Reborn as a lotus, she initially refuses to hand it over to the state.

Chu Zhou didn't give any further instructions. Although Little Jinbao was a chatterbox, it wasn't stupid. The more important something was, the more it understood its importance.

"Set off."

As Chu Zhou gave the order, Little Jinbao took the lead in flapping its wings and soaring into the sky, followed closely by twenty birds.

Most of them are third-tier flying birds, and the fastest ones have already faintly touched the mid-third tier.

Twenty-one figures swept across the sky above Black Dragon Lake and quickly disappeared among the southern mountains.

Beneath the surface of the lake.

Xuanjia let out a low growl.

More than three hundred water demons, following a three-part formation, successively infiltrated the underground river.

The first part mainly features water monsters of the turtle and tortoise species.

Their hard shells are responsible for clearing paths and stabilizing water flow.

The second part features fish-like water monsters, who are the most numerous and responsible for direct combat.

The third part consists of water monsters of the snake and eel type, scattered on both sides and at the rear of the team, constantly scouting for any anomalies in the underground river.

Xuanjia was positioned at the very front of the formation.

After its massive body entered the underground river, it almost blocked most of the waterway.

As the water-suppressing patterns on its back lit up, the originally turbulent water flow actually parted to both sides, making way for a stable passage for the team behind.

The Zhenhai Navy's first expedition officially began.

……

One hour later.

Eastern Lingnan.

Little Jinbao led the bird scout team to the outer perimeter of Qingshi Reservoir first.

It did not approach directly, but hovered at an altitude of several thousand meters.

Looking down from here, the entire reservoir is completely different from the old map provided by Chen Mo.

After the second spiritual energy tide, the reservoir area expanded by at least six or seven times.

The mountain streams that originally connected to the reservoir have now become wide waterways.

Large cracks appeared on the east side of the dam, and turbid water kept gushing out from the cracks, flowing into a river valley that leads to the coast.

The surrounding mountains and forests were unusually quiet.

Not to mention birds and beasts, you can't even hear the chirping of insects.

Little Jinbao lowered his altitude slightly, his sharp eyes scanning the water's surface, and soon spotted the corpse floating on the shore.

There are not only dead fish here, but also a large number of marine creatures that should not be in inland reservoirs.

A mutated shark, over ten meters long, floated belly up on the surface of the water, its abdomen ripped open with a huge wound.

Several millstone-sized crabs were stuck in the shallows, their shells crushed by some force.

Further away, a thick sea snake was reduced to half its body.

Little Jinbao's eyes narrowed slightly.

These sea creatures clearly did not die of natural causes.

The creatures in the reservoir are also preying on aquatic animals that have flowed inland from the East China Sea.

"Separate reconnaissance teams must maintain a distance of at least one kilometer."

The twenty birds quickly dispersed.

They circled around the outside of the reservoir, but never entered the airspace above the center of the reservoir.

Little Jinbao then set his sights on the western shore.

There were six off-road vehicles and two armored vehicles from the Ninth Bureau parked there.

Dozens of people are setting up a temporary camp next to the reservoir.

Psionic detectors and heavy weapons were set up around the tent.

A middle-aged man in a black combat uniform stood on the shore, staring at the water.

This man's name is Gu Changhe.

He is the captain of the Lingnan Water Area Action Team of the Ninth Bureau.

A fourth-tier early-stage awakener.

Its ability is water-based superpower.

With the passage of time recently, after the release of the martial arts cultivation system, all the awakened individuals of the Ninth Bureau of the Dragon Kingdom...

Currently, there are quite a few people who have broken through to the fourth rank. Just a few days ago, Lu Cang, who was originally stuck at the peak of the third rank, also broke through.

Gu Changhe was among the second batch of awakened individuals to break through, which is why he came here today.

The main issue is that three days ago, his younger brother, Gu Changjiang, led a civilian rescue team into Qingshi Reservoir and has been out of contact ever since.

Gu Changhe's ostensible purpose in coming here was to investigate the unusual phenomena at the reservoir, but his real purpose was to bring his younger brother back.

Live to see people, die to see corpses.

