I Am Your Natural Enemy

Chapter 1074: Chapter 386: Raising the Stakes, Announcement (5k)

"Alright, if there’s nothing for me, I’ll leave first."

Wen Yan didn’t stay here any longer. After confirming the explosion site, ensuring there were no undiscovered blasting points, and establishing that the mountain itself posed no major risks, Wen Yan went to the original location of several small mountains and walked a circle.

He confirmed that the mountain’s aura had been shattered, and there was no longer any trace of the Mountain Ghost. Still not assured, Wen Yan took a step, each step spanning dozens of meters, quickly scouring the mountain area for two hours.

After circling once and verifying there were no issues, Wen Yan added the cracked mountain from last time to the blasting list and handed it over to the Central Plains County Minister.

With the rest of the tasks having nothing to do with him, the Scorching Sun Department adhered to standard procedures where transport trucks were equipped with real-time tracking, and all operations were fully video-recorded, maintaining strict protocols.

Anyone capable of taking on these projects had a clear understanding of what could and could not be done.

Those who lacked insight became cautionary tales for future participants.

Wen Yan traversed the Nether Path, and when he reached the Big Intersection, he squatted at the expanding edge.

This area was gradually transforming from a T-junction into a crossroad, with the newly expanded road already more than two meters wide, which was a certainty.

Wen Yan advanced to the visible end of the road, listening intently. The sound of water flow was already very clear, and the invisible boundary began to gradually diminish.

Turning around to leave, Wen Yan was suddenly engulfed in a lost state, his surroundings becoming an endless wilderness with no points of reference.

It seems that by entering this path, even though it is only a few meters long, one must adhere to the rules of the Nether Path and cannot retrace their steps.

After completing his experiment and preparing to leave, Wen Yan glanced back and, with just that one look, noticed something different.

His lost state ended, and he could still see the road beneath his feet.

After several tests, Wen Yan confirmed that, indeed, you cannot walk back the way you came on this road, but a new option was available.

He could continue forward along this new path.

Wen Yan turned around, closed his eyes, and walked up from the Big Intersection.

Returning home, he invited Tong Si and Feng Wei to stay for a simple meal before Wen Yan began to rest.

The Overlord Effect’s reduction in energy consumption was indeed useful, but after prolonged usage or significant energy use, he still felt fatigued.

As Wen Yan started to rest, on the other side, the Scorching Sun Department was just beginning to get busy.

To ensure maximum efficiency, the number of excavators was maxed out, and transportation vehicles were aligned with the efficiency of the excavators.

Truckloads of soil and rock traveled along the newly constructed dirt road to the highway, speeding off in various directions.

Early the next morning, suitable materials had already begun to arrive at the construction site for road paving preparations.

Except for a few individuals, the workers involved in the operation were unaware that those stones might once have been part of the Mountain Ghost.

Some might think that the supervising architect must be crazy to hang a recorder around and watch for no reason.

But such thoughts rarely went beyond idle musings or post-work drinking sessions.

No one cared about these matters; they only worried whether wages would be paid on time and promised bonuses would be granted.

When a massive machine begins operation, the enormous fortune it carries forward is beyond the obstruction of different races.

The Yellow River remained quiet as ever, showing no anomalies.

Oh, there was something peculiar—a fisherman caught a more than hundred-pound carp and couldn’t resist bragging on social media, only to get lost for a few hours.

In the end, it was the kind-hearted people from the Scorching Sun Department who rescued him, restoring him to normal from his state of disorientation.

The enormous carp weighing over a hundred pounds was also confiscated because, according to local regulations, the water area where he fished was actually prohibited, not just during the fishing ban period. Especially in winter, people must be arranged to patrol the river. Every year, there are fishermen who slip and fall into the river, despite the repeated bans.

After all, Central Plains County is unlike the Northeast, where, in some places during deep winter, it’s okay to drive on the ice. Not so in Central Plains County; some waterfront ice may look thick, but a misstep could see someone falling into the river.

This clearly abnormal carp was taken by the Scorching Sun Department, swiftly analyzed by professionals.

The carp’s body was intact, and upon dissection, its organs were intact as well. Even now, it remained highly active without any signs of decay.

Experts from the department confirmed that it died suddenly, most likely due to a force that crushed its consciousness instantly, obliterating its Demon Soul.

Combined with previous events, it can be concluded that it was the power of the Water Monarch.

Currently, videos of the Yellow River’s surface suddenly erupting, splashing everywhere, making both banks seem as if it suddenly rained, are still online.

This couldn’t be hidden; large patches of mud on both banks are still there.

The conclusion quickly reached the General Director, who after reading the report, immediately picked up the phone to call the Old Celestial Master.

He briefly recounted the report and previous events, then let out a cold chuckle.

"Among the Zhushui System, the most arrogant is the Water Monarch, and the most unruly is the one in the Yellow River.

Though the Huai River had frequent floods, that was because the Water Monarch was neglectfully doing nothing at all.