"Yu Ruoyun, what exactly happened this time? With your and Wang Lan's abilities, how could you have failed to detect the giant Exotic Beasts sooner?" After returning to the frontline command center, Mo Tai hurriedly organized a high-level meeting to inquire about the matter.

"Mr. Mo, esteemed officers, those three giant Exotic Beasts suddenly appeared five kilometers outside Lethe Canyon."

"What? Suddenly appeared?"

"Yes. At that time, the Ninety-seventh Group was conducting Grass Beating Valley in Lethe Canyon when suddenly the sky darkened. Five kilometers away, lightning flashed and thunder rumbled, and a mass of inky clouds appeared in the void above, warping space.

Then a pillar of smoke shot down from the distorted space. As the smoke cleared, those three Exotic Beasts appeared," Yu Ruoyun concisely described the emergence of the Exotic Beasts. After hearing her account, the leaders present all exchanged glances.

"If it were a spatial fusion with a Different Dimensional Space, it would be a gradual process. The fusion wouldn't just mean Exotic Beasts from that space appearing in our Pioneer Space; the land from that space would also materialize.

It's like a mirage—gradually appearing, slowly becoming clearer and more solid," a high-ranking official with an eyepatch stated somberly.

"So, you're saying the three Exotic Beasts that Yu Ruoyun encountered didn't appear due to spatial fusion?"

"Absolutely not!" The sharp-eyed officer leaned back in his chair and shook his head firmly. "We've studied the Pioneer Space for hundreds of years. Spatial fusions are like puzzle pieces fitting together—adding a new piece increases the total area. Where it expands depends on where that piece lands.

Each puzzle piece connects space node to space node. One space doesn't get inserted into another.

But I inspected the location where the giant Exotic Beasts appeared. Firstly, the space didn't expand, meaning only the Exotic Beasts came through, not an entire Different Dimensional Space. Secondly, the location where the Exotic Beasts manifested wasn't a space node, which confirms the first point."

"So, it seems our previous assumptions were all wrong…" Mo Tai looked up, his expression grave, and asked, "Does this mean that for the past two years, the more than twenty giant beast incursions that triggered beast tides weren't caused by high-level Different Dimensional Spaces collapsing and merging with ours?

We were puzzled before. Different Dimensional Spaces open chaotically, and their power levels vary. Most are weak, and a powerful one might not appear for years. So how could dozens have merged in just two years?

Given the frequency of spatial fusions, it would imply that all the spaces merging over these years were of this type, containing giant Exotic Beasts. So that's what was happening…."

"Now that we've identified the phenomenon, what exactly is this situation? Could it be related to the Demon World?"

"Regardless of the situation, we have to assume it's connected to the Demon World."

"This phenomenon needs to be reported back. We will formulate a solution once our scientists have analyzed the cause. I command!"

WHOOSH! Everyone present immediately stood at attention.

"From now on, the connections between all defensive lines must be further tightened. Regardless of where any sign of trouble appears, we must react and dispatch reinforcements immediately. The East Sea Pioneer Space is now entering Level One Combat Readiness!"

"Yes!"

At the entrance of the East Sea Pioneer Space, within a seemingly majestic yet sparsely populated large city, Wang Lan slowly awoke in a high-security ward of the rear area hospital.

Blinking, he looked up at the stark white ceiling and its bright lights.

Did I pass out?

"You're awake?" A gentle voice sounded beside him. Turning his head, he saw Yu Ruoyun sitting in a chair by his bed, slicing an apple.

"Is this a hospital?"

"Yes."

"Outside or inside?"

"Of course, inside. It's the city we saw when we entered. Hey, don't you want to lie down a bit longer? What are you getting up for?"

"I'm a medical Star Martial Warrior; do I really need to be in a hospital? Besides, is it the end of the world or something? Why is it so quiet? There isn't a single sound in the entire hospital."

"The Pioneer Space has a total population of just three hundred thousand people spread over two hundred thousand square kilometers, manning a defensive line over a thousand kilometers long. How many people do you think would live in the city?

As for the hospital, the rear area hospitals are mostly for show. The medical staff are largely at the frontline field hospitals. This city was built twenty years ago and only gets lively around the New Year. The rest of the time, it's no different from a ghost town."

"Is that so?"

Wang Lan instantly submerged his consciousness into his Spiritual Sea of Consciousness. He had lost consciousness so quickly before that he hadn't had a chance to check his gains. He only recalled seeing that he had completed the mission to protect Lethe Canyon, earning 200,000 experience points and 20,000 skill points, which wasn't too bad.

But in the blink of an eye, a look of chagrin crossed his face. Damn it, I forgot to collect the Soul Beads! We must have killed at least a hundred thousand Exotic Beasts this time, right?

A hundred thousand Exotic Beasts! Even if split with Yu Ruoyun, that would still be 50,000 skill points. With skill points being so scarce, the thought was agonizing.

"It was one hundred twenty-one thousand three hundred."

"How do you know?"

"After you passed out, our reinforcements arrived and collected them for us. Aside from three high-grade Soul Beads, there were one hundred twenty-one thousand three hundred regular Soul Beads, all credited to our names. You get half, I get three-tenths, and Old Wu gets two-tenths."

"Huh? Why didn't we split them evenly?"

"Old Wu and I both disagreed. You contributed the most in this battle; I merely assisted you. It would have been fair even if you took seventy percent. But knowing you wouldn't agree to that, we decided on half for you, thirty percent for me. Old Wu initially didn't want to take any, but I insisted he take his twenty percent."

"We're a team; we should share them equally. How about this: I'll give you one of my portions, and we'll make sure Old Wu gets two more portions as well?"

