Xiao Feng and Rush sat utterly exhausted aboard the helicopter, both gasping for breath. They peered down at the ground, where the corpses of mutated bats lay heaped like mountains. Swallowing hard, Xiao Feng muttered, "Damn, I'm utterly spent. Finally, we've cleared them all out."
Compared to Xiao Feng, Rush was no better off, panting heavily as he said, "I've never been this drained before. Luckily, we annihilated this wave of beasts just before my psychic power ran out. I've given everything I have. I won't last through the next wave—I simply can't."
"Come on, a man can't admit defeat so easily. Let's head back to rest, and meanwhile, we need to see what the fifth wave looks like—what kind of monsters they're composed of."
With that, the two armed helicopters turned back toward Black Whale City.
Xiao Feng and Rush leapt from the helicopter cabin onto the defensive walls, arriving at Rice's temporary command center, where nearly all the key figures of the X Legion had gathered.
Rice and the others regarded Xiao Feng with awe, as if he were a mythical figure. Though fatigued, he still embodied heroism in their eyes. Rice punched him lightly on the chest, saying, "You little bastard, why didn't you tell us you possessed such formidable psychic powers?"
Xiao Feng staggered under the blow, clutching his chest and coughing twice. "Damn, were you trying to kill me? That was a hard hit…"
Rice hurriedly steadied the swaying Xiao Feng. "Ah, sorry, I forgot how tired you are. But Xiao Feng, you've truly astonished us all."
Xiao Feng glanced at Old White, whose proud gaze reassured him deeply. He smiled wryly, and Old White returned the gesture with a thumbs-up—an unequivocal sign of approval.
Turning back to Rice, Xiao Feng inquired, "What's the current situation? What kind of beasts are in the next wave? If I'm not mistaken, they must be E-class, not F-class, right?"
Rice frowned as he stared at the computer monitor beside him. "Why are there no signs of the beast packs anymore?"
Xiao Feng joined him, scrutinizing the display and zooming in on a 500-kilometer radius. Indeed, no traces of the beasts remained.
"How can this be? Weren't there nine waves? There should be five remaining, yet none are visible," Xiao Feng murmured, his brow furrowed in concern.
Rice and the others grew visibly troubled.
"At first, the command center showed nine waves."
"And now, not a single one remains."
"Could it be that we've been so formidable the enemy abandoned the attack?"
"Impossible. The Evil Dragon Sect would never concede. Besides, we haven't spotted a single sect member. Their losses aren't significant enough for them to give up."
"Right, you're correct. But can anyone explain where these beast waves have vanished to?"
Xiao Feng's gaze locked onto the monitor, deep in thought. Then he contacted Professor Mark with a solemn tone. "Professor Mark, can you explain where the monitored beast waves have disappeared?"
Mark's expression grew uneasy. "Xiao Feng, you must understand that we control only a handful of satellites. Our effective surveillance radius is just within 500 kilometers. Near Black Whale City, we've intensified monitoring within a hundred kilometers, so we have no detailed footage explaining the disappearance of those five waves."
"Can you at least hypothesize why they vanished into thin air?"
Mark furrowed his brows, adjusted his glasses, and replied, "I see three possible explanations. First, and most welcome, they may have abandoned their assault on Black Whale City."
"That's what I thought too, but I tell you—it's utterly impossible."
"Second, the beast waves might have broken free from the Evil Dragon Sect's control."
"That's not plausible either. The sect's dukes can command D-class beast waves. If the sect leader intervened, controlling C-class waves would pose no problem. These beasts cannot escape their control."
"Your reasoning is sound. Third possibility: our satellites may have been compromised or destroyed."
"That seems more likely. Why haven't you checked the satellites' status immediately?" Xiao Feng knew well that without satellite assistance, they were blind. The beast waves arrived rapidly; without early warning, they'd be caught off guard and unable to react in time.
Professor Mark continued, "We've already inspected the satellites twice without finding any issues. We're conducting a third round of checks now. If this passes with no problems detected, it proves our satellites remain intact and uncontested."
Xiao Feng frowned. "How long will the inspection take?"
"Three minutes. Give us three minutes, and we'll finish."
"Begin the inspection immediately," Xiao Feng commanded coldly, his brow tightly knit. His mood was conflicted, haunted by fear that the satellites might have failed.
At that moment, Carrie approached, handing Xiao Feng a cigarette. "If you ask me, the satellites are fine. If that's the case, then we must consider where the remaining beast waves have gone."
Though Xiao Feng disliked smoking, he allowed Carrie to light the cigarette. He fixed his gaze on the map displayed, his mind racing to decipher why the beast waves had suddenly vanished.
He took a deep drag, time passing swiftly as the cigarette burned. Professor Mark's team completed their check, and Mark appeared on the monitor, reporting, "Xiao Feng, the inspection is complete. Our satellites are unquestionably operational. We are now expanding the search radius, hoping to trace the beasts' whereabouts."
Xiao Feng seemed not to heed Mark's words. A faint, knowing smile curved his lips as he drew from the cigarette's ember, murmuring, "I believe I know where those beast waves have gone…"