Chapter 197: Waging War
With Xiang Heng joining the Research Department, breakthroughs were made on many projects that had hit a bottleneck, all thanks to his insights.
Not only that, but his research progressed at a remarkable pace.
In just three months, he had thoroughly analyzed the unknown fluid from Kulundi.
Although Feng He was technically his superior, he followed Xiang Heng around every day, eager to learn as much as he could from him.
With these two working so diligently, it wasn’t long before everyone else started putting in more effort too.
Normally, the lights in the Research Department would be out by 8 p.m., but now, they were still blazing.
The Research Department was caught in a competitive grind, and when the other departments saw this, they got sucked in one after another.
Everyone in the entire Monster Investigation Bureau was swept up in the frenzy. Even the office dogs were staying up later than usual.
Everyone was in a state of hyper-competition, terrified of falling behind.
Even Shi Feng, who was usually oblivious to the outside world while holed up in the Mecha Manufacturing Room, could feel the change in atmosphere.
During lunch today, Shi Feng looked around and asked, “Is everyone in this much of a rush?”
“Don’t we have a two-hour break? Do they really need to eat this fast?” Shi Feng asked, frowning.
“They’re all caught up in the grind,” Gu Kaiwen replied with a sigh.
“No one wants to be the one to fall behind.”
“Huh? Why the sudden competition? Can’t everyone just take it easy?” Shi Feng asked, scratching his head in confusion.
“It all started three months ago…” Gu Kaiwen began, letting out a long sigh.
Shi Feng held up a hand to stop him. “If it’s a long story, I don’t want to hear it.”
Gu Kaiwen shot him a sideways glance, then said simply, “Feng He and Xiang Heng are the ones who started it.”
“Those two spend so much time in the lab that their subordinates have started following their lead, working themselves to death on research.”
After getting the gist, Shi Feng chuckled. “Well, as long as all this grinding leads to some discoveries, I guess it’s fine.”
“Heh, funny you should say that. They actually did,” Gu Kaiwen said, nodding in agreement.
Perhaps the last few months had been too peaceful. They had all but forgotten the string of disasters that had occurred before.
For three months, Huang Bo Lin had waited. He’d been waiting for Lin Jingjing to lead an assault on him.
But she never came. Huang Bo Lin was starting to lose interest.
‘Fine. If Lin Jingjing won’t come to me, then I’ll go to them.’
‘It’s time to remind them that I, the final boss, am not to be underestimated.’
Unable to sleep that night, he sat by Su Wen’s bedside, gently wiping his wife’s hand as he gave an order to his subordinates. “Go to a few random planets and stir up some disasters.”
“I’m worried they’ve forgotten we exist.”
Five figures stood behind Huang Bo Lin—two women and three men, all clad in black.
Their faces were all blank, betraying no hint of emotion.
Upon hearing Huang Bo Lin’s command, the five of them shouted in unison, “Yes, sir!”
They departed after acknowledging the order, and the room fell silent once more.
It took them less than a single night to receive the order and carry it out.
「As the first rays of dawn broke」 While everyone was still deep in slumber, a monster tide erupted on D1 Star.
Countless monsters poured out of a black hole, swarming toward the city center.
The sanitation robots, busy with their morning cleaning routines, detected the monsters and blared powerful alarms.
“BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!—”
“Monster invasion!”
The blaring alerts, one after another, jolted the residents from their sleep.
“Monster invasion?” someone muttered, still half-asleep. They climbed out of bed and rushed to the window to see what was happening.
They drew back the curtains, and the sight of a massive black hole in the sky filled their vision.
It wasn’t just D1 Star; black holes had also appeared over planets F36, X6, G64, and P90.
As soon as the black holes opened, they spewed forth innumerable monsters.
These monsters were different from the ones that had invaded the Capital Star.
They looked stronger, more powerful—a terrifying sight to behold.
The residents of these five planets had never imagined that the monsters they’d only ever seen in livestreams, on television, or in the news would one day appear right before their eyes.
All traces of sleepiness vanished at the sight of them.
Fortunately, the people on these planets were no strangers to major incidents. Many quickly grabbed their families and fled to underground shelters.
With monsters appearing on five planets simultaneously, media outlets scrambled to report on the unfolding crisis.
*SHOCKING: Black Holes Open Over Five Planets, Unleashing Hordes of Monsters!*
*Who is Behind the Black Holes That Unleashed These Monsters?*
Lin Jingjing and her team were still asleep when the alarms woke them. Once they understood the situation, they leaped out of bed, threw on their combat suits, and sprinted out of their dorms.
When they reached the training grounds, Lin Jingjing looked at the other four and said, “Five planets, one for each of us.”
“Protect the civilians at all costs.”
The four nodded. Finally, Lin Jingjing’s gaze fell on Shi Feng, her eyes filled with hesitation. “You… can you handle this?”
“Why wouldn’t I be able to handle it?” Shi Feng bristled at her words.
“I’m strong too, you know!”
Seeing his reaction, Lin Jingjing nodded, then added a word of caution. “Alright, but be careful. If you run into anything you can’t handle, you have to let us know. Don’t try to tough it out alone.”
“I mean it. Don’t try to take it all on yourself.”
Hearing Lin Jingjing’s repeated warnings, Shi Feng gave a solemn nod.
“I know. I won’t.”
After a few more brief instructions, the five of them boarded their respective warships and headed for the crisis-stricken planets.
Their expressions were grim. The Star Network was already in an uproar.
The attack had been so sudden that people had no time to react before the monsters charged in and devoured them.
Just like the invasion of the Capital Star, it had caught everyone completely off guard.
The team stood in the monitoring room of their ship, listening to the data feeds from their subordinates, their expressions growing darker by the second.
A simultaneous attack on five planets, launched while most people were still asleep. Many died in their beds, completely defenseless.
The death toll was climbing steadily.
Lin Jingjing clenched her fists, her eyes burning with resentment and hatred for Huang Bo Lin.
‘What is that man trying to do?’
‘Starting a war after a period of silence… can’t he stand to see people living in peace?’
‘And on top of that, the dormant mutant beasts will start stirring again soon.’
The Six Great Armies were already stretched thin, defending the planets to prevent the mutant beasts from devouring all their energy resources.
Now, with Huang Bo Lin pulling this stunt, they had to divert resources to fend him off as well.
‘It’s exhausting.’
‘It’s draining everyone’s strength.’
‘No. I have to take out Huang Bo Lin before the dormant mutant beasts awaken.’
‘That’s the only way to keep everyone from burning out.’
‘The death toll won’t climb so high.’
‘Once this crisis is over, I will personally lead the team to capture Huang Bo Lin.’
‘And Blue Star isn’t some planet he can use for his experiments. He’s not worthy!’