350: Chapter 351 Abyss Fang has a teleportation portal! Sister Su is holding onto her trump card, ready to flip the table at any moment.

Time rewinds to the first day after Lin Qi's departure.

D-3 Region.

Instructor Su Qing sat in a chair at the command center, the projection in front of her displaying the real-time locations of twelve Law Creature patrol units.

Twelve dark-gold points of light moved slowly across the map of the D-3 Region, paired in groups of two, covering six main patrol routes.

Everything was normal.

Instructor Su Qing did not like the phrase "everything is normal."

During her years as a Shadow Dancer, every time a mission briefing mentioned "everything is normal," it was almost always followed by a "but."

However, there was currently no "but."

The barrier was intact, patrols were normal, the three deacon-level captives were quietly locked in individual rooms in Sector A, and the thirty-seven survivors were being watched over by Zhang Wei in the Sector B warehouse.

Speaking of Zhang Wei—

"Sister Su! Sister Su!" Zhang Wei poked his head in from outside the command center door.

Instructor Su Qing glanced at him.

The fatty's complexion looked a bit better than yesterday, but his walking posture was still unnatural—he had a certain way of walking as if he were clenching something.

"What is it?"

"That Shadowbox survivor confessed some new information. Do you want to hear it?"

Instructor Su Qing stood up from her chair. "Let's go."

The two went to the Sector B warehouse.

Thirty-seven survivors were confined in a large warehouse, their hands and feet bound with high-strength Federation restraint straps. The warehouse was partitioned into several small rooms; those with high intelligence value were held individually, while several low-value individuals were squeezed into one room.

Shadowbox was confined in a small room in the furthest corner.

He was a tall, thin man in his thirties with an ordinary face that would go unnoticed in a crowd. His gaze was very shifty, always dodging when looking at people; his psychological resilience was indeed poor.

When Instructor Su Qing pushed the door open and entered, Shadowbox was curled up in a corner. Upon seeing Instructor Su Qing, he shrank back even tighter.

"Relax," Instructor Su Qing stood three paces away. "If you cooperate well, you won't be killed."

"I... I know. That fatty told me. He said as long as I speak properly, he'd... he'd give me a reduced sentence..."

"What new information did you just tell Zhang Wei?"

Shadowbox swallowed hard. "It's... it's about the fourth deacon."

Instructor Su Qing's attention sharpened.

"Abyssal Fang?"

"Yes. Abyssal Fang. He... he came to the Tianhai area before we set out. About half a month ago."

"What did he come to Tianhai for?"

"To scout the area." Shadowbox lowered his head, not daring to meet Instructor Su Qing's eyes. "Before the outer deacons set out, the Church high-ups had Abyssal Fang come to Tianhai to scout first. His mission wasn't to fight, but to—arrange a backup plan."

"What backup plan?"

"spatial traps. Abyssal Fang's ability is spatial-type. He can pre-plant Space Anchors in an area. These anchors usually have no reaction and cannot be detected. But once activated—"

Shadowbox's voice began to tremble.

"Once activated, the space between the anchors will be forcibly torn apart, forming a temporary teleportation channel. The Church's troops can pass through this channel—and appear directly in the area where the anchors are located."

Instructor Su Qing's hand unconsciously touched the dagger at her waist.

"You mean—within Tianhai City, there might already be Space Anchors pre-planted by Abyssal Fang?"

"Not might. There definitely are. Abyssal Fang plants anchors every time he goes on a mission; it's his standard operation. Every city he has visited, he has left a backup plan."

Instructor Su Qing did not speak immediately.

She was thinking.

Before Lin Qi left, he had considered that the Church wouldn't come back in a short time. His judgment was based on the fact that after the outer deacons were wiped out, the inner deacons would need the High Priest's authorization to act, and the High Priest was cautious and wouldn't approve it quickly.

But if Abyssal Fang's Space Anchors were already pre-planted—

The Church wouldn't need to send troops from afar at all.

They only needed to activate the anchors to open a teleportation channel directly near or even inside D-3.

"Can the anchors be detected?" Instructor Su Qing asked.

