The Oriole Was in Position

At the very moment Wang Jixuan used Earth Escape.

Above Snow Mountain Base, a Stealth Transport Plane was slowly circling at a slight angle. Inside, more than a dozen figures sitting and standing had gathered together, watching a holographic projection of the snow mountain map.

The middle-aged man at the center wore a crisp white suit, his hair slicked back to a shine. A Civilization Stick rested beside him, and alert light flickered in his eyes.

Meng Jin, the current head of the Judgment Group under the Psionic Management Committee of Psionic Capital.

He leaned back in his seat, contemplating the news he had just received.

If Wang Jixuan saw the number of High-Tier Psionicists here, Daoist Wang would likely decisively abandon the battle plan that followed.

"Xing Tian suddenly fell unconscious?"

"Yes, Commander."

"Were there any warning signs?"

"Xing Tian suddenly fell asleep, like he was having a nightmare. His vital signs haven't disappeared, but his mental energy fluctuations are severe."

Meng Jin frowned in thought.

Two elderly High-Tier Psionicists beside him could not help speaking up:

"Compared to that, the sudden deaths of those researchers are the bigger problem. The preliminary scans are out—they all suffered heart attacks, with no toxins whatsoever."

"Our people are inside the Secret Base. They've already searched it and found nothing wrong, nor any signs of enemy infiltration. There's only one entrance and exit, and Rainbow Town has shown no abnormalities either."

A middle-aged woman reminded them, "What we must pay attention to is that the assault team Fu Jian previously dispatched was discovered and driven away. The D2 Comprehensive War Zone captured two Psionicists, Xing Tian's students, Ji Xiao and Ji Yale. They were being sent here, but something seems to have happened during transit, and their current status is unknown... What I mean is, there may be other assault teams. They may have developed a new type of poison gas or mech."

Meng Jin slowly nodded without speaking.

Whenever he encountered something he could not understand, he preferred to think, observe, and summarize rather than casually voice his opinion.

That was also an important reason he could hold this position.

But in every team, there were always a few people who liked to make noise.

"Boss, why did we come here?"

"Yeah, Boss. You gathered us in advance and brought us here, but we're not even going down. What are we doing?"

Meng Jin smiled and said slowly, "It's a bit of a secret, but given the current timing, there's no harm in telling you all... A Spiritual Practitioner has been guiding me."

"A Spiritual Practitioner?"

"Yes. The Stone Slab Wall Fu Jian took away, Spiritual Practitioner No. 4."

Meng Jin explained calmly:

"Everyone here is close to me. We've fought through life and death together to get where we are today, so there are many things I don't wish to hide from you.

"Of course, I will not betray the Six Elders. They are my teachers, and some are my family. I merely want them to be tougher and gain the respect Human Society should give us. You should all understand that."

Everyone nodded in turn.

Meng Jin said slowly:

"The reason I called you here this time was to wait for Black Storm to appear."

"Black Storm?"

"That's right, that fascinating fellow." Meng Jin smiled. "Spiritual Practitioner No. 4 asked me to kill him. In return, it would give me some replicable advancement circuits and Awakening Circuits. But I feel this matter isn't that simple."

An elderly man looked shaken. "Can it really give them to you?"

"It's impossible for it to give them to us. Teacher, don't get worked up. Spiritual Practitioners cannot be trusted. Otherwise, why would the Six Elders still be unable to complete their own awakenings after all these years?"

Meng Jin sighed.

"Spiritual Practitioners merely want to treat us like dogs. Their ideal state is for every human to be infused, allowing them to recover their own power, then have us breed diligently and serve as cannon fodder in bloody battles against Blade Beasts.

"These Spiritual Practitioners all have something wrong with their heads. There's no need to take their promises too seriously—they're merely dangling bait. But this Black Storm is quite interesting.

"He is Fu Jian's source of confidence, as well as the anomaly that caused D5's shift in attitude. According to our investigations, airborne Psionic Weapons, the Demon-Breaking Dagger, and the joint-strike technique for defeating Blade Beasts all came from him.

"Spiritual Practitioner No. 4 asked us to ambush Black Storm here and rescue it from Fortress No. 76 in the Ancient Basin... Its exact words were, 'Hurry and save me while that demon is gone. He's torturing me to death.'

"Listen to that!"

A morbid excitement appeared on Meng Jin's face.

"Black Storm can torture a Spiritual Practitioner to death!"

Everyone contemplated this in their own way, somewhat unable to keep up with Meng Jin's train of thought.

An elderly man frowned and asked, "So, Commander, what exactly are you planning to do this time?"

"Very simple. Wait for Black Storm to show himself, find Black Storm, and invite him back with us."

Meng Jin spoke unhurriedly.

"On certain matters, Commander Fu Jian and I share the same sentiment.

