High-level martial arts: Contract cashback, invincible starting from the Zerg.

That evening, Mu Wen and Su Qingyuan ate in the dining hall after returning to the Martial God Palace.

Having just fought the Demon Prince Teguer, and having gone through something else entirely, the two of them were eating at a speed comparable to a fully powered shredder.

Chen Feng walked over carrying two plates of food, a mix of meat and vegetables.

He then pushed one of the plates in front of the two men and pulled out a chair to sit down.

"Still thinking about that library mess?" Chen Feng glanced at Mu Wen and asked.

"I just didn't expect your old friend to be so powerful. The three of us almost perished there," Mu Wen said while fiercely shoveling rice into his mouth.

"The sampling results from the anti-magic police are in, confirming that it is indeed the original demonic energy of the Illusion Demon. However, this will greatly reduce his hiding place in Gu Yong Upper City."

Chen Feng and Mu Wen nodded, both feeling relieved by the result.

"But Chen Feng, you still need to be careful. Lin Xiaoran seems to have sensed something, and the areas where the Illusion Demons have the advantage are basically not in combat."

"Hmm?" Mu Wen paused in his chopsticks, his brows furrowing. "He's after Chen Feng? Surely not. Why would a Demon Prince like him need to kidnap a forestry department team leader to lure Chen Feng? If he really wanted to kill you, he could just kill you outright."

"It's not that simple." Chen Feng explained calmly while eating dinner, "With his strength, if he really makes a move in Gu Yong Shang City, he will have almost no chance of escaping. After all, there are six Hong-rank experts in Gu Yong Shang City, and two peak Hong-rank experts, while Taigu'e is only half a step into the Desolate rank at present."

Just then.

The huge screen hanging in the cafeteria suddenly switched the image.

The martial arts league highlights that were being broadcast live were suddenly interrupted and replaced by the live broadcast interface of the Upper City official news channel.

The female news anchor looked serious, and her voice carried throughout the entire cafeteria through the loudspeaker:

"Breaking news! According to the official announcement from the West City Spiritual Research Institute, my country's seven-year-long project on the fusion of royal beast genes has achieved a breakthrough—the humanoid war weapon codenamed 'Ember' has completed its final cultivation and combat capability testing. Its overall combat capability is comparable to the peak of the Heavenly Rank. It will be escorted by special personnel from the Martial God Palace to the Qian Yuan Upper City War Zone in three days and deployed to defend the northwest line."

The television screen then switched, flashing several blurred images of a laboratory.

It was an extremely tall humanoid figure, its body covered with a layer of keratin that was a mixture of dark red and charcoal black. Even in the culture tank, one could still barely see the body with a metallic sheen.

In the test screen.

That slender figure shattered a meter-thick alloy steel plate with a single punch, demonstrating terrifying destructive power.

The conversations in the dining hall instantly fell silent, and many martial gods looked up at the light screen, their faces filled with shock.

"Holy crap, the Great Xia Kingdom is secretly developing alien beasts?!"

"A war weapon at the peak of the Heavenly Rank? If this could be mass-produced and deployed to the Northwest defense line, the North City's defense line would be completely breached."

"Seven years of hard work... But the Spirit Research Institute has kept it hidden for too long, not even letting the Martial God Palace know a thing or two. I had heard before that there were frequent accidents in gene fusion experiments, and many similar projects were stopped, but I never expected that it was all a cover-up."

"I just don't know how controllable it is. After all, it contains the ferocity of a king beast. I don't want it to turn against our own people..."

Amidst the murmurs, Mu Wen stared at the fleeting silhouette of the strange beast on the screen, his Adam's apple bobbing.

"The West City Spiritual Research Institute? That secret research institute located west of Gu Yong's city, surrounded by layers of military control?"

Su Qingyuan didn't speak, but her gaze fell on the deliberately blurred alien beast on the screen, her fingertips unconsciously rubbing the chopsticks.

"A research project of 'Jin' level would definitely be classified as SSS-level secret in the Great Xia Kingdom. Forget about public announcements; even internal documents require the highest level of access. Now, suddenly, a breaking news report is being broadcast across the entire internet, clearly stating that it will be escorted to Qian Yuan Upper City by the Martial God Palace in three days… This violates the confidentiality regulations."

Mu Wen belatedly realized what was happening, his expression changing slightly: "You mean, there's something wrong with this news? But it was released by the official channel, and even the spokesperson for the Spirit Research Institute appeared. It can't be fake, can it?"

"The news may not be false, but the timing is too coincidental."

Chen Feng also looked up and spoke.

"Teguer just caused a huge commotion at the library, attracting most of the anti-magic police and military, yet the West City Spiritual Research Institute announced the existence of 'Jin,' even specifying the escort time and route... I think it might be intentional."

"Moreover, according to common sense, strategic weapons of this level should not be escorted by the local highest military authority, but should be secretly escorted by the military special forces, and should never be transported in a high-profile manner via conventional routes."

The military's special operations team is officially known as the "Seventh Special Operations Battalion".

Its recruits are all selected from outstanding graduates of the Martial God Palace.

Only those who receive a recommendation letter from the Martial God Palace for both combat prowess and moral character are eligible to apply.

Even if you pass the initial screening by the military, you still have to be sent to the border for two years of special training. 75% of people don't make it to the end, so those who can wear that black battle armor are all ruthless characters among the strong at the same level.

Moreover, their Xuanling battle armor alone is quite valuable, and they also have a series of special equipment targeting demons and alien beasts, such as electromagnetic interference bombs, demon-burning bombs, and spirit-binding nets.

His entire outfit alone is worth nearly 3000 million yuan in cash!

Just then, Su Qingyuan's AI suddenly started buzzing...

Su Qingyuan picked up the smart device and opened it to check, her eyes immediately becoming serious.

"I just received a notification from the Su family's management department. For this escort mission targeting 'Jin,' the Martial God Palace will dispatch five Heavenly Rank experts and two Desolate Rank experts. Among the escorts is... Chen Feng."

Mu Wen looked at Chen Feng with suspicion and asked, "Why send Chen Feng? He just fought with a demon and is clearly unsuitable for a protection mission."

"Perhaps it's because Chen Feng is a Diamond-level Demon Slayer, with strong contract combat power and combat adaptability. Moreover, the Mo Chen Special Envoy Group is not the only one in Qian Yuan Upper City interested in Chen Feng."

Su Qingyuan sighed.

"Moreover, Chen Feng was specifically requested by the Spirit Research Institute. Gu Yong's military headquarters and the Martial God Palace in Shangcheng have already approved it, so we can't openly oppose anything."

As Chen Feng listened to their conversation, a faint, cold smile appeared on his lips.

They seemed to have no prejudice against the dangerous mission that was about to begin.

Chen Feng: "When should I arrange my departure?"

Su Qingyuan: "Let's start the operation tonight."