Although the various island races secretly resented the Abyssal Echo, their weakness left them seething in silence, only daring to quietly report the intelligence, hoping for official intervention.

Enforcement City was situated atop towering coral reefs, its structures built from white coral stone and deep-sea crystal ore. From afar, it appeared solemn and majestic, its walls engraved with ancient maxims meant to safeguard the sea's peace.

However, the city within had long decayed: the patrolling guards on the streets wore gleaming armor but their eyes were shifty and unfocused.

From the mansions of officials came the faint clamor of lavish banquets and the crisp clinking of treasures; dust piled upon the case files in the Judgment Hall, while in underground chambers, ledgers recorded resource and energy transactions with various factions—including certain branches of the Abyssal Echo, and clandestine deals.

When news arrived of the Bai Cheng train approaching the core of the Mist Source, the high-ranking Enforcement Officer stationed in the city, Pankai, was toying with a teardrop-shaped blood pearl offered as tribute by the Abyssal Echo.

Upon hearing the report, his thick brows furrowed, and a calculating glint flashed in his eyes.

"Outsiders? An Immortal Level aura... and the ability to break the mist formation?"

Pankai slowly rose to his feet, his heavy Enforcement Officer armor emitting a dull grating sound.

"No matter who they are, acting recklessly in the Emerald Sea is a provocation against the authority of the Enforcement Officers. Not to mention... they've trespassed into the mist zone that the Lord specifically warned about."

His subordinate officers exchanged glances amongst themselves.

They understood well that the so-called 'maintenance of order' was merely a pretext to conceal the delicate balance the city had long since established with the forces within the mist.

Any existence that might disrupt this balance—especially one that threatened the being at the Mist Source Core—must be snuffed out.

"Assemble the First and Third Rapid Response Fleets," Pankai's voice was resolute, yet tinged with a hollow, blustering ferocity. "Under the banner of 'investigating illegal intrusion and maintaining maritime security,' set out immediately to intercept that silver train!"

"Remember, if you encounter resistance, you are authorized to employ the Purification Protocol as the situation warrants—we absolutely cannot allow these outsiders to advance any further!"

As the order was issued, urgent bell tolls and assembly horns sounded throughout Enforcement City.

Several sleek, streamlined Law Enforcement Vessels, docked at the concealed harbor beneath the city, raised their energy sails. The massive, eye-like searchlights embedded in their bows suddenly flared to life, projecting piercing beams of blue-white light.

On the decks, Law Enforcers clad in standard-issue armor hurriedly formed ranks, though many faces bore the weariness of hangovers or an air of nonchalance.

Nevertheless, propelled by the efficient workings of the bureaucratic system, the fleet swiftly departed the harbor, cleaving through the waves as it raced toward the southeast-by-east direction of the Bai Cheng train's advance.

Between sea and sky, on one side, the silver train pierced toward the heart of the mist like a sharp blade; on the other, the law enforcement fleet, flying its ostentatious banners, cut across the sea to intercept.

And deeper within the core of the mist, those cold, giant eyes slowly blinked, silently observing this hunt, now subtly steered toward an official conflict.

The undercurrents of the Emerald Sea, stirred by the intrusion of outsiders and the machinations of conspiracy, were about to churn with unprecedented turbulence.

The aftershocks of the formation's destruction had not yet fully subsided when the silver train, like a sharp arrow, tore through the increasingly dense pink mist, speeding toward the coordinates indicated by the memory fragments.

Shadows beneath the sea's surface writhed uneasily, as if sensing the impending storm.

Suddenly, a sharp, piercing sound tore through the gray, overcast sky.

Several streamlined single-person aircraft dove down from above the mist layer without warning, each one piloted by a humanoid figure clad in pure white combat armor and a full-face helmet.

They wielded elongated laser cannon weapons, their barrels gathering glaring blue-white energy. Without any warning or attempt at communication, they aimed their weapons in unison at the train below.

"Enemy attack! It's the rapid response unit from Enforcement City!" Zi Yuan was the first to detect them, shouting sharply.

She and the other Employees instantly flashed out from various carriage doors, taking up positions in the air around the train to form a protective perimeter.

The aura emanating from these individual Enforcement Officers was not particularly strong, most equivalent only to high-level Transcendents, far from reaching King Level.

However, the ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) laser cannons in their hands contained astonishing destructive power, each blast capable of tearing through ordinary King Level defenses.

More troublesome was that their attacks were not aimed at personnel, but concentrated on bombarding the train's engine compartment, levitation systems, and external armor.

Clearly, their intent was to cripple this mobile stronghold.

"Protect the train!" Leng Ningxue's fingertips spread with frost, forming an arc-shaped ice shield above the train to block several simultaneous laser volleys.

The ice shield trembled violently, cracks spreading across its surface, but it barely held, not shattering.

Yu Nian pressed her hands against the deck, and emerald-green vines erupted wildly from the sea surface, weaving into a net attempting to ensnare the aircraft, but they were evaded by the craft's nimble maneuverability.

The other Employees displayed their respective abilities, some intercepting the cannon fire, others launching counter-harassment attacks. However, being forced to defend the train strictly limited their range of movement.

Only Qingniao—his wings bursting with lightning flashes—transformed into a streak of cyan electricity as he shot skyward, directly confronting the swarm of aircraft.

"Leave them to me." His voice was calm, yet carried a chilling, lethal intent.

High in the sky, Qingniao's speed exploded to its full potential.

The power of King Level Second Tier lightning granted him near-hypersonic assault capability, his figure leaving a series of afterimages in the air.

The first Enforcement Officer didn't even have time to swivel his cannon before Qingniao's lightning spear pierced through his armor, exploding both man and aircraft into a fireball.

Then the second, the third—Qingniao moved like a phantom through the aircraft swarm, each flash accompanied by thunderous detonations and the sound of tearing metal.

The Enforcement Officers' white armor was like paper before the violent lightning; laser cannons were annihilated by the thunderous radiance before they could finish charging.

In the brief span of three breaths, all six of the initially appearing Enforcement Officers had fallen, their wreckage trailing black smoke as they plummeted into the sea.

However, from behind the mist layer came the denser roar of more engines.

As if following a pre-arranged plan, a second and then a third wave of single-person aircraft emerged in succession, their numbers swelling to over twenty, forming a fan-shaped encirclement. The glowing spots of their charging laser cannons connected into a deadly web.

"They're using numbers to stall!" Zi Yuan slashed apart a stray laser beam, frowning as she looked skyward. "Although Qingniao is powerful, if they focus all their efforts on the train, we'll be worn down by a war of attrition in this passive defense."

Qingniao naturally realized this as well.

He hovered at high altitude, his thunderous wings spread wide, electric serpents dancing wildly around him, a look of resolve flashing in his eyes.

"I'll clear the field." Before the words faded, he sharply brought his palms together. Dark clouds gathered and churned in the sky at a visible pace, lightning coursing and brewing within the cloud layer.

"Thunder Prison: Thousand Peals!" Qingniao uttered a low cry. Countless fine yet violent bolts of lightning Slash from the clouds, not aimed at individual targets, but blanketing the entire airspace.

The lightning fell like rain, weaving into a destructive electric net. The aircraft swarm was forced to scatter and evade, but several were still struck, their shields overloading and exploding.

Simultaneously, Qingniao's true form transformed into a bolt of lightning once more, threading through the enemy formation at limit speed.

He no longer sought one-hit kills, but instead used lightning spears to precisely snipe each aircraft's energy core or cannon barrel.

Explosions sounded in an unbroken chain, the sky as if blooming with fiery blossoms.