Returning to the Mysterious Era-Chapter 456 - Poking The Wrong Hive

In a secluded residential complex by the forest of Rika City in Farr County...

A secret conversation had just concluded. A figure wearing a mask walked briskly away from a side entrance and vanished into the woods. Two figures quietly watched from the balcony of the manor's three-story building until, after a long pause, they withdrew their gazes and began to speak.

"Is there really a need to set up such a trap? It seems a bit overdone..." A long-haired man in a white suit spoke. He was tall in stature and remarkably handsome.

His brows and eyes were finely drawn, and his skin was fair enough to rival even a woman's. He wore his long hair in a ponytail that fell to his back. Though he seemed somewhat feminine, he had broad shoulders and a solid frame, evidenced by the firm musculature outlined beneath his suit. Even just his stance and movements conveyed a certain dominance.

"You don't understand, Hu Yue. Some secrets I can't reveal freely, but something extremely important was taken from the Florence dark creature test site. If our leader awakens and learns of this, he will surely fly into a rage. He might even be angrier than he was about the destruction of the dark creature test site and the deaths of Zhu Hun and Yang Yan!" The other person by the balcony spoke.

He was a well-built man of around one meter eighty in height, with short black hair that concealed his features. Most of his face below the eyes was hidden behind a black iron mask.

All that was visible were his intensely compelling eyes and a brow missing a section. His arms hung loosely by his side. Each wrist was adorned with iron rings about half the thickness of a pinky, which clanged together with a metallic sound.

The man in the white suit, Hu Yue, frowned slightly, then spoke. "Can't you just tell me outright what it is? We're of the same rank."

The black-haired man hesitated for a moment. Hu Yue was indeed a member of the organization at his level, akin to being a trusted aide like Yang Yan and Zhu Hun. Even so, their confidential tasks and plans were not necessarily the same. Under normal circumstances, they would not share secrets with one another.

However, the current situation was unusual, and it would be difficult to conceal the trap they were about to set in Farr County from Hu Yue and the others.

Finally, the black-haired man spoke up. "A stone tablet. More specifically, the Arcane Stone Tablet... It’s an artifact bestowed by the Leader. The entire organization has only four in total, and none can be lost. I'm sure you know about the plan we'll be carrying out in three years. These four Arcane Stone Tablets are its most crucial component..."

Hu Yue's mind worked swiftly, and he immediately connected various keywords from the part of the plan he already knew. Dark creature transformation experiments, Arcane Stone Tablets, calamity tides in the underworld, the calamity tunnels those tides created, a citywide massacre plan... A hazy and terrifying outline began to form in his mind.

Hu Yue was slightly startled and turned to look at the black-haired man, opening his mouth to speak but then closing it. After a moment, he finally remarked, "Then we need to retrieve that Arcane Stone Tablet, or else our final plan will lose at least a quarter of its effectiveness. I understand now."

The black-haired man nodded, not pursuing the subject further, but instead bringing up the trap previously mentioned to lure the enemy into Farr County. The Gate Organization had dispatched personnel to Florence to apprehend the highly suspicious Sachi the Silver Pistil Sword and question him thoroughly.

At the same time, they were also preparing to deal with the mysterious force that had destroyed the dark creature test site. Since this force seemed interested in the Gate Organization's dark creature test site, they might as well construct another such field in Farr County near Florence.

They would not devote full resources to it, but only erect a crude, makeshift facility. Then they would spread rumors by various means that Rika City in Farr County was home to a dark creature test site to grab their foe's attention.

Presumably, the mysterious force that had destroyed one dark creature test site would be interested in a second. Even if they did not act immediately, they would certainly send people to scout.

All the Gate Organization required was any sign that their opponent had shown interest, so that they could follow the trail and pinpoint their adversary's exact location. Of course, if that mysterious force proved reckless, it would be even better. Rika City already housed four Gate Organization experts temporarily transferred from various northern counties.

In fact, if they waited another ten or fifteen days, additional Gate Organization members active in the empire's southern region, or even from other kingdoms on the continent, would arrive. After all, this matter concerned the ultimate plan three years from now. There would be no margin for error.

The black-haired man was quite confident in recovering the Arcane Stone Tablet. Outside of the Covert Martial Arts community, no force in the world surpassed the Gate Organization in might. Not even the Black Rain Manor in its prime, nor the Dark Hunter Organization, could compare.

