Mission: Hand in the Shadows

"Director Cao, yesterday one of my subordinates reported something strange to me. I thought it was necessary to tell you about it."

"Why does that sound a little familiar?"

Cao Yiming asked with a puzzled expression, "Don't tell me something happened in the secret realms under the arena's jurisdiction too?"

"How did you know? Did you discover a problem on your side as well?"

Ji Xuejun froze for a moment. She had not even said anything yet, but Cao Yiming already knew?

"I'm still investigating over here. Old Fang told me about this yesterday. Brother Lin Yu should know quite a bit about it. Little Yu was the first to discover that something was wrong with the secret realm."

Ji Xuejun turned to glance at Lin Yu. Lin Yu nodded, indicating that it had indeed happened.

"Little Yu, what happened?"

So Lin Yu repeated what had happened in the secret realm yesterday. After hearing it, Ji Xuejun's expression turned very serious.

"Director Cao, we encountered a similar problem on my side as well. Yesterday, a team from the arena entered the third-tier Flame Secret Realm to capture some magical beasts. Inside, they encountered a peak fourth-tier Flame Wolf leader. According to their report, if a passing fourth-tier Guardian had not happened to help them, they probably would have all died in there!"

"A peak fourth-tier Flame Wolf leader?"

"Yes, and just as Little Yu described, it was extremely violent, as if it had lost its mind! When they encountered it, there were not only that Flame Wolf leader but also several dead Flame Wolves nearby. Judging by the traces, they were most likely killed by the berserk Flame Wolf leader."

Ji Xuejun no longer had her previous carefree demeanor. Her little face was solemn. For now, this had only been discovered in low-tier secret realms, but no one could say that the high-tier secret realms were unaffected. There were quite a few high-tier secret realms near Banyan City. If all of them had problems, the consequences would be unimaginable.

The smile had vanished from Cao Yiming's face as well. He vaguely sensed the seriousness of the matter. To be honest, when Fang Tianhai had reported it earlier, although he had sent people to investigate, he had not attached too much importance to it. After all, Slime Forest was merely the weakest beginner secret realm. No matter how serious the problem was, it could not cause much of a stir.

Moreover, in Cao Yiming's view, it was not necessarily a problem with the secret realm. It might simply have been an accident. For instance, perhaps the King Slime had accidentally eaten some heavenly treasure, causing it to behave abnormally. Everyone recognized how weak slimes were. If it had eaten some heavenly treasure and suffered indigestion, that was not impossible.

However, now that Ji Xuejun had come to report the same situation, Cao Yiming felt that he might have been wrong before. It might not have been an isolated case. He had to get to the bottom of this. Cao Yiming immediately said decisively,

"Xuejun, seal off the secret realms first. Then send elite teams to thoroughly investigate every secret realm. Do not overlook a single clue. I'll send people to investigate as well. We cannot allow the situation to worsen any further."

"Alright!"

Lin Yu, standing nearby, listened with increasingly bright eyes. Just as he was about to speak, 9527's voice suddenly rang out in his mind.

"Ding! Mission triggered: Hand in the Shadows. Investigate the cause of the magical beast unrest in the secret realms. Reward: Advanced Robbery Token ×1–3, depending on mission completion."

9527, you really do understand me. Hehe...

Lin Yu gave 9527 a fierce mental thumbs-up. When it was not acting crazy, it was actually quite considerate!

"Of course!!" 9527 replied in a slightly proud tone.

"Director Cao, Sister Xuejun, may I participate in this investigation mission?"

After accepting the mission, Lin Yu immediately asked.

"Hm? Your strength is sufficient for investigating low-tier secret realms, but it's still too early for you to get involved in something like this!"

Although Cao Yiming's tone was gentle, his attitude was firm. Ji Xuejun nodded in agreement as well. While Lin Yu's displayed spiritual energy strength was at the third tier, they did know a little about his true strength. With his abilities, he could completely handle ordinary low-tier secret realms. However, he was still a student who had not even graduated from high school. Lin Yu's stage lay in the future, not now!

Besides, if anything happened to Lin Yu in a secret realm, they would regret it for the rest of their lives. This was Blue Star's one and only SSS-talented Awakened!

"It's like this. You both know that my eyes have many abilities. One of them is detection. I can sense things that are hidden away. That should be helpful for this mission, right?"

Seeing that Cao Yiming and Ji Xuejun did not agree to let him go, and that the Advanced Robbery Token within his grasp was about to fly away, Lin Yu directly revealed a small part of the system's detection function. Of course, he attributed that ability to the Rinnegan.

Upon hearing Lin Yu's explanation, Cao Yiming's eyes suddenly lit up. Before he could say anything, Ji Xuejun directly took out a magic crystal.

"Can you detect this?"

"Yes!" Lin Yu immediately used the system's detection function on the magic crystal in Ji Xuejun's hand.

"This is a magic crystal from an eighth-tier Titan Giant Ape!"

Lin Yu stated with certainty. Cao Yiming looked at Ji Xuejun's expression. The gleam in her eyes made him realize that Lin Yu was right. To be honest, he had not been able to tell what kind of magic crystal it was either. With his seventh-tier strength, he could only vaguely sense the enormous energy contained within it, perhaps even surpassing the seventh tier. Yet Lin Yu had identified it instantly, even accurately naming the magical beast it came from. Cao Yiming was shocked by Lin Yu once again.

"You really are a monster. At this level, is that even detection? It's more like appraisal!"

Ji Xuejun exclaimed. Putting aside everything else, just this ability to obtain information with a single glance would make Lin Yu highly sought after.

"It's not that exaggerated. I can only see some general information! I can't get anything more specific."

"How much more specific do you want? Ask Director Cao whether he could tell anything just now!"

Ji Xuejun rolled her eyes at Lin Yu's humblebragging.

"Alright, you think too highly of me. I couldn't even determine the exact tier!"

Cao Yiming hurriedly shook his head. He knew his own limits and had no intention of puffing himself up.

"Director Cao, I think we can let Lin Yu join us. I feel that Lin Yu's ability will be very helpful in investigating the secret realms. Let Lin Yu follow me. I'll be responsible for his safety!"

Ji Xuejun finally said. It would be a waste not to make use of such a powerful detection ability.

"Hm? Alright, but you must ensure Lin Yu's safety. If you need anything, tell me immediately!"

After considering it, Cao Yiming also felt that Lin Yu could participate. With Lin Yu's detection ability, they should be able to achieve twice the result with half the effort!

"Hm? But I still feel it isn't safe enough. Wait a moment."

After saying that, Cao Yiming pulled open a drawer, took out a box, and handed it to Lin Yu!

"This is a seventh-tier protective jade pendant. I have already sealed a seventh-tier Earth Shield inside it. As long as you inject spiritual power into it, it can be activated!"

"This isn't the Earth Shield hastily cast at the school before. This is a genuine marquis-grade shield, enough to withstand attacks from a peak seventh-tier opponent!"

Cao Yiming said with a hint of pride. This was his proud creation. He had spent a long time tinkering with it before completing one. An ordinary seventh-tier opponent truly would not be able to break it!