171: Chapter 170 Return Journey! The generals fell silent after hearing about the Taotie and the Hundred-Man Slayer.
Inside the cabin of the large fighter jet, the 'Kunlun', the lights glowed with a warm yellow hue.
The roar of the engines was mostly dampened by the insulation, leaving only a low, continuous hum like a giant beast snoring. Outside the portholes on both sides of the cabin, clouds surged under the setting sun, and golden light spilled through the glass, stretching everyone's shadows long.
Lin Feng sat by the window, his seatbelt loosely draped over his waist. Xiao Guang was tucked into his left pocket, only showing the back of its golden head. Xiao Jin lay on his right shoulder, its six golden legs hugging half a Spirit Stone, munching with a crunching sound. Lin Feng didn't mind the crumbs falling onto his shoulder.
Zhao Gang sat opposite him. His dark green military uniform had several holes, and a section of his sleeve was missing, revealing a bandaged forearm. Faint bloodstains seeped through the bandage but had already dried. He leaned back in his seat with his eyes closed, breathing steadily as if asleep. However, a closer look revealed his fingers tapping rhythmically on his knee; he wasn't asleep.
Su Xue sat next to Zhao Gang, having changed into a clean Explorer uniform and tied her hair back into a ponytail. She kept her head down, wiping a pair of short swords with a white cloth. The blades were already polished to a shine, reflecting her face, but she continued to wipe slowly and carefully, as if cleaning a piece of art.
Besides the three of them, there were four other people in the cabin.
General Chen sat in the innermost seat of honor. He had removed his heavy military overcoat and wore only his crisp uniform, his back straight as a pine tree rooted to the seat. Staff Officer Zhao sat beside him with a tablet in hand, the screen filled with dense text from the preliminary report on this Secret Realm. Opposite them sat two people in black zhongshan suits, a man and a woman, both appearing to be in their early forties. The man wore gold-rimmed glasses and had a lean face, flipping through documents. The woman had neat short hair and held a pen, ready to take notes at any moment.
“Alright,” the General spoke. His voice wasn't loud, but everyone in the cabin heard him clearly. He leaned back, his gaze sweeping from Zhao Gang to Su Xue, then to Lin Feng, finally stopping on the dung beetle on Lin Feng's shoulder that was munching on a Spirit Stone. “Rested enough? If so, begin the report.”
Xiao Jin felt someone watching it and stopped, looking up with its tiny bead-like eyes into the General’s majestic ones. It froze for a second, then hid the Spirit Stone behind its back as if to say—this is mine, I'm not giving it away.
The corner of the General's mouth twitched. He looked away and turned to Zhao Gang. “Zhao Gang, you go first.”
Zhao Gang opened his eyes, sat up straight, and placed his hands on his knees. “Yes, General.”
He cleared his throat and began his account.
“I headed up the mountain with those Pakistanis. Halfway up, we encountered a group of Yao Beasts—stone ones that could run and bite—and we fought them. Later, at the summit, we saw a massive stone gate. It had a Formation on it that we couldn't break. Then we met Su Xue; she was being chased by a group of Japanese people—not to kill her, but because they wanted to snatch a jade pendant she had found.”
Su Xue’s hands paused for a second as she calmly added, “I saw that jade pendant clearly later; it was an identification token for a Disciple of the Taixu Dojo. It was of Blue quality and not worth much. But they didn't believe me and insisted on stealing it. I didn't feel like explaining, so I ran.”
Zhao Gang nodded and continued. “Afterward, the two of us entered the stone gate together and found an underground cavern. There were murals inside depicting an old man performing Alchemy. We used the jade pendant to open the Alchemy room and found several bottles of Medicinal Pills.”
The General nodded, signaling him to continue.
“Then we were trapped in an illusion.” Zhao Gang’s voice dropped slightly, as if recalling something unpleasant. “In the illusion, I saw my brother. He stood before me and spoke, saying he missed me and told me not to leave. I knew it was fake, but I just couldn't wake up. Later, Su Xue used the jade pendant to break the illusion, and we got out. That’s when we met Lin Feng.”
He paused and looked at Lin Feng. “Lin Feng killed those Americans, Japanese, and Koreans... it seemed like he killed them all.”
The cabin fell silent for a second.
Staff Officer Zhao almost dropped his tablet. He looked up, staring wide-eyed at Zhao Gang and then at Lin Feng, his mouth hanging open without words. The two in black zhongshan suits stopped their movements simultaneously—the man with gold-rimmed glasses looked up, his pen pausing on the paper as ink bled slightly. The short-haired woman turned her head, her gaze piercing Zhao Gang as if judging the truth of his words.
