184: Chapter 184 The Eye of the Storm is Under Control!
The news of Donghuang First Team accepting an A-rank investigation mission
was like a stone thrown into a calm lake, causing ripples within the Zhenhai City Demon Slaying Division Branch.
Many people sensed an unusual atmosphere—
this high-profile young team seemed to have set its sights on the local powerhouse, the Liu Family.
That afternoon, Zhou Heng and the other four quietly left the Demon Slaying Division Branch without alerting many people.
They changed into casual clothes for ease of movement, restrained their auras, blended into the crowd, and headed toward Sea Wolf Pier in the east of the city.
Sea Wolf Pier, one of the largest freight docks in Zhenhai City, was controlled by the Liu Family.
Here, sails were like a forest and masts were like a web.
Huge cargo ships and fishing boats moved in and out, and porters shouted rhythmic chants,
the air thick with the pungent smell of fish, machine oil, and the saltiness of seawater.
The pier area was vast, with rows of warehouses and a complex mix of people from all walks of life, making it an excellent place for information exchange and a breeding ground for filth.
"According to the plan, split up and keep communication lines open."
In a secluded corner some distance from the pier, Zhou Heng deployed them in a low voice,
"Old Ji, you go to warehouse areas three to five. That's the Liu Family's core cargo distribution center with heavy malevolent energy, which suits you.
Chen Xin, you go to the office area and the crew's tavern. You have a scholarly air, making it easy to fish for information.
Ye Zi, keep an eye on the pier entrances and those few hidden private berths to see if any suspicious characters come and go.
Qianer, use your illusion to disguise yourself and blend in with the female workers and vendors to listen for rumors and intelligence."
"Understood!" The four nodded.
"Brother Zhou Heng, what about you?" Bai Qianer asked.
"Me?" Zhou Heng grinned and pointed to his eyes,
"I'll just wander around and use my 'Titanium God Eyes' to see if there are any 'surprises.'
Remember, our primary task is to gather evidence of the Liu Family's possible collusion with the Shadow Heart Clan,
and secondly, to map out the pier's defenses and personnel structure. Safety first; signal immediately if you encounter trouble!"
The five nodded to each other, and then, like drops of water merging into the ocean,
they silently dispersed and blended into the busy pier area.
Zhou Heng strolled around the pier seemingly at random, like a curious tourist looking here and there.
But his Omniscient Eye was already quietly activated, like a high-precision scanner, observing everything around him in detail.
[Target: Sea Wolf Pier Crane No. 3]
[Status: Operating normally, base has signs of recent reinforcement, reinforcement materials contain faint shadow energy residue (37% similarity to Shadow Heart Clan energy signature)...]
[Target: Liu Family Freight Manager 'Liu Neng']
[Realm: Spirit Awakening Nine-Star]
[Status: Anxious, frequently checking communicator, whispering with several crew members, mentioning words like 'tonight', 'old place', 'cargo must be fast'...]
[Target: Shadow in the corner of Warehouse No. 7]
[Status: Fluctuations of a concealment formation detected, low level but sophisticated technique, suspected Shadow Heart Clan style...]
One by one, subtle and easily overlooked clues had nowhere to hide under the analysis of the Omniscient Eye.
Zhou Heng did not alert the enemy, but quietly recorded these suspicious points using the camera and recording functions of his tactical watch.
He could feel several obscure gazes watching him from the shadows, clearly the Liu Family's lookouts.
Zhou Heng sneered inwardly, intentionally lingering in places that seemed important but were actually irrelevant,
such as the pier's dispatch room and the public cargo manifest board,
pretending to check them and making a show of taking notes,
perfectly playing the role of a 'diligent but clueless' rookie Demon Slayer.
At the same time, he used the subtlety of the Wind Thunder Illusion Steps
to duck into visual blind spots several times, easily shaking off his tail.
While those followers were spinning around like headless flies, Zhou Heng had already appeared like a ghost near several key nodes of the pier.
For example, beneath the base of Crane No. 3 with the abnormal energy residue,
or at the edge of the concealment formation at Warehouse No. 7,
or near the mooring bollards underwater engraved with special runes for securing large vessels...
In these places, Zhou Heng's fingertips moved slightly, and strands of extremely pure, almost imperceptible wind-element yuan energy seeped in silently, planted like seeds.
This wind yuan energy was highly condensed and had a special structure; it was a simplified application of Wind Burial Universe—the 'Wind Eye.'
The Wind Eye had no offensive power, but it could act like the most precise sensor,
continuously recording energy fluctuations, sound vibrations, and even some visual information within a certain range,
storing this information within the yuan energy structure, where it could be maintained for several days.
As long as Zhou Heng was within a certain distance, he could remotely read it through his wind and thunder sensing!
This was the 'monitoring network' he had laid down!
After finishing all this, Zhou Heng continued his 'stroll' as if nothing had happened.
Sure enough, not long after, he 'accidentally' managed to pry
a piece of important intelligence from a drunken sailor through much effort—
Tonight at midnight, in the abandoned 'Ghost Reef' sea area south of the city, there would be a secret transaction with the Shadow Heart Clan!
Zhou Heng's face showed an 'as if finding a treasure' expression of excitement, and he immediately gathered his teammates to share this 'major discovery' with feigned urgency.
"Ghost Reef? That place is indeed very remote, suitable for a secret transaction," Lu Chenxin analyzed cooperatively.
"No time to lose, we'll go and set an ambush tonight!" Ji Cang said with murderous intent.
