Wang Jixuan had just begun meditating when he received a message from Ling Tong.
【Zheng Shiduo is missing】.
He grabbed two crystal cores, absorbed their spiritual energy, donned his X armor, and, with Peony in tow, stealthily headed straight for the surface camp he had just left.
The military camp was under full lockdown, with large numbers of soldiers in powered armor searching inside and outside the fortress for any possible clues.
When Wang Jixuan entered the transport aircraft, Ling Tong had already put on her battle-scarred mechanical arm. Because it had happened so suddenly, she hadn't had time to change into her combat uniform and was still wearing her favorite casual outfit—tight jeans and a pure white short-sleeved shirt.
Ling Tong stood guard in front of several detector terminals.
"How is it going?"
"Twelve minutes ago, Team Leader Zheng's spiritual energy signal suddenly disappeared in this area on the second level of the upper city."
Ling Tong pointed at the panel and said softly:
"This area is completely locked down.
"Team Leader Zheng's physical condition hasn't been very good recently, but in order to conceal the identity of the X armor holder, he deliberately went around patrolling everywhere, intentionally leaking information through the spies of the Spiritual Energy Capital who are inside.
"Now it seems, he may have been assassinated by these spies."
Daoist Wang frowned and pondered, turning his head to look at Ling Tong: "I'll go take a look. You continue to rest."
"Let me go with you," Ling Tong said softly, "Try to keep the stealth on."
Peony volunteered: "Chief! I will conduct a search here. I can control all normally networked devices in every corner of the fortress within three minutes!"
"Alright," Wang Jixuan said decisively, "No vehicles are allowed to leave. If you don't have enough authority, apply for it from above. You can directly contact Lao Fu."
—In front of Ling Tong, Daoist Wang still elevated Little Fu's position a bit.
"Understood!" Peony answered crisply.
Wang Jixuan had already made up his mind.
Team Leader Zheng had done so much for the war zone and for fighting the Blade Beasts, how could he let villains take advantage!
He became ruthless, with red light bursting from his eyes and faint red glows appearing at the corners of his eyes.
He hadn't used demonic techniques when killing Mo Feng because everything was within his plan. Although Mo Feng was strong, with the support of the war zone's resources, Ling Tong and Peony's assistance, and the combination of drone formations, he didn't need to risk his life.
But now he used it, in order to prevent those who had contributed from being disheartened and to prevent righteous people from being slaughtered.
Although Zheng Shiduo was indeed a bit unorthodox in some matters.
He joined his fingers and formed a seal.
Soul-Fixing Great Art, Search Heaven and Earth!
Wang Jixuan's voice, processed by the armor's helmet, still carried a hint of coldness:
"Call a trustworthy special operations team of soldiers to come with me."
… …
A hidden corner on the third level of the fortress.
"Hmm?"
Zheng Shiduo slowly woke up from his stupor.
What had just happened?
Was that puff of white mist that came out of the corridor a potent anesthetic?
Fortunately, he was a balanced spiritual energy user, with a little bit of ability in every area. If he were a telekinetic spiritual energy user, he definitely wouldn't be able to wake up now.
Where was this? Had he been captured?
Zheng Shiduo looked around.
A narrow dark room, like it was in a wardrobe, with faint light coming through a long, narrow gap.
Zheng Shiduo felt paralyzed all over, with electric currents stimulating his body from time to time. His mouth was covered with thick tape.
He swallowed, exerting all his strength to adjust his position during the intervals between the electric shocks, barely managing to get close to the gap in the closet door and peek outside.
This was a nicely decorated bedroom, quite spacious, not like the common dormitories in the fortress city.
'No way, I've really been kidnapped? This, this! This is so damn embarrassing!'
Zheng Shiduo felt utterly absurd, then suddenly his eyes widened.
'Where's the X armor! Crap! Have I been stripped naked? This is bad, bad! The armor is gone!'
He kept swallowing, feeling ruthless in his heart, and during a break in the electric shocks, he rammed his head outwards.
Bang!
The alloy door of the wardrobe made a dull sound, remaining firmly in place.
Zheng Shiduo took a deep breath, his whole body trembling slightly, but the electric current suddenly intensified, and he trembled all over, his eyes rolling back… then two red patches appeared on his face.
The feedback is so strong, no, now is not the time to enjoy it!
"Ugh, ugh, ugh!"
Zheng Shiduo struggled desperately, while the electric current continued to increase.
Outside the closet door, he heard the voices of a young man and woman, both sounding a little frightened.
The woman asked in a trembling voice: "What do we do? He's awake! He's a C-level spiritual energy user!"
The man immediately said: "What else can we do? Turn the current up to the maximum and knock him out! The team leader is already preparing the car. He'll notify us to go over, and then we'll be rich!"
"But, but, I heard them say that all the areas are under lockdown now!"
"Lockdown doesn't matter. Don't forget the team leader's identity. Do you want to live and die in this dark and dreary bunker? I don't want to, darling, I don't want to! I want to make a name for myself and go to the freest place."
"But we're just ordinary people. Brother, it will be difficult for us to gain a foothold even if we go to the Spiritual Energy Capital."