Even the General was stunned for a moment. He had been leaning back with a relatively calm expression while listening to Zhao Gang’s report, but at these words, he leaned forward slightly, his eyebrows arching. His gaze moved from Zhao Gang to Lin Feng, then back to Zhao Gang, as if confirming he hadn't misheard.
“Killed them all?” The General’s voice deepened. He looked at Zhao Gang, then Su Xue, and finally fixed his gaze on Lin Feng. “You tell it.”
“I killed them,” Lin Feng said calmly, as if commenting on the nice weather.
The General leaned forward, staring into his eyes. “Over a hundred? By yourself?”
“About a hundred and forty or so, I didn't count carefully. Roughly that many,” Lin Feng added after a moment's thought.
The cabin fell silent again. It was so quiet that one could hear the low roar of the engines outside, the crunching of Xiao Jin eating the Spirit Stone, and the rustle of Xiao Guang turning over in Lin Feng’s pocket.
The General leaned back and remained silent for several seconds. His gaze toward Lin Feng was complex, filled with shock, disbelief, and something indefinable, as if he were re-evaluating this young man. Then he laughed—not the formal laugh of a general to a soldier, but one filled with a bit of emotion, a bit of helplessness, and a bit of 'this kid is damn fierce'.
Staff Officer Zhao’s mouth was still open; he looked between Lin Feng and the General, wanting to speak but hesitating. The two people in black also exchanged looks. The man with gold-rimmed glasses pushed up his spectacles, his pen scratching a word onto the paper. The short-haired woman’s gaze toward Lin Feng became more scrutinizing, as if trying to see through the youth completely.
Zhao Gang, looking hesitant, rubbed his fingers and finally spoke. “Lin Feng, those people... you killed them all. How will we explain this later?” His tone was hesitant, not questioning but worried. “Even if we aren't close with those countries, they are members of the Earth Federation after all. Even if they were thieves, killing them all... this is a huge mess. Over a hundred lives; their countries will definitely demand an explanation.”
Lin Feng turned to look at him with a serious expression. “Explain what? Their skills were inferior.”
Zhao Gang opened his mouth to argue, but found Lin Feng’s logic strangely sound, leaving him unsure how to respond. Beside him, Su Xue lowered her head, her shoulders shaking slightly as if suppressing a laugh. She had stopped wiping her sword; the blade reflected half her face, her lips curved upward.
The General looked at the two of them and shook his head. “You kid, you’ve got guts. However, what’s done is done. Those people entered China's Secret Realm to steal China's things; they deserved to die. As for diplomacy...” He paused and looked at the two in black, “The Ministry of State Security will handle it.”
The man with gold-rimmed glasses nodded slightly and adjusted his glasses. “We will prepare a diplomatic narrative upon our return. Secret Realm exploration inherently carries extreme risks; all nations signed waivers before entry. As for the smaller nations, without concrete evidence, they won't dare cause trouble.”
The short-haired woman added, “The biggest instability factor is that the subordinates of the major powers are also missing. We won't be taking the blame for that.”
Lin Feng didn't respond, merely leaning against his seat and looking out the window. Clouds rolled under the setting sun, golden light bathing his face. His expression was calm, betraying no emotion.
Su Xue put away her polished swords and looked up at Lin Feng. “Lin Feng, how did you kill so many people? That was over a hundred people, not a hundred chickens. No matter how weak they were, they were elite Explorers from various countries, at least Level 40. And you were alone, with just two swords?” Her tone held curiosity, wonder, and a trace of admiration she hadn't even noticed herself.
Lin Feng turned to look at her and thought for a moment. “Their coordination was poor. Over a hundred people sounds like a lot, but in reality, it was every man for himself with no cooperation. Some used swords, some used guns, some used Spells—it was a mess. When I charged in, they were actually afraid of hitting their own people and didn't dare use their full power.”
He paused, as if recalling the battle. “The more people there are, the more openings there are. I was just a bit faster than them, a bit more accurate. One sword for each person, just like that.”
Zhao Gang shook his head as he listened, though a smile played on his lips. “You call that 'a bit' faster? You didn't see his speed; he charged into the crowd like a bolt of golden lightning, and those people couldn't even touch the hem of his clothes. Standing inside the bronze gate, I only saw golden light flashing outside, and one person falling. Another flash, and another fell.”
