Chapter 447: Chapter 265: Drone and ’Rocket’ (Part 2)
Alexander and the others from the Whig Society struck him as refreshingly straightforward, free of petty schemes and hidden agendas.
Fang Zhen was the type to meet strength with strength. If someone tried to play mind games with him, he wouldn’t consider them a true friend.
But if they were sincere and treated him with honesty, Fang Zhen was more than willing to return the gesture.
Fang Zhen gazed into the distant woods and suddenly spoke. "Those aberrations in the forest are densely packed. It’s a perfect opportunity for a surprise attack."
"Are you afraid of fire? Or, to be more precise, is Lanxi City vulnerable to a fire attack?"
Beside Alexander, West overheard and asked, "A fire attack? You want to go out there and burn those aberrations to death?"
"Lanxi City itself isn’t afraid of fire. We took that into account during its construction. Even if the forest were to catch fire, it wouldn’t reach us. We’ve already transplanted or modified the flammable trees in the immediate vicinity."
"However, the air is so humid this time of year that the forest would be very difficult to ignite. Without a powerful accelerant, a fire attack is unlikely to succeed."
Fang Zhen just smiled. "Don’t worry about that. I have my own way of setting them ablaze."
Anglo shook his head. "I wouldn’t advise it. For one person, it’s a nearly impossible task. The area is swarming with aberrations. How would you even get the fuel into position?"
"It would be one thing if we had prepared fire traps ahead of time, but we’re on a tight schedule. We don’t have time to set anything up now. And it’s far too risky for you to go out there alone."
"Let’s just forget about it," Anglo said. "We shouldn’t be taking such gambles. We should stick to a conventional defense of the city."
West chimed in, "I have to agree with Anglo on this. A fire attack would be ideal, Fang Zhen, but do you even have enough fuel?"
"The area outside the walls is crawling with aberrations. There’s no opportunity to do something like that," West said to Fang Zhen.
Fang Zhen didn’t respond, lost in thought for a moment.
’This siege is going to be costly. I’ll definitely have to use the drones and the other things in my sub-space.’
’Of course, if I could use the sub-space without anyone seeing, I could just take out the drones and it wouldn’t be an issue.’
’But the current situation doesn’t allow for that kind of secrecy.’
’There’s virtually no privacy in Lanxi City. Summoning the sub-space would be incredibly conspicuous. If I do it here and take out the drones, I’ll still have to deal with the Whig Society’s curiosity, not to mention suspicion from the more analytical members.’
’Since I can’t avoid being seen anyway, I might as well be open about it. It will make me seem more trustworthy.’
’Revealing this ability might even boost my standing within the Whig Society.’
Besides, Fang Zhen was well-prepared. He hadn’t just brought drones; he also had a signal relay station with its own power supply.
Having made up his mind, Fang Zhen began to gently trace a circle in the air with his left hand, as if performing an incantation.
In reality, the gesture was a feint. His consciousness was already interfacing with his sub-space.
Instantly, a black hole the size of a teacup appeared in mid-air. It swirled, expanding until it was several meters in diameter.
When Fang Zhen summoned the sub-space, most members of the Whig Society stared in confusion, unsure of what they were seeing. But the society’s upper echelons, including their president, Alexander, wore looks of utter shock.
"What is this ability?" West’s expression was one of pure shock as he stared, dumbfounded, at the black void.
Alexander was equally stunned, but then he seemed to recall something. His gaze shifted to Fang Zhen, a flicker of understanding in his eyes.
After summoning the sub-space, Fang Zhen retrieved a single drone from within.
The drone landed before them, sparking another wave of astonishment.
Fang Zhen didn’t show off any further and dismissed the sub-space.
The swirling, meter-wide black hole rapidly shrank, reverting to the size of a teacup before vanishing completely.
Anglo was dumbfounded. He stared at Fang Zhen in shock. "What... what was that? Where did this thing come from?"
Alexander cleared his throat. As all eyes turned to him, he said, "I believe I’ve read of this ability in our historical records."
"During the golden age of the Curse Sealers, the records state that some masters possessed this ability to retrieve objects from thin air. It was even said that in that era, another technique existed that allowed one to traverse space over great distances to transmit information and supplies."
"One of our society’s former presidents possessed this very power. Unfortunately, he left behind few detailed records—only descriptions. He later went into seclusion and disappeared without a trace."
After speaking, Alexander fixed his piercing gaze on Fang Zhen. "Fang Zhen, you’ve mastered so many curse seals, you possess such talent, and you can summon this space... could you be a descendant of that former president?"
Hearing this, Fang Zhen just smiled faintly.
’It’s fine to let them believe that,’ he thought.
’The worst thing would be to introduce something completely unprecedented to this world. People would struggle to explain or understand it. They would grow fearful, and that fear could lead them to attack me.’
’But if it has appeared before, its reappearance, while rare, is something people can accept.’
Fang Zhen was also quite curious about this predecessor Alexander had mentioned, but now wasn’t the right time to ask questions.
