Chapter 顾慎 Returns

Chapter 245 Trade

Gu Shen returned on the night of the following day.

The roar of propellers filled the air, dispersing the wind and snow. Many enforcement officers at the Tundra Base were awaiting his return.

Gu Nanfeng and Zhu Xue had concluded their negotiations.

The Northern Continent's main vessel hovered above the Tundra Base. The Heaven's Sheath weapon, "Child," was being loaded. Everything was ready except for the crucial final step. The ultimate operation would commence within the next two days.

All that remained was Gu Shen's arrival at the Tundra.

"Brother Gu, this is a gift from His Majesty. You can wear it for this mission."

The long night was moonless, and snowflakes swirled.

At the Tundra Base, the wind howled.

Zhu Xue personally led the welcoming party, presenting Gu Shen with a set of black-patterned, lacquered-edged source armor.

"This is... a sixth-order source armor?"

Gu Shen was surprised.

In the Northern Continent, the bestowal of source armor was extremely strict.

What level of extraordinary being, wears what level of source armor... To obtain better weapons, protective gear, breathing techniques, sealed items, one needed to rely on their own strength and contributions.

He had indeed made some "contributions" to the Northern Continent.

But those contributions were not enough to exchange for this sixth-order source armor.

"Yes."

Zhu Xue smiled and said, "The Northern Continent's military reserves are strained. The highest level of unowned source armor currently available is sixth-order. Otherwise, His Majesty would have gifted you a seventh-order source armor."

Fisher's source armor was seventh-order.

That was the top-tier protective gear worn by titled experts... It was said that Osmond had requested the Empress to transfer his "share" to Living Fish, to ensure his safe survival on land, allowing him to better guard Deepscale City.

Gu Shen accepted the sixth-order source armor, feeling it burning in his hands.

This source armor was a precious item only titled experts were qualified to wear.

"Why would Her Majesty... reward me?"

Gu Shen was somewhat puzzled.

"Her Majesty's actions need no explanation to me... Just take this source armor."

Zhu Xue looked somewhat helpless. He said magnanimously, "This Frozen Lake mission is quite dangerous. Although I don't know how you escaped the 'Heaven's Sheath Curse'... But that thing's destructive power is very real."

Zhu Xue looked towards the main vessel in the air.

Gu Shen also raised his head.

"Child..."

He immediately knew the news of the Heaven's Sheath weapon's successful development.

Three days to solve the storm equation and manufacture a Heaven's Sheath warhead. Everyone was shocked and delighted by this.

But Gu Shen's expression was a little indifferent.

Because he was the mastermind behind the project's success. He had recommended the amnesiac Grave Specter...

Why was there this recommendation?

Gu Nanfeng stood not far from the Tundra Base. He was also in the welcoming party, but standing in a rear position.

At this moment, Gu Nanfeng looked at Gu Shen with a complex expression. He did not choose to step forward and ask at this time, because he knew that since the result was good, there was no need to ask the reason.

This was good for everyone.

Gu Shen had said earlier that this was the result of divination, so this was the result of divination.

"After you enter the Azure King's Authority Realm..."

"We will perform landmark locking at an altitude of one thousand meters above Frozen Lake."

Old Master Gu said slowly, "Jing Shanyan and Zhu Wang should both release their domains. Within the domains of the two titled experts, no mental network can maintain a connection. So we will not attempt to contact you at that time. In the event of signal loss, you need to silently count to one hundred seconds. After one hundred seconds, Child's strike will arrive precisely."

Gu Shen listened silently.

One hundred seconds was a relatively safe time.

After entering the Azure King's Authority Realm, he would have time to observe the environment and adapt. This time would not be too long.

"We don't expect Han Dang to voluntarily release the hostages, so you need to find Mu Wanqiu, Mu Qingyang, and other enforcement personnel before Child arrives." The legion commander said with a solemn expression, "Then, before the strike arrives, you need to unfold your domain, like you did in the White Whale Mountains, and protect them... The Heaven's Sheath weapon's strike is multi-layered. The material-level strike has been 'weakened' many times after penetrating five hundred meters underground, so it will not be so destructive. The truly terrifying thing is the Heaven's Sheath fragments from the 'storm release' moment. Due to the fission and detonation of the equation, the originally relatively gentle and long-lasting Heaven's Sheath curse will become a multi-layered and instantaneous attack."

Gu Shen said that he was a Chosen One, and could ignore the curse.

But they did not know... what exactly was Gu Shen's means of resisting the curse.

