Otherworldly Affairs Office

Pei Yan's machine-enhanced speed combined with Xia Yu's abilities made his iron fists like two accelerated and weighted pile drivers, frantically pounding on Li Songtao's face.

After a full three minutes, Pei Yan finally managed to beat flowers on the face that was originally delicate and bizarre, with blood continuously flowing from his mouth corners, nostrils, and eye sockets.

Just as Pei Yan was about to seize the moment to pursue, a large hand was placed on his shoulder, and Gu Shenghui's voice came from behind him: "Enough, that's enough, stop now!"

Though Pei Yan's fists didn't stop, his peripheral vision caught a glimpse of his surroundings. Gu Shenghui and two unfamiliar elders were wrapped in internal power standing beside him, yet they still hadn't lifted their suppression of Li Songtao.

"Why! Can't he die, shouldn't he die?" Pei Yan, engulfed in madness, asked indignantly.

"Even if he deserves to die, he can't die now. Based on his strength, he will be the highest-level captive we capture in this dimension invasion event. We need to get a lot of inside information about this event from him," Zuo Huaxian, who was uncharacteristically eager to explain, said next to Gu Shenghui.

Upon hearing this, Pei Yan finally ceased his swinging fist and continued to ask, "What will happen to him afterward? Will he be released?"

"That's not something you need to worry about, but I can assure you we'll handle it properly. Now step aside and go check on your teammates; leave the rest to us," Gu Shenghui commanded, patting Pei Yan's shoulder.

Reluctantly, Pei Yan got up from Li Songtao, watching the three officially take over and unwillingly saying, "I want to know how wide the gap between us is and what level of power I need to truly face such formidable enemies."

Hearing Pei Yan's words, the three were taken aback. Gu Shenghui remained silent for a while, sighed, and said, "You need to reach at least the peak of the fifth awakening stage to have the capital to fight him, and to achieve victory, you may need to reach the sixth awakening stage, provided your awakening abilities are decent afterward."

"Sixth stage, sixth stage, that's the gap between us." Pei Yan muttered as he looked at the venomous eyes of Li Songtao lying on the ground. Then, with Xia Yu urging him, they slowly climbed up from the pool's depths.

"Now it's just us, are you ready to say something?" As the two walked away, Gu Shenghui turned around to look at Li Songtao and asked coldly, using the translation device.

"Mortal, what do you want to know?" Even now, Li Songtao hadn't let go of his pride, looking disdainfully at the man who thought he had won.

"For instance, you could start by telling me your name?"

"Save your efforts, I won't reveal a word!"

Gu Shenghui nodded, indicating his understanding, and without saying more, glanced at the two elders beside him, and all three reached toward their respective rings.

"Ahhhhh!" A piercing scream came from behind Pei Yan, startling him as he turned around to see the once overbearing Black-robed Man now with wrists and ankles pierced by three appropriately sized silver rods, while a large disc was attached to his back, seemingly driving into his flesh causing excruciating pain.

Seeing this scene, Pei Yan showed a cruel yet relieved smile, licked his dry lips, and followed Xia Yu, climbing step by step out of the pool.

Upon reaching the pond's edge, he saw Elder Lin, continually releasing internal energy to Captain Shangxing. Throughout the entire battle, Elder Lin hadn't participated, and upon arriving at the scene, he immediately rescued the Investigation Bureau's unconscious members from the rubble and tended to their wounds based on severity.

Seeing everyone gradually waking up, albeit battered, Pei Yan finally felt a little relieved. He quickly walked over to Elder Lin, anxiously asking, "Elder Lin, will our Captain be okay?"

"How could he be okay? His internal energy is severely depleted, and the forced use of his abilities caused both internal and external injuries, I'm afraid…" Elder Lin said calmly, making Pei Yan's heart skip a beat in fear.

Pausing, Elder Lin looked at the wide-eyed Pei Yan and continued, "I'm afraid he'll need to stay in bed for a month or two to recover."

Hearing this, Pei Yan exhaled a long breath, his taut nerves finally relaxing. That old guy, teasing him at this point, indicated that Captain Shangxing would be alright.

"And what about you, do you need me to treat your eye?" After seeing Pei Yan sit beside him, Elder Lin inquired, looking at Pei Yan's eye emitting a bright blue light.

Pei Yan attempted to refuse, but remembering the series of side effects mentioned by the system, he swallowed the words back and agreed, "No rush, afterward, when you have time, please take a look."

"Mm!"

After finishing the conversation with Elder Lin, Pei Yan stood up and went with Xia Yu to their friend's side. Ignoring Wang Wenze, who was snuggled with Liang Qian, he plopped down between them, pushing Liang Qian aside and complained, "Why's that, we all faced life and death together, and after the fight, you just get to have a beauty in your arms."

"Are we still brothers, huh! I was heartbroken, thinking you heroically sacrificed yourself, cry my eyes out for nothing, you ungrateful bastard!" Wang Wenze, looking at this annoying third wheel in front of him, took out two cigarettes, put one in his mouth, and handed one to Pei Yan irritably.

Pei Yan declined Wang Wenze's offered cigarette, and instead, took out the cigar Captain Shangxing had given him from his ring, taking out a cigar and started to light it the way Captain Shangxing had taught him.

"Oh, got a hold of such fancy stuff from the Captain, smoking at a higher level than us, huh!" Ye Jiumu, lying on a mattress transmuted from his own photos, teased as he watched Pei Yan. Afterward, he looked at Xia Yu and issued an invitation, "Xia Yu, come sit here with me."

Xia Yu ignored him and sat down between Liang Qian and Zhao Yuanhu, asking Ye Jiumu, who was posing seductively on the mattress, "Why do you have a photo stored for a mattress?"

"Well, life is short, who knows what unexpected situations we might encounter? Isn't it coming in handy now!" Ye Jiumu, seeing Xia Yu reject his invitation, laid back on the big mattress, gazing at the sparse stars in the night sky thoughtfully.

As everyone chatted, rested, and recuperated, Pei Yan finally lit the cigar, taking a puff, savoring the peculiar aftertaste it left in his mouth. After a while, he slowly exhaled and opened his eyes through the swirling smoke, seemingly seeing the ice shards at the other corner of the pond trembling slightly.

Squinting, he took a closer look, his finger quivered, disregarding Captain Shangxing's etiquette rules and quickly extinguished the cigar in his iron palm. Without removing his helmet, he regained composure and stood up rapidly, shouting amidst the astonished gazes of everyone, "Holy shit, they're still alive!"