"Normal detection methods won't work. Abyssal Fang's anchors are extremely well-hidden, completely fused with the surrounding space. Unless—" Shadowbox thought for a moment, "Unless you have Law-level spatial perception and can see the underlying spatial structure."

Law-level spatial perception.

Instructor Su Qing did not have it.

Lin Qi had it. But Lin Qi was not here.

"Do the anchors have any physical characteristics? Size? Shape? Temperature anomalies?"

"None. No physical characteristics at all. It's a pure spatial marker, occupies no volume, has no mass, and doesn't affect the surrounding environment. It's like drawing an invisible mark in the air."

Instructor Su Qing was silent for a long time.

"Anything else?"

"No... that's all. That's all I know. Someone at Abyssal Fang's level wouldn't tell a low-level person like me too many details..."

Instructor Su Qing turned and walked out of the small room.

Zhang Wei followed behind, the relaxed expression on his face gone.

"Sister Su, is this a big deal?"

"What do you think?"

"I think it's a pretty big deal..." Zhang Wei swallowed hard. "It's like we might have an invisible time bomb hanging over our heads?"

Instructor Su Qing didn't answer. She walked quickly back to the command center and opened the encrypted communication channel to contact Chen Shu.

"Chen Shu."

"Present." Chen Shu's voice came through the terminal.

"Abyssal Fang. inner deacon. Spatial-type ability user. He came to Tianhai City half a month ago. He might have pre-planted Space Anchors around the D-3 Region—the kind that can directly open a teleportation channel. Do you have any relevant intelligence on your end?"

The other end of the line was quiet for a few seconds.

"No," Chen Shu said, "but this explains one thing."

"What thing?"

"When the three outer deacons attacked D-3 three days ago, I found an anomaly in the monitoring System—their entry route was too clean. There were no traces of transit, as if they appeared directly in the sky above Tianhai City from a certain point."

"At the time, I thought the Church had some kind of Advanced teleportation method. Now it seems—"

"It was a path Abyssal Fang prepared in advance," Instructor Su Qing finished for him.

"Yes."

Instructor Su Qing gripped the golden disc token in her hand tightly.

"Chen Shu, send me all known information on Abyssal Fang. Simultaneously, investigate the entire territory of Tianhai City to see if there are any historical records of spatial fluctuations—even the slightest abnormal fluctuation."

"That will take time. The spatial monitoring network coverage in Tianhai City is only sixty-three percent. And since Abyssal Fang is a spatial-type expert, his anchors were most likely placed in monitoring blind spots."

"Then do a manual investigation." Instructor Su Qing's speaking speed increased. "Pull up the list of spatial-type professionals the Federation has stationed in Tianhai. Call in as many as you can. Have them perform an inch-by-inch scan of the area within a ten-kilometer radius of the D-3 Region."

"I'll arrange it as soon as possible. But Su Qing—"

"Speak."

"If Abyssal Fang's anchors really exist and are already activated—you might need to use the token."

Instructor Su Qing looked down at the golden disc in her palm.

Activate the maximum defense mode and fold D-3 into sub-space.

Disappear for seven days.

Nothing can enter and nothing can leave within those seven days.

"I know."

She tucked the token away close to her body.

Zhang Wei stood to the side, not daring to interject a single word.

He had seen Sister Su in this state before.

When they first encountered an attack in the Special Training Class years ago, Sister Su was just like this.

Cold, fast, without a trace of redundant emotion.

"Zhang Wei."

"Present!"

"From now on, transfer the survivors in the Sector B warehouse to the Sector A basement level. All personnel are to contract around the core array. Change the patrol units' routes from outer perimeter to inner defense."

"Yes!"

"Also—"

"Yes?"

"Those spirit springs of yours, pour them out."

"Ah?! Why—"

"We are in a state of combat readiness. I will not allow you to delay matters because of diarrhea in the coming time."

Zhang Wei's mouth opened, then closed again.

He obediently turned to go pour out the spirit springs.

After taking three steps, he looked back at Instructor Su Qing's back.

She stood by the window of the command center, her finger pressed against the golden disc, her gaze fixed toward the east.

That was the direction Lin Qi had left in.