https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-928-The-Demon-Festival-s-Feast-of-Resentment-and-Impurity/13041385/
Chapter 927: The Secret Ritual's Malicious Design
Chapter 927: The Secret Ritual's Malicious Design
Half a day after their departure from Yuanan Corporation, the Lanshen Valley siblings arrived at the provincial capital of Jinbei. They were highly professional and had already reviewed all the available information during their journey. Upon arrival, they made brief preparations and boarded a vehicle, heading straight into the lower city district. That very evening, they reached the outer perimeter of the ritual site and engaged in a detailed discussion with Director Lei. Afterward, they swiftly proceeded to dismantle the ritual.
Typically, disrupting a few key nodes of an esoteric ritual is sufficient to dismantle the entire ritual. Therefore, with their combined efforts, the progress of dismantling the ritual accelerated significantly.
The follow-up forces from the Processing Bureau quickly caught up, and after two days of effort, they breached the innermost area of the Plague Gang's territory, engaging in a firefight with the peripheral gang members. However, these individuals had low combat proficiency and relied mainly on numerous peculiar insects, swarms of combat creatures, and pervasive toxic gases.
Each of these attack methods, when faced individually, was relatively simple to overcome. But when combined, they became more challenging. Fortunately, the number of fighters involved in this operation was substantial, and after several successful breakthroughs, they consecutively secured several crucial tunnels.
According to intelligence analysis, they had reached the deepest part of the lower city district as per the original design. Going further downward should lead them to the Plague Gang's last stronghold. The bait, Quan Yu, had been lured into this area.
Before commencing the assault, the raiding party sent an application for permission to proceed.
Upon receiving this message, Chen Chuan immediately approved the request and set off from his villa, traveling by airship to the northwest corner corresponding to the lower city district.
This location provided easier communication with the forces below and allowed him to swiftly intervene and provide assistance in case of any unforeseen circumstances, ensuring that the crisis did not spread outward.
For this operation, he was well-prepared. Before departure, he had attached a strand of his spiritual power to Xu Chan, Yuan Qiuyuan, Qin Qingque, Wei Chang'an, Luo Kaiyuan, and others. If these individuals encountered attacks beyond conventional means, he could help them resist.
This ability was acquired after he attained the Great Ming Guang Style. However, even as a fighter with divine manifestation, his spiritual power would deplete over time. Although his spiritual power far exceeded that of his peers, it would not last indefinitely. Nonetheless, it should suffice for the duration of the entire operation.
While he was monitoring the progress from the airship, a letter from the Government Hall arrived. It was a letter of explanation from Lianwei Zhongyu.
The company had taken the initiative to provide an explanation before anyone could inquire about the incident.
According to the company's explanation, one of their directors, Director Xing, had privately accepted irregular commercial orders, leading to the leakage of experimental living consciousness entities still in the testing phase.
This incident had severely damaged the company's reputation, so the responsible director was removed from the board. Demonstrating a responsible attitude towards the current security situation, the company would provide compensation or designated investment to the provincial capital of Jinbei.
Chen Chuan noted that Director Xing was merely removed from the board and faced no further punishment.
However, Lianwei Zhongyu could not impose severe penalties, as doing so would be impractical. For now, he set aside this letter, knowing that Lianwei Zhongyu would eventually face consequences, but he had more pressing matters to attend to first.
In the lower city district, after obtaining authorization from above, the action forces pushed forward into the final region. When the action team emerged from the tunnel, they were met with a surprising sight.
Before them stood a massive hive-like structure, towering from the ground to the ceiling, covered in countless insects of various sizes. Inside the hive, illumination glowed from within.
The team members cautiously observed their surroundings. This intersection of tunnels was designed as a living area, and with adequate facilities, it could function as a small town. Judging from the obstacles they had encountered along the way, the Plague Gang seemed to have constructed this for a more significant purpose.
Xu Chan carefully observed the situation and, together with the combat personnel by his side, swiftly formulated a battle plan.
Unexpectedly, the resistance they faced was not formidable, aside from the harsh environment and the influence of insects, they only encountered small forts and fortifications.
The Plague Gang's members lacked military proficiency, and although their fortifications were well-designed, they failed to utilize them effectively. The action team easily breached these defenses, turning them into their forward base. Before long, they reached the vicinity of the massive hive.
Now, they could clearly see the details of the structure. However, there seemed to be no main entrance, and the entrance was likely underground. To avoid being constrained by the enemy, they sent in demolition experts under cover to plant explosives and blast an entry from the outside.
In fact, with the establishment of a secure rear base, even heavy artillery could be transported inside if needed.
As it turned out, the so-called unwelcoming nature of the lower city district and the hostility of the Plague Gang held no significance in the face of absolute force. Especially after learning that this operation was not targeting them, they kept their distance, and none dared to confront the action team.
