Marvel: The other side of the double-passing door is Devouring the Stars

Chapter 448 Destroy the Energy Center!

Amidst the flames and smoke, they could vaguely make out a figure standing unsteadily. When the smoke cleared, Rowan's figure came into view. His clothes were torn to shreds, and he had several burns on his face, but overall he was unharmed.

“I’m fine,” Rowan said, panting. “Where’s that Kara man?”

“They must be blown to smithereens,” Thor said, inspecting the explosion site. “Even the spaceship was pulverized, let alone the people inside.”

“What a pity,” Hong said regretfully, “If we could have captured him alive, we could have obtained more information about the Kara civilization.”

“He never intended to return alive,” Rowan calmly analyzed. “This was a suicidal reconnaissance mission. His objective was to assess the strength of Earth's martial artists, then perish together with them to prevent information leaks.”

"That's ruthless," Thor remarked.

“No, it’s truly foolish,” Hong shook his head. “He thought that by dying together with you, he would achieve his goal, but he didn’t know that your strength far exceeded his imagination.”

“This illustrates a point,” Rowan said seriously, “that the Kara civilization’s intelligence on Earth isn’t entirely accurate. They don’t know that some of us have been to space and received training from the Virtual Universe Corporation.”

“This is our advantage,” Hong nodded. “We can take advantage of this information gap.”

Just as the three were discussing, the roar of fighter jets came from afar. The Earth Federation Forces' reinforcements had finally arrived. Dozens of fighter jets circled overhead, and ground troops began to cordon off the area.

A middle-aged man in a general's uniform stepped off the helicopter and strode toward the three men.

"Master Luo Wen, Master Hong, Master Lei Shen," the general saluted respectfully, "I am Wang Hu, Commander of the Northwest Military Region. May I ask what has happened?"

"A reconnaissance ship from the Kara civilization arrived on Earth ahead of schedule," Rowan reported briefly. "It contained a Kara warrior at the eighth rank of the stellar level. He detonated the ship during the battle and has been destroyed."

"Eighth-tier Stellar-level?" Wang Hu gasped. "That's... an extremely powerful enemy."

“They are indeed very strong,” Rowan nodded, “but we are stronger. This battle has proven one thing: the ordinary combat power of the Kara civilization does not pose an absolute threat to us.”

"That's good, that's good," Wang Hu breathed a sigh of relief. "I'll report to headquarters immediately. By the way, is there any debris at the scene that can be recovered for research?"

“The spaceship has been blown to pieces,” Hong said, “but there should still be some debris scattered around that can be collected for technical analysis.”

“Understood, I’ll arrange it immediately,” Wang Hu turned to his subordinates and ordered, “Search all the wreckage with full force, don’t miss a single fragment!”

The soldiers immediately sprang into action, using specialized equipment to conduct a thorough search of the explosion site.

"Although we successfully repelled the reconnaissance ship this time, it also exposed a problem," Rowan turned to Hong and Thor, "The fact that the enemy was able to bypass our outer defense network shows that their stealth technology is very advanced. If the main fleet also uses this technology, our defense system may be completely ineffective."

“That’s right,” Hong said, frowning. “We must upgrade our detection system, otherwise we won’t even know when the enemy is at our doorstep.”

“And this was just a small reconnaissance ship,” Thor added. “If a full fleet had suddenly appeared, the consequences would have been unimaginable.”

“I will report this to CEO Elena,” Rowan said, “to see if Virtual Universe can provide more advanced detection equipment.”

The three stayed at the scene for a while longer to make sure nothing was missed before returning to the Huaxia base city.

By the time I returned to the command center, it was almost dawn. The entire command center was brightly lit, and everyone was busy at work. Tonight's unexpected events had made everyone realize that the crisis had arrived much faster than anticipated.

“Master Rowan,” the commander greeted him, “you are injured?”

“It’s just a minor injury, nothing serious,” Rowan waved his hand. “Commander, I suggest we hold an emergency meeting immediately to discuss how to deal with a possible surprise attack.”

“I have already notified all the responsible parties,” the commander nodded. “The meeting will begin in half an hour.”

Half an hour later, the conference room was filled with high-ranking officials from the Earth Federation. Hong Shuizhu, the heads of various martial arts schools, military generals, government officials—all the important figures were present.