Su Xue also smiled. “I counted from the doorway. It took him about nine minutes to kill from the left side to the right. Nine minutes for over a hundred and forty people—that's an average of less than four seconds per person.”
The General listened from the side. He didn't speak, but the corner of his mouth twitched, and a flash of complexity crossed his eyes.
The cabin was quiet for a few more seconds. The man with gold-rimmed glasses adjusted his spectacles, a sharp light glinting in his eyes behind the lenses as his pen moved rapidly across the paper, recording something unknown. The short-haired woman was more direct; she stared at Lin Feng for several seconds and whispered, “Interesting.”
Zhao Gang scratched the back of his head and suddenly remembered something. “Right, Lin Feng, what about those Filipinos, Indonesians, and Vietnamese? Why didn't they come out either? I remember you went in first, and we followed half an hour later. What did you say to them?”
Lin Feng patted Xiao Guang in his pocket. Xiao Guang moved slightly as if reminding him not to let anything slip. He remained expressionless. “I told them there was an even larger Treasure Trove inside and sent them that way.”
Zhao Gang blinked. “They believed you?”
“They did,” Lin Feng nodded.
“Then where are they?”
“Probably looking for the treasure,” Lin Feng said. “Maybe they got lost.”
Zhao Gang fell silent. Looking at Lin Feng’s calm face, he suddenly felt a bit sorry for those people. How tragic; it was one thing to be killed by Lin Feng, but to die and be described as 'lost' was another. But on second thought, those people were thieves who came to steal, so they deserved it and weren't worth pitying.
The General watched Lin Feng, silent for a while before speaking. “What happened with the Taotie?” His voice wasn't loud, but his tone was heavy, as if asking about something extremely important.
Lin Feng sat up a bit straighter and loosened his seatbelt. Xiao Guang turned over in his pocket, and Xiao Jin, having finished one Spirit Stone, started on another.
“It was at the base of the mountain, sealed underground. There was a stone coffin made of Meteoric Iron, bound with chains covered in runes. Later the Seal broke, and it emerged. It was about ten meters high and twenty meters long, shaped like a goat but ten thousand times larger. It had horns on its head and a huge mouth full of teeth. It had scales on its body and a tail like a snake.”
He paused, as if recalling the details of the fight.
“It could suck things in. It sucked in everything—rocks, sand, air, energy. It could even swallow the light beams I fired in one gulp. Later, I found an item specifically meant to counter the Taotie, called 'Life for Death'. With a bit of luck and timing, I killed the Taotie.”
Zhao Gang’s face turned pale as he listened, his fingers involuntarily clutching his military trousers. Su Xue’s lips pressed into a thin line, her hands stopping their work on the swords, her knuckles turning slightly white. Staff Officer Zhao’s complexion wasn't much better; the tablet almost slipped from his lap. The man with gold-rimmed glasses adjusted his spectacles, the reflection hiding his eyes, but his pen had been still for a long time. The short-haired woman’s breathing noticeably lightened, as if afraid to interrupt Lin Feng.
The cabin was silent again. It was so quiet that everyone’s breathing could be heard. That silence wasn't empty; it was filled with a massive, invisible shock.
The General looked at the two of them, then at Zhao Gang’s face which was struggling to hold back a smile. He shook his head, sat up straight, and adjusted his collar. “This trip to the Secret Realm yielded great harvests. Zhao Gang and Su Xue found the Taixu Dojo’s Alchemy room; the Medicinal Pills and Cultivation Techniques they brought back are of great value to the country. Lin Feng killed the Taotie, saved himself, and brought back a large amount of Materials. I will report these achievements truthfully.”
He looked at the three of them with a serious gaze. “All three of you did a fine job.”
Zhao Gang grinned, showing two rows of white teeth, looking a bit simple but very sincere. Su Xue also smiled, a faint smile but with light in her eyes. Lin Feng remained expressionless, merely giving a slight nod.
“By the way, General,” Lin Feng suddenly spoke, “Once we get back, I have something to give you.”
The General was taken aback, his eyebrows arching slightly. “What is it?”
“A surprise. It's a secret for now.” The corner of Lin Feng’s mouth curved slightly, as if he were smiling, yet not.
The General looked at him, and a trace of indefinable anticipation appeared on his stern face—not just anticipation, but also a bit of curiosity and helplessness. This kid never played by the rules. “You kid, still keeping me in suspense?”