Chapter 963: Chapter 831: Skillful Coordination
Just as Bentley was astounded by the density of the artillery barrage, Qu Jianlei quietly sensed the military’s defensive base.
In this instance, the perception he released was extremely faint, merely out of curiosity about the army’s cooperation.
As he expected, there were still faint energy fluctuations within the military’s defensive base.
Clearly, the military was prepared not just with artillery barrages and various squads, but also with other subsequent countermeasures.
Qu Jianlei thought it might be something like attack ships—using Flying Mechas against High Tier Awakened was somewhat inadequate.
Amidst the furious artillery barrage, eight convoys completed the encirclement of the target area.
In the area being bombarded, a strong aura arose, undoubtedly of Supreme Level.
From afar, Zi Heng instantly sensed it, subconsciously exhaling lightly, "As expected, it’s Supreme!"
He had always been puzzled about whether the infiltrating Wind Attribute Awakened was A-level or Supreme.
On this matter, Rhine hadn’t provided a definitive answer, only saying it might be A-level or Supreme.
It wasn’t surprising, given the Wind Attribute’s exceptional ability to conceal its aura.
However, this point was crucial for the defenders; if it was truly just A-level, there was no need for such ostentation.
Deploying at most two Supremes, the opponent would have no escape, or perhaps even one Supreme would suffice, at most accompanied by some combat squads.
Zi Heng didn’t even need Rhine’s help; he actively released his perception to finely search the opponent.
However, the situation clearly couldn’t be handled that way. If the opponent truly was a Wind Attribute Supreme, it would assuredly disturb the enemy.
Once they decide to flee, even a Wood Attribute Supreme might not block them.
The situation would be especially dire if more than one Supreme had arrived; it would make the situation more passive.
Zi Heng reckoned there was a significant chance more than one Supreme had come, so caution was necessary during reconnaissance.
Of course, if there truly was only one person, and merely A-level, he would be mercilessly ridiculed for such a big commotion.
However, Zi Heng supreme didn’t mind this—given the military’s style, caution was the utmost priority.
Now confirming that the opposing side truly was a Wind Attribute Supreme demonstrated that his judgment was correct, and grand scale action was the right choice.
The next moment, a deep voice roared angrily, "Don’t push people too far!"
However, immediately after, another Supreme aura arose, this one by a scorching Fire Attribute.
"Warning, immediately surrender and cease resistance, or be killed without mercy!"
This aura came from the searching team, combined with the military secretly deploying a Supreme among the squads.
Immediately, the eight convoys unleashed a salvo to prevent the Wind Attribute Supreme’s escape.
Clearly, the military would rather kill the opponent than let them go.
Though Supremes shouldn’t be killed indiscriminately, near the Celestial Hook Enigma Mansion, such concerns didn’t apply!
Of course, such firepower could harm the Wind Attribute Supreme, but killing them would still be quite difficult.
Meanwhile, the artillery barrage continued, obviously suspecting there were others in the area.
The military’s coordination was highly synchronized, and the artillery was extremely accurate, so the encircling convoys didn’t have to worry about friendly fire.
In this kind of internal and external pincer attack, the Wind Attribute Supreme could only make futile attempts to break through the blockade.
Finally, they were trapped by a Fire Dragon, unable to move left or right.
Regrettably, when the Fire Attribute Supreme attempted to capture them, it was discovered that the opponent was already brain dead.
The news was reported to the military base immediately, yet the military’s artillery barrage continued uninterrupted.
Obviously, they feared other infiltrators and weren’t going to calm down anytime soon.
The Fire Attribute Supreme remained outside the encirclement, ready to eliminate any emerging enemies.
The Wind Attribute Supreme’s body was sent back to the base for the authorities to investigate their identity.
Zi Heng supreme continued to stand guard at the base, clearly wary of an opponent’s ambush.
Qu Jianlei and the others did not know how the Wind Attribute Supreme had died, nor did they even think the person was dead.
Otherwise, they would have discovered that the cause of death was similar to Harman’s, both being poison targeted at the spirit.
Zi Heng roughly inspected the corpse, sighing, "This is to prevent the military from gaining any clues."
If the capture had been live, the military’s interrogation methods were far more diverse than Qu Jianlei and his team’s, making it hard to keep secrets.
Then he ignored Rhine, turned back to the base, and started arranging the next steps.
Of course, he didn’t let the students leave but instead instructed Glory Academy to camp in the field on-site.
In fact, there were still some spare rooms in the base, but they were military zones and generally not open to outsiders.
Anyway, constructing field camps is a mandatory course for higher education institutions, an excellent opportunity for students to gain practical experience.
Zhou Runan, upon receiving the command, could not help but voice his complaint, "Why doesn’t that Wood Attribute guy join the battles instead? He’s quick to order others around!"
Rhine gave him a sharp glare, "Don’t speak carelessly! Aren’t you aware of what the Wood Attribute currently fears?"
