Inside the shuttle, Beaufort was explaining the situation of the White Shark Bandit Group.
"Based on known intelligence, the White Shark Bandit Group is a medium-sized bandit group with considerable strength. It has tens of thousands of members, including eight hundred core members, all of whom are Transcendent individuals."
"Among these Transcendent individuals, there are 38 High-Rank Transcendent individuals!"
"Among them, there are four Ninth-Rank Transcendent. The leader, White Shark, is at the Peak Tier Nine, a bloodline sorcerer who is skilled in water magic. He is ruthless and has an extremely fierce fighting style, so we need to be especially careful."
"Besides White Shark, the remaining three Ninth-Rank Transcendent are: Illusionist Black Dream, Upper Tier Nine expert specializing in mental attacks; her ability can trap people in a dream without their knowledge. One cannot afford to be even slightly distracted when facing Black Dream, or one might fall victim. The Curse Man, Middle Tier Nine expert skilled in casting curses; if he gains control of the medium, this guy is far more terrifying than White Shark. Therefore, try your best to avoid letting your own body parts fall into his hands. Be extremely careful during the battle; watch out for even the smallest hair on your head."
"Finally, there's Blood Fang. Compared to the other three Ninth-Rank Transcendent, this person poses a much smaller threat. He's a canine-man, a warrior, and also possesses considerable bloodline talent. His teeth are very special; they are extremely damaging to flesh-and-blood beings. Any flesh-and-blood being, even Legendary, will have a chunk of flesh torn off if bitten by this guy. Of course, Blood Fang isn't very fast, so just be careful to dodge."
"Besides the four Ninth-Rank Transcendent, the White Shark Bandit Group has a large number of Tier Eight and Tier Seven Transcendent. If they all rush at us, it will cause us a lot of trouble. We need to compensate for this through battle strategy and equipment."
"Finally, there are the various weapons at the White Shark Bandit Group's base. These guys are crazy, but they also value their lives. The base has almost no blind spots, and the defense system is quite comprehensive. Due to the influence of the Alliance, they mainly use high-tech weapons controlled by artificial intelligence. If they fire at full speed, even Phoebe won't be able to hold out for long."
Once he got into character, Beaufort appeared very serious, like a seasoned commander, his brows exuding not only wisdom but also a strong sense of authority.
"Captain, shall we formulate a battle plan based on the intelligence you provided?" asked Caroline, the girl with glasses, raising her hand.
Beaufort shook his head. "Every operation is a matter of life and death; we can't be careless in the slightest. Intelligence can change every second, especially since this is intelligence from a month ago—it's severely outdated."
"Therefore, upon arriving at the target area, precise reconnaissance must be conducted. Then, the intelligence gathered from the reconnaissance must be compared with existing intelligence before a battle plan can be formulated."
Lancelot nodded secretly. He could tell that Beaufort was a very cautious person, which was good. He didn't need to remind him. As long as Bophiel's general strategy was correct, he could just carry it out. In any case, the favor would be repaid after this mission. Given their growth rate, the chances of them fighting side by side again were slim.
"Lancelot, what do you think?" Beaufort asked, turning around.
"I have no objection. Just follow your plan. For this operation, treat me like an ordinary soldier. I'll do whatever you tell me to do," Lancelot said with a smile. Hearing this, Beaufort breathed a slight sigh of relief. He was afraid that this monstrous genius would be arrogant and act rashly, but fortunately, the other party was very humble and did not interfere recklessly.
"And you? Do you have any other objections?" Beaufort then looked at the other eight people.
"No!" the eight shouted in unison, their momentum unstoppable.
"Alright, let's get into battle mode. Take a good rest and prepare for the fight!!"
As soon as the words were spoken, the previously relaxed atmosphere in the cabin immediately became tense and heavy, with wisps of gunfire spreading through the air.
The shuttle was very fast; after crossing the border, it headed south and arrived at its destination in just a few hours.
This is a lush, wooded valley. Twenty or thirty kilometers to the west lies the ocean.
The valley's terrain is varied and unsuitable for agriculture, but it's quite suitable for planting fruit trees. Of course, the White Shark Bandit Group had no interest in that. Becoming fruit farmers? Forget it, burning, killing, and looting were more in line with their image.
