134: Chapter 135 The Official's Decisive Action

The explosive nature of this news can definitely be called one of the most significant events globally this year.

The geopolitical shock and the tsunami of international public opinion it triggered are no less intense than the shocking case of the "India National Magic Crystal Bank robbed by a mysterious person" that occurred not long ago.

The news headline was concise yet terrifying:

Kimchi Country Nation-Guarding Level Expert, "revenge heavenly god" Park Jeong-hwan, found dead last night in a private villa hot spring pool outside the capital! Cause of death a mystery, the whole country mourns!》

Lin Muyang's pupils constricted, his fingers paused, and he carefully read the main text.

The report stated that this figure, hailed as the "revenge heavenly god" in Kimchi Country, was discovered by his manor servants last night floating in his private hot spring pool, with no vital signs.

There were no signs of intense battle at the scene; the hot spring water was crystal clear, and the surrounding environment was tidy, as if the expert had simply fallen asleep while bathing.

However, after a preliminary investigation by Kimchi Country's top forensic experts and special investigation team, they reached a chilling conclusion: the cause of death was unknown!

There were no external injuries, no known toxins or curse residues were detected in his body, and his soul waves had completely dissipated, as if he had been instantly erased from within by some incomprehensible force.

The most critical point was that the investigation team was completely unable to determine the killer's identity, methods, or even motive!

No directional clues were left at the scene, and the multiple magic alarm and monitoring systems inside and outside the villa did not record any abnormal energy fluctuations or footage of a stranger invading.

"Could it be that the Summer Country made a move?" Lin Muyang thought, his eyes narrowing.

The timing was too coincidental.

Just a few days ago, he had passed the intelligence regarding Park Jeong-hwan's talent "temporarily failing, combat power dropping to the bottom" to the Summer Country officials through Liu Hongyuan.

Only a few days had passed, and this powerful enemy had died silently in his own safest hot spring.

Lin Muyang himself could not believe that this was completely unrelated to the Summer Country.

However, from the perspective of Kimchi Country, trying to find the true culprit was no different from looking for a needle in a haystack.

And the fact that he died so "peacefully" in his own heavily guarded villa, without even being able to send out a distress signal or warning, could only mean that the attacker's strength far exceeded Park Jeong-hwan's state at the time, reaching a crushing level, to the point where he did not even have time to react.

Kimchi Country is small with limited resources, and the number of experts who can reach the Nation-Guarding Level is few.

The fall of Park Jeong-hwan is tantamount to breaking an important pillar of this country, causing its national power and international voice to plummet instantly.

In this day and age, where the world has entered the era of job transfers and the law of the jungle is becoming increasingly apparent, a country that has lost its top experts will soon see the Dungeons and secret realm resources within its borders become fat meat in the eyes of neighboring powerful countries.

In history, there have been many small countries that have been eroded, annexed, or even completely extinguished because of this.

The grief of the Kimchi Country public is less about personal affection for this expert and more about deep anxiety and fear for the country's future.

The reason why the death of the "revenge heavenly god" triggered such a huge global shock is not only because of his status, but also because of the way he died.

The fall of top experts usually occurs during dangerous explorations of top-tier secret realms or in direct warfare between countries.

Dying silently in one's own backyard in such a humiliating and mysterious manner has been extremely rare for the past hundred years.

This sounded a heavy alarm for all experts in high positions—it turns out that the real danger may not come from visible enemies and secret realms, but from those invisible shadows and... higher-level forces.

Countless intelligence agencies and powerful factions around the world are frantically guessing and inquiring: who exactly possesses such terrifying and secretive means to erase a Nation-Guarding Level Expert in perfect condition?

Lin Muyang put down his terminal, the corner of his mouth curling into a faint arc.

He also did not expect the Summer Country official's action to be so decisive, rapid, and clean.

"Although I don't know which big shot did it, this style of action... is ruthless and accurate," he muttered to himself.

"Striking while he is taking a hot spring, when his mind is most relaxed? They certainly know how to pick the timing. It seems that the superiors have a high degree of trust in the intelligence I provided, and their ability to seize opportunities is first-class."

If it were anyone else, simply saying "the revenge heavenly god is very weak now" would probably not even pass the first audit of the official intelligence department, let alone immediately taking such a high-risk, high-profile beheading action.

Summer Country's reaction this time not only demonstrated the sharp fangs and decisive style hidden beneath its gentle exterior, but also implicitly expressed high recognition of the value of the intelligence provided by Lin Muyang.

"Interesting," Lin Muyang nodded slightly.

Cooperating with an official that acts decisively and knows how to seize opportunities is not a bad thing.

No one in the world would link this matter to a newly turned eighteen-year-old, unknown Summoner in Zhongnan City, Summer Country.

But the butterfly effect of fate had already begun.

Because Lin Muyang stole a Dungeon in the Pyeongsan Peninsula, it triggered a chain reaction that eventually led to the fall of a Nation-Guarding expert, quietly changing the delicate balance of international power.

