I Have Infinite Skill Points-Chapter 587: Exotic Beasts Attack

With this direction, it was as if a new door had been opened for Wang Lan. He had Xiao Ai use big data to collect the most obvious changes in St. State over the past thirty years.

This search hurt Wang Lan a bit.

The economic boom of St. State began thirty years ago. The industrial explosion of St. State started then as well. Thirty years ago, St. State put forth a character declaration, repackaging itself: We are not sinners; we are not human waste; we are civilized, cultured, and knowledgeable people of this era.

Starting thirty years ago, St. State experienced a renaissance of civilization—not of arts, but of civilization itself. Since then, the people of St. State began to shed their former savagery and violence. Gentlemen with refined behavior could be seen everywhere on the streets, as could elegant and gracious ladies.

Since then, gangs started to disguise themselves as corporations, covering their illegal industries with a veneer of civilized business. The entirety of St. State, from thirty years ago, began to look entirely new, making it resemble an international metropolis during the daytime.

If all these were related to the Hell Monarch, damn it, who the hell is the savior?

If these thirty years were a signal of the Hell Monarch taking root in St. State, then the Hell Monarch was the hidden hand behind St. State’s whitewashing, transformation, and development. Without this series of changes thirty years ago, St. State might still be a place of violence and chaos, its citizens mired in deep suffering.

After reading all this, the four of them fell silent. "Why do I feel like we are the evil dragons?" Xu Xiangwen said, though his attempt at a joke didn’t feel funny at all.

"No, look at it from a different angle," one of them suggested. "Maybe the Hell Monarch just wanted to farm St. State, making it better to fatten it up before slaughtering it for meat. Think about it: pigs on a large-scale farm definitely live happier lives than most wild animals."

"That should be the case," another agreed.

The four continued to read, and soon, they noticed a phenomenon.

They read: ’Since thirty years ago, St. State has been cursed by the God of Heaven. The Soul Resonance ceremony thirty years ago was a watershed moment. Sixty thousand people participated in the Soul Resonance, but fewer than fifty successfully awakened—not even enough to fill one class.’

’At the time, the people of St. State thought it was just a bad year for the children, but it turned out that year wasn’t the low point—it was the peak. For the next five successive years, no more than thirty individuals awakened Star Martial Warrior talent each year.’

’Moreover, the talent of those who did awaken was progressively worse. Eventually, with no other choice, St. State completely closed its Star Martial High School, and all awakened individuals had to go study under the New Blue Government.’

’This phenomenon has always been considered a curse by the God of Heaven. After all, awakening Star Martial Warrior talent is such a random event, and even now, there is no technology more precise or advanced than the Soul Resonance Instrument.’

’Of course, the optimal age for Soul Resonance Awakening is between fourteen and fifteen. Too young, and the soul is too small to respond; too old, and one starts late, falling further behind others.’

This information sparked an instant conjecture in their minds.

"Did someone harvest the Star Martial Warriors of St. State?" Wang Lan voiced the thought aloud.

"Thirty years... Thirty years of Star Martial Warriors..." Jiang Xinyu murmured. "How many people would that be?"

"St. State has a total population of 7,000,000," Xu Xiangwen calculated. "If we compare it to Jade Country, there should be about 100,000, right?"

"Even if it’s not 100,000, there must be 70,000 or 80,000," Wang Lan mused. "If this really is the Hell Monarch’s doing, has he raised 70,000 or 80,000 Star Martial Warriors? If he truly raised that many, where could he keep them? Seventy or eighty thousand isn’t a small number; no place could hide that many people."

"Should we report this to our superiors?" Jiang Xinyu asked, a sinking feeling in her heart. Honestly, she hadn’t considered this layer before. She’d just thought that someone might be secretly stealing children with Star Martial Warrior talents. But with Wang Lan’s calculation, it was a grave matter. Stealing for thirty years—how many Star Martial Warriors would that be?

"But these are just our speculations. Without solid evidence, isn’t it premature to report this?" Xu Xiangwen said hesitantly.

"At least we should provide a warning," Sisi urged. "If 100,000 Star Martial Warriors were to suddenly emerge, what a massive disaster that would be for the world! Even Paradise Bird couldn’t produce that many Star Martial Warriors, could they?"

"Paradise Bird?" Xu Xiangwen scoffed. "That’s giving them too much credit. Even multiplied by five, they probably wouldn’t have as many Star Martial Warriors as the Hell Monarch has stolen. The Hell Monarch... What the hell is this entity? Is he trying to carve out his own territory?"

Considering the Red Cell plan, he truly did seem to want that.

Eventually, Wang Lan decided to report this conjecture up the chain. Even if the speculation was false, they had to be prepared.

「At the International Security Council Main Examination Command」

A Lieutenant General, the chief examiner, was alone in the conference room, reporting to the International Security Council. Since the International Security Council is a Star Martial Warrior department directly affiliated with the United Nations, its leaders naturally came from the five major countries.

On the screen before him, the ambassadors of the five major countries listened to the chief examiner’s report with solemn expressions, their faces constantly shifting.

When the report concluded, a long silence enveloped them all.

"Dyson, what do you think are the chances of Wang Lan’s speculation being accurate? Thirty percent, or forty percent?" the White Eagle Country ambassador asked, his tone unusually heavy, clearly feeling the hollowness of his own question.

"Mr. Leo," Dyson replied, "if this conjecture comes from General Wang Lan, then I believe its accuracy exceeds ninety percent. The only reason I wouldn’t say one hundred percent is because we are at the United Nations. If we were in Jade Country, his speculation would be taken as absolutely certain."

"The logic of the speculation is clear and reasonable, and the supporting evidence is substantial. This goes beyond mere guessing," a female Caucasian ambassador stated calmly.