(End of Chapter 927)
Director Lei had been following the action team, and upon arriving at this location, his gaze turned solemn as he spoke to Lan Shengu beside him, "Mr. Lan, have you noticed something?"
Lan Shengu's eyes were fixed on the structure above, his expression cold and stern. "This should be a cage constructed according to a certain sacrificial ritual, with some elements from the Western Continent and the overseas Mystic Rite sects. However, its essence is the old teachings of the Eastern Continent."
He paused for a moment, as if calculating something mentally. After a while, he lifted his head and said, "The layout and positioning are accurate, even if they're not, it's close enough."
At that moment, he felt someone tug at his sleeve. He turned to see his cousin, Xiao Yi, inside a protective shield, her face slightly pale. Concerned, he asked, "Xiao Yi, are you feeling unwell?"
Xiao Yi replied hesitantly, "Brother, let's go..."
Lan Shengu's expression changed instantly, and he whispered, "Is there a situation?"
Xiao Yi nodded vigorously.
Lan Shengu's heart sank as he was well aware of his cousin's abilities. If she had seen something, it meant... He pressed the World Token and asked in a code that only the two of them understood, "Is it dangerous?"
"Dangerous! Extremely dangerous!" Xiao Yi gave a definitive answer, her eyes welling up with tears.
Lan Shengu's heart chilled at the sight of his cousin's fear, which he had never witnessed before. This meant that what she had seen this time was definitely significant.
Should they leave now?
But there was no good excuse, and if they left and something happened here, the government would surely investigate. His cousin's abilities might still be exposed.
He clenched his teeth. If they couldn't leave, they would have to initiate the explosion themselves. At this point, they could only rely on the Jinbei Provincial Capital government to handle the situation. He thought of the figure he had seen earlier, which gave him some reassurance.
He comforted his cousin, "Xiao Yi, don't be afraid. There are fighters in the Jinbei Provincial Capital, and we won't be in danger."
Then, he turned and approached Director Lei, saying, "Director Lei, if the ritual inside is triggered, it might cause unpredictable changes. We must act immediately and locate the source of the ritual to destroy it."
Director Lei had been thinking the same, but he wasn't sure on his own. Seeing Lan Shengu's suggestion, he said, "Mr. Lan, I'll go in with you. Let's leave your cousin outside. I'll have someone escort her to the surface, and someone will take care of her."
Lan Shengu looked at him in surprise, then said seriously, "Thank you. I'll leave it to you, then."
Director Lei immediately arranged for someone from the bureau to escort Xiao Yi to the surface, while he quickly went to Xu Chan and said, "Captain Xu, perhaps you'll need to change your strategy."
Inside the building, Full Chancellor and his son, Quan Yu, were dining with the middle-aged man's invitation. As Quan Yu was cutting a tender steak with a knife and fork, they suddenly heard a loud explosion from outside.
He glanced at the middle-aged man, "It seems they've found us."
The middle-aged man smiled, "Full Chancellor, there's no need to worry. We have a type of highly diffusive spores inside. These spores can parasitize the human body and have a significant impact on the environment. If they don't want these spores to leak to the surface, they'll have to proceed slowly. This gives us enough time to initiate our backup plan."
Full Chancellor didn't ask about the backup plan, but with a relaxed expression, he said, "We'll leave our safety in your hands."
The middle-aged man spoke solemnly, "Full Chancellor, ensuring your safety is our top priority." He wiped his mouth with a napkin, "My apologies, I need to deal with the situation outside first. Please continue your meal, Full Chancellor."
As he nodded and rose from the table, leaving with his people.
Quan Yu watched them leave and turned to say, "Father, they all respect you very much."
Full Chancellor sighed, "It's my fault."
Quan Yu was taken aback, "Father, what did you do wrong?" Then he realized, "Father, you mean the parliament, right? That's not your fault." He continued indignantly, "It's those people in the parliament who are at fault!"
Full Chancellor shook his head, "I mean I didn't educate you well enough. You're all foolish."
Quan Yu became slightly displeased, "Father, how can you say that? I've always been obedient to you. That day, they all insulted you, but I didn't. I didn't go abroad, but I was worried about your health, so I just hid in the edge city."
Full Chancellor sighed again, "You only have this left. Give me the medicine I always carry with me."
"Oh..." Quan Yu handed him a pill.
After Full Chancellor took the medicine, he instructed Quan Yu seriously, "I'll sleep for a while soon, and it'll be a long sleep. During that time, don't go anywhere, just stay by my side. If someone comes in and asks you, just say you don't know anything."
Quan Yu said, "Father, I don't know anything anyway."
Full Chancellor looked at his clear eyes, not knowing whether to feel relieved or disappointed. He nodded, "Keep that look in your eyes. Help me back."
"Okay."
...
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Chapter end
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