A teammate next to him put down his binoculars and whispered, "Captain Gu, there are birds in the sky."

Gu Changhe looked up.

Soon, the golden figure hovering high in the sky came into view.

His expression changed instantly: "It's that golden bird from Black Dragon Mountain."

The team member instinctively gripped his weapon tighter: "Captain, could it be that the Qinglian Forbidden Zone has also set its sights on the Qingshi Reservoir?"

Gu Changhe looked serious. Xiao Jinbao had appeared on the outskirts of Heilong Mountain many times before, and the Ninth Bureau was no stranger to it.

A highly intelligent fourth-order bird.

Its presence here means that Heilongshan has taken notice of Qingshi Reservoir.

Gu Changhe said in a deep voice, "No one is allowed to attack first. Our mission is search and rescue, not to start a war with the Qinglian Forbidden Zone."

One of the younger team members couldn't help but ask, "But what if they come and try to take over the reservoir?"

Gu Changhe glanced at him and said coldly, "We'll have to get out of here alive first before it's our turn to fight over it."

He pointed to the dark water: "Besides, what's down there is more dangerous than that bird in the sky."

Everyone instantly became alert. Just half an hour earlier, an underwater probe had only dived fifty meters before being torn apart by something.

In the final footage transmitted back, only a gray-black tentacle was visible, and the thing was much larger than the portion shown in the video.

High in the sky.

Little Jinbao also discovered a human camp.

Instead of approaching, it relayed the situation back to Black Dragon Lake through the Azure Lotus Mark.

"Master, a team from the Ninth Bureau has been spotted on the west bank of the reservoir. They consist of about forty people and are led by a fourth-tier human."

Chu Zhou's voice quickly followed: "Continue to observe. If they don't attack first, ignore them."

Little Jinbao responded and continued flying around the reservoir.

When it flew over the dam on the east side, it suddenly smelled an extremely strong fishy stench.

The smell was wafting up from the depths of the reservoir. Little Jinbao's eyes lit up with golden light, his gaze piercing through the murky water.

The underwater area was unusually dark; about thirty meters below, a layer of grayish-black fog blocked visibility.

It could only be vaguely seen that a huge shadow was slowly moving along the dam.

Numerous tentacles emerged from the shadows, entwining dead fish and the carcasses of sea monsters, dragging them toward the bottom of the reservoir.

Little Jinbao's expression turned serious as he said, "This aura has probably reached the late stage of the fourth rank."

This aura was stronger than that of the Black Tiger King, but it had not yet reached the fifth rank. What truly made it uneasy was another faint aura emanating from below the dam.

That aura was very well hidden.

It almost blends into the black mist at the bottom of the reservoir.

Sometimes it's there, sometimes it's not.

Whenever Xiao Jinbao tries to sense things carefully, a sharp pain will arise in his mind.

It didn't try to be brave; it immediately increased the distance.

"Master, two auras have been detected underwater. One is a tentacle monster at the late stage of the fourth tier, and the other is hiding under the dam. I can't see it clearly or sense its specific level."

In the center of Heilong Lake.

After listening to the report, Chu Zhou understood. Sure enough, there was more than one. The tentacle monster that had shown itself might not be the true owner of the Qing Shi Reservoir.

Chu Zhou asked, "Is the entrance to the underground river beneath the reservoir clear?"

Little Jinbao quickly circled around to the southeast.

Moments later, it discovered that the entrance to the underground river, which should have connected to the coastal water system, was covered by a large amount of black material.

Those things were like flesh and blood, and also like some kind of gelatinous substance.

Grayish-white tendons pierced the rock wall, completely blocking the entire underground river mouth.

"The entrance is blocked, like a large piece of black flesh has grown there."

Chu Zhou did not ask any further questions. At this point, the situation of Qing Shi Reservoir had gradually become clear.

The substance flowing upstream from the East China Sea not only occupies the reservoir, but also actively blocks the waterways leading to the coast.

Is this someone planning to build a nest here?

……

Underground river.

Xuanjia led the Zhenhai Army to travel more than 100 kilometers.

The waterway ahead gradually narrows.

The water flow also began to become turbulent.

