The sky was overcast with drizzling rain over the park square of Galag Black Market. The crowd surged eagerly, countless eyes focused on the metal platform at the center—some fanatical, some expectant, some just here for the spectacle, and others with ulterior motives.

Qin Feng swept his gaze across the scene, seemingly quite satisfied with the attention. Then he spoke leisurely, his voice soft but amplified by some mechanical system to reach every corner of the square. Even the drones overhead projected his image in 360-degree holograms.

"Alright, I’ve said what needed to be said. You might be curious—since this is a recruitment, shouldn’t we just test ability indices, then select based on ability types, personal resources, or team compositions? Why am I holding an ability combat tournament here?"

"Simple."

Qin Feng’s eyes turned sharp, exuding an aura of supremacy as he glanced at the leaders of over a dozen large convoys under the rain canopies before addressing the ten-thousand-strong crowd.

"Because I don’t just need high ability indices. I need madmen who dare to shatter the shackles of fate with their flesh and blood, martyrs who carve their will to save the world into their bones, and night watchers who can stare into the abyss without being consumed by darkness."

"Look at our first city wall—the wailing of our kin in the night, the children torn apart by aberrations. They see us as prey, as scraps. So I need a group of strong warriors to join me as the sharpest blade!"

"This tournament is only open to those above Annihilator-level. The final selections will be your Twelve Zodiac Lords and Four Heavenly Kings—my right-hand men. But besides winning the fights, they’ll also have to face my final test!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the square fell silent for a moment before erupting into an uproar.

"What the hell? Twelve Zodiac Lords and Four Heavenly Kings? This guy’s read too many novels..."

"Is he serious?"

"Sounds interesting, but the minimum requirement is Annihilator-level? That’s too high."

"So he’s recruiting 16 Annihilator-level or above people??"

"This is insane."

"What if he actually pulls it off? Sixteen Annihilators plus an Angel-level mechanical ability user—that team could take on an S-class threat!"

"Possible. There were already quite a few Annihilators registered online. With so many big convoys here, he might poach some top fighters on the spot."

Qin Feng raised his hands, smiling as he signaled for silence, then calmly continued,

"I forgot to mention the benefits of joining my Unlimited Alliance."

The crowd quieted down at this.

"First, all convoy members will receive two meals daily, including meat and standard protein blocks, plus 500ml of purified water. Titan-level members will be equipped with industrial combat armor, Berserker-level members will get tactical power armor, and ammunition is unlimited!"

"Second, each of the Twelve Zodiac Lords will have a private living carriage, top-tier stellar-class power armor, and command over ten thousand combat units, plus five cold-dark reagents per week!"

"Third, my Four Heavenly Kings—codenamed Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise—will receive all the above benefits plus unlimited cold-dark reagents!"

Whoosh!

The moment Qin Feng finished speaking, the entire square exploded into an uproar. Even the leaders of major factions like Lu Xingchen of the Dawn Watch Alliance, Jiang Yun of the Common Alliance, Wen Hui of the Wind Whisperers, and the burly Xu Yufei of Full Metal Frenzy all stiffened with shock.

"Did he just say... unlimited cold-dark reagents?" Xu Yufei scratched his head. "Am I hearing things?"

"This guy’s full of crap," Jiang Yun muttered, disbelief written all over his face.

Wen Hui looked stunned. "By that logic, he’s recruiting over 120,000 people across twelve sub-convoys, all equipped with industrial combat armor and tactical power armor? Where’s he getting all that?"

Over at Luo Heng’s side, everyone was equally thunderstruck by Qin Feng’s extravagance.

"That’s enough armor to equip two stellar fleets," Qin Feng said coldly, glancing at Lin Xian. "Captain Lin, can you confirm if this guy really has mechanical abilities?"

Lin Xian replied, "Captain Zhou, let’s go check it out. I’ll also scout that underground passage—might find something useful."

"Exactly what I was thinking. The old Star City had a massive underground industrial network—not just sewage or energy pipelines, but deeper military-grade tunnels. The Federation must’ve repurposed them when building the underground city, and it’s definitely classified." Zhou Jin added, "If possible, we might infiltrate through that route."

