Chapter 324 Rage and Shadow
The figure on the screen was shaking, mixed with various noisy sounds. Nicholas watched with a gloomy expression.
"Such a big scene, could it be that some Forge-level mechanic has arrived?"
"Two senior machinists from the Machinists Association came out to greet him. He must be no ordinary person..."
"Who is this guy? He seems to be an interstellar human?"
The screen freezes, locking onto one of the figures and then zooming in.
"Li Ming..." He uttered two words.
"Yes, it's him." Albert nodded from behind. "Over the past month or so, we've gradually discovered some traces. Twin Peaks is one of the three most likely hubs for them to go to."
"We had received preliminary news a day ago, but we were not sure if it was these people."
"His identity has been confirmed, and there's an 80% chance he's not in disguise. The people around him have also been located. They're staying at the Shining Star Hotel and seem to have been welcomed by Austin."
After Qinglong left, they never gave up the search, and Albert was one of the main persons in charge.
Although the speed is a bit slow, I can still find some clues intermittently.
Even without this video, their whereabouts can be confirmed in two days at most. As long as they have not completely left the interstellar society, it is impossible for them to disappear.
"They do it openly and without any fear. They really don't take us seriously at all." Nicholas's face was grim.
His argument with Sathoggua's group was not over yet, and his men were fighting fiercely, but he did not forget about Qinglong.
In the Ascender Core Ruins incident, Qinglong seemed to have gained nothing after all the trouble he had.
But he didn't believe that the other party had been lying in wait for so long just to show up at the last moment.
Albert hesitated to speak, feeling helpless. "The Empire has not issued a wanted notice for Qinglong. The people of Chaos Star Gap are lawless to begin with, so naturally they can't be feared."
Nicolael also understood and snorted coldly. Albert quickly said, "Also, Qinglong's certification information can be found on the Machinists Association's website - Casting Star Mechanic."
"So fast?" Nicholas's expression grew increasingly grim. "Without even an audit?"
Albert said nothing, but smiled wryly. "The whereabouts of the Master Hammersmith, Hull, are unknown. The remaining two Master Hammersmiths are at odds with each other and seem to be on the verge of splitting. The reputation of the Mechanics Association has been declining in recent years, and they're trying to win over every star-level mechanic."
Nicola's cheek twitched, and he said coldly: "Have you found any trace of the Azure Dragon?"
"Not yet." Albert was even more helpless. "Qinglong seems to have disappeared without a trace, and asked Li Ming to handle various matters on his behalf."
"Disappeared without a trace?" Nicholas looked gloomy.
Albert added: "They obtained the A-level gene seeds from the Night Moon Biological Company."
"A-grade gene seed?" Nicolael frowned. "Qinglong wants to fuse?"
Albert hesitated and said, "I'm not sure, it should be Qinglong. According to our information, Li Ming's development progress was only 60% more than a month ago."
"It doesn't matter who it is. This is not important." Nicholas was impatient. What made people afraid of Qinglong was not his own strength.
Even becoming an A-level life form wouldn't change anything.
"Also, Li Ming joined the Black Hole Hall." Albert said again.
"It's only been a day, and they're really quick." Nicolael scoffed. "The Black Hole Palace is just a bunch of rabble. Don't worry about them."
Albert pondered, "Then, almost at the same time, someone posted a bounty on the Black Hole Hall for a junior member."
Nicholas looked over, and Albert quickly projected a picture of a stone that looked pitch black.
"This is..." Nicolael's pupils suddenly contracted, "The Stone of Terrax!"
"Are you sure it's Li Ming?" he asked urgently.
"I can't be sure." Albert said helplessly, "Although there is a 70% probability, we don't have any information about the background of the Black Hole Temple, so this is just speculation."
Nicolael's face was gloomy, and Albert hesitated and said, "Is this thing important?"
Nicholas glanced at him and said in a deep voice, "Its value itself is fine, but it reveals a lot."
"Qinglong, what on earth do you want to do..."
Albert thought, "He seems to want to form a force."
"Establishing a faction?" Nicholas was even more stunned, and then he sneered in anger. "What does he think of me? What does he think of the Xingyuan Empire? Does he think that what happened in the Red River Star Stream can be covered up just like that?"
"You still dare to build a force in the chaotic star gap?"
Nicola grew angrier and angrier as he spoke, roaring, "No matter what, he's just a Casting-level mechanic!"
