198: Misjudgment of the tinder

At the same time, Mobei Province.

A secret base buried deep underground.

This is an important branch of the [Torch] organization in Mobei.

In the core area of the base, in a secret room filled with strange runes and light spots.

A gray-robed sorcerer, responsible for monitoring members' life signals, was yawning idly.

Suddenly, the dozens of light spots on the outermost edge of the huge light screen array in front of him, representing ordinary members, began to flicker violently without warning.

"Hmm?"

The sorcerer's spirits lifted, and he rubbed his eyes.

The next moment, his pupils suddenly constricted, and the color drained from his face.

On the light screen, those flickering light spots dimmed one after another!

In just a few breaths, the life signals of all members of the outer squad... all extinguished!

"No... impossible!"

The sorcerer let out a scream, staggering back a few steps, nearly falling to the ground.

Completely wiped out!

The squad dispatched to perform a mission near the Lost Water Realm, along with all the cooperating peripheral members, was completely annihilated!

These were dozens of elites, many of whom were experienced veterans!

What exactly happened?!

Oh my great trough!

He dared not delay for a moment, scrambling out of the monitoring room and rushing along the dark, winding metal passage to the deepest part of the base.

"Xiao Yan! Xiao Yan! Something big has happened!"

The sorcerer shrieked, his voice echoing in the empty passage, sounding particularly harsh.

At the end of the passage, a heavy alloy door slid open silently.

Behind the door was a spacious room, filled with countless kinds of potions.

In the center of the room, a figure stood silently with his back to the door.

The person was tall, wearing a dark red combat suit and a ferocious flame-patterned mask, his face obscured.

He was the head of the [Torch] organization's Mobei branch, a Fifth Rank, Peak Card Master codenamed "Xiao Yan."

Hearing the sorcerer's panicked cry, Xiao Yan slowly turned around.

"What's the panic?"

"Xiao... Xiao Yan! The outer squad... completely... annihilated!"

He spoke incoherently.

"What did you say?!"

Xiao Yan's eyes, hidden beneath his mask, suddenly narrowed, and a terrifying aura erupted from him.

The metal vessels placed in the corner groaned under the immense pressure of the aura, then exploded with a series of "bang, bang, bang," shattering into countless flying fragments.

"Useless!"

Xiao Yan roared, beginning to rant!

"Bedrock, that useless good-for-nothing who can't achieve anything but messes everything up!"

"Not only did the mission fail, but he even got the entire squad wiped out!"

"He's a damn bastard!"

Just then, a dark figure appeared at the room's entrance.

It was a subordinate dressed in black, with a restrained aura.

"Xiao Yan, I have urgent intelligence to report."

Xiao Yan took a deep breath, suppressing the rage in his heart.

He knew this was not the time to vent his anger; finding out the truth was key.

"Speak!"

"Based on the fragmented information intermittently sent back before Bedrock's soul lamp extinguished, and our subsequent analysis of intelligence urgently gathered through special channels..."

He paused, seemingly organizing his words.

"Bedrock seemed to be looking for a young Card Master in the Nine Heavens Secret Realm."

"That young Card Master... is named Lu Yuan."

"Lu Yuan?" Xiao Yan frowned; this name sounded somewhat familiar to him.

He seemed to have seen it in a recent intelligence brief.

Was it that kid who rose to prominence in the Canglan Province Prodigy Competition?

The black-clad subordinate continued, "According to intelligence, the location where Bedrock was annihilated was on the third level of the Nine Heavens Secret Realm!"

"March Forest!"

"Moreover, he also seemed to have been involved in... the conflict with that mysterious Seventh-Tier Flame Venerable."

"Seventh-Tier Venerable?!"

Xiao Yan's gaze beneath his mask suddenly became incredibly solemn.

Seventh-Tier Venerable!

That was an existence at the pinnacle of the Card Master pyramid!

Each one was a terrifying powerhouse who could shake a Region just by stomping their foot!

How could that idiot Bedrock have provoked such an existence?!

Could that Flame Venerable have been looking for him?

Impossible!

"Lu Yuan..."

"Bedrock?"

"Seventh-Tier Venerable?"

Xiao Yan pondered in his heart; this was no longer a simple mission failure.

Behind this, there were probably deeper secrets hidden!

He was silent for a moment, a hint of ruthlessness flashing in his eyes.

"Immediately contact headquarters through the 'Raven's Nest' channel!"

"Report Bedrock's death, the annihilation of the Mobei outer squad, information on Lu Yuan, and all information on that mysterious Seventh-Tier Flame Venerable in detail!"

"Request instructions from headquarters, and... necessary support!"

He knew that this matter had exceeded the scope that he, as a branch head, could handle independently.

It had to be decided by headquarters.

"Yes, Xiao Yan!"

The black-clad subordinate accepted the order, his figure flashing, and he disappeared into the shadows again.

The sorcerer, still slumped on the ground, continued to tremble, not daring to make a sound.

