Chapter 429: Useless Trash

Two young men in the long blue robes of students had appeared unexpectedly on the shaded path. One stood in front and while one walked up from behind. They looked as if they were merely passing by. But Li Xiaofei sensed the same aura he had encountered in the ruined town among Mei Fusu's mechanical warriors.

Has Mechanical Eternity infiltrated the academy so quickly? Is the grand barrier of White Deer Academy just a joke? Or were these two perhaps planted here long ago?

In a matter of moments, the two men began to quicken their pace. They made no attempt to hide their intentions. As they raised their arms, both arms transformed into magnetically charged swords, faintly glowing and casting a chilling metallic gleam under the dark canopy of trees.

𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

Su Wanqing shot a glare at Li Xiaofei.

“Take care of yourself.” She said, drawing the sword from her waist. She swiftly dashed forward, her sword flashing as she met the approaching figure head-on.

Swish.

When their figures crossed paths, the young man’s magnetized sword was left with only a third of its blade and the hilt. His body split at the waist, and he collapsed forward. Blood sprayed from the clean cut.

Upon closer inspection, one could see that the wound revealed a cross-section where muscle and metal micro-mechanics were interwoven. As expected, he was a lightly modified cyborg.

In that brief exchange, Li Xiaofei had already gleaned some of the information he wanted. Su Wanqing's cultivation level was at the twelfth stage of the Meridian Expanding Realm, just one step away from the Five Spirits Realm. Her swordsmanship followed the Lin family’s style taught at White Deer Academy.

Meanwhile, the combat strength of that cyborg was far inferior to the ones who had ambushed Xuan Huang; he was only comparable to a second or third stage Meridian Expanding Realm martial artist. The mechanical systems and light core processors implanted in them couldn’t keep up with the speed and power of a peak Meridian Expanding Realm ancient martial artist.

A bit weak

Li Xiaofei silently judged. Xuan Huang had seen him kill Mei Fusu and still tasked him with protecting Su Wanqing, so it was clear that this girl held a notable position within Dragon Group. But if she didn’t have the combat ability of the Five Spirits Realm, what was the purpose of protecting her?

Could the Corpse Emperor Sacred Crystal be with Su Wanqing? If so, why entrust such a valuable artifact, sought after by all major factions, to someone with merely average combat prowess?

Moreover, the two mechanical warriors from Mechanical Eternity are even lower-level. They can’t even hold their own against anyone in the upper Meridian Expanding Realm... Are they here as a joke?

Li Xiaofei looked like a fool struck dumb by the sudden violence of this ambush. After landing her first blow, Su Wanqing accelerated forward, not pausing for a second. But almost at that exact moment...

Swish, swish, swish.

Three faint whistling sounds cut through the air toward her. Su Wanqing’s expression shifted as she abruptly halted her forward rush, bending her body in an almost impossible manner to avoid the incoming projectiles.

Three pale blue, needle-like specialized metal darts embedded themselves in the rocky ground just twenty centimeters ahead of her feet. They all injected a blue liquid into the stone upon impact.

“Absolute Anesthetic Darts?”

Su Wanqing grew even more serious. She realized that her opponents knew something significant about her. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be using a weapon designed for live capture. There was more than one attacker.

Su Wanqing’s gaze swept over the dark, silent forest ahead as she tried to pinpoint the shooter’s location. But in the next instant...

Swish, swish, swish. Swish, swish, swish, swish.

A barrage of projectiles filled the air. Countless darts flew from all directions, saturating the area around Su Wanqing with a relentless, indiscriminate onslaught, sealing off every path of escape within a hundred meters.

Su Wanqing swung her sword in a tight defensive arc with a sharp cry, her inner qi bursting forth to create an eggshell-shaped sword shield that protected her.

Clink, clink, clink.

The anesthetic darts bounced off her barrier, shattering on impact but failing to penetrate her defenses. But soon, she noticed that the shattered darts were releasing a strange vapor. The once-blue liquid was quickly evaporating into a gas that filled the air around her.

“This isn’t good.” She immediately held her breath.

Yet within moments, a faint, prickling numbness began to spread across her skin.

“How... how could this be?” Su Wanqing’s eyes widened.

Hadn’t I already sealed my breath? Why...

Her body grew limp, and she could no longer maintain her sword stance.

Swish, swish.

A single, small anesthetic dart finally found its mark in her pale neck. As her body went limp and she collapsed, her last sight was of Li Xiaofei sprawled on the ground, unconscious, having succumbed to the anesthetic gas long ago.

A useless weakling after all.

She hoped the enemy wouldn’t waste their efforts on someone as irrelevant as him. Su Wanqing’s consciousness faded as she lay powerless on the ground.

In the next instant, several figures, also dressed as students, swiftly emerged from the shadows of the dense forest. One of them hoisted Su Wanqing over his shoulder.

"What about the other one? Kill him?"

"No, bring him along. The Lord may find some use for him."

"Alright."

Another figure then grabbed Li Xiaofei, lifting him with ease. After professionally erasing all traces from the scene, the group quickly departed from the forest.

***

She had no idea how much time had passed, but Su Wanqing felt an intense cold enveloping her body. As her consciousness quickly returned, she jolted upright, assuming a defensive posture.

It was then that she realized she was in a strange, enclosed space filled with a white, chilling mist that obscured her vision, making it difficult to discern her surroundings.

The young students who had ambushed her were standing five meters away. There were six of them in total. In addition, there was another figure; someone wearing a silver mask shaped like gears sitting in a chair. His crimson eyes were watching her with keen interest. He was clearly their leader.

Su Wanqing instinctively tried to channel her inner qi. But to her horror, she found herself unable to summon even the slightest bit of energy. Her physical strength had also been reduced to a mere fraction of its usual level.

“Where is the Sacred Crystal?” The silver-masked figure asked. His voice was electronically altered, with a faint, intermittent crackling that made it sound eerie and terrifying.

Su Wanqing did not respond. Her specialized training with the Dragon Group had prepared her psychologically for situations like this. She took a moment to carefully assess her surroundings. Then she noticed Li Xiaofei snoring obliviously, as if in a deep, careless sleep, a short distance away. Her heart sank.

That useless fool had been brought along as well. It’s unlikely anyone could save him now.

Su Wanqing offered no response to the figure’s question.

“I know that you Dragon Group agents are professionally trained and unafraid of torture.” The silver-masked figure said calmly. “But people like you have an inherent weakness, since you’re bound by a laughably idealistic oath of protection. So, I’m curious; when you see your fellow students subjected to inhuman torment, will you reconsider your answer to my question?”

“You mean him?” Su Wanqing glanced dismissively at Li Xiaofei.

“Of course not.” The silver-masked figure let out a mocking laugh.

His tone dripped with scorn. “Why would I try to leverage you with that worthless fool? Considering how you’ve been harassed by him all afternoon, I imagine you’re already sick of him. You likely don’t care whether he lives or dies. But what if it were someone else?”

He clapped his hands lightly. Two figures, struggling in terror but bound and gagged with shackles, were pushed forward from the dark corners of the room by four mechanical warriors.

“Mmm! Mmm!”

The two young girls squirmed in fear. It seemed Lin Wan and Ding Rong had been captured as well.