I work as a security guard at a cemetery, and I overhear the dead chatting about getting rich quick.

Chapter 120 Ask the Seventh Division to Scout the Way

After Lai Changqing finished speaking, the depths of Black Locust Ridge fell silent again.

The roar seemed to have never happened.

But the wolf king in the iron cage was still lying in the corner, his limbs pressed low, and the hair on his back standing up.

When it was captured, it rammed into the cage and bit the iron bars. Even with the beast-suppressing bell pressing down on its head, all it could see was ferocity.

But now I'm afraid.

Jiang Zhaoye raised his hand, signaling everyone to put down the iron cage first.

Several team members picked up their guns and stared into the depths of the mountains for a few minutes.

There was no further sound from the woods.

Lai Changqing walked to the iron cage, grabbed the handle, and turned the cage towards the deep mountains.

The wolf king suddenly shrank back, his back slamming heavily against the iron bars.

The iron cage swayed slightly.

"It has seen what's inside," Lai Changqing said.

Jiang Zhaoye asked, "Can you tell what it is?"

"If I could just ask it, why would I bother catching it?"

Lai Changqing turned the iron cage back around and moved his injured shoulder.

"Let's go. If we stay any longer, and they actually manage to get that guy inside out, our small group won't even be enough to fill his teeth."

They had just fought a battle with a pack of wolves, and almost everyone was injured; even the beast-suppressing bell was cracked.

Jiang Zhaoye did not try to be brave.

"Back to camp."

The group lifted the iron cage and returned along the same route.

The wolf king did not struggle any further along the way.

It huddled in the cage on the side closest to the outside of the mountain, occasionally glancing back at the Black Locust Ridge behind it.

This is actually more unsettling than its maddened crashing into the cage.

Upon returning to camp, the wounded were taken to receive treatment.

The wolf king dragged the cage into the temporary cordon, and the surrounding area was reinforced with anchor posts and spirit-sealing belts.

Jiang Zhaoye's leg injury had just been bandaged when the person in charge of monitoring walked into the tent with equipment.

"Brother Jiang, when that roar just now, several monitoring points detected anomalies."

He handed over the record.

The three curves, which were originally stable, suddenly jumped up at the same time, almost hitting the upper limit of the equipment's range, and then quickly fell back down after three seconds.

Jiang Zhaoye asked, "Is there a problem with the equipment?"

"We've checked them all. The three monitoring points are in different locations, so it's impossible for them to malfunction at the same time."

Lai Changqing took the record and glanced at it.

The spiritual energy comes quickly and recedes quickly, unlike a continuous leak.

It was as if something had turned over in the deep mountains, causing the entire area to tremble.

"What happened to the detectors we put in earlier?"

After arriving at Black Locust Ridge, they deployed three small detectors into the mountains.

The first two lost signal after going about two kilometers, and the last one remained on the outskirts without moving forward.

The monitor retrieved the last audio recording that was transmitted back.

At first, there was only the sound of wheels crushing fallen leaves.

A dozen seconds later, a series of muffled thuds suddenly came from a distance.

Click.

Click.

One sound after another.

It looked like something was moving through the forest, breaking down the trees that blocked its path.

The sound rapidly approached.

The recording was then interrupted.

The last detector also lost signal.

Jiang Zhaoye asked, "How far is the probe from the camp?"

"Two kilometers and seven hundred meters."

The tent fell silent.

The trees in Black Locust Ridge are influenced by spiritual energy and grow much thicker than those outside.

Whatever it is that can smash through trees like that, it's not something their current manpower can easily handle.

Jiang Zhaoye looked at Lai Changqing.

"Contact the president."

Lai Changqing nodded and took out a black communicator from a compartment in his backpack.

He replaced the chip with a new one and entered the key.

The signal was switched several times before it was finally connected after several minutes.

The president's voice came from inside.

"Xiao Lai, speak."

The voice was soft, and no emotion could be discerned.

Lai Changqing unconsciously sat up straighter.

"The wolf king has been captured, and the rest of the pack has retreated. We have seven wounded, two seriously, but no casualties."

"continue."

The chairman clearly knew that this communication was not just about reporting on the wolf pack.

Lai Changqing recounted the roars in the mountains, the wolf king's reaction, and the monitoring data.

Jiang Zhaoye added recordings of the probe before it lost contact.

After he finished speaking, there was a moment of silence on the communicator.

The chairman did not draw a conclusion immediately.

Soon, a very soft tap came from the other end of the communicator.

It looked like someone tapped the table with their finger.

