When Meng Chao left the underground, it was already late at night.
To make it easier for them to provide reinforcements, the gangs had set up dozens of high-powered searchlights on the roofs of more than ten buildings. The piercing light tore through the smoke and illuminated the night until it was as bright as day.
Meng Chao narrowed his eyes, and he felt dizzy.
He was still digesting the bomb Su Lun had dropped on him and stirred up a storm.
There was a lot of information in Su Lun's confession. Even now, Meng Chao's brain cells were still burning. He felt a headache coming on because of this shocking piece of information.
Lu Siya had also finished interrogating Wandering Specter Zhong Li and the other former Reaper Squad members.
Based on the thick stench of blood around her, her interrogation had gone "smoothly".
"The former Reaper Squad members don't know where the Vortex is hiding either. The main problem is that it can change into anything it wants. It can turn into anyone it wants, and when it's not in a human body, it's a semi-liquid lifeform that's even softer than a slug. As long as there's a crack that's more than one millimeter thick, it can crawl in and flee without a trace," Lu Siya said.
"The good news is that Wandering Specter Zhong Li and the others gave up a few of their nests, and we captured a group of their companions. We also found a large batch of powerful spirit energy weapons and crystal bombs with astonishing destructive power. Of course, we also found hundreds of Deification Capsules. If we hadn't stopped them in time, this batch of weapons, ammunition, and gene medicine would have definitely destroyed the lair.
"Right now, the fires at the perimeter of the lair have basically been extinguished.
"Song Jinbo, Xiong Wei, and the others are leading the gang members to inspect the spirit energy pipes and warehouses for flammable and explosive items. They're chasing down those who slipped through the cracks and getting rid of all hidden dangers.
"The spirit energy magnetic field interference might still be bad, but we used the high-powered communicators used in mines to build a bridge of information with the outside world. I've already reported everything that happened here to Vice Director Ye. The outside world is shocked by the truth of the battle in the lair. They're also actively gathering resources and manpower to receive the large number of wounded and refugees in the lair.
"Vice Director Ye told me that by midnight at the latest, a large temporary hospital will be built at the edge of the lair. This hospital has the ability to examine more than one thousand patients every hour. As long as the lair citizens pass the examination and are certain that they don't have any fatal bacteria, viruses, or spores in their bodies, they can retreat to the outside world.
"Once they received this guarantee, the gangs' expressions became slightly better, and they worked harder to solve the problem in Leprosy Village.
"Just now, Su Mulian brought the special envoys of the gangs back to Leprosy Village under Broken Sword Ye Xiaoyue's protection. She's discussing with Wild Wolves about the rescue and evacuation.
"The gangs are also evacuating the area around Leprosy Village at the fastest speed and with the greatest sincerity. They're setting up camps and gathering resources. We estimate that the first batch of villagers will be able to take in around eight hundred to one thousand. It might not be a lot, but it's a good start. I believe that when the remaining villagers see that the problem is starting to be solved, they will show more patience and grit their teeth to get through this crisis.
"In any case, aside from the Vortex, which we still haven't found, everything else is progressing in a good direction. Meng Chao, why do you look like you're deep in thought and frown? Is Su Lun not willing to tell us the truth?"
"No, he already told me."
Meng Chao smiled wanly. "He told me more than I wanted. He told me so much that my head was about to explode."
Meng Chao stuffed the bomb Su Lun had tossed into Lu Siya's arms.
Once she finished listening to his story, Lu Siya's eyes became a little blank.
"The leader of the monster civilization is a human?" she asked in disbelief.
"The leader of the monster civilization was' once 'a human." Meng Chao emphasized his words.
Lu Siya thought about it and said, "This means that this human has already turned into a strange creature. Does he look like a monster or a demon that's even more terrifying than a monster?"
"I don't know. Su Lun didn't say anything. He didn't personally see the leader of the monster civilization either. He only heard the Vortex's words," Meng Chao said.
"The Vortex didn't describe it in detail either. It only told Su Lun that before long, he would personally see the true face of the monster civilization's leader."
"Then the Vortex must be lying. It used this lie to get rid of Su Lun's final worries," Lu Siya said.
"The leader of the monster civilization is a human? How is that possible?! "
"I don't think the Vortex is 100% lying," Meng Chao said.
"I've come into close contact with the Vortex before. If it weren't for the fact that it has a deep understanding of human civilization, as a monster, it would have never been able to disguise itself as a human so perfectly.
"And the existence of the former Reaper Squad members and the Vortex luring the jobless people in the slums to take the Deification Capsules and turn them into robbers who kill without batting an eyelid. This involves human life science, social psychology, criminology, and many other fields of professional knowledge. Do you think that monsters who eat raw meat in the mountains and drink blood can learn all of this without a teacher?
