Xiao Feng was about to leap from the aircraft when Rush seized him abruptly. "Enough, stay on the plane. I'll go down. Damn it, running into a lunatic like you—I guess my luck's truly run out." Without another word, Rush plunged from the armed helicopter.
As he sprinted, he unleashed a potent wave of psychic force, repelling the beasts lunging at him, and made a beeline for the fighter jet Xiao Feng had pointed out. By now, the jet was buried beneath a throng of feral creatures. Rush raised both hands toward the plane, feigning an attack, then unleashed a surge of psychic energy that scattered every beast clinging to the fuselage, regardless of size. Suddenly, the fighter jet emerged from the swarm into Rush's view. Leaping atop one beast's head, he vaulted into the cockpit, quickly located the crimson-glowing C-grade magic crystal behind the pilot's seat, snatched it, and vaulted out.
The moment Rush brandished the C-grade magic crystal, the marauding wolf demons fell silent, their eyes fixed intently on the crystal, as if beholding the very gates of paradise.
Suddenly, a wolf howled skyward before lunging at Rush. Its movement triggered a frenzied charge by countless others. Not only the wolves on the ground but the bat-like beasts swarming above descended upon him like a raging tempest.
Witnessing the onslaught, Rush cursed under his breath, "Damn it! What the hell is going on? These beasts have gone mad!"
Without hesitation, Rush summoned countless psychic spikes around him. While he struggled somewhat against D- and C-grade beasts, dealing with these E-grade fiends was child's play. With a fierce burst, the psychic spikes ignited and stabbed into the horde.
As a formidable Level 8 psychic, Rush expertly aimed every spike at the beasts' heads, instantly annihilating dozens of E-grade monsters in an overwhelming display of power.
Then, springing off a D-grade wolf's head, Rush vaulted high, grabbed a dangling rope, clutched the C-grade crystal tightly, and ascended into the sky.
The armed helicopter pivoted and headed swiftly for Black Whale City.
The entire rescue mission succeeded. From the direction of Black Whale City, dozens of flaming-tailed missiles streaked in mercilessly, plunging into the monster swarm with ruthless precision. Explosions echoed endlessly, sending countless beasts flying meters into the air before crashing back down. The overwhelming destructive force of the missiles inflicted fatal wounds, and wave after wave of monsters collapsed.
Xiao Feng and Rush sat within the helicopter cabin, watching mushroom clouds bloom on the ground. Xiao Feng sighed, "No matter how strong these beasts are, they cannot rival humans. If nuclear weapons were deployed, a single warhead could wipe them out."
"Heh, easy for you to say," Rush replied. "But the use of nuclear arms is strictly forbidden on Earth now. Who knows what catastrophe would befall the planet if they were unleashed?"
"True," Xiao Feng nodded thoughtfully.
"Besides," Rush continued, "not all beasts are as weak as these E-grade ones. Have you even heard of B-grade monsters? I doubt it."
"No... C-grade beasts are already tough enough. Spare me the nightmare of B-grade."
Rush smirked. "Even with nukes, B-grade monsters are formidable foes."
The fleet escaped danger and rushed back toward Black Whale City. Missiles still whizzed past, blasting not only ground wolves and giant rats but also the bat-like creatures in the sky, leaving countless carcasses in their wake.
Yet, the sheer scale of the beast horde was overwhelming. Some creatures pursued the helicopter squadron all the way to Black Whale City, only to be met by a barrage of concentrated artillery and rocket fire as they entered the city's perimeter.
Xiao Feng and company landed safely at the airport. Lin remained unconscious despite Xiao Feng's healing psychic abilities applied en route. The medical team took Lin away, and Xiao Feng anxiously inquired of the attending physician, "Is he going to be alright?"
The doctor examined Lin's wounds, shaking his head with concern. "It's strange—his injuries healed remarkably fast."
Xiao Feng blinked. "That's because I used my psychic healing. Is there a problem?"