"Humanity must rely on itself to defeat Blade Beasts before it can gain the independence of civilization. Whether Spiritual Practitioners or the third civilization represented by Black Storm, they can both serve as sources of technology for us. But mastering that technology, using it, surpassing them, and forcing Human Civilization into desperation before rebirth—that is our true path!"

Everyone's gazes grew a little more fervent.

Meng Jin planted both hands on his Civilization Stick, his eyes gleaming brightly.

"The anomalies that have appeared prove we came to the right place.

"An undercurrent is surging underground. Xing Tian has fallen unconscious, and several research staff members died of heart attacks at the same time. Someone has clearly struck from the shadows.

"This method is beyond our expectations, so it is very likely Black Storm.

"Gentlemen, stay sharp. When we act later, we must be swift and decisive. If we are to be hunters, we must have enough patience."

Whoosh—

Wang Jixuan completed Earth Escape. Faint ripples appeared on the stone wall behind him as his body turned into a beam of earthy yellow light and drilled inside. Moments later, he appeared in the entry passage of the Secret Base, immediately crouching down as X Armor turned invisible.

Good. The alarms had not been alerted.

Wang Jixuan remained crouched and still, carefully surveying every area with his Spiritual Sense. Only after half a minute did he confirm that he was safe and sprint down the passage.

Divine Movement Talisman, Divine Movement Spell, armor-assisted propulsion.

He could cover two or three kilometers in just a few minutes.

At present, the entire Secret Base had descended into chaos because Xing Tian had fallen unconscious.

The three S-Class Psionicists who had come to assist had all been alerted. The three Judgment Group squads had been reassigned to protect the suddenly unconscious Xing Tian and the remaining researchers.

That old professor... his corpse had already gone cold.

The sudden attack had also left them terrified of the unknown. Some Psionicists wanted to rush out, while others believed recklessly leaving would make them easier targets. They had gathered together and hidden in Areas Three and Four, where the defenses were strongest.

Fu Jian was fully cooperating with Wang Jixuan's operation.

Mobile forces and bomber formations had already approached the D2 border.

Using his own influence, Fu Jian had exerted overwhelming pressure on D2: move, and there would be war.

—That was the weight of half the Human World's supreme commander.

The upper ranks of the D2 Comprehensive War Zone, whose foundations had already rotted somewhat, were now thinking most about personal interests and the interests of their small factions. It was difficult for them to mount a determined counterattack.

While continuously charging forward, Wang Jixuan did not forget to locate the communication fiber-optic cables embedded in the stone walls and plug several signal devices into them.

Establishing communication at the physical level was a necessary condition for network infiltration.

A Pitch Black Butterfly followed Wang Jixuan.

The Fifth Spiritual Practitioner was no longer holding back. She kept her attention fixed on Wang Jixuan, observing his strange and unusual methods.

Buzz.

"Sir," Peony's voice sounded, "Xing Tian was indeed very cautious. Almost every area is controlled entirely or partially by machinery. Most of the equipment isn't connected to the network, and there are no mechs inside the base either. It's not easy for me to make a move."

"Mm," Wang Jixuan said. "Can you disable the rail cars they use?"

"There are three rail cars dedicated to this passage. Two are for routine entry and exit, and I can already control them through the network. But one is for emergency escape and is controlled by Pure Mechanical systems."

"Mark that one."

"Marker deployed."

A translucent mini-map appeared on Wang Jixuan's armor display. It showed a series of icons marking the locations of every surveillance device within his field of view.

Peony's tactical value.

The Daoist moved forward like the wind, but something troublesome soon happened.

That Pitch Black Butterfly landed on Wang Jixuan's shoulder.

Wang Jixuan's body sank slightly. He felt the weight of a slender woman.

Wait, this wasn't a transformation technique but merely an illusion?

Well, damn...

Wang Jixuan wisely chose not to complain. This was a critical point in the operation. Xing Tian was already unconscious, and as long as the Fifth Spiritual Practitioner did not cause trouble, he had a high chance of carrying out his plan successfully.

Just endure it.

Then...

The route only took a few minutes, but the Fifth Spiritual Practitioner kept questioning him through sound transmission.

"Your strength should only be comparable to a B-Class or A-Class Psionicist, right? How did you achieve that ability to pass through walls? I can sense that your use of psionic energy is extremely ingenious. Its logic differs from our circuits."

"That curse you used earlier seemed to draw upon a certain force remaining in Xing Tian's severed limbs. You refined his flesh, blood, and bones, turning them into a mental energy he himself could not resist... But its practicality is too low. There are rarely situations where one can obtain an enemy's limbs yet cannot directly kill the enemy."

"And inside your armor, why can simply placing several crystal cores together make them release psionic energy? The psionic switches we left when designing crystal cores must be activated by circuits."

Wang Jixuan: ...

"Don't you want to explain? This is about winning the referee to make a ruling favorable to you..."

"No comment."

"Hm?" The Fifth Spiritual Practitioner was not angered. "Fine, then. You've made me feel excitement again after so long, young man."

