Chapter 74 Camp
Passing through the dense forest, a vast grassland spanning a thousand meters came into view. Two towering trees stood at either end—one with pale leaves and thick stems that blotted out the sun, the other bearing dark red fruits with translucent skin.
These were the Tree of Life and the Tree of Wisdom, existing side by side.
Between the two colossal trees stood seven or eight military-green tents shaped like yurts.
Swoosh—
As the two stepped out of the woods, two black-fire arrows shot toward them, embedding themselves just an inch from their feet.
"Password." A deep, mechanical voice echoed from the dense foliage of the Tree of Life.
Xia Feng faintly glimpsed a figure wearing a Siamese cat mask. He shook his head. "None."
"Huh?"
As confusion rippled from the tree, countless laser dots materialized on the two and their surroundings.
Xia Feng retrieved a photograph and held it aloft. "Someone asked us to deliver this to Big-Faced Cat."
"A photo? Toss it here."
Wei Shutong had multiple copies of the same photo, so this one wasn't irreplaceable. Xia Feng obliged and threw it over.
Moments later, a cat-masked figure leaped down from the tree. She removed her mask, revealing a warm smile. "Xia Feng, I didn't expect to see you here."
"Professor Freya?" Xia Feng stared at her in surprise.
"Follow me." Freya beckoned, turning away as her wine-red hair swayed behind her.
Exchanging glances, the two seemed to grasp something and quickly followed.
As they passed the tents, rows of unconscious wounded lay on stretchers outside, their cat masks either shattered or smeared with blood.
Xia Feng recognized them—they were the same people who had accompanied Wei Shutong from Pingshan Hospital.
Were the casualties this severe? Xia Feng frowned, his voice low. "Professor Freya, has Mushroom been rescued?"
"Don't worry, she's fine. She's just unaccustomed to Eri's environment and fell unconscious after eating a few Wisdom Fruits," Freya reassured softly.
Xia Feng nodded, his worries easing. After two rounds of inspections, the three arrived at the central tent.
But before they could approach, the sound of an argument spilled out.
"Wei Shutong is a madman! He acted recklessly on his own. Sir, someone this uncontrollable must never be our ally again! Thankfully, he posed as a 'cat' and didn't expose the Holy Department's existence—otherwise, I'd have killed him myself!"
"Sir, our mission was merely to cleanse the evil beasts in the Light Disaster Zone of the Evil Dragon Forest. Wei Shutong's personal actions shouldn't concern us."
"More importantly, we all have dirt in Lister's hands. If we turn against him now, it'll be a death sentence! Do you want to die?"
"Captain Bailong!" Taoist Master Chen's voice cut in sharply. "We are the Holy Department—soldiers of the Empire! Do you hear the nonsense you're spouting?!"
"Heh." The man who had been cursing earlier scoffed. "Chen Xingdao, if you had the guts, you'd have gone after Lister already. Stop pretending to be some noble soldier here!"
"Bailong!" An old man's stern voice silenced the burly man.
"Li Sheng, continue your report," the Chief commanded gravely.
Everyone understood—though the Chief had silenced Bailong, it didn't mean he disagreed. The Chief had no desire to make an enemy of the King.
Li Sheng stepped forward.
"The team that rescued Li Hongdou consisted entirely of Wei Shutong's covert operatives. All are now severely injured and unconscious."
"Before one of them lost consciousness, he mentioned three numbered members of the Divine Evil Society were involved: No. 4 Dead Disciple Hand, No. 7 Justice Presence, and No. 8 Vermilion Bird."
Among them, No. 4 possessed fourth-level strength, while No. 7 and No. 8 combined were third-level. Additionally, Wang Jue had five third-level guests, and Zhao Jie had advanced to fourth-level the previous week.
"Wang Jue now commands a total of seven third-level and two fourth-level powerhouses."
"As for us..."
Li Sheng glanced around. The seven captains present were all third-level, and only the Chief had reached fourth-level.
"Tsk." Bailong smirked. "Liszt has clearly prepared thoroughly. A fourth-level fighter has entered the inhuman realm—third-level challengers stand no chance. There's no point in fighting."
Silence fell over the room. If they could mobilize the military, dealing with Wang Jue would be simple.
Unfortunately, most of the nobles and high-ranking officials in District 51's military department—those with little real power but easy access to influential positions—were the Prince's men. They were utterly useless in this situation.
Knock, knock, knock—
Freya, hearing the argument inside had finally quieted, rapped on the tent door.
"Enter."
Freya led the two in, and all eyes turned toward them.
Xia Feng's gaze immediately landed on the cat-faced mask resting on Chief Xuanwu's lap—a large Garfield face.
"Chief, Wei Shutong sent them to deliver a message."
"You're that bastard Wei Shutong's lackeys?" Bailong shot to his feet, already seething.
"Bailong!" Xuanwu barked.
Gritting his teeth, Bailong sat back down.
Chief Xuanwu studied the two with narrowed eyes. "Speak. What does Wei Shutong want now?"
Confirming Xuanwu as the contact, Xia Feng wasted no time. He tossed a stack of photos onto the table and stated coldly, "Old Wei asked me to give these to you. He confirmed your granddaughter is dead."
The old man had been sitting calmly in his wheelchair. But the moment he picked up a photo, his pupils constricted violently—he stood so abruptly that the blanket and mask slid from his lap.
Xia Feng saw it clearly now: the Chief's legs were silver-steel prosthetics, emitting a faint mechanical whir as they adjusted to his movement.
Xuanwu's wrinkled face tensed, his eyelids twitching as he stared at the scattered photos.
The pale head of a little girl floated in a nutrient tank, a red, tentacle-like strand burrowed into the base of her skull, snaking up to the tank's ceiling.
There, a crimson spider with eight eyes crouched, its gaze flickering with an eerie dark light.
One of the Nightmares—the Soul-Devouring Haunt.
It consumed memories from a human brain to construct a new spirit. Though fragile and short-lived, this spirit retained all the original's memories and personality.
Chief Xuanwu understood now.
The granddaughter who had video-called him all this time? A fake. A puppet woven by the Haunt.
His granddaughter had died long ago.
BANG!!!
The old man's fist slammed into the long table. The furniture in the tent trembled, vibrating with a dull hum—
Crack.
With a single explosive burst, the solid wood table shattered into splinters, the shockwave rippling outward.
"LI—STER—!!!"
(End of Chapter)