Inside the command vehicle, the two dukes exchanged glances.
"Our intelligence indicated that Xiao Feng lacked any psychic evolution," one remarked.
"Indeed, you are correct. Yet, if Xiao Feng had been concealing his abilities all along, it would hardly be surprising. It seems we must revise our tactics. If we persist in launching wave after wave of assaults, I fear the relentless beast tides we've expended so much effort on will scarcely inflict any significant damage upon Black Whale City."
"You speak wisely. Should this operation fail, the Black Dragon King will surely not let us off lightly. You must understand, when his wrath is provoked, we are the ones who suffer."
"Perhaps we should inform him of the true situation. If he comprehends our predicament, even in failure, he might temper his judgment."
"Agreed. It's imperative we report our current status to the Black Dragon King."
"I'll handle it..." The duke spoke as he connected to the Black Dragon King. On the screen appeared the Black Dragon King himself, holding a silver goblet. Beside him were two scantily clad women, massaging his shoulders.
The Black Dragon King chuckled softly as he addressed the duke on the screen, "How goes the report, Duke Luke? If I'm not mistaken, Black Whale City must already be under your siege."
Duke Luke's face darkened. "Forgive us, Your Majesty. We did our utmost—launching four waves of beast tides in rapid succession against Black Whale City. Yet all were repelled by Xiao Feng's X Legion. The situation has grown complicated. Had it been only the X Legion alone, we might have crushed them long ago. But their combat prowess now is formidable. Observe the footage below and judge for yourself..."
The Black Dragon King's expression hardened. "Very well. Show me just how formidable this X Legion has become."
Duke Luke transmitted the battle footage. Reclining in his expansive chair, the Black Dragon King watched intently.
First came images of Ivy's sniper battalion and Old White's infantry slaughtering mutated rats. The mercenaries wielding heavy mechanical sniper rifles caught even the Black Dragon King by surprise—he had never seen such a force before.
Next were scenes of Wild Dog and the mech warriors ruthlessly exterminating hunting dogs. Particularly striking was the robotic Wild Dog, bristling with weapons, which visibly astonished the Black Dragon King. Such a lethal human weapon was beyond his expectation.
Then, footage showed Xiao Feng fiercely firing the Black Angel sniper rifle. The imposing two-meter-long firearm, with its triple scopes and modified magazine, exuded an aura of sheer intimidation. Even the Black Dragon King had never witnessed such a powerful sniper rifle. Following this, the appearance of Bai Bai, the Wolf King, was unmistakable. His dominion over the wolf pack was irresistible; even the taming powers of the Evil Dragon Cult's devotees were no match for Bai Bai's thunderous roar.
The fourth sequence depicted Rush and Xiao Feng mercilessly slaughtering mutated bats. Upon seeing this, the Black Dragon King's fury exploded—he slammed the silver goblet, still brimming with fine wine, to the ground. He understood the gravity of psychic evolution, and what it meant for such psychic powers to annihilate F-class mutated bats instantly. Clearly, two level-eight psychics had emerged.
The Black Dragon King growled, "Damn it! The X Legion has become this formidable? And I suspect they have yet to unleash their full strength. I've been played by those bastards in the temple, sent to gnaw on such a hard nut. They have no idea how much effort it takes for me to tame so many beasts."
One of the women massaging him, clad in black seductive lingerie, gently cautioned, "My king, please do not let anger consume you. It would be most unwise to damage your health."
"Hmph. I will not let those temple scoundrels off so easily. Mark my words, one day they will bow beneath my feet. When that day comes, I shall trample their faces until they look like swine."
At that moment, Duke Luke spoke hesitantly on the screen, "My king, now is hardly the time to dwell on grievances. Our priority is deciding how to deal with Black Whale City. If we allow this to end here, it would be utterly unbefitting of the Evil Dragon Cult."
"Damn it! Do you take me for a fool? You're all useless! You can't even manage such a simple task. The X Legion has suffered no meaningful damage yet. I'm furious—what use are you to me?" The Black Dragon King's rage was palpable. Yet as leader of the Evil Dragon Cult and sovereign Black Dragon King, he swiftly regained composure. Taking a few deep breaths, he fixed Duke Luke with a piercing glare through the screen. "How many beast tides do you still command?"
"There are five remaining. However, we have yet to fully control the most potent C-class beasts. Whether they will obey our orders to assault Black Whale City remains uncertain."
"Useless! All of you are worthless! Deploy every beast tide under your command. I refuse to believe they cannot raze Black Whale City to ruins."
Duke Luke furrowed his brow but responded, "As you command..."
Suddenly, the display before him went dark.
With a scowl, Duke Luke ordered the nearby earls, "Mobilize every beast pack under our control. We must utterly annihilate Black Whale City."
"However, Duke Luke, to be frank, only three beast tides remain fully under our control."
Luke's face twisted in anger. "What? Only three? Why was this not reported sooner?"
"We feared your wrath."
"Fear my wrath? And do you not fear the Black Dragon King's fury? Damn it! Three beast tides it is. Under normal circumstances, I'd have executed you for this. But now is a critical moment; I'll spare your life this time. Should there be another false report, I shall show no mercy."
The earl bowed deeply. "Understood. I vow with my very life that this shall never happen again."
Luke snapped, "Enough idle talk! All of you, to the frontlines!"
The earls responded in unison, "At once!"