As Zhang Xiaoli struggled to buy time, Qin Shilei also drew closer to his objective step by step.
"These three doctors have been silenced. What do we do now?" Jin Qiaoqiao asked.
"Have your treasure hunting rat sniff around and see if it can detect the scent of the person who killed them," Qin Shilei said, a hint of tension in his voice.
The treasure hunting rat, capable of understanding human speech, immediately began to sniff meticulously around the area.
"Squeak, squeak, squeak!" The treasure hunting rat soon made a discovery.
Qin Shilei grabbed Jin Qiaoqiao again and they flew rapidly in the direction indicated by the treasure hunting rat.
Soon, they arrived at the bank of a large river.
"Squeak, squeak, squeak!"
The treasure hunting rat scurried back and forth along the riverbank, sniffing extensively, but found nothing.
"My King, that person might have escaped by diving into the river. Due to the water's obstruction, the treasure hunting rat cannot detect their scent," Jin Qiaoqiao said helplessly, cradling the treasure hunting rat.
"The other person was carrying a female infant. That person can dive, but the infant cannot. Have your treasure hunting rat sniff around and see if there are any other human scents," Qin Shilei pondered for a moment, then turned to Jin Qiaoqiao and instructed.
The treasure hunting rat once again scurried around the vicinity, sniffing wildly.
"Squeak, squeak, squeak!"
"It says there are no other human scents," Jin Qiaoqiao said with a frown.
"Then they must have used something like a balloon to enclose the infant and dived away together. In that case, their speed would not have been fast, meaning they would have come ashore not too far from here." Qin Shilei analyzed carefully, then grabbed Jin Qiaoqiao again and they flew rapidly downstream along the river.
After flying for over a hundred kilometers, the treasure hunting rat had not detected the person's scent.
Qin Shilei turned and flew upstream again.
About eighty to ninety kilometers from where they entered the river, the treasure hunting rat suddenly started squeaking excitedly, then it raised its paw and pointed towards a section of the river they had just flown over.
"It says, that place just now seemed to have that person's scent."
Qin Shilei quickly pulled Jin Qiaoqiao and flew back above that section of the river.
"Squeak, squeak, squeak!"
"That direction."
Qin Shilei followed the direction Jin Qiaoqiao pointed and flew rapidly forward.
Fortunately, Qin Shilei had fixed several attributes for the treasure hunting rat, allowing it to clearly smell the person's scent even during rapid flight, thus saving Qin Shilei a lot of time.
Soon, they arrived at a deserted town, three to four hundred kilometers from Calvia.
"Squeak, squeak, squeak!"
"It says the person's scent is getting clearer and clearer. They are very likely in the small town ahead."
Just as Qin Shilei was about to conceal himself and infiltrate, a sharp warning sound suddenly emanated from the town.
He hadn't expected the other party to be so vigilant, sounding an alarm as soon as someone approached.
Since that was the case, he had no choice but to storm in directly.
Qin Shilei's eyes instantly turned a mesmerizing purple.
The evolved beings in the town, upon hearing the warning sound, immediately flew out from their hiding places.
However, as soon as they emerged, they found the sky suddenly plunged into an absolute darkness, and the entire town was engulfed in blackness.
"What's going on?"
"Who gave the alarm? Where is the enemy?"
"Why can't my fireballs illuminate the surroundings?"
At this moment, the evolved beings in the town were trapped in the illusion Qin Shilei had set up, feeling as though they had entered a place of complete darkness.
Taking advantage of the enemy's momentary panic, Qin Shilei, guided by the treasure hunting rat, arrived at a basement.
"Stop, or this blade in my hand won't have eyes."
A masked clown held a long saber to the infant's neck and shouted sternly.
There was another man in the basement, chanting an incantation and casting a spell.
"Hmph!"
Qin Shilei snorted coldly. The eyes of both men suddenly became vacant.
A phantom blur flashed, and the infant was already in Qin Shilei's arms, back where he had been.
However, a mysterious formation on the ground at that moment lit up with a white glow.
Qin Shilei ignored the formation and the two men he controlled, looking down at the infant in his arms.
"Don't cry, Daddy is here to save you."
"Waaah, waaah!" The infant paid no attention to Qin Shilei's words and continued to cry incessantly.
"My King, this infant might be hungry. Do you have any milk powder or anything like that?" Jin Qiaoqiao reminded him.
Qin Shilei rummaged through his spatial ring and found several bottles of milk powder and milk bottles, then shoved them into Jin Qiaoqiao's hands.
He then handed the infant over to her, "Take her to my grotto-heaven and look after her."
After thinking for a moment, he took the infant back, took out a sound transmission talisman, and contacted Zhang Xiaoli.
The video call was soon connected.
"Tell Mary her daughter has been rescued, and she shouldn't worry."
Mary's avatar quickly appeared on the video. "Where is my daughter? Let me see her quickly."
Qin Shilei adjusted the position of the sound transmission talisman, bringing his youngest daughter into view on the video.
Just then, a majestic voice echoed in everyone's ears, "I, a god, have descended. Do you not hasten to kneel and welcome me?"
Qin Shilei looked up to see a man clad in golden armor emerging from the formation.
"You go into my space first and take good care of my daughter."
After saying that, he placed the infant into Jin Qiaoqiao's arms and then put her into his spatial dimension.
"Oh?" Thor's gaze fell upon Qin Shilei, his expression one of surprise.
Then, a golden light flashed in his eyes as he scanned Qin Shilei from head to toe.
"I didn't expect there to be a Diamond Six-star evolved being on Blue Star."
"The only regret is that he's actually a yellow-skinned fellow."
"Never mind. It's your great fortune to encounter this god today. Mortal, do you wish to become my follower? When Blue Star's barrier is fully opened and my true form descends, I will bestow upon you infinite power. In the future, I can also help you ignite the divine fire, establish a divine kingdom, and share eternal life with us."
Qin Shilei observed the other party intently. With a cultivation level of only peak Gold, it should only be a clone.
He tentatively asked, "Are you a god? Has your true form's cultivation reached the King realm?"
A hint of displeasure flickered across Thor's face, but he patiently explained, "The King realm is not something easily achieved. I have lived for tens of thousands of years and have never heard of any god entering such a legendary realm."
"Oh," Qin Shilei asked again, "Do you know Shiva? What is his cultivation level?"
"Hmph," Thor scoffed disdainfully. "That coward is only a Master Three-star. If he didn't always hide in his divine kingdom, I would have hammered him to death with one blow."
As he spoke, his expression suddenly turned stern, and he said with great authority, "Mortal, do you or do you not wish to become my follower? You should consider carefully. If not for your slight potential, you wouldn't even dream of becoming my subordinate."
Qin Shilei did not answer the other party's question and instead continued to inquire, "Were you once a human on Blue Star? How many other gods like you are there now, and what are their strengths?"
"Hmph," Thor cold-snorted. "It is I who am questioning you now, not the other way around. Once you become my follower, I will explain everything to you."
Qin Shilei said indifferently, "If I don't understand clearly, how can I know if you are worth following? If there are many gods like you, and they are all more powerful than you, why wouldn't I follow them instead?"
Thor said indignantly, "You oblivious fellow, among all the gods, I am considered one of the very best. Since you are so unappreciative, then don't expect to receive my blessings."
He said this and then slowly vanished back into the formation.
As for the two men who had summoned him, Thor did not even spare them a glance.