Who are you calling a stable boy?!

"Oops, this is bad."

But after taking only a couple of steps, Zheng Jing muttered something and stopped.

He forgot to discuss the name of the base with Urahara.

When Zheng Jing talked to Lao Lan before, Lao Lan told him to decide for himself. At that time, time was tight and infrastructure construction had not yet started, so Zheng Jing thought about it and put it aside for the time being.

Now, it's time to put this matter on the agenda...

Scratching his head, Zheng Jing's eyes lit up, and an idea came to him.

However, I'll have to talk to Urahara about that later.

Right now, he should continue his journey to the Great Void Forest.

Chapter 147: The Lone Warrior

The Great Void Forest.

As the name suggests, it is the forest where the Hollows dwell.

Of course, one could also say that what lies buried deep beneath the white sands of Hueco Mundo is an arena where Hollows, desperately craving souls, fight and devour each other.

Almost all the Gillian in Hueco Mundo reside in this Great Hollow Forest.

As the lowest-ranking Hollows, the vast majority of Gillian lack self-awareness. Wandering around, their most common activity is to swallow everything they can see.

Many Adjuchas are transformed from this kind of vicious cycle of fighting and devouring.

In this dark forest, Xu seems to have truly become a beast that follows its instincts.

Today, the Great Void Forest has welcomed a monster.

"Oh!"

With a muffled thud, the head of a Kylian exploded under the golden cudgel.

Holding a stick, Zheng Jing danced tirelessly among the dozens of Kylians.

This is exactly:

The cold wind howled, and the scorching waves rolled.

The biting wind whips around the shadowy figure, causing evil spirits to shatter their bones.

The scorching waves burn away the souls of the dead, and the evil spirits are annihilated.

Black mountain collapses, white face blooms, waves of evil light obscure the path to survival.

With six powerful arms and bright golden eyes, his staff possesses divine strength; who can say he cannot save others?

"call--"

With a flick of his wrist, Zheng Jing hoisted the stick onto his shoulder and stopped.

When these lowest-ranking Hollows are hit by his staff, they are left with hardly any fragments. Their massive bodies often explode and scatter before they even have a chance to fall, ascending to the heavens.

In the blink of an eye, dozens of Kylian were wiped out.

Scratching his cheek, Zheng Jing raised his head and looked around.

He wasn't deliberately looking for trouble with those dozens of Kyrians.

Rather, it was these dozens of Kylians who attacked him first.

When Zheng Jing landed after crossing the sea of ​​sand, he happened to land among the group of Kylian who were devouring each other.

As a result, whether the Kylians were truly bloodthirsty or simply reacted out of fear, they all stopped fighting amongst themselves and instead attacked Zheng Jing together.

Zheng Jing doesn't dislike dogs.

But for vicious dogs that dare to bite as soon as they meet, he always beats them with a stick!

"Um......"

After dealing with the hindrance, Zheng Jing tilted his head in slight distress.

He had just tried to probe the surroundings for any spiritual pressure belonging to the Grim Reaper, but to no avail.

- Exactly.

Zheng Jing's trip to the Great Void Forest was to find the survivors of the Soul Society expeditionary force.

Considering that the other party had fought in the Great Void Forest until now, it was only natural that he possessed excellent skills in concealing his aura. Zheng Jing rolled his eyes and decided not to go looking for the other party anymore.

He realized that it would be more efficient to have the other party come to him.

In an instant, Zheng Jing unleashed his domineering battle aura and unleashed a powerful spiritual pressure!

Carrying the golden cudgel, he leaped up, like a little ape playing in the mountains, hopping lightly among the giant crystal trees that resembled mountain peaks in the Great Void Forest.

In this dark forest, apart from the selfless Kylians, no one would dare not conceal their presence.

Because here, one second you might be the hunter, and the next second you could be the prey.

Moreover, in the Great Forest of the Hollows, not concealing one's presence most often results in attracting Kylians who lack a sense of self.

However, Zheng Jing jumped around like that for more than ten minutes without being attacked even once.

This is not because Zheng Jing moved particularly fast.

On the contrary, it is precisely because he moves slowly that he has not yet managed to run into even a single Kyrian.

Indeed, most Kyrians lack self-awareness, but these Kyrians without self-awareness will act according to their instincts.

Simply put, people will avoid things when they feel pain, and they will choose to run away if they feel they can't win.

Given the aura Zheng Jing is currently exuding, unless it is a swarm of Gillians manipulated by Adjuchas, these lowest-ranking Hollows will instinctively flee the moment they sense Zheng Jing.

As for those who retain a sense of self, they certainly wouldn't dare to offend Zheng Jing.