"Ninety-nine percent of the Spiritual Energy Capital is ordinary people. They live happily under the protection of a large number of spiritual energy users, without worrying about attacks from Blade Beasts. Believe me, the videos can't be fake. I've seen so many videos of that place."
The woman sighed and continued to wait nearby, sitting on the bed and starting to daydream.
Zheng Shiduo was subjected to electric shocks every few seconds. He kept thinking of ways to find that feeling of fullness that surged through his body when he 'unleashed his ultimate move'.
That was the feeling that all spiritual energy users had when activating their abilities.
This feeling was crucial. As long as he could find it…
Zzz!
"Ugh, ugh, ugh! Ah～"
Zheng Shiduo's hair stood on end, his face charred black. The electric current had exceeded his limit.
Discretion is the better part of valor, I should just pretend to be unconscious…
He lay back, pretending to be unconscious, when he suddenly heard shouts coming from further away.
"This is the governor's residence. You can't barge in here!"
"Get lost."
Ling Tong! The big sister has arrived!
Zheng Shiduo burst into light.
An explosion sounded outside the door, and the alloy door was blasted open by a destruction cannon.
Ling Tong strode into the bedroom with a light step, followed by a group of heavily armed special forces soldiers.
"You!"
Tzz, tzz!
The sound of electric stun guns came, and the man and woman immediately fainted.
Ling Tong took a step forward, easily crushing the simple lock on the closet with her mechanical arm, and pulled open the closet, seeing Zheng Shiduo wearing underwear, red all over, and wrapped in thorn-like wires.
Ling Tong glanced at the electric shock remote control in the young man's hand.
"Take these two people up for interrogation… Don't go through normal procedures, get the results as soon as possible, seal off this floor, and keep it completely confidential."
"Yes!" A group of soldiers stepped forward to drag away the couple, and Ling Tong lowered herself to pull out Zheng Shiduo.
"Let me do it."
Wang Jixuan appeared in the nearby air wearing X armor, lowered his head, pulled Zheng Shiduo out, and poured in strands of spiritual energy to help Zheng Shiduo recover faster.
Zheng Shiduo grabbed Wang Jixuan's hand armor and shouted excitedly: "Quick… they also have a team leader… the armor! That set of armor! Spies from the Spiritual Energy Capital!"
"Old Zheng, rest assured, I'll find it, don't worry."
Wang Jixuan simply instructed, put Zheng Shiduo on a stretcher aside, and tapped Zheng Shiduo's brow with his finger, causing him to pass out directly.
All the soldiers present felt a certain cold pressure.
Wang Jixuan didn't know what was wrong with him. Although he had turned off his demonic powers, a surge of killing intent still arose in his heart.
The memory scenes of Fu Jian flashed through his mind one by one.
The Daoist smiled grimly, this mortal world, he really came to the right place.
"Go bring the governor and all the ministers and team leaders to the conference room on the first floor! Fortress 82 is under full lockdown!"
The soldiers were stunned, looking at the silver-white armor with the devil's helmet, and then at Ling Tong, and then said in unison:
"Yes!"
… …
Half an hour later.
A small-scale riot broke out in Fortress 82.
The old governor, who had already resigned and was waiting for the new governor to come, along with the six ministers of Fortress 82 and thirty-six captains of the law enforcement team and security team, were all brought to the conference room on the first floor of the fortress by the temporarily stationed special forces team.
Someone shouted "This is a military rebellion", and the soldiers sealed his mouth with tape.
Someone shouted "We want to report to the Zhonggu Basin Theater Command", and the Zhonggu Basin Theater Command sent a communication a few minutes later, entrusting the temporary military and political management authority of Fortress 82 to the meritorious half-human mecha—Ling Tong.
At this moment, Ling Tong was sitting in the chairman's seat in the conference room, with Wang Jixuan, who had changed into the 'Black Storm' suit and was standing behind her with his arms crossed.
Because the current task was to find the lost X armor, it was not suitable for the Daoist to appear in his own X armor. Using the identity of 'Savior of Fortress 76' of Black Storm was just right for attending the current occasion.
It's just that the previous fake death has failed again.
Wang Jixuan's eyes swept across the men and women sitting and standing everywhere, suppressing the anger in his heart.
Ling Tong's body was a little tense.
She was not very comfortable with the current occasion. Rather than holding a meeting with a group of politicians here, she preferred carrying a nuclear bomb to blast Blade Beasts.
"The military has lost a valuable X armor."
Ling Tong cut to the chase:
"There were a total of three people who attacked Zheng Shiduo. The attack location was a corridor on the second floor of the fortress. They used an inhaled potent anesthetic.
"Now, two of them have been caught. They have confessed to a person named 'Zhen Pengxiang', who is the mastermind behind this attack on the officer and theft of the X armor. Does anyone have any impression of him?"
A minister frowned and asked, "Just for this little matter, you've detained us all here? Madam Ling Tong, don't you think this is a bit absurd?"
"You think it's absurd?"
