Tiger Soul Research Institute.
Late at night, 10:00 PM.
Feng Qi glanced at the clock on the wall, then closed the Domain Studies book on his desk.
Standing up, he walked out of the training room.
There were only two hours left before the operation to take control of the energy facilities in Star City's Western District would begin.
Before launching the cleanup operation, he had deliberately given Yin Ling ample time to prepare.
To ensure that she realized the severity of the situation, he had been dropping subtle hints repeatedly.
The inspection team's investigation was just the beginning.
He had also intentionally let Yin Ling notice the troop movements of Tiger Soul Research Institute's subsidiary combat squads.
If Yin Ling had any intelligence at all, she would definitely realize that these changes were highly targeted maneuvers.
Right now, he was like a hunter hiding in the shadows.
The prey thought it had uncovered the hunter's intentions, but in reality, it was being lured into the next trap.
For the past few days, he had avoided contacting Lin Ran.
Since Lin Ran was now by Yin Ling's side, he was undoubtedly under constant surveillance. Contacting him at this stage would be sending him straight into the fire.
As for how Lin Ran would proceed after escaping Star City with Yin Ling—
Feng Qi already had everything planned.
Once the Silvermoon Clan fled the city, his top priority would be determining their movements.
During this period, Lin Ran wouldn't be able to contact him. Any sudden communication would immediately arouse Yin Ling's suspicion.
That was why, before executing the third phase of the plan, he had already implanted a Crimson Research Institute tracking chip into Lin Ran.
It was embedded at the nape of his neck.
He himself also carried a similar chip—one designed to allow the Brain Recovery Squad to locate and extract his brain.
With this tracking device, Feng Qi could pinpoint the Silvermoon Clan's exact location anytime he wanted.
So he wasn't worried about losing them.
As he stepped out of the Tiger Soul Research Institute building, he saw that the base plaza was packed with fully armed combat troops.
Walking up to Gu Ke, who was in charge of the operation, Feng Qi smiled and said,
"Uncle Gu, it's about time to launch the raid. Go easy on them—don't let the main combat forces take action. We need to ensure that Yin Ling and Lin Ran successfully escape Star City."
"Don't worry, I've already mapped out their escape route. We'll chase them once they reach the city gates. Until then, we'll give them a clear path and make sure they get out safely."
"Alright, let's move out then."
Gu Ke nodded, then picked up his communicator and ordered,
"Attention all squad leaders, conduct a final headcount. Prepare to move out."
Feng Qi followed Gu Ke into the command vehicle.
The vehicle was equipped with various monitoring devices. In front of their seats, multiple split screens displayed live drone surveillance footage from above.
Everything was ready.
With Gu Ke's command, the operation commenced.
The convoy left the Tiger Soul Research Institute, heading straight for the Western District of Star City.
…
8 hours earlier.
Energy Research Institute, Conference Room.
Yin Ling sat at the head of the table, her gaze sweeping across the assembled Silvermoon Clan members.
Her voice was icy cold as she spoke,
"I'm sure you're all aware of the recent troop movements from Tiger Soul Research Institute's combat squads. It's highly likely that they're preparing to take action against us. I don't know who among you has been exposed, but I'm not here to assign blame. Right now, I just want to hear your opinions on our next course of action."
At her words, murmurs broke out among the Silvermoon Clan members present.
Then, a Silvermoon Clan warrior stood up and looked at Yin Ling with a serious expression.
"Sister Ling, could it be that we're just overreacting?"
"I've considered that possibility," Yin Ling said, her tone grim. "But the recent actions of Tiger Soul Research Institute have been far too abnormal. Not to mention, they've been deliberately concealing their troop movements. If this were just a routine operation, why would they go to such lengths to hide it?"
Another Silvermoon Clan member stood up, sweeping his gaze across the room. His expression was filled with doubt.
"We've been executing our plan step by step, progressing slowly and carefully. There should be no reason for us to be exposed. We spent decades preparing for this infiltration. Even if someone tried to cross-reference us with Star City's database, they wouldn't find anything.
"So tell me, who was it that got exposed? Who dares to admit it?"
Silence fell over the room.
The Silvermoon Clan members exchanged uncertain glances, clearly wondering the same thing—who had slipped up?
Yin Ling spoke again, her voice steady but commanding.
The room instantly fell silent, all eyes turning to her.
"Who got exposed doesn't matter right now. What matters is that we have two choices."
"First, we flee Star City before Tiger Soul Research Institute and the Star City Military join forces for a full-scale siege.
"As long as we escape Star City, our danger level will drop significantly. While Star City's forces will still pursue us, out in the wilderness, we'll have far more options to evade them."
