Lin Lingfeng clenched her fists tightly. The assailant was accusing the victim of being the culprit! Even so, what could Lin Lingfeng do? The genetic hunters of the fourth realm were a weak and scattered force. They were weak; they had no choice but to accept the beatings they were given.
[Eternal Sun]
These two words left all genetic hunters present feeling weak and helpless. The hunters of the fourth realm knew a little about the two major organizations within; no one in the gathering point would be a match for them, not even if they fought together.
The sea of clouds gave them an ultimatum. "Hand over this man, and I'll release these friends of yours."
Lin Lingfeng shook her head. "We really don't know."
"You may have some more time to consider. I'll give you fifty seconds. Every ten seconds, I'll kill another member of your race."
Blood seeped out from the orifices of the second genetic hunter from the left. He was pulped into a bloody mist, which dissipated amidst the white fog.
One genetic hunter called out, "Long live the Milky Way! No Milky Way hunter is a coward—we won't bow down to the likes of you!"
He glowed with light as genetic energy surged throughout his body. Then, with a huge bang, he disappeared in a ball of glowing radiance, clearing the immediate area around him of the white mist.
The sea of clouds sighed. "A man of integrity, it seems, to have chosen to self-destruct rather than to suffer an ignoble death. What a pity that his companions don't seem to cherish him—you're the ones who killed him, don't you see?"
"Hunters of the Milky Way!" Lin Lingfeng shouted, her eyes red.
"We're here!" the genetic hunters within the city responded.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt"When have we Milky Way hunters grown so cowardly as to bear this disrespect?!"
"Even if we fall, we won't let ourselves be humiliated by the aliens of the fourth realm!"
"We'll fight to our deaths!"
All the hunters within the settlement began to shout. The death of their comrade-in-arms had stoked a raging inferno in their souls.
"We hunters of the Milky Way may die, but we'll die with respect!"
"Eternal Sun, Ancient Gods' Abode—none of us are afraid of you!"
"We've faced countless beast stampedes, and we've never backed down! You're a sea of clouds? Well, we'll pierce you through!"
The hunters of the fourth realm felt a sense of pride and honor at belonging to the Milky Way. Though individually weak, they banded together against their enemies and against disasters. This was what had kept the hunters of the Milky Way alive, like a flame that could not be snuffed out.
Genetic energy lit up within the settlement as radiant light tinted the sky in a barrage of colors.
The hunters launched their techniques all at once, but none of them were able to deal any lasting damage to the sea of clouds. The mist was illusory, evanescent; ordinary attacks had no chance of hitting it.
The face formed by the sea of clouds sighed. "What a pity. I was going to destroy this city after identifying the culprit, but it looks like it'll take me a bit more work."
Mist surged into the city. Hunters shrieked as they asphyxiated, their faces turning blue and purple. They coughed violently, vomiting out blood. The weakest hunters' bodies exploded on the spot and turned into a bloody mist absorbed by the sea of clouds. In an instant, the entire city was covered by cloudy mist.
The opponent was stronger than they could imagine. The hunters turned to mist without even being able to strike at their opponent.
Lin Lingfeng's eyes clouded over with despair. "What are we doing...?"
Just then, one hunter knelt on the ground and begged, "I know where to find the person you're looking for! Please, don't kill me!"
The sea of clouds formed a face that hung in the sky once more.
"Looks like there's at least one intelligent fellow out there, at least."
Lin Lingfeng clutched onto her weapon with trembling hands as she shouted, "Stand up! We hunters of the Milky Way can't submit to these aliens even if we have to die!"
The kneeling hunter yelled out, "I'm sorry, but I don't want to die! I still have friends and family waiting for us in the Milky Way!"
Lin Lingfeng cried back, "Do you think the rest of us are orphans?!"
The kneeling hunter replied, "He was just someone who popped out of nowhere! He has no relation to our gathering point, so what harm does it do to reveal his identity?"
"He saved our whole city! With him in the fourth realm, our lives will surely change for the better—just like how he created the kingdom of Limit for us humans in the second realm, and constructed a whole new world order in the third! He's our brightest hope!"
The kneeling hunter called back, "Who cares about hope if we can't even live until tomorrow?!"
Lin Lingfeng was about to continue arguing when she was caught by a bundle of mist. The sea of clouds said, "Keep talking."
"This man's called Zhang Lie! He left the city a few days ago, and has been gone since."
"Where has he gone?"
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmThe kneeling hunter shook his head. "That—I don't know."
A bundle of mist suddenly caused the kneeling hunter to float into the air. "W-What?"
"I'm very disappointed."
The kneeling hunter struggled in the air, but was unable to break free. The sea of clouds reiterated, "I'm very disappointed. I thought you were a clever man, but..."
The kneeling hunter cried out, "I've told you the truth, all of it!"
Suddenly, he exploded into a bloody mist.
The sea of clouds sighed. "It looks like your race is composed of a bunch of idiots and feckless fools. Well, there's no need for any of you to live on, then."
If he were to kill the entire race, the culprit would naturally also perish.
The hunters of the city finally understood that surrender wouldn't save their lives.
Cthaat's son wouldn't believe them; he was waiting to see Zhang Lie himself. However, Zhang Lie wasn't within the city. There was no way any of them could give him what he wanted.
If Zhang Lie were in the city, they wouldn't have had to suffer.
Only by fighting to their death could they die with honor and dignity.
The sea of clouds continued impatiently, "It's rather troublesome, but I suppose I'll have to use Father's method. I'll kill you all and extinguish your race."
More hunters in the city began to die. The disparity in power between the combatants was immense; any form of struggle was pointless in the face of absolute strength. Just as the hunters in the city were about to despair, a pillar of light pierced through the sea of clouds and the face it formed.
Upon seeing the object that emerged from the sea of clouds, the genetic hunters thought they were suffering from a mass delusion. All of them recognized what they were seeing—but that was precisely why they were all the more shocked.