Chapter 314: Xue Jing's Special Treatment, the Rising 'Dragon Tide', and the Divine Essence Factor (

Chapter 314: Xue Jing's Special Treatment, the Rising 'Dragon Tide', and the Divine Essence Factor (4K)



Xue Jing hurried towards the White Raven Base, where he saw a technologically advanced silver-gray aircraft parked on the ground.

This aircraft, sent by Zhi Ge, was significantly larger than the one used by White Raven. Its exterior was adorned with more dangerous-looking weapons, resembling a dangerous beast lying in wait.

It was said that the size and weight of these Dragon Core aircraft were strictly designed according to the level of the Dragon Core organ they carried. Judging by this, the plane sent by Zhi Ge seemed to be of a higher grade than the one from White Raven.

Ning Yuantai was standing by the cabin door with the Void Blade Squad, and upon seeing Xue Jing's arrival, he waved and greeted him with a bright smile, "Brother Xue!"

Xue Jing nodded in response and then turned to Void Blade, asking, "Captain Void Blade, how is the situation in the Abandoned District now?"

Void Blade assured him, "Rest assured, we've checked it multiple times, and the contamination rate has remained at 0%. It seems to be completely resolved... It's unbelievable."

"This situation has never occurred before. Even in areas with mutated pollution, the lowest contamination rate should be around 1%. There has never been a case where it completely recovers to 0%..."

"This situation is worth investigating. Experts from the White Raven headquarters have been dispatched, and even the 'Black Nest' guys, who are as arrogant as they are wealthy, have expressed their intention to send people over."

Xue Jing nodded and smiled, "So your mission in Qing City is complete, and you're about to leave?"

The Void Blade Squad had been tracking the borderland smuggling group carrying the 'Heavenly Insect Mother' to Qing City. They had stayed due to the possibility of a boundary overlap phenomenon in the Southern City's Abandoned District.

Now that the mutated pollution in the Abandoned District had been resolved, it was time for them to part ways.

"We haven't received any orders yet," Shan Yao interjected.

"There are numerous incidents related to the borderlands, occurring constantly. White Raven has a high mortality rate and is always short-staffed. Usually, once a mission is completed, we immediately receive the next task without any rest."

"But it's strange. After the captain submitted the mission completion report, we only received instructions to stand by in Qing City."

Shan Yao stroked his chin and said, "Perhaps the captain is about to get promoted. This newly built base doesn't have a base leader yet."

Void Blade gave Xue Jing a cryptic look and said, "Who knows?"

"Alright, it's time to depart," Ning Yuantai announced.

"The martial exam is in three days. Brother Xue, Zhi Ge has specifically planned a secret and safe route. We should leave now; it will take about two days to get there. Let's go!"

Xue Jing asked curiously, "Oh? A secret route?"

Ning Yuantai gave a thumbs-up, "Yes, it's absolutely secret and safe. No one knows about it."

In this era, traveling across metropolitan circles is extremely challenging due to the influence of 'Eternal Night' and various borderland creatures. Beyond the defensive lines of the metropolitan circles lies a highly dangerous 'Wasteland' filled with countless creatures from the borderlands, forming a unique food chain ecosystem. The land is teeming with powerful species, making it a terrifying place.

Ordinary people can only dream of leaving their metropolitan circle; they lack the necessary resources.

Generally, there are a few methods to cross metropolitan circles.

One method is to possess formidable strength and bravely traverse the Wasteland alone.

Another is to travel in groups along planned, relatively safe routes, avoiding the most dangerous Wasteland areas.

The safest, yet most demanding method is to ride a Dragon Core aircraft.

Dragon Core aircraft can evade most dragon-related threats in the sky, but route planning is still necessary to avoid the territories of top-tier dangerous creatures and certain special borderlands.

Only the top-tier forces possess Dragon Core aircraft and privately plan their secret routes, each unique to their organization.

Although it is the safest way to travel across metropolitan circles, Xue Jing still found Ning Yuantai's claim of 'absolute secrecy and safety' peculiar, and his expression became strange.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

He had never had a plane ride without some incident occurring...

