Chapter 475: Battle of Conviction
Under Feng Qi’s command, the Dawn Army struggled to advance to the central district south of the city.
They encountered three war machines along the way.
The latter two war machines were swiftly destroyed through coordinated attacks by Feng Qi and the military department’s soldiers, denying them the opportunity to unleash their devastating firepower.
As the battle line shifted forward, vast swathes of buildings were reduced to rubble.
Fortunately, Future City’s residents had already taken refuge in air-raid shelters and other secure areas, sparing them from the war’s direct impact.
The defensive safety facilities within Future City, such as air-raid shelters, differed fundamentally from the shelters.
Air-raid shelters and similar areas were designed for temporary refuge from external disasters. Their original purpose was to defend against sudden emergencies. While they stored food and other resources, they lacked the shelters’ food recycling systems, and their energy reserves dwindled with each use.
In addition to Future City, the other four major cities had also constructed numerous air-raid shelters and other refuge areas.
The brutal fighting continued unabated.
The Dawn Army’s casualties had already reached nearly one-third, with countless young lives lost in the battle.
The battlefield was a meat grinder, relentlessly claiming lives.
Future City’s City Defense Force paid a heavy price in the fighting.
Among the City Defense Soldiers were not only veterans with combat experience but also many young faces transferred from the academy.
These younger soldiers typically operated technological weapons such as armored vehicles, rather than engaging in frontline combat.
Graduates of the Technology Research Institute or the Future Research Institute, they had learned to use various war machines during their studies and had no difficulty operating them.
However, because these war machines inflicted heavy casualties on the Dawn Army, they became primary targets for the dawn warriors.
This meant the young trainees operating these machines were inevitably targeted by the Dawn Army.
In the midst of the war, Feng Qi witnessed the unwavering resolve and self-sacrificing spirit of the dawn warriors.
Yet he saw the same qualities in the Future City Defense Soldiers.
Just moments ago, he had torn through the armor of an armored vehicle and glimpsed the youthful face behind the control console.
The moment the young soldier saw him, his expression hardened with determination.
Flipping him the middle finger, he unhesitatingly pressed the self-destruct button, determined to take Feng Qi down with him.
Similar scenes played out repeatedly across the battlefield.
Each side had absolute reasons for refusing to retreat, making the war exceptionally brutal.
Confusion lingered only in the early stages of the battle. As the fighting intensified, this confusion vanished from the warriors’ hearts, replaced by boundless hatred.
This was especially true for those who had witnessed their comrades, family, and friends die before their eyes.
By this point, Feng Qi, transformed into his Blood Giant form, had lost count of how many City Defense Soldiers he had killed.
Under normal circumstances, his Blood Source Form could only be maintained for about ten minutes.
During combat, excessive qi blood expenditure—such as activating his body’s overload function—would further shorten the form’s duration.
To sustain his Blood Source Form, he relied on a specially designed glove on his right hand to absorb the City Defense Soldiers’ blood, converting it into qi-blood energy.
This glove had been custom-made for him by the Scarlet Research Institute.
Back then, when he transformed into his Battle Body Form, he lacked a way to replenish his qi blood and revert to his human form.
To solve this problem, the Scarlet Research Institute spent several days crafting this unique glove tailored to his needs.
Since then, he had worn the glove on his right hand at all times, never removing it even while sleeping.
In its normal state, the glove appeared unremarkable, its material and texture seamlessly blending with the wearer’s skin, causing no interference with daily life.
Yet the glove possessed extraordinary resilience and elasticity.
Even when Feng Qi transformed into the Blood Giant, it wouldn’t tear.
The glove’s ability to absorb qi blood stemmed from the multiple Spirit Energy Formations etched within its interior.
This spirit energy engraving technology originated from the Technology Research Institute, a gift Li Xingchen had given him long ago.
During combat, activating the formations on the glove would power its internal energy core, automatically drawing qi blood from the surroundings into Feng Qi’s body, sustaining his Blood Source Form.
Fortunately, he had only borrowed this ability from the main timeline, lacking the absorption-annihilation property.
Otherwise, any lifeform whose qi blood he absorbed would be completely erased from the timeline.
