Chapter 217: Soul Snatcher

Chapter 217: Soul Snatcher

The mutated creature lying dead in the glass chamber was obviously killed after being parasitized by a Soul Snatcher.

At this moment, the mutated creature lay in the glass chamber, which meant that the Soul Snatcher had already left this host.

Lu Heng immediately became alert, observing his surroundings, ready for the possible appearance of the Soul Snatcher.

Then, Iron Arm rushed in with his clan members, also on high alert as they scanned the area.

Mia walked over, crouched in front of the glass chamber, and said, "This is the aura. There's still a lingering demonic presence on this creature."

Iron Arm frowned and said, "The aura here is faint. The demon has probably escaped."

Lu Heng glanced at Su Muyu, asking if she had noticed anything.

Su Muyu shook her head and replied, "I didn't see the Soul Snatcher appear."

Since the Soul Snatcher was a spiritual entity without a physical body, it could escape through any crack if it wanted to flee.

"Let's confirm again if the Soul Snatcher is still here," Lu Heng said.

The Banseer people had a unique sensitivity to demonic auras, which was one of their racial traits. Apart from a few demons capable of hiding their auras, most demons couldn't escape their detection.

A group of Banseer dwarves spread out, sniffing every inch of the lab, inside and out, and finally confirmed that the Soul Snatcher had escaped.

At this moment, the five vehicles of the Oniwazam mercenaries also arrived outside the lab.

Lu Heng organized an ambush, catching the Oniwazam mercenaries off guard.

Except for one kept alive for questioning, the rest were eliminated.

As they cleared the battlefield, Lin Ze Yu collected all the weapons and equipment from the Oniwazam mercenaries. Any equipment infused with divine energy had high value and could be traded for other resources.

Especially firearms, which were highly sought after by metahuman groups.

After cleaning up the battlefield, the only remaining Oniwazam mercenary, the team leader, was pinned down by Iron Arm and brought before Lu Heng.

This man was named Tanaka Ichio, the captain of the Oniwazam mercenaries, but his level was not high, only at level 16.

At the start of the fight, this man had been hiding at the back, letting the other Oniwazam mercenaries charge forward.

Etana immediately used her psychic skill, "Sir, you can start the interrogation."

Lu Heng pulled over a chair and sat down, pondering as he began the interrogation, "Who sent you here?"

Tanaka Ichio's face was filled with terror, and he trembled as he replied, "It... Itada-san's orders."

"Who is Itada-san?"

"Itada Masahiro, the president of the Oniwazam Mercenary Company and a director of the Sakura Bank."

Regarding the Sakura Bank, they had learned about it before. It was one of the main industries of the Sumitomo Corporation.

Indeed, the Sumitomo Corporation's influence in Fusang was so strong that it even owned a large-scale bank.

For the Sumitomo Corporation, any problem that could be solved with money was not considered a problem.

If it couldn't be solved with money, they would raise a group of Oniwazam mercenaries to deal with it.

Lu Heng pondered for a moment and continued, "Do you know about the Soul Snatcher?"

Tanaka Ichio's voice trembled slightly, as if the word 'Soul Snatcher' triggered his fear, "I... I know."

"Who is in charge of controlling the Soul Snatcher?"

"I... I don't know."

He couldn't answer this question.

Lu Heng glanced at Etana, confirming if the man was hiding anything.

Etana nodded and confirmed, "He's not lying. He probably genuinely doesn't know."

This man was just a captain in the Oniwazam Mercenary Company, and although he had some authority, he certainly wouldn't have access to confidential information like the Soul Snatcher.

Knowing about the Soul Snatcher's existence was already beyond his scope of authority.

The Banseer's challenge task was to eliminate the task monsters.

The first challenge task was to find three hosts parasitized by the Soul Snatcher.

This task wasn't particularly difficult, as Lu Heng remembered two or three Fusang politicians who were controlled by the Soul Snatcher. By exposing these individuals, the task could be completed.

The second task was to announce the existence of the Soul Snatcher and warn humanity of the crisis.

This task wasn't difficult either. As long as they found evidence of the Soul Snatcher's existence and made it public, the task would be completed.

The third task was to capture a live Soul Snatcher, which Lu Heng had already completed by presenting the sealed card that contained a captured Soul Snatcher.

In other words, if the Banseer tribe only wanted to complete these three challenge tasks, the difficulty wasn't high.

However, Lu Heng was pondering a question.

