297: Chapter 298 Sagiri's Conjecture

As the two experts dispatched by the Stanro City investigation team arrived at the scene, the atmosphere between the two genius teams outside the secret realm entrance, which had been at daggers drawn, instantly shifted.

The members of Gray Hawk and Anvil, especially the two captains, immediately adopted respectful, even fawning expressions. In the Atlantis World, level and strength were the hard currency of status. SS-Rank Experts over level 300 were senior figures that those around level 100 needed to look up to, and they were closely connected to the upper echelons of power in Stanro City. Being able to establish a connection with such experts was crucial for their future resource acquisition and development.

The burly captain restrained his previous irritability and stepped forward, bowing to the male and female experts from the investigation team with a respectful tone: "Welcome, seniors! We have already laid down multiple magic barriers here. By design, any Class Transferee whose level does not exceed 180 will find it impossible to escape easily once they fall within the range of the barriers!"

The middle-aged man in the investigation team had a resolute face and eyes like a hawk. He nodded slightly: "Well done. Your reaction was swift and your measures appropriate." His voice was deep and magnetic, carrying the authority of one who had long held a high position.

However, the female expert beside him, who possessed a cold temperament and a tall, straight posture, slowly spoke. Her voice was like icy beads falling on a jade plate, clear and carrying a hint of warning: "The target this time might not be high-level, but they are certainly no ordinary person. To be able to silently erase Lord Virgil's beloved son within Stanro City without leaving a trace—such methods are beyond what an ordinary level 100 Class Transferee can achieve."

Her gaze swept over the members of the two teams, who were standing ready but could not hide their greenness, and she continued: "If the person in this secret realm is truly related to that disappearance case, the barriers you've set up might not necessarily be able to trap him. That is precisely why the upper management dispatched us to assist. Remember, do not underestimate the enemy in the slightest."

These words were like a cold wind blowing past, causing a chill to involuntarily rise in the hearts of the two captains and the team members who were listening intently. Lord Virgil's son was killed? And inside the city? To them, this news was nothing short of a thunderclap.

That Young Master Valen, although his talent was only S-rank and meant little in the eyes of true top-tier geniuses, possessed a noble status. Who knew how many life-saving trump cards and precious items his family had bestowed upon him? To be able to avoid countless monitors and patrols within Stanro City, instantly deal with him and his guards, and clean up so thoroughly—what kind of terrifying strength and bizarre methods were required?

They asked themselves, even if the Gray Hawk and Anvil teams merged and exhausted all their efforts, it would be absolutely impossible to achieve such a level.

"Could the murderer be level 400, or even higher?" The burly captain couldn't help but lower his voice to voice his guess. In his view, perhaps only an expert of that level could handle things with such ease.

"Not necessarily." The middle-aged male investigator shook his head, his gaze deep as he looked at the slowly rotating secret realm entrance. "Level is not the only standard for measuring strength. Certain special talents, skill combinations, or treacherous methods from the outer domains could all produce similar effects. However, regardless, the person currently in the secret realm is under heavy suspicion. We only need to wait here quietly; once they come out, everything will be revealed."

His tone was steady, carrying a kind of unquestionable composure. The investigation team's task was to uncover the truth, while Gray Hawk and Anvil's task was to cooperate with the blockade and prevent the target from escaping.

As for Lin Muyang, who was currently enjoying an experience feast inside the secret realm, he was still unaware of the net quietly spreading outside. Of course, even if he knew, he probably wouldn't care too much. After entering Stanro City, his God-Tier Aura had already sensed the general aura of the experts in the city, and he hadn't found anyone who could pose a fatal threat to him.

As for these gate-blockers outside the secret realm, the strongest was only around level 300. In his eyes, there was no fundamental difference between them and the Mythical-grade Demonic Creatures that repeatedly respawned in the secret realm; they were all just providers of experience points and loot.

They might bring some small trouble, but compared to the massive gains of his current high-speed development and resource harvesting, this risk was negligible. As long as his strength continued to improve, any trouble would no longer be trouble.

At this moment, his attention was completely immersed in the rapid soaring of his own level and the rich loot constantly falling into his bag.

"On Blue Star, the level threshold for existing mythical-rank secret realms is too high, often above level 180, and I can't wear the equipment inside for the time being." Lin Muyang thought to himself while casually putting a newly dropped sky-opening grade bracer, flowing with dark golden flame patterns, into his storage space. "Only in this Atlantis World, which has developed for hundreds of years, can I find a mythic grade secret realm with such a suitable level. The resource reserves here are practically a treasure vault tailored for me."

He was very satisfied with the results of this cross-world journey. sky-opening grade equipment and skill books were constantly coming in. Although he hadn't used god-tier modification stones for fine processing yet, the basic attributes alone far exceeded the level 100 mythic equipment he was wearing. Once he left the secret realm and processed and optimized everything, his strength would welcome another significant boost.

Beside him, Sagiri, who had gradually calmed down from the continuous shocks, knit her beautiful brows, a hint of worry appearing on her clear little face. She hesitated for a moment but still spoke softly, her voice carrying concern: "My Lord... the two people you dealt with earlier in the city, judging by their clothing and demeanor, should be the scions of Stanro City's upper echelon. Their parents are all powerful top-tier experts in the city. Now that such a thing has happened, they will never let it go and will surely investigate with all their might. I'm worried..."

"Worried that they'll trace it back to me and bring trouble?" Lin Muyang turned his head to look at this delicate girl who had already begun to worry for him, the corner of his mouth curling into a faint, reassuring smile.

