Translator: CinderTL
After helping Feng Qi to his feet, Li Xingchen flicked the half-smoked cigarette from his fingers.
As sparks scattered, a fiery serpent rapidly spread, engulfing the entire warehouse in flames.
Just then, Liu Yue appeared at the warehouse entrance.
Seeing Feng Qi covered in wounds, Liu Yue's expression turned icy. With a wave of his hand, the Jianlan sword unsheathed from his back, hovering above his head as his momentum began to surge.
Realizing Liu Yue was about to attack, Feng Qi gritted his teeth and shouted through the pain, "Don't attack! He's one of us!"
Liu Yue's expression visibly froze at these words.
When he saw Li Xingchen, he recognized him as the dean of the Future Research Institute—one of their primary targets in the fight against the Confronting the Technology Research Institute.
Now, hearing Feng Qi claim Li Xingchen was on their side left him utterly bewildered.
"So this is Liu Yue, huh? Looks pretty tough," Li Xingchen grinned, fearlessly advancing toward Liu Yue.
Sensing something was amiss, Liu Yue waved his hand, and the Jianlan sword sheathed itself.
He took two steps forward and reached out to take Feng Qi from Li Xingchen's grasp.
"Get in the car first. We'll talk somewhere else."
Feng Qi nodded at Liu Yue's questioning gaze.
After getting into Li Xingchen's car, the five vehicles from the Future Research Institute left the warehouse and disappeared into the hazy night.
An hour later, the cars stopped in a secluded area outside Future City.
With Liu Yue's help, Feng Qi got out of the car.
Li Xingchen, who had gotten out of another car, lit a cigarette and walked over to Feng Qi, smiling. "Still holding up?"
"I'm not dead yet," Feng Qi gritted out.
Compared to his body with its innate ability, his rune-modified body's recovery was drastically slower. He felt dizzy and on the verge of passing out.
But he had too many unanswered questions to give in now. He gritted his teeth and pushed through.
"Do you have a lot of questions for me?"
"Yes, but I already know you're one of the Hidden Ones I've been searching for."
"Hidden Ones? You mean those who stand with humanity but choose to remain hidden? That's not entirely wrong," Li Xingchen took a drag of his cigarette and grinned. "But compared to my methods, your approach to opposing the Domain Force is utterly foolish. It's no different from suicide."
"If I hadn't chosen to do this, would you have stepped forward?" Feng Qi couldn't help but roll his eyes.
Li Xingchen froze at these words.
He suddenly understood why Feng Qi had so publicly confronted the Technology Research Institute.
This was a calculated risk, a fishing expedition.
But the prey wasn't the Domain Force behind the Technology Research Institute; it was Hidden Ones like him, who stood on humanity's side.
Realizing this, Li Xingchen found himself admiring Feng Qi's actions.
This was clearly an attempt to unite them, the Hidden Ones, and coordinate their resistance efforts.
"Can you tell me why you chose to do this?" Feng Qi asked curiously.
"To be their dogs, to absorb their nourishment, and then to kill them!" Li Xingchen declared, raising his modified mechanical arm. "This is the power they gave me, and it will be the weapon I use to kill them in the future."
"How did the former dean of the Future Research Institute die? As far as I know, he was once your teacher," Feng Qi suddenly asked.
Li Xingchen visibly flinched at the question, then grinned.
"I killed him myself."
"Could you really do it?"
"There's nothing I wouldn't do to achieve my goals. Killing him was my initiation offering to the Domain Force behind the Technology Research Institute."
Hearing this, Feng Qi understood what kind of person Li Xingchen was.
He yearned for the light, but he was utterly ruthless in his pursuit.
Results were all that mattered; the process was irrelevant.
"According to my intelligence, you recruited many veterans from the front lines and placed them in the Future Research Institute, even helping them undergo physical modifications. You did this to replace the original staff of the Future Research Institute, ensuring your plan could proceed smoothly, correct?"
"That's right," Li Xingchen admitted without hesitation.
"So, who truly controls the Future Research Institute now? You, or the Domain Force behind the Technology Research Institute?"
"Mostly me. I have influence over the major domain combat teams and the City Defense Force. But there are also those who aren't under my control—they're the Technology Research Institute's spies planted among us, and they also serve as tools to sway their judgment."
Hearing this, Feng Qi breathed a sigh of relief.
At least the Future Research Institute as a whole leaned towards the human side.
But the hidden danger was also obvious: Li Xingchen, at this stage, clearly didn't dare to defy the Technology Research Institute.
