Meanwhile, in a remote corner of the country—while Yu Zi Yu was fully absorbed in spreading his mist…
A middle-aged military officer with a stern, square face sat quietly in his office.
Knock, knock.
The officer frowned, exhaling heavily before saying,"Come in."
"Yes, Sir."
A young soldier, still covered in dust from the field, hurried inside."Sir, the mutated beast activity in our province has intensified. Civilian injury reports are rising sharply."
He quickly unfolded a map and pointed to several newly drawn red circles."The concentration of Spiritual Energy in these areas has spiked again. We believe these hotspots are signs of growing mutant beast infestations."
The officer sighed.This was not the first reported surge.
Ever since the existence of Spiritual Energy had been confirmed, the government had repeatedly observed abnormal increases across the country. These fluctuations were almost always followed by the emergence of stronger, more dangerous mutants.
Among all documented cases, the most infamous was the Penghu Incident.
The Penghu Islands—an archipelago in the Taiwan Strait—had long been known as the "Asian Bermuda." Since 1967, eleven aircraft had crashed there.
But that horrifying record was shattered within the past six months.
Seventeen planes had gone down.More than twenty ships had vanished without a trace.
Even high-ranking officials couldn't remain calm in the face of such devastation.
But what could they do?
Two months ago, the country finally confirmed the truth: a large flock of mutant crows ruled the skies there, and terrifying sea monsters lurked beneath the waves.The crows attacked planes.The sea creatures dragged down ships.Together, they had turned the Penghu Channel into a death zone.
Experts warned, "As mutant beasts grow stronger, their territorial instincts intensify. Anything entering their domain will be treated as prey."
Passenger planes and noisy ships were simply the first victims.
Dealing with the crows was manageable—special forces had been deployed for high-altitude sniper operations.But the sea monsters… their numbers, species, and exact positions remained unknown.
And the ocean—especially after the resurgence of Spiritual Energy—had become the most dangerous unknown region on Earth.
It was said Spiritual Energy first returned from the sea.If that was true…Who knew what ancient terrors were awakening in the depths?
The middle-aged officer rubbed his temple. In all his thirty years of service, this was the first threat that truly made him feel helpless.
Thankfully, national special forces handled the worst disasters. His role, as a Lieutenant General overseeing the province, was to monitor local anomalies and neutralize emerging threats before they grew out of control.
If mutant beasts kept evolving…One day, they might abandon their territories entirely and begin hunting outward—possibly even attacking cities.
His burden was immense.
"Sort out every region where Peak Spiritual Energy exceeds 5,000," he ordered calmly."Submit the full report to me."
"Yes, Sir."Yan Gao Yuan's eyes twitched involuntarily as he looked at the map.
Peak above 5,000… Lieutenant General is definitely going to lose sleep over this.
Peak Spiritual Energy was the standard measurement for the strongest reading in a region.A creature with more than 1,000 could already threaten armed soldiers.Anything above 5,000 could shrug off bullets entirely.
Such monsters possessed destructive power that regular troops—and even elite fighters—couldn't handle.
If one of them attacked a city…The consequences would be unimaginable.
That was why this division existed: to prevent such catastrophes.
But then—
"WHAT!?"The officer shot to his feet, staring at the map Yan had just handed him."Eight regions above 5,000!? And one with a Peak of 18,000!?Are you kidding me!? Is this some kind of instrumental malfunction!?"
Yan Gao Yuan swallowed hard. His expression was equally grim.
"Sir, we ran multiple tests. The readings are consistent.However… we cannot rule out the possibility of a Spirit River or Spirit Mine."
The Lieutenant General let out a long, frustrated breath."Do you think Spirit Rivers and Spirit Mines grow like cabbages!?"
Still, his gaze sharpened as it fell upon the blood-red region marked on the map.
North Canyon—deep within the mountains of Sichuan Prefecture.
Remote.Dangerous.Almost inaccessible.
If a terrifying mutant beast appeared anywhere…This place was the perfect breeding ground.
But a reading of 18,000?
Just… what kind of monster could possess such a terrifying level of Spiritual Energy?