Volume 1, Chapter 27: The Tower of Source Energy

"Sound the retreat! Pull back for now!"

At the piercing sound of the gongs, Chen Hao's men, as if granted a reprieve and yet bewildered, began to retreat and disengage from the battlefield.

"They... they’re retreating?" Zhang Nan collapsed onto the ground, gasping for air. He was drenched in blood, and the massive shield in his hand was already beyond recognition. Seeing the forces of Chen Hao receding like a receding tide, a look of relief finally surfaced on his blood-stained face. "We won... we actually won!"

"Ooh—!"

The survivors of the Thor Base, having escaped the jaws of death, stood stunned for a moment before erupting into earth-shattering cheers. Tears of joy mixed with blood flowed down their weary faces.

Li Hexuan watched the departing fleet of Chen Hao with icy eyes. He knew this was only temporary; the viper that was Chen Hao would never let this go. His body, held up by sheer willpower, could no longer sustain him. He swayed, only to be steadied just in time by Su Mengyi and the approaching Zhou Yong.

"Brother Xuan!"
"Mr. Li!"

After the cheering died down, a heavy atmosphere began to settle in. Zhou Yong reported to Li Hexuan with a grim expression, "Mr. Li, our initial count shows that we have suffered nearly thirty percent casualties. Our ammunition and supplies are exhausted, and our defensive fortifications have been heavily damaged."

Li Hexuan remained silent. A thirty percent casualty rate was an unbearable loss for the fledgling Thor Base. Each life lost had been a vibrant individual, a companion huddling together for warmth in this apocalyptic world. Looking at the survivors, some grieving and others numb, Li Hexuan felt a heavy burden in his heart.

"Give our fallen brothers a proper burial," he said in a low voice. "Provide for their families; we cannot let heroes bleed and then weep."

"Understood!" Zhou Yong nodded solemnly.

Just then, a cry of surprise came from the water's edge.

"Look! What... what is that!"

Everyone looked in the direction of the cry and saw the massive carcass of the Lantern Fish King being washed onto the shallows at the foot of Luoye Mountain by the surging current. Even in death, the mountain-like corpse of the giant beast radiated a terrifying and heart-stopping aura.

"We’ve struck gold! This behemoth—the meat alone will feed us for a long time!" a survivor shouted in excitement.

In the apocalypse, food is life. Such a massive mutated beast carcass was undoubtedly a windfall from heaven. Su Mengyi supported Li Hexuan as they slowly approached the body of the Lantern Fish King. When they were close enough, she furrowed her delicate brows and spoke with uncertainty, "Mr. Li, I... I can feel a very, very powerful energy fluctuation inside the fish king. It’s far stronger than any source crystal we’ve ever seen!"

Her "Life Tribute" ability gave her a keen sense for energy. Upon hearing this, Li Hexuan’s spirit lifted. He forced himself to focus and carefully sensed it, indeed detecting a vast and boundless energy emanating from within the fish king’s body.

"Cut it open!" Li Hexuan decided immediately.

Several sturdy base members stepped forward, using fire axes and machetes to exert all their strength before they could barely slice through the Lantern Fish King’s exceptionally tough skin. As the thick flesh was peeled away layer by layer, a crystal the size of a fist appeared!

It was a deep, translucent blue, glowing with a profound light. Within it, endless streaks of lightning seemed to swirl, emitting a terrifying energy fluctuation that made one’s spirit sway.

"This is... a King-level source crystal!" Li Hexuan’s pupils constricted, his breath hitching.

He had heard that source crystal levels were strictly categorized. Above blue were the rarer and more powerful purple source crystals, and above those were the legendary King-level source crystals! Every King-level source crystal represented a terrifying mutated beast king; the energy it contained was far beyond that of a normal crystal.

The surrounding survivors were stunned into silence by the dazzling, magnificent crystal.

Subsequently, orders were given to clear the battlefield. From the corpses of the killed elite fish monsters, the group collected dozens of white source crystals emitting a soft white light, along with a few scattered green ones of slightly better quality. Though the quantity was significant, compared to the King-level crystal, they were like fireflies competing with the moon.

In a corner of the crowd, Jia Shuwen sat paralyzed in the mud, looking lost and dejected. In the chaos, she had been lucky enough not to be caught by the fish monsters or noticed by Chen Hao’s men. Now, watching Li Hexuan create another miracle and obtain such a treasure, her heart was filled with endless despair. Li Hexuan’s power had far exceeded her imagination; she felt as if she had lost even the qualification to look up to him.

The smell of blood and gunpowder had not yet fully dissipated, and the Thor Base remained silent. Everyone’s faces bore the exhaustion of the battle, mixed with the relief of having survived. The fallen had been collected, and under Su Mengyi’s tireless treatment, most of the severely wounded had survived.

On the villa terrace, Li Hexuan held the deep blue source crystal in his palm. Lightning danced on its surface, and a violent thundercloud rolled within. The massive energy fluctuations were enough to make even him feel a sense of trepidation.

Zhang Nan leaned in, staring at the crystal, his throat dry. "Brother Xuan, this thing... isn't the kick a bit too strong? Can you handle it?" He had just absorbed several green source crystals and felt his strength rise, but compared to the one in Li Hexuan’s hand, it was not in the same league.

"If I don't try, how am I going to slaughter that dog, Chen Hao?" Li Hexuan’s tone was calm, yet filled with chilling killing intent. "He won't give us a chance to catch our breath. I must become stronger, faster."

He turned and handed the high-quality green crystals and the two blue ones to Su Mengyi. "Mengyi, take these. You’ve expended too much; these will help you recover, and perhaps even advance further."

Su Mengyi took the crystals but didn't put them away immediately, instead looking at Li Hexuan with concern. "Mr. Li, you are currently..."

"I won't die." Li Hexuan waved his hand. "The stronger you are, the safer the base will be. Nanzhi, distribute these white crystals to Old Zhou and the others. Get them back to peak condition as soon as possible."

With arrangements made, Li Hexuan instructed the two, "I am going into seclusion to absorb this. Don't call me even if the sky falls."

"Understood!" Zhang Nan and Su Mengyi replied in unison.

In the basement, there was complete silence. Li Hexuan sat cross-legged, the King-level source crystal resting in his palm. He adjusted his breathing, and as his "Electromagnetic Control" ability activated, he carefully reached out toward the crystal.

"Boom—!"

The moment his ability touched it, a torrent of violent energy far exceeding his expectations surged fiercely into his meridians! Within that energy were the unreconciled, tyrannical will of the Lantern Fish King before its death and a rich water-elemental power, rushing straight toward his consciousness, attempting to devour his mind and corrupt his ability!

"Stubborn, death-seeking creature!"

Li Hexuan’s consciousness trembled, but the massive mental barrier formed by his rebirth instantly rose, firmly blocking the mental assault. At the same time, he pushed his "Electromagnetic Control" to its limit, forcibly organizing and guiding the energy that was rampaging through his body.