Ling Tong's pretty face gradually turned cold, her ponytail swaying slightly:
"Captain Zheng Shiduo made great contributions to the fight against the Blade Beasts and achieved significant merits in the battle to defeat the evil spiritual energy users."
"If the technology contained in that X Battle Armor were acquired by the Spiritual Energy Capital and they completed replicating the equipment for other spiritual energy users, it would greatly enhance the combat power of the evil forces within the Spiritual Energy Capital!"
"I've already shown great restraint by not directly dragging you all in for interrogation!"
The minister immediately had no objections.
The old Chief Administrator asked, "Has the armor been transported out?"
"Not yet," Ling Tong said, "That armor has a positioning device, but it's been shielded. It seems the other party made some preparations in advance. Zhen Pengxiang is obviously a false name; the database can't find this name."
A military officer beside her added, "The two enforcement team members who were captured have never seen their captain's true face. 'Captain' is just an internal title for their small team."
Ling Tong said, "Now, the reason I've called you all here is to give any potential spies a chance… If you stand up now and return the armor, it can be considered a timely awakening, and I can spare half your life."
Another minister asked, "Why directly conclude that the spy is among us?"
"The device capable of shielding the positioning signal of special equipment is not something ordinary officers can obtain."
Ling Tong said quickly:
"Maintaining contact with the outside world also requires a certain level of access…"
"Alright, Ling Tong, no need to say more to them. Leave it to me to handle."
Wang Daochang suddenly spoke.
Everyone immediately looked over.
'Black Storm' took out a pistol from his waist pouch, calmly walked towards the Chief Administrator, and pointed the muzzle at the old Chief Administrator's forehead.
Immediately, someone shouted:
"You're crazy!"
"What are you doing! Black Storm, put down the gun! This is the chief administrative officer of our Fortress 82!"
A group of people were about to stand up, but soldiers from all directions simultaneously took action, pinning these people to their chairs.
Wang Jixuan's face was stern as he stared into the old Chief Administrator's turbid eyes and coldly said:
"During the spiritual energy family rebellion in Fortress 82 last time, your family was captured, and the military commander was also controlled by them, so you couldn't resist, right?"
The old Chief Administrator frowned and sighed, "This was my mistake, and it's also the shame of my life."
"I have the ability to hear other people's thoughts."
The benefit of wearing a helmet is that you don't have to draft when you're talking big.
Wang Jixuan pressed down the safety of the pistol and said indifferently, "You're lying."
The old Chief Administrator was stunned for a moment, "Why would I lie? I've already resigned and fully accepted all the arrangements the war zone has for me."
An old man beside him quickly defended, "Commander Black Storm! Our Chief Administrator has made outstanding contributions to the operation of the fortress over the past few decades. Before he was elected Chief Administrator, he worked diligently and responsibly in the positions of enforcement team and director of public security. He is a native of Fortress 82 and has no…"
Someone else couldn't help but shout, "Although Captain Zheng was rescued from the Chief Administrator's bedroom, what does that prove! The Chief Administrator couldn't possibly be a spy!"
"Hmm?"
Wang Jixuan glanced askance at that person and pointed the pistol at him:
"Ling Tong previously issued an order to specifically block this news and control all those who knew about it. How do you know that we rescued Captain Zheng from the bedroom, and not from the office, study, or medical room?"
The middle-aged man was stunned for a moment, and his face turned pale.
Wang Jixuan approached step by step, the pistol shaking slightly, "You're nervous, trying your best to keep yourself from thinking about these things, your thoughts are very chaotic, wanting to avoid thinking… but now, you have no chance."
"I, I'm not, you can't wrongly accuse good people! I haven't done anything!"
Wang Jixuan calmly pulled the trigger.
Bang!
The bullet grazed past the middle-aged man's ear, creating a puff of cotton on the back of the chair, and the noise of chairs being dragged echoed around.
The pistol was directly pressed against the middle-aged man's forehead.
Wang Jixuan said indifferently, "I'll count down from three, three…"
"I really didn't, I really wasn't a spy! Commander Black Storm, you must believe me!"
"Two…"
"Chief Administrator! Chief Administrator, say something, explain for me, I'm good, I haven't done anything like that!"
"One."
Click!
Wang Jixuan pulled the trigger!
The man shouted hoarsely, "The armor is in my room, the Chief Administrator told me to do it!"
The conference room was silent, the middle-aged man who shouted this sentence widened his eyes and slumped in his chair.
A stench of urine quickly spread throughout the conference room.
Click, click, click, Wang Jixuan casually pulled the trigger; the metal buckle connected to the trigger had just been broken by him.
No术法 used, but still successful.
Refreshing.
Wang Jixuan smiled, "Using torture is against the law, you actually believed that? With this psychological quality, you still want to be a spy?"
Ling Tong's small face was tense, but her eyes were full of smiles.
The old Chief Administrator opened his mouth, silently lowered his head and sighed, and didn't say anything more.
In the corner, a middle-aged woman raised her glasses, a strange smile appearing on the corner of her mouth. Just as Wang Jixuan, who was behind Ling Tong, was about to turn around, he suddenly turned his head and made eye contact with the woman through the helmet visor.