Albert understood that Nicholas was troubled not only by the Azure Dragon incident, but also by the Red River Star Stream incident, which had caused a series of chain reactions.
The Grand Duke of Blood lost his son and his soldiers, and ended up with nothing. This had long been praised by the upper echelons of the empire, especially the traditional royal family, who ridiculed it.
However, he had no accurate evidence to prove that it was Reiner who killed Gabriel, which led to a constant dispute with Tsathoggua.
The Xingyuan Empire is a huge and bloated monster.
Normal people have the inherent impression that whoever provokes the Xingyuan Empire will be united in the entire Xingyuan Empire to kill that person.
But in reality, it is quite different, for example, this time——
The Royal Family: Cixue is such a loser, how could he be fooled like this? Whoever caused this mess should fix it himself. I won't help someone who betrayed the royal family!
House of Commons: Yes, yes, yes.
More than a month had passed since the incident, and the Bloodthirsty Duke still hadn't recovered his dignity, so he was naturally anxious.
Albert hastily added, "Intelligence analysts estimate that Qinglong's actions seem to be targeting Li Ming. Building a power or doing business is just a cover..."
"Using Li Ming as bait?" Nicholas realized. "He wants to lure me into action?"
“Uh…” Albert pondered and said awkwardly, “The intelligence room’s analysis shows that they must have other intentions, because we actually don’t have the ability to capture Qinglong.”
How could Qinglong tempt someone who couldn't do it?
Nicholas's face turned dark and he rubbed his brows. There were too many things to do and he didn't have time to think carefully about them one by one. He was more focused on looking at the analysis reports presented by his subordinates.
"Unless you can get the Empire to act with thunder and lightning."
Albert said stubbornly.
Nicholas's face turned cold. He wanted to ask Class X to take action and capture Qinglong, but the Royal Council had rejected his request more than once.
Although he kept shouting about the empire, he knew in his heart that he could not represent the empire at all.
Qinglong did not essentially harm any imperial interests, but was suspected of damaging his interests.
In the current situation, it is even less likely that the imperial high-ranking officials will send anyone there. Everyone knows what the Chaos Star Gap is.
Li Ming was clearly a bait, but he still sent people there. What if there were people from the Yongyao Federation lying in ambush? Wouldn't that be a huge loss?
"So, just because of a bait, we're left helpless?" Nicholas was dissatisfied. "What else are those people in the Intelligence Analysis Room good for besides overanalyzing?"
"It's mainly because Qinglong is too mysterious. There's no information about him." Albert was also helpless.
"If it's a Casting Star Mechanic with clear growth data, I can definitely estimate their ceiling."
"Those mechanics at the Imperial Academy of Sciences still haven't figured out how Azure Dragon repaired the Starkiller Lance."
"The biggest possibility is a small-scale time reversal. If Qinglong has this ability..."
Nicholas took a deep breath. Ever since Qinglong appeared, the more he analyzed it, the scarier it became. He was now a little unconfident.
"Alright, the Imperial Academy of Sciences is just a bunch of idlers. Those old guys should have given way long ago." Nicholas shook his head and said angrily:
"And those people in the Intelligence Analysis Room, unable to estimate the enemy's upper limit, set it too high? Why didn't they say that Qinglong was already invincible in the universe?"
Albert didn't say anything, and the Intelligence Analysis Room didn't make groundless speculations. They basically conducted a comprehensive analysis based on the existing intelligence.
"Forget it, Albert, just go to the Chaos Star Gap." Nicholas suddenly said.
"Hmm... Yeah?" Albert nodded subconsciously. Suddenly he froze, "I'll go?"
"That's right." Nicolael saw Albert's evasive gaze and was immediately annoyed, but he had to suppress it and said in a deep voice: "I'm not asking you to capture Li Ming. Act according to the situation."
"The Chaos Star Gap is quite far away. Since I think Qinglong is fishing, if something goes wrong, I'm afraid I won't be able to arrive in time and will fall behind others."
Nicolael's statement made sense and Albert was reluctant, but he could only nod: "I understand."
When Albert left the room, Nicholas's face suddenly darkened. He vaguely felt that the core ruins, Gabriel's death and Qinglong were all related.
He really wanted to give it a try and capture the person at all costs, but he was afraid that he would fall into Tsathoggua's trap, so he was in a dilemma.