"It's already been divided, so let's not change it. I've already deposited the Soul Beads into the bank for you. We can withdraw them before we leave. Over 50,000 Soul Beads should allow your Star Palace to expand by another tenth, right?"

"I want to withdraw them now."

For Wang Lan, the only value Soul Beads held was skill points. In the past, they could also replenish Star Power, but now, the Star Power provided by low-grade Soul Beads was just a drop in the bucket. During combat, even continuously consuming Soul Beads couldn't keep up with his expenditure, unless they were mid-grade Soul Beads or higher.

"Are you planning to attempt a breakthrough right now?"

"No, not a breakthrough. I just want to convert the low-grade Soul Beads to skill points immediately. Keeping them as beads is a waste."

"As you wish!"

Wang Lan and Yu Ruoyun left the hospital ward. After completing the discharge procedures at the reception desk, they departed. The hospital was indeed sparsely populated. Walking through this large, comprehensive medical facility, Wang Lan didn't see more than a hundred people in total, and that included the doctors.

Outside the hospital, the streets were only slightly more populated. The city had shops, hotels, and recreational venues, but they all seemed eerily quiet. The clean and tidy roads were devoid of traffic.

"Walking around here feels like being in a post-apocalyptic city."

"It's mainly because there are too few Star Martial Warriors and the Pioneer Space is so vast. This city was built to accommodate three million permanent residents, but our total population is only three hundred thousand, and most of them aren't even in the city. It would be strange if it *didn't* feel empty.

However, the Science Academy has recently made a huge breakthrough with the Simulation Bracelet. Perhaps soon, it will have a profound impact on how ordinary people live."

"Simulation Bracelet? What's that?"

"The Star Energy Fluctuation Simulation Bracelet." Yu Ruoyun smiled at Wang Lan. "That's something your girlfriend's family is researching in collaboration with the Science Academy, and you don't know about it?"

"Why would I know about such commercial secrets? Simulate the Star Energy Fluctuation of Star Martial Warriors? What's the use of that? Letting ordinary people pretend to be Star Martial Warriors to scare others?"

"It seems that while you have the reputation of being an academic prodigy, you're only knowledgeable within your own field. Are you completely clueless about other domains?"

"Life is finite, but learning is limitless. It's hard enough for most people to establish themselves in one domain, let alone several. How many can truly span multiple fields? I doubt even you understand every domain, do you?"

"I only have a basic understanding."

"Cooking meals?"

Yu Ruoyun's expression darkened, and she shot Wang Lan a glare. "As the precious jewel of the Yu Family, do I need to cook for myself? Knowing how to eat is enough for me!"

"Like Princess Aier. She, a foreigner, can cook Jade Country cuisine so authentically…"

"You're no fun to talk to." Yu Ruoyun truly couldn't understand how such a conversation-killer could attract so many outstanding girls. Have girls' tastes really become that warped these days?

"Back to the point, what exactly is the use of the Simulation Bracelet?"

"Think about it: why can Star Martial Warriors enter Different Dimensional Spaces and the Pioneer Space, while ordinary people can't? The answer should be obvious, right?"

"Are you saying the Simulation Bracelet could allow ordinary people to enter the Pioneer Space? If so, wouldn't the territories we've secured there effectively become part of our homeland?"

"Correct. However, Different Dimensional Spaces cannot support primary industries, meaning they will inevitably rely on external sources. As for industrial development within them, the differing physical laws make it less efficient than simply transporting manufactured goods in from the outside.

The problem of how ordinary people would survive in the Pioneer Space hasn't been solved yet. Full implementation is likely still many years away."

As they talked, the two arrived at the Soul Bead Bank and smoothly withdrew the Soul Beads. Over 50,000 Soul Beads sounded like a lot, but they didn't take up much space when piled together. Wang Lan, possessing a Void Storing ability, directly tossed them into his Void Storing.

"Shall we return to the front lines?"

"The frontline command has given us a two-day leave. We're to report back to headquarters tomorrow."

"So where do we stay tonight?"

"I'll take you somewhere tonight. If there's one thing this First City doesn't lack, it's housing. But for now, come walk with me."

"There's not a soul in sight, and no shops are open. What's there to see on a walk?"

"But don't you think this ghost city has its own unique atmosphere?" As she spoke, Yu Ruoyun looped her arm through Wang Lan's. He tried to pull away slightly but couldn't. Seeing Yu Ruoyun's composed expression, Wang Lan sighed softly and stopped resisting.

The road stretched on, and they walked a long way down the street. Yu Ruoyun did most of the talking, reminiscing about amusing incidents from her past, while Wang Lan listened patiently. She was particularly curious about how the Flame Emperor had raised Wang Lan, and he shared a few anecdotes.

The Flame Emperor's personality and behavior were vastly different from what Yu Ruoyun had imagined. To most people, the Flame Emperor was a cold, aloof, and immensely powerful figure—a perfect, wise, and emotionless supreme being.

To her subordinates, the Flame Emperor was a highly charismatic leader, whose trademark phrase was, "You all provide cover; I'm going in!"

But according to Wang Lan, the Flame Emperor loved playing pranks, enjoyed teasing him, and sometimes had wildly imaginative ideas that often teetered on the brink of disaster. At home, he was the one who had to wake her up and prepare breakfast before she would dash out the door in a whirlwind.

It was precisely because of all this that Wang Lan had never suspected Wang Ling's true identity. How could someone who was always late, so scatterbrained, and whose train of thought was often utterly baffling, possibly be a powerful Star Martial Warrior?

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.