76: Chapter 76: People from my hometown have arrived.

The "Ghost" team had been completely wiped out, causing an uproar within the "Obelisk", yet over in Donghai City, there wasn't a peep.

For Jiang Ning, this matter was considered over.

Her mind was currently filled with the 20,000 merit points she had just received and that book, "Detailed Explanation of the Mountain Protection Array".

"The Spirit Induction Array is just the foundation, used for development during peaceful times. If a real fight breaks out, you still need a professional Mountain Protection Array."

Jiang Ning sat in the laboratory, pondering the secret manual given to her by the system in her mind while rapidly modeling on her optical computer.

She used to work on maintaining arrays at the Tianyan Sect; she was far too familiar with this stuff.

For her, this "Detailed Explanation" was like giving a top chef a cookbook of home-style dishes; she understood most of it, but some of the methods adjusted according to the rules of different worlds struck her as quite interesting.

"The terrain of Donghai City has a lot of water, and the earth meridians are chaotic. If I combine the Mountain Protection Array and the Spirit Induction Array, and then use the subway as an energy conduit... tsk, it's perfect."

The more she thought about it, the more excited she became, and her hands moved faster and faster.

Complex array after complex array was built on the virtual screen, only to be dismantled and reorganized.

Professor Chen, Chief Engineer Wang Jianguo, and the others nearby had already gotten used to this scene—one they couldn't understand but always felt was incredibly impressive.

Their main task now was to assist Engineer Jiang, record data, and then open their mouths in awe.

"Chief Engineer Wang, tell me... what is Engineer Jiang's brain made of?"

A young researcher quietly leaned over to Chief Engineer Wang Jianguo and asked, "I feel like my PhD is worthless in front of her, like I've never been to school."

Chief Engineer Wang Jianguo glared at him and hissed, "What nonsense are you thinking! If you don't understand, then learn! Being able to assist Engineer Jiang is like your ancestral grave emitting blue smoke! Let me tell you, this is called broadening your horizons! What we are doing now is a major event that will go down in history!"

Although he said that, Chief Engineer Wang Jianguo was thinking much the same thing.

He had been in engineering his whole life and considered himself top-tier domestically, but after seeing Engineer Jiang's capabilities, he finally understood what it meant to say there is always someone better.

The command center was peaceful, with everyone working hard on the new project, when the situation suddenly changed.

"Alarm! Alarm! High-intensity spatial energy fluctuations have appeared over Donghai City!"

A piercing alarm suddenly blared, echoing throughout the command center.

Director Zhao Lixin sprang from his chair and rushed to the main sand table: "What's going on?!"

The soldier in charge of monitoring went pale, pointing at the holographic projection above the sand table: "Report, Director Zhao! Five thousand meters above the city center, the sky... the sky has cracked open!"

Everyone looked up.

Above the giant city sand table, the area representing the sky, which had been a clear blue, now had a black crack in it.

The crack was still expanding, the surrounding space was twisting, and even the light had become abnormal.

"Quick! Connect the real-time satellite feed!" Director Zhao Lixin roared.

The big screen changed, turning into a view of Donghai City from space.

Above the bustling city, in the clear sky, a pitch-black opening had appeared out of nowhere, hanging in the sky, looking terrifying enough to make one's hair stand on end.

An indescribable, unsettling aura seeped out from the crack.

Throughout Donghai City, countless people walking on the streets or driving cars stopped and looked up at the sky.

"What is that? Is it fake?"

"That's not right, it looks creepy. Is the sky collapsing?"

"It wouldn't be the end of the world, would it? I haven't finished paying off my mortgage yet!"

Panic began to spread among the crowd.

In the command center, the atmosphere was stretched to the breaking point.

"The energy level is off the charts! The instruments can't measure it anymore!"

"The magnetic field is completely chaotic! The drones have all lost connection!"

"Report! The core energy of the Spirit Induction Array is being sucked away by an unknown force!"

One piece of bad news after another made Director Zhao Lixin's heart sink.

He had only just had a few good days; why was something happening again?

And the commotion this time was ten thousand times bigger than that "Ghost" group last time!

He subconsciously looked towards the laboratory.

At this moment, only Engineer Jiang could give an explanation.

The laboratory door was pushed open, and Jiang Ning walked out, frowning.

She looked up at the crack on the sand table, then glanced down at the data on a miniature device on her wrist.

"A spatial channel?" she muttered to herself, feeling a bit strange. "Is the spatial barrier of this world this fragile? Or rather... is someone forcing their way in?"

"Engineer Jiang! What on earth is going on?" Director Zhao Lixin ran over, sweating profusely from anxiety.

"Don't panic." Jiang Ning's tone was still calm, and for some reason, this calmness made everyone in the command center settle down quite a bit. "Just a guest who didn't receive an invitation."

"A guest?" Director Zhao Lixin was about to cry. "You call this a guest? This entrance is way too exaggerated!"

Jiang Ning didn't pay attention to him, just stared at the ever-widening crack, her expression turning somewhat strange.

From the crack, she smelled a familiar scent.

That was... the scent of spiritual power.

And, it was of the same origin as hers—the scent of Tianyan Sect cultivation techniques.

"Visitors from home?" Jiang Ning muttered to herself.

She couldn't quite figure it out.

How could the Tianyan Sect find this place? And why come in such a violent way?

Weren't those old guys in the sect the ones who cared most about style?

Just as she was thinking, the crack in the sky expanded to its limit.

A golden light shot out from the crack, straight to the ground.

Then, a figure wearing ancient white robes with flowing long hair stepped on the golden light and slowly descended from the crack.

He had a tall, straight figure and was handsome, but his face carried an innate arrogance.

He hovered in mid-air, looking down at the city beneath his feet, his brows knitted together.

"This damn place... why is the spiritual energy so thin?"

This person was Sect Leader Lu Yun, the most outstanding disciple of the Tianyan Sect's inner sect.

He had been ordered by the sect to come to this place called "Mortal Realm-735" to investigate the situation.

In his eyes, this job was just like an inspection trip to the countryside; it was very simple.

He took a breath of air and immediately looked disgusted.

The spiritual energy here was dirty and scarce, mixed with all kinds of industrial exhaust; taking a breath made him feel like he had dirtied his lungs.

"A broken place like this can actually produce that kind of treasure? It's really strange."

His divine sense instantly spread out, covering the entire Donghai City.

Soon, he detected an energy fluctuation on the high tower in the city center; although it was covered by an array, it was still shockingly pure.

"Found it!" Sect Leader Lu Yun's eyes lit up, his face full of greed. "It really is a natural treasure! Is this kind of thing something you mortals deserve to have?"

He didn't put the people of this world in his eyes at all.

In his view, these mortals who couldn't even touch the threshold of cultivation were no different from ants.

And he was an angel from the Upper Realm.

No, an immortal.