Chapter 43 An Organized Beast Tide
Next was the foundation of self-preservation: the Wind-Thunder Extreme Body (Perfected).
Invest another 300 points! Deduce and advance!
[Wind-Thunder Extreme Body] advanced to [Shenxiao Movement Technique (Entry Level)]!
His movement technique underwent another qualitative change! Not only was his speed faster, but he could also harness a trace of the heaven and earth's wind-thunder momentum, his figure resembling Shenxiao lightning.
The 600 attribute points were completely consumed, leaving only 3 points remaining.
Zhang Fan tried glancing at the deduction options for the Dragon Elephant Body Refining Art (Perfected); to advance it, he would also need 300 points.
"Secret techniques can add icing on the cake and make one stronger, but at this stage, it is better to prioritize elevating the three basic abilities—attack, defense, and speed—to their limits to form the most solid combat power."
Just as he had finished his improvements and was feeling the more powerful strength within his body,
"Beep, beep, beep!"
The encrypted communication rang again, and Minister Zhu Chi's face appeared on the screen. The background seemed to be the main screen of the Huahai City Command Center, which was displaying a massive satellite cloud map.
"Zhang Fan! We found it!"
"The coordinates have been sent to you! It is located deep within the Black Mountain Range, in a massive valley that we have never monitored before!"
"Satellite images show... there... the number of gathered beasts is likely over a thousand! Among them, there are over a hundred beasts at the half-step Lord-level or higher!"
On the encrypted communication screen, Minister Zhu Chi's expression was grave.
"So many?" Even with Zhang Fan's composed nature, he could not help but be shocked upon hearing this.
Thousands of beasts? Hundreds of half-step Lord-levels? This scale already far exceeded ordinary large-scale beast tides!
More importantly...
"Since when... have beast tides learned to gather like this?"
Zhang Fan furrowed his brows, asking the doubt in his heart, "Don't they usually just rely on instinct to crazily charge at the nearest human city once a space rift opens? Why is it that this time, it is like they are holding a meeting, all crowding into the Black Mountain Range?"
This was not normal, very not normal!
Zhu Chi on the other end of the communication was silent for a few seconds, seemingly organizing his words. Finally, he spoke slowly, his voice carrying an indescribable fatigue and vigilance:
"This situation... we have had speculations, but we have never dared to be sure. It is very similar to the early signs of the 'Catacombs Manor' incident."
"Catacombs Manor?" Zhang Fan's eyes narrowed.
He had heard of this name; it was an area in the eastern suburbs of Huahai City that had been designated as an absolute restricted zone. It was rumored that the Alliance had deployed several "Super Ninth-Grade" limit-breaking powerhouses to guard it long-term, only barely managing to seal some terrifying existence there, but this had also caused Huahai City's top combat power to be firmly tied down and unable to move.
That place was the biggest stone on Minister Zhu Chi's heart, and also a bottomless pit where a large amount of his elite forces were tied down!
"Yes, Catacombs Manor." Minister Zhu Chi's voice became increasingly deep, "If the situation in the Black Mountain Range is truly developing in that direction... we must spare no cost to strangle it in the cradle before it fully forms! Otherwise..."
He did not finish, but Zhang Fan could clearly hear the heaviness and urgency in his words.
Time was extremely tight!
"Zhang Fan,"
Minister Zhu Chi looked up, his gaze staring intensely at him through the screen, "The situation is currently unclear, and sending in large-scale troops rashly could easily alert the enemy or trigger unpredictable chain reactions. You are strong enough, and your movement technique, speed, and self-preservation abilities are outstanding."
"I need you to immediately head to the Black Mountain Range to conduct reconnaissance!"
"Your core mission has only one objective: determine the gathering state of these beasts!"
"If they are chaotically and unorganizedly huddled together, that is easy to handle; we can just concentrate our power and push through in one wave."
"But if..."
Minister Zhu Chi's voice carried a hint of tension, "If you discover they have 'methodology'! Like an army, deploying defenses, patrolling, or even having simple coordination! Even if there is only a slight sign of it!"
He took a deep breath and said decisively, "Retreat immediately! Do not have any hesitation! It can almost be confirmed that 'that thing' is behind it! We must re-evaluate and formulate a brand new, higher-cost plan!"
Zhang Fan understood. What Minister Zhu Chi was worried about was not the number of beasts, but whether the beast herd had developed an "organization."
The former was just a disaster that could be solved, but the latter... could be the prelude to the apocalypse.
"Understood," Zhang Fan said, "I will depart immediately."
"Be careful!" Minister Zhu Chi urged in the end, "Keep the communication open and report at any time!"
...
Half an hour later, a pitch-black "Black Hawk" supersonic fighter jet landed silently on the outskirts of the Black Mountain Range.
The cabin door slid open, and Zhang Fan leaped down.
"Wait here and maintain silence," Zhang Fan ordered the fighter pilot.
"Yes! Commander!" the pilot responded solemnly.
Zhang Fan nodded, his figure flickered, and he merged into the shadows of the mountain forest. After stepping into the "limit-breaking" stage, the Thunder Instant Step had transformed into the further "Shenxiao Movement Technique"; not only was his speed faster, but his movements also carried a trace of agility and concealment that harmonized with the wind of heaven and earth, making it extremely difficult for ordinary perception to capture him.
He raised his wrist, activated the specially made encrypted communication module, and established a video connection with Minister Zhu Chi.
"I have entered the outskirts of the Black Mountain Range and am approaching the core area," Zhang Fan whispered, his figure rapidly weaving through the towering ancient trees.
The deeper he went, the thicker the fierce aura permeating the air became. But strangely, in this fierce aura, there was less of the wildness and chaos typical of beasts, and instead, it had more of a... heavy, unsettling sense of order?
Zhang Fan crouched behind a giant rock, his gaze sweeping toward the valley entrance.
He saw that on both sides of the valley entrance, it was not the chaotic wandering of beasts as he had imagined. Instead, there were three robust, rhino-like beasts covered in pitch-black bone armor, "Iron-Armored Rhinos," standing on each side like sentinels!
They were not standing still, but patrolling back and forth along a route; the distance between them and the rhythm of their turns actually carried a rigid coordination!
Further away, on the high points of the slopes on both sides of the valley, one could vaguely see a few "Rift-Wind Eagles" with wingspans exceeding five meters, their feathers shimmering with cold light like metal! Their sharp eagle eyes were like searchlights, slowly scanning every inch of the land in the sky and outside the valley, covering theCaution area without any gaps!
And in the deeper shadows of the forest, Zhang Fan even caught a glimpse of a few "Variegated Forest Pythons" as thick as water buckets with colorful scales slowly slithering; their movement trajectories faintly blocked off several possible infiltration paths tightly!
A sentry every three steps, a guard every five!
Clear division of labor, distinct layers!
How could this be the instinctive gathering of beasts? This was clearly a well-trained army executing a guard mission.
Zhang Fan even saw a small group of smaller, agile "Earth-Digging Weasels" forming a not-so-neat but clearly purposeful line, transporting some ores or strange plants emitting faint energy luster from all directions into the depths of the valley!
They were... gathering resources in an organized manner?!