Chapter 488
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Chapter 488: Fainting
Living Room.
Lin Qiye, Cao Yuan, Bai Li Pangpang, Jialan, and Zhou Ping sat around the table, their expressions somewhat grave…
Except for Zhou Ping.
“Senior Sword Saint, the strength of that Wind Vein Earth Dragon has exceeded our capabilities, so…” Lin Qiye began cautiously.
“Leave it to me,” Zhou Ping nodded slightly, “but right now, I can’t sense its presence in this city.”
“Could they have already left?” Bai Li Pangpang couldn’t help but ask. “After all, their attack on Team 008 was over ten days ago. With so much time passed, it doesn’t make sense for them to still be in Lintang, right?”
Lin Qiye furrowed his brow, pondering for a long time…
“No, the likelihood is low,” Lin Qiye slowly replied. “The [Believers] actively attacking the Night Watch team has never happened before, indicating that unless absolutely necessary, they wouldn’t provoke the local Night Watch teams, especially not a top-tier team like 008.”
“What if they aren’t [Believers] at all? What Jiang Er heard might just be a ruse?”
“I don’t believe they would lie in front of a group of corpses.”
“That’s true…”
“If they are indeed [Believers] and actively wiped out the local Night Watch team, then I can only think of one possibility.” Lin Qiye’s eyes narrowed slightly. “They must be planning something significant, and during this process, there’s a chance that Team 008 might discover it and report it to higher-ups…
They cannot allow this to happen, so they would go so far as to use the First Seat to quietly eliminate Team 008. Once they are dead, no one can alert the higher-ups.
From this assumption, many things can be inferred.
For instance, this matter has certain limitations and can only be completed in Lintang City.
If they had a choice, they could easily avoid Lintang City and go to a place like Anta County, where the Night Watch’s defensive capabilities are weak. Their insistence on staying here under the pressure of Team 008 indicates they have no choice.
In other words, they are very likely still in Lintang City.”
After hearing Lin Qiye’s explanation, the expressions of the others shifted to one of realization.
“Where should we start our investigation?” Cao Yuan asked.
Lin Qiye pondered for a moment. “Pangpang, go ask Jiang Er if anything strange has happened in Lintang City recently.”
Bai Li Pangpang nodded and walked into the laboratory.
A moment later, he returned to the living room.
“Jiang Er said that due to her ability limitations, she can’t leave her physical location, so she isn’t very clear about the city’s situation. However… it seems that earthquakes have been occurring quite frequently in Lintang recently.”
“Earthquakes?”
“She mentioned that after Team 008 was attacked, there were three earthquakes in over ten days. Although the magnitudes were minor, earthquakes are quite rare in Lintang, so it counts as strange.”
Lin Qiye leaned back in his chair, slowly closing his eyes, his fingers unconsciously tapping on the table as he focused on his thoughts.
“[Believers], Team 008, the First Seat, earthquakes…”
“Could it be that what they are planning is underground?” Lin Qiye murmured to himself.
If their target is underground, then it would be easier to handle. He and An Qingyu’s Heavenly Net specializes in underground searches, but the problem is that An Qingyu’s Rat Tide takes time to form, and it’s daytime now, making it impossible to mobilize nocturnal creatures for reconnaissance…
“Alright, Jialan and I will go to the Geological Bureau to check for clues related to the earthquakes. Cao Yuan, Pangpang, you two go out to investigate and see if there have been any other strange occurrences in Lintang City besides the earthquakes.” Lin Qiye quickly made a decision.
“Okay.”
“Senior Sword Saint, do you want to go with us to the Geological Bureau, or do you want to accompany them on their investigation?” Lin Qiye looked at Zhou Ping.
Zhou Ping’s mouth twitched slightly. “I… I think it’s enough for you to go. I’ll wait here. If I sense any unusual fluctuations, I’ll take action directly.”
“…That works too.”
After assigning the tasks, Lin Qiye, Jialan, Cao Yuan, and Pangpang immediately set off in different directions.
…
Lintang City.
Mansion.
Underground.
Shen Qingzhu removed his hands from the gray altar, scanning the surroundings. He gently pressed his hand against his temple, walking somewhat unsteadily, feigning a state of mental exhaustion.
“Xiao Shen, take a break.”
The Ninth Seat walked past him, looking somewhat pale, as if his mental energy had also been drained significantly.
Shen Qingzhu nodded, and the two ascended a level via the stairs, arriving in the courtyard. They basked in the long-lost sunlight and let out a long breath.
For the past two months, their daily routine consisted of sleeping and eating, followed by going underground to channel mental energy into the altar. Shen Qingzhu almost thought the [Believers] had turned into slaves…
Of course, he appeared to be working hard, but he would never actually channel his mental energy into it.
This altar was too strange; although he didn’t know what would happen once it was fully activated, it certainly wouldn’t be anything good. The less mental energy he channeled, the longer its activation would take, increasing the chances of variables occurring.
However, what puzzled him was that despite so much time passing and several minor earthquakes occurring during the altar’s revival, the Night Watch teams stationed in Lintang had yet to respond.
During this time, Shen Qingzhu had attempted several times to find an opportunity to leave the mansion and secretly relay information, but first, he didn’t know where the Night Watch’s base in Lintang was, and second, he had no chance to leave the mansion.
For over two months, their daily necessities had been procured by the Seventh and Ninth Seats, who would buy a month’s worth of supplies at a time. Even if Shen Qingzhu wanted to leave, he had no suitable excuse.
In the courtyard, the Ninth Seat pulled out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, took one for himself, and offered another to Shen Qingzhu.
Shen Qingzhu snapped his fingers, igniting the cigarette tip with two flames.
The Ninth Seat took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, “The mental energy channeling into the altar is almost done. I estimate that in another two or three days, it will be fully revived. I’m really fed up with this hellish life…”
Upon hearing this, Shen Qingzhu’s gaze sharpened.
He flicked the ash from his cigarette and slowly spoke, “This kind of life is truly unbearable; it’s like they are treating us as slaves…”
“After all, it’s the command of Lord Mumble. Even if it’s tiring, there’s nothing we can do about it,” the Ninth Seat shook his head.
“By the way,” Shen Qingzhu seemed to remember something, “the food in the mansion has run out; we might need to procure some more.”
Upon hearing this, the Ninth Seat sighed heavily.
“What’s wrong?” Shen Qingzhu asked.
“You haven’t gone shopping with that woman from the Seventh Seat, have you? Going out to procure with her is even more exhausting than being a slave here,” the Ninth Seat swayed as he stood up from the ground and walked toward the house. “I’ll go call her. While it’s still light out, we need to hurry and buy everything. I really don’t want to go out tomorrow.”
“Are you feeling alright?” Shen Qingzhu stood up. “You’ve drained too much mental energy; you look like you’re about to faint.”
“Yeah… I should be fine,” the Ninth Seat waved his hand.
Shen Qingzhu’s eyes narrowed slightly as he watched the Ninth Seat’s retreating figure, seemingly hesitating about something.
In the end, he made up his mind and followed the Ninth Seat.
He reached out and gently patted the Ninth Seat on the back.
A wave of dizziness caused by oxygen deprivation suddenly surged over the Ninth Seat. His eyes rolled back, and he fell straight backward.
Shen Qingzhu reached out to catch him, looking at the pale face of the unconscious man, murmuring to himself:
“I told you… you were about to faint.”