The shuttle, now in camouflage mode, landed hundreds of kilometers away from the valley. After concealing itself with soil, rocks, and vegetation, the team split into two groups of five, one in front and one behind, and rapidly advanced southward.
The Transcendent were incredibly fast, traversing mountains and valleys as if walking on flat ground. They covered 100 kilometers in just two hours, and that was only to conceal themselves. Otherwise, they could have simply flown and arrived in just a few minutes.
In an underground cave, a group of people sat together and, after discussion, decided that Beaufort would personally carry out the reconnaissance mission of the Core Zone, while the outer and inner perimeter would be handled by Caroline, the bespectacled girl with a sensory ability, and Nevis's android.
After making the decision, the three acted immediately.
Beaufort's body flickered and disappeared, as if he had entered a spatial interlayer. In reality, he had simply used space to distort light, making himself invisible. Faced with Lancelot's powerful perception, this guy had nowhere to hide.
Caroline doesn't have Beaufort's abilities, but she has her own explosive power.
Her psychic powers can silently distort the perception of those with lower mental attributes than her, making them unaware of her presence. In other words, someone with lower Divine Power than Caroline would not see or feel anything even if Caroline walked right past them.
This move would be easily detected by other Tier Nine Transcendent, but the Tier Nine experts of the White Shark Bandit Group generally operate in the Core Zone, while those in the inner and outer areas are all below the Tier Eight. With Caroline's strength, it would be difficult for her to be detected.
Finally, there was Nevis. This guy didn't even leave the underground cave. He casually picked up a metal antenna, attached it to his head, and then turned on the terminal to operate it.
Actually, that antenna is a signal amplifier.
After completing the above preparations, Nevis opened a briefcase, and with the clicking sound of machinery, hundreds of bionic robots filed out.
Insects, birds, vines, and even water-like robots dazzled Lancelot.
"Hehe, with these little darlings, the White Shark Bandit Group can just wait to have their underwear ripped off!" Nevis said with a lewd laugh, picking his nose, which made the mature Sara next to him look disgusted.
Lancelot leaned against the cave wall, seemingly dozing, but in reality released Molecular Aggregation Insect that had evolved to the quality of Immortal.
After the Insect King evolved, the area where his Divine Power spread also expanded significantly. In addition, Lancelot's own mental attributes also improved greatly, resulting in a circular area centered on him that can now completely encompass the entire White Shark Bandit Group. As long as he is within this area, he can perfectly control the swarm of insects.
Thousands of tiny molecules aggregated and left the cave; if one could witness this scene, one would find that it resembled pollen being scattered.
During this process, no one noticed the presence of these insects.
And so, Lancelot controlled the swarm of insects, dividing them into dozens of groups in a fan shape, and infiltrated the White Shark Bandit Group —or rather, brazenly began spying on all the gang's secrets.
In stark contrast, Caroline and Beaufort were very cautious.
The swarm can detect targets very quickly.
The inner and outer perimeters were quickly scanned, and a large amount of information converged. It was no different from the intelligence, and Lancelot gradually felt relieved.
But upon reaching the Core Zone, Lancelot witnessed a scene that shocked him.
Dragon!
A three-headed True Dragon!
Unique patterns are distributed on the azure scales, with currents occasionally flashing across them. The dark golden vertical pupils gleam in the darkness, exuding the aura of a top Predator. Sharp teeth and claws, broad dragon wings, and the aura of a Peak Tier Nine expert all testify to their power.
What shocked Lancelot even more was that the auras of these three Blue Dragon were extremely similar, and they seemed to be one. That feeling made him wonder if these three guys could combine their power into one dragon and break through the barrier of the Sanctuary.
It's no wonder Lancelot made this conjecture, as he knew many similar examples. The most recent one was the Dark Twin Stars under Logo, the Tiffany siblings, who could combine their powers to increase their strength several times or even ten times.
"Judging from this situation, the White Shark Bandit Group has already sided with the Dragon Clan and plans to ambush the Alliance's squad. Otherwise, these three Blue Dragon wouldn't be hiding in secret." Lancelot muttered to himself. Through the Molecular Aggregation Insect, he saw Magic Runes appearing and disappearing around the three Blue Dragon. It was a spell that could shield perception and Concealment oneself. If there weren't enough Molecular Aggregation Insect to provide almost no blind spots, they would never have been discovered.
