Chapter 152 Another Fragment of the Divine Seal 2
I can now confirm that there is a fragment of a divine seal inside this abandoned research facility.
Considering the connection between the creator of the monster and this place, and the possibility that Ying Lingyun possesses the fragments of the Divine Seal, it can be basically concluded that the fragments of the Divine Seal in the abandoned research facility belong to Ying Lingyun.
I just don't understand it.
Why would such a precious item as a fragment of a divine seal be left in such a desolate place? Normally, even the strictest security measures wouldn't be excessive. Even if they didn't want to appear suspicious, wouldn't it be more than just casually leaving it there?
I tried to find the exact location of the Divine Seal fragment, while Lu Youxun continued to ask me about the situation on the other side of the teleportation portal.
I definitely couldn't tell him about the fragments of the divine seal, but anything else was fine. I described in detail what I had seen.
Based on my perception, the abandoned research facility is at least several hundred kilometers away from our city of Saltwater, and it's even outside our province. That such a small portal could connect to such a distant place—if this could be popularized among the general public, I can only imagine the revolutionary change it would cause in transportation.
After hearing my description of the scene there, Lu Youxun's expression gradually became strange and gloomy.
"Zhuang Cheng, is the name of that abandoned research facility written at the entrance?" he asked. "Could I take a look?"
As he instructed, I manipulated the "firefly" to take a look. At the entrance, there was a horizontal stone tablet with the name of the abandoned research facility written on it; it was publicly claimed to be a drug research institute of a certain corporation.
Upon hearing the name, Lu Youxun's facial muscles twitched a few times, and his expression became very distorted.
After a moment, he calmed down and said, "That was the old stronghold of the Humanitarian Affairs Department. ... That's where I was taken in."
Upon hearing this, Zhu Shi's expression changed slightly, and Ma Zao couldn't help but look at Lu Youxun.
My mindset as I looked at that abandoned research facility—the former outpost of the Humanitarian Affairs Department—changed dramatically.
What was once just an unsettling, desolate haunted place has now become even more chilling, as if one can faintly hear the screams, blood, tears, and despair echoing here from the past.
Was Lu You imprisoned and tortured in such a place by the Humanitarian Affairs Bureau in the past?
"After I escaped from that stronghold, I immediately contacted Luoshan to wipe out the Humanitarian Division forces there. Unfortunately, they reacted a step too quickly. By the time Luoshan's Wuchang arrived, they had already used large-scale spatial teleportation to retreat completely, leaving behind no valuable items or clues." Lu Youxun said expressionlessly, "I never thought I would have any contact with that place again."
Zhu Shi asked in confusion, "But why would the creator of this weirdo transport the 'clinic' equipment and facilities to the abandoned base?"
"He probably used that place as a transfer station," Lu Youxun said casually. "He may have anticipated the exposure of the teleportation location, so he didn't connect the teleportation gate directly to the real stronghold, but instead added a transfer link in between. As for why he chose that kind of place, it's easy to understand. On the battlefield, shells rarely land in the same crater. Abandoned strongholds that have already been searched are actually the dark places under Luoshan's nose."
"He could even foresee this situation?" Zhu Shi asked in astonishment.
I think the creator of the monster probably didn't anticipate the appearance of someone like Asaho who could recreate his portal, but he must have thought about the situation of "although I don't know what happened, I still messed up."
There is precedent for this.
The creator of the monster didn't expect that I could unconditionally enter the fire element form and break free from the restraints, but he still took this as a premise and spent a lot of effort preparing a trump card move that would directly attack my soul.
Even the impossible must be prepared for – that’s Ying Lingyun’s style.
In the past, he found the possibility of victory in the impossible and killed the great demon Silver Moon.
As an enemy, they are a truly troublesome opponent.
But this time, he miscalculated again.
Although it is unknown why fragments of the divine seal appeared at the former Humanitarian Division's outpost, based on the existing clues, the inference that this place was a transfer station should be correct.
Asahi is the ultimate hunter, and the other side's tactic of increasing transfer stations is merely a delaying tactic.
Since the monster creator used a portal at the "clinic" to avoid being tracked, he most likely used one at the transfer station as well. However, this tactic is futile no matter how many times it's used. If there's a portal, it's pried open; if not, the pursuit continues as usual. Add to that Asahina's calamity-bringing effect, and the opponent is destined to be caught no matter where they run.
The problem is that Mazao can only recreate the portal once a short time, so there's no way for her to open the portal there as well.
Simply taking her to the old Humanitarian Division outpost, hundreds of kilometers away, shouldn't be a problem. I just need to teleport myself there first, and then let her teleport herself there using the sticker markings on my body.
