"C01, switch assault to missiles."

"Ready... fire!"

Twin-engine, two-seater.

Two F-14D "Super Pandas," supersonic multirole carrier-based fighter jets with variable-sweep wings, soared through the sky in cruise mode.

In the far distance of their forward vision.

A small black dot was fleeing at supersonic speed.

Blonde hair, fair skin, twin pigtails, twisted golden-black horns on the side of her forehead, a black and white Gothic dress formed from Honkai energy, and an entourage of six exceptionally ornate, large coffins—

This appearance screamed SSR, no, UR-grade Deadman!

Analyzing her external features alone, this Deadman simultaneously exhibited traits of two top-tier Deadman branches: [Annihilation Spirit] and [Samurai Chieftain].

Deadmen of this caliber.

Their individual combat strength was mostly at the level of a Honkai Emperor, or even an Emperor-class.

Coupled with the six coffins by her side—[Samurai Chieftain] could summon "Samurai-type" beings of the same level as herself or slightly lower-level "Summoned-type" beings from them. [Annihilation Spirit], on the other hand, possessed extremely potent ranged offensive capabilities.

A Deadman like this.

Never mind being pursued by two Super Pandas; under the right conditions, she alone, relying on her own skills, had the capability to eliminate an entire fleet!

However, the situation in the sky.

It defied the expectations of all who witnessed it.

"Swoosh!"

Four air-to-air missiles shot out like meteors!

The difference was, the missiles weren't propelled by flames from behind, but by a substance as dark as shadow—an unknown material that provided the missiles with incredibly exaggerated acceleration, instantly closing the beyond-visual-range distance.

The next moment.

The missiles slammed directly into the target!

"BOOM!!"

"Bastard!"

The Deadman cursed in mid-air, her tone perfectly matching her temperament but starkly contrasting with her appearance.

She was merely out on a routine "foraging" trip with her teammates. Who could have expected to encounter such a bizarrely tough opponent, one that relentlessly pursued her even after she had fled so far from the initial engagement site!

If Lu Xing were here.

He would definitely recognize this familiar figure and appearance... everything was exactly as the Loli was in her most authentic state:

Race: Perfect Body · Variant · Annihilation Demon God

Level: 60

Abilities: Appraisal, Dark Energy Ray, Dark Energy Burst, Nether Shield, Nether Icicle, Nether Retinue, Mind Chant, Soul Deception, Yellow Springs Karmic Fire, Invisibility, Earth Evasion, Coffin Princess Summoning · Demon God · Lu, Elemental Pillar · Healing/Gale/Barrier/Destruction/Burning/Turret, Frenzied Enhancement.

Attack: 195

Speed: 60

Constitution: 60

Evaluation: Curse Grudge

That's right.

The one being chased by the Super Pandas was none other than the Loli Demon God who had once fought alongside him!

As a Variant with extraordinary potential, the Loli Demon God had also, quite remarkably, reached the Lv.60 threshold.

Her stats might seem somewhat weak.

But in reality.

Her extremely vast skill set effectively compensated for, and even enhanced, the Loli Demon God's offensive capabilities—in terms of how troublesome she was, she wasn't necessarily much weaker than a true Emperor-class.

The problem was.

When all her skills proved ineffective against humans, and the weapons her opponents used could easily penetrate the [Nether Shield] condensed from high-density Honkai energy, the Loli Demon God was truly at her wit's end. Human society, especially chaotic human society, was extremely suitable for the Loli Demon God's concealment, foraging, and development.

But in this kind of high-speed chase.

Her relatively weak constitution and speed became significant limiting factors.

As for her proud attack power...

"Whoosh!"

A dark purple ray of light swept through the air, striking the Super Panda with pinpoint accuracy... or rather, its shield. Although these two fighter jets adopted the appearance of Super Tomcats, their interiors were fundamentally different.

These were multirole fighter airframes modeled after the F-14D. Even the pilots were specially cultivated Armed Dolls... Ordinary human pilots simply couldn't withstand the G-forces during extreme acceleration, which were enough to make one black out.

Laser weapons, air-to-air missiles, airframe shields.

Even the cannons used for dogfights—every weapon on this experimental Super Panda, whether its warhead or engine...

All were powered by "Quantum Energy"!

That's right.

These two Super Pandas were precisely the first batch of combat equipment developed by the Mu Continent, equipped with Quantum Energy weapons.

After reaching an agreement with Shenzhou.

The Super Pandas were transported to the East Asian battlefield for live combat testing.

Incidentally.

Two months had passed since the destruction of New Zealand.

During this period, large-scale, medium-sized Honkai Energy Rifts, led and defended by Emperor-class Honkai Beasts, had very abruptly appeared in the hinterlands of various continents. According to intelligence gathered by humanity, the number of these medium-sized Honkai Energy Rifts... was a staggering 14.

In such troubled times.

The research and development, and use, of Quantum Energy weapons were no longer kept hidden but pushed to the forefront of all agendas.

Even on the Flame-Chasers' side.

The funding from the Mu Continent for Fusion Soldiers had been drastically reduced—before this, the Mu Continent's support for the Flame-Chasers had been quite substantial.

Complementing the Super Pandas were miniaturized special Armed Dolls, also driven by Quantum Energy. The former was responsible for annihilating large Honkai Beasts, while the latter focused on small-scale skirmishes and infiltration warfare.

Now.

All the major powers were waiting to see their performance.

They didn't need outstanding results; as long as their cost-effectiveness surpassed that of Fusion Soldiers, orders would flood into the Mu Continent.

At this moment.

The Loli Demon God had, by sheer unfortunate coincidence, run straight into their line of fire.

So—

"BOOM!!"

With the simultaneous impact of the air-to-air missiles, the Loli Demon God, like a bird with broken wings, began to plummet rapidly from the high altitude.

The Loli Demon God's flight capability was inseparable from Honkai energy support.

The greatest effect of Quantum weapons lay in their erosion of Honkai energy—Quantum Energy of the same level could annihilate roughly ten times the amount of ordinary Honkai energy.

With the payload of 4 air-to-air missiles, it was enough to shatter her Honkai energy shell after breaking through the Loli Demon God's shield!

"Hit confirmed. Target is falling."

"Mecha mode, low-speed approach. Beware of feints."

"Clank—Thunk!"

The Super Pandas, which were in a state of high-speed flight... no, their formal designation should be VF-0 "Phoenix."

The structural integrity of the VF-0 was quite exaggerated.

Even while maneuvering at such high speeds in the air, they still completed a rapid transformation from aircraft to humanoid mecha—the mecha form provided the "Phoenix" with greater flexibility, and from the design stage, they were intended to be equipped with devices for capturing Honkai Beasts or other test subjects.

To capture this rare Deadman...

"?"

Just as the two VF-0s were about to reach the Loli Demon God's side.

Two rhombic black crystals, appearing from who knows when, silently hovered between the VF-0s and the Loli Demon God.

Then—

"Voom!"