When Zhang Xiaoman followed Xiao Ya to this place, a boy named Xiao Du had already taken the time to strip off all the scabs on the entire wall, revealing its original appearance.
"No wonder we couldn’t find it, no matter how hard we looked. I’ve lived in Dragon Sleep Mountain my whole life and never saw that thing. It was hidden by someone... "
Ye Cang and the people from the Ye Family arrived at this moment as well. Mr. Ye pondered the circular pattern on the wall, his doubts finally resolved.
Zhang Xiaoman slowly walked over, her fingers gently brushing against the wall, thinking to herself that her guess had indeed been correct, and the Sect Establishment Order was truly effective in hiding the passageway in such a manner.
At her side, the little Taoist saw the esteemed figure approaching and quickly stepped aside, starting up a conversation with the girl named Xiao Ya.
Ye Cang came up to Zhang Xiaoman’s side and asked softly, "Star Lord, is this the passageway? Should I ask them to leave first?"
Zhang Xiaoman pondered for a moment, then shook her head and said, "Let it be, this place will become a branch of the Star Alliance later anyway. There’s no need to hide such things. It’s better for them to know sooner so they can get used to it. Just make sure they don’t go around talking recklessly."
"Don’t worry, Star Lord. They are all from the direct lineage and close confidants of the Ye Family. I will give them a thorough talking to later. There won’t be any problems," Ye Cang assured her.
Zhang Xiaoman nodded and said nothing more. She extended her finger and directed Dark Energy into the Star Alliance Marker before her, activating each one in turn.
Ye Cang took two steps back, his gaze filled with surprise as he watched the spectacle unfold before him, like a resplendent galaxy descending. He was filled with desire and anticipation for such formidable power.
Although he was now an Awakener himself, in his eyes, he could only use the Spirit Detection Technique so far. His power was too weak, nowhere near the level of the Star Lord, who could cause such astonishing anomalies with a mere gesture, leaving people dazzled and mesmerized.
If this was the impression on Mr. Ye, the others in attendance were even more awe-struck.
Ye Fei, Ye Yunxiu, and others had already witnessed the extraordinary means before, so they were somewhat prepared.
But for the little Taoist, Ye Mo, and the like, who were seeing such a scene with their own eyes for the first time, their eyes nearly popped out of their heads. They became firm believers in the stories that had circulated about Dragon Sleep Mountain.
When Zhang Xiaoman’s figure faded and then emerged from the three-meter-diameter illusory passageway, the utter astonishment of everyone present reached its peak. Murmurs of shock were incessant, and even Ye Cang couldn’t help but feel his spirit uplifted and his breathing quicken.
"Hmm... The passageway is operating normally. It looks like we can go ahead with our plan. Mr. Ye, I’ll give you a detailed plan in a few days. If there’s something lacking or something to add, we can then discuss it further."
The so-called plan wasn’t really anything special, just a scheme inspired by the approach of England on how to develop branches of the Star Alliance.
As it stood, there was nothing particularly unusual about it. It was pretty much about providing basic supplies and transportation links for Star Alliance members, at most adding some information regarding intelligence.
As for the rest, they would add to it later, since such matters required collective wisdom and also needed to be tailored according to actual needs.
Having perfectly accomplished his objectives on Dragon Sleep Mountain, Zhang Xiaoman’s mood was even better. After talking with Ye Cang for a while, she also imparted some of her new developments in the cultivation of Dark Energy, much to the elder’s benefit.
"Alright, it’s getting late, and I have many things to handle, so I will be going back now. Don’t forget about the next Awakening, Mr. Ye. I should notify you of the specific time within the next few days."
Zhang Xiaoman finished speaking, bid farewell to the other party, and then used the Eye of the Starry Sky to return to Rebirth Island.
At the same time, within Qionghua City of Jiangnan Province, at the Third Research Institute.
A group of researchers dressed in white lab coats hurriedly walked to and fro, and one could often see many people pushing various strange devices past.
These devices all contained many peculiar tissues, preserved in refrigeration; just by looking at their appearances, one could feel an indescribable weirdness, clearly not resembling any creature from Water Blue Star.
"Hey, hey, hey! Wait for me! Don’t close the elevator!!"
A young man wearing glasses was quickly pushing a refrigeration cart down the corridor, ahead of him was an elevator door that was about to close.
The person inside the elevator seemed to have heard his shout, pressed a button, and the closing door reopened.
"Thanks, I’m going to the sixth floor... Eh? Li Ziran? How come it’s you? Aren’t you supposed to be off today?"
The young man with glasses pushed the tall refrigeration cart without initially seeing the person’s face in the elevator. Only after entering did he realize that it was his good friend.
That person named Li Ziran was a slightly overweight young man, around the same age as the man with glasses. Both were alumni of the same university, with only one grade between them.
"Guan Liang, after such a big event happened yesterday, do you think I could still have the peace of mind to rest? There’s going to be an all-staff meeting tonight. Forget rest, even those who were out of town have been called back."
"Oh, right, I heard this incident is no small matter, the Abnormality Department is fully dealing with the aftermath. Who would have thought that four monsters would appear at Changming Tower? In the past, even if there were any, they were just scattered individuals, but this time they appeared en masse."
As he said this, the elevator’s doors had opened again, and the two arrived at the sixth floor and stepped out together.
"I heard that the several monsters that appeared this time are like the Number 3 we caught a month ago, but it’s a pity that it was already dead when we brought it back, lacking most of its research value."
Li Ziran’s destination was clearly the same as Guan Liang’s, to a storage room on the sixth floor.
"Isn’t that so? I heard that tonight’s meeting is specifically about it. The Abnormality Department seems to have gotten hold of some data through certain channels. Later we might have to launch a special research project focusing on it, temporarily shifting our attention away from Sheep Village."
Guan Liang frowned and said,
"Isn’t the situation at Sheep Village resolved yet? I heard the Azure Dragon Army is stationed there; they’ve already killed three monsters. Here at the Three Institutes, from Number 5 to Number 7, they all look like mutated dogs, and the ten containment rooms are almost filled by them."
Li Ziran nodded in agreement, then looked at the refrigeration cart he was pushing and asked, "Anyway, what exactly do you have inside here? I haven’t seen it before. Could it be the new Number 8?"
Guan Liang shook his head and said, "You could say that. This thing was sent over from Tai Mei City. They said it was already dead when found, apparently hit by a truck on a mountain road. Senior Liu asked me to preserve it first, with the focus placed on researching the monster from yesterday. Since this one was already dead, it was not listed as Number 8."