Chapter 209
"Whoosh--"
Less than half a second after the dart was thrown, the dial of the strength testing device quickly changed to: [Peak Fifth Tier]
Chapter 209
Xu Jintang looked at the display screen above the testing device in surprise.
After being improved, a Fourth Tier magic weapon can actually reach the Peak Fifth Tier weapon in terms of damage. This improvement is quite exaggerated.
After regaining her senses, she stepped forward, pulled out the dart that was already embedded in the testing instrument target, and put it back into her storage space.
It was getting late, so she quickly went back to her room to rest.
The next day, as dawn broke.
Conference room in the auditorium of the Federation General Command Bureau.
The mid-to-senior level leaders of each Federation Branch Bureau sat around the conference table with serious expressions.
Commander-in-Chief Jing Hongyi sat at the front, his hands resting on the edge of the table, his expression grave. "Regarding the suspected human defection and collusion with the demonic beasts, what are everyone's thoughts?"
There was a two-second silence in the meeting room, followed immediately by a cacophony of voices:
"Is there even a need to consider this? We should just issue an arrest warrant."
"The conflict and enmity between humans and demons has accumulated over hundreds of years; betrayal is an unforgivable crime."
"Yes, once they're caught, they'll be severely punished."
"The problem now is how to find the person? All satellite surveillance has been destroyed, and the only remaining surveillance footage hasn't captured a clear face."
The group argued incessantly for a long time without coming up with a concrete solution.
It wasn't until Jing Hongyi slammed his hand on the table, signaling everyone to be quiet, that things calmed down.
"I have my own plans for this. There's another important matter: the Ice Soul Dragon's aura has suddenly appeared in the Demon Beast Forest. This means he has already escaped from the Blizzard Forest."
The leaders' expressions gradually turned serious.
"The Ice Soul Dragon is nearing the end of its lifespan and probably won't last much longer, but the damage caused by a divine beast of this level in its death throes before its demise is likely beyond our ability to withstand."
"Moreover, his whereabouts are currently uncertain, and we don't know what he's up to."
"What's strange is, why did the Ice Soul Dragon suddenly run off to the Demon Beast Forest?"
The overlap of the two events left many leaders somewhat bewildered.
Jing Hongyi pursed his lips and said, "I suspect that the appearance of the Ice Soul Dragon in the Demon Beast Forest is related to the sudden appearance of the Green-Membrane Archaeopteryx. Perhaps, the human who betrayed the Federation joined forces with both of these monsters at the same time."
The atmosphere in the meeting room became tense.
"The Ice Soul Dragon and the Green-Membrane Archaeopteryx are both high-level demonic beasts. The person who can gain the trust of these two demonic beasts must be at least a Ninth Tier expert, right?"
"There are no more than ten people in our entire Federation whose strength has reached the Ninth Tier. In that case, we'll just investigate them one by one."
At this point, someone shook their head, "Those Ninth Tier big shots all have terrible tempers, who dares to investigate them?"
Ninth Tier powerhouses are considered powerful figures who dominate their respective regions within the Federation.
Unless the Federation faces some kind of impending destruction, these people usually don't even bother to show their faces.
Even Jing Hongyi wasn't qualified to order these people around.
"Betraying the Federation has already crossed the line, hasn't it? Even if he's Ninth Tier, we can't be afraid. What if he really brings about the Federation's annihilation?"
"We understand the logic. But if the person who betrayed the Federation is indeed one of the Ninth Tier members, how should we deal with him?"
"Ugh, what a mess every day is."
The usually aloof and serious leaders outside were all furious, and the entire conference room instantly descended into chaos.
Jing Hongyi remained silent, his gaze sweeping across the room. "Alright, arguing won't solve anything. I'll handle these matters; just don't disclose anything to others for now."
"Yes." Everyone immediately fell silent.
"Meeting adjourned." Jing Hongyi slammed his hand on the table, stood up, and turned to leave the meeting room.
"Commander Jing, about this matter..." the subordinate following behind asked tentatively.
Jing Hongyi pursed his lips. "First, issue a wanted notice for the traitor. Anyone who can provide information about the traitor will be rewarded with ten million plus a high-level magic weapon."
"Yes!" The subordinate quickly turned to carry out the order.
Soon after, the official Federation arrest warrant was released, along with blurry photos taken by satellite surveillance.
The photo shows Green-Membrane Archaeopteryx about to land, with a blurry figure hanging on its back.
[What's going on? Is someone colluding with monsters in secret??]
[Are you a member of the Reform Society?]
[It's possible that they all possess a criminal gene and are indeed capable of committing acts of betrayal against humanity.]
[But the footage is so blurry, you can't even make out faces or shapes.]
[That's why the reward is so high.]
The arrest warrant immediately attracted widespread attention online.
The feud between humans and demons has lasted for hundreds of years, and such an occurrence is bound to provoke widespread anger.