Lin Xian nodded. "Easy enough."

With that, the group split up. Lin Xian donned a black mask, and with KIKI and the others, they dispersed into the crowd, moving toward the square’s center. They stayed connected via encrypted comms, keeping an eye out for Federation agents while observing Qin Feng. Lin Xian focused on inspecting the large underground passage.

"Captain Lin," Jiang Yun signaled, heading toward the convoy leaders’ rain canopies with Ren Huiyan. As a familiar face with good connections, he could gather intel while keeping watch.

"Lin Xian, how are you planning to test Qin Feng? I’ve got a bad feeling he’s not a real mechanical ability user," KIKI whispered over the comms.

"Simple," Lin Xian replied. "You and Fire Bro sign up later, compete for his Twelve Zodiac Lords or Four Heavenly Kings, and spar with him directly."

"Why spar?" KIKI asked. "Didn’t Qin Feng say he’d test them himself?"

"Captain Lin, KIKI’s a telekinetic. If she acts, her identity might get exposed," Ning Jing reminded.

"Who said she’s telekinetic?" Lin Xian chuckled. "She’s clearly mechanical."

"Huh?!"

Gasps erupted over the comms. Amid the noisy crowd, everyone was baffled.

KIKI instantly caught on, giggling. "Heh, I get it now."

"Interesting," Qian Dele chimed in.

"Captain Lin, you’re trying to sabotage him, aren’t you?" Jiang Yun, weaving through the crowd toward the convoy camp, immediately guessed.

"Obviously. The Silver Star belongs to First Mate Jian. If Qin Feng recruits a bunch of Annihilators, reclaiming it will be even harder." Lin Xian scanned the surroundings. "He’s poaching talent—other convoys must be pissed. Plus, he’s backed by the Federation. Many probably see him as their puppet to retain manpower. If we stir trouble, others won’t mind."

As he spoke, Lin Xian activated his mechanical ability, probing the underground facilities.

"Brother Lin," Lu Xingchen suddenly approached stiffly, whispering, "This deity has no interest in those Twelve Zodiac Lords or Four Heavenly Kings, but this tournament..."

"God Lu, you must participate," Lin Xian cut in, having already guessed his thoughts. "And act as arrogantly as possible—make Qin Feng fight you personally."

Fire-based abilities were rare, but Lin Xian wasn’t worried about Fire Bro’s exposure. Since this was a survivor convoy recruitment, any ability type could appear.

Meanwhile, the scene grew increasingly chaotic. The Unlimited·Silver Star recruitment booth already had thousands queuing, with more joining by the minute. KIKI and Mie-ge slipped into the registration line unnoticed.

Gasps erupted as, following Qin Feng’s appearance, experts with ability peaks exceeding 3000 began appearing in the testing queue, their staggering numbers causing waves of astonishment.

"Damn, 3380! With a 1.5 ability coefficient, that’s 5000—Annihilator-level! And it’s the ultra-resilient Bone Corruption ability!"

"Hey, isn’t that Li Heyan, third squad leader of the Bumblebee Convoy? With his max coefficient, his Magnetic Storm ability hits 6200! He’s joining too?!"

"Peaks over 1000 go to Zone B;

over 3000 enter Zone A directly," a well-dressed recruiter announced, organizing the crowd.

Zone A was a specially designated resting area, clearly reserved for candidates competing for the Twelve Zodiac Lords and Four Heavenly Kings. Dozens of qipao-clad attendants served tea.

Then a sharp-faced young man, likely Qin Feng’s subordinate, stepped onto the platform. "Abilities can be lethal—light injuries may cripple, heavy ones may kill. I know you’re used to going all-out against aberrations, but here, combat is restricted. I’ll referee."

With that, the massive circular platform rose like an elevator, lifting over ten meters high. The drone-projected holograms switched to a leaderboard, ranking recruitment participants by ability peaks. Only sixteen slots were shown—the top four for the Four Heavenly Kings, the next twelve for the Zodiac Lords.

As more people registered, the names shifted constantly, with newcomers pushing others off the list.

Qin Feng lounged leisurely on a seat behind the Silver Star, observing the spectacle.

"Lin Xian!"

