The system handed me over to the state.

Chapter 385: Snake Tracks Reappear

"We received a message from the Southern Li Nebula branch that the Shadow Empire, which had been ravaging lower civilizations, has been completely wiped out. The high-ranking god responsible for the report, Izaria, is also a high-ranking god who was betrayed by the Shadow Empire back then, and is Izaria's sister."

"She did not tell us which civilization specifically destroyed the Shadow Empire, and refused to answer our subsequent questions about it."

"Should we initiate a forced procedure?"

"...No problem. Send observers to investigate the areas where the Shadow Empire has been active in recent years and look for suspected civilizations."

"This is a good thing. The fact that Ezreal, as a high-ranking god, still chose to conceal this matter and remain silent indicates that the concealment was either requested or demanded by that civilization."

"We'll take our time searching. As long as they're still in the universe, we'll definitely find them."

............

"Ugh... my nose is itchy. Why do I have this feeling that I'm about to sneeze any minute now?"

Hei hope rubbed the tip of her nose, looking at Bronya who was slumped over the workbench, half-dead. "Hey, are you alright? You're not really dead, are you?"

"Not yet... but it'll be soon..."

Bronya sighed, covered her face with her hands, and rubbed it hard. "I've been too focused these past few days. Even though I finished it ahead of schedule, there are still so many bugs."

"Fixing the bugs is the longest part...and the art department has also started working on it. If everything goes smoothly, it should be able to go live in two months."

Blackie stared at Bronya with a suspicious look, then reached out and poked Bronya's cheek. "Are you sure? Two months for a virtual reality game, and a futuristic one at that! Even a sow wouldn't be that productive!"

Bronya sighed, her forehead resting on the table, her hands hanging down, almost touching the ground. "Don't say anymore... If there weren't orders from above, we'd do a little here, a little there, making a small progress every day. Everyone can take it slow and refine it gradually."

"But we've been given a strict order, so we have to start working like crazy."

"Then why don't you just finish the game by yourself? Go find your daughter, go find Xiaolong, they should be able to help you, right?"

Bronya shook her head, stood up and leaned back in her chair. "Don't even think about it, it's impossible. Xiaoyun is now the main AI in charge of manufacturing warships. She is responsible for the manufacturing and maintenance of all warships, including the manufacturing environment, post-construction inspection, and so on."

"As for Xiaolong now, he is responsible for solving many domestic livelihood issues and providing convenience to people through artificial intelligence. In other words, he is involved in both military and civilian life."

"They don't have anything to offer us on our side."

Bronya sighed, "In any case, we still have to rely on ourselves for what comes next. In the meantime, you and Seele can try to help people in other departments. After all, everyone has a lot of things to do, so it'll be a good way to pass the time."

Bronya picked up a spinning top from the table and started playing with it. Blackie shook her head. "No, if the two of us leave, your life will be completely and utterly disrupted. Don't think I don't know that."

Bronya sighed helplessly. How could they know about this? She thought she was the only one who knew about her less-than-ideal lifestyle.

Unexpectedly, Hei hope also discovered it.

When did you find out?

"Three days ago, your routine started to get messed up. Do you think that because you're a Herrscher, you can do whatever you want?"

Bronya nodded. "Otherwise, if I didn't have the Herrscher's strong physical abilities, how could I have withstood such high-intensity work? My body would have collapsed long ago."

Hei Xi pulled up a chair and sat down next to her. "I know it's no use talking to you, but it would be better if you kept your life a little more structured. You're putting all your energy into this now, what are you going to do later?"

Bronya nodded. "Okay, I know. I'll be more careful from now on!"

However, Bronya's somewhat perfunctory attitude displeased Hei hope, but she had no choice but to shake her head, "Fine, I'm not going to bother with you anymore... I'm annoyed by nagging and caring for you like a mother hen every day!"

"Beep beep beep! Beep beep beep!"