This alone was enough to prove how powerful the Domain Force behind the Technology Research Institute truly was.
With control over the City Defense Force and several Top Domain Battle Groups, Li Xingchen outwardly controlled at least 60% of Future City's combat strength.
"I advise you to give up. There aren't that many Hidden Ones. It's likely only Dawn, where you belong, and the Future Research Institute, where I belong."
In response to Li Xingchen's persuasion, Feng Qi shook his head.
He knew there were many more righteous Hidden Ones within human society. Besides the Scarlet Research Institute and the Future Research Institute, there were definitely other human factions.
It was just that each faction had chosen a different path.
The Scarlet Research Institute had chosen the Anti-Infiltration Plan, using scientific research to try and cut off the Domain Invasion at its source.
Li Xingchen had chosen to side with the "submissive" Domain Forces, using their power to strengthen himself, waiting for the day he could turn against them.
Perhaps there were other human factions secretly following completely different paths, also striving and struggling in their own ways.
Li Xingchen didn't agree with Feng Qi's perspective.
"I'll keep going."
Exhaling a cloud of white mist, Li Xingchen smiled at him.
"Then good luck. But if one day you become an obstacle in my path, I won't hesitate to strike you down. This time, I helped you only because I didn't want to expose myself."
Gazing at Li Xingchen's roguish grin, Feng Qi chuckled.
"Too bad you're destined to fail, and miserably at that."
According to historical records, during the period when the Scarlet Research Institute was on the verge of complete defeat by the Technology Research Institute, just before retreating to a Secret Base, Li Xingchen chose to step forward.
Given his personality, his decision to confront the Technology Research Institute at that moment meant he was prepared to resist them.
His fate was already sealed.
History showed that the Technology Research Institute didn't fall. Its ultimate demise came at the hands of little black, not Li Xingchen.
Hearing this, Li Xingchen's expression turned cold.
"You have no right to deny the path I've chosen."
"I'm not denying you. I've simply seen your inevitable failure through history."
Looking at Li Xingchen, he continued,
"If I told you I could travel through timelines, going back and forth between the future and the present, and see the course of history, would you believe me?"
"Do you think I should?" Li Xingchen flicked the cigarette butt away and lit another.
"What tier of authority do you hold within the Technology Research Institute?" he suddenly asked.
"First-tier authority."
"No wonder I've never seen or heard of you."
"What do you mean?"
"I was once a member of the Technology Research Institute's second-tier authority, and the group leader of the Wolf Domain Battle Group."
Seeing Li Xingchen's puzzled expression, he began to recount his experiences on the Sacrifice Line.
As Feng Qi spoke, Li Xingchen's initial disdain gradually gave way to seriousness. He realized that everything Feng Qi said was true. This information was clearly not something an outsider could know.
Yet he still refused to believe Feng Qi possessed the ability to travel through timelines, attributing it instead to a Dawn Organization spy within the Technology Research Institute.
But when Feng Qi described the institute's internal security technology, confidential materials accessible only to second-tier authority members, the black shadow behind the Technology Research Institute, and the mysterious "Mo," Li Xingchen's resolve wavered.
"Did you plant someone in the Technology Research Institute?"
In response to Li Xingchen's question, he shook his head.
"How can I prove it?"
"Tell me about a major event that will happen in the future."
Hearing this, Feng Qi felt helpless.
He did know many future events, such as the Technology Research Institute's conquest of the Scarlet Research Institute outside Twilight City, or the joint operation he witnessed on New Year's Eve in the previous Sacrifice Line that uprooted a Domain Field... and so on.
But these major events were too far off in the future; he didn't have time to wait for confirmation.
However, he could reveal some of the Technology Research Institute's future developments.
"The Technology Research Institute will soon unveil a new black technology internally called the Spirit Energy Forbidden Zone. It can disperse free-floating spiritual energy particles within a one-kilometer radius. This should happen within the next half month. It was personally crafted by Mo, the institute's core figure, and no one knew of its existence before its release. Does this prove anything?"
Li Xingchen was clearly stunned by Feng Qi's confident declaration.
"Do you really possess the ability to traverse timelines?"
"I once did, but I've lost it. However, I still know some of the future trajectories of history."
"Tell me everything you know in detail."
Feng Qi didn't refuse the request and began to reveal his secrets.
As Li Xingchen listened, his doubts gradually dissipated.
He also learned that Feng Qi was backed by a hidden faction called the Scarlet Research Institute.
He discovered that the Scarlet Research Institute had been conducting an Anti-Infiltration Plan, which ultimately failed.