"The second option is to gamble that all of Tiger Soul Research Institute's recent actions have nothing to do with us, that we're just being overly sensitive. But I must remind everyone—based on their movements, the chances of this being the case are extremely low!"
"If we bet wrong, and they really are targeting us, we have zero chance of resisting the enforcement agencies within Star City. Against an all-out manhunt, our only fate will be death."
"Now, let's vote. Those in favor of leaving Star City, raise your hands!"
As soon as Yin Ling finished speaking, the room fell silent. Every Silvermoon Clan member sat in heavy contemplation.
Then, Yin Ling raised her right hand.
One by one, several other clan members followed.
Watching more and more of them raise their hands, Yin Ling's expression remained cold.
At this point, the situation was spiraling beyond her control.
She had initially hoped that she was simply overthinking, but after these days of observation and intelligence gathering, everything was heading toward the worst-case scenario.
There was no choice left but to make a difficult decision.
She had struggled with this choice all night.
The Silvermoon Clan's long-term strategy had always been one of caution. And with the mounting evidence pointing to an impending operation against them, there was no longer any doubt.
In the end, she resolved to evacuate Star City.
This meant throwing away decades of careful planning. But only by surviving could they regroup and start over. If they died here, everything would be over.
As the majority of the clan members raised their hands, Yin Ling no longer waited for those still hesitating.
Her voice was firm, decisive.
"Gather here at 11:00 PM tonight. Bring only what is necessary. We'll leave Star City during the midnight shift change of the city defense forces!"
After giving the order, Yin Ling stood up, clenched her fist, and pressed her knuckles against her forehead. Her voice rang out:
"The Silvermoon's Radiance is Eternal!"
At her words, every Silvermoon Clan member rose in unison.
They mirrored her salute and shouted together:
"The Silvermoon's Radiance is Eternal!"
Then, they quickly dispersed.
Only Lin Ran was left standing there awkwardly.
He couldn't help but mutter to himself:
"Is this some kind of brainwashing cult?"
But then, he recalled how back in school, they used to chant, "We study for the rise of humankind!"
Suddenly, he understood. He even felt a tinge of emotion.
Looking at this from another perspective…
If he replaced the Silvermoon Clan with humankind and swapped Yin Ling and the Silvermoon pioneers with human vanguards, then the entire narrative shifted.
Humanity's world was withering. Their only hope for survival was the Domain World.
For the sake of their race's future, a group of pioneers shouldered the burden of ensuring their people's survival.
They infiltrated the Domain World at great risk, lying in wait for decades to pave the way for their kind to follow.
Would they not be celebrated as heroes?
Would they not be recorded in history as legendary figures who paved the way for humanity's survival?
Would they not be showered in glory?
Thinking about it, the pioneers of the Silvermoon Clan deserved respect.
But that respect only applied if seen from their perspective.
From humanity's viewpoint, they were monsters. Executioners.
They had brought calamity upon Star City.
In the end, it all boiled down to perspective.
"One person's hero is another person's devil."
"And one person's devil… is another person's hero."
Once the Silvermoon members cleared the room, Yin Ling turned and left to begin preparations for the evacuation.
Lin Ran also went to help.
Time was short, and while many things were worth bringing, they could only take the essentials.
Yin Ling had an advantage.
As the leader of this operation, she had been personally granted a precious Spatial Seal by the Silvermoon Clan's King.
This seal was imprinted on her forehead.
With just a thought, the Spatial Seal would activate, revealing an expansive storage space over 100 cubic meters in size.
She already had a clear plan on what she needed to take.
Lin Ran followed Yin Ling to the Energy Research Institute's resource vault.
Unlike the independent vaults of Tiger Soul Research Institute or Crimson Research Institute, the Energy Research Institute's vault was tightly regulated.
Even Yin Ling didn't have exclusive access.
Moreover, the Star City Supreme Council monitored it closely.
Officials from various departments conducted routine inspections to track the inflow and outflow of resources.
Simply put—the Energy Research Institute was heavily scrutinized, with very little freedom.
Lin Ran had learned about this before.
The Energy Division was crucial to Star City's survival, classified as an essential industry.
The restrictions weren't meant to hinder its development.
It was just that energy supply was too important.
Any disruption in energy distribution would lead to catastrophic consequences.
The high-speed operation of Star City coming to a halt would severely impact transportation, healthcare, research, and numerous other industries. The chain reaction would extend to logistics, food supply, and even affect other cities.
This was the primary reason why the Energy Research Institute was under strict supervision by multiple organizations.
But since Yin Ling had already decided to evacuate Star City, she no longer cared about protocols and restrictions.