For example, it had only been a few days since the destruction of the dark creature test site, yet four combat artists had already converged on Florence. In the Dark Hunter Organization's terms, that would be four Shadow Hunters. Furthermore, one among them possessed power rivaling the organization's Radiant Hunter, Deleshart.

Members of the Gate Organization called this man the "Northern King," though he was not from the Hongli Federation. He hailed from that expanse of minor nations covering three-fifths of the Northern Reef Continent north of the empire.

His nature was domineering and his strength was formidable. He had successively challenged and defeated the top Covert Martial Artists of three kingdoms with his iron arms, earning the nickname of "king." He was not currently at the manor, but at the dark creature test site in Rika City, where he was overseeing the construction.

In truth, the Rika City dark creature test site was not merely a trap. Since the first test site in Florence had been destroyed, the final stages of the dark creature transformation experiment had stalled and needed a fresh start. Hence, the preliminary structure in Rika City would presumably be useful.

However, they first needed to smoke out the enemy in Florence and retrieve the Arcane Stone Tablet before rebuilding in Rika City with peace of mind.

Standing on the balcony, the black-haired man gazed intently through the gaps in the trees, though it was unclear at what. In one more week, the trap in Rika City would be essentially fully set. They would spend two additional weeks letting word spread in the hopes that the mysterious force would then take the bait.

Then, after waiting another month or so, there would be enough Gate Organization members converging on Florence that they would have enough strength to annihilate their opponent. Even if the enemy resisted, it would not matter under such overwhelming might.

"Whoever you are, you sealed your fate the moment you dared oppose the Gate Organization. I can't wait to hear your screams..." The black-haired man grinned viciously, the corners of his eyes sharp and cruel. At the same time, the lower half of his face was concealed by a mask, hiding that malicious expression from view.

"Aaah!" Suddenly, the guard stirred near the entrance to the estate as an agonized scream rang out.

The black-haired man spun around and joined Hu Yue in the white suit to cross through the building to the balcony on the other side.

From their high vantage point, they could see the white stone flooring and gravel paths of the courtyard below. Subordinates were hurriedly running away from the estate gate through the ring-shaped flowerbeds.

The black-haired man immediately looked down and called out. "What's going on? Did something happen at the gate?"

"Lord Luo, Lord Xue Shi has returned, but he seems to have been severely wounded by the enemy. His left arm is severed, and he's getting it dressed in the infirmary right now." The man below raised his head and reported succinctly.

"What?!" Hu Yue leaped directly from the balcony, landing as lightly as a piece of white cloth. Luo jumped down with a loud thud. They exchanged glances, then dashed toward the infirmary in a blur.

Creak.

The door opened, and the air bore the scent of blood. The black-robed man was sitting on a gray chair, his expression grim and torso bare. He was in poor shape, with wounds etched across his bronze skin, particularly on his arms. Blood dripped through the gaps.

A sickening cross-section of his left arm showed clearly that the muscles had been ripped apart by immense force, leaving a grisly mess of flesh where the white outlines of veins and bones were visible.

"Xue Shi, what happened?" Hu Yue and Luo rushed in.

The black-robed man, Xue Shi, slapped his palm against his chest and spat out a mouthful of dark-red clotted blood into a nearby metal basin. Only then did he inhale, and exhale a breath tinged with the scent of metal. "It was a dark creature. Sachi the Silver Pistil Sword was actually a terrifying dark creature in disguise. I was no match for it. I was severely wounded in just one exchange..."

Xue Shi's face still betrayed his shock. "Had I not sensed something amiss and unleashed my full strength, I'd have been finished right there. That dark creature's strength might even rival the Northern King's..."

Luo's heart lurched at these words. He had long suspected that Sachi the Silver Pistil Sword was up to something, but never would he have imagined him to be a dark creature—or one so formidable!

He then recalled the recent Dark Hunter Organization intel stating that Radiant Hunter Deleshart had been injured and that there might be a terrifying dark creature in Florence.

Could Xue Shi have encountered the same one? And how did that tie in with the mysterious force that had destroyed the dark creature test site?

Surely it wasn't a botched experiment that created an ungovernable powerful dark creature, which then broke free and slaughtered everyone at the field, including Zhu Hun and Yang Yan?

