"Hmm? What's wrong?"
Zhou Zhenguo looked over with some confusion.
"Two hunting teams have returned ahead of schedule!" Shen Heng said to Elder Zhou.
As soon as he finished speaking, Zhou Zhenguo was taken aback, and then his expression instantly darkened.
Beside him, Li Boyuan's expression also turned serious.
"Are there any injured?" Zhou Zhenguo asked in a deep voice.
"Yes, just like the other teams that returned early!" Shen Heng replied.
"Okay, I understand!"
Zhou Zhenguo responded, his gaze sweeping over the scene below once more.
"In that case, let's go back first. The important matter is more important!"
Shen Heng nodded, looking down, and opened his mouth...
"... You are truly talented in acting! If you ever wish to continue acting in the future, please feel free to contact me!"
"Okay, I got it, thank you!"
"Team Leader Qin..."
After a while, the exchange ended.
Han Ling watched the departing head of the cultural troupe, then turned her gaze to Qin Yu, who was standing beside her.
" Qin Yu, you should give it a try! It's quite fun to try it once in a while!"
Qin Yu hesitated for a moment, then slowly shook her head.
"No, I don't like it, and I'm even a little afraid of too much attention being drawn to me."
Is that so?
Han Ling paused, her gaze fixed on Qin Yu.
I could tell she didn't like being the center of attention, but I never expected it to be to the point of fear.
Nodding in understanding, Han Ling said as if suddenly realizing something:
No wonder you awakened this ability.
Qin Yu moved her head slightly, as if she was about to nod, but stopped halfway through.
She looked at Han Ling, hesitated for a moment, as if she wanted to say something, but ultimately said nothing.
"A team has returned ahead of schedule. Elder Zhou and I will go check on them first!"
He paused for a moment, then continued:
"Also, your performance just now was excellent!"
As soon as the words were spoken, the two of them realized what was happening.
"That unusual data the captain mentioned earlier?" Qin Yu asked, looking at Sister Han.
Han Ling withdrew her gaze, and the slight upturn of her lips vanished with the question.
She thought for a moment, then nodded.
"Probably..."
" Chen Hua's team is in treatment room number three!"
" Cheng Beixiao's team is in treatment room number seven!"
"Your current location is closest to Treatment Room 3. Do you need guidance?"
The Ringing Sound worn on the wrist reports the information received.
"No need. Let's head to treatment room number three first. If Cheng Beixiao's team changes locations later, remember to remind them!" Shen Heng said.
"Okay, I understand!" Ringing Sound replied.
Without exchanging any further words, Shen Heng and the other two quickly walked towards treatment room number three.
The major battle has been over for many days, and most of the treatment rooms in the hospital are empty, but there are still quite a few wounded in the wards.
When Shen Heng and his two companions arrived at the door of the treatment room, there was only one figure sitting there.
Noticing the three approaching, the man looked up.
" Captain Shen! Elder Zhou! Commander!"
Chen Hua stood up in surprise.
He was just injured while hunting and came back for treatment, so why did he suddenly attract the attention of the three most powerful figures in Shuofang City?!
"It's just a few questions, no need to be nervous." Zhou Zhenguo raised his hand to indicate, his tone calm.
Chen Hua responded, looking at the three of them with slightly nervous eyes.
Shen Heng glanced at the tightly closed door, then turned his gaze to Chen Hua and asked:
Has someone been in trouble?
" Captain Shen, don't worry, it's nothing, just a minor injury. It'll be fine after some treatment!" Chen Hua replied instinctively.
There was no response; Shen Heng looked at Chen Hua.
Calm and gentle, yet possessing an inexplicable power.
Chen Hua paused, took a deep breath, and said:
"Okay, the injury is a bit serious, but after treatment, it'll just mean I'll need to rest for a few more days. It's not a big problem!"
Shen Heng nodded and asked, "There haven't been any casualties, have there?"
"Yes, no!" Chen Hua nodded in confirmation.
Upon hearing this, Shen Heng breathed a sigh of relief.
"Did something happen?" he then asked.
"Yes, we encountered a rather difficult Fifth Tier Calamity Beast. Although we eventually managed to kill it, it was because of this Calamity Beast that someone in our team was injured, which is why we had to retreat early," Chen Hua replied.
" Fifth Tier Calamity Beast...?"
Shen Heng repeated it in a low voice, his eyes filled with thought.
Zhou Zhenguo and Li Boyuan to the side, looked even more somber.
"W-what's wrong?" Chen Hua asked nervously.
"There might be some new activity regarding the Calamity Beast, but since the reason is still unclear, we can only ask your hunting team if we can find out anything," Shen Heng replied calmly.
"I see?" Chen Hua breathed a sigh of relief, then straightened his back and asked, " Captain Shen, is there anything else you want to ask? Just ask, and I'll tell you everything!"
