"Let's all grab a drink later and catch up properly. I'll seal this young lady's memories first."
Gao Wen smiled faintly and walked over to Zhuo Qianlei. He took out a golden pocket watch and dangled it before her eyes, his voice low and deep, as if it held a magical quality.
"Watch the pocket watch! Relax. That's right, slowly relax your body. Now, forget everything you saw today. Bury it all in the deepest recesses of your memory!"
Gao Wen gently swayed the golden pocket watch, his voice carrying a peculiar rhythm. Wisps of an uncanny Spiritual Energy began to emanate from his body.
Zhuo Qianlei's body trembled slightly, and her eyelids, feeling as if they were weighted down with lead, slowly closed.
A hint of fear flickered deep in Shu Feng's eyes. 'What powerful Hypnosis! It can actually seal a person's memories. Good thing there are Spiritual Energy fluctuations when it's used, otherwise it would be truly terrifying.'
"There! Go watch from the sidelines with your little girlfriend. Now, it's our time to fight!"
Gao Wen smiled faintly and drew his Tier One Spiritual Spear, [Hei Ya].
The pitch-black, distorted cavern trembled slightly as goblins began pouring out one after another.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
The moment those goblins appeared, they were bombarded by bullets from [Hei Ya]. Their heads either exploded like watermelons, or they were left with fist-sized bloody holes in their hearts.
Although Gao Wen and the other three all cultivated other Extraordinary paths, they were also battle-hardened masters who knew how to use any available weapon. All of them were proficient in Spirit Spear Technique.
After a dozen or so goblins were taken down, three ferocious, savage Ogres charged out of the distorted cavern. The moment they emerged, the four men riddled them with bullets from [Hei Ya], turning them into Swiss cheese without any further fuss.
After the last Ogre emerged, the distorted cavern vanished abruptly with a soft POP.
"Acquired 4 Pure Soul Power, 0.008 Divine Power."
"..."
Shu Feng calmly walked to the center of the battlefield. A series of notifications rang out in his mind; apparently, the Base Space within his body had absorbed a great deal of mysterious energy.
Shu Feng asked curiously, "Brother Gongsun, what exactly was that distorted cavern?"
Gongsun Hai said, "I don't know."
Ma Jin frowned as he looked at where the distorted cavern had vanished. "This is the first time a distorted cavern like this has appeared so abruptly. I wonder what impact this will have on the future."
Gao Wen smiled. "Whatever impact it has is a matter for the higher-ups to worry about. It's rare for us to get together! Let's go to Juxing Tower for a drink. My treat!"
Shu Feng gestured toward Zhuo Qianlei. "I should probably get her to a hospital first."
Gao Wen said, "Alright! Take her to the hospital, then join us."
'The perimeter is surrounded, just as I thought.'
Carrying Zhuo Qianlei on his back, Shu Feng walked outside and immediately saw that the area was filled with police cars. A long cordon had been set up, completely isolating the area.
"Who are you? What have you done to my daughter?"
A policeman in uniform strode toward Shu Feng. He had thick brows, large eyes, and an air of integrity. Bearing a slight resemblance to Zhuo Qianlei, he stared intently at her disheveled form on Shu Feng's back, a piercingly cold light flashing in his eyes.
Shu Feng said respectfully, "Sir, I'm Shu Feng, Zhuo Qianlei's classmate. I know her father's name is Zhuo Dahai. If you don't mind, could I please see your identification?"
"Kid, you've got some nerve. You're the first person to ever speak to me like that. Take a good look!"
A look of approval flashed in the officer's eyes as he handed his ID to Shu Feng.
"Uncle Zhuo, Qian Lei was injured inside. Please take her to the hospital."
Shu Feng gently lowered Zhuo Qianlei from his back and looked directly at Zhuo Dahai.
"What on earth happened in there?"
Zhuo Dahai's eyes flashed with anger as he looked at Zhuo Qianlei's disheveled clothes and badly swollen leg. "What happened in there?" he demanded.
"Captain Zhuo! You aren't authorized to know what happened in there!"
A black sedan pulled up, and Ma Jin leaned out, grinning. "Ah Feng, since your little girlfriend's father is here, there's nothing left for you to do! Come on, let's go for that drink!"
"Uncle Zhuo, goodbye!"
After a polite farewell, Shu Feng got into the black sedan and disappeared from sight.
After watching the black sedan disappear, a strange light glinted in Zhuo Dahai's eyes. 'The Special Operations Unit! Does that mean this was one of those bizarre paranormal cases?'
As the captain of Lei Jiang City's criminal investigation division, Zhuo Dahai was well-informed and had often seen supernatural cases handed off to the Special Operations Unit.
The members of that unit possessed immense authority; even the police force was a subordinate agency.
Juxing Tower was one of the most exclusive restaurants in Lei Jiang City. A lavish meal could cost thousands, even tens of thousands. Shu Feng had only ever heard stories about it.
Once they arrived at Juxing Tower, a stream of rare delicacies was brought to their table. As they ate, Shu Feng and the others chatted about all sorts of tales from the Spiritual Realm.
Among the four official members of Lei Jiang City's [Guardian Flame] squad, Ma Jin was forthright and bold, Gongsun Hai was taciturn, You Meng was generous, and Gao Wen was refined, elegant, and exceptionally knowledgeable. The five of them had a wonderful time chatting together.
After the banquet, Shu Feng took a car home alone.
'Let's see what I gained today!'
Suppressing his excitement, Shu Feng entered the mysterious Base Space.
"28 units of Pure Soul Power, 0.42 Divine Power."
"Goblin Warrior. Synthesis requires: 10 units of Spiritual Power, 1 Soul Power, 100 units of electrical energy, 40 kg of meat, 20 grams of salt…"
"Goblin Warrior. Synthesis time: 2 hours."
"Goblin Warrior. Power: 5, Agility: 6, Defense: 6, Constitution: 6. Must consume 2 kg of food daily to maintain peak combat effectiveness. Service life: 15 years. Can be evolved into a Big Goblin using Divine Power and Soul Power."
'What's the point of synthesizing a Goblin Warrior? A single adult could probably take down several of them. Hmm, I could use them as sacrifices for some evil ritual. Or as lab rats, cannon fodder for scouting!'
"Ogre. Power: 30, Agility: 18, Defense: 27, Spirit: 15, Constitution: 30. Must consume 100 kg of flesh and blood daily to maintain peak combat effectiveness. A Spirit Warrior Level Combat Creature."
"Synthesis requires: 3,000 Spiritual Power, 40 points of Pure Soul Power, 10,000 units of electrical energy, 500 kg of flesh and blood, salt…, 10 kg of steel."
"Ogre. Synthesis time: 24 hours."