Chapter 559: Chapter 554: The Grand Finale (Part 4)
Du Mu also didn’t know what was going on.
Half a month ago, he started having nightmares every night when he went to sleep, always dreaming about his old house before they moved when he was young, and the mutated orchid that never grew under the wall.
It was said that this mutated orchid was brought out from the depths of Nanling by his great-grandfather, extremely rare and priceless.
But later, for some unknown reason, the orchid suddenly withered, leaving only two orchid seeds.
His grandfather then replanted the seeds into a flowerpot and took great care of them, carrying them wherever he went.
He didn’t understand the reason until he awakened his mutated wood ability, and then his grandfather told him the reason.
As long as they carried this mutated orchid, they could freely enter and exit the depths of the Nanling Pollution Zone without any attack from mutant beasts.
But the growth conditions for this mutated orchid were extremely harsh, requiring a wood element ability user to channel their superpower into it daily and take meticulous care to keep it alive for a long time.
He found it troublesome, so he let his cousin, who also awakened the wood ability, take care of the mutated orchid.
After all these years, it was the first time he dreamed about it for several consecutive days.
He felt that something might happen to the mutated orchid, so he quickly took a few days off to fly back to his hometown to check.
To his surprise, the closer he got to his southern hometown, the faster his heart pounded, almost mimicking the rhythm of palpitations.
Soon afterward, he received an S-level mission from the Security Department, asking detectives familiar with the situation in the Nanling Pollution Zone to go on a mission there.
For some unknown reason, he always felt as if someone was divinely guiding him to make a trip to Nanling.
He went to his cousin’s house, took the mutated orchid, and rushed non-stop to Nanling, learning about a mysterious inverted triangle building that appeared in Region 318217.
But so far, besides his family’s Leader Ji and Vis from Beizhou, no one could approach there.
Even Hua Continent’s current top force could not enter, and they issued tasks hoping for collective wisdom and concerted efforts.
Du Mu looked down at the flowerpot in his arms and slightly frowned.
He whispered, "So you’re the one who called me here?"
After a few minutes, Ye Xingyan and Fu Lishen came over together.
"Du Mu, is this the mutated plant your ancestors brought out back then?" Ye Xingyan gazed at the plant in Du Mu’s arms with shining eyes.
Du Mu thought of his identity and understood.
The Ye Family always knew about the great-grandfather’s matters, and their surveillance on his family never lessened.
"No, it’s the offspring of that plant."
"It left seeds too? Not bad. Let me see."
Du Mu carefully handed over the mutated orchid in his arms.
Then he was taken to a temporary laboratory, watching the researchers carefully take a leaf from the mutated orchid for study.
Du Mu waited for a while, seeing that they were still researching the mutated orchid and were in no hurry to enter the region, growing somewhat impatient.
The closer he got to this place, the faster his heart pounded, always feeling that something inside that mysterious region was attracting him.
Even the superpower inside his body was starting to stir.
"Professor Ye, aren’t we going in? We can take the mutated orchid with us," Du Mu suggested, glancing at the watch on his wrist.
But Ye Xingyan’s words slightly changed his expression, "No rush, study this first. By the way, this area is not very safe. I’ll have someone send you away as soon as possible."
What?
Before he could speak, Ye Xingyan continued, "That’s Ji Ning’s instruction. She said to keep you away from here."
"Why?" Du Mu was bewildered.
Ye Xingyan set down the instrument in his hand, looking at him, and said, "To protect you. Who knows if back when your ancestor escaped, it was an enemy’s plot? For your safety, she already ordered to protect your identity, not letting you come to Nanling, especially since you brought this mutated plant. You definitely can’t stay here."
"But..."
"Du Mu, follow the orders! Ji Ning said she doesn’t want her people in danger for a potential threat."
Du Mu was stunned, even the heart palpitations that troubled him eased a lot.
"Leader... how long have they been in?"
"Over 10 days, I think."
Du Mu’s eyes turned slightly red, and his clenched fists tightened at his sides, his lips pressed firmly to hold back tears.
After a long time, he said, "Professor Ye, I still can’t leave. My body is already having anomalies, the closer I get here, the more that region attracts me. Only if I go in, you guys will know the secrets inside."
Ye Xingyan frowned slightly, examining him for a while and said, "Come over, let me check you."
After half an hour, Ye Xingyan looked at the freshly produced reports, examining him again.
"How long has this been happening?"
"Over 10 days, probably the same time the leader went in. So I suspect it’s her using some special method, wanting me to go in to save her."
Ye Xingyan frowned, pacing back and forth in the lab, muttering, "But Ji Ning ordered..."
"Professor Ye, what if? What if she is really calling for help?" Du Mu’s voice sounded urgent.
Ye Xingyan stopped in his tracks, worry creeping onto his face. A woman as powerful as Ji Ning, she’d handle things even if something happened.
Would she really be asking them for help?
Or was that potential threat Ji Ning previously hypothesized at play?
Du Mu saw his continuous hesitation, feeling very anxious, truly worried about Ji Ning’s safety.
He was really fearing that sensation was a signal from Ji Ning.
"Professor Ye..."
"Du Mu, I know you’re anxious, but we can’t defy Leader Ji’s orders. How about this, tell us how to go in, and we’ll send an elite team in to investigate. The superpower warriors have a mutated wood ability user."
Seeing Ye Xingyan’s immense caution, Du Mu had to suppress the urge to enter.
Two hours later, a vanguard team composed of 16th Rank Superpower Warriors, carrying the mutated orchid, entered that mysterious region.
Whether it was a psychological effect or not, after entering with the mutated orchid, the pressure around them decreased significantly.
Standing inside the inverted triangle building, Quell Vis coldly watched the approaching team, saying, "A bunch of fools courting death."
He extended a hand, the aged skin clinging to the bone like bark.
An oval green stone, the size of an egg, suddenly appeared in his palm, emitting a pure green light, even more dazzling than the green light in Beizhou’s reaction pool.
The eyes of the Mutant Beast King lying at his feet flashed with greed, "God Lord, using such a precious Green Star Stone on such ants is a waste."
Quell Vis looked at the low-level energy in his hand, saying blandly, "Who said this is for them?"
"Then what is it for?"
"Ji Ning can barely hold on, it can sustain her life."
The Mutant Beast King couldn’t help but glance in a particular direction, sympathy and envy flickering in his eyes.
"And these people?"
"Let them come if they wish, they can’t get in here anyway."
Quell Vis turned and walked briskly to where Ji Ning was.
Meanwhile, Ji Ning, undergoing the Divine Trial, was surrounded by a green halo, obscuring her specific situation.
But beneath the halo, her body was already bruised and battered, her internal organs, bones, blood endlessly cycling through destruction and reformation, more painful than the torments endured in childhood by thousands of times.
The agony left her without strength to curse, curling up on the ground.
The white light in her ear stud wasn’t keeping pace with her injuries.
Suddenly, Quell Vis’s slightly worn voice seemed to come from not far away.
"Ji Ning, hang in there, once you endure the Holy Light Baptism, you will become a true god."
Ji Ning struggled to open her eyes, the blood-red pupils looking haunting.
Quell Vis’s heart tensed, hurling the Green Star Stone in his hand over vigorously.
