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

Lu Cang remained silent for two seconds, then suddenly looked up into the depths of Black Dragon Mountain.

In that area, a seven-colored spiritual light appeared and disappeared intermittently, and the spiritual energy of the mountains and forests surged like the tide.

Even the air felt oppressive.

A third-tier white tiger would rather flee there than continue facing them.

This already explains the problem.

The thing deep inside was far more dangerous than anyone had imagined. Lu Cang's eyes turned completely cold.

"Everyone cease pursuit and establish an outer defensive line. Special forces retreat three kilometers to treat the wounded, and all heavy firepower is deployed."

Everyone was taken aback upon hearing the order.

Su Wan couldn't help but ask, "Captain, aren't we going to chase them?"

Lu Cang glanced at her, his voice low.

"Chase them? You think you can lead this small group into a core area that might harbor fourth-tier life forms?"

Su Wan fell silent for a moment, and Lu Cang continued, "The fact that the White Tiger could still run away despite being seriously injured means that the entity inside hasn't taken the initiative to clear the area yet. Going in now will only be suicide."

He wasn't a hot-blooded newcomer; the more dangerous the situation, the calmer he needed to be.

The Ninth Inspectorate's duty is to control the disaster, not to rush in and get killed.

The next second, Lu Cang immediately activated the tactical communication.

"Gu Yan."

"arrive!"

"Immediately contact the Linjiang Military Region and request aerial reconnaissance authorization. Deploy helicopters and request an additional air force special operations flight team."

Gu Yan's expression changed.

"Chief, you mean...?"

Lu Cang's voice remained completely calm.

"I need to know what exactly is in the center of Black Dragon Lake. Is it a high-level spiritual creature or a catastrophic life form? Also, notify headquarters that the Black Dragon Mountain incident level has been raised to Level A."

"A suspected fourth-order life form has appeared in the world."

Upon hearing this, many members of the Ninth Bureau around them immediately changed their expressions. An A-level disaster. Within the Ninth Bureau, this was already considered an extremely high-risk incident.

This meant that a city was at risk of falling, and Gu Yan immediately nodded.

"clear!"

Ten minutes later.

Behind the temporary blockade line, a loud rumble echoed in the sky as three armed helicopters skimmed low over the mountains and forests.

The fuselage is jet black, with a special serial number printed on the side.

at the same time.

A truly elite force has also arrived, all uniformly dressed in light combat armor.

Their equipment far surpassed that of ordinary special forces teams. Each member was equipped with extraordinary weapons and high-explosive rounds at their waist. The leader was a man in his thirties with eyes as sharp as an eagle's.

The shoulder insignia bear a special flying eagle emblem, signifying that this is an extraordinary flying special operations team directly under the military region, composed entirely of elite soldiers.

The captain, who was specifically responsible for reconnaissance and decapitation operations in high-risk areas, walked up to Lu Cang.

"The Linjiang Air Combat Task Force, codenamed 'Golden Eagle,' is ordered to provide support."

Lu Cang nodded and got straight to the point.

"The mission is simple: venture deep into Black Dragon Mountain, locate the core source of psionic energy, and focus reconnaissance on the Black Dragon Lake area. Do not engage in combat; evacuate immediately if anything unusual is detected."

The flight captain frowned slightly.

"Danger level?"

Lu Cang remained silent for a second.

"Possibly Tier 4."

The air suddenly became quiet, and even the expressions on the faces of several elite soldiers changed.

They had only seen the term "fourth tier" in top-secret internal files. Although they were extremely shocked, no one backed down at this moment. The flight captain simply nodded.

"receive."

Ten minutes later, three armed helicopters took off.

They crossed the mountains and forests, rapidly approaching Heilong Lake.

Meanwhile, deep within Black Dragon Mountain, the world was still undergoing strange changes. Spiritual energy turned into mist, trees grew wildly, and a large number of strange beasts were frantically fleeing to the outskirts.

Flocks of birds blotted out the sky. Even some second-tier beasts seemed startled and kept their distance from the lake.

The sky above Heilong Lake is completely covered by thick fog. From a distance, it looks like a forbidden zone hidden in a sea of ​​clouds.

The closer they got, the more uncomfortable the pilot felt. Slight noises began to appear in their ears, the numbers on the instrument panel fluctuated constantly, and the psionic interference became stronger and stronger.

"Captain, there's an abnormal magnetic field ahead, visibility is decreasing, and the drone signal is being blocked."

The flight captain frowned.

"Keep approaching and keep recording."

