Chapter 484: Three-Way Battle
When planning this battle line, Feng Qi had two contingencies in place:
First, to create an opportunity for equal-footing negotiations with the black shadow.
Second, if the black shadow refused to cooperate, to completely destroy the Technology Research Institute, then sift through its internal data for useful intelligence.
Since the black shadow was currently cooperating, Feng Qi decided to probe further:
“You’re right, I don’t know all your secrets. That’s precisely why I’m here. The true purpose of this war was to create a chance for us to speak face-to-face.”
“If I truly wanted you dead, I wouldn’t have gone to the trouble of starting a war. I could simply have informed the Spirit Energy Clan of your location. They would have come for you themselves.”
Upon hearing this, the black shadow’s pupils constricted sharply.
The Spirit Energy Clan remained a forbidden topic in its heart. As a traitor, it knew all too well the clan’s immense power.
If the Spirit Energy Clan discovered its whereabouts, it would face their relentless pursuit.
“I think we can talk,” the black shadow finally relented, lowering its tone. “Everything is about mutual benefit. We have no fundamental blood feud between us.”
“In that case, tell me all the secrets of the Black Reaper Project now, and I’ll consider withdrawing my forces,” Feng Qi replied without hesitation. “As you said, we have no fundamental grievances!”
Faced with Feng Qi’s threat, the black shadow took a deep breath.
“I need to understand something first. Why are you so obsessed with uncovering the secrets of the Black Reaper Project? And how did you even learn about this plan?”
“That’s none of your concern. Tell me everything about the Black Reaper Project now, and you can remain in control of the Technology Research Institute. There will still be a place for you in the future—we might even become allies!”
To break through the black shadow’s psychological defenses, Feng Qi offered a hollow promise.
For him, obtaining the information was paramount. He was willing to promise anything, knowing he could always retract his word later.
Faced with Feng Qi’s condescending attitude, the black shadow’s expression turned exceptionally grim.
The black shadow had initially intended to feign humility, hoping to extract information from Feng Qi by appearing willing to compromise. However, it quickly became clear that Feng Qi had no intention of prolonging the stalemate.
Realizing this, the black shadow abandoned its pretense.
It raised its head, its face contorted into a vicious grin, and snarled:
“It seems I can’t gauge your true strength. But if you think you can pry the full details of the Black Reaper Project from me, you underestimate me!”
“From the moment I betrayed the Spirit Energy Clan, I prepared myself to face their wrath. If I compromise with you now, you’ll gain leverage over me, using the Spirit Energy Clan to constantly threaten and control me. You overestimate yourself if you think you can force me to submit!”
Feng Qi wasn’t surprised by the black shadow’s sudden shift in demeanor.
Threatening the black shadow with the Spirit Energy Clan had always been a risky gamble.
As the black shadow pointed out, compromising now would lead to endless future concessions. Feng Qi could exploit the threat of exposing the black shadow’s identity to manipulate it repeatedly.
The black shadow’s fury was entirely predictable.
Realizing that negotiations had collapsed and the black shadow would reveal no further information, Feng Qi decided to formally implement his second plan.
He would dismantle the Technology Research Institute and personally search its internal records for the truth.
Without hesitation, Feng Qi erupted into action, lunging forward to seize the black shadow.
His surging qi blood coalesced into a vortex in the palm of his right hand. The strike landed on the shadow’s surface, transforming into a crimson curtain that attempted to completely envelop it.
Faced with his relentless assault, the black shadow flickered and vanished from its position, reappearing several meters away.
Feng Qi stomped down, shattering the ground beneath his feet, and leaped forward like a tiger, pouncing on the shadow once more.
He had a rough estimate of the black shadow’s strength.
In the timeline where various factions targeted the Technology Research Institute, the institute had faced combined pressure from multiple forces. During the Confronting the Technology Research Institute campaign, the Scarlet Research Institute had obtained the remains of a Black Shadow Clan member.
After analyzing the energy residue, density, and other metrics within the remains, the Scarlet Research Institute concluded that the fallen Black Shadow Clan member had likely been around the upper-tier of the silver realm in life.
This suggested that the Black Shadow Clan’s true strength didn’t lie in their individual combat prowess.
Instead, their weapons were external creations: inventions, research, and technology.
This was remarkably similar to humanity’s reliance on technological advancement.
For example, the firearms created by humans can easily kill humans themselves.
However, the physical weakness of the Spirit Energy Clan doesn’t mean their overall power is weak. Their creations are their most lethal weapons.
The Spirit Energy Clan and the Mist Clan have followed completely opposite paths of development.
The Spirit Energy Clan favors a growth strategy focused on cultivation and creation.
The Mist Clan, on the other hand, is entirely focused on enhancing their bloodline and physical strength.
Old Mist once said that the Mist Clan has never cared about external possessions. Over thousands of years, their societal development has lagged far behind the prosperity of human society. They have poured all their resources into enhancing their combat capabilities.
Mist Clan warriors would rather endure hunger than use their remaining resources on anything other than spirit stones, which aid in cultivation and power enhancement.
Feng Qi had always been puzzled by the Mist Clan’s growth strategy.
Old Mist was no fool. He must have understood the importance of internal development for a race’s long-term survival.
Feng Qi once asked him, “Can the Mist Clan really sustain this extreme focus on military power in the long run?”
Old Mist’s response revealed the true essence of their growth strategy:
“When the neighbor hoards grain, I hoard guns. The neighbor becomes my granary.”
In that single sentence, Feng Qi grasped the Mist Clan’s entire growth strategy.
This was undoubtedly a path of growth through conquest, where food, resources, and everything else had to be provided by other races.
The Spirit Energy Clan must have suffered terribly, having Old Mist as their neighbor. It’s understandable why they were plundered.
After all, the Mist Clan’s development strategy dictated that they would never create value externally, nor would they engage in mutually beneficial exchanges with foreign races. Instead, they would brutally seize resources from others to strengthen themselves.
The Spirit Energy Clan, on the other hand, operated in stark contrast. As their civilization grew, they generated vast quantities of valuable resources.
These resources not only benefited the Spirit Energy Clan but also served as trade goods for exchanging valuable items with foreign races, which in turn accelerated their own development.
Having gained a deep understanding of the Spirit Energy Clan, Feng Qi felt no fear of the black shadow.
Although his current strength didn’t match his power in the main timeline, activating his blood source had elevated his combat prowess to at least gold-tier.
Even if he couldn’t defeat the black shadow outright, it wouldn’t be able to subdue him easily.
Moreover, Mu Qing was already on her way to break through the blockade.
The most crucial task now was to stall the black shadow and prevent it from escaping with Mo and Little Black.
If the black shadow escaped now, it might return to the Technology Research Institute and destroy all the data in a fit of desperation.
If that happened, even if they won the war, he would gain no useful intelligence.
This wasn’t the kind of victory he needed.
In Feng Qi’s eyes, intelligence was the cornerstone of ultimate victory.
As his thoughts churned, he closed in on the black shadow.
His surging qi blood transformed into swirling currents around his body.
Empowered by his qi blood, he resembled a blood-soaked Demon God, radiating concentric ripples outward and even forming a crimson halo beneath his feet.
With a wave of his hand, his qi blood condensed into countless phantom fists, relentlessly hammering the black shadow.
(End of the Chapter)