50: Arriving at the ancient wilderness, is the land reclamation over?

Jiangnan City Airport.

A silver-gray civilian airliner accelerated down the runway, soaring into the clouds.

Inside the cabin, soft lights slowly came on.

Flight attendants pushed meal carts down the aisle.

Passengers adjusted their seat backs, opened window shades, or put on headphones to listen to music.

The sweet voice of a flight attendant echoed through the broadcast:

“Dear passengers, welcome aboard this flight. This flight is expected to arrive in Nanming City at 8:15 AM. The current flight altitude is…”

“Now for the morning news.”

“Breaking news from Jiangnan City – Chen Zhentian, chairman of Chen Corporation, died unexpectedly last night. The specific cause is still under investigation…”

Instantly, the atmosphere in the cabin subtly solidified.

“Chen Zhentian… died?” A middle-aged man suddenly looked up, the newspaper in his hand crumpled.

“Did he get some incurable disease?”

A woman in an aisle seat snorted softly.

“The Chen Corporation has the most advanced biomedical technology; they can even cure cancer!”

“In my opinion, he was most likely assassinated by a competitor.”

A young man by the window in the back row couldn't help but stand up and retort:

“He’s not only a Martial Arts Grandmaster, but also the uncrowned king of Jiangbei City! Even the Martial Alliance Association has to give him Face!”

“Who could kill him? And who would dare to kill him?”

But the next moment, his companion next to him tugged his sleeve, signaling him to keep his voice down.

The discussions spread like ripples.

Some were shocked, some speculated, and some even quietly pulled out their phones, trying to search for more news.

It was as lively as a market.

Amidst this clamor, Su Lei leaned back in his seat, expressionless, gazing out the window.

His phone in his pocket suddenly vibrated slightly.

He swiped the screen and brought it to his ear.

Colonel Ron’s voice came through the receiver, very low, but barely concealing his tension.

“Was it you?”

Su Lei didn't answer immediately, only slightly curved his lips, his gaze still fixed on the surging sea of clouds outside the window.

“You guess.”

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the line, followed by a heavy sigh.

“Do you know that Jiangnan City is practically turned upside down right now?”

“The Martial Alliance Association has already called me three times, and all the superiors are asking about your whereabouts.”

“Killing Chen Sheng was one thing, but how could you…”

“That guy used to be a Grandmaster, and he also made many contributions to the Martial Alliance in the past.”

“No matter what, you’ve caused too much of a stir this time. What if someone finds out…”

Su Lei chuckled, his tone casual: “Let them investigate.”

Ron seemed to want to say more, but ultimately took a deep breath.

“Never mind, let’s not talk about it. Where are you now?”

“On a plane.”

“…Alright. I’ve already sent your information. Just go directly to Elder Ye when you arrive. He’s in charge there.”

The call ended, Su Lei put his phone back in his pocket, and leaned back in his seat, closing his eyes to rest.

…

After an unknown period, the cabin broadcast sounded again.

Flight attendants began to remind passengers to put away their tray tables and straighten their seat backs.

The plane gently bumped in the turbulence, finally landing steadily at Nanming City Airport.

Su Lei stood up and walked towards the cabin door.

On the airport, a military jeep seemed to have been waiting for a long time.

Beside the car door, two Martial Artists in uniform stood ramrod straight, their gaze as sharp as an eagle’s.

Seeing Su Lei, both immediately stepped forward, bowing respectfully,

“Mr. Su, please.”

Su Lei gave them a faint glance, said nothing more, and walked directly into the car.

The jeep’s engine emitted a low rumble, its tires rolling over the airport’s asphalt, heading out of the city.

The scenery outside the car window gradually changed from a bustling metropolis to a desolate countryside, tall buildings replaced by low hills and sparse woods.

An hour later, the jeep slowly pulled up in front of a hidden military base.

His gaze bypassed the welcoming crowd and fell directly on an old man not far away.

The man was wearing a dark gray Zhongshan suit, standing with his hands behind his back.

His figure was not tall, yet he exuded a mountain-like oppressive feeling.

His hair and beard were white, his Face weathered, but his eyes were like two unextinguished lamps, sharp enough to see through people’s hearts.

With just one glance, Su Lei recognized the other party’s identity.

— The person in charge of the Barren Ancient Abyss.

— Martial Arts Grandmaster, Ye Tianming!

The other party merely stood there, and the surrounding air seemed to solidify, even the wind flowed around him.

Su Lei walked forward and nodded in greeting.

“Elder Ye?”

The old man, with his hands behind his back, scrutinized him with a knife-like gaze.

“You are the one recommended by the Southern Theater Command?”

Su Lei nodded, his expression calm, “Su Lei, Fourth-Order Martial Master.”

Elder Ye looked at him deeply, as if examining something.

After a while, he slowly shook his head, his voice low: “Unfortunately, you’ve made a trip for nothing.”

“Have you finished reclaiming the land?” Su Lei frowned slightly.

“No, the operation has been terminated.”

Su Lei’s frown deepened, “Why?”

Elder Ye didn’t answer immediately but turned, his gaze fixed on the distance.

Following his gaze, in the depths of the distant forest, the silhouette of a huge Pyramid was faintly visible.

“Despite continuously transferring people from the Western Military Region and the Southern Military Region, after these two months, we have only just reached the periphery of the Pyramid.”

“And…”

Elder Ye paused, his tone suddenly sinking.

“Just breaking through the outer forest alone cost us ten Martial Masters.”

“And the closer we get to the Pyramid, the more uneasy this old man feels.”

Su Lei continued to frown.

As far as he knew, a Martial Arts Grandmaster had already become an extraordinary existence.

Perfect control of the body at the subtle level.

No matter how serious the injury, as long as the head and heart remained, they would not die.

In the instant of severe injury, they could close blood vessels and control cell self-regeneration to repair wounds.

Qi and blood transform into a protective aura, enveloping the body.

He had seen publicly available video data in the military’s information database.

A leaf casually picked up by a Grandmaster, when thrown, could pierce through a three-centimeter-thick alloy steel plate.

An existence that could make even Elder Ye feel uneasy…

Su Lei stared at the distant Pyramid, his expression slowly becoming serious.

Although thousands of meters away, he could vaguely sense an extremely terrifying Qi there.

“Is it a Yao Beast?” Su Lei probed.

“If it were just a Yao Beast, it would be simpler.”

Elder Ye gently shook his head, pointing to the radar-like monitor in the center of the camp.

“Ever since we approached the Pyramid that day, the energy readings inside began to become abnormal. Their intensity has exceeded the scope of ordinary Yao Beasts.”

“Although it’s unclear what exactly is inside, there’s one thing this old man can be sure of…”

“This Secret Realm is not an existence we can meddle with at present.”

Su Lei was silent for a moment, a hint of regret flashing in his eyes.

Just as he turned to leave, Elder Ye’s voice came from behind him.

“Since you’ve come, stay one more day before you go.”

Su Lei paused, turning his head to cast an inquiring look.

Elder Ye smiled slightly: “I’ve seen your information. To reach Fourth-Order Martial Master in such a short time… you are very good.”

“But constantly working in isolation is not advisable.”

“Now, the new generation of high-level Martial Masters from the Western Theater Command and the Southern Theater Command are gathered together. This is a rare opportunity for you to exchange ideas.”

“Why not stay here today and return with us on the military’s special plane tomorrow?”

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