In his previous life, though Xu Que met his end at the hands of Liu Ruyan and Ji Boda, he was well aware of the true faces of the powerful figures from other nations. Among them, those so-called mighty powers from M Country left the deepest mark of resentment. Not only were they ruthless, but they would even use the lives of people from Z Country as mere fodder for their so-called experiments.
While Xu Que had never personally encountered these individuals, he remembered how the news reports back then surged online like a blizzard.
But as he recalled the news, Xu Que couldn't help but question himself. He distinctly remembered a post claiming the arrival of gods…
Now, having been reborn on the very day of Tianyuan's descent, he sometimes wondered if divine beings truly existed—or perhaps he was simply too insignificant to touch upon such mysteries.
Bringing himself back to the present, Xu Que examined the corpses of the Shovel Gold Beetles left behind after clearing the valley entrance. He instructed Shen Mengchu and the others to remain in place.
Following Xu Que's directions, Zhao Xian and Kun Shao led a group to search the vicinity of the valley for special flowering plants.
"Brother Xu, do you think these plants could be cultivated outside?" Kun Shao asked, eyeing the wild herbs at his feet.
"They could, but cultivating them will likely require considerable effort," Xu Que replied.
"Brother Xu, I've been meaning to ask you something. Could you answer a question for me?" Kun Shao grinned sheepishly.
"No." Xu Que curtly replied, plucking a flowering plant by its roots.
"Wait, it's about this calamity!" Kun Shao quickly added. "I wanted to ask why livestock that haven't been slaughtered don't decay, yet those killed only minutes earlier rot so quickly?"
Xu Que scrutinized Kun Shao, thinking to himself that this kid could excel in anything—except his cultivation, which was clearly subpar.
"Do you have any siblings?" Xu Que asked.
Kun Shao was momentarily baffled but replied, "I'm an only child. Why do you ask?"
"Oh, just curious," Xu Que smiled. "As for your question, I don't have an answer. Perhaps one day, a scholar will provide one. For now, focus your energy on cultivation."
In truth, Xu Que knew the answer—one proposed by a scholar in his previous life. As for the mystery of the decaying food on Blue Star, it wasn't much of an issue now; there were enough interdimensional creatures around to feed everyone for a day on a fist-sized piece of meat. In another twenty days or so, the system shop would have food and vegetable supplies available, so starvation wouldn't be a concern.
When everyone had finished gathering, Xu Que ground the plants into paste and quickly smeared it over himself.
"What are you all standing around for? Apply this juice, or stay behind," Xu Que urged the group.
"Oh, right," Zhao Xian pinched his nose, enduring the sharp odor as he spread the plant's sap over himself.
Meanwhile, Kun Shao and Huang Bo's group applied the paste without hesitation.
"What's this stuff supposed to do, Brother Xu?" Kun Shao asked as he smeared it on.
"Remember the Shovel Gold Beetles we encountered when we came in?"
Kun Shao nodded. "Those bugs were tough. If we hadn't reacted quickly, they might've clawed us."
Xu Que nodded. "This plant's juice masks our scent. Even if we walk right through a swarm of them, they'll mistake us for these plants. When we reach the valley, we'll be wiping out all the Shovel Gold Beetles!"
Hearing this, Zhao Xian and the others understood why Xu Que had made them search for these plants.
With the acrid scent from each person intensifying, they began advancing into the valley.
When Xu Que and his group stepped into the valley, the scene took their breath away.
The valley teemed with Shovel Gold Beetles, numbering at least a thousand…
"Brother Xu, are you sure we need to kill them all?" Kun Shao asked with some reluctance.
Xu Que cursed inwardly. Although he knew the intel from his previous life might not be entirely reliable, this was absurd!
The records indicated only a few hundred Shovel Gold Beetles. But here were at least a thousand, with who knew how many more hiding in the surrounding caves…
In the past, Shen Yin Company deployed thirty-six personnel to conquer this interdimensional space—two A-level, four B-level, and thirty C-level fighters. And now, there were only six of them here… They could fight all night and still not finish off these Shovel Gold Beetles.
Sensing Xu Que's silence, Kun Shao hesitated and asked, "Brother Xu, is there any way to take them out in one sweep?"
Xu Que looked at Kun Shao, then sighed with a wry smile. "I wish there were, but our strength doesn't permit it. So let's take them down the hard way."
With Xu Que's resigned tone, Zhao Xian and the others resigned themselves as well and approached the beetle swarm to begin the extermination.
While the beetles were ferocious attackers, their defenses were fragile. If firearms were effective here, two cases of ammunition would likely resolve the problem with ease.
...
Eastern suburbs of Mo City.
A powerful explosion shook the depths below, releasing a vile stench mingled with sewage.
"Are you certain we can go through here?" Tang Xue asked with skepticism.
"The subway Line 8 is entirely shut down now. If we enter from a station, residual cameras would catch us. Here's different. Although a sewage pipeline is in the way, right behind it is Line 8. Without subway traffic, we'll break through in a few hours." Ji Boda explained.
"Why not just charge in? Security is so lax now that we could be in and out in thirty minutes."
Ji Boda chuckled, glancing at Tang Xue as he gently caressed her figure, speaking in a low voice. "Thirty minutes? Are you joking? Even now, those people could arrive within twenty minutes. If we're caught, not even a corpse would be left for us to take."
"But you'll reach D level soon; regular firepower can't harm you," Tang Xue replied.
"I'd rather not see you die before me," Ji Boda murmured, lifting her chin. "It may be slower this way, but it's safe and steady. Understand?"
Tang Xue's lips curved into a smile beneath her mask as she pressed her forehead against his, mimicking a kiss.
"With you, it's always better."
As the two exchanged veiled affections, a lackey in a clown mask stood at the tunnel's entrance and called out, "Boss Ji, the wall leading to the subway's been blown open!"
With a twisted smile beneath his mask, Ji Boda quickly made his way into the tunnel.
After verifying the path, Ji Boda approached the opposite wall and drew a large red circle based on the map.
"How much do we set?" asked one of his men.
"Let's start with four charges. If the wall breaks, dig through until you reach the other side," Ji Boda ordered.
The lackey nodded, placing four explosives within the marked red circle.
As the group withdrew, the explosives detonated in unison.
In a nearby control room, four security guards rushed out, meeting two others on the first floor.
"What's going on?" one of them asked.
"Probably just more of those creatures. They've been setting off missiles randomly all week," one of the first-floor guards replied.
"And the monitoring and alarm systems?"
"Everything's fine. Only top-level execs know about this place," the guard reassured them.
Relieved, the four underground guards returned to their posts. They'd been on edge, worried about a potential enemy attack.