"I have to find a way to get the Empire to help me."
………
Somewhere in the starry universe, the desolate starry sky is like a black curtain, dotted with twinkling stars. There is a huge nest suspended here that looks like it is made of black branches.
Each branch is as thick as a mountain, stacked together in a messy yet orderly manner. From a distance, it looks like a giant womb.
In the core hall, a pale light flickered, coming from the swaying gray-white flames on the black lampposts.
A group of figures covered in black veil stood here, of different heights, weights and bodies. There were no seats, they were just gathered together.
"Sisters, the latest news is that the human with level 46 development potential has reappeared." An ethereal voice suddenly sounded, echoing in the empty hall.
After a brief silence, a heated discussion broke out. "He's appeared again! That Forge-level mechanic didn't even hide him."
"Holy Mother, where is he?" A figure in black veil couldn't help but ask in a soft voice.
The Virgin Mary wore a black crown, with six white hands folded on her abdomen, and her voice was still light and graceful:
"In the Chaos Gap, the Twin Peaks hub, a sister discovered his whereabouts and wanted to obtain the seeds, but was discovered and executed by Austin."
"He has left now, but since he has appeared in our sight, we will not let him leave." The Virgin Mary said slowly.
"The potential for development is forty-six. We've been waiting for a thousand years for someone under thirty. As long as we obtain his seed and combine it with the black goat's egg, the offspring born will definitely have a potential for development of fifty." The Virgin Mary spoke slowly, her voice gradually rising.
"The Star of Eternal Silence, the empire's most mysterious weapon, the hope of mastering it is within reach."
"Four thousand three hundred years ago, Adam broke his promise, and the previous Mother stole the Star of Eternal Silence, causing the empire to tremble and endless fighting. Adam launched a siege, nearly destroying us. But after so many years of waiting, the opportunity has finally arrived."
"May the Virgin Mary protect you!" the black-veiled members said in unison.
"However, that Azure Dragon cannot be underestimated. With our current strength, we can only outsmart him," the Virgin Mary added. "We need to get ahead of the conservatives. According to our information, his orientation is still heterosexual."
"So I'm going to..."
"I'll go." Someone suddenly spoke among the crowd of people in black veil. He had a graceful figure and looked like a human-shaped life form. In the dim light, through the black veil, one could vaguely see a pair of amber eyes.
"Desire, you're doing this yourself?" The Virgin Mary was surprised. "I was planning a show."
The woman's voice was lazy: "This matter needs to be foolproof. Besides, I like such a young and outstanding boy."
"This is a bit risky." The Virgin Mary mused.
Desire responded, "He's just a Forge-level mechanic. Even if he's discovered, I can escape without any problem. As long as I see his true form, he won't even be able to wear a mecha."
The Virgin Mary recalled various data and nodded, "If that's the case, that couldn't be better. I will activate the mother nest and teleport you there alone."
………
"hiss--"
In the spaceship room, Li Ming opened his eyes and sighed helplessly. The elemental energy surging on the surface of his skin gradually subsided.
Even though he was mentally prepared, Li Ming was still shocked by the outrageous development speed.
He had been away from the Gemini Hub for thirteen days, and during this time, he had been developing gene seeds almost every moment.
Gravity adjustment can already be extended to more than 300 times to assist in development, but the overall development progress has still not reached 1%.
"This is too slow. I'm afraid it will take nearly 20 days to reach 1%."
"At this rate, after three more declines, it will probably take ten years, or even more than ten years, to reach 100% development. That's assuming we work non-stop." After a rough estimate, Li Ming was secretly shocked.
The negative emotions caused by rate attenuation in the past are nothing compared to this time.
"It will take ten years to develop 100%..." Li Ming muttered. If Ulrich and others heard it, they would probably be dumbfounded.
Let alone ten years, becoming an S-level life form within a hundred years is astonishing enough.
"However, after mastering the sublimation source crystal, the development blessing will be doubled. If we upgrade a few more S-level gene essences, it should be much faster."
"Upgrading gene essence doesn't require the Terrax Stone, but S-level gene essence can only be extracted from S-level life forms, which is quite difficult."
Li Ming pondered this, then said helplessly, "I'm still not used to this kind of time scale of more than ten years."
Eat one bite at a time, plan one step at a time, nothing can be accomplished overnight.
(End of this chapter)
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