Her only concern now was taking as much as possible.
After passing through the authorization process, the heavy circular vault doors slowly opened, revealing a metallic passageway.
Lin Ran followed closely behind Yin Ling as they reached the end of the corridor, where yet another metal door stood in their way.
After completing another round of identity verification, the doors slid open, revealing a massive resource warehouse. A screen stood at the entrance, displaying information such as temperature, humidity, and other environmental indicators.
Several shelves contained spiritual plants, each enclosed within glass isolation chambers. The data displayed on these chambers showed different temperature and spiritual energy levels, clearly indicating that these plants required specialized conditions to be preserved.
Navigating through neatly arranged storage shelves, they finally reached a small door at the far end.
Engraved on the metal door were the words:
"Rare Resource Storage Room."
The moment Yin Ling pushed the door open, an overwhelming fragrance of spiritual herbs filled the air.
The shelves were meticulously arranged with various types of spiritual plants, and the floor was stacked with high-grade spirit stones, constantly radiating strong spiritual fluctuations.
Upon entering the storage room, Yin Ling raised her hand to press against her forehead.
Immediately, a silver lotus-shaped imprint appeared on her skin.
A flurry of white light particles burst forth from the imprint, swirling rapidly in front of Yin Ling. The space around them distorted, forming a black vortex about one meter in diameter.
Without hesitation, Yin Ling stepped forward, grabbed a handful of high-grade spirit stones from the ground, and tossed them into the spatial vortex.
"What are you standing around for? Help me."
Hearing her call, Lin Ran immediately stepped forward to assist.
The two of them swept through the storage room, throwing every last spiritual herb and high-quality spirit stone into Yin Ling's portable space.
Lin Ran fully understood Yin Ling's mindset at this moment.
After decades of careful planning, their entire operation was now on the verge of collapse.
This frantic "sweep" was nothing more than a desperate attempt to salvage something—anything—from the wreckage of their plans.
But ultimately, it was just self-consolation. The loss was already irreparable.
After a long period of non-stop labor, Yin Ling's spatial storage was completely filled.
The Rare Resource Storage Room had been emptied of more than half of its original contents.
As they walked out of the storage room, Yin Ling glanced at the neatly arranged resource shelves and couldn't help but sigh.
"I feel like I'm suffocating with frustration. I really want to set this place on fire before we leave."
"But you're not actually going to do it, are you?" Lin Ran asked curiously.
Yin Ling shook her head without hesitation.
"Maybe one day in the future, we'll return to Star City. If that happens, these resources will become critical to the Silvermoon Clan's resurgence."
"Destroying them out of spite would be incredibly foolish. It wouldn't benefit us at all."
Hearing Yin Ling's reasoning, Lin Ran immediately nodded in agreement.
As they chatted, the two left the warehouse.
Upon returning to her office, Yin Ling took out the evacuation route blueprint she had prepared in advance. She carefully analyzed every possible variable, looking for any potential risks.
Lin Ran, on the other hand, didn't bother to participate.
After all, no matter which escape route Yin Ling chose, Qi-ge was already watching them.
Even if Yin Ling randomly picked a route, Qi-ge could still manipulate the situation to ensure they escaped Star City successfully.
Time passed quickly.
At 11:00 PM, the Energy Research Institute's base plaza was packed with over one hundred Silvermoon members.
Each of them carried a special operations backpack, filled with as many supplies as they could carry.
Most had limited storage capabilities, unlike Yin Ling, who had a spatial imprint.
Because of this, they could only bring a small amount of spirit plants and spirit stones.
"Move out."
With Yin Ling's command, the Silvermoon members departed from the base, moving swiftly towards the city outskirts.
The decision not to use vehicles had been deliberate.
Yin Ling had determined that stealth was their best chance of survival.
If they had chosen to leave in a convoy, it would have immediately drawn the attention of Star City's military forces.
This, in turn, could have triggered a cascade of consequences.
Especially with Tiger Soul Research Institute.
If Tiger Soul discovered their evacuation, they would undoubtedly alert the city's defensive forces, setting up an inescapable trap.
...
At that moment, several kilometers away, inside the command vehicle.
Feng Qi sat calmly, watching the live aerial footage transmitted from a fleet of newly developed stealth drones, recently acquired from the Institute of Technological Research.
The Silvermoon evacuation was now underway.
It was time for the next phase.
Sitting beside him, Gu Ke picked up the communication device, pressed it to his lips, and spoke in a low voice.
"All squads, take your positions."
"Pursuit operation begins now."
"Wait until they reach the city gate before engaging."
"And remember—"
"Don't go overboard."