Chapter 503: Chapter 497: Infuriating Comparisons

The base leadership received several bombshells all at once.

X Realm had released parasitic Alien Species within Jingji, and these species had already infiltrated Superpower Team One.

Three of these moles had been rooted out of Superpower Team One, and now further investigation was needed to see if any other Alien Species had infested the base, including the upper echelons.

This news was explosive enough, but before long, Xiao Lu and his team sent back another bombshell.

The leadership of Gushang Base had been replaced six months ago, and this new leadership was mass-planting mutated vegetation inside the base, causing an insect plague.

All these chaotic reports flooded into Jingji Base, and Secretary Chen felt completely overwhelmed.

On top of that, Xiao Gu sent word that they had captured a mutated "Ugly Merman" from the experimental zone in Gushang Base. It had incredibly high defense and could launch attacks from the Spiritual System.

Secretary Chen and the others felt that they had sent far too few people to Gushang!

As for the mission to escort the Cannibal Demon from the Wilderness Base back to Jingji for interrogation and hard labor, that now seemed utterly mundane and had been completely forgotten by the base’s high command.

The most critical issue now was how to transport the Ugly Merman—with its incredibly high defense and Spiritual System attacks—back for dissection and study.

The other was the need to conduct a major sweep of the base.

First, they swiftly took the families of the three Alien Species from Superpower Team One—Xia Yuanyi and the other two—into custody.

This was what Lu Wei had meant by "properly comforting the families"—detaining all of Xia Yuanyi’s and the others’ close relatives.

But the question of how to test for them truly stumped everyone.

Having heard that it was Captain Xie of the Starfire Team who had previously detected the Alien Species, Jingji was constantly messaging Xie Ning, hoping to learn her detection method.

Xie Ning was currently zipping along on her small electric scooter, heading toward the northern experimental zone.

Little Spider was continuously sending her spiritual transmissions, reading out the various messages it received.

Xie Ning frowned slightly.

’Jingji really has no way to identify the Alien Species. Detaining their families is a relatively good method for now.’

’As for the other parasitic Alien Species embedded in the teams, there’s no way to root them out for the time being.’

Xie Ning gave Little Spider an instruction, telling it to reply on her behalf: Don’t alert the enemy.

"Future, you’re such a good helper," Xie Ning said with a smile, communicating with it via spiritual power.

Little Spider was practically numb to this kind of talk...

Every time it helped its master, Ningning, pull off a brilliant job, she was never stingy with her praise.

"Tell them not to start arresting suspected personnel indiscriminately. That would just cause mass panic."

’Only when I get back and have Future screen them one by one will we be able to quickly tell who’s human and who’s not.’

Little Spider lay on the arm of a sofa, a floating electronic screen hovering before it.

Its eight legs tapped away in a furious CLATTER on the virtual keyboard, which flashed with light. It quickly sent a reply to the leaders in Jingji.

After receiving Xie Ning’s reply, Secretary Chen mulled it over for a moment before nodding. "We’ll stand down for now. First, make sure the families of Xia Yuanyi and the other two are under tight security. Watch them closely. Don’t give them any opportunity to use their binding bracelets to contact the X Realm."

Meanwhile, in a small pickup truck, a delighted cry rang out. "That Xie Ning has some real nerve. She actually split up from her team?"

The driver, Che Kai, ran a hand through his buzz cut and raised an eyebrow. "You sure? Don’t get cocky. Have you forgotten how they pinned you against the car and wiped the floor with you?"

A look of humiliation and anger flashed across the strikingly handsome young man’s face.

The woman sitting next to him, who bore a strong resemblance to him, couldn’t help but snap, "If my brother hadn’t been hiding his true strength, would he have been taken down by a mere Wood Element Superpower User?"

"Hmph," Qian Rongye said, clearly displeased. "Che Kai, watch your tone. No matter what, my brother is still this team’s deputy captain."

"That’s enough," Li Zongyuan said with a frown. "Why are we fighting amongst ourselves? Don’t forget the purpose of this trip."

The group fell silent.

A young man in the passenger seat piped up, "So what if that woman’s on her own? It’s the perfect chance! Kai, let’s go grab her right now."

Che Kai shot the man in the passenger seat a sidelong glance. "As impatient as you are? Who could you possibly catch?"

Xiao Cong was indignant. "I hear that Xie Ning is supposed to be the world’s first Sixth-rank Gold Ability User?"

"What a coincidence, so am I!" He grinned maliciously. "I wonder how many rounds that little wench can last against me."

Li Zongyuan’s frown deepened. "Don’t get cocky! And don’t you get any bright ideas."

Xiao Cong was powerful, but he was all brawn and no brains.

He tended to rush into things rashly, which was why Li Zongyuan, feeling uneasy, had ordered Che Kai to keep a secret eye on him.

"Captain Li, what are you so nervous about? She’s just a woman. What’s the worst she can do?" Xiao Cong laughed, shook his head, and reached toward the back of the truck.

"Hey, ’Stinky Fish Basket,’ toss me a smoke."

Li Zongyuan smacked his hand away with a sharp "PA!" and scolded him with a grim face, "Behave yourself!"

He had a feeling that woman, Xie Ning, was bad news, but the brainless Xiao Cong was a classic case of a fool rushing in where angels fear to tread.

"Come on, a cigarette, just to relax a bit," Xiao Cong said, reaching his hand back again.

Four people were squeezed into the back of the little pickup.

The young man sitting by the left window gave off a sullen, gloomy air.

At Xiao Cong’s words, he merely glanced up, then, after a long, drawn-out moment, he produced a cigarette of some unknown brand from his Space.

Xiao Cong took it, sniffing the faint scent of tobacco as if caressing a lover.

"’Stinky Fish Basket,’ everything you keep in that Space of yours reeks of salty fish," Xiao Cong said with disgust, but he lit the cigarette anyway and took a deep drag.

Qian Rongye, who couldn’t stand him, couldn’t help but sneer, "Then don’t ask Xiao Yu for one. Hope you choke on it."

"Alright, alright, that’s enough of this useless chatter." Li Zongyuan turned to the gloomy youth. "Xiao Yu, how has your Space Ability been progressing lately?"

They had sunk so many space-type Crystal Cores into him with no results to show for it, which put Li Zongyuan in a foul mood.

He had found out that Xie Ning wasn’t just a Gold Element user; she also had a Space Ability.

She wasn’t just a Space Ability User with a simple storage function; she could also launch attacks like Space Blades.

You had to admit, her talent was enviable.

The gloomy youth shrank back, and after a long pause, forced a single word through his teeth. "No."

Li Zongyuan flared up. "Do you have any idea how powerful Xie Ning of the Starfire Team’s Space Ability is? She even taught a whole batch of Space Ability Users at Jingji Base, helping them all master the Space Blade skill."

"Those Space Ability Users aren’t just mobile warehouses anymore."

"They can actually attack now."

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