Translator: CinderTL
That day, Chen Feng sat at a stone table in the courtyard, surrounded by empty plates.
Setting aside the Heart of Life talent, his current Physical Body could withstand two weeks without food or water without any adverse effects.
Still, he didn't mind indulging in the occasional satisfaction of a full stomach.
News of his emergence from seclusion had sent the entire Flame Tiger Sect into a flurry of activity once again.
Cao Tong was the first to arrive, leading a group of disciples who now stood behind him.
"Councilor Chu has come. The Sect Leader is entertaining him in casual conversation."
"Junior Brother Xu has gone to the military camp, but there isn't much happening at the Mountain Gate right now. The core disciples are overseeing things with the help of the supervisors."
Cao Tong, dressed in loose casual sportswear, had originally planned to visit the Martial Hall today. But upon learning of Chen Feng's emergence, he had come to report on matters that had transpired during his seclusion.
"Mm," Chen Feng nodded, finding the situation largely as he had expected.
With several True Disciples and his Grandmaster Master in charge, the sect's affairs were stable enough to handle most issues without his intervention.
As for Councilor Chu Shihong's visit...
He wasn't surprised. After all, the Provincial Federation had already ordered a thorough investigation of the Evil God Cult.
After finishing his meal, he gestured for Cao Tong to go about his business and walked alone toward a renovated courtyard.
"Old Li, you've really gotten younger since breaking through to Grandmaster."
"Hahaha, is that so? Why don't you try practicing too? I'll teach you."
"You teach me? Never mind. Just give me two jars of your Tiger Penis Wine instead."
The lively conversation of the two elderly men reached Chen Feng's ears. He cleared his throat and entered the reception hall.
The room fell silent for a moment.
The two gray-haired elders exchanged glances, then quickly pretended nothing had happened and greeted him.
"Xiao Feng, did you sustain any injuries?"
Even though he suspected Chen Feng was fine, Li Tong still worried that his seclusion had been for healing.
Chu Shihong was also concerned.
"It was just a moment of enlightenment after the battle. Nothing serious."
Chen Feng shook his head, brushing it off with a simple explanation. He then sat in a pear blossom wood chair next to the main seat.
Li Tong and Chu Shihong breathed sighs of relief and chatted casually for a while.
During their conversation, core disciples brought in tea. Chen Feng turned to Chu Shihong and asked the question that had been on his mind.
"Uncle Chu, have you confirmed the identities of those people?"
In private, their relationship was more relaxed, so Chu Shihong wasn't surprised by Chen Feng's question.
"I came here specifically to discuss this matter. The Provincial Federation takes it very seriously."
"Take a look. This is the latest report from the Red Guard. We've confirmed they're all members of the Dead Crow Cult, and we've identified most of them."
He produced a specialized communicator containing the data.
Chen Feng opened it, and a virtual holographic screen materialized.
It displayed photos and information on the dozen or so black-robed figures from that day.
They included people from the Red Nation, Suro, Niduo, and other countries.
But only one person truly caught Chen Feng's attention.
"A Suro?"
Frowning slightly, Chen Feng stared at the photo.
It was none other than the sinister Batfolk in the wide-brimmed hat, depicted in their human form before their transformation.
Feld, 37 years old, Suro Nation, born in Suojia City
Lines of text flashed across his vision. Just two months ago, Feld had been an ordinary office worker.
In a mere two months, he had risen to become a High-Ranking Envoy of the Evil God Cult.
Moreover...
"Suojia City"
Chen Feng sensed an anomaly. This seemed too convenient.
Suojia City was the only Earth city ever struck by the Black Tide, and the Batfolk's condition was eerily similar to that of a Black Tide Creature.
Could it be...
A flash of lightning struck Chen Feng's mind, inexplicably conjuring an image.
During the Black Tide outbreak in Suojia City, a Sixth-Tier giant Bat had emerged from the Spatial Black Hole.
Later, when it attempted to self-detonate and destroy the city, Flying General Wang Cheng had arrived just in time to stop it.
"Could it still be alive?"
A preposterous thought took root in Chen Feng's mind.
An ordinary person would never dare to imagine such a thing, but Chen Feng had witnessed the bizarre black fog of the Qinggang City Dreamscape.
The resurrection of a Black Tide Creature was not entirely impossible.
"What's the Military's take on this?" After a moment's consideration, Chen Feng suppressed his speculation and asked.
"The name 'Suojia City' is simply too conspicuous."
Chu Shihong glanced around the courtyard house, then leaned in and lowered his voice. "This matter has been reported to Red City. The higher-ups are taking it very seriously and have ordered the Red Guard to conduct a thorough investigation."
"In fact, Speaker Li mentioned that a special team has been dispatched to Suojia City to conduct a survey."
Through Chu Shihong's roundabout explanation, Chen Feng grasped the underlying meaning.
The top echelons of power were backed by powerful think tanks and expert organizations.
These groups had conducted extensive research on Secret Realm Ruins, including the Black Tide. Their understanding might not be inferior to his own.
So, they might have reached similar conclusions and speculations.
"That's good."
Chen Feng nodded, setting down the documents. During their casual conversation, Chu Shihong shared more information.
"The City Council held a meeting two days ago. We didn't notify you because we were concerned you were in closed-door healing."
"The main topic was the recent Dead Crow Cult attack. The higher-ups have decided to send two more Red General teams to Nanjiang to assist our efforts."
