Starforce Warriors-Chapter 608: Savior

"Two to three inches below the navel," Li Xiaofei said. "That’s their weak point—strike there to destroy them."

As soon as he spoke, the Governors battling Ye Liuying, Li Junjie, and Yan Chiyu fell. These three were just below Li Xiaofei when it came to combat ability. They had reacted instantly the moment they heard him and downed their opponents.

The others, however, needed more time. It was during moments like this that the difference in combat ability between everyone became starkly evident. Gu Haochen, the four Dragon Maidens, and Zhang Zhihong were the next to eliminate their opponents. Finally, Ximen Piaoxue, Ren Dong, and Bai Qiqi finished off their adversaries.

In the end, all fifteen Governors were successfully defeated. The sight left the driver and the rest of the convoy stunned, their eyes wide with disbelief. The Governors had been near-invincible against Extraordinary Ones since their first appearance.

In the early days, a handful of renowned and powerful Extraordinary Ones could barely hold their ground against a Governor, but in recent years, no Extraordinary One had managed to win a battle against them.

Now, the Extraordinary Ones of the world were either marked, numbered, and serving as obedient dogs for the Star Council, or were relentlessly hunted by the Governors, living as fugitives in constant fear.

Yet today, they had witnessed the unthinkable as fifteen Governors were killed before their very eyes.

Who are these Extraordinary Ones? Where did they come from?

Li Xiaofei crouched by the body of a fallen Governor, his expression focused as he examined it closely. He reached out and made a precise cut with his fingers. The outer layer of dark golden chainmail split neatly, revealing streams of dark golden liquid metal that began to seep out.

"What material is this?" Li Xiaofei’s voice carried a hint of curiosity as he scrutinized the strange substance.

Li Xiaofei continued to dissect the Governor’s corpse. He discovered that the creature’s muscles and bones were made of a strange metal that could shift between liquid and solid states. This metallic structure contained neural bundles that simulated the blood vessels, bones, and organs of a human body.

When he reached the navel, he found that his sword qi had pierced through a mass of red-and-white tissue mixed with blood-like fluid. Upon closer inspection, Li Xiaofei identified it as the remains of a human brain that had been fused into the structure.

A chill ran through his heart. He carefully examined the bodies of the other Governors and confirmed that each one contained a similarly destroyed brain.

"So, the faint life energy I sensed earlier... it was actually coming from these living human brains?"

The cruelty of it was staggering. Human brains had been forcibly extracted from their skulls and transplanted into these Governor bodies. It seemed that the brain functioned as a control center, like a pilot operating a machine. In other words, each Governor required a living human brain for its creation.

Could it be that the Star Council is hunting Extraordinary Ones to harvest their brains for Governors?

This unsettling thought surfaced in Li Xiaofei’s mind. But it was a hypothesis that required further investigation.

"Gather these corpses. We’ll study them later," Li Xiaofei said as he stood and turned to Li Junjie.

The group returned to the convoy. This time, the bearded driver’s attitude had changed noticeably. The fear in his eyes was now mixed with reverence, and his face carried an expression of flattery.

Even the women and children on the bus looked at Li Xiaofei and his companions with curiosity and awe. The young woman who had been secretly observing Li Xiaofei earlier couldn’t resist stealing more glances at him. Her large eyes beneath her baseball cap were filled with unrestrained curiosity.

The dimpled little girl, however, boldly approached Li Xiaofei.

"Big brother, are you our savior? Did you come to rescue us?" she asked with an innocent, hopeful smile.

Savior?

Li Xiaofei chuckled softly, gently stroking the little girl’s hair. "We’re just passing travelers, unintentionally stealing the spotlight... Hmm?"

His expression suddenly shifted slightly. The sensation under his palm felt unusual. It was different from what a real person’s hair should feel like.

Could this little girl possibly be...?

"Xiao An, come back here," the young woman in the baseball cap called out, her tone firm and slightly anxious.

"Big sister’s calling me." The dimpled little girl said reluctantly before returning to her seat beside the young woman.

The two began whispering to each other, and it seemed like the woman was scolding the girl. Watching this interaction, a flicker of curiosity and suspicion crossed Li Xiaofei’s face.

The sensation I felt while stroking the little girl’s head... How do I describe it? It was nothing like touching a living person. Yet the life force emanating from the girl was indistinguishable from that of a normal human.

Even someone as skilled as Li Xiaofei had detected nothing unusual until he physically touched her. If this dimpled little girl was indeed a cyborg, her level of craftsmanship far surpassed that of the Governors.

Li Xiaofei couldn’t shake the feeling that this convoy was far from ordinary.

The journey that followed was relatively uneventful. Along the way, Li Junjie and the others meditated with their eyes closed, reflecting on their battles with the Governors and consolidating their martial paths.

About a day later, the convoy successfully entered the Qinling region. The survivor camp was located at the peak of the Taibai Mountains, near the area known as Grandpa Lake. This area was geographically unique. A high-altitude spring provided a source of fresh water. Its waters pooled to form a rare mountaintop lake that was safe to drink from.

A milky-white mist rose year-round from the lake. It was said that this mist possessed mysterious properties, shielding the area from detection by the patrol motherships of the Star Council. There were even rumors that the geomagnetic field near Grandpa Lake had special interference effects. Supposedly, even Governors would lose their combat abilities if they ventured too close.

The convoy wound its way through the twisting mountain roads, eventually stopping at the ruins of what was once the inner mountain visitor center of the Taibai Mountains. Beyond this point, there were no roads for vehicles, only footpaths.

Centuries had passed, and the visitor center was now overgrown with wild grass, moss-covered rocks, and creeping vines. Occasionally, the ruins of collapsed buildings peeked through the foliage.

Li Xiaofei surveyed the scene, his heart filled with a mix of emotions. He had visited the Taibai Mountains of his Earth multiple times as a tourist and was deeply familiar with this visitor center. He even had a tumultuous romance with an official tour guide here once, a story that had almost ended in disaster.

Meanwhile, the truck drivers and motorcyclists unloaded supplies from the vehicles, loading them onto portable carts powered by small motors. The women and children from the bus disembarked in an orderly fashion under the guidance of a female motorcyclist. They lined up to receive numbered tags and extra clothing for warmth.

At over 4,000 meters above sea level, the mountain air was bone-chillingly cold.

"Everyone, stay close," the bearded driver instructed as he led the group forward.

He stopped to look back, shouting a stern warning, "Don’t fall behind, and don’t wander off. If you stray into the minefields, no one will be able to save you. Once we reach the midway station, the camp’s soldiers will meet us. Follow their instructions carefully, or you’ll be shot on the spot." ƒree𝑤ebnσvel.com

The group began their ascent. The rugged mountain path slowed their progress, but thankfully, no wild beasts appeared along the way. Li Xiaofei and his companions followed behind the convoy.

"Boss, something about these people feels off," Li Junjie whispered as he walked up to Li Xiaofei.

"These drivers and motorcyclists... they don’t seem like refugees. They’re acting more like traffickers who trade women and children."

Li Xiaofei nodded in agreement. He had noticed it too. The bearded driver, in particular, had clearly been hiding something and had likely not told them the full truth about their situation.