A strong undercurrent rushed in from the side, and more than a dozen low-level fish demons were instantly thrown out of formation.

If this had happened three days ago, the entire team would probably have been thrown into chaos, but the first turtle demon quickly turned around and used its shell to block the undercurrent.

In the second part, the fish demon actively shrinks its formation.

In the third part, several long eels swam out from the side and brought the scattered water monsters back to the group.

In less than fifteen breaths, the formation was restored.

Xuanjia glanced back, offering neither praise nor stopping; the real battlefield wouldn't give them time to celebrate.

The most basic requirement is to stay alive and maintain formation.

As we got closer to Qingshi Reservoir, a fishy, ​​foul smell gradually filled the water.

Occasionally, you can see a few pieces of black meat floating along with the current.

A third-tier crocodile demon tried to open its mouth and swallow it whole.

With a flick of its tail, the black-armored creature flipped the creature over and coldly commanded, "You are not allowed to eat."

The crocodile demon dared not resist and quickly retreated back to the group. Xuanjia looked down at the floating black chunks of flesh.

It could clearly sense a chaotic mental fluctuation within it.

If an ordinary water monster were to swallow it, it would be highly likely to lose control on the spot.

"All troops halt."

More than three hundred water demons stopped in the underground river at the same time.

The sea chart pattern on the back of the Xuanjia armor lit up.

A ripple spreads forward along the underground river.

A moment later, it took in and perceived the situation ahead.

More than 20 kilometers away from Qingshi Reservoir, the water pressure in the underground river has already increased significantly.

It looked like some enormous thing was constantly stirring the water at the other end.

Xuanjia said in a deep voice, "The third unit will advance five miles to scout ahead."

Six three-tiered eels and a dozen water snakes quickly broke away from the group and swam forward along the sides of the underground river.

The remaining water demons waited in place.

The effects of the three-day training finally became apparent at this moment.

……

West bank of Qingshi Reservoir.

Gu Changhe has decided to go into the water.

A deputy captain stopped him: "Captain Gu, the underwater situation hasn't been clarified yet."

Gu Changhe fastened his diving suit and said calmly, "It's precisely because we haven't figured it out that we need someone to go down."

"In the last images transmitted back by the detector, there were figures in the drainage channel of the hydroelectric power station, suggesting that the missing person may still be alive."

The vice-captain's face turned grim: "Captain, this could be a trap."

Gu Changhe looked at him and said in a solemn voice, "My brother is currently missing, and the fate of the seventeen missing villagers and the six awakened civilians is also unknown. I cannot watch them die just because there might be a trap."

He did not continue arguing, but turned to give orders to the rest of the team.

"Underwater team, follow me; shore team, maintain fire coverage."

"If no signal is received within an hour, retreat immediately and request support from the branch office at level four or above."

The vice-captain gritted his teeth and finally saluted: "Understood."

Gu Changhe led eleven Awakened Aquatic Beings into the water, and the water quickly submerged their heads.

The shoreline returned to quiet.

Little Jinbao, high in the sky, saw this scene but did not stop it.

It quickly relayed the message to Chu Zhou: "Master, those humans have gone into the water."

Chu Zhou said, "Don't worry about it. If they can help the Zhenhai Navy find out the secrets of the underwater things, it will save us trouble."

Little Jinbao continued to stare at the water's surface.

A dozen minutes later, the calm reservoir suddenly trembled, and then a large number of bubbles surged out from the western waters.

A gray-black tentacle suddenly burst out of the water and slammed into the human camp on the shore.

boom!

The soil cracked.

The two off-road vehicles were overturned on the spot, and the team members on the shore immediately opened fire.

Bullets and psionic attacks landed on the surface of the tentacles, only creating large amounts of slime, but failing to actually sever them.

More tentacles rose from underwater, and the entire Qingshi Reservoir seemed to awaken completely at that moment.

Little Jinbao's gaze sharpened.

Instead of rushing down to join the battle, it looked towards the valley to the south.

There, a powerful aura of water was rapidly approaching along the underground river.

The Zhenhai Army has arrived.

Below the reservoir.

Xuanjia also heard the explosion from afar, and the lotus seed on its back glowed with a faint blue light.