Rowan gave a detailed report on the encounter that night, including the strength of the Kara, their fighting style, and their advantage in stealth technology.

"The situation is more serious than we anticipated," a senior government official said worriedly, "if the main fleet also employs this method of surprise attack..."

“Then we must be prepared to fight in the shortest possible time,” Hong Shuizhu interrupted him. “Panic is useless; what we need are practical and feasible countermeasures.”

“That’s right,” General Justin, the Commander-in-Chief of the military, stood up. “I propose that, from this moment forward, all warriors at the War God level and above be placed on Level One combat readiness. Simultaneously, rapid reaction forces should be established around major base cities to ensure a response time of ten minutes to any contingency.”

“I agree,” Hong Shuizhu nodded. “The Limitless Martial Arts Academy is willing to fully cooperate.”

"The same goes for Thunder Martial Arts School," the school's owner stated.

Other factions also expressed their support. At this critical juncture of life and death, past conflicts and competitions became insignificant. Now, everyone had only one goal—to protect the Earth.

“Furthermore, we need to explain the situation to the public,” a government official said. “The explosion tonight was so large that it couldn’t be kept secret. Rather than letting rumors spread, it’s better to proactively release information.”

“Agreed,” General Justin nodded, “but be careful with your wording to avoid causing panic. Emphasize that we successfully repelled the enemy reconnaissance and demonstrate our strength.”

The meeting had just ended less than half an hour ago, and Luo Wen was preparing to go back to his room to rest when his communicator suddenly rang urgently.

"Master Luo Wen!" General Wang Hu's anxious voice came through the communicator, "Something terrible has happened!"

"What's going on?" Rowan's heart tightened.

"Just ten minutes ago, Qinglan City, about eighty kilometers from where the spaceship crashed last night, was attacked," Wang Hu's voice was filled with obvious panic, "Multiple explosions suddenly occurred in the city center, causing numerous casualties!"

"What?!" Rowan's expression changed drastically. "An attack by the Kara?"

“We suspect it is, but we can’t be sure yet,” Wang Hu said. “The scene was chaotic, with fire and smoke everywhere. Even more terrifying, witnesses reported seeing flying monsters moving between buildings, specifically attacking densely populated areas.”

"I'll be there right away," Rowan said, about to hang up.

“Wait, Master Luo Wen,” Wang Hu said hurriedly, “I’ve already notified Master Hong and Master Lei Shen; they’re on their way to Qinglan City. Also, I’ve dispatched three rapid response teams, but I’m afraid…” “Afraid of what?”

“I’m afraid our ordinary troops are no match for them,” Wang Hu said, his voice tinged with helplessness. “The first squad to arrive has been completely wiped out; all fifteen warriors at the general level have perished.”

Luo Wen gasped. While warriors at the general level weren't top-tier, they weren't easily wiped out. The fact that a general-level squad could be eliminated in such a short time indicated the enemy's immense strength.

"Understood. Evacuate the residents of Qinglan City immediately and minimize casualties," Luo Wen ordered. "Also, block all roads leading to the city center to prevent more people from entering the danger zone."

"clear!"

After ending the communication, Luo Wen's figure transformed into a streak of light and soared into the sky. He flew towards Qinglan City at top speed, and along the way he could see a large number of vehicles fleeing from Qinglan City on the highway below. It was clear that many citizens had realized the danger and had begun to evacuate spontaneously.

“The reconnaissance ship wasn’t operating alone last night,” Rowan thought quickly during the flight. “There must be other Kara who infiltrated Earth. They slipped away quietly while our captain drew our attention with his self-destruction last night.”

This was a meticulously planned scheme. A conspicuous reconnaissance ship was used as bait to draw the attention of Earth's strongest martial artist, allowing others to infiltrate. The attack on Qinglan City was likely just the beginning.

In less than ten minutes, Rowan could see the outline of Qinglan City. This city, which should have been brightly lit and bustling, now presented a terrifying scene.

Thick smoke billowed from the city center, and dozens of high-rise buildings were ablaze. The flames illuminated half the sky, and the intense heat could be felt even several kilometers away. Explosions echoed continuously, each accompanied by the collapse of buildings and screams of agony.

