Chapter 478 - Taming the Platinum Ring - 2
For the Flying Cats, Zhao would simply be another threat to eliminate.
"I need to find a gap in their coverage," he murmured, studying the patrol patterns.
But the more he observed, the more he realized there were no gaps. The cats had established a surveillance network that covered every cubic meter of airspace. It was a system refined by centuries of war against invading moths.
Each cat maintained perfect spacing from its neighbors, their patrol routes overlapping in ways that ensured no intruder could slip through undetected.
Zhao tried flying lower, but the Platinum Sprouts’ tentacles rose immediately, sensitive to any movement in their aerial domain. He tried flying higher than the ’canopy’, but the air became so thin due to the insane altitude of the gigantic ’trees’ that he could barely stay airborne.
And all the time, mana accumulated in his system.
His medicine worked, but it wasn’t perfect. Each breath brought more energy than he could process, and his internal filters were beginning to saturate. He could feel the growing pressure, the sensation of being filled with liquid mana.
The buildup was subtle, like slowly drowning in power. Hours later his vision began to take on a crystalline quality at the edges, and his movements became sluggish as his nervous system struggled to process the energy overload.
He could drink more, but then it wouldn’t be enough for the full trip.
"This isn’t going to work," he finally admitted, feeling how his vision was beginning to glow at the edges.
The retreat was humiliating but necessary.
Zhao turned around, flying back toward the golden ring while fighting against depression. Each meter he retreated felt like a betrayal of his mission, but the alternative was dying from wandering in circles... in that place he couldn’t stay too long or he’d die from mana saturation before even reaching the second platinum ring.