Theoretically, the only one in this Great Void Forest who might be trying to spy on Zheng Jing is—

"Let me introduce myself. I am Zheng Jing, the captain of the special operations team."

Zheng Jing, who had suddenly stopped, turned around and stared straight into the shadows beneath the giant tree with his golden eyes.

"One of the duties of our mission in Hueco Mundo is to search for every survivor of the expeditionary force from that time."

The words were followed by silence.

Zheng Jing wasn't in a hurry. He just stood calmly in that conspicuous spot, occasionally turning his head to look here and there.

A moment later, from the direction Zheng Jing was looking, a figure quietly emerged from the shadows.

He was dressed in a Shinigami uniform, with Hollow fur draped over his shoulders, wielding a Zanpakuto in one hand and a skull shield in the other.

What appeared before Zheng Jing was a strange man with a hollow, bony face, who was neither the Grim Reaper nor a Void.

"...I've never heard of a special operations team."

He spoke, his voice hoarse and slightly awkward.

It was as if... he hadn't spoken in a long time.

"That's natural. After all, we've only been established for about six months."

Zheng Jing smiled.

"Do I, Old Zheng, need to provide any other proof?"

"..."

After a moment of silence, the strange man shook his head and removed the illusory mask.

"Asido, of the Expeditionary Force."

The handsome, red-haired man, who looked no more than thirty years old, gave his name.

"What a sight to behold! You must have a story to tell. What a coincidence, I, Old Zheng, have some wine."

Zheng Jing took out the Fire Gourd and shook it at Asido.

"Chat?"

After hesitating for a few seconds, Asido nodded.

-

Asido took Zheng Jing to one of his usual lodgings.

After sitting down, Zheng Jing was the first to speak.

He shared some information about the special operations team.

Asido listened quietly.

Instead of using cups, the two drank directly from the gourds.

At first, Asido was wary or reserved and wanted to refuse, but when Zheng Jing opened the lid and smelled the aroma of monkey wine, he hesitated for a while before finally taking the gourd.

After a few bites, he seemed to relax.

Especially after hearing Zheng Jing specifically tell him about the recent situation of Kyoraku Shunsui and Kuruyashiki Kenpachi, Asido visibly relaxed.

Kyoraku Shunsui and Kuruyashiki Kenpachi were his close friends.

"So many."

"..."

Asido didn't mind Zheng Jing's strange nickname.

He didn't answer, but just looked intently at Zheng Jing.

I know asking this might sting you, but I still have to ask...

"Besides me, there are probably no other survivors."

Asido, who gave the answer directly, remained calm.

Having witnessed his comrades sacrifice themselves one by one, he was the only one left, and he gave this answer without hesitation.

But how could the turmoil in his eyes escape Zheng Jing's notice?

Scratching his cheek, Zheng Jing sighed.

"Since that's the case, I, Old Zheng, will just say it straight."

He raised the gourd and handed it to Asido.

"Old Duo, come here."

Chapter 148: Think about what I would do

"Would you like... me to join the special operations team?"

"Are you interested, Commander-in-Chief Asido?"

Asito, the Grim Reaper, is a close friend of Kyoraku Shunsui, the captain of the 8th Division, and the 7th Kenpachi, Kuruyashiki Kenpachi.

—At the same time, he was also the supreme commander of that expeditionary force back then.

Hearing this address for the first time in a long time, Asido was stunned for a moment.

“I know you never thought about leaving the Great Void Forest.”

Zheng Jing continued, "Most of the Hollows that run from Hueco Mundo to the human world to cause trouble reside in the Great Hollow Forest. Therefore, as long as the number of Hollows here decreases, the harm they cause to the human world will also decrease."

“I know that you’re still here not because you can’t leave, but because you don’t want to leave.”

"Don't worry, I don't intend to persuade you to leave the Great Void Forest. In fact, after you joined the Special Operations Team, I was planning to entrust you with the management of the Great Void Forest."

"Manage, manage?"

Asido stared blankly at Zheng Jing.

"Old Duo, what do you think is the root cause of the harm that the virtual world poses to the real world?"

"It's an inherently illusory nature."

Asido answered this question with a crisp and clear answer.

"That's right. Hollows, which are formed from the fallen souls of humans in the mortal world, need to replenish and evolve themselves by devouring other souls. As for whether they devour humans, their own kind, or Shinigami, it doesn't matter to most Hollows."

Zheng Jing nodded.

"The Hollows that have formed in the present world are currently being handled by the Thirteenth Division, or rather by the Seireitei. Therefore, my current goal is to control these Hollows in Hueco Mundo."