The Wind Rises and Clouds Surge: Mission End

Rescuing them would have been quick with a detection Supernatural Ability, but for some reason, the Spiritual Energy at the collapse site was extremely restless, causing the detection force field to malfunction repeatedly. They had no choice but to search inch by inch.

After rescuing Si Nan Ying's team, the final investigation also concluded.

Zero deaths, 12 seriously injured, 46 lightly injured.

The source of the "powerful Spiritual Energy vibration" the Family Head mentioned was still undiscovered, but many unusual occurrences had happened during the investigation.

The Desolate Beasts Rui Feng's team encountered, the swarms of Mountain Giants Si Nan Ying's team faced, and other teams also reported unusual Demonic Beast activity.

"So, now we can be completely certain that something abnormal has occurred in the Winter Mountains," Si Nan Yuan said to the captains present. Her face was bruised, and her left arm was bandaged and hung around her neck, giving her a slightly disheveled appearance.

"However, we don't have enough manpower or technology to continue investigating further. After all, what happened far exceeds the scope of common sense."

"The technical staff should have completed their data analysis by now. Did they find anything?" a captain asked.

"Unfortunately, apart from the Demonic Beasts we encountered, no other anomalies were found."

"Could it be that someone wants to harm the Si Nan Family and used some method to incite the mountain Demonic Beasts to attack us?"

"It's highly possible. In fact, that's what I believe. Speaking of suspicious individuals... Rui Feng, I specifically placed Liu Ye in your team. Did you discover anything?"

"Based on my observations," Rui Feng replied, standing up, "firstly, her strength is undeniable. However, what puzzles me is that her knowledge doesn't match her strength. According to Rui Xin, she only has a superficial understanding of many common knowledge issues. Furthermore, her behavior throughout the journey was unremarkable. And when I was desperately fighting the Desolate Beasts, she risked her life to save me. From that perspective, she is very righteous."

"But, it's also possible..."

"I know what you're worried about. Indeed, I cannot deny the possibility that the encounter with the Desolate Beasts was a setup by her, a staged event to gain our trust and achieve some hidden objective. However, I still trust my judgment of people—she is definitely not a bad person."

"But previous investigations were uneventful, and trouble only started after she arrived. Is that just a coincidence?" a captain questioned.

"There's no evidence to prove her innocence, but there's also no evidence to prove her guilt. Although she is quite mysterious, we shouldn't act rashly. Let's observe her for now." To Rui Feng's surprise, it was Si Nan Yuan who spoke.

"Alright, let's put her matter aside for now. The current problem is, if someone intended to harm us, they have likely failed by now. What will the other party do next..."

"Either give up, or continue their actions when we let our guard down after returning," Rui Feng interjected.

"Exactly. The Barbecue Festival is in two days, and Winter Arrival City will be quite chaotic then. If the other party intends to make a move, they will definitely choose that time. So, it's decided. We will enhance security to the maximum during this period, ensuring our people are in every corner of the city and deploying a detection net covering the entire city."

"Yes!"

Inside a cabin in the woods within the Winter Mountains--

"Damn it, Olga, why did you deploy the Mountain Giants!?"

Sunny, losing his usual composure, grabbed the collar of the young man before him, Olga, and lifted him off the ground.

"Don't you understand that acting too early will only make them heighten their vigilance? Everything must proceed according to plan!"

"Whoa, calm down, brother. I have my reasons for doing this," Olga said, spreading his hands in surrender, a sickeningly fawning smile on his face, though his eyes held a hidden coldness. "Put me down first, alright?"

Sunny let out a harsh "tsk" and roughly threw Olga to the ground. Olga calmly adjusted his collar and smoothed his messy hair. Only when Sunny was about to lose patience did he speak.

"'Not paying attention to anything, and getting stabbed in the back' versus 'only paying attention to the front, and getting stabbed in the back'—aren't the results the same?"

"...Yes."

"They've uncovered such a major incident, they'll definitely strengthen their security now. But what will be the scope of their security? Probably only within Winter Arrival City. After all, their people are all in the city, so they'll naturally be vigilant of their surroundings. But how could they anticipate an attack coming from the outside? So, the security within the city is completely meaningless!"

"You mean..."

"Exactly. The original plan was to 'act when the Si Nan Family relaxes their vigilance after multiple uneventful investigations.' Now, it's 'act when the Si Nan Family strengthens security within the city due to investigation setbacks.' Aren't the results the same? Moreover, attacking them in the Winter Mountains gives us an extra chance to succeed beforehand. Isn't that wonderful?"

Sunny fell silent. Indeed, what Olga said might sound like a wild idea at first, but upon careful consideration, every word was logical, making it hard not to agree.

"...Alright, I'll trust you this time. If you disrupt the plan again, don't blame me for executing you on the spot!"

"Yes, yes~ But, when exactly should we start?"

"Let's set it for... tomorrow."

"The Barbecue Festival's original name was the 'Winter Ancestor Worship and Auspicious Joy Grand Ceremony.' It was a festival of the local hunter tribes hundreds of years ago. This festival was preserved after Winter Arrival City was built. Since ancient times, there has been a custom of roasting and eating hunted Demonic Beasts during the festival, and the original name was too long. Nowadays, people call this festival the Barbecue Festival, which is simple and easy to understand."

In the sparsely populated city library, I boredly read aloud the introduction to the Barbecue Festival from a book. The Barbecue Festival... For us FFF Group members, shouldn't it be February 14th?

Ever since I returned yesterday, I've been incredibly bored. It's like the feeling of a child who was eagerly looking forward to a spring outing but the outing ended before they could have their fill of fun. The few days in the mountains seemed to have awakened the fighting spirit within me as a man (or woman?). Whenever I close my eyes, scenes of battling various Demonic Beasts flash through my mind, making my blood boil. Do I have a hidden warlike trait?

I thought about finding Rui Feng for a fight, but he seemed to be very busy and didn't have time. It wasn't just him; all the Si Nan Family members were running around. Rui Feng, as a high-ranking official, was swamped with work. Rui Xin and Mo Xiao Hong also had their own tasks, and Si Nan Ying...

I sighed. I haven't seen Si Nan Ying since the mission ended. Her injuries were surprisingly minor, and with the help of various Spiritual Medicines, she had almost fully recovered. But I didn't know where she was now.

I heard from others that the major collapse was caused by Si Nan Ying's Supernatural Ability going out of control. It was hard to believe. I remembered she mentioned when we first met that she had previously blown up a building at the main family estate. At the time, I thought she was exaggerating, until I witnessed the devastation of this incident firsthand.

Flattening a mountaintop or something... I can't believe I once described her Supernatural Ability as a "cute version of Killer Queen." Now, it doesn't seem cute at all... If she also evolved a divine skill like time reversal, she'd be leagues stronger than Yoshikage himself!

Jokes aside. After spending so many days together, I've already considered Si Nan Ying a friend in my heart. It's only natural to care about a friend who's feeling down. But how do you comfort someone who can't control their Supernatural Ability? Should I tell her "it's okay if you can't control it"? But the situation clearly isn't "okay." Or should I embark on a classic plotline of "helping her practice controlling her Supernatural Ability and becoming her sworn friend"? But I, who could use my Supernatural Ability smoothly from the start, have no experience in this area...

Finally, amidst various doubts, the festival quietly arrived.

If you think this book is good, remember to add it to your bookshelf to avoid losing it next time.