Was it an ability, or some sealed item?

Under the Frozen Lake, would this "means" still work?

"Little Gu... don't be stubborn. If you have any difficulties, it's not too late to speak up now." Gu Qilin lowered his voice and asked, "Can you really withstand the 'curse' under fission conditions?"

"No problem."

Gu Shen nodded calmly.

No matter what kind of curse, no matter how it fissioned...

As long as the contract between "Hades" and "Traveler" did not change, then he would be fine!

The withered figure on Black Snow Mountain wanted him to not die in the Heaven's Sheath curse more than everyone else combined...

"So, what I need to do is, after the 'strike' descends, rescue the trapped personnel... But, will the Heaven's Sheath weapon's destructive power be able to kill those escapees under Frozen Lake?"

A brief silence.

Several important figures looked at each other, facing each other in dismay.

No one could give an answer.

"This is the first detonation of the Heaven's Sheath weapon..."

The old master, who had seen countless big scenes, actually sounded a little nervous at this moment.

He took a deep breath, and then said, "According to the previous simulation experiments, even at a depth of five hundred meters underground, Child's storm release is enough to erase all of the extraordinary beings in the Azure King's Authority Realm in an instant."

The material-level strike was the first layer.

What was truly terrifying was...

Was the "Heaven's Sheath Fission" brought about by the storm release—

Hearing this, Gu Shen quickly and obediently put on the source armor.

Regarding the fission curse, he really wasn't too worried.

He just glanced at the warhead being loaded on the main vessel a few more times, and a little bit of fear began to creep into his heart.

He was afraid that he couldn't withstand the first material strike.

"Child's attack will be consumed several times... In any case, Jing Shanyan and Zhu Wang's domains will definitely be severely damaged."

The legion commander said, "You are wearing sixth-order source armor, and you possess the power to 'ignore curses'. Among the enforcement teams of the two continents, there is no one more resistant than you. Most importantly, they are unprepared, but you know when the strike will come."

That's right.

The specific time of the strike was the most important thing.

Even if Zhu Wang was more powerful, and had already achieved the title of "titled expert," in the face of a sudden and devastating strike, there was a very high probability that he would not have time to take "self-preservation" actions... No matter how strong an extraordinary being was, they were still mortal.

Even if Zhu Wang was replaced by an "Apostle," if they didn't have time to activate their relic, they would still suffer!

"Hoo..."

Gu Shen deeply exhaled.

He looked towards the rear of the Tundra Base. The enforcement officers were all looking at him.

"Since everything is ready..."

Gu Shen said softly, "Then, let's begin."

……

……

The "trade" proposed by Han Dang was to be conducted alone at Tundra's Frozen Lake.

Because the old-fashioned one-way recording camera could only transmit limited information... He simply didn't say how the "hostages" would be returned after Gu Shen arrived for the appointment.

Of course, this wasn't very important.

Because no one believed that Han Dang would keep his promise.

The entire vast Frozen Lake had been cordoned off by the enforcement officer teams. It was devoid of life, a scene of deathly silence.

The howling cold wind could not blow past the lakeshore.

Only the cold, lonely fog remained, suffocating.

"The main vessel has arrived at Frozen Lake, currently at an altitude of three thousand five hundred meters, gradually descending, estimated to be 120 seconds at the fastest."

"Slow down the descent speed. The 'trade' has not been triggered."

Above the snow clouds, at an altitude of three thousand five hundred meters, a steel monster was suspended. The central city's main vessel was like a cheetah hidden in the snowy world, quietly lurking, not in a hurry to bare its fangs.

The main vessel was currently outside the maximum mental sensing range of the titled experts.

The reason for the 100-second agreement...

Was because once Gu Shen began the "trade," and the mental link with the main control room disappeared above the Frozen Lake's ice surface, the main vessel could prepare to officially descend, and begin the countdown strike.

Gu Shen arrived on the Frozen Lake's ice surface.

"I have arrived."

He silently transmitted a mental signal, but the connection began to become intermittent. No response came from the main control room.

Looking up, in all directions, the great fog was filled with coldness.

He was surrounded by a pale white snow fog.

Just as Han Dang had said, as long as he stepped onto Frozen Lake, he had his own means to pull him into a domain.

In the distant fog, a slender figure gradually emerged.

At this moment.

Outside Frozen Lake.

"Gu Shen's signal has disappeared—"

"Second link attempt, connection failed!"

"Countdown of 100 seconds officially begins. 100, 99..."

