Chapter 95: Are You Sure It's Devouring, Not Dissipation?

“Is this some kind of beast congregation in the making?” Zhang Chu was dumbfounded as he watched the footage captured by the drone.

“When did the beasts become so united? This isn’t normal.” The Gale Squad had spent years traversing the land and dealing with beasts, but none had ever witnessed such a bizarre spectacle.

“Never heard of anything like this,” Fan Dayong interjected.

According to preliminary statistics from the Martial Administration Bureau, there were over three hundred species of beasts inhabiting Canglong Mountain. The balance between beast species was the key to maintaining the equilibrium of their ecosystem. In other words, aside from warriors hunting beasts, different species often fought and preyed upon one another. This was the primary method of beast growth.

“When something unusual happens, there’s always something behind it. I’ve already sent the photos to Director Luo,” Zhang Xueying said.

“Are there any spiritual arrays set up by cultivators around this high-grade forbidden zone?” Just then, Huang Lili, having recovered after taking a Focus Pill, stood up, adjusted her short, crisp hair, and asked curiously.

“Not that I know of.” Zhang Xueying shook her head. “Canglong Mountain is one of the training bases developed by the Martial Administration Bureau. Usually, they use high-powered electric grids for containment. The electric grid around the high-grade forbidden zone reaches 2,000 volts—even a nine-star beast couldn’t break through.”

“Brother Zhang Chu, the one who attacked me just now was a spiritual array,” Huang Lili’s words silenced the group.

As the only gifted member in the Special Ops Team who awakened the ‘Array Construction’ talent, Huang Lili was most sensitive to fluctuations in spiritual arrays.

“Xiao Chu, what do we do now?” Wang Peng asked.

Though Zhang Chu appeared perplexed, he had already summoned the system and was engaged in conversation.

“System, introduce the four-star passive devour skill,” Zhang Chu murmured inwardly.

He suddenly recalled the moment he first met Huo Yuanqi. The system automatically prompted that spiritual power from cultivators could be devoured. Zhang Chu had a bold conjecture: “System, explain this professional term!”

Sure enough.

The system gave him a definite answer: “Passive Devour, fourth form, allows the user to devour spiritual power values.”

He had just devised a plan when Wang Peng dragged him back to reality.

Seeing everyone looking at him, Zhang Chu pointed at the drone photo. “Xueying, please activate the drone’s vision mode. Everyone, equip your drone perception glasses—we’ll break through from here!”

“Are you confident?” Zhang Xueying asked in a low voice.

“Piece of cake!” Zhang Chu blinked, leaving Zhang Xueying stunned. “Wait… Did he just wink at me in front of everyone?”

Soon.

All members of the Special Ops Team equipped their drone perception glasses. These were the latest high-tech products developed by the Martial Administration Bureau for team battles. Not only could everyone see the footage from the drone’s perspective, but the glasses could also project a mapped path. Most impressively, within the same drone network, the visuals from each team member’s drone could be shared.

Zhang Chu chose to break through at the 88th mark of the high-grade forbidden zone, a ravine between two mountains, eighty-nine kilometers from their current location.

They formed a 2-2-2 formation and quickly advanced toward the 88th mark.

In front were Zhang Chu and Fan Dayong, the only two dual-force warriors. In the middle were Hu Sanyi and Zhang Xueying. At the rear were Wang Peng and Huang Lili, the two gifted members.

After crossing two mountains, the six finally reached the ravine near the 88th high ground.

Through the drone’s vision mode, they saw the ravine teeming with armored wasteland wolves—at least a thousand, by rough estimate.

Zhang Xueying maneuvered the drone closer and activated the energy detection mode. “There are 1,100 armored wasteland wolves. The highest is a four-star; most are one-star.”

“It seems that the four-star armored wasteland wolf surrounded in the middle must be their king,” Fan Dayong locked onto the two-meter-tall wolf king through his perception glasses.

“The spiritual shield that attacked me is right in front of the armored wasteland wolves, at the entrance to the gorge,” Huang Lili said.

“The energy is intense!” With her eyes closed, Huang Lili used her gifted combat skill, ‘Array Construction,’ to sense the shield.

Zhang Chu knew well—setting up such a massive array required a six-to-nine-star cultivator, or the Demon Suppression Tower itself. Breaking through wouldn’t be easy.

“It looks like, to enter the high-grade forbidden zone, we must break open a hole in this spiritual array shield and then kill these star beasts,” Hu Sanyi, captain of the Gale Squad, quickly proposed the most direct and effective team strategy.

“I’ll request aerial strike support!”

Fan Dayong referred to aerial strike support as deploying Martial God One drones carrying high-powered electromagnetic missiles to blast open the array.

“No need. I have a way,” Zhang Chu stopped Fan Dayong.

“Lili, can you find the weakest point in the array shield?” Zhang Chu asked.

“Right away!” Huang Lili closed her eyes, spread her spiritual power, and quickly locked onto a spot, syncing the mark to everyone’s perception glasses.

With the position locked, Zhang Chu began planning the breakthrough.

First echelon: Fan Dayong and Wang Peng, responsible for disrupting the armored wasteland wolves’ formation once the shield was breached, with Wang Peng attempting to hypnotize as many star beasts as possible.

Second echelon: Zhang Xueying and Hu Sanyi, supporting Fan Dayong.

Third echelon: Huang Lili, providing remote surveillance.

“Xiao Chu, don’t be reckless—be careful!” Wang Peng, familiar with Zhang Chu, warned him.

“Don’t worry, we’ll still have time for drinks when we get back.”

Following Huang Lili’s marked location, Zhang Chu used ‘Silver Flash’ to swiftly reach the designated spot.

His arrival caused the wolves within the array to howl furiously. But separated by the array, neither side could harm the other.

Zhang Chu gave the four-star armored wasteland wolf in the center a middle finger, then stretched out his right hand and touched an invisible wall of energy.

From the hillside, the others watched Zhang Chu’s actions, bewildered.

“Zhang Xueying, Zhang Chu’s from your Martial Arts Research Institute. What’s he doing?”

“I’m not sure,” Zhang Xueying replied, her doubts growing.

Normally, breaking an array required finding the array’s core or brute force. This method was entirely new.

“It seems… the spiritual power at that spot is rapidly weakening! It’s being devoured!” Huang Lili stared in astonishment at Zhang Chu’s back. “Our Brother Zhang Chu really is something. Is this his gifted combat skill?”

Devour… devour?

Wait! Are you sure it’s devouring, not dissipating?

Everyone looked at Zhang Chu with baffled, even unfamiliar, expressions.

Meanwhile, Zhang Chu closed his eyes, savoring the experience. “Damn, I was right. The fourth form of passive devour is practically cheating—it can actually absorb the energy from a spiritual array!”