KIKI’s voice suddenly crackled over the comms. "That guy—I recognize him! He’s Wen Hui’s son, Li Jian!!"

Lin Xian’s gaze snapped toward the unruly-looking young man. "You sure?"

"Absolutely. I’d never mistake that jerk."

"Got it." Lin Xian narrowed his eyes, now certain Qin Feng was colluding with the Wen family—hence the Federation’s support. After the Sky Train was intercepted by Jian Xuwei at Jinhai, the Wens had clearly hatched another scheme.

"To ensure safety and minimize collateral, leaving the platform counts as defeat," Li Jian declared, his sharp eyes gleaming with excitement. He outlined combat rules, including weapon, power armor, and artifact usage, making the recruitment tournament increasingly professional.

"Wow, he’s experienced. Must’ve run plenty of these in Dawn City," Qian Dele remarked.

Jiang Yun added, "Ability tournaments and research are huge in Dawn City—underground fight clubs, enthusiast groups. It’s normal now."

Lin Xian glanced at the leaderboard. Initially, only three or four had peaks over 2000, most hovering around 1000. Factoring in max coefficients, many likely met the 3000 Annihilator threshold.

But as more signed up, peaks of 3000, even 3500, appeared. The leaderboard intentionally avoided the Phoenix Society’s coefficient system, adding an element of mystery—after all, raw peaks didn’t always reflect true combat prowess, which depended on max coefficients, experience, and ability types.

"Whoa, another 3000!"

"Holy crap, isn’t that Wu Bin, ranked 12th on the Human Evolution leaderboard? He’s here too?!"

"Damn, his peak’s 4800! With max coefficient, that’s 7680! And it’s just a B-tier Shapeshifter ability!"

"Lots of convoys tried recruiting him lately, but he showed up here instead..."

Lin Xian, studying the underground passage, overheard the chatter and looked up. His eyes landed on a loner with long hair, exuding icy disdain as he entered Qin Feng’s VIP rest area.

On the high platform, Li Jian smirked, whispering into his earpiece,

"More elites are coming. This is getting fun."

"Not enough. Many are still watching. Li Jian, stir the pot," a middle-aged voice replied.

Li Jian took a deep breath. "Got it."

He scanned the leaderboard, then deliberately announced, "Ladies and gentlemen, the rankings have shifted repeatedly. Could our recruiters kindly escort those who’ve dropped out to other seating areas? Rest assured, all Titan and Berserker-level recruits will enjoy excellent benefits. But these sixteen slots are for the strongest. After fighting in the dark for so long, you all understand—a convoy survives only with powerful leaders facing danger head-on."

His righteous tone masked a calculated move to provoke those bumped from the rankings. Sure enough, a brawny, buzz-cut man erupted in anger, leaping onto the platform via a withered tree.

"Since no one’s volunteering, I’ll go first! Many here know me—Kong Hao, captain of the Giant City Convoy, here with twenty-plus elites and over a hundred Titan-level fighters. I’ll take one of those twelve whatever-they’re-called slots. Enough talk—I’ll start challenging from the bottom. If no one dares step up, I’ll hold the gatekeeper position. That’s the rule, right, ref?"

Li Jian grinned. "Correct."

"Good. Then this..." The man turned, spotting the name that had just replaced him—Pei Jinghong—and bellowed, "Brother Pei! We’re used to killing zombies and aberrations, but today, let’s have a friendly spar. Don’t worry—I’ll go easy!"

The crowd’s eyes swiveled toward the rest area, where a slender young man stood, his expression tense but unflinching. Activating his power armor, he vaulted onto the platform.

For those above Berserker-level, a ten-meter jump was trivial, even without flight abilities or armor assistance.

"My ability’s lethal. Be careful," Pei Jinghong warned politely, disclosing his Bone Corruption ability.

Li Jian, having achieved his goal, stepped back. "Begin. Avoid fatal strikes—knockouts or ring-outs win."

The air grew heavy as tens of thousands, including Dawn City’s live-stream audience, watched the daytime ability duel commence.

Boom!

Instantly, the two strangers erupted with intense ability fluctuations, clashing violently.

