The tank soon arrived at its destination. Ren Junhui and his three crew members stepped out to see a group of people gathered around.

Some wore white lab coats, others wore Secret Inspection Bureau uniforms. Among them was a man they knew well, the S Class Martial Arts Family they had seen on TV—Zhou Yuanjue, who was now as famous as a celebrity on the Donghua Network.

At that moment, Zhou Yuanjue was standing in the middle of a wide-open training ground. Several hundred meters away, the people in lab coats and Secret Inspection Bureau personnel seemed to be calibrating some equipment.

The military officers in charge at the site walked over to them. One was their squad’s direct superior, Lieutenant Colonel Huang Ze of the tank battalion. Beside Huang Ze stood Lei Yi, dressed in the sharp attire of the Military Department.

After the Banku incident, Lei Yi’s mental state had been affected because he had manifested his persona for a prolonged period. However, two months had passed, and he had mostly recovered. When he heard that Zhou Yuanjue had come out of seclusion and requested to borrow weapons from the Military Department for a strength test, he had hurried over to watch.

The four members of Ren Junhui’s squad glanced at Zhou Yuanjue with some surprise before saluting Huang Ze and Lei Yi.

"Battalion Commander, what are our orders?"

Ren Junhui asked Huang Ze.

"Well..."

To Ren Junhui’s surprise, Huang Ze, a man known for his decisive and swift actions, actually showed a hint of hesitation.

Huang Ze frowned slightly and turned to Lei Yi. "I need to confirm with you one more time. Are we really doing this? You should know the risks. This is no child’s play, nor is it a joke. If something goes wrong, who can take responsibility? Some things can’t be done just because you think you can do them."

"Just do as I say. If anything happens, I’ll take full responsibility. Carry out the order."

Lei Yi said with a nod.

"Alright. If you insist, I’ll carry out the order."

Huang Ze said with a sigh.

"Battalion Commander, what exactly is the mission?"

Standing by, Ren Junhui and his crew grew more and more confused. What kind of mission would make Huang Ze hesitate so much?

"Your mission is simple."

Hearing Ren Junhui’s question, Huang Ze turned and pointed toward Zhou Yuanjue. "Maneuver your tank. From a distance of one hundred and fifty meters, fire on that man. It’s that simple."

Upon hearing this command, Ren Junhui and his men were visibly stunned, as if they had misheard.

"Did you not hear me? I’ll repeat myself. Aim at that man. Maneuver your tank. From a distance of one hundred and fifty meters, fire on him. It’s that simple."

Huang Ze repeated, his expression grave.

"It’s that simple?! Are you kidding me?"

Ren Junhui said in a low voice, taking a deep breath.

"This is our newest model of tank, equipped with the latest Armor Piercing Bullet! It can penetrate sixty to seventy centimeters of steel plate from two hundred meters!"

"And now, you want me to use this devastating weapon on a person?!! A person made of flesh and blood, a carbon-based lifeform?!! I’m a Warrior, not an executioner!"

"Even if he’s done something wrong, he doesn’t deserve to die in such a cruel way!!"

Ren Junhui said in a low, agitated voice.

"Calm down. This isn’t a punishment or some conspiracy. It was his own request."

"And, I’ll repeat myself one more time."

Huang Ze stared grimly at Ren Junhui and said, enunciating each word: "Follow. Your. Orders!"

Ren Junhui was taken aback. Finally, he snapped to attention and saluted. "Yes, sir!"

The four men moved quickly and got into the tank.

The tank slowly rumbled to life. The cannon turned, aiming in Zhou Yuanjue’s direction.

"Yuan Jue, when you’re ready, we can begin!"

Lei Yi said to Zhou Yuanjue, extending his magnetic field.

Standing in the training ground, Zhou Yuanjue looked up and gave a nod to Zhong Hongyu and the others nearby. Once he confirmed everything was ready, he began to move.

VMM!!

The Southern Dipper Immortal Seat flickered. Silvery starlight and a red magnetic field gradually covered his body. Behind him, a Starlight Phoenix appeared with its wings spread, beautiful and powerful.

First, he would face the tank cannon in his current state. Then, he would switch to a state with his Star Cells activated to test the difference between the two.

Inside the tank, Ren Junhui watched everything through the periscope, equally shocked by Zhou Yuanjue’s power.

But he still didn’t believe the man could withstand a direct hit from a tank cannon.

’Dozens of centimeters of steel plate...’

He knew exactly what that meant.

"Commander, shell is loaded!"

"Commander, target acquired!"

"Commander, do we fire?!"

"..."

The voices of his crewmen echoed in Ren Junhui’s ears. He took one last, long look through the periscope at the expressionless figure, then grit his teeth.

"Fire!!"

BOOM!!

The tank cannon roared, and the shell was fired. The immense recoil kicked up a cloud of yellow sand and dust around the vehicle.

Trailing a tongue of flame, the shell sped toward Zhou Yuanjue.

Huang Ze’s pupils contracted sharply.

The moment the shell was fired, Zhou Yuanjue’s eyes flew wide open.

Huang Ze saw clearly as Zhou Yuanjue threw a punch to meet the incoming shell.

Whether he succeeded or not, his unparalleled dominance and sheer audacity in that moment had already won Huang Ze’s deep admiration.

’What an unbelievable man!’

BOOM!!!

In a violent explosion, the shell collided with Zhou Yuanjue’s powerful magnetic field and his fist. Sparks and smoke filled the air as shockwaves spread out frantically, the terrifying impact palpable even from hundreds of meters away.

’Even an S Class would find it hard to survive such terrifying power, right? After all, this is the cornerstone of modern Human Society.’

Ren Junhui stared intently through the periscope as the smoke from the explosion slowly cleared, revealing the scene within.

In the center of a crater formed by the blast, a mangled, humanoid figure lay on the ground. The sight was deeply unsettling.

’Of course... Of course... Even an S Class couldn’t block that...’

A dazed look appeared on Ren Junhui’s face.

’This is bad!!’

Seeing this, Huang Ze’s heart lurched, and his expression turned ugly. Although they weren’t in the same branch, he didn’t want to see someone like Zhou Yuanjue, who had made such huge contributions to the country, be destroyed here.

Just as he was about to call for the medical team, Lei Yi placed a hand on his shoulder, stopping him.

Huang Ze froze for a moment. Then, he seemed to notice a strange glimmer of starlight and turned back toward Zhou Yuanjue.

The mangled figure slowly climbed to its feet. Under the searing heat of the silvery starlight, its blasted flesh writhed and regenerated. In less than fifteen seconds, the man who had looked beyond saving was restored to his original, perfect condition.

Ren Junhui and Huang Ze’s mouths fell slightly open, their faces frozen in a state of shock.

’The physical repairs instantly consumed nearly half of my Star Magnetic Field.’

’As expected, it’s hard to truly face the latest high-intensity heavy weaponry head-on with just my base body...’

’Hmm, the Attack Power of the Plague of Rebellion is probably a bit weaker than a tank’s main cannon. That must be why I felt I couldn’t take it head-on...’

’Now, let’s see what I can do after activating my Star Cells.’

Zhou Yuanjue stood in the ruins, pondering for a moment. He didn’t immediately start the next round of testing, because he needed to get something to eat to replenish his spent energy.