"This is terrible," Rowan gritted his teeth and sped up.

He first arrived at the largest explosion site in the city center. This was originally the most bustling commercial plaza in Qinglan City, where tens of thousands of people worked and shopped. But now, the entire plaza had been razed to the ground, and ruins and corpses were everywhere.

The survivors scattered in terror, some still engulfed in flames, screaming in agony. Rescue workers were desperately trying to save the wounded, but the sheer number of casualties overwhelmed them.

"Master Rowan!" A rescue team leader, his face covered in dust, saw Rowan as if he were a savior. "Great, you've finally arrived!"

"How is the situation?" Rowan asked quickly.

“It’s terrible,” the rescue team leader said, pointing around. “At least three thousand people are dead, and tens of thousands are injured. And the attackers are still active; our warriors can’t stop them at all.”

Where are the attackers?

“They’re everywhere,” the rescue team leader said. “They move incredibly fast and seem to be able to become invisible. They often appear suddenly, attack, and then disappear again.”

Just then, a loud crash came from not far away. A thirty-story building broke in half and collapsed with a deafening roar. Smoke and dust billowed into the sky, and countless pieces of debris flew in all directions.

"Another building has collapsed!" the rescue team leader exclaimed.

Rowan immediately flew towards the collapsed building. In his mental perception, there were still many signs of life beneath the rubble, all of them trapped civilians. But what concerned him more was a rapidly moving energy fluctuation above the ruins.

“Found you,” Rowan said, a glint of light flashing in his eyes.

He accelerated towards the location of the energy fluctuation. As he approached, he could see that it was a Kara person wearing special cloaking equipment. This Kara person was short, about 1.5 meters tall, but extremely fast, leaping between buildings and continuously firing energy cannons at the ground.

"Stop!" Rowan roared, and the laws of storm condensed into a chain, which he swung toward the Kara man.

The Kara sensed danger and immediately changed direction. But Rowan's attack was faster; the Storm Chains wrapped precisely around his waist, pulling him down from the air.

“Damn it!” the Kara cursed in the universal language, struggling to break free.

Rowan gave him no chance. The storm's power suddenly tightened, slamming the Kara into the ground. With a loud bang, a large crater was created in the ground, and the Kara was embedded at the bottom of the crater. His invisibility gear was also rendered ineffective by the impact, revealing his true form.

“Seventh-tier Stellar-level,” Rowan sensed the opponent’s strength, “slightly weaker than the one from last night, but still not to be underestimated.”

He landed at the edge of the crater and stared coldly at the Kara man.

"Are you the one who attacked this city?" Rowan questioned.

The Kara man spat out a mouthful of blue blood, grinning maliciously, "It's not just me, there are five of us. This city is destined to be ruins tonight!"

"Five?" Rowan's heart sank.

Just then, Hong and Thor arrived. They landed beside Rowan from different directions.

"Rowan, how's the situation?" Hong asked.

“This is not good,” Rowan said, pointing to the Kara man in the pit. “According to him, there were five attackers. We must find the other four as soon as possible.”

“Then what are we waiting for?” Thor rolled up his sleeves. “Search now!”

“Wait,” Hong stopped him, “Qinglan City covers an area of ​​over 500 square kilometers. A blind search would be too inefficient. We need a better method.”

“I have a plan,” Rowan said. “The three of us will simultaneously release our mental energy and conduct a thorough scan of the surrounding area, starting from the city center. Although the Kara people have cloaking equipment, their life energy fluctuations cannot be completely concealed.”

“Good idea,” Hong agreed. “Let’s do it.”

The three acted immediately. They formed a triangle, surrounding Qinglan City, and then simultaneously released powerful mental energy.

Three streams of spiritual energy spread outwards like radar waves, scanning every corner of the city. All signs of life were captured, and the life fluctuations of millions of citizens were clearly visible in their perception.

However, among these normal life fluctuations, there are a few exceptions. Those fluctuations are stronger, more aggressive, and bear obvious characteristics of extraterrestrial life.

"Southeast, twelve kilometers away," Rowan was the first to spot, "there are two Kara people destroying the energy center!"

"About eight kilometers to the northwest," Hong also made a discovery, "a Kara man is at the water treatment plant, looks like he's planning to poison it!"

(End of this chapter)