Within the top brass of Kimchi Country, they had long since linked the "Pyeongsan Peninsula mysterious incident," the "revenge heavenly god's failed pursuit," "Park Jeong-hwan's sudden seclusion," and now the "bizarre death."

They felt a bone-chilling cold, as if an invisible pair of eyes were watching them in the dark, and an invisible hand was casually toying with the nation's fate.

A huge sense of crisis and powerlessness enveloped the hearts of many who knew the truth.

For the perpetrator, Lin Muyang, this might just be a small matter.

But the storm whipped up by his gentle flapping of wings had already, inadvertently, changed the mindset and style of countless experts and dignitaries around the world.

Low profile, caution, and awe of the unknown began to sprout in the hearts of some people.

When global public opinion was boiling over this matter, the source of the incident—Lin Muyang—was still thousands of meters deep on the seabed, taking his beautiful young ladies to conduct boring but highly efficient skill special training.

Compared to Seraphina's 【Blurring Shadow】 which requires dancing on the edge of a knife, and Ao Qingyan's 【One Sword No Thought】 with its long cooldown, the three new output-oriented Origin Skill spells Su Daji learned are simple and brutal—just keep killing monsters.

And in terms of "gathering monsters," Lin Muyang happens to have a very suitable Aura!

The original effect of this Aura was to expand the detection range of himself and his teammates to perceive danger in advance.

After being strengthened by Gui Wanwan's "Yamas Fate Alteration," its effect became: it can be actively released to greatly expand the "presence" and "threat Aura" of designated units (or areas), with the effect enhanced by 37 times!

Thus, Lin Muyang let Lilia, Ao Qingyan, and the other young ladies take turns "strolling" in the surrounding waters, with the enhanced 【Super Alert】 Aura cast on them.

In the perception of those deep-sea monsters, these "little ones" seemed to have turned into giant beasts radiating terrifying energy that posed a fatal threat to their territory, or into rare treasures full of extreme temptation.

Hatred was instantly maximized!

For a time, with the special training area as the center, all kinds of sea beasts within a radius of over a hundred kilometers, whether they were lone overlords or herd hunters, all swarmed out like sharks smelling blood from the caves, trenches, and coral bushes where they were hiding, launching a crazy attack towards the source of the "provocation."

The deep sea boiled!

Su Daji stood behind the simple magic shield constructed for her by Elabess, initially feeling a little nervous.

But as the first wave of sea beasts entered range, under Elabess's gentle encouragement and tactical guidance, she took a deep breath and raised her fair arm.

"Purple Radiance Lightning Strike!"

"Wind Blade Vortex!"

"Ice Mountain Shatter!"

Lightning exploded, wind blades hissed, and ice mountains crashed! Three powerful Origin Skill spells with control effects were poured out in turn in her hands.

The terrifying damage, under the blessing of the 【Overthrowing Cities and Nations】 talent, dealt a devastating blow to the flesh-and-blood monsters, and the paralysis, slowing, and freezing effects threw the herd into chaos.

Under the triple blessing of 【Infinite Firepower】 significantly shortening the cooldown, 【Super Speed Comprehension】 providing huge experience bonuses, and the near-infinite "monster supply," the levels of Su Daji's three Origin Skills soared like they were riding a rocket, thousands of times faster than normal people!

Just one day!

When the afterglow of the sunset once again penetrated thousands of meters of seawater and became barely perceptible, Su Daji had lightning flickering around her, wind breath circling her, and cold air spitting out slightly.

She successfully raised all three Origin Skills to level 20! She unlocked the additional strengthening effects for each skill:

【Purple Radiance Lightning Strike】 level 20: After the lightning strike hits, there is a probability of leaving a "Static Field" at the target's location, dealing continuous lightning damage and paralysis to enemies who step into it.

【Wind Blade Vortex】 level 20: The vortex duration is extended, and when it ends, a strong "Wind Blast" will occur, dealing high damage and knockback to all enemies within range.

【Ice Mountain Shatter】 level 20: The ice explosion range is expanded, the freeze duration is extended, and the frozen target takes significantly increased ice attribute or physical damage from the next attack.

With a wave of her hand, she already possessed the world-destroying Origin Skill power! Combined with her sub-god level control talent, her battlefield dominance began to emerge.

By this point, among the eight young ladies summoned by Lin Muyang, except for the purely support-oriented Elena, the other seven already possessed terrifying combat power that could stand alone.

If the seven worked together, and counting Lin Muyang's various Aura blessings, their comprehensive combat power would likely be enough to rival or even suppress those top Summoners who are level 170-180 and possess dual SSS-Rank Talent!

"Time is almost up, it's time to go." Lin Muyang checked the time and stopped the training.

He planned to take only Gui Wanwan and Elabess to Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand.

The other young ladies had been training for a day and a night and needed rest.

He let them return to Ziyun Mountain Villa first.

"Let's go, to Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, and get the things we need," Lin Muyang said to the two women who remained.