According to the guidance of the Abyssal Battlefield tasks, these tasks were meant to encourage the Banseer tribe to thoroughly eliminate the Soul Snatcher.

But the task requirements didn't explicitly demand the complete eradication of the Soul Snatcher.

Such a situation usually resulted from the task's danger level.

When the Abyss Battlefield releases tasks, they are assigned based on the combat rating of the summoned individuals, with varying levels of difficulty.

It seems that the Banseer Tribe's combat rating was not high enough during the summoning, hence the simpler tasks.

Of course, this simplicity is relative.

Without Lu Heng's assistance, completing these three challenge tasks would not have been easy for the Banseer Tribe.

Additionally, the low danger level of the tasks meant that the final reward of Divine Energy would be lesser.

Lu Heng is now considering how to complete the world task.

Since they've come all the way to Fusang, they might as well reap all the benefits they can.

This city has now become an Abyss Battlefield, and as such, there's an opportunity to earn rewards.

However, Lu Heng and his companions are not summoned individuals; they are essentially NPCs in this Abyss Battlefield.

During the Demon God Burial Ground incident, Iron Arm, Mia, and other Banseer people were NPCs to the summoned human metahumans.

But for Iron Arm and his people, the demon resurrection ritual was a crisis that threatened their very existence.

Now, with the Banseer Tribe being summoned, the humans in this Fusang city are indeed NPCs, even though they don't understand the concept.

As Lu Heng and his group were not summoned, they won't receive the Divine Energy reward for completing tasks, but there's still a chance for additional rewards.

For example, at Stone Hammer Fortress, they burned the fingers of the demon Barton and obtained a substantial amount of Divine Energy.

Therefore, this Abyss Battlefield is worth further exploration.

To acquire these extra resources, they need to uncover the core objectives of this Abyss Battlefield, namely the Soul Snatcher and its controller.

Finding the controller behind the Soul Snatcher is straightforward; they just need to continue investigating the Sumitomo Corporation, and eventually, they will uncover the truth.

Even if they don't find the answer, the Sumitomo Corporation must face the consequences of their past actions.

However, when dealing with the Sumitomo Corporation, one must not underestimate their power.

It is a multinational conglomerate with vast wealth, ranking among the top in the world.

They have numerous metahuman assassins and the Oniwazam, a mercenary organization renowned worldwide.

Lu Heng remembers the names of several top metahumans from the Oniwazam mercenary organization, each of whom was feared in the future.

If they continue to attack the core members of the Sumitomo Corporation, they are likely to encounter these top-tier warriors from the Oniwazam.

Lu Heng wants to eradicate the Soul Snatchers, but he needs to discuss this with Iron Arm.

After all, the Banseer Tribe is the summoned group, and they must decide if they are willing to take the risk.

"Iron Arm, based on the current information, continuing the investigation into the Oniwazam Mercenary Company and Sumitomo Corporation will undoubtedly lead us to the Soul Snatcher and its controller..."

Lu Heng intertwined his fingers, his thumbs circling, and said, "My idea is to expose and eliminate this hidden controller.

"However, there are several powerful metahumans within the Oniwazam, and continuing the investigation might be dangerous.

"So, I want to discuss this with you. Do we continue pursuing this matter?

"Based on my experience, if we can eliminate the Soul Snatcher and its controller, there's a high chance of completing the world task.

"Completing the world task can earn you substantial rewards, but it will also be more dangerous. It's up to you to decide if you want to take the risk.

"If you're willing to give it a shot, we will help. We have a score to settle with the Sumitomo Corporation, and whether it's now or later, we will have to confront them."

Upon hearing this, Mia immediately raised her fist and shouted, "The warriors of the Banseer Tribe never back down! Isn't that right, Dad?"

Iron Arm did not echo his daughter's enthusiasm.

As the tribal leader, he had to consider many factors and couldn't rely solely on passion to charge ahead recklessly.

However, he understood his daughter's eagerness, as he himself had been like that in his youth, always at the forefront of battles against demons, never retreating even when severely injured.

"Allow me to consult with my people for a moment," Iron Arm said, waving his hand to gather his tribe into a circle for discussion.

It didn't take long.

Iron Arm turned around and asked, "Sir, how dangerous is the task of eliminating the Soul Snatcher?"

Lu Heng thought for a moment and asked, "What's your Abyss Battlefield rating?"

"Level four," Iron Arm replied.

The Demon God Burial Ground incident had also been rated as a level four danger level.

"The danger level is similar to the demon resurrection ritual," Lu Heng answered.

