124: Silent hunting and the withering of "seeds"

Just as Wen Youyi and the other two were rejoicing over the Breakthrough progress of the "Spirit Disturbance Array," a crisis was quietly submerging them like a silent tide.

The "web weaver's" revenge was far swifter and more brutal than they had anticipated.

The first to notice something was wrong was Wen Youyi, who was responsible for maintaining one-way contact with the external "Seed" groups via "Star Language."

According to their agreement, he would send brief safety inquiries to each group at regular intervals. Most groups would reply with a "safe" signal; occasionally, one or two groups would temporarily lose contact due to special environments, which was considered normal.

But this time, it was different.

For three consecutive days, Wen Youyi sent inquiry signals to three groups scattered across several areas on the periphery of the Qinglan Mountain Range, but it was like a stone sinking into the ocean—he received no response at all.

Initially, he thought it was signal interference or that they were in a state of deep silence. But when he tried to contact groups further away, where the environment was theoretically safer, he unexpectedly lost contact with them as well, one after another!

Five... eight... eleven... It was as if an invisible giant net was quietly tightening, and his scattered "sparks" were being extinguished one by one!

A chill crawled up Wen Youyi's spine. He immediately sent the highest-level danger warning via "Star Language" to all groups he could still contact:

[Emergency! Stop all activities! Deep concealment! Possible large-scale sweep! Do not make any contact unless it's a matter of life and death!]

After finishing this, he found Zhao Iron Pillar and Senior Brother Zhang with a solemn expression.

"Something has happened," Wen Youyi's voice was low. "We've lost contact with at least eleven groups."

Zhao Iron Pillar and Senior Brother Zhang's expressions changed instantly.

"Eleven?!" Zhao Iron Pillar's eyes widened. "How could there be so many? Was it the 'Scavenger'?"

"I'm not sure, but it's highly likely," Wen Youyi frowned. "This kind of simultaneous, multi-point loss of contact doesn't seem like an accident; it's more like an organized purge. Moreover... the operation was extremely efficient and stealthy; we didn't even receive a distress signal from any group being attacked."

This meant those groups were likely "erased" instantly without any power to resist!

Senior Brother Zhang's voice trembled: "Are they... are they still alive?"

Wen Youyi remained silent, slowly shaking his head. Under the cold and efficient purging methods of the "Scavenger," the chances of survival were infinitesimal. Those companions who had once built Lijian Valley together and fought side-by-side in the Black Swamp, those vivid faces, might have already... The atmosphere inside the cave instantly dropped to the freezing point. Anger, sadness, and a deep sense of helplessness enveloped the three of them.

They had just achieved a small technical Breakthrough and hadn't even had time to be happy before receiving such a heavy blow.

"Damn it! These bastards!" Zhao Iron Pillar punched the stone wall, leaving a deep fist print, his eyes bloodshot. "I'm going to slaughter them!"

"Iron Pillar! Calm down!" Wen Youyi barked. "Going out now is just seeking death! We don't even know where the enemy is or how many there are!"

He forced himself to calm down, his brain rapidly analyzing: "The fact that the enemy can find our scattered groups so precisely suggests they might have some tracking method unknown to us, or... do we have an internal problem?"

But he quickly dismissed this thought. Those lost groups were distributed in different areas and didn't know each other's specific locations. Being precisely located simultaneously was more likely because "The Ones Above" had used higher-level detection methods.

"Is our 'Star Language' compromised? Or do they have a way to scan for 'abnormal' individuals on a large scale?" Senior Brother Zhang speculated.

"Both are possible," Wen Youyi's face looked grim. "The 'Web Break' operation enraged the 'web weaver'; they've probably deployed a more Advanced level of power."

Just then, the star core fragment in Wen Youyi's bosom transmitted Ying's familiar but hurried and exhausted mental fluctuations:

[Warning! The 'web weaver' has activated the 'Deep Purification' protocol! They've deployed 'Hound' units! They excel at tracking energy traces and consciousness fluctuations! Multiple hidden points have already been uprooted! Your area has been marked as high-risk! Leave quickly!]

Hound units? Deep Purification protocol?

It seemed the "web weaver" was truly sparing no expense to completely purge them, these "stubborn viruses"!

"We can't stay here any longer!" Wen Youyi made a prompt decision. "Pack everything immediately, we're moving!"

They had to abandon this stronghold they had operated for several months. The enemy was more terrifying than imagined; staying here would be waiting for death.

The three acted quickly, packing all important research data, equipment, and resources. Everyone moved fast, but the atmosphere was incredibly heavy.

When they arrived, they brought the joy of a recent technical Breakthrough; when they left, they carried the bad news of their companions' likely demise and even more severe survival pressure.

When the last traces were cleaned up, the three stood outside the cave, looking back at this temporary "home."

"I'll remember this grudge!" Zhao Iron Pillar gritted his teeth and said fiercely.

Wen Youyi didn't speak, only clenching his fists until his knuckles turned white. He looked at the gloomy sky, as if he could feel that invisible giant net constantly tightening.

The path of resistance was stained with blood at every step.

But they had no way back.

(End of Chapter)