"Oh, I see, I understand..." Mr. Leo stammered, "but... but you’re telling me a force several times larger than Paradise Bird has been hidden in the shadows for thirty years, and we had no clue? My God! You realize what 100,000 Star Martial Warriors means, don’t you? A surprise attack from them could sweep through Europe! Apart from us, the five major powers, no other nation could withstand their sudden assault."

"Please don’t use Europe as an example, thank you," another ambassador interjected coolly.

"Um, if I may ask," a third ambassador ventured, "could we have Wang Lan investigate this more deeply? To find them before they can start a war?"

"I’m sorry, but that’s not possible at the moment," Dyson stated. "Wang Lan is still in the middle of his exam."

"Screw the exam!" Mr. Leo exclaimed. "What’s more important, the exam or global security? What’s the point of this exam for him anyway? Even if he quit now, he’d pass directly!"

"Mr. Leo," Dyson calmly explained, "General Wang Lan is from Jade Country. Whether he undertakes a deeper investigation isn’t a decision we can make unilaterally. We can make a request to Jade Country, but we cannot issue direct orders."

"He’s an agent of the International Security Council!" Leo retorted.

"But he isn’t one yet," Dyson corrected.

"Alright, everyone, can we please stop arguing for a moment?" the female ambassador interjected. "For now, we’re proceeding as if it’s confirmed that at least 100,000 Star Martial Warriors in St. State have been ’stolen’ by this Hell Monarch over the past thirty years. Let Wang Lan continue his investigation following this lead. Whether he continues beyond St. State can be discussed later. Since those taken were all Star Martial Warriors from St. State, shouldn’t St. State authorities be able to trace where they went?"

"While that’s a possibility," Dyson said, "it’s not very likely. St. State is a lawless land. The Hell Monarch was once its ruler—and perhaps still is. All traces may have already been eradicated."

"Let Wang Lan continue investigating in St. State for now," Mr. Leo declared. "If his leads take him outside St. State, he can report back. I hope those Star Martial Warriors haven’t been taken by the Hell Monarch. If they’re still in St. State, I’m prepared to authorize the use of nuclear weapons."

"Leo, have you lost your mind?" an ambassador exclaimed. "They’re not Exotic Beasts or members of the Demon Clan; they’re human beings!"

"Human beings raised by the Demon Clan?" Leo scoffed. "Humans brainwashed for thirty years? I hardly think so. Forget it."

The argument continued.

「Meanwhile, in the Black Brilliance Area of St. State」

A sudden loud noise erupted. A Different Dimensional Space had appeared without warning.

After the Different Dimensional Space appeared, many citizens hadn’t immediately realized what it was, merely sensing that the space before them seemed to twist into a portal. But when the Exotic Beasts charged out, disaster struck.

"Wang Lan, there’s a situation!" Xu Xiangwen exclaimed, bolting upright from his meal. "A Different Dimensional Space has appeared in Central Square!"

Upon hearing this, Wang Lan and his three companions instantly teleported. They donned their Dawn uniforms, put on their masks, and vanished from the apartment with a whoosh.

These Exotic Beasts were all spider-types, but they were far more powerful than the Snow Spiders Wang Lan had first encountered. Snow Spiders had short, fluffy legs, whereas the spiders that appeared in Central Park were not only larger, but their leg-blades were also more formidable and terrifying.

Their leg-blades extended a full three meters, their bodies reaching ten meters in length. They could spit webs from their mouths, instantly capturing a person and dragging them to their maws. Then, in one bite, half a body would be gone.

"Help... help me—"

"Superheroes, the city’s superheroes, where are you...?"

Central Square was the heart of the Black Brilliance Area, serving as both its administrative and commercial hub. It was the most densely populated area. When hundreds of Exotic Beasts poured out of the Different Dimensional Space, thousands of casualties occurred in an instant.

When Wang Lan arrived, over 1,000 people were already dead, bloodstains everywhere around the mouth of the Different Dimensional Space.

"Damn it!" Wang Lan ordered. "Xiangwen, you and I will take down the Exotic Beasts emerging. Xinyu, Sisi, block the portal’s exit!"

"Understood!" they replied in unison.

Wang Lan’s efficiency made him a reaper of Exotic Beasts, and Xu Xiangwen’s Heavenly Eye served as his targeting scope. Wang Lan’s form became like a fluttering butterfly; with every flicker of movement, an Exotic Beast was sliced in two.

In those few minutes, some Exotic Beasts had already hidden in concealed corners, others had burrowed underground, and still others had broken into malls or citizens’ homes.

If Xu Xiangwen hadn’t located them, Wang Lan alone couldn’t have dealt with them all cleanly.

Wang Lan’s form, like a Ghost, flitted in and out of sight. Several citizens, already ensnared in the spiders’ large webs, had even been delivered to the creatures’ maws, awaiting the fatal bite.

In their despair, they were so terrified they felt their souls slipping away. But in the next instant, green blood splattered their faces. The Exotic Beast was slain, yet they, so close, hadn’t even seen how it happened.

It took a full ten minutes to eliminate the Exotic Beasts. Wang Lan and Xu Xiangwen then approached the entrance of the Different Dimensional Space.

"Let’s go!" Wang Lan said.

The four figures flashed, disappearing into the Different Dimensional Space in unison.

Just inside the entrance to the Different Dimensional Space, a large number of Spider Exotic Beasts were rushing towards them. As far as the eye could see, there was an endless horde of these crawling creatures. Outside, Wang Lan couldn’t use large-scale Star Martial Skills, but within the Different Dimensional Space, he had no such inhibitions.

"Earth Surge Lava!"

Wang Lan slapped the ground. Instantly, a torrent of lava surged forward like a tsunami, sweeping toward the swarming horde of Exotic Beasts that resembled a zombie siege.