It doesn’t really matter if Zi Heng the Supreme stays at the base, but what if he gets targeted with some tailored poison while outside?
Now, the Imperial has made some initial progress in dealing with Paraquat’s toxicity damage. As long as treatment is timely, the problem won’t be too severe.
However, this is the military, not society. Once Zi Heng the Supreme is hit, it will inevitably trigger a series of chain reactions.
Sending him to medical treatment promptly is a must, but in doing so, not only will there be a loss of Supreme combat power, but also troops will need to be dispatched as an escort.
The most critical point is, it might cause some chaos, thus affecting the military’s ability to respond smoothly.
Since that’s the case, there’s really no need for Zi Heng the Supreme to take the risk of joining the battle; commanding from the base will suffice.
After Rhine explained this, she turned around and got back into the off-road vehicle, "Take care of yourselves. The guards will stay behind to help."
"I’ll take a walk around and see if there are any fish that slipped through the net."
Everyone ignored her departure.
But one of her guards reminded, "It’s already dark, please be careful."
Rhine went out because it was dark, as she wanted to search for some Rhodiola rosea.
As the vehicle drove out a little distance, she unleashed her spiritual power, which naturally triggered an alarm.
But the guards had already become numb to it; they had lost count of how many times the alarm went off since the afternoon.
Especially during the recent chaos, aside from the two Supremes using Elemental Power, other Awakened ones also coordinated well.
Now, the alarm sound... was really no longer a concern; it was understandable once people realized it was Rhine who released it.
However, just as she unleashed her spiritual power, she received that thought once more.
This time, the thought indicated a new direction... repeated seven times.
Rhine drove seven kilometers in that direction and slowly came to a stop.
The next moment, a figure appeared at the car door, at an angle where outsiders couldn’t see.
It was Qu Jianlei who came, and he greeted Rhine, "Hello, isn’t this quite a coincidence."
Rhine pulled out a cigarette and lit it; she was the first woman smoking that Qu Jianlei had seen since arriving in the Imperial territory.
She spoke slowly, "I just came by the way, did you come with a team this time?"
"Going solo always has some inconveniences," Qu Jianlei casually replied, "Your reaction was pretty good."
In response to such praise, Rhine smiled faintly; she had been praised countless times before.
But this time, she was a bit pleased, "You noticed my hint of kilometers first."
In fact, she really wanted to ask him what they were doing here, but at the moment... it wasn’t appropriate.
Qu Jianlei asked curiously, "That Wind Attribute... what’s it about?"
"Still investigating," Rhine briefly explained what she knew.
"A poison targeting spiritual power..." Qu Jianlei’s expression turned strange, "I can roughly guess whose handiwork it is."
This kind of poison was incredibly rare, and the mastermind behind Harman’s suicide was very likely related to Balrog.
Seeing that he didn’t explain further, Rhine was too lazy to ask. Some things are better left unknown.
"It should be someone taking a risk, but with the strict guard here, you should all be careful... Thank you for the warning."
Qu Jianlei shook his head at her words, "No need to thank me; we are also concerned about being affected, as that guy has quite a backing."
"Quite a backing?" Rhine thought for a moment before asking, "Wouldn’t suicide to avoid guilt involve significant forces?"
Qu Jianlei calmly replied, "Either way he’s dead. Why wouldn’t he choose self-destruction?"
He had seen Supreme levels self-destruct before—anyway, if they were destined to die, wouldn’t taking a couple with them make sense?
The temper of a Supreme is usually pretty intense; choosing self-destruction not only relieves anger but also maintains dignity.
Rhine was stunned for about ten seconds before she realized, "He chose to poison himself to reduce the military’s alertness?"
Qu Jianlei nodded slightly at her words, "There could be multiple reasons; what you said is just one of them."
But he was somewhat curious inside: Balrog belonged to the Anomalous Management Division, so entering the Celestial Hook Enigma Mansion shouldn’t be difficult, right?
Rhine hesitated for a moment and still asked, "Is the Mansion more attractive to you than the Maiden Star Realm?"
She felt that the other side was strong, but their vision... was somewhat low.
While the two continued their conversation, more than a hundred kilometers away, about a dozen figures watched the distant scene of explosions and fires silently.
After a long while, someone spoke, "Such a big commotion, it’s a bit different from before."
Then someone sighed, "What’s going on, intimidation for someone or pressure from the Anomalous Management Division being too little?"
"Anyway, this is a rare opportunity; the Anomalous Management Division and Balrog... have captured a lot of attention."
"To be honest, I still find it hard to understand; can’t we communicate through normal military channels?"
"Impossible to communicate. The resources once held by the military, how could they give them back to others?"
"Mainly because the Mansion has been underestimated, the good stuff brought out by that Xingluo Academy young one shouldn’t have been let go!"
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