Bai Qianer and Chen Ye also nodded in agreement.
The five-man team immediately left Sea Wolf Pier 'in a hurry,' heading south as if they couldn't wait to catch the big fish.
However, they did not go directly to Ghost Reef.
After confirming they had shaken off all possible tails, Zhou Heng led his teammates in a large circle
and silently slipped back to a hidden vantage point near Sea Wolf Pier.
"Old Zhou, will this move of yours to lure the snake out of its hole work?" Lu Chenxin asked.
"Don't worry," Zhou Heng smiled confidently,
"Since the Liu Family wants to set us up, they must have laid a massive trap waiting for us at Ghost Reef.
If we don't go, they'll definitely get anxious.
Once they think we've fallen for it, or can't wait to make a move, over here at Sea Wolf Pier... there might be a surprise."
Time passed minute by minute, night fell, and Sea Wolf Pier was brightly lit and still busy.
As midnight approached, there seemed to be nothing unusual at the pier.
Just as Ji Cang and the others were beginning to doubt, Zhou Heng's eyes narrowed: "They're here!"
Deep within the pier, from a small berth that was usually not open to the public,
an unmarked black speedboat quietly sailed out.
Several people stood on the speedboat, led by a man dressed in black,
holding a deep blue spear, his aura cold and powerful—it was one of the Liu Family's powerful figures, Liu Cunzhi!
Transcendent Nine-Star! Holder of the B-rank Divine Seal, the Water Spirit Seal!
The speedboat did not sail toward Ghost Reef but toward another direction—a hidden shallow beach filled with reefs located behind and to the side of Sea Wolf Pier.
"As expected! Ghost Reef was a feint! Their real transaction location is right near the pier!" Lu Chenxin whispered.
"Follow them!" A sharp light flashed in Zhou Heng's eyes, and the five of them, like bats in the dark night,
quietly followed under the cover of night and complex terrain.
The black speedboat stopped at the hidden shallow beach, and Liu Cunzhi and the others went ashore, seemingly waiting for something.
Zhou Heng and the other four lurked behind the distant reefs, holding their breath.
Before long, another small boat sailed out from the darkness,
shrouded in a faint layer of light-distorting shadows, emitting an uncomfortable aura—the Shadow Heart Clan!
The transaction was about to begin!
However, at that moment, a sudden change occurred!
With the reef area where Zhou Heng and the five were located as the center, the surrounding seawater suddenly surged violently,
and pitch-black shadow chains shot out from the seabed, instantly weaving into a massive black net in the air!
At the same time, complex formation lines emerged on the ground, emitting a powerful binding force!
Shadow Dragon-Trapping Formation!
This was a carefully laid trap! Liu Cunzhi and the others were actually the bait!
The real goal was to lure Zhou Heng and his team into this pre-arranged killing formation!
"Hahaha! Zhou Heng! I've been waiting for you!" Liu Cunzhi's triumphant laughter rang out.
Holding his spear, he stood outside the formation, looking mockingly at the five people trapped inside,
"Didn't expect that, did you? Your little bit of cleverness was seen through by Big Brother Tianhao long ago!
The fake news about Ghost Reef was just to force you back to the pier to walk into our trap! This place shall be your burial ground!"
Inside the formation, shadow chains coiled and the binding force permeated, as if to drag the five into endless darkness.
Ji Cang, Lu Chenxin, and the others' expressions changed, and they fully circulated their yuan energy to resist the formation's restraint.
However, Zhou Heng, at the center of the storm, showed no panic. Instead, he revealed a...
meaningful smile.
"Burial ground?" He tilted his head, looking at the gloating Liu Cunzhi, his tone as relaxed as if he were chatting about daily life,
"Third Master Liu, this formation of yours... is quite uniquely arranged.
It's just that there are seventeen errors in the energy nodes, and as for the core eye... it's hidden in the reef crevice three inches below the Xun Position. It's a bit damp; aren't you afraid of a short circuit?"
The smile on Liu Cunzhi's face froze instantly, and his pupils shrank: "You... how do you know?!"
Zhou Heng did not answer but simply snapped his fingers.
Snap!
A light sound, as if a switch had been flipped.
Buzz—!
The Wind Eyes deployed throughout the pier were activated simultaneously!
Recorded images and sounds—including encrypted communication fragments between Liu Cunzhi and Liu Tianhao, abnormal energy flows at the pier, and Liu Cunzhi's arrogant words admitting to laying the trap just now...
All this evidence was instantly organized, compressed, and sent through Zhou Heng's tactical watch
at the highest encryption level directly to Division Chief Yue Chenyuan's private communicator!
At the same time, the godfall spear suddenly appeared in Zhou Heng's hand, and the Wind and Thunder Sacred Origin Essence erupted!
"As for breaking the formation..." Zhou Heng's eyes turned sharp, and he moved with his spear,
turning into a wind and thunder dragon that tore through the darkness, piercing straight toward the formation eye he had mentioned!
"It's very simple!"
"One strike is enough!"
"Thunder Fury Nine Heavens: Formation Break!"
Boom—!!!
The brilliant lightning struck the hidden formation eye core in the Xun Position reef crevice with absolute precision!
The entire Shadow Dragon-Trapping Formation shook violently, letting out an overburdened wail as those shadow chains snapped inch by inch!
Liu Cunzhi stood dumbfounded, the triumph on his face completely replaced by terror and disbelief!
The killing trap he had carefully arranged... was actually seen through at a glance and broken with a single strike?!