"Understood."

Lai Changqing waited a few seconds before taking the initiative to say, "President, the risks of the Black Locust Ridge mission have exceeded expectations."

"The wolf pack was at best an outer obstacle. We hadn't even seen the real thing yet, and we'd already lost three detectors and injured seven people."

Lai Changqing glanced at the blood-soaked gauze on his shoulder.

"If we go any further in, we'll have to pay with lives."

The chairman didn't ask them to take any risks, nor did he ask if they were willing to continue.

"Stop advancing and await reinforcements."

"The other team has changed course and will arrive at the rendezvous point on the south side before dawn."

Jiang Zhaoye slightly raised her eyes.

They had only been aware of the anomaly in the mountains for less than half an hour when reinforcements were already on their way.

The president explained casually:

"When the wolf pack attacked the camp for the second time, I had them prepare."

Lai Changqing was not surprised.

That's how the chairman always does things.

The current methods haven't been exhausted yet, and the next group is already on its way.

"Where are the investigators?" he asked.

"The Lizard Shadow left the southern front last night."

This time, Lai Changqing's expression changed.

"last night?"

They hadn't even caught the wolf king last night.

Jiang Zhaoye had never heard of the name Lizard Shadow before, and glanced at Lai Changqing.

Lai Changqing lightly traced two lines on the table with his finger.

The chairman continued, "Once the Lizard Shadow arrives, first confirm the terrain within the old firebreak."

"Only investigate the general direction of the dangerous area and the source of spiritual energy, as well as the evacuation route."

Lai Changqing said, "Black Locust Ridge is full of mutated wild beasts. His mimicry can fool the eyes, but not the nose."

He was aware of his own abilities.

The president paused for a moment.

"There's one more thing."

"The Seven Offices will soon take notice of Black Locust Ridge."

Lai Changqing's smile faded slightly.

"You sent someone to deliver a message?"

"The reports of those three missing persons would have been entered into the local abnormal communication system."

"The spiritual energy level has also exceeded the local warning line."

The president spoke calmly.

"The news can't be suppressed, and there's no need to suppress it."

"I simply wanted to bring the previously scattered materials into a single report sooner."

Lai Changqing understood.

"You want the Seventh Division to go in first?"

Whether or not they go into the mountains is up to them to decide.

"Don't falsify data, and don't plan their routes."

The chairman said, "Doing too much will only make them investigate the person who delivered the message first."

"The seven departments have no shortage of equipment, nor do they lack experience in handling anomalies."

"If they decide to enter, they will naturally choose their own method."

Lai Changqing tapped the edge of the table.

"Should our people follow behind and watch?"

"The Lizard Shadow is only responsible for observation."

"It's worth recording which path to take, where you encounter obstacles, and what is disturbed at each of the seven locations."

"Without orders, you are not allowed to take action or steal anything."

The president's voice remained completely unchanged.

Don't rush to see yourself as the predator.

Sometimes, the oriole is also seen by others.

Lai Changqing stopped laughing.

"clear."

"Keep an eye on the wolf king; it should still be useful."

Communication has ended here.

Lai Changqing removed the chip and threw it into the fire pit.

Jiang Zhaoye stood at the tent entrance, gazing at the iron cage in the corner of the camp.

"What kind of ability is 'Lizard Shadow'?"

"Environmental mimicry".

Lai Changqing leaned back in his chair.

"Skin, clothes, and personal items can change color and texture according to the surrounding environment, and can also suppress some of the spiritual energy fluctuations."

"Completely invisible?"

"Dream on."

Lai Changqing picked up his water glass and took a sip.

"He's lying still, you might not notice him if you walk past him."

"But smells, body temperature, and footprints can't be hidden."

"When encountering a mutated beast with a keen sense of smell, it's at most a piece of tree bark that can run away."

Jiang Zhaoye asked, "Will the Seventh Division come?"

"Definitely, even if I know it's a trap."

Lai Changqing put down his water glass.

"As for when they go into the mountains and how many people they bring, that's their business."

At 3 a.m., a few lights were still on at the local emergency contact center.

There were two people sitting in the duty room.

The man by the window was dozing off at the table, while the printer in the corner occasionally produced a new report.

Another person sat in front of the computer and opened a missing person case that had already passed the initial review.

The last known locations of the three missing persons were all near Black Locust Ridge.

The original report only contained the identity information, the time of disappearance, and the approximate area, indicating a low risk level.

The man opened the attachments section.

Several photos of animal carcasses, a spiritual energy monitoring record, and an audio recording were added.