Upon hearing this, Iron Arm's expression turned to one of astonishment, as the demon resurrection ritual had been an existential threat to the Banseer Tribe.

Sensing his thoughts, Lu Heng explained, "The timing is different now. Your combat strength is much stronger than it was during the demon resurrection ritual, isn't it?"

Iron Arm nodded and replied, "Our clan's levels have improved significantly, but if there's a risk of extinction, it's still a bit too risky."

During the demon god's resurrection ritual, they had no choice but to mobilize the entire clan to fight for their survival. They had to either defeat the demon god's minions or face the destruction of their tribe.

Now that they had a choice, it was natural for them to hesitate.

Lu Heng added, "To be honest, with my current strength, I could single-handedly wipe out the demon god's minions in the Barton Temple and stop the resurrection ritual."

When they first entered the Demon God Burial Ground, their levels were only in the teens.

Among the minions of the demon god Barton, the strongest was the Winged Demon Commander Sagas, who was at level 20.

The first time they faced Sagas, they had no choice but to flee.

Now, Lu Heng's Origin Energy level had reached 28. With his current level, he could easily solo the Demon God Burial Ground and defeat Sagas without needing to draw his second sword.

Iron Arm could sense the powerful aura emanating from Lu Heng, and his level had also increased significantly.

After a moment of contemplation, Iron Arm nodded in agreement, "We trust in your decision, sir. Let's move forward and find the Soultrap Monster."

With the approval of the Banseer Tribe, the group continued their mission.

They captured and interrogated the management of the Oni Warrior Mercenary Company one by one to find out the whereabouts of Itada Masahiro.

Itada Masahiro was the president of the Oni Warrior Mercenary Company and a director of Sakura Bank, holding a high position within the Sumitomo Corporation.

Therefore, ordinary company employees had no idea about his whereabouts.

It wasn't until they captured the third manager of the Oni Warrior Mercenary Company that they finally learned of Itada Masahiro's location.

However, Itada Masahiro was not in Edo Castle but had traveled to another region.

The group decided to wait for his return on the next day's flight.

After experiencing three consecutive battles that night, everyone was exhausted.

With time running out, the group decided to return to their base to rest and prepare to continue their mission the following night.

Mia and Su Muyu shared a mat, but Mia couldn't sleep.

Su Muyu took out the crossbow that Mia had given him and handed it to her.

Mia held the crossbow in awe, "Is this my crossbow? How did it become so powerful?"

She could see the crossbow's data, a double-effect +9 tempering level crossbow that far exceeded her expectations.

"Lu Heng tempered it for you," Su Muyu teased.

"Sir, when will you return to Stone Hammer Fortress? Our tempering skills have improved greatly, but we still need you to teach us higher techniques," Mia said with a look of admiration.

"Well...if I get the chance," Lu Heng replied, unsure of when he would be able to visit Stone Hammer Fortress again.

"You don't know, our Stone Hammer Fortress has tripled in population, and the fortress has been expanding. It's thriving," Mia began to tell them about the Banseer Tribe.

"Wow, they're so fertile!" Lin Zeyu exclaimed, surprised at the Banseer Tribe's rapid population growth.

Mia quickly explained, "It's not that. Many homeless Banseers have come to learn tempering skills and stayed in Stone Hammer Fortress."

The Banseer Tribe had endured centuries of migration and exile, and many Banseers were scattered throughout the Abyssal World.

After defeating the demon god's minions, Stone Hammer Fortress gradually gained influence and became a gathering place for homeless Banseers.

This led to a revival of the Banseer Tribe, and although their population barely exceeded ten thousand, they were on the path to recovery.

Lu Heng was also happy for their progress.

At this thought, Lu Heng suddenly said, "In that case, helping you complete the World Mission becomes even more important.

"If we complete the World Mission, one of the rewards will be the ability to establish a Spatial Anchor Point.

"With a Spatial Anchor Point, one can consume divine energy and teleport here.

"We don't have much time left. If any of you can obtain a Spatial Anchor Point and teleport back, I can take you to meet the Black Iron Dwarf's tempering master."

The Tempering Fortress was currently located on the Blue Planet.

This meant that if the Banseer Tribe had a Spatial Anchor Point, they could meet their former allies on the Blue Planet.

Although there was only one Black Iron Dwarf left in the Tempering Fortress.

Upon hearing this news, Iron Arm's eyes lit up, "That's great! We need a Spatial Anchor Point."

...

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end