Xiao Yan did not look at him again, turning to gaze at the large map of the entire Mobei Region on the wall.

With so many people dead this time, [Torch]'s plans in Mobei would be delayed again!

...[Torch] organization headquarters.

Within a sub-dimensional space that could not be detected by any means.

Several indistinct figures sat around a large black round table.

They seemed to merge with the surrounding darkness, their aura ethereal and unfathomable.

This was the highest decision-making body of the [Torch] organization.

Streams of encrypted information converged like invisible threads from all directions, finally appearing on a holographic screen in the center of the round table.

Xiao Yan's urgent intelligence from the Mobei branch was prominently displayed.

"Mobei branch, Bedrock's mysterious death! Outer squad completely wiped out..."

An aged voice slowly spoke.

"Target individual Lu Yuan... involving a Seventh-Tier Flame Venerable..."

Another voice interjected, with a hint of amusement in its tone.

"Interesting."

"This Lu Yuan, I remember, seemed to have performed quite remarkably in the Prodigy Competition not long ago."

"At that time, people from the Jiangcheng branch seemed to have even tried to make initial contact with him."

"Yes, that's right."

"That kid has extremely high potential, and his temperament and methods far surpass his peers."

"He has at least three gold cards! And no background, while also reacting to fragments! Initially identified as a [Remnant]."

"It's just that he was too weak at the time, with limited value, so we didn't delve too deeply."

"Who would have thought that in such a short time, he could cause such a stir."

The aged voice spoke again, with a hint of subtle admiration.

"According to Xiao Yan's report, the outer squad was almost instantly annihilated, unable to even put up a decent resistance."

"Although the involvement of that Seventh-Tier Flame Venerable might be a factor, this Lu Yuan is probably no ordinary person either."

"To be able to retreat unscathed from a conflict with a Seventh-Tier Venerable, and even potentially profit from it... this capability is not simple."

After a brief silence.

One of the bigwigs made a decision:

"Bedrock's death has many suspicious points."

"The appearance of that Seventh-Tier Flame Venerable is also too peculiar."

"This Lu Yuan... this child has limitless potential, and his temperament and methods are all top-notch; he is the type I like."

"If he can be used by our [Torch], he will surely be a great asset in the future."

Another voice echoed, "That's right, the goal of our [Torch] is the continuation of civilization across all realms; we need to absorb all available forces."

"Genius is always a scarce resource."

"Since he did not explicitly reject our goodwill before, it means... it's not impossible."

The figure in the shadows pondered for a moment and said, "Xiao Yan requested instructions and support in his report."

"In my opinion, support is not necessary for now."

"This matter still needs careful consideration."

The aged voice finally made the decision: "Give orders to Xiao Yan."

"Change strategy."

"There is no need to rush for revenge for the annihilation of Bedrock and the squad for now."

"Tell him to find a way to approach Lu Yuan again in a conciliatory manner."

"He can offer him some unique resources and assistance from our [Torch] organization to show our sincerity."

"The primary task is to thoroughly investigate the truth of Bedrock's death and the specific circumstances of that Seventh-Tier Flame Venerable."

"Secondly, deeply evaluate Lu Yuan and... the possibility of him joining our [Torch]."

"Tell Xiao Yan, this mission is very important."

"If it's handled well, there will be generous rewards."

"Yes."

A barely perceptible response echoed in the sub-dimensional space, then vanished without a trace.

By the round table, silence returned.

Only on the holographic screen, countless streams of information continued to flicker, interwoven with the shadows and undercurrents of the entire world... Mobei, [Torch] branch.

Xiao Yan stood silently in front of the map, lost in thought.

Suddenly, the space in front of him subtly fluctuated.

A stream of information, perceptible only to him, appeared out of thin air and merged into his glabella.

A moment later, a smile curved Xiao Yan's lips beneath his mask.

"Conciliatory contact... offering resources and assistance..."

"Interesting... truly interesting..."

"Lu Yuan..."

"Headquarters' interest in you truly exceeds my expectations."

He turned and looked at the sorcerer, who was still kneeling on the ground.

"Get up."

"Pass on my order: activate all 'Nightingales' lurking within Canglan Province."

"At all costs, gather all intelligence about Lu Yuan for me!"

"His background, interpersonal relationships, personality preferences, the cards he possesses, all the battles he has experienced..."

"I want to know everything about him!"

"The more detailed, the better!"

The sorcerer, hearing this, felt as if he had been granted a great pardon, scrambling to his feet.

"Yes, Xiao Yan! Your subordinate obeys!"

He dared not hesitate for a moment, bowed, and exited the room.

Xiao Yan once again turned his gaze to the location of Canglan Province on the map.

His finger lightly tapped on the name "Jiangcheng."

"Jiangcheng branch... were they the ones responsible for contacting Lu Yuan back then?"

"It seems necessary to have a good chat with those old friends."

"Sun Libang!"

...