Chapter 165 Search
Allies will be allies, but information that should be investigated still needs to be investigated.
When Li Bowen and Cheng Zhenyong brought over ten crystal energy generators and forty Lamp Tree crystals, and then refused to even rest for a night before rushing back, this alerted Su Han that something was amiss.
Although he didn't know that a few days ago had been the time when the space rift was gradually expanding, such urgency must surely have a secret behind it.
Su Han, of course, would not stand idly by. His Blood-winged Alligator Dragon was too large and obvious for surveillance, and he himself could not afford to be away.
So, he simply let the more professional Ye Kailing undertake the task.
Even though the Bat Wing Beast's wingspan was not small, it was much smaller compared to the size of the Blood-winged Alligator Dragon.
Experience tales at empire
Moreover, Ye Kailing came from retired Armed Forces, and had gone through top-level bodyguard training. In this aspect, she was more suitable for shadowing than Su Han.
After several considerations, this was made Ye Kailing's pre-mission as head of the Sky Cavalry Squad.
While waiting, Ye Kailing had already hurried to the conference room, knocking loudly on the door.
"Come in."
Ye Kailing opened the door and entered. Seeing that everyone was present, she hesitated for a moment before saying, "There's been an incident in the South City camp. A space rift appeared in one of their factories, and the Gray Inferior Demons emerged from that rift. They fought a battle and won."
What?
Everyone showed a look of shock, to have really discovered such a thing.
"Go on, explain in detail."
Su Han motioned for Ye Kailing to sit down; Zhu Xiong pulled up a chair for her, and she began to speak, "I was only shadowing the manufacturing plant and noticed something off about the building, but then they suddenly erupted in battle and destroyed the building, which revealed the space rift.
A large number of Gray Inferior Demons, advanced Gray Inferior Demons, and Third Order individuals burst out. However, in the end, they won and are preparing to start exploring the rift."
The South City camp was fighting a major battle with those Gray Inferior Demons when Ye Kailing was at the edge of the mist, although she was above it, so she wasn't discovered.
The fog was dense, but the battle used lots of Lamp Tree crystals and Ancient Tree Crystals for illumination, so she could still see quite a bit of what was going on.
One could say that from the beginning to the end of the battle, she saw everything clearly.
Bai Qilan asked, "Apart from monsters emerging, what are the characteristics of a space rift?"
"The psychic energy is very rich; the energy around the whole factory is much denser than anywhere else. I think Contractors and Angel Envoys could get stronger much faster in such an environment. But as for what's actually inside, I don't know."
She had only discovered the existence of the space rift after the explosion and had not had time to observe it for long. Moreover, she was not a researcher, so naturally, she couldn't draw more conclusions.
However, Bai Qilan seemed to be deep in thought, as if the existence of the space rift connected all the dots.
"A space rift that could speed up evolution."
Su Han pondered, no wonder the people in the South City camp were so anxious. Danger and opportunity coexisted, and it was very likely related to more specific intelligence about the apocalypse.
"Old Zhu"
Zhu Xiong's eyes sharpened, as he said, "Yes, are we going to snatch it from them?"
"..."
"Not necessarily"
Su Han said, "Search teams, step up the search effort, spread the news to the Survivors' Settlements, we must find this space rift as soon as possible."
Now that the Gray Inferior Demons had been found, there was definitely a space rift within the northern part of the city. If it wasn't found, swarms of Gray Inferior Demons would eventually launch more terrifying attacks.
Zhu Xiong said, "Okay, I'll arrange that now, but I request to deploy the Vine Giant Rat and Tree-born Worm."
"Granted."
There were five hundred Vine Giant Rats and eight hundred Tree-born Worms, with a wide range of mobility. Even if some Vine Giant Rats needed to serve as mounts, there were still plenty that could be deployed.
Su Han's gaze fell on Ye Kailing, as he said, "You'll be in charge of the Sky Cavalry Squad from now on. You'll be part of this operation, too. First, pick out some of the more capable individuals to act as riders, and move out together."
Ye Kailing was taken aback, as she had not been at the meeting earlier and thus was unaware of her new position. However, she quickly nodded, "Understood."
....
Su Han was quick to react, but there was someone whose reaction was even quicker because just two days after Ye Kailing got back, Li Ruikang had already brought people to Su Han's camp.
There were quite a few people who came—about thirty—but the members were not weak. Led by Li Ruikang, both Guo Wutao and Cheng Zhenyong had also come.
In the reception room, Su Han, with a calm expression, looked at the three men and simply said, "Mr. Li and Director Guo have come in person, it seems like no small matter."
He had not brought up the space rift, partly because he didn't want to reveal his surveillance methods for now and partly because he wanted to see what Li Ruikang and the others were thinking.
While it was understandable not to divulge information on the space rift and to have left a clue was already more than generous, it did not mean that the South City camp's plans wouldn't change after getting ahold of the rift.
Li Ruikang couldn't discern anything from Su Han's expression and spoke in an even tone, "Lord Su Han, it has been a long while since our last meeting, and your strength has indeed grown much. My visit this time is for a particular matter, which previously was not fully understood, and hence not disclosed. Now, after studying it for quite some time, I have come straight here."
His tone grew serious as he continued, "I must ask Lord Su Han to be careful of the cracks in alternate dimensions."
"It seems that recently you've encountered something extraordinary."
Su Han gave a smile that was not quite a smile, "You've kept it well hidden."