Sometimes he wondered if his surname was Qiao.

With over ten thousand tribulations clearly displayed on his attribute panel, and when Ning Yuantai made such a bold claim, he had a bad feeling.

"Don't worry, nothing will go wrong!" Ning Yuantai assured him with a thumbs-up and a bright smile, his white teeth even glistening.

Xue Jing moved his lips and said, "Alright then."

"I'll take my leave for now. See you later."

He waved goodbye to the Void Blade Squad and boarded the aircraft.

The massive Dragon Core aircraft slowly lifted off the ground. Void Blade stood with his arms crossed, watching the plane depart, and said calmly, "Something will definitely happen. Xue Jing's physique is problematic."

Shan Yao laughed, "I think so too."

...

As the aircraft ascended to an altitude of ten thousand meters, Xue Jing turned away from the porthole and walked inside the cabin.

This plane was much larger than White Raven's, with a completely different interior layout, providing more space and even luxury.

It was almost like a house, complete with bedrooms, bathrooms, a gym, an entertainment room, a kitchen... Everything seemed to be of high quality and expensive.

Unlike White Raven's aircraft, which was purely functional, this one resembled a wealthy person's private jet, with an interior designed for comfort.

"Brother Xue, look at this!"

Ning Yuantai approached, holding a bottle of unlabeled red wine, and excitedly showed it to Xue Jing.

"This is a special supply of wine for high-ranking officials within the Sixth Bureau. It's a rare treasure that money can't buy."

"I rarely get to drink this. Today, we're in luck. Let's have a taste!"

He held two wine glasses in his other hand and placed them on the table. Then, with a flick of his finger, he popped the cork from the wine bottle, producing a 'pop' sound.

A rich wine aroma filled the air. Xue Jing sat in a chair, resting his elbow on the table and supporting his chin with his hand, and said, "I'm still a minor."

Ning Yuantai, pouring the wine into the glasses, was taken aback upon hearing this, "Oh, is that so?"

"

He almost forgot that he himself was also a minor.

Ning Yuante waved his hand casually, "If adults can drink this wine, why can't we minors? What kind of logic is that!"

"Don't worry, Brother Xue. Let your liver suffer a bit, and I'll take the blame for any criticism!"

Xue Jing smiled, picked up the tall glass filled with red wine, and took a sip. The color of the wine in the glass seemed no different from ordinary red wine, but it was extremely clear, without any visible sediment or bubbles when poured.

He brought the glass to his nose and sniffed, indeed detecting an unusual fragrance.

"Whose aircraft is this?" He asked.

Ning Yuante raised an eyebrow, "You noticed, Brother Xue."

"After I reported it to my superiors, they learned that you were heading to the Seventh Metropolitan Circle. The commander then arranged for this Dragon Core aircraft to be brought over."

He took a sip from his glass, pretended to savor it for a moment, and then swallowed, sighing with satisfaction, "It's strong!"

"Since it's the commander's aircraft, is it okay for us to drink her wine?" Xue Jing asked.

Ning Yuante waved his hand, "Don't worry, the commander doesn't care about such things. This wine is precious to others, but for someone of her status, it's practically an unlimited supply. She won't mind."

"The commander only had one request. The large master bedroom where she usually sleeps can only be used by you."

Xue Jing looked puzzled, "Why can I use it?"

Although he knew that the commander wanted to recruit him to join the Halting Edge, he felt that she was treating him too specially.

She sent her private aircraft to pick him up and even allowed him to use her bedroom... It all felt a bit strange.

Previously, the gifts she sent were also very thoughtful. The Yellow Mother Cultivation, the Lion's Reclining Nirvana Diagram, were all very suitable for him, and even for his close friends... They were much more considerate than the gifts sent by White Raven.

She also kept Ning Yuante, the young master, here to attend to him... Although it seemed like Ning Yuante was doing it willingly.

"Maybe it's because you're so handsome?" Ning Yuante guessed, stroking his chin.