His thoughts moved slightly, and the 【Divine Form】 Aura quietly covered his entire body.

With a flash of light, his appearance, build, and temperament underwent a earth-shaking change.

Appearing in place was a man who looked about thirty-five or thirty-six years old, with a refined face, a steady demeanor that carried a trace of having experienced the hardships of the world, deep eyes, and wearing a well-tailored deep blue mage robe.

Even his energy fluctuations changed into a pure and deep lightning element Aura, looking just like a veteran lightning mage.

He named this temporary identity "Lin Mo."

"Elabess, you will appear as my attendant for a while. Xiao Wan, you remain hidden in the dark," Lin Muyang instructed the two women.

Elabess nodded and also slightly adjusted her attire to look more like a capable female guard.

Gui Wanwan's figure then slowly faded and completely disappeared.

The three turned into streams of light, broke through the sea surface, and flew rapidly toward the Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand islands in the southeast.

The Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand Free Port, located in the sea area at the intersection of several countries, is composed of dozens of islands of various sizes, with the largest main island being "New Island City," which is also the venue for this auction.

Because the islands were scattered and the signs were confusing, Lin Muyang almost flew in the wrong direction, but fortunately, there were familiar Summer Country text road signs on many islands, allowing him to finally determine the location of "White Dove Plaza"—that was the meeting point agreed upon with Liu Hongyuan.

Lin Muyang landed on a deserted beach on the edge of New Island City, converged all conspicuous Aura effects, and like an ordinary traveling mage, walked with Elabess toward White Dove Plaza in the city center.

When he arrived at this plaza, known for its flocks of white pigeons and central fountain, the scene before his eyes made him slightly stunned.

At the edge of the plaza, near the agreed-upon bench, Liu Hongyuan was indeed standing there.

She was wearing a sharp business suit today, her posture was upright, and a somewhat inconspicuous but recognizable internal badge of the Summer Country official was pinned to her chest.

However, at this moment, she was not alone.

She was actually surrounded by several groups of people!

These people had different skin tones, and their attire was also very different; some were in suits and leather shoes looking like businessmen, some were wearing traditional clothing like local nobles, and others were simply dressed as adventurers.

But without exception, all of them radiated strong energy fluctuations, and the leaders among them were all over level 200, which could be considered powerful figures in any place.

And at this moment, these people who usually held sway and were arrogant in this lawless land of Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, were all surrounding Liu Hongyuan, their faces filled with enthusiastic and even somewhat fawning smiles, talking about something one after another.

Although he couldn't hear the specific content from a distance, that posture was clearly trying to curry favor, climb into a relationship, or even could be said to be licking boots?

"What's the situation?" Lin Mo slowed his pace, surprise flashing in his eyes.

Let alone him, Liu Hongyuan, who was surrounded in the middle at this moment, was also confused, maintaining a polite but distant smile on her face, while her heart was full of absurdity.

What kind of place is the Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand Free Port?

This is a gladiator arena of money, power, intelligence, and conspiracy, where everything depends on strength.

Agents from various countries, black market giants, lone experts, and criminal organizations are intertwined here, guarding against each other, and also using each other.

Although Summer Country is powerful, its official personnel here usually only receive superficial respect, and behind the scenes, they are calculated against just the same, and when it comes to backstabbing, no one holds back.

Like now, several heads of different factions, who might even have some grudges against each other on weekdays, were actually gathering together at the same time, offering all kinds of flattery to her, a mere mid-level official of a Summer Country foreign department (public identity), and their words were full of compliments, even vaguely revealing the intention of wanting to "deepen cooperation" and "build friendship"... This is simply too abnormal!

Liu Hongyuan quickly recalled her itinerary for today, her attire, and whether she had inadvertently leaked any important intelligence or shown any special strength... No, everything was normal.

She was just following the agreement to come here early to wait for that mysterious "senior."

"Could it be..." A memory of the international headline she saw this morning flashed in her mind, and her heart jumped suddenly.

"'revenge heavenly god' Park Jeong-hwan died mysteriously last night... Kimchi Country is in shock..." A thought emerged uncontrollably, "These shrewd people, could it be that they think or have received some rumors that this matter is related to my Summer Country? Or even related to the person I am meeting today?"

This guess shocked her, but this abnormal scene seemed to be the only reasonable explanation.

These local snakes have noses sharper than dogs and their intelligence networks are all-encompassing.

They might not know the specific details, but "revenge heavenly god" just suffered a secret loss at the Summer Country border, and after not being in seclusion for a few days, he suddenly died, and then Summer Country officials appeared high-profile in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand.

They might have misunderstood the purpose of Liu Hongyuan's trip... These events linked together are enough for these sensitive guys to make some terrifying associations, and immediately make the judgment to "re-evaluate Summer Country's strength and style, and hurry over to get familiar and show loyalty."

Thinking this through, Liu Hongyuan was amused, but she had to maintain her composure on the surface.