Underworld Bureau Mission (7K)
One after another, desperate criminals walked in.
Some of these people exuded a strong herbal scent, some had calloused hands, some had a row of fire muskets hanging from their waists, and others were surrounded by a faint aura of yin Yin Qi; each of them carried an aura that could only be formed after years of struggling on the edge of life and death.
It was a mixture of alertness, indifference, an instinctive reaction of being ready to act at any moment, and a near-numb disregard for death.
When they gathered in the same space, their combined and surging energy made the air in the lower level seem viscous.
The three, who were the alley owners, exchanged glances, turned around, and huddled together.
"Why are there so many unfamiliar faces?" Fatty Liu wondered, "And they all look so fierce."
Zhou Shenzhi, the schoolteacher, glanced around and revealed a thoughtful expression.
"I know that person," he said, glancing in Basong's direction, his voice barely audible.
"The first warrior of the tribes on Kendangvi Island, the Wild Man."
"Kendangwe" is called "war drum" in Old Java, and they are considered wild and cannibalistic.
Why is he here?
"My family already had connections with them. These savages are fearless, fierce, and cruel, making them the best candidates for fighting. Jiacha had wanted to recruit people from their tribe before, but progress had been slow. After Boss Zheng and Martial Hall Master wiped out the sorcerer tribe of Mandala Islet, it greatly intimidated those savages, and the tribal chiefs quickly sent people over."
"I see."
Not all aboriginal tribes have shamans. In fact, tribes with shamans hold a very important position among other aboriginal tribes. For example, the old woman's shaman tribe held a superior position among the surrounding islands, but was completely wiped out by Zheng Family Garden. This kind of deterrent effect is more effective than saying a thousand words.
One after another, the surrounding uncivilized tribes immediately came to Zheng Family Garden to express their submission and offered up their strongest warriors.
"And what about her? I feel like that woman looks familiar, but I haven't seen her in the park."
Fatty Liu's gaze fell on Naimi, his small, beady eyes revealing a look of greed and contemplation.
He really likes this woman.
"This is the leader in charge of the underground factory; he rarely shows his face in public."
Xiao Wu, with his arms crossed and leaning against the wall, closed his eyes to rest. Upon hearing this, he spoke.
"How did you know that?" Zhou Shenzhi asked upon hearing this.
"I delivered goods for her; she was the one who met me when I went to Luzon."
"I see."
Overseas countries also have their own military manufacturing capabilities, such as the old Thunderfire Cannon and Blazing Fire Chain Cannon deployed during the previous cornerstone war.
These manufacturing capabilities all originated from the former South Sea Military Bureau of Old Heavenly Gate. Nanyang was the old military command's stronghold. For example, the underground factory controlled by Zheng Family Garden was originally an arsenal of the old Nanyang Military Bureau.
"Why is that fat bastard Along here too?"
Fatty Liu's gaze fell on a fat man whose size was even more exaggerated than his own. This fat man Along Aaron, and he weighed about 400 pounds. He was wearing a white vest stained with oil, and the fat on his stomach bulged out from the bottom edge of the vest, bouncing up and down as he walked.
He looks like a harmless cook or hawker, and he even has a simple smile on his face, but everyone around him knows that this fat man is one of the most powerful bounty hunters in Sulumayi Port.
Wild warrior, arms dealer, bounty hunter, loyal alleyway boss, the new overlord of the underground boxing ring...
If these people had anything in common, it would be that they were all in the Foundation Establishment Late Stage, had intricate connections with the Zheng Family Garden, and had not yet had time to undergo any physical transformations.
No, not a single one was completely unmodified.
For example, the one whose limbs were broken by his sister-in-law using Jiangtou was sitting in a wheelchair, looking around gloomily.
Just as the desperate criminals were sizing each other up and confronting one another, a very slight tremor suddenly came from the ground, accompanied by an indescribable sense of dread.
Then they saw a huge snake head slowly emerge from the shadows. The snake head was as big as a house, and its eyes were like black lanterns. Then, to everyone's horror, the giant snake slowly swam out of the darkness.
It was as thick as a tunnel, requiring five or six people to hold hands to barely encircle it. It hung from the ceiling to the ground, coiling around the ground three times, each circle occupying most of the underground space, trapping the desperate criminals in the center of the circle formed by the snake's coiled body.
Under the light, the snake's scales had a slippery feel, like those of a deep-sea monster. As the snake writhed, a dark red light flickered between the scales.
As it moved, Yin Qi seeped out from the cracks in the ground, spreading along the surface. Wherever it passed, a thin layer of white frost condensed on the concrete floor. Under the light, the frost had a sickly, bony grayish-white luster.
As this "snake" gazed upon them, everyone experienced a hallucination: an endless, dark underground world where countless giant snakes, like it, coiled, roamed, and slept, their breaths intertwining to form a massive snake net covering the entire earth's veins.