Just then, Bronya's phone rang. She picked it up and answered, "Hello? This is Bronya, what's up?"

Bronya froze after hearing what was said on the other end, then stood up from her seat and asked with a serious expression, "Are you sure?"

Hei hope raised an eyebrow. What had happened?

"what happened?"

Bronya held out her hand, signaling Blackie to be quiet. A few minutes later, Bronya hung up the phone and said, "Something's happened. Do you remember that snake molt from a long time ago?"

"Snake molt? You mean... the snake molt that Tong Xi intercepted back then, the one that represents Mebius's power and essence?"

Back then, Mebius wanted to invade their world, but she was blocked by the barrier that Tong Xi had set up in advance, and Tong Xi directly stripped Mebius of her power. Although she was successfully reincarnated, she lost all of her own power.

However, they were unable to find out where Möbius had been reincarnated. Was he reincarnated as a baby and started over? Or... did he take over someone else's body? They had no idea about that.

Now, the snake molt stored inside the research base has disappeared. Moreover, according to the system, the storage room where the snake molt was stored has been directly damaged, and no useful clues have been left behind. The entire storage room looks like it has been burned.

"The snake's molt has disappeared, which means that Mebius has regained his power. But it shouldn't be a big problem. Even Mebius at his peak couldn't beat us."

"The problem isn't whether Mebius can beat us, but what she might do in the shadows of our society. She's a snake trying to hide herself in the dark. Do you think it'll be easy to drag her out?"

Hei hope raised an eyebrow. "So what do you plan to do?"

"Let's go check out the scene first. Although it's difficult to find clues using conventional methods, we're not ordinary people."

Bronya pointed to the side of her head, where blue goggles covered her eyes. Blackie nodded. Okay, she did know that Bronya's goggles had very strong analytical capabilities, but the storage room was destroyed. Could they really find any clues?

Chapter 386: The Squad Goes Missing

"This is the storage room. Our researchers have conducted a detailed survey, and we have only reached one valid conclusion so far."

"one?"

The person in charge handed the identification data to Bronya, saying, "According to our identification results, the damage inside the storage unit was not caused by flames, but by lightning."

"Because lightning can also generate very high temperatures, it can also cause combustion and high-temperature damage. We tried to replicate the situation inside the storage room. The results showed that a powerful energy source suddenly generated intense lightning in the central area of ​​the storage room, destroying all the equipment inside the storage room."

“We searched for anyone who came here using nearby surveillance equipment, but all the surveillance equipment saw was a golden flash, and then the equipment was destroyed.”

"We have investigated the possibility of a mole within the base. Currently, there are a total of 134 people with abilities related to lightning or those manifesting in a golden form."

"Everyone is inside the base, and nothing unusual has been found so far."

Bronya stroked her chin. "I understand. You guys continue monitoring, I'll continue to check the scene."

Bronya and Blackie walked into the scene together. Looking around, Blackie shook her head. "I have no clues and I haven't found any suspicious traces."

"What about you?"

Bronya took out her goggles and scanned the entire room, but found no clues. However, the scan results from the goggles were consistent with the staff's conclusion: it was caused by a lightning strike.

Bronya had an idea: perhaps after Mebius obtained his snake molt, the fusion caused his power to become uncontrollable in a short period of time, resulting in a berserk state.

So... the target should be the lightning ability user inside the base. If someone goes missing or disappears, the target can basically be identified. Of course, the possibility of framing cannot be ruled out.

Do you have any ideas?

Hei hope asked again, and Bronya shook her head, "Basically, it's those clues from before, but... I'm still quite puzzled. It's only been a few years since Mebius entered our world."

"Then she most likely possessed an adult's body. It's possible that she possessed a student in Kyoto at the time and entered the base through a selection process, or it's possible that she directly possessed a base staff member."

Bronya rubbed her temples. "There aren't any clear clues, what do you think?"