Contrary to expectations, Pei Jinghong didn’t hold back—his fingers shot out razor-sharp bone spikes, shearing through half of Kong Hao’s left arm in a spray of blood.

Kong Hao merely grunted, retaliating with a monstrous punch, his body wreathed in blood mist. The brutality drew gasps from the crowd.

Shizhi frowned, instinctively wanting to heal the injuries but restraining herself. Lord Wangyue had tasked her with assisting Lin Xian, not intervening recklessly. Then she realized—Lin Xian had vanished.

Panicking, she glanced around before spotting him crouched on the ground, fingers digging into the dirt.

"What are you doing?" she whispered, squatting beside him.

"Digging," Lin Xian replied flatly.

The ability brawl held no interest for him. While the crowd was distracted, he used his mechanical ability to craft a tiny drill, boring two meters down until it clinked against metal.

"Found it."

Tiny black spider robots emerged from his fingertips, scuttling into the hole. These were replicas of the ones Wen Dong had brought to Silent City—perfect for infiltration.

Soon, the spiders slipped through gaps in the elevator shaft, revealing a colossal vertical launch tunnel dimly lit all the way down, its bottom invisible.

"This is huge... What’s down there?" Lin Xian synced the feed to Zhou Jin.

Zhou Jin, monitoring Qin Feng’s movements, stiffened. "Federation military-grade B-class elevator shaft—for aircraft deployment. This is at least Leviathan-class, capable of handling aerospace fighters and bombers."

"Qin Feng and Li Jian came from here. This must connect to the inner city."

"Likely. Probably links the underground city and starport too." Zhou Jin understood. "But scouting this route without detection requires specialized abilities."

Lin Xian smirked. "Lucky me—I’m specialized."

"You’re going in?" Zhou Jin asked.

"Not yet. Let’s verify Qin Feng first. Since Li Jian’s Wen Hui’s son, tracking him will lead us to the Wens."

Boom!

Unexpectedly, on the platform, Pei Jinghong’s initial ferocity waned, and Kong Hao eventually knocked him off. But most realized this didn’t mean Kong Hao was stronger—Pei Jinghong simply lacked ruthlessness. In a life-or-death night battle, the outcome might differ.

Qin Feng and Li Jian seemed to want this exact effect. After the first match, skilled observers grasped the pattern, growing bolder. Challenges erupted nonstop.

The platform became a stage for diverse abilities—monstrous growths, limb morphing, gigantism, beast forms, blood mist, hydrokinesis, metallic skin, shapeshifting, terrakinesis, bone corruption, aberrant eyes, flight, energy convergence, invisibility—endless variety. No ability was universally superior, as compatibility and experience mattered. Agile, combat-oriented types like giants, beasts, and blood mist users dominated. One gene evolver, a physical superhuman, floored a metallic-skinned opponent in three strikes, stunning the crowd.

"Whoa, the registration line’s growing!"

"Holy—Xing Zhan’s here?! Isn’t he with the Dawn Watch Alliance?"

"Are these people really joining Unlimited, or just here to fight?"

On the leaderboard, Wu Bin was suddenly dethroned by a bald man in mechanical armor strolling into the rest area.

Eyes turned toward the convoy camps, particularly Lin Qingyu.

"Captain Lin, sending Xing Zhan here—trying to crash the party?" Luo Heng chuckled.

"What’s wrong? Qin Feng set up a tournament. My man’s just getting practice," Lin Qingyu replied, smiling. Xing Zhan was his plant.

He then glanced at Jiang Yun, who’d just arrived. "Captain Jiang, here to join the fun?"

"Nope. I’m recruiting."

"Recruiting?" Lei Zhen blinked. "Your Windrunner Alliance’s 60,000 members never openly recruited before."

"Times change." Jiang Yun grinned. "We’ve merged with another convoy."

Every leader present stiffened.

"Another convoy? Merging six factions?" Lin Qingyu frowned. "Who’s bold enough for that?"

Jiang Yun shrugged. "Funny thing—they’re also called Unlimited Alliance. But their captain isn’t this guy."

Lin Qingyu’s face twitched. "Lin Xian?!"

Jiang Yun nodded.