All the fierce and menacing figures vanished before this indescribable power. Almost everyone present showed expressions of horror, unable to comprehend why such a giant snake monster would appear in Zheng Family Garden.
"Oh, everyone's here. You're quite punctual."
The snake parted to make way, Hu Mang emerged from the darkness with a smile, accompanied by an old man dressed in blood-stained clothes with a gloomy face.
The negotiations went smoothly.
In this old world where the law of the jungle prevails, whoever possesses the greatest military power has the most authority.
Not to mention, Hu Mang also drew a huge pie in the sky that almost no one here could draw— the Golden Core!
Next, these vicious and ruthless individuals will cooperate with Elder Min in a series of experiments. Elder Min will use demonic Secret Method to forcibly elevate their strength to the Foundation Establishment Great Perfection by damaging their foundation and even their lifespan, and then attempt to forcibly form their Golden Core.
Under normal circumstances, even at the Heavenly Gate, the success rate of Core Formation using this method is extremely low. But if it weren't low, how could the Core Formation data be convincing?
After Hu Mang completed his Core Formation and officially broke through to the Core Formation Middle Stage, he originally planned to return to Spring Thunder Ridge for further seclusion.
Since he couldn't break through to the Golden Core stage for the time being, he continued to cultivate his Three Flowers. This was one of the advantages of mastering two cultivation systems; there was always one that worked between them.
Moreover, with the successful condensation of the "Flower of Spirit," he can continue his research on the "Alchemy Methods" of the Azure Mysterious Realm.
In the Azure Mysterious Realm, the Golden Core can actually be refined externally, and it is also a divine ability.
However, Hu Mang's plan was interrupted by one, no, two phone calls.
The first call was from Major Lin. According to her, the Yin veins of the Turbid Dragon's corpse had been detected, and she wanted to invite Hu Mang, this "professional," to come to the scene in person to take a look.
The second call was from Eighth Master Hui, who solemnly instructed him to help Major Lin by thoroughly examining the various data of that "Ghost Dragon," and generously rewarded him with "twenty points of Yin Virtue" as a reward for the mission.
That's equivalent to half a year's salary for the Old Third.
"... So, the higher-ups in the Underworld Bureau are now starting to take an interest in the overseas Yin Dragon Vein, is that it? And I just happen to be the closest to them. Fine, I am, after all, an advisor to the Underworld Bureau, so I will naturally keep Eighth Master's matter in mind."
Hu Mang hung up the phone, let out a sigh of relief; his plans had changed.
That works too. He was going to give the ghost ship extra rations anyway, so this is perfect – killing two birds with one stone, no, killing three.
He used many of Zheng Family Garden's information channels, but still couldn't find any trace of Old Man Min's disciples.
Since Zheng Family Garden's intelligence capabilities were insufficient, he decided to switch to a more advanced one.
For example, the Heavenly Gate military.
Java, a private dock controlled by Zheng Family Garden
Hu Mang was silently observing the ghost ship before him.
The ship appeared more solid than when I last saw it, and the outlines of the previously somewhat blurry planks were now clearly visible. The surface of the ship was covered with a dark, cast-iron-like luster, which gleamed with a cold light under the moonlight.
On the deck, two eerie green flames were slowly burning, casting a ghastly green halo over the sea in front of the bow.
Hu Mang walked to the helm and placed his palm on the rudder.
The core of Yin Qi energy felt slightly warm when he touched it, and a cool energy flowed into his body through his arm, creating a subtle resonance with the Golden Core in his Dantian.
He closed his eyes and immersed his Divine Sense into the core control array of the ghost ship, sensing the condition of every plank, every keel, and every sail.
Everything is fine, and we are ready to set sail at any time.
He opened his eyes, a satisfied smile appearing on his lips, then gave a low shout, "Weigh anchor!"
The seawater beneath the ship was visibly black and spread outwards. When it covered an area the size of two football fields, the ship suddenly sank and disappeared.
Thirty-Six Islands of the Eastern Sea
A militarized island that has now undergone a dramatic transformation
It is not one of the original islands, but a man-made fairy island created from scratch by relying on the abnormal infrastructure capabilities of Heavenly Gate.
At first glance, it seems to still resemble the style of the fairy island in the East Sea, with its upturned eaves, carved beams and painted rafters, and green tiles and white walls.
But upon closer inspection, one discovers that what hangs under the eaves are not wind chimes, but rows of psionic sensors; intricately patterned circuit boards are embedded in the carved beams and painted rafters; and a layer of alloy bulletproof plate is sandwiched inside the walls of the blue-tiled, white-walled buildings. Psionic antennas or Devil-Seeking Radar devices are mounted on the roof of each building.
"Foreign cultivator, Golden Core level, detected. Should we issue a warning and expel them?"
In a command center, Major Lin received a report from the operator. Just as she was about to say something, the phone rang.
"It's you! You got here so fast? Okay, I'll come out to meet you right away."
"Alright, relock."
"The Demon-Slaying Missile has been deactivated."