The physician sighed, "Yes. The giant rat's bite carries a virulent virus. Healing the wounds without first cleansing the virus merely traps it inside his body, which could cause complications."
The doctor's words struck Xiao Feng profoundly—he realized that his well-intentioned healing might have worsened Lin's condition. He asked urgently, "Is there still hope for him?"
The doctor exhaled deeply. "We can only try. You said you possess healing abilities, correct?"
Xiao Feng nodded. "Yes... I do."
"Good. Come with me to the operating room. We'll need your help."
Lin nodded solemnly and turned to Rush, clutching the C-grade crystal. "Keep this crystal safe. Don't let it attract more powerful beasts."
"I understand," Rush replied, cradling the crystal as he departed.
Xiao Feng followed the doctor into the operating room. As the doctor disinfected Lin's shoulder under the surgical light, the dark bite marks were starkly visible, stirring a pang of guilt within Xiao Feng. His momentary negligence had caused Lin such hardship.
The treatment was straightforward: the doctor used a scalpel to excise the blackened bite marks, then employed instruments to draw blood from the wound while simultaneously transfusing fresh blood.
After completely replacing Lin's blood, the doctor turned to Xiao Feng. "My work here is done, Commander Xiao Feng. The rest is up to you."
Gazing upon the deep, bone-exposing wounds on Lin's shoulder, Xiao Feng smiled faintly. "As long as he survives, I can heal him."
Placing his hands over Lin's shoulder, Xiao Feng unleashed his healing psychic energy. Slowly, the wounds began to close.
The recent battle had drained much of Xiao Feng's psychic reserves. Now, dedicating himself to Lin's recovery utterly exhausted his renewed energy. As the wounds sealed, darkness overtook Xiao Feng's vision, and he fainted from the backlash of his power.
...
When Xiao Feng regained consciousness, it was 9 a.m. the next morning. Groggy, he sat up to find breakfast laid out on the table. A note remained: "Eat well..." signed Ivy.
A warm smile crossed Xiao Feng's lips. Ivy was truly a kind-hearted soul. Without hesitation, he sat down and began eating.
Mid-meal, Brada waddled into the room, his corpulent frame swaying. "Xiao Feng, the Victoria engineering team has arrived, along with workers from the Brom branch. They're here to retrofit the fighter jets. Looks like we're ready to begin."
"Good, just let me finish eating first, then I'll check it out."
Brada eyed the sumptuous food in front of Xiao Feng, swallowed hard, and plopped down. "Hey, I haven't had breakfast yet. Mind if I join you?"
Before Xiao Feng could respond, Brada grabbed a piece of bread and devoured it greedily.
Unable to refuse, Xiao Feng hesitated, watching as Brada quickly consumed two more pieces, then glanced at him innocently. "Xiao Feng, why aren't you eating? Already full? Well then, I won't hold back." Mouthful by mouthful, he finished the bread, then polished off the meat and vegetables on the plate.
Xiao Feng was stunned. Now he understood how Brada had grown so corpulent—his mastery of eating was truly unmatched. Before Xiao Feng could react, Brada had demolished the entire breakfast.
With a satisfied smack of his lips, Brada sighed, "Too bad—I'm still a little hungry."
Xiao Feng buried his head in the table, exasperated.
The two left the room and hurried to the airport hangar. Upon arrival, Xiao Feng's eyes took in hundreds of workers busily laboring. Upgrading the performance of dozens of fighter jets was no small undertaking.
Watching them at work stirred a thrill within him. Just then, a man clad in armor approached.
Xiao Feng's gaze lingered on the armor, fascinated. He stepped closer and admired the sleek, modern design. "Brother, that armor must be the latest model, right?"
The man smiled wryly. "Xiao Feng, boss, don't you remember me?"
Xiao Feng looked up in surprise, studying the man's chest emblem—the Victoria Corporation's logo. He recognized the figure but couldn't quite place him.
"Do I really know you?" Xiao Feng asked, puzzled.
The not-so-handsome man chuckled softly. "Think a little harder..."