"Looks like I can't slack off this time!" Lancelot snapped his gaze back, his eyes snapping open with a sharp glint.
Sara noticed this and met his gaze. Her heart clenched violently, as if she were being stared at by some ferocious beast. But quickly, the feeling receded like the tide, leading the mature woman to believe that her senses were playing tricks on her. How could a first-year student from the Holy Sword Academy possibly evoke fear in her? Impossible, absolutely impossible!!
As evening approached and the sun began to set, Caroline and Beaufort returned one after the other, while Nevis's androids remained in place, responsible for monitoring the surrounding movements of the entire White Shark Bandit Group.
In addition, these bionic robots all have self-destruct capabilities, which can create chaos and opportunities in critical moments.
"How about it?"
The burly man Phoebe, was the first to speak.
"Just as the intelligence indicated, the four Ninth-Rank Transcendent are currently with the bandit group. We've also located 24 other High-Rank Transcendent," Beaufort said.
"There are still 3 people in the Inner Zone," Caroline added immediately afterward.
"Nothing was found on the perimeter." Nevis shook his head.
Beaufort pondered for a moment, "Either these people are out on a mission, or they died in some operation, or both. But it's not a big deal. The main targets are all inside the bandit group. Take them out, and our mission will be complete!"
In the Transcendent world, the pillars are usually a few top experts. Without these pillars, the entire power will crumble and vanish.
"Let's begin gathering intelligence now, and then we'll discuss the battle plan together." Beaufort looked around at everyone, but when he saw Lancelot, he paused slightly, because the latter was slowly shaking his head.
A chill ran through him, Beaufort asked, "Lancelot, do you have a different opinion?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the other eight people also looked over.
Lancelot nodded slowly. "Yes, I have something to add."
"What?"
Beaufort frowned. He disliked being interrupted when he was about to give an order, but he had enough patience for Lancelot, so he listened attentively.
"Regarding the number of strong members in the White Shark Bandit Group."
Is something wrong?
"Yes! You missed three Peak Tier Nine!" Lancelot said seriously.
Upon hearing this, everyone's eyes widened simultaneously, almost in disbelief, and doubts quickly arose.
"Nonsense!" Caroline, the girl with glasses, was the first to retort. "Whether it's the intelligence records from a month ago or the findings of our three-person reconnaissance this time, it all points to one basic fact: the White Shark Bandit Group only has four Ninth-Rank Transcendent Individual, and the only one at the Peak Tier Nine is the White Shark leader himself. Did the three Peak Tier Nine you mentioned fall from the sky? Or are they just your own conjecture?"
Beaufort's words weren't as extreme as the girl with glasses, but they were still full of doubt. "Lancelot, it's not that I don't believe you, it's just that you didn't participate in this reconnaissance. Without any information, you suddenly said that the White Shark Bandit Group is hiding three Peak Tier Nine Transcendent. This... is unbelievable."
"Unless you're also a fortune teller!" Caroline added with a sneer.
The other team members listened quietly, completely agreeing with their captain and Caroline's words. Unless Lancelot could produce compelling evidence to prove his claims, which was impossible—they had all been waiting together in the underground cave. Did Lancelot think he could have an out-of-body experience?
Despite everyone's doubts, Lancelot's expression remained unchanged. He simply listened quietly to what Beaufort and Caroline had to say, then pointed with one hand, and pale blue energy surged from his fingertips, rapidly forming a screen the size of a human head. Immediately afterward, three Blue Dragon appeared on the screen.
This is a scene that Lancelot instantly painted with energy based on what he saw.
"This is... Blue Dragon!" Beaufort's expression turned serious.
"Yes, Blue Dragon, three Peak Tier Nine Blue Dragon. Right now, they are in the Core Zone of White Sand Mercenary Group, in an Underground Space."
Lancelot explained.
"How did you create this scene?" Caroline asked, frowning in confusion.
Lancelot raised an eyebrow, a half-smile on his face, and said, "Just a little trick for investigation. It can't compare to you, who can still find the leisure to do a hot dance while investigating."