Using the information Feng Qi provided, Li Xingchen constructed an information network in his mind.
Numerous pieces of information intertwined, and he gradually came to believe Feng Qi's story, even though the truth was almost impossible to accept.
Realizing that his carefully laid plans would end in failure, Li Xingchen clenched his fists so tightly that the metal joints of his armor clanged. His inner turmoil was evident.
Feng Qi looked at Li Xingchen and smiled faintly. "Why don't you join me in this timeline? Be my companion!"
"I'll find another way to continue. At least for now, I haven't lost."
"If you want to win, you should work with me. After all, I've experienced many things firsthand."
Li Xingchen, his face bruised and swollen, remained silent as he stared at Feng Qi's unwavering smile. His mind was consumed by an internal struggle.
The information Feng Qi provided proved he had once possessed the ability to traverse timelines.
But how could he accept the future he had painstakingly planned ending in failure?
Gazing at Li Xingchen's complex expression, Feng Qi understood his feelings.
The crushing defeat of seeing a failed outcome so clearly must be unbearable, even infuriating.
The Scarlet Research Institute had faced the same dilemma in previous timelines.
Even knowing the Anti-Infiltration Plan was doomed to fail, they continued to try different approaches.
Only in recent timelines, after realizing that no matter how they tried, the plan was impossible to succeed, did the Scarlet Research Institute officially abandon it.
Li Xingchen's current mood closely mirrored that of the Scarlet high-ranking officials when they learned the truth.
"Give me an answer. I can't hold on much longer," Feng Qi said, narrowing his eyes.
"I want to try again," Li Xingchen replied, turning toward the first military vehicle.
"Accept reality. Only by coming with me can you have a future—the future you truly desire."
Hearing this, Li Xingchen's steps faltered. He turned back to Feng Qi.
"Tell me, what's your plan now?"
"To expand the Dawn Organization's influence, we need more potential allies to stand up against the Technology Research Institute... Of course, you can also use my name to secretly sabotage the institute."
After a moment of silence, Li Xingchen nodded. "Alright, I'll try cooperating with you for now."
Feng Qi grinned. "Give me your contact information."
Li Xingchen beckoned to an underling, who immediately produced a palm-sized communicator. He tossed it to Feng Qi and continued, "This communicator was crafted by my own hands, guaranteeing its security and reliability. To contact me, use channel 11-11 and the code phrase: future."
Liu Yue reached out and caught the communicator Li Xingchen had thrown.
"Rest and recover first, then contact me," Li Xingchen said, turning to his underlings and roaring, "Everyone, get in the vehicles! Begin a city-wide search for Feng Qi!"
At Li Xingchen's command, the warriors accompanying him piled into the vehicles, and the convoy sped away.
After Li Xingchen left, Feng Qi finally collapsed.
"Liu Yue, I'm going to sleep for a while."
"Alright!" Liu Yue replied immediately.
With that, Feng Qi closed his eyes and slipped into unconsciousness.
In the days that followed, Feng Qi spent ten days recovering from his injuries.
During this time, the Technology Research Institute unveiled the black technology he had predicted—the Spirit Energy Forbidden Zone—further deepening Li Xingchen's trust in him. Li Xingchen even took the initiative to contact him.
With Li Xingchen's support, Feng Qi's path to confronting the Technology Research Institute became much smoother.
In the days that followed, Li Xingchen proactively shared information about the institute's plans, helping them avert several crises.
Simultaneously, Li Xingchen secretly launched his own campaign against the Technology Research Institute.
While he didn't fully control the Future Research Institute, he had a loyal group of subordinates—veterans who had retired from the front lines and undergone mechanical modifications.
Using the Dawn Organization as cover, they leveraged their knowledge to carry out covert sabotage operations.
As for the consequences of the destruction, Li Xingchen and his subordinate soldiers would unhesitatingly pin the blame on Feng Qi.
Hidden in the shadows, Feng Qi found himself inexplicably burdened with a mountain of accusations.
Yet he wasn't without gains.
For instance, the resources Li Xingchen had seized, he naturally wouldn't return to the Future Research Institute.
So he simply contacted Feng Qi and sent the Domain Field resources to him.
Li Xingchen also provided him with a list, urging him to try contacting the individuals on it, even recruiting some into the Dawn Organization.
With Li Xingchen's assistance, the Dawn Organization entered a period of rapid growth.
But what Feng Qi truly anticipated was the moment those still-hidden human factions would reach out to him of their own accord.
He firmly believed that his path was not lonely.
They had simply chosen different paths to save humanity.
(End of the Chapter)
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