"Why... why is the family...?" a woman suddenly cried, covering her face. "What did we do wrong? Why is the family treating us like this?"

"What else can they do? Kill us to force the Tianjian Bureau to stop. Then, they'll use public opinion to counter-accuse us!"

"But we're also members of the Duanmu Family—"

Indeed, all those affiliated with the Duanmu Family were Star Martial Warriors, and the wives Star Martial Warriors married were also Star Martial Warriors. However, there were still some in the Duanmu Family who were unable to awaken their Star Martial Warrior talent.

Although this group lacked Star Martial Warrior talent and were ordinary people, the blood of the Duanmu Family still flowed in their veins. They never imagined their family could be so heartless as to use their lives to force the Tianjian Bureau to compromise.

"Captain, we can't hold on—" Bai Xu called out, her face pale.

"We have to hold on, even if we can't!" Wang Lan was currently using Sentient Beings, but Sentient Beings was not primarily a defensive Star Martial Skill. It could defend for a moment, but it couldn't withstand the bombardment of dozens of people.

Because the five of them had to protect five hundred people, their mobility was severely restricted. The range of Sentient Beings was three hundred meters, but when it had to envelop five hundred people, the outer wall's strength was insufficient.

What was even more infuriating was that the Duanmu Family was using firearms. This was not a Different Dimensional Space; firearms could be used here. In the outside world, the lethality of firearms was no less than that of Star Martial Skills, especially hand grenades, which were simple to make and deadly.

Sentient Beings could not absorb Star Power to replenish itself, so it naturally required Wang Lan's Star Power to maintain. A Star Martial Skill with a three-hundred-meter range consumed a terrifying amount of Star Power. If Wang Lan hadn't secretly hoarded a dozen or so medium-quality Soul Beads, they would probably be in danger by now.

"Sisters, they want to kill us! We can't just stand here and let them! Our men fought to the death for the Duanmu Family; we can't let them slaughter us like disposable tools! Defensive Star Martial Warriors, gather on the perimeter! We need to save ourselves!" Amid the crowd, a voice rang out like a shot of adrenaline.

Suddenly, Star Power surged within the protected group, and dozens of defensive Star Martial Warriors deployed their defensive Star Martial Skills. Although their Star Martial levels were not high, they managed to relieve considerable pressure for Wang Lan and the others.

Damn it, do they think they're the only ones with grenades? In a lull, Wang Lan suddenly remembered he had a few S-grade Soul Bead grenades lying in his space equipment.

He had thought he would never need to use them. Now was the perfect time, since maintaining the Sentient Beings defense prevented him from using other Star Martial Skills.

He took out a Wind Capturing Net Soul Bead grenade and controlled the vines to WHIP it into the enemy's position—the very spot from which most grenades had been thrown and the fiercest firepower launched.

THUMP—

A muffled sound, as a medium-quality Soul Bead rolled into the middle of the crowd.

The frenzied gunmen merely glanced down before indifferently turning their heads away.

Throwing a medium-quality Soul Bead over here? Are you trying to bribe us? Hah... As fanatics trained by the Duanmu Family, we have professional integrity. You think a mere medium-quality Soul Bead will tempt us to betray it?

Suddenly, the medium-quality Soul Bead pulsed with waves of Star Energy Fluctuation.

In an instant, terrifying wind blades erupted from the Soul Bead, rapidly expanding to a fifty-meter radius and forming a deadly cutting network.

Within that fifty-meter radius, forty fanatics were sliced into pieces before they even realized what had happened, utterly dead.

The gunfire ceased abruptly. Not only at the site overwhelmed by the wind blades but even at the smaller encampments nearby, the fanatics were stunned by the scene, their minds blank.

Who am I? Where am I? What should I do?

Suddenly, a streak of light flickered.

A shower of light spread out like a heavenly canopy. They would never need to ponder the answers to those bewildered questions. Wang Lan's sword had severed their necks.

Wang Lan showed no mercy to trash who would harm ordinary people, even their own kin. With this group of fanatics slain, the crisis was finally averted.

The remaining two hundred meters passed without incident. Wang Lan blasted through the north gate's electromagnetic defense net, successfully leading the five hundred women and children out. Members of the Tianjian Bureau and police commissioners were waiting outside to receive them. They would be taken to the Tianjian Bureau for isolation and investigation.

"Liaison, Squad Twelve has completed the mission. Requesting further instructions."

"Captain Wang, the Duanmu Family is furiously hunting down women and children! Squad Seven requests backup! Coordinates at..."

After receiving the orders, Wang Lan quickly led his squad to their aid.

The Duanmu Family's main combat forces and affiliates were engaged on the central battlefield, fighting desperately against the Tianjian Bureau and Yu Family experts a kilometer away. Yet, their own relatives were being ruthlessly hunted by Duanmu Family fanatics in the rear.

The scene was not just ironic to describe, but even to contemplate. The very people you've sworn your lives to are killing your wives and children, while those fighting against you are desperately trying to save your families.

But such matters couldn't be explained in the heat of battle. Even if you told someone, they wouldn't believe it. The whole truth could only be revealed after the fighting ended.

When they arrived at Squad Seven's location, the squad was struggling to move while maintaining a barrier. The enemy was entirely equipped with modern firearms, shooting from distances greater than five hundred meters.

The effective range of Star Martial Skills was generally only tens of meters, not even a hundred. Even for Star Sea Stage experts, their range wouldn't exceed two hundred meters.

