Chapter 75 Difficulty
The deep roar resonated like the awakening of a lion.
Silence fell over everyone.
The tent remained quiet for a long moment. The old man stared at the photo in his hand for a while before slowly closing his eyes and speaking in a low voice, "Did Wei Shutong say anything else?"
"Nothing more. That was all." Xia Feng shook his head.
Wei Shutong had also given him a USB flash drive but had not instructed him to pass it to Big Face Cat—only to keep it safe.
The seven captains stood in silence, their eyes fixed on the scattered photos of girls' heads taken from different angles on the table. The atmosphere was suffocating. Then, a burly captain abruptly pushed back his chair and stood.
"Damn it, Liszt, that bastard! Screw him!"
As he rose, Chen Xingdao beside him also stood. "Commander, we've reached this point. Let's just go for it!"
"Commander! Give the order, and I, Old Guan, will fight to the death! To hell with that bastard Wang Jue!"
"Count me in." Freya smirked as she stepped forward.
Four captains had declared their stance. The remaining three remained seated, their brows furrowed in silence. Unlike the others, their families were under the prince's control.
Xia Feng had only provided a photo of the bureau chief's granddaughter—they knew nothing about their own families' situations.
Yet, seeing the bureau chief's granddaughter in such a state, doubt crept into their minds. Liszt was utterly unreliable. If he could deceive the Xuanwu bureau chief like this, who was to say he hadn't done the same to them?
"Damn it all!" A bald captain suddenly stood, his face dark with anger. "That bastard's been threatening me nonstop—I've had enough! Let's do it!"
Beside him, the gentle, bespectacled man sighed, closed his eyes, and then rose. "I'm in as well."
Finally, all eyes turned to the tall and imposing Captain Bailong. His expression flickered with uncertainty, hesitation clear in his stance.
But just then, the heavy silence was broken by Mu Qingtong's soft voice:
"Academician Luo De of the Academy of Spiritual Science recently published a research paper on the Dream Evil Species titled The Influence of Low-Temperature Superconducting Materials on the Validity Time of Dream Evil Species."
Seeing the puzzled looks around her, Mu Qingtong continued quietly, "It mentions a small detail. Under normal conditions, the spirits conjured by the Soul Eater can only last about 60 seconds before disintegrating. But under the effects of low-temperature superconducting materials, they persist for roughly 483 seconds—about eight minutes."
"Think about it. Have your family members ever stayed on video calls with you for longer than eight minutes?"
As her words settled, the three captains stiffened, their pupils dilating slightly. It was true—their calls with their families were always brief, never exceeding eight minutes for various reasons.
This could only mean one thing: their so-called family members were nothing more than fabricated illusions from the Soul Eater. These illusions could only sustain themselves for eight minutes at a time. Their real relatives were likely already dead.
Seeing their reactions, Mu Qingtong fell silent, having said enough.
Personally, she had no interest in the conflict between the prince and the Holy Department. But the thought of Liszt and Divine Evil colluding—potentially disrupting her future in Area 51—meant Liszt had to be eliminated.
The group's attention shifted to the woman in the black dress, her half-rimmed gold glasses glinting faintly. In the dim lighting earlier, she had gone unnoticed, but now, her striking beauty was impossible to ignore.
"You look familiar..." one captain muttered before his eyes suddenly widened. "Wait—oh my god! Aren't you Goddess Mu?!"
"I'm your die-hard fan, Goddess Mu! Do you know that song Western Blue Sea you sang?"
Seeing this man in his thirties chattering excitedly, Xia Feng's eye twitched slightly. Is Mu Qingtong really this famous? A Holy Department captain is her fan?!
"Let me introduce them properly," Freya said with a smile. "These two are my students. Xia Feng—Wei Shutong's adopted son, Boundless Academy's most anticipated genius. And this is Mu Qingtong, from the Mu family in Taicang, considered Chen Laodao's niece. She's a walking encyclopedia—ask her anything about spiritual science you don't understand."
"Oh my god! Chen Laodao, you mean the Mu Qingtong? Old Mu's little niece?!" Old Guan looked shocked.
Chen Xingdao smiled and nodded.
"Wait—you said your niece is engaged, and her fiancé is..." The young captain's gaze slid to Xia Feng standing silently nearby. His excitement instantly deflated like a punctured balloon. Damn it!
Screech—
As the chatter died down, a chair scraped back quietly. Bailong stood without a word, making his stance clear.
Silence fell over the group once more.
The Xuanwu Bureau Chief scanned the room, then rapped his knuckles on the table. "Since everyone's decided, we can't afford to waste time. We need to start strategizing immediately. Li Sheng, gather all team members first."
"Yes, sir!" Li Sheng responded solemnly before leaving.
The old man continued, "As long as Liszt lives, he'll betray Area 51 again eventually. So our goal is simple this time—kill Liszt."
"Liszt has seven third-level and two fourth-level masters under him. I can handle the two fourth-levelers alone. The rest of you deal with the third-levelers."
"Commander, you're taking on two fourth-level masters?" Bailong frowned deeply. "With all due respect, fourth-levelers aren't pushovers."
The bespectacled man beside him tugged his arm, shaking his head. "The commander was once a fifth-level spiritual master. During the 'Sad Hill Holy War,' he was cursed, lost his legs, and suffered severe soul damage. That's why he fell to fourth-level."
"Seriously?!" Bailong's eyes widened. If the commander had been fifth-level, even weakened, his combat experience, mastery of spiritual attire, and unsealed spirit weapons would far surpass ordinary fourth-levelers. Handling two shouldn't be impossible—though his old injuries were a concern.
Xia Feng, listening quietly, nodded to himself. In terms of pure strength, the Holy Department and Liszt are evenly matched. The bureau chief's earlier reluctance to act was likely due to his granddaughter being held hostage. That's why Wei Shutong orchestrated the banquet raid—to prove she was already dead and force his hand.
"One major obstacle remains," the Xuanwu Bureau Chief said gravely. "From Wei Shutong's intel, a small-scale Infinite Field barrier surrounds the birth ceremony site. If threatened, the prince will retreat into it immediately."
"That bastard actually mined enough Infinite Stones for this?!" Old Guan gritted his teeth. Even a small barrier required a staggering amount.
At the mention of "Infinite Stones," Xia Feng's eyes gleamed reflexively.
Sure, I've got 500 grams saved up—enough for years—but who'd say no to more?
"So how do we breach a barrier only a Venerable can break?" Bailong crossed his arms. "Or kill the prince before he activates it? But that's near impossible—the barrier deploys instantly. Plus, we've underestimated the prince's combat ability. He's inexperienced but still a solid third-level spiritual master."
The room sank into silence.
Then, Xia Feng cleared his throat. "Actually... I might have a solution. Care to hear it?"
(End of Chapter)