Qi Ming arrived and slaughtered them all.

Seeing the human who had repelled him last time appear, the Zuluk alien was somewhat surprised, but he continued his advance. Having chased Nagi Saijo and the other four for quite some time, he was riding a wave of momentum and full of confidence.

Qi Ming was more direct, rushing forward quickly to initiate combat—Fire Punishment Palm!

The base was on the verge of self-destruction, so the fight had to be finished quickly. The Zuluk alien held his twin blades across his chest for defense, yet he was still knocked back several meters, nearly falling to the ground. Seeing the Zuluk alien, which had just been slicing bullets and chasing them relentlessly, being knocked back by Qi Ming’s "plain" palm strike, Megumi and the others felt a surge of relief.

Nagi Saijo looked at Dan Moroboshi: "Captain, do you really believe he was just an archaeologist before joining the team?"

What kind of high-risk work did archaeology involve in Shenzhou that required such a powerhouse?

"It's hard to say, but he is undoubtedly our comrade; we must trust him," replied Dan Moroboshi, leaning on his cane and ready to support Qi Ming at any moment.

The Zuluk alien, refusing to believe it, attacked again. It feinted with its blade, then used its wrist strength to spin the weapon, executing a move similar to the "Ang-Dang" slash, attempting a fatal strike from an unexpected and tricky angle. Qi Ming quickly twisted his wrist to evade, easily stifling the fierce assault.

With him pinning the enemy down and holding the front, the four behind him seized the opportunity to fire, covering the Zuluk alien in sparks. Qi Ming did not give it a chance to breathe, leaping into the air and driving his knee into the alien’s head—Sky-Piercing Knee!

The Zuluk alien suffered another heavy blow. Realizing that staying meant certain death, it fled in a panic.

"Officer Megumi, do you know how to shut down the base's self-destruct sequence?" Qi Ming didn't pursue, turning instead to Megumi.

Megumi quickly replied, "We need to use the command center's main control computer to start the backup system and then cancel the program."

Qi Ming nodded, "Good, let's head to the command center!"

Seeing that Qi Ming hadn't recklessly chased the alien, Kiriyama walked up to Dan Moroboshi: "Dan, this new member of yours is not only exceptionally skilled in combat but also has a great sense of the bigger picture."

Dan Moroboshi wanted to agree, but ended up with a sigh: "He is just too calculating; he loses his genuine sincerity when dealing with others..."

The group hurried toward the command center. The path was filled with terrified staff members who, upon seeing the GUTS members, rushed over, asking in trembling voices what to do, crying that they didn't want to die. Staff Officer Kiriyama tried his best to soothe them, but with little effect. Many had lost their rationality under the threat of death, clinging to the group like a lifeline and refusing to let them pass. Nagi Saijo frowned, considering whether to use force to clear the way.

"Don't worry, the main program just suffered a minor glitch. We'll reach the command center and deactivate it, so everything will be fine. Please rest assured, I don't want to die either," Qi Ming stepped forward.

This sincere display of calmness greatly eased their emotions. Yamanaka, standing nearby, remarked, "Being handsome really is amazing; your words are more effective than the Staff Officer's."

With that, Qi Ming cleared the path, allowing the panicked ordinary staff to calm down and wait in place, while bringing along technical personnel like Dr. Yagami who felt they could "be of help."

Upon reaching the command center, they found the door locked from the inside. Kishida took out a tactical cutting saw, drew a rectangular outline on the door, and began flame-cutting. However, the command center door was designed to anti-nuclear and chemical standards, five centimeters thick; under normal circumstances, it would be impossible to cut through in less than half an hour.

And the self-destruct sequence would take effect in one minute!

Nagi Saijo asked Kishida, "Don't you have any 'C2 explosives' on you?" She wanted to blast the door open directly.

Kishida was sweating profusely: "No, and let alone C2, even C4 would have a hard time blowing this door open."