Li Ruikang's expression remained unchanged, but internally he was momentarily startled, uncertain of what Su Han was really thinking.
He had no choice but to continue, "The cracks in alternate dimensions appear alongside the Psychic Tides as a result of collisions between alternate dimensions and our world, and they will expand over time until they stabilize. The cracks we have encountered lead to a vast tribe of monsters—Gray Inferior Demons.
The purpose of my visit is to convey this information to Lord Su Han and, incidentally, to make a trade."
"It has been discovered that the concentration of Spiritual Energy within alternate dimensions is higher than in our reality, which is greatly beneficial for the evolution of Angels and the improvement of Contractors' strengths. However, another danger exists—the possibility of encountering the Red Sea.
The Red Sea can breed monsters; it is a chaotic and disorderly mix of Spiritual Energy, and the specifics are unknown."
Li Ruikang conveyed everything regarding the alternate dimension cracks to Su Han, including some partial information that had only just been explored.
Although he didn't state it explicitly, the implication was clear, and he believed that Su Han would certainly understand.
It was, in essence, about repairing potential gaps.
"Thank you for the reminder, Mr. Li," Su Han said with a smile before adding, "Speaking of which, we have also encountered Gray Inferior Demons on our end, which indicates the likely presence of a crack in alternate dimensions. Your timely warning is appreciated."
Li Ruikang and Guo Wutao exchanged looks, thinking to themselves: So there are indeed multiple cracks in alternate dimensions.
"Please be extra cautious. At our crack, more than ten thousand Gray Inferior Demons have emerged, and they were not easy to take down."
He added, "Opening a crack takes time, especially one large enough to accommodate the passage of monsters. Since Gray Inferior Demons have already appeared, I fear the crack must be quite substantial by now."
"Don't worry, I've already sent people to search for it."
He looked at Li Ruikang and asked, "Why not talk about the trade? What did you come here to exchange this time?"
"One-third of a Third Order Double-headed Gray Inferior Demon's body, three complete bodies of Second Order Gray Inferior Demons, and one thousand complete bodies of First Order Gray Inferior Demons, in exchange for 500 crossbows and 10000 crossbow arrows, as well as 100 syringes of First Order Upper Grade injectables."
Su Han laughed. A Third Order monster's body being exchanged for these goods—even just one-third of it, along with Second Order monster bodies—could be considered an excessive offer.
"Agreed."
Su Han nodded his head but then changed his tone, speaking calmly, "This time, make up the difference with an additional 50 Lamp Tree Crystals instead of Ancient Tree Crystals."
Li Ruikang was startled, a wry smile flashing in his eyes, and he nodded in agreement, "Alright, it's a deal."
Their conversation concluded quickly, especially the part about the trade.
In plain terms, the trade this time was really just incidental; the information and attitude they brought were what both sides valued most.
Li Ruikang and Guo Wutao didn't rest there but instead set off on their return journey immediately after the exchange.
The exploration of the island beyond the crack was not going smoothly; they had sent in another team of Southern City Guards to observe the changes in the Red Sea and the birth of monsters after withdrawing the previous day.
True research had not been undertaken; they could only say that they were eliminating dangers.
The reason for their hasty visit was to warn Su Han to be cautious of the alternate dimension cracks and to prevent any larger rifts from forming between them.
It felt like a case of locking the stable door after the horse had bolted, but it was worth it to keep their side of the alternate space under their control.
Li Ruikang's arrival provided Su Han with more information about the alternate dimension cracks, the large number of Gray Inferior Demons, and even the presence of Third Order individuals, as well as the Spiritual Energy that could increase the pace of becoming stronger.
Each aspect was not to be overlooked.
Deciding to intensify his efforts, Su Han proceeded directly to the base of the Mother Nest Ancient Tree. The Mother Nest Ancient Tree had grown even larger, with intertwining vines forming a complex web and exuding an ever more significant presence.
Upon its sturdy branches hung many pouches of varying sizes at different heights, each representing a different tribe.
If a Vine Giant Rat or a Blood-winged Tiger died, these dormant pouches would come back to life and breed new tribal members.
Considering the current activity among the tribes, with members dying every day to help the Mother Nest Ancient Tree hunt enough blood and flesh, the most numerous deaths were among the Tree-born Worms.
However, once the tribal population increased, death and rebirth would gradually achieve balance.
Yet the defect was that the Mother Nest Ancient Tree required a lot of blood flesh, which was essential not only for Fusion but also for breeding both tribal members and beasts, necessitating substantial energy consumption.
Therefore, underneath these roots, the bodies of a large number of monsters were buried for a long time.
"Roar"
Four beasts roared as they gathered around, one of them displaying dark green wings on its back, with a tiger's head and a human's body. Its spine was slightly arched, and it stood over four meters tall, with a clawed left arm and a vined right arm, looking fierce.
The Winged Tiger Demon, the fourth beast cultivated by the Mother Nest Ancient Tree, was born from the Bat Wing Beast as its womb and the blood of the Chang Beast as the foundational nourishment.
In addition to dispatching Zhu Xiong and others, Su Han also planned to send out the Alien Thorn Worm, the Bonestead Rat Demon, the Centipede-mouthed Blood Toad, and the Tiger-winged Demon.
Though the Northern District was expansive, such significant activity at a crack in alternate dimensions couldn't be concealed forever, and Su Han didn't believe the crack could remain hidden for much longer.