Shen Heng nodded and said, "Let's start from the first day we set out: the direction, the journey, and the Calamity Beast we encountered!"
Chen Hua was taken aback. "Huh? The first day?"
"Yes, from day one." Shen Heng nodded.
Seeing this, Chen Hua took a deep breath and began to tell his story.
"On the first day, our team set off from Shuofang City and advanced approximately two hundred kilometers southwest..."
"... In the first three days, we killed a total of seventeen Calamity Beast, including two Fourth Tier beasts, nine Third Tier beasts, and the rest were all Second Tier..."
"Day four..."
Chen Hua was speaking, while Shen Heng and the others listened.
During this process, the expressions of both Elder Zhou and Li Boyuan gradually darkened.
The process of going out hunting is actually not very pleasant; it's just a matter of different terrains, environments, and the different Calamity Beast encountered.
Shen Heng and the others weren't curious about the process; they just wanted to make sure nothing was overlooked...
After a long while, the questioning was completed.
Chen Hua watched the three leave with grave expressions, and his mood, which had been relatively good because of the hunt, also sank.
He hesitated for a moment, then opened his personal terminal.
"Please note that there may be..."
Another half hour passed.
After questioning the three members of the other team, they walked side by side down the corridor.
"It's basically confirmed that the number of Calamity Beast roaming within the erosion area has indeed increased!" Li Boyuan said with a solemn expression.
Zhou Zhenguo nodded heavily, without replying.
They first learned about the relevant information from Shen Heng.
From that unusually early return of the group...
Normally, at this time, only about ten groups would return early due to injuries sustained while hunting.
But this time, the number has reached seventeen or eighteen!
Thus, today's visit came about.
The two teams were in similar situations.
The number and strength of the Calamity Beast encountered were much higher than before.
"Is simply increasing the number of supplies to make it easier for our logistical support to harass us later?" Li Boyuan guessed.
"Possibly, but if that's the case, it seems a bit larger than this one," Zhou Zhenguo said.
"They don't want to get entangled with us at these two Anchor Point anymore?" Li Boyuan guessed again.
"The Anchor Point we're currently entangled with are all the closest to the Ruins Realm. If they choose to go further away, it will be even more difficult to transport the subsequent Calamity Beast and Source Core! Moreover, we've been keeping an eye on those places. If the Calamity Beast do rebuild in those areas, we have the ability to destroy them. And Anchor Point aren't something that can be built and immediately have a significant effect; they need to be built up over time to become effective!" Zhou Zhenguo retorted.
"Was that simply to draw our attention?"
"For what?"
"This..."
The two discussed the matter intermittently, but failed to reach any effective conclusions.
After a long silence, Li Boyuan sighed, his brows furrowed.
"Is there any way to capture a Calamity Beast and ask it?"
Zhou Zhenguo said, "That's certainly feasible, but those hunting teams were able to encounter them because they've been wandering around for many days. If you suddenly go out, finding them won't be so easy! Besides..."
Zhou Zhenguo suddenly stopped.
"What else?" Li Boyuan also stopped, looking at Elder Zhou with a serious expression.
"Given your general understanding of humanity's current combat strength, if you were Calamity Beast, what plan would you implement?" Zhou Zhenguo asked Li Boyuan.
Li Boyuan stood there, pondered for a moment, and then said with an increasingly solemn expression, "Only give the true objective to those Calamity Beast that you can be fairly certain won't cause any problems, such as Late Fifth Tier or even Sixth Tier. As for the others, give them a portion of the mission, so they won't know exactly what to do. Even if they get captured, it won't cause too much trouble!"
"Yes, that's right!" Zhou Zhenguo nodded slowly.
"So, it's almost impossible for us to know the true purpose of the Calamity Beast?" Li Boyuan said with a deep frown.
In the two years that followed, not only did they grow, but the Calamity Beast on the other side also grew stronger.
Two years ago, the other party might have thought of this, but now, hoping that they didn't think of this is almost impossible!
There was no response; Zhou Zhenguo remained silent for a moment.
Finally, he said:
"Have someone send this message back to base first, and let's see what they decide!"
Li Boyuan moment, seemingly wanting to see if there were any other methods, but in the end he could only nod.
Zhou Zhenguo turned his gaze to the figure on the other side.
"Shen... what are you thinking about, kid?"
The sudden words brought Shen Heng back to his senses. He looked at the two people staring at him.
He paused for a moment, then said:
I think I'll go out for a bit.
Zhou Zhenguo frowned slightly and said, "Although the probability of Calamity Beast spreading information to lower-level Calamity Beast is very low, it's not a bad idea to try. However, you should be careful not to waste too much time..."
"No!"
Shen Heng looked at the two of them.
"I'm planning to..."