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

Just as Chu Zhou was deep in thought, on the other side, a reconnaissance helicopter dispatched by the Ninth Bureau of Linjiang City to Nanjiang City to investigate the movement of the beast tide was patrolling at low altitude.

Inside the cockpit, a man in his thirties was sitting in the passenger seat.

This man is named Zhao Yuanhang. Before his spiritual energy was restored, he was an ace pilot in the Air Force. Later, he unexpectedly awakened the [Eagle Eye] ability.

His vision allows him to see beyond what ordinary people can see. After the first spiritual energy tide, he was transferred to the Lingnan Aerial Reconnaissance Team of the Ninth Bureau.

Now he is the captain of the reconnaissance team.

Zhao Yuanhang is a man of few words, but he is even more decisive when carrying out missions, taking it as his duty to execute orders.

He wasn't without emotions; the reason he was usually so cold was mainly because his younger brother died in a small-scale beast tide on the day of the first spiritual energy tide.

From then on, Zhao Yuanhang had no good feelings towards alien beasts. Whether they were ordinary alien beasts or so-called lords of forbidden zones, they were not trustworthy in his eyes.

But he had also participated in reconnaissance around Heilong Mountain.

I've seen Baishan Jun from afar, and I've also seen that golden bird with an incredibly cheeky mouth.

He even once saw the illusory image of a sky-covering blue lotus in the direction of Black Dragon Lake in the instant the thick fog dissipated.

Therefore, he knew better than many others that the Azure Lotus Forbidden Zone was not an ordinary group of strange beasts; that place was very dangerous.

"Team Leader Zhao," the driver suddenly said, "Ten kilometers ahead, we'll enter the outer observation zone of Heilong Mountain."

Zhao Yuanhang nodded, his gaze still fixed on the forest below. He ordered, "Don't get too close. Maintain altitude. Our main task today is to deal with the beast tide in Nanjiang City."

The driver replied, "Understood."

The helicopter swept over a mountain ridge, and under the moonlight, the towering ancient trees below reflected a verdant glow.

"What's going on? Why is it so quiet downstairs?"

Zhao Yuanhang sensed something was wrong. Logically speaking, there should be many strange beasts in these strange beast mountains. The fact that it was too quiet here seemed strange.

Zhao Yuanhang said in a deep voice: "Reduce the altitude by three hundred meters."

The driver was taken aback: "Team Leader Zhao? This place isn't far from Black Dragon Mountain."

Zhao Yuanhang said, "Surrender."

The driver gritted his teeth and said, "Yes."

The helicopter began to descend.

Just then, the observer in the back row suddenly spoke up: "Team Leader Zhao, there's an anomaly on the psionic radar."

Zhao Yuanhang turned his head and asked, "What's wrong?"

The observer stared at the screen with a grave expression and replied, "The plant-type psionic reaction has a large range and is spreading in a network."

Zhao Yuanhang frowned. At this moment, the observer had already projected the image onto the secondary screen.

The next second, everyone in the cockpit fell silent.

On the screen, green dots are extending along the mountain range.

The green dots of light connected with each other, forming a dense network. And the source of all these networks pointed directly to Black Dragon Mountain.

Zhao Yuanhang's heart sank, and he said, "Turn on the optical lens."

The observer immediately zoomed in on the image.

Below, in the forest, one could vaguely see dark green vines.

The vines were not thick, and most of them were hidden in the grass, tree roots, and crevices in the rocks.

However, when viewed from above, they can be seen to be spreading outward in a very regular manner.

They bypassed the town, occupying mountain roads, valleys, abandoned highways, and mountain nodes with the strongest spiritual energy fluctuations.

The observer said nervously, "Captain Zhao, these things are still growing."

Zhao Yuanhang did not speak. He raised his head, and a faint silver light appeared in his eyes.

Awakening ability [Eagle Eye] activated.

His field of vision was instantly widened, and the mountains and forests below became incredibly clear in his eyes. He could see the vines wriggling slightly underground.

I saw them burrowing into tree roots, clinging to the stream, and extending outwards along the rock crevices. Some of the thin vines even stood by the roadside like living things, as if sensing the vibrations around them.

Zhao Yuanhang felt a chill run down his spine: "These are not ordinary plants; they are alive. According to the information available in the Ninth Inning, there is currently a demonic vine in the Azure Lotus Forbidden Zone. These should be related to that demonic vine."

Everyone was taken aback upon hearing this.

This means its significance is self-evident; the expansion of these vines indicates a change in the Azure Lotus Forbidden Zone.

Just then, the helicopter flew over a valley.

As if sensing the vibration of the propeller, a large number of vines below simultaneously rose up and pointed towards the sky.

The observer's voice trembled: "Team Leader Zhao, they've spotted us."

Zhao Yuanhang said in a deep voice, "Don't lower the altitude any further. Record the video and send it all back to the branch."

"Yes."

Soon, the live feed was connected to the Linjiang branch of the Ninth Bureau of Lingnan.

Inside the command center, Lu Cang was staring at the distribution map of the beast tide in Nanjiang City. The southeastern defense line of Nanjiang City had been attacked three times, and the academy's support convoy was still on its way.

The garrison requested heavy firepower support, but personnel could not be evacuated from the abandoned well fissure isolation zone. It can be said that the entire Lingnan Ninth Bureau branch is under great pressure right now.

Just then, the communications officer's expression changed: "Team Leader Lu, Reconnaissance One has transmitted abnormal images from the direction of Heilong Mountain."

Lu Cang frowned and said, "Bring them in."

The large screen switched images, and soon everyone in the command center fell silent.

On the screen, from a high altitude, faint bluish-black vine lines appeared around the Black Dragon Mountain.

They are spreading outwards along the mountain range.

Lu Cang could easily see that this was a breach of the restricted area's rules. Zhao Yuanhang's voice came through the communicator: "Director Lu, a massive network of plants has appeared on the outskirts of Black Dragon Mountain."

"The coverage area is expanding. According to current estimates, it has already exceeded 200 li and is still extending."

Lu Cang's eyes turned cold: "Two hundred li?"

Zhao Yuanhang continued, "Furthermore, according to our findings, these vines are not without owner or consciousness, but rather they have expanded intentionally, specifically bypassing human settlements and occupying forests, river channels, and some valley paths."

At this point, Zhao Yuanhang stopped talking, and everyone in the command room fell silent.

Lu Cang gritted his teeth and shouted angrily, "What exactly does this Lord of the Azure Lotus want to do?"

One of the members of the Ninth Bureau branch spoke up: "Captain, I've said it before, those who are not of our kind will surely have different hearts. These beasts have never really thought about making peace with us humans. If we don't beat them into submission and fear them, they'll really think we're easy targets to bully."

His family also died in the first spiritual resurgence beast tide. This member has an innate aversion to alien beasts and is on the side of the pro-war faction.

Lu Cang's face grew even darker. He said, "Connect me to headquarters communications."

Soon, in Beijing, the headquarters of the Ninth Bureau received a communication from the Linjiang City branch, and the video call was connected.