No missing person information was altered, nor was any non-existent content added.

All of these materials came from Heihuailing.

However, according to normal procedures, they would not be grouped into the same report so quickly.

The man completed the supplementary registration and resubmitted it for review.

The system automatically increased the risk level based on the spiritual energy level, the number of missing persons, and the degree of animal mutation.

The report was then entered into the anomaly screening queue at seven locations.

The man logged out of the account, put the save file into a materials bag, and placed it on the table with other storage devices awaiting destruction.

After finishing these tasks, he picked up his water glass and continued working on the next report.

It was as if what had just happened was just a routine re-recording.

The report was delivered to Han Xu's desk the following morning.

He first looked at the missing persons' information, then zoomed in on the spiritual energy monitoring curve, and finally clicked on the recording.

A deep roar came from the speaker.

The intelligence officer standing by the table frowned.

"Do you need to switch to fieldwork?"

Han Xu did not answer, and looked at the report's circulation record again.

There are no problems with the procedures.

Every node can be matched.

The problem is time.

Within half an hour of the missing persons case being entered into the system, the photos, spiritual data, and recordings were all completed.

Too fast, and too coincidental.

"Have the forestry department and local police confirmed this?" Han Xu asked.

"The missing persons were reported jointly by them, and the locations where the animal carcasses were filmed were also found."

"What about the spiritual energy data?"

"It wasn't collected using official equipment; the source is still under investigation."

Han Xu turned off the recording.

"The story is true, but the person who delivered the materials may not be trustworthy."

The intelligence officer nodded.

"It's possible that someone is trying to lure us there."

"Let's find out the truth first."

Han Xu retrieved satellite images of Heihuailing from the past three months.

Each image is fine on its own.

After several layers were stacked together, the color of the trees on the northwest side of the mountain was noticeably darker, and it was slowly spreading outwards.

"Contact the local police to re-examine the records of missing persons, injuries, and unusual animal activity from the past six months."

"Send a high-altitude drone over there, only to observe the perimeter, do not fly low."

"Check all the points mentioned in this report again."

The intelligence officer asked, "Should we have the field team on standby?"

"Notify a formal field team to prepare."

Han Xu thought for a moment and then added a sentence.

"Group Two, don't move for now."

The second group had just finished their spirit-inducing training when Lin Ye experienced another abnormality in his body.

There's no need to push the reserve group to the forefront before the situation is fully investigated.

After the intelligence personnel left, Han Xu reopened the recording.

Some people hope to see Black Locust Ridge from seven different locations.

This is not hard to guess.

What really needs to be figured out is what that person wants Seventh Division to see.

Underground research area.

Zhou Heng did not participate in the intelligence verification of Black Locust Ridge.

For the past two days, he has been cooperating with the psionic research group and the sealing group to test the consumption plan of spiritual energy in Lin Ye's body.

The free spiritual energy within the body can dissipate naturally or be slowly absorbed by the body.

However, neither of these two speeds can keep up with the speed of Lin Ye's spirit guidance.

Limiting the number of times a spirit can be summoned can only slow down the problem at most, but it cannot truly solve it.

In the observation room, Lin Ye sat in a chair with sensor pads attached to his arms and chest.

Through the protective glass in front of him, he saw the robotic arm take a bluish-gray stone slab from the storage box and place it into the fixed slot.

The stone slab was only half the size of a palm, with broken edges and several light white lines on its surface.

"What is this?" Lin Ye asked.

Zhou Heng stood beside the monitoring station.

"Spirit Protection Stone Fragment, a low-risk ability-type spirit artifact."

"Its rules have been verified many times. When it comes into contact with the spiritual energy actively released by the user, it will extract a small amount of free spiritual energy and form a protective layer on the surface."

"The protection will disappear when you stop typing."

Lin Ye looked at the experimental table.

"So you want it to slap me?"

"Only extract the extra portion."

Zhou Heng looked at the screen.

"The research team has screened all existing magical artifacts, and this one has the most stable consumption and the lowest risk."

The plan for this test was developed by the psychic research group, while the sealing group was responsible for the psychic artifacts and equipment.

Zhou Heng was responsible for on-site monitoring and would call a halt if any abnormalities occurred.

Lin Ye extended his right hand.

The robotic arm pushed a spirit guide plate connected to the stone slab in front of him.

He doesn't need to directly touch the magical artifact.

Spiritual energy enters the stone slab through the guiding material; if the values ​​become abnormal, the connection will be severed.