Hei hope shrugged, indicating that she was powerless to help, but she did offer an idea: "I think you could try to lure her out with something she's interested in."

"For example... Tong Xi, or... you."

Bronya paused for a moment. "Seduction?"

That is indeed a solution. Now that Mebius has regained his strength, he will inevitably make some big moves. In addition, with the restoration of his strength, he will naturally become very confident.

Having remained hidden within the base for so many years, she must know most, if not all, of the information about it. Therefore, she must know the core and important figures within the base.

"Yes, it's about enticement. We'll discuss it internally, then set up the trap, and that'll be fine."

The traps... yourself, Hei Xi, Xi'er, and Fu Hua, four people, four traps, respectively corresponding to Lao Yu, Ji Chengtian, the research base's data center, and the residence, four areas, all of which are the core areas of the research institute.

As for that channel, all users are recorded, and it is guarded 24 hours a day. If someone uses it, the record can definitely be found.

"Let's do it this way. We don't know what her purpose is, but if we can lure her out, that would be the best outcome."

"Then let's do it this way!"

Once the plan was finalized, Bronya immediately notified Fu Hua and Seele to come and gather, shared the plan, and began making arrangements that very evening.

Bronya is responsible for protecting the core data area, Black Seele is responsible for the residence, Seele is responsible for protecting Dr. Ji Chengtian, and Fu Hua is responsible for Lao Yu's safety.

However, things did not go as smoothly as they had imagined. For several days in a row, there was no movement or abnormality inside the base. Just when Bronya was wondering if Mebius had gone into hiding again, an urgent message suddenly appeared in front of the four of them.

"The news has been confirmed. One of our small teams, which was tasked with exploring a nearby area with unusual spatial fluctuations, has gone missing. And it was a sudden disappearance, with no information coming back."

"The leader in charge is Moss, an ability user you once trained, Bronya. Her ability is extremely powerful lightning. The life monitoring devices of all her team members were damaged one after another in a very short half hour, and Moss's own life monitoring device is also in a critical state."

"We don't yet know what attacked their team. The rescue team has been dispatched. What are your thoughts?"

Anomalies in spatial fluctuations are the first strange phenomenon to appear on Earth after Shenzhou defeated the Shadow Empire. The most obvious of these phenomena are spatial dislocations and being trapped in a maze.

Before today, this spatial anomaly had been harmless, but today, a victim has emerged...

"Understood. How long until the rescue team reaches their destination? Do we need to be there?"

Old Yu shook his head. "Not for now. Let the rescue team go to the target area to check the situation first. We'll consider further rescue efforts after we've determined the details. However... we've only lost Moss's location information. We only know she's still alive, but we don't know where she is."

"Moreover... based on the information from the life monitoring device, her condition is very bad. She has multiple fractures, superficial wounds, and blood loss. If we arrive any later, she may very well die there."

Bronya frowned slightly. Moss, she remembered clearly, was a team member she was responsible for training. She had a decent personality and worked very hard. Moss's lightning abilities had made her wonder if Moss was possessed by Mebius, but she gradually dispelled that doubt through their interactions.

Now that she's in danger, Bronya doesn't want to sit idly by and wait to die.

"I understand. I'll go check the situation on my own. You guys stay here at the base. If anything unexpected happens, go find Tong Xi and see if she can pull me out."

Hei Xi grabbed Bronya's wrist. "Are you sure? What if something happens if you go alone?"

Bronya shook her head. "Don't worry, it's just a simple spatial anomaly area. It's not difficult for me."

“Then let Seele go with you, and I’ll stay here at the base with Fu Hua.”

Hei hope narrowed her eyes. "There's no room for negotiation!"

Chapter 387: Black Corrosion

"Commander, we have arrived at the area of ​​spatial anomaly and are conducting a search!"

After receiving orders, the rescue team immediately donned their power armor and arrived at the target area via a heavy transport aircraft, where they quickly began their search.