The holographic projection displayed the Psionic Race members steadily advancing toward his location.
Feng Qi, unable to find the switch to lock the metal doors, turned his gaze to the control panel positioned a short distance from the metallic box.
He was faced with two choices, both equally risky.
First—stay put and wait for the Psionic Race to arrive, attempting to stall them through negotiation until Mu Qing arrived.
But that was practically a death sentence.
The Psionic Race's primary objective in Future City was Black Shadow, the miracle items he had taken, and possibly even the mysterious figure Mo.
Trying to delay them with mere words was unlikely to work.
Second—release Little Black, letting it engage the three incoming Psionic warriors.
But this option carried its own immense dangers.
Feng Qi had no way of knowing whether his counterpart in this sacrifice timeline had the same unique attraction to Little Black as his main timeline self.
If Little Black's true instinctive target was him, or if it responded only to the physique of his main timeline self, then he might not even register as a threat.
If that were the case, keeping a distance from Little Black should be enough to avoid becoming its first target.
There was also a third, more extreme option—
Activate the special device Mo had left behind, detonating the hidden Spiritual Energy nuclear weapon, and perishing alongside the enemy.
But that choice would erase everything he had gathered in Future City.
The future version of himself would then be forced to rely solely on the intelligence stored in the Crimson Secret Base to learn about the Silver Moon Clan and Tian Shu.
That would effectively declare this entire war timeline a failure.
Besides, he couldn't even be certain that the Spiritual Energy nuclear weapon would actually kill the Psionic Race members.
What if the blast only killed him, leaving the Psionic Race untouched?
Dying alone in the underworld would be pretty damn lonely—not even a single hand-holding companion on the road to hell.
His thoughts raced as he scanned the scattered documents and schematics covering the floor, sighing inwardly.
If he had more time, he'd go through every file.
Even if he couldn't understand most of them, some information might become useful in a future timeline.
For example, why was the Research Institute able to block the perception of the Blue-Skinned Beings?
Feng Qi had asked Black Shadow before, but Black Shadow didn't have an answer.
If Black Shadow didn't know, then the answer most likely lay with Mo.
Perhaps Mo had created some kind of device in the Research Institute that shielded Little Black from the Blue-Skinned Beings' detection.
That would explain why, back when he was lurking in the Research Institute, the Blue-Skinned Beings had never shown up.
There were too many questions left unanswered.
But time had already run out.
Feng Qi took a deep breath and turned toward the glass isolation chamber.
In front of him was a control console, over one meter tall, with a smooth metallic texture and a gray-white surface.
The console was covered in gauges and hundreds of buttons of varying sizes.
At the moment, the device appeared to be in sleep mode—its lights dim.
Feng Qi inspected it carefully, feeling a sense of helplessness.
He couldn't read the text on the console, and there was no manual to help him figure it out.
After a brief hesitation, he pressed the central button on the console.
A loud beep sounded.
The machine hummed to life, and the console's lights flickered on.
Various readings on the instrument panels began fluctuating.
A holographic projection materialized before him.
The screen displayed a container filled with flowing black liquid.
The liquid did not obey the laws of gravity, shifting erratically—nearly half of it suspended mid-air in the center of the container.
At the top of the screen was a gauge resembling a thermometer, with the needle positioned at the lowest point.
Feng Qi's gaze shifted from the projection to the glass isolation chamber, focusing on the metal box at its center.
Seeing the same black liquid moving on the screen, he was now certain—
The entity sealed inside the box was Little Black.
But how to open the metal box and release Little Black—he still had no clue.
—
The three Psionic warriors had arrived at the Research Institute's core area.
Passing through the violently breached gate, they paused momentarily, observing the wreckage inside with a hint of surprise.
The lead warrior stepped forward, raising his hand.
A stream of golden symbols emerged from the golden leaf on his forehead, automatically assembling into a circular formation in the air.
After a short pause, a figure materialized in the center of the glowing symbols—
It was another Psionic warrior, their reinforcement leader.
The warrior using the communication spell immediately spoke in a serious tone:
"Sixth Elder, I can sense Black Shadow's presence here. It must be nearby."
A deep voice responded from within the glowing golden circle—
"Don't act rashly. We're on our way."
"Understood."
The communication ended, and the golden symbols scattered, reforming into individual characters before returning to the lead warrior's forehead.
The three Psionic warriors did not proceed further.
They chose to wait in place.
A few minutes later, the Sixth Elder of the Psionic Race arrived, bringing with him thirteen additional Psionic warriors.
After a brief exchange, the Psionic Race members, led by Sixth Elder, floated deeper into the core area.
As they advanced, golden symbols flickered in the Sixth Elder's eyes, continuously analyzing their surroundings.
Stepping over the dismembered mechanical warriors, he suddenly halted.
Turning to a nearby clan member, he commanded:
"Hei Sha, replay the events that occurred here."