Han Tiege of Full Metal Frenzy gaped. "Damn, when did Captain Lin enter the city?"

"He hasn’t," Jiang Yun said. "But seeing this Unlimited Train recruitment, my captain sent me to check it out."

"Ha! Here to verify if someone’s impersonating his convoy, huh?" Lei Zhen guffawed. "Interesting. I’ve only heard of this mechanical ability user—would love to meet him."

Luo Heng of Wind Whisperers nodded. "Captain Jiang, since you’ve worked with Captain Lin, you’ve seen mechanical abilities, right? Planning to test Qin Feng yourself?"

Jiang Yun mused. "No need for me..."

Xu Yufei of Steel Bastion, overhearing, grew uneasy. He wanted to question Jiang Yun but hesitated, staying silent.

Though they’d secretly allied with Lin Xian, Xu Yufei had promised Qin Feng public support in exchange for a Heavenly King position.

Most top-ranked ability users in Dawn City either led convoys, joined Seraph Corps, or left. Of the top ten, fewer than half remained—Xu Yufei, ranked higher than Jiang Yun, felt no pressure.

But he held back, observing the tournament.

Other convoys were also spectating, many hostile toward Qin Feng’s blatant Federation ties.

Just as the leaders stewed in their thoughts, the square erupted again.

"5300?! Who’s this guy? Never seen him on the leaderboard!"

"Damn! A hidden boss!"

"Even with a 1.5 coefficient, that’s over 8000!!"

The commotion drew Qin Feng and Li Jian’s attention. Qin Feng rose, hovering slightly to peer at the registration booth.

The recruiter paled, staring at the sharp-faced, imposing young man before him. After triple-checking the leaderboard and finding nothing, he stammered,

"Uh... sir, your name? And... what ability type?"

"This deity is Lu Xingchen."

Arms crossed, Lu Xingchen lifted a finger—whoosh! A crimson flame pillar shot skyward.

"Celestial Flame type!"

Whoosh!

The crowd lost it. Natural fire abilities were the holy grail. Phones and terminals emerged, recording and uploading to Dawn City’s network.

Instantly, "Celestial Flame ability user Lu Xingchen" trended.

On the platform, Li Jian’s eyes burned with envy. "Fire... so damn lucky."

"P-please proceed to Zone A!" The recruiter beamed, signaling attendants to escort Lu Xingchen.

Lu Xingchen reveled in the attention. If not for Lin Xian’s orders, he’d have descended wreathed in flames like a deity.

But soon, he’d have his chance. Studying the platform, he pondered which move would dazzle most under this lighting.

The atmosphere intensified. With Lu Xingchen’s appearance, even convoy leaders sensed this recruitment might exceed expectations. Xu Yufei relaxed slightly—more elites meant a stronger Unlimited Alliance.

As the recruiter, heart racing, ushered Lu Xingchen in, a masked, purple-haired girl slapped a registration card onto the table.

"Hey. I’m signing up."

The recruiter eyed the flat-chested, petite girl, gesturing to the ability tester.

"Peak reading, please."

Beep.

The result made him freeze mid-sit, surrounded by gasps. The display read 4800!

4800?! From this kid?!

"Damn! Right after the 5300 guy, now a 4800?!"

"Another one not on the leaderboard?"

"Dawn City’s full of hidden dragons."

"Probably Unlimited’s benefits lured them out."

Qin Feng and Li Jian, seeing back-to-back elites, brightened.

Exchanging satisfied glances, Qin Feng nodded.

"Uncle, this is better than expected. Top talents are coming—our forces grow," Li Jian whispered.

"Don’t celebrate yet. Recruitment’s one thing—retention’s what matters," replied Wen Dong via earpiece, watching from an underground command center lined with screens.

Cameras zoomed in on the purple-haired girl.

The recruiter, trembling, fumbled with his terminal.

"Miss... your name? And... ability type?"

"Chen Sixuan."

KIKI’s eyes curved behind her mask as she crossed her arms, mimicking Qin Feng’s levitation. Her hair fluttered weightlessly—a divine spectacle.

Then she declared:

"Mechanical ability."

Silence.

Qin Feng’s smug grin froze mid-air.