Under normal circumstances, modern firearms wouldn't even graze a Star Sea Stage practitioner. But to protect these several hundred ordinary people, children, or other vulnerable individuals, they had no choice but to deploy defensive barriers and endure the hail of bullets.

Frustrating? It was incredibly frustrating. These five Star Sea Stage warriors from the Yu Family had never fought such a suffocating battle in their lives. But what could frustration achieve? They could only endure.

Suddenly, the dense gunfire in the distance paused.

"Our reinforcements have arrived," a woman with an impassive expression stated calmly.

"So soon?" Although he voiced doubt, he knew in his heart it was true. The gunfire had stopped, extinguished as if by water, snuffed out in an instant. The few sporadic shots that followed also fell silent after a few rounds.

"Captain, I've dealt with my side."

"This side is clear too. Let's move to the next location."

The Duanmu Family had placed their thousands of non-combatants in different locations, making it convenient to use them as hostages if necessary. This tactic was understood by the Duanmu Family, as well as by the Tianjian Bureau and the Yu Family.

Rather than saying the battle at the front was fiercely contested, it was more accurate to say that our warriors were buying time for the innocents in the rear to retreat. The Duanmu Family undoubtedly understood this as well, which was why they spared no effort in dispatching their death squads to obstruct and even slaughter.

In just half an hour, Wang Lan had reinforced several battlefronts, but not every mission was completed successfully.

Two defensive positions had faltered, resulting in more than a hundred people dying under machine-gun fire. In terms of reaping lives, machine guns possessed greater killing power than Star Martial Warriors. Firing thirty bullets a second, dozens of machine guns firing simultaneously could slaughter hundreds in mere seconds.

Ultimately, out of five thousand people, four thousand six hundred were successfully evacuated; about four to five hundred died under gunfire. These victims were then used by the Duanmu Family as tools to incite their affiliated Star Martial Warriors into a "perish together" mentality.

"Tianjian Bureau! You don't even spare unarmed old folk, women, and children! Everyone, look! The Tianjian Bureau wants to exterminate us! We'll fight them to the death!"

Projected in the sky were images of bodies lying in pools of blood. Blood flowed like rivers. This sight instantly turned the eyes of the Duanmu Family's wavering affiliated Star Martial Warriors bloodshot with rage.

"Nonsense! You killed them yourselves!"

"Hehehe... You bastards! After killing people, you even want to damn our souls so we never find peace! The leaders we placed in the shelters are of our Duanmu Family's direct bloodline! You all know this! Would we kill our own people? Would we strike down our own brothers and sisters? Warriors of the Duanmu Family, kill! Killing one breaks even, killing two is pure profit!"

A host of Galaxy Stage and Star Cloud Stage warriors from the Duanmu Family launched a frenzied, suicidal counterassault against the Star Sea Stage Star Martial Warriors from the Yu Family and the Tianjian Bureau. In an instant, Star Power swept through heaven and earth like a colossal tsunami.

"KILL—!"

"We've already been merciful enough. Since you're so insensible, then we have no choice but to..." a Star Sea Stage warrior from the Yu Family declared coldly.

"No need to hold back! Kill!"

"Director!" Wang Lan and Yang Yang appeared by Cheng Jianlong's side, surrounded by the heads of various Tianjian Bureau departments.

"Why are you here? Your task was to escort the innocents to safety."

"The mission is complete."

"Complete, huh... Even so, you shouldn't have come. Never mind. Just be careful and protect yourself if anything happens. It seems the worst-case scenario has indeed occurred."

With those words, Cheng Jianlong led a group of Tianjian Bureau experts toward the opposing battlefield.

On the battlefield, the ratio of top-tier experts was roughly equal; the Tianjian Bureau's side even had an additional Titled Strongman.

What did "Titled Strongman" signify? Although also at the Star Sea Stage, a Titled Strongman possessed the power to independently alter a battle's outcome and could single-handedly eliminate a squad of Star Sea Stage experts.

But the Duanmu Family's release of their Contracted Beasts threw the balance of high-end combat power into uncertainty once more.

One-on-one, a Star Sea Stage Exotic Beast was definitely no match for a Star Sea Stage Star Martial Warrior. It was like a sports car racing a large truck. No matter how much stronger or more powerful the truck is, it's not as light or agile as the sports car, which can easily leave it behind.

However, on a chaotic battlefield like this, the weaknesses of the Exotic Beasts were compensated for by expert Star Martial Warriors, while their advantages could be maximized.

Exotic Beasts naturally held an advantage in Star Power, and the damage output of a Star Sea Stage Exotic Beast was terrifying. They could unleash devastating Star Martial Skills—attacks that might be ultimate moves for Star Sea Stage Star Martial Warriors were merely A-rank abilities for these beasts.

As the Exotic Beasts unleashed their fury, the Tianjian Bureau's side had to simultaneously dodge enemy Star Martial Warrior attacks while fending off the terrifying assaults of the beasts.

The battlefield erupted. Watching the colossal, rampaging Exotic Beasts, Wang Lan suddenly had an idea.

"Dragon and Phoenix Auspicious—activate!"

Instantly, a Phoenix Tail Flower insignia appeared on Wang Lan's brow, and simultaneously, two cute little horns sprouted from his forehead.

A dragon's roar echoed. In that instant, Wang Lan's figure materialized before an Exotic Beast.

"Sentient Beings—!"

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