Acknowledging the order, Hei Sha took a step forward.
At that moment, strange black markings appeared at the edge of the golden leaf on his forehead, distorting the space around them.
Moments later, a three-dimensional holographic projection materialized.
The replayed footage showed mechanical warriors, under Li Xingchen's command, attempting to block Black Shadow's escape toward the classified chamber.
But against Black Shadow, they stood no chance.
In the projection, Black Shadow's hand conjured a black thread—one swift movement, and the mechanical warriors in his path were instantly shredded into pieces.
A loud explosion then erupted from behind.
The Sixth Elder and the Psionic warriors instinctively turned around to face the source.
They saw Feng Qi, in his Blood Source Form, bursting through the core area's metal doors.
The recorded events played out, reconstructing the past through Hei Sha's ability.
The last scene showed Feng Qi pursuing Black Shadow, heading straight for the classified chamber.
"Go!"
With a solemn voice, Sixth Elder took the lead, floating in the direction Feng Qi had gone.
The others followed closely behind.
Not long after, Feng Qi's projection appeared once again.
At this point in the recording, he was charging forward, enduring a barrage of attacks while relentlessly chasing Black Shadow.
Passing through the first security checkpoint, they saw how Feng Qi momentarily halted Black Shadow's movement with telekinesis, successfully catching up to him.
The Psionic warriors, including the Sixth Elder, watched in surprise as purple soul patterns surfaced on Feng Qi's body, preventing Black Shadow from energy-shifting his form.
In the end, under Feng Qi's relentless assault, Black Shadow lost all ability to resist, collapsing powerlessly against the wall.
Noting the fatigue and defiance in Black Shadow's eyes, the Sixth Elder knelt slightly, carefully examining his expression in the holographic replay.
"Xiao Lin, why struggle so much?"
The projection continued.
They watched as Feng Qi, unable to open the classified chamber's metal door, approached Black Shadow.
After a brief conversation—he crushed Black Shadow's energy body with a single punch.
Realizing that Black Shadow—their clan's traitor—had been slain by a mysterious force, the Sixth Elder slowly stood up, his gaze shifting toward the now-unlocked classified chamber.
The holographic sequence progressed further.
They saw the chamber doors automatically slide open, revealing Mo stepping out.
Listening to Mo's conversation with Feng Qi, golden symbols danced within the Sixth Elder's eyes.
"Black Reaper Project?"
"Probably another experiment by the First Archive. If he's personally involved, it's something we need to be wary of."
The words came from Hei Sha, who stood beside the Sixth Elder.
The Sixth Elder did not respond, keeping his focus on Mo's holographic projection.
Then, Mo conjured a spatial portal, stepping inside and vanishing.
A flash of malice crossed the Sixth Elder's eyes.
"Mark the spatial coordinates of its departure!"
Upon hearing the command, Hei Sha moved toward the holographic portal, raising his hand and pressing it against the image.
Instantly, golden symbols erupted from his forehead, encircling the virtual portal.
Simultaneously, his eyes flickered with golden runes, as if deciphering the spatial data.
Moments later, the symbols withdrew, and Hei Sha turned to the Sixth Elder with a nod.
"Coordinates acquired. Should we pursue now, or...?"
Before he could finish, the Sixth Elder shook his head.
"Mo is far more cunning than we are. By now, he's already long gone."
"There's even a possibility that the transmission coordinates he left behind are false. If we blindly teleport there, we might end up over the territory of another powerful domain clan, and that would mark us as intruders—forcing us into an unnecessary battle."
"For now, we'll put the hunt for Mo on hold."
"First, let's check what's inside."
Without hesitation, he floated toward the classified chamber.
—
The death of Black Shadow had been unexpected, but from the Psionic Race's perspective, he was fated to die.
Even if he hadn't been killed by a mysterious force, they would have executed him themselves.
The moment he defected from the clan, there was no place for him to return to.
However, what puzzled the Sixth Elder most was the Black Reaper Project.
Black Shadow had seemed highly invested in it, and even the infamous Mo was involved—which meant it was something even the Psionic Race had to fear.
Carrying these thoughts, the Sixth Elder arrived at the classified chamber's entrance.
There, embedded in the metal door, were Spiritual Energy explosives.
With a wave of his hand, golden symbols wrapped around the explosives, and the blinking sensors dimmed.
The explosives had entered dormancy.
With the security threat neutralized, the Sixth Elder floated through the doorway, scanning the interior.
What greeted him was a vast laboratory, equipped with highly advanced research instruments.
Scattered across the room were disassembled mechanical components and piles of research documents, making him frown slightly.
Then, he saw him.
Standing before a control panel—was Feng Qi.
The Sixth Elder's golden eyes shimmered, sending out a golden ripple that spread across the entire lab.
When the energy dissipated, he confirmed that only one entity was present—the skeletal figure standing at the console.
From the holographic replay, he recognized this figure.