Various kinds of insults soon followed.
Another group directly targeted the Reform Society, convinced that those who colluded with the demons must have come from the Reform Society.
Until a few people with a modicum of rationality stood up and spoke out:
[Look at this photo; that person is riding on the back of Green-Membrane Archaeopteryx. The Green-Membrane Archaeopteryx must be at least at the Eighth Tier in strength, so anyone willing to submit to it must be at least at the Ninth Tier.]
[That's true.]
[In that case, the scope narrows down considerably. There aren't many Ninth Tier in the entire Federation; we can just investigate them one by one.]
[Don't you even realize that a Ninth Tier expert like him wouldn't let you investigate him so easily?]
Before long, the news reached the experimental class.
"Good heavens, why would a Ninth Tier expert be so foolish as to collude with demonic beasts?" Song Tianqi exclaimed, leaning back on the sofa.
"Who knows?" Yan Yuting replied, resting her chin on her hand.
Xu Jintang leaned against the bar, his eyes lowered as he fell into deep thought.
They initially thought this might pose a threat to her, but a lot of people suspected the Ninth Tier expert, which perfectly cleared her of suspicion.
Since that's the case...
She should just pretend she knows nothing.
Xu Jintang snapped out of her thoughts and stretched. "Let's go practice for a while longer?"
"Let's go!" Song Tianqi had rested well, was the first to get up.
The news of the wanted notice continued to spread, sparking more and more discussion, but no one dared to confirm which Ninth Tier big shot had colluded with the demon beast.
The news didn't generate much buzz for long before the hype gradually died down.
Two more months have flown by.
This time, Yan Yuting and Xue Zhongqi both broke through.
Both of them reached the Peak Third Tier tier of mental power at the same time.
Chapter 210
"Custard Cheese Bun!"
Yan Yuting shouted excitedly, and a small, pale yellow cheese bun immediately appeared in her palm.
Wisps of heat rose from above.
Xu Jintang, standing to the side, could smell the rich fragrance.
Song Tianqi looked over curiously, "So what's the effect of your custard buns?"
Yan Yuting quickly produced another Custard Cheese Bun and handed it to Xu Jintang and Song Tianqi respectively, saying, "You'll know once you try it."
The custard bun was so small that it could be held entirely in one hand, Xu Jintang simply tossed it into his mouth and swallowed it whole.
The rich aroma of milk quickly spreads in the mouth, and the cheese filling melts in your mouth.
The next second, a faint warmth spread rapidly around the body.
There were no significant changes in his physical strength and mental power, but Xu Jintang could clearly feel that his consciousness and thinking had suddenly become exceptionally clear.
"Your custard bun can negate illusion attacks?" Song Tianqi quickly realized.
Yan Yuting nodded. "Yes, it's a rather targeted skill effect."
Xu Jintang looked down at his palm.
The energy within my body is different from that of the pineapple bun and Taro Bun I had before.
Neither forceful nor gentle, it possesses an extreme calmness and restraint, making it perfectly suited for resisting illusion attacks.
"How long does this effect last?" Xu Jintang continued to ask.
Yan Yuting: "Within five minutes."
Song Tianqi: "If we encounter those particularly bizarre illusion-type superpowers, this custard bun will be very useful."
"Hmm. But such situations are rare." Yan Yuting shook his head. "This skill can only be acquired through luck."
Five minutes later, the custard bun's skill effect disappeared.
The calm power within Xu Jintang also dissipated.
"Come on, who wants to try out my new skill?" Xue Zhongqi asked excitedly from the side.
Upon seeing his excited expression, Yan Yuting and the others immediately became wary.
Everyone knows that Xue Zhongqi's skills are always particularly insidious.
Trying to use his skills should be done with the expectation of being ripped off.
Seeing that no one was willing to try, Xu Jintang volunteered, "I'll do it."
"Alright." Xue Zhongqi slightly raised the corners of his lips, raised his hand to roll up his sleeves, and said, "Class monitor, let's go to the ring!"
Xu Jintang was also intrigued by his imposing manner.
She coughed lightly, becoming slightly more serious, "Come on."
Half a minute later, the two stood facing each other on the ring.
The protective shield around them slowly rose.
Xue Zhongqi raised his hands, drawing an arc composed of silver light on both sides of his body.
His hand gestures changed constantly, and the arcs formed by the silvery light also changed accordingly.
"You took so long to prepare this superpower?" Xu Jintang commented, arms crossed.
"Slow and steady wins the race," Xue Zhongqi replied quietly, continuing to manipulate his hand gestures.
Five seconds later, a circular mirror with a radius of two meters gradually appeared in front of Xue Zhongqi.
The round mirror is different from ordinary mirrors; it is composed of a vast Milky Way, with mysterious ripples spreading outwards in concentric circles.