"Is it going to end here?" Even the usually composed Nagi Saijo became anxious. With the main control system locked, the completely sealed maritime base was on the verge of becoming an iron coffin burying everyone inside. Many broke into a cold sweat; the agony of waiting for death left them nearly exhausted, struggling to even stand.

"Let me," Qi Ming said, stepping out from the crowd. He took a deep breath and kicked hard at the spot Kishida had just cut.

Dr. Yagami: "Officer Qi Ming, don't waste your energy. Under these circumstances, human strength cannot possibly work... Am I dreaming?!"

With a loud "bang," to the astonishment of everyone, the door—which was said to be able to withstand nuclear bombardment—was kicked, causing a dent to form.

"Our GUTS equipment quality is actually quite solid," Qi Ming looked at his shoe and kicked again and again, deepening the dent. The thunderous sound echoed in the narrow corridor, making everyone’s heads ring.

Witnessing this, Megumi muttered, "This is simply superhuman."

Kiriyama looked at Dan Moroboshi: where on earth did you find this freak of nature?

Yamanaka: "This isn't scientific!"

Kishida swallowed hard, his eyes filled with shock: "In physics, there do exist biological entities capable of kicking a six-ton door, but in biology, such existences are generally not called human."

At that moment, both realized that during their previous "sparring" in the command center, Qi Ming had been very restrained. Had he gone all out, he likely could have cracked their skulls open.

Dr. Yagami also wore a complex expression. Having followed news about Qi Ming, he had heard that the newcomer had conflicts with the veterans, and he had wanted to find Qi Ming to offer comfort, saying that Japan was just like that, everyone went through it, and he should just get used to it and endure. Now, looking at this... could it be that you were actually the one bullying them?

"Officer Qi Ming, using this might save some effort." Megumi handed over a standard door-battering ram—a solid column with two handles, very simple. She explained that there were no hydraulic door-breachers available at this moment, so they would have to make do with this.

"This is good." Qi Ming grabbed the handles and swung the column. After ten seconds of smashing, he forcibly broke through a gap large enough for a person to crawl through. After finishing, he patted Kishida on the shoulder: "The physical constitution of individuals cannot be generalized; you don't need to feel inferior."

Kishida: "I am not feeling inferior!"

With the base’s destruction imminent, Nagi Saijo was in no mood for jokes. Whether Qi Ming was human or normal, she would know once she saw if he was willing to participate in the full medical exam in two days. She held her gun and crawled into the command center, meeting the stunned gaze of Dr. Toshima.

Wait, you guys can even open this door?

Only he was inside the command center; the woman in sunglasses who had been protecting him was nowhere to be seen. Yamanaka, the second to crawl through, fired a tranquilizer dart, causing Dr. Toshima to collapse. Megumi and Kishida immediately activated the backup system and canceled the self-destruct sequence.

The deadly countdown stopped. People throughout the maritime base, who had been scared out of their wits, breathed frantically, filled with the relief of surviving a catastrophe, realizing how beautiful it was to be alive.

Staff Officer Kiriyama finally felt at ease. He patted Qi Ming on the shoulder: "Officer Qi Ming, you saved everyone in the TPC. You are a true human hero."

Qi Ming found a place to sit down: "Megumi and Kishida also put in a great effort."

This comment surprised Kishida and the others. After all, based on the overbearing style they perceived in Qi Ming, he would usually have accepted the praise with a comment like "That goes without saying."

Now that he had become so humble... was he just putting on an act because Staff Officer Kiriyama was present? That didn't seem right either; he had previously dared to beat them, his seniors, right in front of the higher-ranking Staff Officer Gondo. He really was unpredictable.

At this moment, Dan Moroboshi, using some unknown method, caused Dr. Toshima to briefly regain consciousness and barely maintain his sense of self, no longer acting as a puppet for the Pira aliens.

"Be careful, we have... a traitor among us who is an alien!" The first words he spoke upon waking made everyone’s hearts tighten.