The being in front of him was none other than the mysterious entity who had killed Black Shadow.
And this—was the form he took after shedding his Blood Giant transformation.
After confirming the situation, Sixth Elder turned his gaze toward Feng Qi.
Their eyes met briefly before Sixth Elder's lips curved into a smile.
"I believe we can have a conversation. About this war, about what you know of Black Shadow, and about this Black Reaper Project."
Hearing this, Feng Qi, who had yet to figure out how to unlock Little Black's containment, became even more alert.
He had no illusions that the Psionic Race harbored any goodwill toward him.
Their current friendly demeanor was clearly just an attempt to extract information from him—especially about the Black Reaper Project, which they evidently deemed important.
As for how they had learned about the Black Reaper Project, Feng Qi already knew the answer.
Earlier, he had seen through the surveillance feeds that one of the Psionic Race members had activated a replay ability—which meant his conversation with Black Shadow and Mo had been fully heard by them.
"If you wish to leave here alive, you'd best tell me everything you know."
Sixth Elder's voice interrupted Feng Qi's thoughts.
As Sixth Elder slowly approached, Feng Qi instinctively grabbed the detonation device from the control panel.
"Stay back. We can talk—but from a distance."
Sixth Elder halted, his gaze shifting toward the detonation device in Feng Qi's hand.
A string of golden symbols flashed across his eyes before his expression turned to one of mocking amusement.
He casually raised a hand, pointing at Feng Qi.
A streak of golden light shot forward at an almost imperceptible speed.
Feng Qi only felt a sudden lightness in his arm—his right forearm was severed, and the detonation device dropped to the floor along with the detached limb.
"You need to understand something."
"The only reason you are still alive and able to talk is that I want to extract information from you beforehand."
"Otherwise, there are countless ways I can directly extract the information from your mind."
Sixth Elder's tone was steady, as if everything was well within his control.
"But now, I no longer see the need to waste time on you."
As soon as he finished speaking, the golden leaf on his forehead glowed brightly, and countless golden symbols materialized, surging toward Feng Qi.
In the blink of an eye, Feng Qi was completely wrapped in golden script.
The fractures on his skeletal body deepened, and the pressure immobilized him entirely.
The situation had spiraled completely out of his control.
"Take him back for a memory extraction. Bring along all the research data as well." Sixth Elder issued his command.
Realizing he was about to be taken back to the Psionic Race's stronghold, Feng Qi's mind hardened.
His eyes darted toward the control panel.
He couldn't read the text, nor did he understand how to operate the system.
So he made a reckless decision—
Using his telekinesis, he began randomly pressing every button on the control panel.
Noticing something was amiss, Sixth Elder's face darkened, and he clenched his fist.
Crack! Crack!
The sound of breaking bones echoed as Feng Qi's skeletal frame was compressed and crushed, his body becoming mutilated and deformed.
And at that moment—
A strange mechanical groan came from the glass containment chamber.
The Psionic warriors, including Sixth Elder, instinctively turned toward the metal box inside.
The box was slowly opening.
Under their watchful gazes, black specks began emerging from the metal box, floating in the air like a liquid, yet dispersing like a mist.
"What is this?"
Sixth Elder's expression shifted, and he immediately activated his abilities.
Golden symbols flashed from his forehead, surging toward Little Black.
At this moment, Little Black seemed half-conscious, floating clockwise, alternating between condensing into a liquid state and expanding like a vaporous mist.
Then—
The instant the golden symbols made contact—
Little Black reacted like a starving predator sensing prey.
It awoke instantly.
The black mist surged, devouring the golden symbols in an instant.
The Spiritual Energy nano-organisms within it began rapidly multiplying, their growth visible to the naked eye.
Within moments, Little Black doubled in size.
Like a predatory beast smelling blood, Little Black expanded into a cloud-like form, moving along the trail of golden symbols—heading straight for Sixth Elder.
Sixth Elder's face twisted in shock.
Without hesitation, he struck again.
Behind him, a pair of massive golden wings, formed of condensed energy, spread wide—then lashed out at Little Black.
Yet the anticipated impact never came.
Instead—
Countless transparent holes appeared on Sixth Elder's golden wings.
The golden energy was dissolving rapidly, being consumed at an alarming rate.
Realizing the danger, Sixth Elder didn't hesitate.
He immediately severed his own golden wings.
As they detached—
The two wings were completely devoured by Little Black within seconds.
And with that, Little Black grew even larger.
After a brief pause, the black mist took on a rolling motion, then surged toward Sixth Elder, attempting to engulf him entirely.
Watching this unfold, Feng Qi knew he had succeeded.
By releasing Little Black, he had unleashed a Pandora's Box.
And Sixth Elder's mistake in probing it had turned him into Little Black's first prey.
Seeing the sheer terror in Sixth Elder's eyes, Feng Qi offered him a silent moment of condolence—0.01 seconds.
Good luck.