The next second, a reconnaissance drone equipped with a high-definition camera was the first to rush into the thick fog, and the images were transmitted back to the temporary base in real time.

Inside the command vehicle, Lu Cang, Su Wan, Gu Yan, and the others were all staring at the screen. The image was initially static, but gradually returned to normal.

A huge lake appears in the shot.

The lake was shrouded in mist, and the trees grew wildly like a primeval forest. In the center of the lake, there was a vaguely visible, extremely large outline.

Enveloped in thick fog and iridescent light, its true form was completely obscured. Yet, even so, an inexplicable sense of oppression still emanated from the screen.

Su Wan's breathing became slightly labored.

There's something in the center of the lake.

Gu Yan broke out in a cold sweat as the detector readings jumped wildly.

【1498】

【1532】

【1611】

……

Finally, the energy level spiked again, and Gu Yan's voice tightened: "Captain, the source of the spiritual energy is in the center of the lake, and its intensity is still increasing."

Lu Cang stared at the screen, his eyes extremely solemn.

Inside the command vehicle.

The air was so quiet it was oppressive, and everyone stared intently at the center of the screen, at Black Dragon Lake shrouded in colorful light and thick fog.

The detector was still alarming frantically, and cold sweat was already beading on Gu Yan's forehead: "The values ​​are still rising, and the psionic fluctuations show no sign of decreasing. If we extrapolate from the database, this has already reached the catastrophic threshold."

Lu Cang's face was grim, his fists clenched, and he finally cursed, "Damn it."

Su Wan's heart skipped a beat; she rarely saw Lu Cang with such an expression. This meant that things had completely exceeded expectations.

Lu Cang stared at the screen, his voice grim, and said, "It's no longer just a suspicion; that thing in Black Dragon Lake has already reached the level of a catastrophe."

"Fourth-tier life form, confirmed."

Gu Yan's pupils contracted, and many members of the Ninth Bureau in the car felt a chill run down their spines. Fourth tier, a true disaster level, meaning that once the opponent leaves the mountain range, the entire Linjiang City will be in danger.

Su Wan asked, "Captain, what do we do now?"

Lu Cang stared at the screen; the blurry outline in the center of the lake remained motionless.

The spiritual energy vortex grew increasingly violent, as if the clouds in the sky were being forcibly stirred, and the seven-colored spiritual light continued to spread, with the detector readings still rising.

This indicates that the other party is not yet stable.

Or rather, it is still undergoing a transformation. Lu Cang's eyes suddenly darkened, as if he were making some kind of decision.

"It is still evolving."

Gu Yan was stunned: "What?"

Lu Cang's voice was deep: "If the transformation has been completed, the psionic curve will not continue to rise. The current fluctuations are clearly out of control, indicating that it has not yet stabilized completely."

Su Wan instantly understood, her expression changing: "Captain, you mean, now is its weakest moment?"

Lu Cang nodded and said, "It's also the only chance. Once it completes its fourth-order evolution, the entire Linjiang City will face a truly catastrophic life form."

The air inside the car fell silent instantly; everyone understood.

It's not that they want to fight, but that they have to gamble, gambling that their current opponent hasn't fully reached their complete form yet.

Lu Cang picked up the tactical communicator, his voice cold and stern.

"The Eagle Squad".

"receive."

High in the sky, the flight captain's voice came through. Lu Cang stared at the screen and immediately issued the order: "Target confirmed, center of Black Dragon Lake. Execute the first round of long-range fire strikes. Do not approach at low altitude. Lock on at high altitude. After firing, immediately climb up and withdraw."

There was a half-second silence on the other end of the communicator.

"clear."

Meanwhile, over Heilong Lake, three armed helicopters hovered at the edge of the high-altitude clouds, with cold sweat beading on the pilots' foreheads.

The closer they got to Black Dragon Lake, the more oppressive it felt, as if some enormous creature was slowly awakening deep within the thick fog.

The instrument panel kept flashing, the psionic interference was severe, and even communications began to drop intermittently. The co-pilot stared intently at the thermal imaging, his voice strained.

"Target locked."

"An extremely high level of psionic energy is present in the center of the lake."

"The heat source is unusually large."

The flight captain gave the order in a deep voice.

"All units, prepare. Weapon systems activated."

The missile bay unfolded, the locking system activated, and the red crosshair pierced through the thick fog, aiming at the center of Black Dragon Lake.

Beneath the surface of the lake, in the center of Black Dragon Lake, a massive outline is faintly visible.

Even if you can't see it clearly, it still sends chills down your spine.

"Target locked, launch authorization confirmed."