I believe she can uncover some important information there. After all, it was once a stronghold of the Humanitarian Division, and it's highly likely that experiments related to monsters were conducted there, so there are definitely clues related to the apocalypse.
However, even the "clinic" has implemented anti-divination measures, let alone the old base. Doing so would likely only yield fragmented clues shredded by these anti-divination methods. Furthermore, Asahi's jinx constitution ultimately leads to misfortune; we can't expect this cursed phenomenon to be kind enough to piece together all the valuable information we need. Besides, there's no external time constraint, and the investigation involves the entire building, making it impossible to estimate how long it will take to piece together the clues.
If we can trace the Humanitarian Affairs Bureau's true location, then that's the best course of action. Heading there now might alert them.
Given the creator of this strange entity's caution, he wouldn't be completely oblivious to the potential exposure of the transfer station; he must have set up some kind of detection system there. Right now, I'm just manipulating "Fireflies" to scout the area, so I might not be noticed. But if I were to personally take action with Asahi, it would definitely provoke Ying Lingyun behind the scenes.
Ying Lingyun may not be able to escape Ma Zao's pursuit, but he certainly has plenty of ways to stall for time. If he were to open portals everywhere to escape and delay for several months, or even escape with all the personnel and supplies of the Humanitarian Affairs Department through the large-scale spatial transfer mentioned by Lu Youxun, then we might as well give up on the clue of him and the Humanitarian Affairs Department.
I'm not so arrogant as to think that such a huge organization as the Humanitarian Division would be afraid of me and Asa, but they would certainly be afraid of their hideout being exposed to the Luoshan forces.
If it weren't for that troublesome soul trauma, Ma could have used "Reproduction" repeatedly long ago, at which point Ying Lingyun probably wouldn't even have been able to stall for time.
As expected, I still need to help Asao overcome her soul trauma first—just as this thought came to mind, Lu Youxun suddenly spoke to Asao.
"As long as you can continuously recreate the portal, you can find out the true stronghold of the Humanitarian Division, right?" His eyes were filled with an extremely intense fervor.
Seeing that intensely determined look in her eyes, Mazao frowned and then said, "Yes."
He nodded, then turned around and said, "I understand."
"Wait, what did you understand?" Zhu Shi asked in surprise.
"I need to request material support from Luoshan and obtain magical items from the warehouse that can bear the burden of the soul in place of the user," he said.
"Huh? We have such obscure magical items?" Zhu Shi asked in surprise.
“As long as it’s not a magical item that’s impossible to implement in principle, Luo Shan has almost everything,” he said. “If you really can’t get one, then you can try another one, such as an item that can greatly reduce the user’s soul burden, or a substitute item that can transfer the damage when the user’s soul is injured… Luo Shan has a large family and a lot of resources, so he must have something that can help her now.”
His tone revealed his unwavering determination to achieve his goal: "Wait for me here. I will definitely come back with results in two hours at most."
As he spoke, he walked toward the exit of the "clinic".
"I'm going too!"
Who knows what the other party will bring back in the end? Zhu Shi seemed uneasy, so he chased after them.
Only Asahi and I were left here.
"...What should we do?" Asa turned to look at me.
"Let's wait for Lu Youxun's good news," I said. "His absence is perfect for me to make the most of it."
After saying that, I entered my fire elemental form.
Seeing that I was suddenly engulfed in flames, Asaha asked in surprise, "What do you want to do?"
“There are fragments of the divine seal inside the old Humanitarian Affairs Bureau stronghold,” I said. “I’m going to find them.”
After I finished speaking, I focused all my attention on the "fireflies" at the old Humanitarian Division's outpost.
The fragment of the divine seal was merely a pebble-sized object. Even if I searched for it all day, I wouldn't find it within the vast old stronghold of the Humanity Department. This was partly because I couldn't release many "fireflies" in my normal form, and also because my consciousness processed information very slowly in my normal state.
Now, my mental processing speed has increased a thousandfold, and my heat perception ability far surpasses that of my normal form. I don't even need to summon a large number of "fireflies"; just focusing on the "fireflies" at the old Humanitarian Division's stronghold, my perception sweeps out in all directions like a flood.
In the blink of an eye, my thermal perception covered the entire area within a one-kilometer radius, including not only the old Humanitarian Division outpost but also the surrounding forest.
Nothing can escape my gaze—not even the interiors of walls and floors, the middle of tree trunks, or beneath the soil. Even the thought that arises now could instantly engulf this realm in a devastating inferno, reducing everything to ashes before my very eyes.
This range is still not my limit, but for now, expanding my perception to this extent is about right.
I focused intently on finding the target's location.
(End of this chapter)
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