Thoughts raced in his mind, and Luo hurriedly asked Xue Shi another key question. "Did that dark creature chase you here?"

"No. As soon as I got badly hurt, I fled Florence's city center," Xue Shi said, recalling one possibility. "We fought in District One of Florence, near the royal palace. It might have feared drawing the Dark Hunter Organization's attention by pursuing me across the entire city, so it didn't follow immediately. At least, it never showed up within my perceptive range. I guess I was fortunate..."

"That's good," Hu Yue said, visibly relieved.

"Aaaargh!"

"An intruder! Someone's broken in! Quickly, alert the lords, aah..."

"The intruder is extremely powerful!"

The multiple layers of the Gate Organization's meticulous defenses at the manor's front gate were smashed all at once. A figure tore through clothing and flesh, driving straight into the manor's core like a razor-sharp arrow.

In the infirmary, Hu Yue and the other two, all possessing the keen hearing of combat artists, looked alarmed. They had clearly heard the fighting at the estate gate.

"That's impossible..." Xue Shi sprang from his chair, Qi surging forth. "Could there be a tracking mark on me?"

"Whatever it is, the enemy is here. Dealing with them comes first!" Luo immediately spoke up, sprinting for the gate.

Hu Yue and Xue Shi hurried after him and they soon arrived at the estate's open area. Their faces fell at the scene before them. Blood was flowing everywhere, and the ground was strewn with mangled bodies and severed limbs. Many of them were subordinates these men had brought.

"Damn it!" Hu Yue cursed under his breath, then jerked his head in a direction.

A humanoid dark creature standing over three meters tall loomed majestically in the middle of the carnage. Its body exhibited the plump curves of a woman, but its skin was covered in countless black totem markings that exuded a terrifying savagery.

Six arms extended upward behind it, like a great net reaching for the sky. Sticky blood dripped from the tips of its fingers, drop by drop. A ferocity akin to a top-tier combat artist radiated freely in all directions.

Its fearsome aura caused the nearby air to distort, as if scorched by high temperatures.

"It followed me!" Xue Shi's eyes flashed with fear, the stump of his left arm throbbing with phantom pain. Even the fingertips of his intact right arm quivered slightly.

"Don't panic! With the three of us together, even if we can't win, it won't be easy for it to crush us," Hu Yue said, a glint of ruthlessness in his eyes. A surge of white Qi flared around him with formidable intensity.

"We'll fight as we retreat. We’ll leave through the back door to find the Northern King. The dark creature test site is less than two kilometers behind the estate..." Luo analyzed calmly and assumed a combat stance, his arms coming powerfully together in front of his chest.

The metal rings on his forearms rattled and clanged together, evoking a chilling sense of battle and bloodshed. A pale-blue Qi flowed from the right side of his body in a smoky swirl, interlacing through the air as it faintly formed the shape of a shark.

"Attack!!!" Luo roared, and the three figures suddenly lunged forward.

The Evil Mother spread her six arms, causing every totem on her body to flare at once, and she collided with the trio like a cannonball.

A thunderous boom resounded through the manor grounds, and the airflow whipped into a frenzy. Four silhouettes weaved rapidly through swirling dust and fog, exchanging blows with blinding speed.

Surges of Qi coalesced again and again into the shape of their Will of the Fist, only to be repeatedly shattered on the spot by the totem-adorned arms.

Bang!

Hu Yue took a punch to the chest, catapulting him backward at high speed. The white suit across his chest was now stained a deep crimson.

"Retreat!" Luo suddenly emerged from within the swirling turbulence, Xue Shi at his side in even worse shape. The three bolted away, seizing the moment when the punch forced back the Evil Mother to sprint toward the estate's rear exit.

Anything that blocked their path was immediately pulverized by a single punch.

Swish, swish, swish!

The three figures emerged at the estate's rear gate but came to an abrupt halt. Xue Shi wore the look of a man cornered, blood seeping from his clenched teeth as his face twisted in fury. His bloodshot eyes glared ahead.

A figure nearly two meters tall waited silently for them in front of the back gate. His face was impassive and his gaze icy. It was as though he viewed all three of them as already dead.

"Heh, three of you, hmm? You really picked the wrong hive to poke..."

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