The brutal battle raged on. Feng Qi was enveloped in a swirling blood mist, each moment converting absorbed qi blood into raw power.
His unstoppable momentum had made him the primary target of the City Defense Soldiers’ concentrated fire.
Despite Feng Qi’s formidable defenses, the relentless barrage left him covered in wounds, both large and small.
Yet as the blood mist surged into his body, these injuries healed at a visible rate, vanishing without a trace, leaving no scars behind.
As Feng Qi advanced, he encountered another obstacle.
A burly City Defense Soldier, wielding a battle blade etched with dark crimson patterns, stood in his path.
His uniform indicated his high-ranking position within the City Defense Force.
Undeterred, Feng Qi didn’t slow down, charging straight at him.
The burly soldier swung his crimson blade, instantly unleashing a torrent of blade qi formed from condensed spiritual energy.
Feng Qi recognized this ability well—it was “momentum.”
Unlike Liu Yue’s sword intent or the fist intent Feng Qi had cultivated, the man wielding the crimson blade unleashed blade qi.
He sensed a completely different emotion emanating from the oncoming blade qi—a domineering arrogance, a sense of “I am the only one who matters,” radiating overwhelming pressure.
His fist intent activated automatically, the fire within his chest blazing fiercely.
Without hesitation, he threw a right punch mid-stride.
A crimson fist shadow shot skyward, colliding with the oncoming blade qi. The resulting shockwave swept outward, toppling nearby soldiers.
Feng Qi’s fist struck the crimson blade.
Unlike the spirit energy weapons he had shattered with a single blow before, this crimson blade proved exceptionally resilient.
The moment his fist collided with the battle blade, dense cracks spiderwebbed across its surface.
Seeing this, Feng Qi swiftly withdrew his right hand, allowing the dark red blade to slash across his right shoulder.
It wasn’t fear of injury to his hand that drove his action, but concern for the glove he wore on it.
The blade sank into his shoulder, its momentum halted by his hardened muscle tissue.
Feng Qi’s left fist followed through with a swift, powerful strike.
Trading blows was an advantage for him.
The punch landed with crushing force on the burly man’s head.
Contrary to expectations, the man’s skull didn’t shatter. Instead, the medal on his chest flashed, and a blue spirit energy barrier materialized to block the lethal blow.
Feng Qi had anticipated the barrier’s appearance. After years spent infiltrating the Technology Research Institute, he was familiar with their spirit energy weapons and defenses.
He had studied these technologies precisely to better confront the institute.
The dark green flames engulfing his body surged forward, rapidly corroding the spirit energy shield and weakening it.
A vicious knee strike followed through.
Crack!
The crisp sound of shattering echoed as the shield shattered, and Feng Qi’s knee slammed into the burly man’s head.
Taking full advantage of his height, Feng Qi’s knee strike was devastating. It shattered the burly man’s skull, sending him flying backward.
The blade qi domain dissipated the moment the man lost consciousness.
Without hesitation, Feng Qi pursued the airborne figure, delivering a lethal palm strike to the man’s chest.
With the sickening crack of ribs breaking, the man’s heart abruptly stopped beating.
In this moment, Feng Qi showed no mercy.
Perhaps in future timelines, he and the City Defense Soldiers before him would be comrades-in-arms. But the advance along this battle line could not be hindered by any force.
Hesitation now would be a betrayal to all his fellow travelers.
Having eliminated the City Defense Soldier blocking his path, Feng Qi turned his gaze toward the Technology Research Institute, a fierce glint flashing in his eyes.
There was still a long way to go before reaching the institute.
But he and the Dawn Army soldiers were prepared to fight to the death.
Letting out a primal roar, Feng Qi thrust his hands forward, unleashing a torrent of qi blood that transformed into a gale-force wind. The surging energy instantly swept aside the figures blocking his path, carving out a path over ten meters wide.
As the ground beneath his feet cracked and crumbled, Feng Qi surged forward like a tiger pouncing on its prey.
Once again, he had become the Dawn’s vanguard, clearing the way for his comrades.
(End of the Chapter)