When Xiao Feng and Kerry returned to Black Whale City, the streets were eerily deserted—barely a single soldier of the X Legion remained.
Gazing upon the desolation, Kerry shook Xiao Feng awake. "Xiao Feng, get up quickly and see what's going on."
Rubbing his eyes, Xiao Feng sat up in the passenger seat, equally astonished by the vacant cityscape. Frowning, he muttered, "Where is everyone? Have they vanished into thin air?" Suddenly, the memory of his earlier conversation with Rice struck him, and he smacked his forehead. "Head northeast beyond the city outskirts at once—this time we're in serious trouble."
Kerry hesitated briefly, then without a second thought, floored the accelerator toward the northeast. Minutes later, passing through the northern gate, Xiao Feng's eyes widened in shock as a thick plume of smoke billowed on the horizon.
"Good heavens, how could it have come to this?" Kerry sighed deeply, finally comprehending why Xiao Feng had directed him northeast. This C-level beast tide was undoubtedly the fiercest the X Legion had ever faced, and it was likely that the entire legion was now fully engaged.
If the entire legion had committed to the battle, their casualties must be incalculable.
With grim resolve, Kerry pressed the gas pedal harder, racing toward the battlefield.
Xiao Feng, staring at the swirling smoke, contacted Rice via his wrist communicator. Rice's expression was grave as he greeted, "Xiao Feng, you're back."
"We've returned. Show me the current situation."
Rice's voice grew colder as he aimed his communicator toward the battlefield. Xiao Feng and Kerry both fell silent, stunned by the grim tableau.
The battlefield sprawled over several square kilometers of barren wasteland. Dozens of massive black serpents writhed amidst the carnage. Surrounding the scene lay wreckage of armed helicopters, tanks, armored vehicles, and scattered corpses of fallen soldiers.
Xiao Feng was utterly shaken; never in his memory had he witnessed such a harrowing scene. "How did it come to this?" he whispered, voice laden with disbelief.
Rice replied soberly, "This C-level beast tide involves over fifty C-grade monsters. Only a dozen or so remain. But we have paid a terrible price—seventeen helicopters lost, nearly fifty armored vehicles destroyed."
"Why haven't you deployed fighter jets?" Xiao Feng's voice was tinged with frustration.
Rice frowned deeply. "Fighter jets are our last strategic reserve. If we expend them all now, how will we stand against the Alliance forces in the future?"
"You're mistaken. If you sacrifice your brothers, then we have no strength left to resist the Alliance at all."
Rice's brow tightened further. "You're right... then we have no choice but to deploy the fighter jets."
While Xiao Feng and Rice spoke, Kerry had already driven to the battlefield's edge. Xiao Feng leapt from the vehicle, hurriedly assembling his Black Angel sniper rifle. Facing these C-level beasts, he was uncertain if his weapon would prove effective. Within seconds, the nearly two-meter-long rifle was ready, and he raised it, aiming at the gleaming eyes of a black flame serpent.
Amidst the battlefield's chaos, battered armored vehicles continued to unleash fire. Shells exploded against the serpents' scales, but the damage was superficial—only a few scales shattered, failing to inflict meaningful harm.
Suddenly, a black flame serpent lunged at an armored vehicle, spewing a torrent of fire. The two vehicles failed to retreat in time and were engulfed in flames, followed by a deafening explosion.
Witnessing the blast, Xiao Feng's finger snapped the trigger. With a thunderous crack, his bullet struck the serpent's eye, erupting a spray of blood and blinding the creature instantly.
Xiao Feng murmured, "No matter how formidable, even beasts' eyes are not impervious to harm." Through his scope, he saw the serpent roar in agony, then turn its gaze toward him. Without hesitation, Xiao Feng fired again, striking the creature's other eye. Unmoved by its suffering, he swiftly shifted his aim to another serpent.
The blinded serpent's throat flared brightly before it unleashed a powerful jet of flame in a reckless direction—striking another black flame serpent, setting it ablaze. Though unfazed by the heat, the burning serpent writhed in discomfort.
Turning with fury, the burning serpent lashed out with its massive tail, striking the blinded serpent and sending it crashing to the ground.
A faint smile curved Xiao Feng's lips. "Internal strife among you? Then I shall fan your chaos into a raging inferno." With that, the Black Angel spat fire continuously, each shot striking another serpent's eyes.
Once again, Xiao Feng's marksmanship and valor turned the tide—every surviving black flame serpent was blinded on the spot. He then ordered Rice over the communicator: "Command all forces to retreat immediately and commence aerial bombardment."
Rice, witnessing how swiftly Xiao Feng had reversed the battlefield's fortunes in mere minutes, was overwhelmed with guilt. He finally grasped the critical importance of sound tactics. After a series of flawed commands, he wavered over whether to continue leading the X Legion.
Following Rice's orders, all operational vehicles withdrew. Modified combat jets armed with formidable firepower took to the skies above Black Whale City. Within moments, they hovered over the battlefield, launching missiles at the disoriented black flame serpents.
Blind and engulfed in flames and smoke, the serpents lost all sense of direction, colliding and thrashing wildly amongst themselves.
Explosions echoed relentlessly as the serpents fell one after another.
Standing beside Rice, sniper rifle in hand, Xiao Feng remarked, "Had you acted sooner, fewer brothers would have perished."
At that moment, a shadow abruptly appeared in the sky.
"What is that?" Rice was the first to spot the ominous silhouette, pointing toward it as he queried Xiao Feng.