https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-650-Omega-Class-Aberration-King-of-the-Cloud-Sea/12852521/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-652-Omega-Class-Aberration-Taotie/12852541/
Chapter 651: The Base Researcher with the Wrong Number
Chapter 651: The Base Researcher with the Wrong Number
Time rewound once again, but this time they didn't directly jump back half a month. Instead, they returned to just one day prior. After dealing with the synthetic beast, they hurriedly made their way to the nearby base. They naturally needed to retrieve the mini-missile, which was a powerful weapon.
"Looks like Yunjing really was fleeing from something. You've had quite the bad luck, but it also confirms that someone else is battling the biological template," Qin Muye said.
Yunjing had just happened to pass by during a calm period of the biological template, so everything had to start over.
The journey was peaceful, indicating that the biological template had been driven back and was no longer in the area.
Thus, they smoothly retrieved the mini-missile that had already been used in the future.
"This is very strange," Sun Zhen said, looking at the ground covered in corpses, his expression puzzled.
"Dead people, what's strange about that?" Qin Muye asked curiously.
"The number is wrong. In my memory, this base only had ten researchers, and—"
"Wait a minute, did you mean there were only ten researchers, or did only ten survive?" Qin Muye asked.
"Only ten, I've seen the roster. Because—"
"You must be mistaken. A base this size having only ten researchers? Add another zero to that number, and it might make more sense," Qin Muye quipped.
"That's why it's strange. I suspect that after I received the order, the anomaly had already erased their existence, which is why I didn't notice the issue," Sun Zhen said after a moment of silence. The world was already chaotic, so a few discrepancies were normal. He wasn't a member of the base, so he wasn't aware of many details.
"Never mind all that. We need to leave now," Qin Muye said hurriedly, not wanting to get into a discussion with Sun Zhen.
"There's still a problem. The deaths of these base personnel were caused by the synthetic beast. You must have noticed that. So why would the anomaly erase their existence days or even a month later?"
Just as Sun Zhen finished speaking, he saw all the corpses slowly dissolving, as if they were being melted by strong acid.
"Exactly like this," Sun Zhen said, surprised that the anomaly had already taken action before they could finish their discussion.
Since Sun Zhen had already experienced this in the future, he knew that the dead bodies hadn't had their memories erased. Qin Muye, protected by his core self, was also unaffected by this.
"Does that mean the anomaly is nearby?" Qin Muye asked.
"Not necessarily. The anomaly might be operating remotely; otherwise, it would have already attacked us," Sun Zhen said calmly.
If it had intended to attack, it would have done so when they arrived. There was no point in giving them a warning, as it served no purpose.
"Only an Omega-level anomaly could achieve this, so the anomaly doesn't really care about us."
"Perhaps the anomaly is cleaning up after finding a safe place. From what we can see, it seems to have a positive attitude toward the researchers."
Sun Zhen's speculation wasn't baseless. In reality, there were many anomalies that had a positive attitude toward the World Defenders Organization. Some anomalies had even stepped forward to help in the past.
After all, the World Defenders Organization generally treated most anomalies with leniency rather than violent detention or forced control, much like how they had treated Qin Muye. As long as it didn't involve core secrets, they would generally try to meet the anomalies' requests, even granting D-level clearance.
As long as the anomalies didn't cause trouble, most reasonable requests were met. However, this treatment was usually reserved for intelligent anomalies.
"Are you suggesting this is a cleanup operation, but the biological template intercepted it and forced it to retreat, so it had to resort to this as a last resort?" Qin Muye quickly understood Sun Zhen's point.
"Pretty much. If our guess is correct, we don't need to worry about our safety in the future."
"A rare piece of good news."
Sun Zhen then speculated that perhaps the Omega-level anomaly had initially intended to rescue the researchers but failed.
"Another anomaly that is highly dangerous but not particularly adept at combat," Qin Muye mused, finding it somewhat peculiar. This type of anomaly was not uncommon. Being skilled in combat and being highly dangerous were not necessarily equivalent. Harm could manifest in various ways, from cultural and economic impacts to more direct forms of destruction. Some anomalies could cause significant harm in these areas, so while they might not pose a direct threat to individuals, they could be extremely dangerous to an entire civilization.
"No wonder it lost to the biological template, a late-stage anomaly," Qin Muye understood. If a truly combat-capable anomaly had been present, the biological template would not have stood a chance. Even an Alpha-level Cloud Whale, if isolated, could render the biological template helpless, forcing it to resort to spawning a bear-type synthetic beast for defense.
"Talking about this now doesn't really serve much purpose. Let's head back to the original location. Staying here might lead to unforeseen issues," Sun Zhen urged Qin Muye to leave once the corpses had completely vanished. If they could rewind time by half a month, they would uncover the truth.
The two of them, along with the bronze man and clay figurine, rushed forward. The most suitable place for time rewinding was not the World Defenders Organization base but rather the location where the biological template had fallen. This area served as a synthetic beast hatchery and was, therefore, free of mature synthetic beasts.
In contrast, the base was a target for synthetic beasts. If not for Sun Zhen's previous use of the biological template's authority to eliminate all the synthetic beasts, they would not have been able to reach this place.
This process required sufficient time, and there was always a risk involved. However, at the biological template's location, the synthetic beasts were all undeveloped embryos, making it very safe.
The synthetic beast embryos would move through the nutrient solution as they developed, providing space for subsequent embryos. This ensured that all embryos in the area were at the same stage of development. As long as they remained in the center of the biological template, they would be surrounded by newly formed synthetic beast embryos, posing no danger.
"Is there anything we've overlooked? I'm about to start the time rewinding process," Qin Muye asked as a matter of routine. Forgetting something now would mean it would be irretrievable later.
While spatial distances could be addressed, temporal distances were a different matter. If something was left behind yesterday, it could be retrieved through the time rewinding pocket watch, but if it was left for tomorrow, it would be lost forever.
"Nothing has been overlooked. We only have these few items," Sun Zhen said, putting away the clay figurine and bronze man, which combined to form a complete tiger talisman. Both the bronze man and clay figurine were actually halves of the tiger talisman, and only when combined did they form the complete talisman.
However, the clay figurine now only contained the soldier figurines, with the commanding figure, Li Youcheng, missing. Li Youcheng, who commanded the entire clay figurine army, was loyal to the First Emperor and would not follow the commands of whoever held the tiger talisman, unlike the mindless soldierFigurines.
When Sun Zhen took over, Li Youcheng was no longer present. However, if Sun Zhen used the tiger talisman extensively, the accumulated cost would eventually turn him into the commanding figure. It wasn't as if he could use it without consequences; the cost was just not yet due. Additionally, if the cost was nearly accumulated, he could pass it to someone else, and while he wouldn't become the commanding figure, serving as a soldierFigurine wouldn't be a significant issue.
However, there were ways to resolve this, and Sun Zhen was well aware of them. Despite his seemingly reckless use, his contributions to the World Defenders Organization would ensure that the organization covered the cost for him. This was not just a formality; he had experienced it many times.
After all, missions required adequate equipment, and anomalies like this, whose costs manifested personally, were well-suited for such tasks. Generally, any released anomalies had already been assessed for their costs, and the organization had methods to manage them, avoiding unnecessary crises.
"Alright, no overlooked items is best. I'll rewind the time then," Qin Muye said, not having much concern since Sun Zhen had assured him there were no issues.
As the time rewinding pocket watch was turned, the vast sea of information dragged the entire world backward once again.
(End of Chapter)
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