377: Chapter 365 The Unexpected Second Phase Begins

The bald, burly man appeared on the outskirts of Moscow. Tourists still lingering in Russia, hoping for a chance at a wolf bone, filmed him and uploaded it to their social media accounts, which quickly spread across the globe.

The Russian President reacted swiftly, immediately ordering the borders to be sealed once again.

Thanks to the experience gained from the previous border closure, combined with the mental preparation of officers at all levels, the mission was completed brilliantly, without letting in a single illegal trespasser.

Countries capable of monitoring the situation knew they couldn't secretly send people across the border and could only apply through normal diplomatic channels.

However, the President was no fool; he knew exactly what these people were plotting.

Of course, he didn't refuse outright. After all, they still had to coexist on Earth, and offending too many nations was never a good idea. After discussing with his Aides, the President quickly replied—'Once all the wolf bone recipients are confirmed, you may enter.'

Those weren't the exact words of the reply, but the meaning was essentially the same.

The various nations thought about it for a while and felt it was acceptable.

After all, the selection was taking place within Russia. Even if they sent people in, it would be difficult to compete against the Russian populace, who held the home-field advantage.

Rather than annoying the Russians and gaining nothing, it was better to grant them this favor and agree.

Moreover, Russia's words were equivalent to agreeing to let other nations observe the second phase of the assessment. For these countries, the calamity would eventually appear on their own soil, so gathering some intelligence in advance was beneficial.

The nations hurried to select elites to form Visiting Delegations, ready to depart for Russia as soon as the borders opened.

Russia paid no attention to their actions, busy with the struggle for the wolf bones.

Because a large number of people from both home and abroad had perished in the jaws of the calamity, the Russian citizens who had been frantically rushing toward the wolf bones had already calmed down and returned home.

They had originally given up, but now that the burly man had announced to everyone that the calamity's injuries had worsened, they regained hope and left their homes to head toward the wolf bones.

The calamity's might still lingered, so the people didn't dare approach it directly. They formed small groups and used binoculars and other long-range observation equipment to scout the situation.

The President wasn't idle either. He dispatched the army with weapons to station themselves far from the wolf bones and then set up signboards—'Those interested in participating in the selection may collect equipment.'

For free.

Despite such generous conditions, there were very few takers.

After observing for a few days, they found that on the surface, the calamity's injuries indeed seemed much more severe—many new wounds had been added to its body, its fur was matted with dried, dark-red blood, and it appeared very listless. Previously, it had roamed near the wolf bones every day, but now it lay motionless on the ground. If not for the slight rise and fall of its body as it breathed, everyone would have likely assumed it was dead.

It was time to make a move.

But the problem was, who knew exactly how much the calamity had weakened or how much strength it still possessed?

One had to remember that the calamity was also heavily injured when it had gone on its previous killing spree.

For a moment, no one dared to be impulsive. They were all waiting, waiting for someone to lose patience and strike first to test the calamity's true state.

Anyway, there were still three wolf bones left. Even if the calamity was truly on its deathbed and the first person to strike succeeded, they could still fight for the other two.

In the midst of everyone's long wait, three days passed in the blink of an eye.

For three days, the calamity remained in a prone position, seemingly on the verge of death. Seeing this, someone finally couldn't contain their excitement and struck boldly.

...

In the sparse woods, Farid and the Young Woman moved their feet cautiously, their eyes scanning the surroundings alertly.

This was the location of the first wolf bone.

Both of them had already obtained a wolf bone, so naturally, they didn't need to worry about the remaining ones.

However, the second phase had not yet begun, and the calamity could not be hunted. They took advantage of the time while others were fighting for the wolf bones to gather intelligence and prepare for the subsequent tasks of the second phase.

After walking for a while longer, Farid deduced from memory that the small river where the wolf bone was found was not far ahead and decided to stop for a moment.

The two of them crouched behind a thick tree.

Farid laid down the large suitcase in his hand and rummaged through it while saying, "We can't get too close. If we startle the calamity and get hunted, we won't even be able to fight back."

Hearing this, the Young Woman's tense expression softened slightly, and she sat down on the exposed tree roots with her back against the trunk. "I saw many videos while we were in the car."

Farid, pulling out a pair of binoculars, sighed. "Can you finish what you're saying in one go?

Or do I have to ask?"

The Young Woman was very dissatisfied and snapped back, "Yes."

"..." Farid was a bit speechless but eventually compromised and asked, "What videos?"

