After delivering a fierce kick that sent William sprawling, Xiaofeng's fury seemed to abate somewhat. At that moment, Rice careened into view, steering a jeep that screeched to a halt behind Xiaofeng. Bare-chested and clutching a cigar, he dismounted, two bottles of liquor in hand, and strode into the gathering crowd, his voice sharp and commanding: "What are you all doing? Back to your posts at once. Xiaofeng and I can settle this here."
Instantly, every X Legion soldier withdrew.
Lin, Xiaofeng, and Rice stood silently over the fallen William.
Kelly silently cradled William, lifting him with care before ushering him toward her waiting sports car.
The special guards also withdrew, chastened by the encounter—none would dare provoke Xiaofeng again.
Kelly drove off, followed by the retreating guards.
Rice took a deep drag from his cigar, admonishing Xiaofeng, "Hey, don't go kicking William to death!"
"How could I? Enough of that topic… Come on, let's go inside and drink."
Unperturbed, Xiaofeng returned to the command center's surveillance room. Upon their arrival, Rayyan greeted them with eager excitement: "Come look, come look!"
The four approached a bank of monitors displaying intricate patterns. Rayyan's pride was evident as he explained, "See this? When these symbols are arranged like this, it becomes quite fascinating…"
Xiaofeng eyed him curiously. "You pulled this from Victoria's database?"
"Exactly. After deciphering the individual symbols' meanings, I reassembled them, and this is the result…"
Grinning with newfound understanding, Xiaofeng said, "Don't get ahead of yourself. Tell me—what do these all mean?"
Rayyan switched to another screen, displaying a detailed schematic. "Here you go—this outlines the essential principles of beast taming."
Xiaofeng studied the display intently. It detailed the critical secret: these beasts shared a common vulnerability—their brainwave frequencies. If one could tap into that frequency, taming them became possible.
The revelation struck all of them with clarity. No wonder the Evil Dragon Cult mass-produced tamed beasts. If they could pinpoint this brainwave frequency, they too could command these formidable creatures.
Committed the principles firmly to memory, Xiaofeng then queried Rayyan, "Why does Victoria's database hold such precise annotations?"
Rayyan chuckled lightly. "How should I know?"
Frowning, Xiaofeng muttered, "This is truly perplexing. Why?"
Rice ventured, "Could Victoria have had ties with the Evil Dragon Cult? Were these symbols their gift?"
Xiaofeng shook his head slowly. "I have a bolder theory. Perhaps Victoria knew these symbols' meanings all along and shared them with the Cult, enabling their control over the beasts. Later, they must have severed ties, which explains Victoria's deep-seated hatred."
The others nodded in agreement.
"Yes, that explains a lot."
With a furrowed brow, Xiaofeng added, "But where did Victoria obtain these symbols in the first place?"
Rayyan shrugged with a sly grin, "Who cares? Now that we understand their meaning, I want to tame a beast myself—no fuel needed, majestic mounts are the dream."
Lin, invigorated by Xiaofeng's enthusiasm, urged, "Ignore him, listen to Xiaofeng…"
Pacing thoughtfully in the command center, Xiaofeng mused aloud, "Victoria built its empire on technology. Even with many scientists, how did they advance their tech several leaps after the Great Purge? They're still developing incredible weapons—magic crystal-powered aircraft, magic cannons, and even robots as powerful as Athena. How many more wonders can they conjure? It boggles the mind."
Rice and the others absorbed his analysis, their curiosity piqued.
Meanwhile, in a hospital within New City, a medical robot meticulously reattached William's sternum. Such surgeries no longer required human hands; multiple robotic arms performed the task with superior precision and steadiness.
In the corridor, Jason hurried in with a few men, noting Kelly seated anxiously with two special guards. He asked grimly, "What happened to William?"
Kelly shook her head, sobbing silently—unwilling to recount the earlier events.
Jason turned to the guards with severity. "If either of you tries to hide or lie, I'll see you out tomorrow."
Exchanging glances, the guards relented and recounted everything to Jason.
After hearing the full account, Jason slammed his fist against the wall in rage. "Damn it! William is my only son—I've never even raised a hand against him. Xiaofeng, what right do you have to strike my child? This infuriates me beyond words." Muttering curses, he stepped aside and grabbed his communicator.
Jason's bodyguards and special guards remained stationed outside the operating room.
Seeking solitude, Jason lit a cigarette and contacted Brom.
Brom greeted with a smile, "It's late. What's the matter?"
Jason's tone was icy, laced with venom. "How's our plan progressing?"
"We've prepared seventy percent of the parts," Brom replied.
"Seventy percent? Come on, can you speed up? Xiaofeng nearly killed my son today. This plan must be completed ahead of schedule—I'm ready to take on the X Legion."
"I'll do my best." Brom ended the call, leaning against the wall, muttering darkly to himself.