"Let's start by drawing in a small amount of spirit energy," Zhou Heng said.

The spirit-gathering device is activated.

Lin Ye closed his eyes and adjusted his breathing according to the "Basic Spirit Guiding Method - Trial Version".

Inhale for four seconds, hold for two seconds, and then exhale slowly.

After twelve rounds, he entered a state of focused concentration, distinguishing the aftersound.

The surrounding spiritual energy slowly drew closer.

As soon as a slight warmth appeared in his chest and abdomen, Zhou Heng turned off the device.

That's enough.

Lin Ye opened his eyes.

There wasn't much spiritual energy in my body, so there was no bloating or pain, and no unusual noises.

"and then?"

"Open the channel of spiritual hearing, and place your hand on it."

Lin Ye did as instructed.

The spirit guide board felt a little cold.

At first, the bluish-gray stone flakes did not react at all.

He could feel the spiritual energy spreading between his arms and chest, but he didn't know how to get it out.

After several attempts, the spiritual energy within my body was actually stirred up into a chaotic state.

"Don't push it," Zhou Heng advised.

"You haven't established a cycle; the more you try, the more likely the spiritual energy will run wild in your body."

Lin Ye breathed a sigh of relief.

"So I should just do nothing?"

"no."

"Keep your spiritual hearing activated, and let the protective stone attract the nearest free spiritual energy on its own."

Lin Ye closed his eyes again.

Stop trying to expel the spiritual energy and focus your attention solely on your right hand.

Through the protective glass, he could hear a faint humming sound coming from inside the stone slab.

The sound was muffled and contained no specific content.

Lin Ye didn't listen to it, but only used it to determine the location of the stone slab.

A moment later, the warmth in my right arm slowly moved toward my palm.

The bluish-gray stone slab flashed.

One by one, the light white lines on the surface emerged.

Zhou Heng stared at the monitoring screen.

"Keep it up."

A semi-transparent film, only the size of a palm, slowly spread out above the stone slab, gently trembling against the experimental table.

At the same time, the concentration of spiritual energy in Lin Ye's body began to decrease.

It did not dissipate naturally.

Excess free spiritual energy is flowing into the stone slab through the spirit guide plate, where it is gradually consumed by the spirit's power.

Ten seconds later, Zhou Heng pressed the cut-off button.

The robotic arm quickly moved the guide plate away.

The thin film on the stone slab then went out.

Lin Ye flexed his fingers.

"I don't feel anything."

"What about the chest area?"

"It's not as bloated anymore."

"Do you experience dizziness or tinnitus?"

"no."

Zhou Heng re-examined the test data.

The amount of free spiritual energy that Lin Ye had just introduced had decreased by more than 20%, his heart rate and mental state were normal, and there were no more unusual noises.

"Did you succeed?" Lin Ye asked.

"Preliminary feasibility".

Zhou Heng did not make his statement completely.

"This only proves that the magical artifact can consume your excess spiritual energy."

"Not all magical artifacts are suitable, nor is it true that the faster they are consumed, the better."

"At this stage, we can only test low-risk magical artifacts with clearly defined rules and stable consumption, and this must be done under monitoring."

Lin Ye looked at the stone fragments behind the protective glass.

"So, can I continue performing spirit summoning in the future?"

"You can give it a try."

Zhou Heng looked at him.

"This is not the complete cultivation method."

"Your spiritual energy still can't circulate. Now there's just an extra outlet to prevent it from accumulating in your body."

Lin Ye thought for a moment.

"I used to eat things but couldn't digest them."

"Can we eat something now to satisfy our hunger?"

"That's one way to understand it."

Zhou Heng signaled to the sealing team to retrieve the protective spirit stone fragments.

"Next, we will add a spirit weapon compatibility test for you."

"First, determine which spiritual artifacts are suitable for you, how quickly they are consumed, and how much your body can withstand."

Lin Ye suddenly had a bad feeling.

"What about physical training?"

"As usual."

"Where are the guns?"

"As usual."

"Now we need to add a magical artifact?"

"right."

Lin Ye leaned back in his chair.

"Why does it feel like I just escaped death, and now I've taken on an extra job?"

Zhou Heng lowered his head to record the data.

"Others want to claim it but haven't yet."

The robotic arm returns the protective stone to the storage box, and the three locks close in sequence.

Lin Ye looked down at his right hand.

The true cycle has not yet been found.

But at least from today onwards, the spiritual energy that enters his body will no longer have to wait to slowly dissipate.

They finally have an exit that they can actively open.