The Young Woman gave him a stern glance and then chuckled. "The areas around the other three wolf bones are crowded with people. They watch the calamity next to the wolf bones from a distance every day and upload drone videos."

"And?"

"The three calamities in the videos are all lying motionless on the ground, as if they've stopped breathing."

"They can't be dead."

"Yeah.

The resolution of the videos is very high; you can see the calamities are still breathing."

Farid took out disassembled sniper rifle parts from the large suitcase. "In other words, the calamity we two need to deal with should be in the same state now?"

"Correct."

"That's not exactly good news."

"Why?" The Young Woman tilted her head in confusion.

If it can't move, it means the injuries are severe. How could that be a bad thing?

After spending several days together, Farid had become familiar with her personality. Knowing he would be pestered if he didn't explain clearly, he said patiently, "If the calamity were roaming around the wolf bone like before,

then we could gather information from its gait—for instance, whether its limbs are injured—and deduce if its agility is compromised."

"Ugh, how troublesome."

Farid's lips twitched. What a brainless woman with big breasts. What on earth did Tevan see in her... Uh...

He remembered Tevan saying he was picked up and adopted by his teacher. That gentleman lived alone, so Tevan certainly never experienced motherly love...

But Tevan... his mother wasn't...

His thoughts racing, Farid's eyes couldn't help but drift toward the Young Woman's chest.

She noticed and followed Farid's gaze down to her own chest. Instead of raising her hand to cover up, she puffed it out. "Does it look good?"

Vulgar.

But they were indeed large.

Farid looked away, his hands skillfully assembling the sniper rifle.

The Young Woman felt snubbed, curled her lip, and looked at the sniper rifle taking shape in his hands. "We can't hunt the calamity yet, so why did you bring this?"

"To prevent accidentally waking the calamity." Farid stood up, rubbing his aching lower back. "If we really get hunted by the calamity, at least we can stall it for a bit."

"Eh?" The Young Woman took out her Mobile Phone, opened an app, and scrolled through a few videos, suddenly exclaiming, "Someone got a wolf bone!"

Farid was surprised. "So fast?

How many casualties?"

"Zero."

"How is that possible?"

Her finger continued to swipe up on the Mobile Phone screen. "Supposedly, the calamity didn't react at all to the people stealing the wolf bone. It just let them leave with it, without even opening its eyes."

"Why?" Farid was even more shocked.

He had nearly died obtaining two wolf bones, especially the second time. If Tevan hadn't arrived in time, he would probably have become a pile of bleached bones in the forest.

"How should I know?" The Young Woman scrolled for a bit, couldn't find a video explaining the reason, and stuffed the Mobile Phone into her pocket. "If it's this easy, then Phase Two is probably about to start."

Farid frowned deeply. "Damn... if that's the case, our weapons..."

Mid-sentence, the wolf bones in their pockets suddenly vibrated slightly.

Not knowing what the change meant, they hurriedly reached for them. Just as they raised their hands, the burly man's voice actually came from the wolf bones: "Phase Two has begun.

The calamity will hunt the wolf bone holders until one side is dead.

The conditions for passing are as follows.

One: Kill the calamity. Two: It must be completed alone. Three: The more bystanders affected, the lower the score."

The vibration of the wolf bones stopped, and the two of them were dazed for a moment before snapping out of it.

The Young Woman scratched her head. "What does the third rule mean?"

"Literally what it says."

"Then... what's the impact of a low score?"

"I don't know, but I'm certain it won't be anything good." Farid bent over and quickly finished assembling the sniper rifle, decisively thrusting it into the Young Woman's hands. "You've been receiving shooting training every day lately. You know how to use this, right?"

The Young Woman glanced at the sniper rifle. "Of course I do, but..."

"Stop talking and get to the car!" Farid handed her the ammunition and then pushed her forward by the shoulders. "Your calamity is already coming for you. Go find a suitable place to fight it to the death."

The Young Woman stumbled a few steps, then turned back to stare at him. "Don't die."

"Worry about yourself." Farid picked up an automatic rifle from the suitcase, then took out some grenades and smoke grenades, stuffing them into his pockets or hanging them on his belt.

Having finished this, he didn't delay any further and turned to run deep into the woods.

The Young Woman tightened her grip on the sniper rifle and broke into a run toward the car parked by the road.

...

Kremlin Palace.

The President and his Aides sat around the conference table, looking anxiously at the screen hanging on the wall, which showed five equally sized live-stream panels.

The angle of the footage was from above, likely filmed by drones.

The President watched the woods and mountains rushing past in the footage for a while before turning his head toward the secretary standing beside him. "What's going on? Why haven't they found them yet?"

