Heroes and Clues (Please Bookmark and Recommend)

This was by no means a feat any one individual could have accomplished. At City 032 Municipal Prison alone, the discoveries made in this incident included over a dozen mature monster Gene Modification programs.

Then there was the skinning monster that had disguised itself as "Yang Bin" and infiltrated the Northern District, which likely had some hidden connection to the Iron Armored Dragon.

The pair of golden, gem-like eyes that Zhang Wei had seen before losing consciousness.

And the Gray Gorilla that had not been present when Chu Shitang hunted the Iron Armored Dragon.

This was clearly a large organization operating Behind the Scenes, beyond the nation's sight.

And notably, the Jade Crown King Snake had first been discovered in the Americas a year ago.

That was why Wen Xiuyong had said, "We've run into serious trouble."

This incident had not been accidental. It was a planned operation by this organization. One could even say that the beast tide might also have been their handiwork.

What were they after?

Were they a group of madmen skilled at destroying humanity?

Or was there some other unspeakable purpose behind it all?

The shocking discoveries had not reduced the questions troubling them. On the contrary, they had only deepened the mystery.

"What does Professor Wen think about this matter?"

At that moment, the middle-aged man in a Zhongshan suit asked.

Wen Xiuyong looked at him. "And you are?"

The middle-aged man laughed heartily. "I'm Jiang Long, leader of Huashan Group Two. I've long admired Professor Wen's reputation. I didn't expect to meet you here."

Wen Xiuyong nodded and returned the courtesy. "As the country's strongest special department, Huashan is the one with truly illustrious renown."

"Speaking of which, my wife's father worked with Councillor Jia before his death. Councillor Jia is busy with official duties, but he has always had his wife look after my wife's family. My wife often mentions it and has never forgotten their kindness."

Jiang Long froze for a moment. "May I ask who Professor Wen's father-in-law was?"

Although Huashan's intelligence network was highly efficient, he had only heard of Wen Xiuyong's reputation before and had never specifically looked into him, much less his family connections.

"When he passed away, my wife was still very young. We only met later, so I could only hear of his name and his heroic deeds from before his death. My wife is Dong Qingci. Her father was Dong Nanbiao, and Qingci was his youngest daughter."

Dong Nanbiao!

Everyone present was shaken!

Not only those here—even across the entire country, most people had heard that name.

In mid-June 2018, the Tiger-headed Strange Flood Dragon wreaked havoc along the Yangtze River. At the time, no one had any way of dealing with a High Lord level monster.

Even missiles could not be used. It was difficult to hit, and they feared harming civilians.

Dong Nanbiao had stepped forward then, taking the lead with righteous courage. By himself, he slew the Tiger-headed Strange Flood Dragon and saved hundreds of thousands of civilians, allowing them to evacuate safely to Jiangnan Base City.

In that battle, Dong Nanbiao died heroically at the age of thirty-nine.

This was one of the most representative heroic deeds among the countless moving stories of the Great Nirvana period.

It had been recorded in textbooks and was revered by later generations.

"Comrade Dong Nanbiao was my teacher's superior before his death. I never expected Professor Wen to have such a connection to him..."

Jiang Long looked at Wen Xiuyong with a complicated expression. He was Jia Yi's disciple, and his teacher often spoke of Dong Nanbiao, always saying that if he had not died back then, Huaxia would certainly have been very different!

Indeed. When he died, only three years had passed since the RR outbreak. In that pioneering era, when people were still feeling their way forward, three years had already been enough for him to match a High Lord level monster. If he had not died, he might not have been inferior to Hong or Thunder God.

Lin Yan understood that Wen Xiuyong had deliberately brought this up. After all, he was not part of the same system as these soldiers. This connection could bring everyone closer together.

Still, having a son-in-law with such accomplishments was a source of pride as well.

He paid particular attention to Wen Zhi'an. The girl stood quietly there, her spirits low, her head bowed.

This blood relation was undoubtedly unfamiliar to her.

But—

Even in death, such a person's character still shone brilliantly. How could anyone, not just her but even those with no connection to him at all, not feel moved and sigh?