"Furthermore..." Chu Shihong smiled slightly, his tone becoming solemn. "Before the Radiant Light Secret Realm is relocated, a Legendary Flying General will arrive to oversee the situation here, just in case."
"Speaking of which, you should know this person."
Chu Shihong smiled enigmatically.
"Oh?" Chen Feng was puzzled.
A Legendary Flying General? He'd never heard that term before. And he was supposed to know this person?
"Due to confidentiality restrictions, I can't reveal the specific identity," Chu Shihong said. "But rest assured, this person has a good relationship with Speaker Li and is easy to get along with."
Chu Shihong added these explanations to prevent Chen Feng from overthinking.
Chen Feng fell into thought, a certain person inexplicably coming to mind.
He didn't press for details about the Legendary Flying General's identity. Instead, he was more curious about a keyword from earlier.
"Legendary Flying General... speaking of which, this is all thanks to recent advancements in cyborg modification technology."
"The Red Capital Research Institute has completely deciphered the new modification blueprints and conducted stable experiments."
"As a result, the upper limit of Cyborgs has been raised, and the efficiency of refining some advanced materials has increased by several dozen percent."
Chu Shihong, smiling broadly, spoke with evident excitement. "Therefore, a few Flying Generals with outstanding achievements have been equipped with more advanced enhancement modules, granting them power approaching that of Divine Generals."
"Due to this, they were recently awarded the Legendary title by the higher authorities."
Li Tong's expression was one of astonishment, while Chen Feng was also taken aback by this explanation.
If this was true, could Legendary Flying Generals possibly surpass Sixth-Tier strength?
"Of course, Legendary Flying Generals are rare, currently numbering only a handful," Chu Shihong continued. "Not every Flying General can withstand such specialized modifications."
As if sensing their surprise, and considering the current state of martial arts, Chu Shihong chuckled and quickly offered a few words of reassurance.
Chen Feng remained noncommittal, but his thoughts drifted further.
With the initial signs of improvement in modification technology, the number of Legendary Flying Generals was bound to increase in the future.
Moreover, there were even higher-tier Divine Generals.
He wondered just what level of power such formidable individuals possessed.
Buzz!
At that moment.
A Flying Car zipped through the bustling city, leaving the towering skyscraper of Red Wave Energy standing tall.
A middle-aged man in a suit sat in the top-floor office, a virtual screen floating before him displaying numerous stern faces.
"Red City has made it clear: Legendary-grade modification resources and technology will remain exclusive to the Military and the Red Guard."
"How selfish! Shouldn't such technology be shared?"
"The Han Family contributed significantly to the initial Secret Realm development. What's wrong with giving us a little resource allocation?"
"The Platinum Federation's tycoons are far more powerful than we are. They have everything they need. If we'd known, we should have moved out of the Red Nation long ago."
Arguments erupted through the communication module. An elderly man frowned in disapproval, while a forceful middle-aged man grumbled with resentment.
As a Mega Corporation, they should have been able to look down on everything and enjoy all resources.
Yet, they found themselves constantly targeted and suppressed.
The middle-aged man in the suit remained silent throughout the discussion, offering no comment. Finally, someone changed the topic and turned to him.
"Ming Chuan, the Nanjiang Secret Realm migration is about to begin."
"What's the progress on the Primordial Creature Blood Essence we traded with the Roth Family?"
"Attempting implantation into the test subject," the middle-aged man in the suit said calmly, to the satisfaction of everyone present.
"However, we're still facing some temporary, phased issues. I hope headquarters can approve additional resources for me."
"No problem," came the unanimous response. Everyone understood the significance of this experiment.
The meeting continued for another ten minutes. Finally, the communication line went dead, and the vast office fell silent.
Han Mingchuan, the middle-aged man in the suit, withdrew his gaze and turned to the other person who had remained seated throughout the meeting on the opposite leather sofa.
It was a female lab technician in a white coat, with an exceptionally delicate face and fair skin. Her long, wavy brown hair and slightly reddish eyes clearly marked her as non-Red Nation.
"How long until you can give me results at the latest?" he asked calmly, meeting her gaze directly.
"Without the stimulation of advanced, specially formulated energy, the dilution concentration of the Primordial Creature Blood Essence can't be reduced to the previously planned standard," she replied, rising and slowly walking toward the red mahogany desk. She then sat down on its edge.
"So?"
"Two options," she said in a low voice, her expression unchanged even as she revealed the black stockings and slender legs beneath her white coat.
"First, as I said before: fuse the Essence Blood of a Pinnacle Realm Martial Artist to create a serum that neutralizes the backlash and genetic collapse caused by the Primordial Creature Blood Essence."
The woman in the white coat smiled, sitting on the table with her legs crossed.
But...
"Just tell me the second option," Han Mingchuan said, shaking his head.
There were only a handful of Pinnacle Realm Martial Artists, and all had deep ties to the Military and the Federation. Even if he used the corporation's resources to force the issue, he had to consider the severe repercussions that would follow.
"Then we'll have to compensate with numbers," she said, glancing at him before slowly rising. "The Red Nation has a large number of Martial Artists. If we can collect a massive amount of their fresh blood to create the serum and use them as test subjects for trial and error..."
"The success rate of modifying the Primordial Creature Blood Essence could increase by at least thirty percent."
After her words fell silent, Han Mingchuan paused. He gazed out the window at the bustling city streets, where other Mega Corporations and the United Coalition Building stood as symbols of power and significance.
Finally, he made his decision.
"Alright."
(End of the Chapter)
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