian Yuning's doing. I didn't realize there were other powerful figures lurking around. Even Xia Lan was captured by them."
Ling Yun held Xiao Rou's small hand, gently straightened his body, and slowly exhaled. He had suffered considerable internal injuries in the final shockwave. If it were any other superhuman, they might not have been able to stand up, but for Ling Yun, he felt much better in just a few breaths. The recovery speed of his self-healing ability was unmatched even by vampire families.
He glanced at Xiao Rou, whose face was also somewhat pale. However, since Ling Yun had taken the brunt of the attack, Xiao Rou was not seriously injured. She was only affected by the shockwave. Although Xiao Rou did not heal herself, the Holy Healing Spell was very fast and miraculous. In cases where the injury was relatively minor, it could almost achieve a self-healing effect.
Seeing Ling Yun's concerned gaze, Xiao Rou gently shook her head, indicating that she was alright.
"Commander Li, what do we do now?" Ling Yun asked, feeling terrible. The helplessness and pain of watching his comrades being captured by the enemy had been tormenting him. Although the enemy was stronger than he had imagined, and Li Zhongqi only said that he had done his best, Ling Yun still couldn't help but feel guilty. If the Eye of Illusion had been kept open, he might have discovered the trace of that super strong person sooner.
"Ling Yun, you don't need to feel guilty. This person is very strong. Even I might not have a chance of winning if I fought him fair and square. It's a miracle that you've lasted this long. Besides, there's no use regretting it now. What we need to do is figure out how to rescue Xia Lan." Li Zhongqi seemed to see Ling Yun's unease. Although he was also anxious, he still gently comforted Ling Yun.
For some reason, Li Zhongqi really liked this seemingly introverted boy. Although he was younger than most of the ability users in the ability headquarters and looked more like a child, Ling Yun was even stronger than most of the instructors in terms of ability and experience. In particular, the stubborn back view that he left in the ability headquarters left a very deep impression on Li Zhongqi. Now that he could befriend Ling Yun again, Li Zhongqi was naturally very comforted.
"Sigh." Ling Yun sighed. Receiving Li Zhongqi's comfort made him feel much more at ease. Li Zhongqi was right; there was no use in being anxious now. They still needed to find a way to rescue Xia Lan. He seemed to remember something: "Chief Li, that super-strong person left a message before leaving, saying that if Xia Lan needed to be rescued, Chief Instructor Tang should go to the American Special Abilities Bureau to demand her. He just finished speaking when you arrived. Did you hear what he said?"
Li Zhongqi asked in surprise, "What? He said he wanted the Superpower Headquarters to go to the US Superpower Bureau to ask for someone? I arrived a step too late and really didn't hear it. Or maybe he just used teleportation and I didn't hear it. I only managed to deliver a heavy blow when he was caught off guard by entering the void to escape. I thought I could stop him, but that person's spatial teleportation ability is very strong, and I still couldn't stop him. If Tie Jin were here, he might have been able to intercept him." He slowly shook his head as he spoke.
Ling Yun and Xiao Rou exchanged a glance and said, "Yes, Chief Li, that's exactly what he said. I heard it clearly. But I remember Xia Zhen saying that our Superpower Headquarters and the US Superpower Bureau have always had a good relationship. Why would their experts suddenly turn against us? And then kidnap Xia Zhen. They could have easily not said that. Did they want to provoke a war between the two super organizations? That would be a complete loss."
Li Zhongqi's expression turned serious, and he sighed, "The relationship is good, but that's just on the surface. The relationship between our Superpower Headquarters and the U.S. Superpower Bureau is actually similar to that between China and the United States. There is cooperation as well as confrontation. After all, no one wants to see the other become stronger than themselves. But confrontation alone is not enough. Strictly speaking, both the Superpower Headquarters and the Superpower Bureau are official organizations and are inseparable from the country's security interests. To some extent, we also need to think about the big picture. We are first and foremost special soldiers, and only then are we superpowered individuals."
“If the US Superpower Bureau chooses to confront us, then other superpower organizations will benefit. Perhaps many people would be willing to see the US and China confront each other and kill each other, and then profit from it.” Ling Yun immediately understood the meaning behind Li Zhongqi’s words.
“That’s right!” Li Zhongqi looked at Ling Yun with admiration. This young man not only improved his strength very quickly, but he was also quite shrewd. He understood things as soon as he was told. “So the attacker’s words were probably a way to frame the American Superpowers Agency. They hoped that we would cause trouble for the Americans. Ideally, they would see the two sides fight each other so that they could benefit from the conflict.”
"But isn't this a blatant frame-up? Don't they think the Superpower Headquarters and the US Superpower Agency are too naive?" Ling Yun said, somewhat puzzled. He had just considered the possibility of a frame-up, but then shook his head. Only an ordinary person without a brain would actually believe that the US Superpower Agency had kidnapped Xia Lan. The Superpower Headquarters' growth to its current state is not solely due to the power of the Skynet Barrier; its talent development is also crucial. The first-generation chief instructor, Lu Ximing, and the second-generation chief instructor, Tang Tiejin, are both unparalleled powerhouses, and the overall strength of the organization firmly ranks among the world's four major super organizations.