An image of a nagging old granny surfaced in Wang Jixuan's mind.

These Spiritual Practitioners had to be tens of thousands of years old, at least, right?

Although age meant nothing to these "Core Circuit carriers," still... she was far too chatty.

The end of the passage was close at hand.

Wang Jixuan slowed down and crouched as he crept forward. At this moment, his Spiritual Sense could already envelop the entire Secret Base, including the stone chamber where the Fifth Spiritual Practitioner's Stone Slab Wall was located.

The Fifth Spiritual Practitioner upheld her promise.

She did not do anything extra.

Wang Jixuan did not rush to place the portable nuclear bomb. Instead, he first conducted an on-site inspection.

There were two four-carriage rail cars, the only means of transport through this passage. They could reach the "Septic Tank Station" at the exit every two minutes.

Daoist Wang took out the small technological magic tool stored separately from the nuclear bomb:

[High-Performance Miniature Remote Bomb].

He thoughtfully installed a guaranteed-destruction policy on both rail cars, then quietly made his way to the hangar guarded by two low-tier Psionicists. The unnetworked two-carriage rail car was stored there, and he placed three bombs near its engine.

With a Storage Magic Treasure, High-Performance Miniature Remote Bombs were more useful than Explosive Talismans.

Wang Jixuan continued infiltrating deeper and soon found several good locations for placing the nuclear bomb, quietly memorizing them.

Within the range of his Spiritual Sense, the three S-Class Psionicists had reached an agreement and completed a temporary consolidation of Xing Tian's subordinates.

The three were submitting a request to the Six Elders to temporarily leave this base. Xing Tian's inexplicable unconsciousness and the bizarre deaths of several key researchers had left them deeply uneasy.

Taisheng Steel, one of the Six Elders, was still asking them whether they had found signs of enemy infiltration.

The three S-Class Psionicists denied it in unison.

There were no traces of intruders, and the Secret Base Xing Tian had established was impregnable, with only one entrance and exit.

Taisheng Steel was clearly hesitant. He did not want to abandon Xing Tian and merely said he would give the three an answer in a few minutes before cutting off the communication.

The Six Elders had gone to hold a meeting.

The three S-Class Psionicists fell into a state of anxiety.

Daoist Wang silently gave them a thumbs-up.

Worthy of the Six Elders. Their indecisiveness was truly unmatched in the world. If the three Judgment Group squads had rushed out together at this moment, that would have been their real path to survival.

Of course, each side saw things differently.

Those "few minutes" also gave him more room to work.

Wang Jixuan became bolder.

This Secret Base did not occupy much area. Its four zones were independent of each other, separated by some distance.

Wang Jixuan restrained the urge to delve deeper and only operated in Area One.

Whenever he encountered a research device belonging to the Psionicist research team, he placed a signal receiver on it so Peony could duplicate the information within.

When he found the warehouse storing crystal cores, Wang Jixuan was limited by the small size of his Storage Magic Tool and could only take several hundred crystal cores from General-Class Blade Beasts and High-Tier Blade Beasts.

What a pity. He could not take them all.

The butterfly lying on his shoulder lightly fluttered its wings. After remaining silent for quite some time, the Fifth Spiritual Practitioner could not help asking again:

"Is this a subspace item? Did it come from your civilization?"

"They taught me the technology. I made the item myself."

Daoist Wang had not told a single lie.

With crystal cores added to his inventory, Wang Jixuan was in an excellent mood. The frustration of all the twists and setbacks, of being repeatedly obstructed, instantly dissipated by more than half.

Keep searching!

Living quarters, surveillance center, equipment room...

Wang Jixuan wandered around in X Armor, keeping his Spiritual Sense on the movements of the three S-Class Psionicists. When the three communicated with Taisheng Steel again, Daoist Wang decisively turned around.

He chose the equipment room.

It was both at the center of Area One, ensuring the nuclear bomb would effectively damage Area One when it exploded, and would allow the energy to radiate as much as possible into Areas Two and Four.—The four zones were arranged in a grid.

He opened the suitcase, set the countdown for twelve minutes, and opened the protective cover over the mechanical activation button so he could detonate it at any time with his Spiritual Sense.

"Peony?"

"Sir, I'm here."

"Have Old Fu launch a barrage of missiles at this place, or when the time comes, make all their alarms go off."

"Understood, sir. From the standpoint of saving costs and reducing political risk, we can use the second option."

"Mm. Good. You handle it."

Wang Jixuan placed the suitcase beside several crates of miscellaneous items, then turned and left.

A countdown appeared before his eyes. It was the timer on the nuclear bomb.

Wang Jixuan began withdrawing from Area One.

At that moment, several detectors had actually scanned his figure, but every networked sensor in the Secret Base was already under Peony's control.

It was simply too smooth, so smooth that Wang Jixuan felt somewhat uneasy.

Strange. Why is my Spiritual Sense faintly twitching?