Dai Chun sighed. "When I first learned of this, wasn't I shocked as well? Xiuyong only revealed it after being selected as an academician of the Huaxia Academy of Sciences. When Comrade Dong Nanbiao died, I was still young, just an ordinary private. He was the role model of our entire generation!"

Wen Xiuyong said calmly, "Precisely because of this, I often reflect on myself and dare not tarnish his name."

Back to the matter at hand.

"Regarding the question Group Leader Jiang asked earlier, I'd like to offer my thoughts."

"I'm all ears."

"There are over a hundred thousand soldiers in the Northern District, and this is wartime. Screening for suspicious individuals would be extremely difficult. Nor can we rule out the possibility that it changed identities midway. So that path won't work."

Wen Xiuyong considered his words. "At present, we can only lure the snake from its hole. We need a suitable bait and let this monster come out on its own."

"But I can't decide what exactly to use as bait."

After thinking it over, everyone found that there truly was no better option. The enemy was hidden while they stood exposed. They could not simply let it continue causing trouble in the Northern District.

If there were fewer people, screening them would not be difficult.

But under the current circumstances, none of those methods could be used.

Jiang Long thought for a moment. "Since it triggered the underground base's alarm a few days ago, it must have had some intention. Perhaps we can make use of that."

"With me holding the fort, even if it appears, it won't be able to cause any trouble."

Jiang Long was very confident, because even among High-level War Gods, his strength was considered outstanding.

The monster could not possibly be King level. If it were King level, it would not need to sneak around like this.

Xu Minghai said, "That would be too passive. We can't control the exact timing, nor can we even be sure whether it will target the underground base again. Instead, it would tie our own hands. I think we should find a suitable opportunity, and I can act as the bait."

"If the arrangements are proper, it should take the bait."

The battle at the front was urgent. This matter could not be delayed.

That was why he did not care about risking himself.

Several others also voiced their respective opinions.

Lin Yan listened from among the crowd. They would make the decisions for this kind of matter. He only needed to await orders.

Then his communication watch vibrated.

He raised his wrist and looked. Someone had sent him a new message. Upon seeing its contents, he frowned.

While he had been waiting for rescue in the Wilderness Area, he had looked up information about the building where Zhang Wei had been hiding out of curiosity.

Before the Great Nirvana period, it had been the office building of a children's toy manufacturer. Using Chu Wei's authority, he found the company's old social insurance records, identified a senior manager, and obtained his current contact information through the household registration system.

But forty years had passed. The employee was already old, and the contact information left behind belonged to his son. Lin Yan had asked the son to inquire about a few things, but the old man could no longer remember most of them.

He had been preparing to look for another angle through someone else when inspiration struck. He found the communication number of the man's granddaughter. At first, the young girl had barely responded to him, but this morning, he found a handsome man's photo online, pretended it was a selfie, and said a few nice things. Only then had she taken an interest and agreed to help him.

Looking at her reply, he sent a message. "Are you sure?"

The message box jumped.

"My grandpa said so, so it should be right (_`)"

Lin Yan pondered for a moment. Looking at the people discussing the matter before him, he let out a long breath and finally decided to speak. "Sirs, I have some new clues."

The conference hall fell silent.

Everyone's eyes turned toward the youngest soldier present, the one with the lowest rank. Their gazes were scrutinizing. The atmosphere made even Lin Yan grow tense, and his heart gave a fierce thump.

Liu Mingxuan and Chu Wei were also somewhat puzzled.

Lin Yan forced himself to calm down. "Would it be convenient for me to say a few words?"

Due to unavoidable reasons related to the subject matter, the following section was slightly revised. You may consider starting from Chapter 71.

The story truly enters the main plotline of Swallowed Star with the Golden Horn Beast arc, "Chapter 137: Calamity."

In terms of results, reception, and all other aspects, the reading experience improves considerably in the later content. Since each arc is relatively independent, skipping the early parts will not have much impact. I deeply apologize for any inconvenience caused to readers.

--October 17, 2022