"So, this is just one possibility," Li Zhongqi said. "And we can't rule out the possibility that it really was the Americans who did it, using deception to confuse us and lead us astray. Moreover, the Americans are extremely greedy for our Skynet barrier. Tie Jin has communicated with them several times, and each time, Director Wish of the American Superpower Bureau offered to take the superpowered individuals to visit the core space of Skynet, but Tie Jin politely declined. Besides, you also participated in the Sky Eye Society's attack on the headquarters. Even an organization like the Sky Eye Society is so interested in the core space of Skynet, even willing to launch a full-scale attack to obtain the core key to Skynet. You can imagine what other superpowered organizations in the world are thinking."
Ling Yun suddenly felt a chill. Li Zhongqi's words clearly had another layer of meaning. Perhaps he knew that Ling Yun had mastered the core space key, so he emphasized the importance of the core key. This meant that Ling Yun's current position was incomparably important, and every decision he made could have a significant impact. Li Zhongqi did not mean to put pressure on him, but he was obviously reminding him that he was no longer alone, so he could not do everything as he pleased.
"Chief Li, why is it that only our Superpower Headquarters has such a powerful weapon as the Skynet Barrier? It seems that the US Superpower Bureau and the Sky Eye Society don't have it either. Moreover, I've been inside the core space, and the Skynet is indeed very amazing. I wonder how such a massive project was built," Ling Yun said after thinking for a moment.
He was indeed amazed by the key to the Heavenly Net barrier, and this amazement carried a familiar sense of intimacy. In fact, Ling Yun had already felt this intimacy when he sensed the resonance between the Yellow Book barrier and the Heavenly Net barrier. The structure of the Heavenly Net and the basic structure of the Yellow Book barrier seemed quite similar, both containing wonder within the ordinary. Although the Heavenly Net was more vast and refined, and had been supplemented with auxiliary functions by countless powerful experts, its core remained unchanged. This was equivalent to constructing a base, and then adding various useful things on top of that base. The base was the core standard of both the Heavenly Net and the Yellow Book. Although their specific functions differed, their structural points were very similar.
“Well, this was originally a secret of the Superpower Headquarters, but Lingyun, you and Xiaorou are also members of the Superpower Headquarters now, so you should know this.” Li Zhongqi said slowly, subtly including Lingyun and Xiaorou in the Superpower Headquarters. What Luo Panxi had struggled so hard to achieve, Li Zhongqi accomplished with just a few words.
"Actually, the original Skynet Barrier wasn't this powerful. When it was first established, it was just Senior Lu Ximing's idea. At the time, the Superpower Headquarters didn't have this plan, and apart from Chief Lu, no one else had the foresight," Li Zhongqi slowly recalled. "The reason the Skynet Barrier is so powerful is that the structural points and prototype of the barrier mainly came from Senior Lu Ximing's genius creativity and the barrier secrets passed down in his family since ancient times. This was actually his personal secret, but for the sake of the Superpower Headquarters, Chief Lu Ximing still resolutely contributed the barrier secrets. For a superpowered person, this is equivalent to publicly revealing their most powerful superpower secret. No one can help but admire Senior Lu Ximing's pioneering spirit and extraordinary foresight." Li Zhongqi's face showed admiration, and his tone became respectful. Clearly, in his memory, he greatly admired and respected this former number one.
Ling Yun and Xiao Rou nodded in unison. Just from what Li Zhongqi said, they could see the former Lu Ximing's demeanor. He was indeed the founder of a super organization, with both grand vision and great ambition. In any case, these were things that Ling Yun and Xiao Rou could not match.
"The secret barrier technique was left by an ancestor of Senior Lu Ximing's family. Actually, Commander Lu isn't really a member of the family; he's just a relative by marriage. That ancestor was actually the ancestor of Commander Lu's lover. The specific records are no longer available, but legend has it that this ancestor had pushed the power of superhumans to its limit, making him invincible in the world at that time. There are even legends that this ancestor didn't die in the end, but instead crossed the final threshold between heaven and man, ascending to immortality." As he said this, a hint of bewilderment appeared on Li Zhongqi's face. Clearly, even at his level, he didn't have a clear direction regarding the growth of his power.
Ling Yun's heart suddenly began to race. How could this ancestor be so similar to Old Master Yu? He couldn't help but connect the Heavenly Net Barrier with the Yellow Book Barrier, and tentatively asked, "Is Commander Lu's pawn surnamed Yu? His family is the Yu family."
"Oh, I didn't expect you to have heard of the Yu family too." Li Zhongqi was slightly surprised, but not too much. After all, the Yu family had a very high reputation among superhumans, so it wasn't surprising that Ling Yun had heard of them. "That's right, Commander Lu's lover's surname is indeed Yu, and the secret technique of the barrier also originated from the Yu family!"
Ling Yun's expression was calm, but his heart was in turmoil. He was now certain that Elder Yu was indeed the ancestor of Commander Lu Ximing. No wonder the yellow book barrier could resonate with the Heavenly Net; it was clearly Elder Yu's masterpiece. Thinking that although Elder Yu had passed away, his barrier technique, even a hundred years later, was still unbreakable, Ling Yun felt both proud and sad. Without Yu Xiujie, he would never have achieved what he had today.