"Your Excellency, it happened so suddenly," the secretary explained weakly.

Panic wouldn't solve anything. The President suppressed his inner agitation. "Contact the field commanders and tell them to deploy more drones."

"I'll handle it immediately." The secretary hurried out of the conference room.

The President felt his throat go dry. He picked up a porcelain cup, tilted his head back to finish it, and after putting it down, asked his Aides, "What's the probability of them passing?"

"The situation is very troublesome." The Aides were also at a loss. "The wolf bone holders were caught off guard. Forget about advance training—I doubt they even brought heavy weapons."

Their original plan was that after Phase Two began, they would first gather all the wolf bone holders for military training, including but not limited to driving tanks and attack helicopters.

Once ready, they would be provided with the most advanced weapons and fully armed for a decisive battle against the calamities.

As it turned out, they hadn't expected the calamities in Phase Two to actively hunt the wolf bone holders.

Listening to their analysis, the President only felt incredibly irritable and waved them off. "Just give me the answer."

"Perhaps... zero."

*Bang!* The President slapped the table. "Send Soldiers to sup—

Does providing weapons count as interfering?"

The Aides looked at each other for a while, then one of them said, "The criteria are very vague.

Theoretically, if we drop weapons on the path ahead of the wolf bone holders as they flee, it shouldn't count. However, there's also a chance it could be judged as interference, since the purpose is to help them.

In any case... the right of interpretation lies with Seventeen."

The President thought for a moment with a grim expression. "Without weapons, they will definitely die. With weapons, they have at least a chance, however small...

It's worth the risk. Order the field commanders to have Soldiers place weapons along their inevitable routes, choosing ones suitable for civilians."

The secretary, who had just returned to the conference room, walked out again.

A few minutes later, the secretary pushed open the door again. "Your Excellency, there's a call."

"From whom?"

"The Visiting Delegation."

The President looked completely impatient. "At a time like this, they're still causing trouble. Tell them to wait—"

"Your Excellency," the Aides interrupted. "All the wolf bone owners have been determined. Their entry won't interfere with the selection. It's better to fulfill the promise."

After considering calmly for a moment, the President nodded. "True."

Having received the order, the secretary walked out of the conference room once more.

...

"Things are getting lively." Disconnecting his Mental Energy from the wolf bone, Zhang Mu opened his eyes. "It will probably take a few more days. Just enough time to deliver the goods."

Two days ago, the Director delivered the second batch of arms, all of which were now stored in his inventory. Zhang Mu intended to wait for the results before heading to Russia, so he summoned a Portal and stepped through.

The destination was outside Keton City.

Zhang Mu didn't linger; he flew into the city, found Domit, and handed the arms over to him.

Domit ordered his adjutant to bring men to move the arms back to the barracks, then said, "Marshal, we've been using drones to monitor the various nations of the Allied Forces lately.

Most of them are behaving normally, gathering their legions to defend against our counterattack, except for the organizing nation of the alliance, uh, the Naqi Kingdom."

Zhang Mu was preparing to head to the Royal Capital to find Avril. Hearing this, he stopped and asked, "What's going on?"

"They... are very strange." Domit organized his thoughts. "As you know, the Saint-level experts from all the alliance nations have left, but they don't intend to give up resistance.

Only Novak—oh, that's the commander of the Allied Forces.

After returning to his country, he actually staged a coup. Using his military power, he captured the Royal Capital in a few days, killed all members of the royal family, and then...

He didn't attack the cities that opposed him; instead, he built an altar outside the Royal Capital."

"An altar? For what?"

Domit shook his head. "I'm not sure.

I asked Mr. Blova to go investigate, but unfortunately, he returned empty-handed."

"Oh, that's indeed strange," Zhang Mu said with interest. "The Saint-level experts of the alliance are all gone, and Blova is unrivaled. He couldn't find out the reason?"

"It might have something to do with my request.

You said Lake's expansion won't stop, which means we need Soldiers—Soldiers capable of handling brutal combat.

Such Soldiers cannot be raised through training; only war will do.

The alliance nations are very suitable natural training grounds. Before Mr. Blova set out, I asked him not to reveal his presence, so as not to scare off the alliance Soldiers, especially the elite ones.

Because of this, Mr. Blova was inevitably somewhat restricted."

"Alright, I understand. I'll handle this."

Zhang Mu was quite curious about what that fellow Novak was up to. He flew to the Royal Capital to see Avril and then immediately headed toward the Naqi Kingdom.