"It doesn't matter whether the leader of the monster civilization is a human or not. The monster civilization was inspired and influenced by human civilization, and it gave birth to a brand new civilization. Even if they look as ugly and monstrous as demons, they are deeply connected to us.
"Think about it from another angle. If you were a super monster who had just gained intelligence and wanted to create and upgrade your civilization, wouldn't the best way be to capture a few humans and learn from your greatest enemy?"
"That's true," Lu Siya admitted.
"In the secret files of the abnormal beast research department, there are indeed quite a number of humans who weren't eaten after they were captured by monsters. Instead, they conducted all sorts of experiments on them. In fact, some monsters can read a human's memories by eating their brains. It's not strange for them to learn how humans think and how they organize their society.
"But how did a human who was captured by monsters suddenly turn around and become the leader of the monster civilization?"
"That's another story," Meng Chao said.
"Perhaps what the Vortex said is an exaggeration. Or perhaps this so-called human leader is just a puppet pushed to the forefront by the monster civilization.
"The benefits of creating a human puppet are clear.
"If the monster civilization is filled with monsters and refuses to accept humans' surrender, then everyone will fight to the end. Even if the monster civilization can really destroy Dragon City, they will definitely have to pay a devastating price.
"And if they have a human leader, even if he's just a puppet, it can make many people like Su Lun overcome their psychological barriers and moral limits and work for the monster civilization.
"They can lie to themselves and think that they aren't the monsters' puppets but are loyal to the humans behind the monster civilization. The monster civilization is just another form of human civilization that is more suited to the environment of the Other World," Meng Chao said.
"How terrifying."
Lu Siya could not help but shudder. She mumbled, "This information is indeed a bomb that might change the direction of the war. No, I have to immediately report it to the higher-ups."
"Wait, this information is indeed very important, but the most imminent threat is still the Vortex," Meng Chao said through gritted teeth.
"No matter what, we have to drag it out. Only then will we win the battle of the lair."
"What if it has already run away?"
Lu Siya asked. "It's been a few hours since we captured Red Brows Su Lun and Wandering Specter Zhong Li, but the Vortex hasn't done anything.
"I believe that it must have hidden information channels in the lair and immediately know what happened to Su Lun and Zhong Li. The victor has already been decided, so there's no reason for it to continue staying here."
"No, the victor of the game between me and it hasn't been decided yet," Meng Chao said.
"I believe that the Vortex has a deeper scheme. It won't run away with its tail between its legs so easily."
"Why?"
Lu Siya asked. "What makes you so sure that it has a scheme?"
"Based on the fact that the scheme we're stopping right now is something that Red Brows Su Lun and Wandering Specter Zhong Li know about and are carrying out," Meng Chao said.
"If you were the Vortex, would you tell your subordinates all your plans and place all your hopes on a group of humans?" Meng Chao asked.
"…"
Lu Siya thought about it for a while before she raised her hands in surrender. "Alright, you're right. It's impossible for the Vortex to place all its hopes on Su Lun and the others, but if that's the case, we'll lose all our clues. Are we supposed to just stay here like idiots and wait for the Vortex to attack?"
"No, there's another clue."
Meng Chao's expression suddenly turned really strange. "A clue that's not a clue."
…
Five minutes later.
Meng Chao brought Lu Siya back to the underground of Mutual Gold Coliseum.
This place was even deeper than the monster cage where Su Lun was imprisoned.
There were unfinished rooms and tunnels everywhere. They were filled with messy construction materials and trash.
There was also a pitch-black, chilly shaft that was whimpering weakly at every moment.
Meng Chao tilted his head and listened to the shaft for a while.
Then, he floated down.
When he landed on the ground like a dried leaf, he did not see a single person at the bottom of the shaft.
There were only a few faint traces of blood.
A 'Ji, who had crawled into the secret tunnel with him to sneak into Mutual Gold Coliseum but had fallen down while climbing the shaft, disappeared.
But Meng Chao's eyelashes did not even flutter. He was neither surprised nor worried, as if he had expected this a long time ago.
"Big Sis Ya, you're a Spirit Sensor, so your senses are really sharp. Help me track someone," Meng Chao said.
"No, don't bother about the blood on the ground and the walls of the shaft. There's a high chance that the other party set this up to lead us in the wrong direction.
"You just need to sense whether there are any Red Radiance Jade ripples around you. I used monster liquid to rub a handful of Red Radiance Jade crystal powder on the other party's back."
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