Xue Jing didn't respond and took a sip of the red wine.

Although he wasn't an expert on wine, this one had a unique aroma and taste compared to all the wines he had tried before.

It was quite delicious, almost as good as cola.

As they drank, Ning Yuante started a conversation, "The Seventh Metropolitan Circle is also very developed in the wine industry, much more so than other circles."

"The people there prefer white wine, but since they are all robust martial artists, ordinary wine can't get them drunk. So, the wine produced there is more like a biochemical product."

"After all, even pure alcohol has a limit to its alcohol content. For martial artists, 100% pure alcohol is not that strong. So, to cater to this group, many companies have developed mutated alcohol using materials from the borderlands that are extremely stimulating..."

"For example, there's a famous martial artist with the nickname 'Wine Hao' who loves a white wine called 'Burning Intestines'."

"That stuff is said to be so strong that 'one sip will leave you with one breath left,' and 'one lick on the tongue will leave no taste for half a month.' It's like drinking dynamite. Ordinary people will have their intestines burned with just one cup. To buy this wine, you need to provide at least an eighth-level professional martial artist certificate, and even then, you have to register it like purchasing dangerous goods like sulfuric acid..."

...

As Xue Jing flew towards the Seventh Metropolitan Circle on a 'secret and safe' route, in a hidden experimental base, a researcher in a white lab coat frowned while watching the screen.

"The 'Dragon Mother' seems a bit off."

"The 'Four Great Dragons' suddenly started driving away the surrounding dragon species, becoming more vigilant, and the million-strong dragon crowd seems more irritable than usual... Something's wrong."

The Four Great Dragons are the strongest dragon species produced by the super-biological 'Dragon Mother', and they are also the biggest obstacle for humans to solve the Dragon Mother problem.

The deep red Saramanda, the wave-like Wendini, the raging Hyluf, and the withered Nom, each possesses incredibly powerful abilities.

The researcher said uncertainly, "This seems like a sign of a 'Dragon Tide'..."

The person next to him was surprised, "How is that possible? The last Dragon Tide was less than three years ago!"

The researcher glanced at him, "The Dragon Mother has only been in this world for about three decades, and there have been fewer than ten Dragon Tides. The data is insufficient, and we haven't been able to determine an accurate pattern."

"Although most of the time, it's been five to six years between tides, there have been times when the second tide occurred within a year."

"... Don't take it lightly. Notify the higher-ups and prepare."

...

The sky gradually darkened.

After finishing the meal prepared by the private chef on the aircraft, Xue Jing and Ning Yuante arrived at the door of the bedroom that 'only he could use.'

He turned the doorknob, opened the door, and stepped inside.

The room was filled with a pleasant scent of high-end perfume. It was spacious but simply furnished, with only some daily household items, and nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

In the center was a huge round bed that could comfortably sleep three or four people.

Xue Jing first went to the bathroom to take a shower. Wearing a white bathrobe, he sat on the bed, his gaze scanning the room.

"Hmm?"

His current perception was almost like a microscope, and he quickly noticed something amiss.

Next to the bed, there was a wall with a seam that appeared perfectly sealed but, upon closer inspection, had a barely noticeable gap.

Xue Jing walked over to the wall and knocked on the seam.

After a moment's thought, he placed his palm on the seam and channeled his unique suction power, sticking to the wall like a suction cup, and slowly pulled back.

A hidden drawer in the wall was revealed.

Inside were some curled documents that seemed to be frequently read and a small bottle of oral liquid.

The transparent bottle contained a strange liquid with countless golden specks floating within, emitting a small but noticeable glow, making it look extremely beautiful.

Xue Jing's gaze shifted, and as he reached for the documents, the back of his hand accidentally touched the bottle.

【Divine Essence detected, absorbing...】

A prompt suddenly appeared on the panel, surprising Xue Jing.

Divine relic...? No, that's not it!

It's 'Divine Essence detected', not 'Divine Essence material detected'.

This is... Divine Essence Factor! Xue Jing's eyes widened slightly.

...

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end