The main vessel began to submerge, still wrapped in snow clouds, not revealing the slightest shadow. The large moon above Tundra was obscured by this gloom. At this moment, with the "movement" of the main vessel, this huge gloom was gradually moving towards the "coordinate location" at the center of Frozen Lake.

"Radar update. Frozen Lake coordinates A304, B102, extraordinary aura appearing."

"Quantity: Fourteen!"

"It's Team Mu! I see them, Team Mu is emerging from Frozen Lake!!"

"Quick, rescue!!!"

Exhilarating roars came from the central channel.

The few extraordinary beings near the coordinates rushed towards Frozen Lake as quickly as possible... In the main vessel, Old Master Gu and Zhu Xue, who were responsible for launching the Child strike, looked at each other. There was unparalleled astonishment in their eyes.

They never expected that Han Dang would actually release the people?

This guy, was he really crazy... He released all fourteen of the enforcement team's hostages as soon as the trade began?

"There's still aura. Vital signs are normal!"

"They are in a mentally comatose state, there is no time to awaken them—"

"Countdown, 64, 63... Retreat quickly, quickly quickly, squad members quickly retreat from the target area, away from Frozen Lake!!"

Fourteen missing enforcement officers were all rescued at this moment. With less than a minute left before the Heaven's Sheath weapon strike landed, this enforcement squad near the lake was frantically retreating. Deepsea had performed data simulations of the Child strike. Every enforcement officer had a relatively safe boundary line in their mental sea.

"The rescue was successful?"

The legion commander frowned. This was clearly good news, but she could not feel any joy. If Han Dang had detained the hostages, she would have felt more at ease than she did now...

Something abnormal must be a demon.

Emergency reports were still continuing in the central control channel.

"Countdown, 30, 29, Investigation Corps Fourth Team, all enforcement officers have completed their retreat, currently arrived outside the safety line."

The legion commander immediately transmitted her voice, "What is their condition? Can they be mentally awakened?"

"Visually, it's just superficial wounds."

"Mental awakening is being performed..."

"Mental awakening failed."

"Countdown, 10, 9..."

"Mental awakening failed."

"Countdown, 3, 2,..."

A strong wind blew across Frozen Lake. The snow and fog were blown away. To be precise, this was not a strong wind, but the cool light flashing from the energy zone of the central city's main vessel's abdomen. This huge ship, suspended above the clouds, had descended two thousand five hundred meters in the specified time, and finally accurately suspended itself one thousand meters above Frozen Lake.

It was not like a giant beast in the clouds.

But like a "sea eye" brewing in a deep-sea vortex.

The abdomen of the main vessel opened, revealing Child. The source energy core burned wildly. Deepsea began to operate the storm equation modified by the Grave Specter. One hundred and eight streams of dark blue flames spurted into the sky. Ten thousand tons of wind formed convection in an instant, sweeping away all the fog above Frozen Lake.

The entire world went from noisy to silent.

It only took a second.

Perhaps even less.

Countdown—

"1."

The enforcement officers outside Frozen Lake. The sound of the countdown was drowned out at this moment. The flying snow, ice shavings, and tough broken ice of Frozen Lake were all turned into "nothingness" in this zero-point-zero-one-second strike.

This was like the power of a god.

In an instant, it shattered all obstacles. Child was not a warhead at all, but a beam of light. The dark blue flames used by the main vessel to stabilize its fuselage were extinguished at this moment. All the energy was poured into Child's ejection bay, like a gluttonous monster with a gaping mouth.

In an instant.

A slender and eerie black beam of light was all that remained at an altitude of one thousand meters.

This was the remnant flame of Child's exhalation.

At this moment, the enforcement officers of the two continents stationed around Frozen Lake personally witnessed this unprecedented and historic moment.

This was like a divine sword descending from the high heavens, directly slashing ten thousand miles.

Every person who gazed at Child, in this second-by-second countdown, hoped to see a "miracle."

At this moment, they saw a miracle.

But this "miracle" looked more like an endless abyss.

The scene of Frozen Lake was truly "frozen" at this moment, turning into nihilistic symbols, broken hieroglyphs. All the visual information remaining on the retina was destroyed by Child.

The entire world was pitch black.

What followed was an boundless surge of air.

The solid ice layer of the Frozen Lake was shattered at this moment by the "divine sword" descending from the sky... Child's strike landed with unparalleled precision. The tip of this "divine sword" accurately stabbed into the underground coordinates where the Azure King's Authority Realm was located.