Waiting for the Prey

Deep within the ice cave of the Second Research Institute, amidst the stillness, a low, buzzing sound suddenly arose.

The sound came from a vast seawater lake inside the ice cave.

As time went on, the buzzing sound gradually grew louder, as if a giant beast from the depths of the earth was awakening.

Immediately afterwards, the massive fleet slowly emerged from the water.

Ahead of the fleet was a coastline and docks composed of solid ice and rocks.

In front of the dock, a towering lighthouse stands, its light shining brightly in the darkness.

With the guidance of the navigation lights, the fleet immediately had a clear course, and its target was clearly approaching the shore at high speed.

They moved faster and faster, creating white waves in the ice cave.

On the dock, a sizable group of Sea Race waited quietly for the fleet to arrive.

They were all dressed in matching lab coats, and each of them had an expectant look on their face.

These Sea Race are all researchers from the Second Research Institute. They came here to welcome their colleagues who were sent abroad from their project team.

Of course, besides welcoming their companions, they had another important task.

Confirm the allocation ratio of this batch of experimental materials for your project team in advance.

Located in the remote Arctic Ocean, the experiments would also result in a significant waste of materials.

Living experimental materials are a valuable and scarce resource for any project team in the research institute.

Therefore, many project teams arrive at the dock early, trying to build connections to obtain more materials.

On the dark lake surface, the fleet is rapidly approaching the shore.

The Psychic Energy Shield, emitting a faint glow, was deactivated the instant it left the seawater.

Even though they were far away, Shisui still didn't want the researchers standing on the shore to discover anything prematurely through the details of the protective shield.

Moreover, the shield consumes a significant amount of Psychic Energy, so it's time to turn it off.

As the fleet drew closer, one of the researchers seemed to have discovered something and suddenly spoke.

"Hmm? I have a feeling that there's fog surrounding the fleet?"

The researcher who spoke nudged his colleague on the shoulder, signaling him to carefully observe the area around the fleet.

"Fog? Where is it?"

Upon hearing this, the Sea Race researcher who had been touched shifted his gaze and focused on the air near the fleet.

The soft glow emanating from the cluster of houses inside the ice cave, along with the light from navigation lights, illuminated the area around the fleet.

Therefore, once they leave the dark ocean and get closer to the shore, the ships should become increasingly visible.

However, as the fleet continued to arrive, the outlines of the ships inside remained unusually indistinct.

The fleet was moving very fast, and as it got closer to the shore, the thick fog that followed them became increasingly visible.

The other Sea Race researchers gradually realized what was happening.

"It really does seem foggy."

What happened?

"The base has an environmental control system, so how could there be fog?"

Suddenly, the dockside became noisy.

Before the Sea Race researchers could come to a conclusion, the fleet reached the shore at an astonishing speed.

At the same time, the hazy fog, carried by the breeze stirred up by the fleet's movement, suddenly rushed towards the Sea Race on the shore.

The sounds of conversation, footsteps, and even breathing all abruptly ceased.

"Clatter!"

Shisui jumped from the top of the main ship, which was a hundred meters high, and the soft sound of his landing echoed in the deadly fog.

The next second, the thick fog dissipated, and ships began to dock and unload their cargo.

The entire dock became lively again.

It was as if nothing had happened.

A moment later, the Sea Race led a large number of dull-witted captives toward the research base's buildings.

Under the lamplight, the pupils of these Sea Race and captives appeared slightly unfocused.

As the mobile sources of infection flooded into the Second Research Institute, Shisui had already escaped into Alternate Space.

A few ripples appeared in the space, barely noticeable.

Shisui raised his hand and instantly smoothed out the folds in the space, becoming much more cautious about his subsequent actions.

The Second Research Institute's protective measures were clearly much stronger than those of the Third Research Institute.

Shisui could sense that a large number of magic arrays were operating inside the outer ice wall of the Second Research Institute.

To avoid detection, he did not investigate further, so the exact number remains unknown.

But it could absolutely crush those seaweed-covered creatures surrounding the Third Research Institute.

Perhaps this is the difference in the depth of historical accumulation.

It was also "thanks" to the protective magic arrays inside those ice walls.

At this moment, the space inside the ice cave seemed to be frozen by the gathered and stagnant Psychic Energy.

Therefore, constructing Space Wormhole is more difficult here than outside.

However, Shisui's use of Spatial Energy faces this difficulty, which is just a little troublesome; he simply needs to remember to clear away the spatial folds.

He didn't linger for long and headed straight for the interior of the research institute's base.

He needed to completely take control of the base before the Second Prince Yuan Yuan arrived.

Then, they waited patiently for the rabbit to run into their trap.

Meanwhile, in the central Pacific Ocean.

Yuan Yuan boarded Sea Race's warship and, escorted by his personal guard and a Heaven Realm Second Realm cultivator, quickly headed towards the Azure Nether Ocean.

Because of the previous defeat, his personal guard suffered heavy losses, leaving only 40% of its original strength.

Now, all the guards and the remaining ten cargo ships have arrived.

The container containing Yuan Yuan's soul was placed on the central high platform in the main ship's command room.

Beside him stood soldiers waiting for orders.

Suddenly, the dragon shadow coiling inside the container blinked.

The soldier beside him noticed this movement and immediately bowed in obedience.

Yuan Yuan's soul swayed its tail from side to side inside the container, indicating that everything was alright.

Deep within Yuan Yuan's soul, a voice emerged. "Do you need me to activate that teleportation ability from before?"

That was clearly the sound of "Survival in Desperate Situations."

"No need, just be quiet."

Yuan Yuan rejected [Survival in Desperate Situations]'s suggestion to teleport him to the base of the Second Research Institute.

Although he also hopes to begin the body reconstruction work as soon as possible.

However, sending someone directly without prior notice is tantamount to intrusion.

He also wanted to win over the Second Research Institute, but of course he couldn't do something that would offend people.

"Instead of this, why don't you use your luck to ensure a smooth voyage from here on out?"

"OK."

With the host's consent, [Survival in Desperate Situations] will find it easier to extract the host's luck.

In the darkness, the scythe that harvests fortune and Psychic Energy is constantly being raised and slicing.

And the more you cut, the more you make, and the faster you cut.

Unable to observe the Yuan Yuan changes in fortune, they only know that using it comes at the cost of consuming fortune.

Little did they know how much [Survival in Desperate Situations] had secretly eaten.

Who knows, the next time he's in dire straits, it will be when [Survival in Desperate Situations] betrays him and turns against him.