"I... I'm not afraid!" Sagiri hurriedly shook her head, her cheeks flushing slightly from her urgency. "I just don't want My Lord to get into such big trouble because of me. If My Lord hadn't stepped in, I'm afraid I would already be... So, no matter what happens, I will always be grateful to My Lord! I just don't want to become a burden to My Lord."

Her words were a bit disorganized, but the sincerity and worry in her eyes were clearly visible.

"Don't worry." Lin Muyang reached out and gently rubbed her soft flaxen hair, his movements natural and warm. "Since I chose to act, I naturally have my considerations. They won't trace it back to us, and to take a step back, even if they really do, or if we clash because of the secret realm like now..."

His gaze turned toward the direction of the secret realm entrance. Although separated by the secret realm barrier, his eyes seemed to pierce through space to see those figures standing ready outside.

"They won't be able to do anything to me. You will be fine as well." His tone was calm and certain, carrying a kind of indifference born from absolute strength.

Although he was confident in the effect of the God-Tier Aura he had laid down, Lin Muyang was not a blindly arrogant person. He had already prepared himself mentally for the possibility of clashing with local forces when leaving the secret realm. Having snatched someone else's cake, how could the other party let it go?

No matter who the opponent in the conflict was, whether it was these two teams or other experts of this world, he didn't plan to leave any survivors. It wasn't that he was bloodthirsty, but rather that he had to prevent any leaks. Once news of clearing a mythic grade secret realm in such a short time spread, the attention and trouble it would trigger would far exceed the current situation. He needed to develop low-key, not be the focus of the world.

Therefore, the moment they stepped out of the secret realm, all witnesses present had to disappear. This was the most direct and effective way to keep a secret.

Time quietly slipped away amidst the frantic monster grinding inside the secret realm and the anxious waiting outside.

A full six hours passed.

Outside the secret realm, the Wailing Rift was completely shrouded in night. Only the campfires and the various lights emitted by the magic barriers illuminated the area near the entrance. The members of Gray Hawk and Anvil remained highly alert, but the long wait also caused fatigue and impatience to show on some faces. The two investigators stood like stone statues in the shadows, their auras almost completely retracted, only their sharp eyes never leaving the secret realm entrance.

And inside the secret realm, as the final secret realm guardian, the Void Devourer—a creature as massive as a mountain and wrapped in destructive energy—let out an unwilling wail and collapsed under the dual assault of Alice and Gui Wanwan, the entire Void Gallery secret realm trembled slightly before stabilizing.

Cleared!

Two brilliant glows of leveling up lit up on Lin Muyang's body—Level 112! In just six hours, he had soared 11 levels from Level 101! Such speed was enough to scare all the Class Transferees of Atlantis to death if it were known.

Sagiri's gains were equally astonishing. After receiving a precious sky-opening grade Elemental Essence from Lin Muyang and successfully breaking through the Level 100 barrier, her level also soared all the way to Level 105, completing an incredible transformation from a bottom-tier beggar to a mid-tier expert. Feeling the surging, vast power within her body that far exceeded before, she still had a sense of being in a dream.

"This is great! Our levels have temporarily left Sister Ella and the others behind~" Alice withdrew her hand gesture for releasing skills and flew to Lin Muyang's side, a hint of playful laughter in her eyes. Her own level had also increased to Level 109.

"Next time, I'll bring everyone here to grind together." Lin Muyang smiled, feeling quite pleasant. "This time was just to scout the way and test the waters. Anyway, with the bond effect, it won't take them much time to catch up later."

"Yes, Master is right." Gui Wanwan nodded slightly in agreement, a hint of relaxation on her cold little face. Continuous high-intensity combat and precise manipulation of underworld energy to resurrect monsters was also a significant drain for her, but the harvest was equally great.

Listening to their conversation, waves rose in Sagiri's heart once again. So there were even more powerful companions like Sister Alice and Sister Gui Wanwan by Master's side? What kind of terrifying force would they be when combined? When did such a group of monster-like geniuses quietly appear in the Atlantis World?

"Even the legendary Sub-God Rank Talent holders probably couldn't achieve this level..." Sagiri couldn't help but think to herself. "Could Master's talent be the Demigod Level, which is higher than sub-god level? Or even god-tier?" This thought gave her a start, and she didn't dare think further.

"Pack up the loot and get ready to leave." Lin Muyang ordered.

In the final count, this secret realm journey yielded a total of seventeen pieces of sky-opening grade equipment, five sky-opening grade skill books, several mythic grade equipment and skill books, and several sky-opening grade Elemental Essences. It could be called a bumper harvest.

When Lin Muyang led the three girls out of the secret realm entrance, which had already begun to fluctuate unstably and gradually fade, the scene before them was completely different from six hours ago.

The night was deep and the starlight was dim. The open ground where the secret realm entrance was originally located was now completely covered by layers of shimmering magic barriers. Outside the barriers, nearly thirty members of the Gray Hawk and Anvil teams were spread out in a fan shape, their weapons and staves pointed at the exit, their eyes sharp and their posture tense. Further out in the shadows, two figures as steady as mountains, yet emitting a heart-palpitating aura, were faintly visible.

Sagiri recognized those two at a glance—famous top-tier experts in Stanro City, SS-Rank Experts with levels exceeding 350! Her heart sank instantly, and her face turned pale.

Trouble really has come! And it's a much bigger trouble than she imagined!