Chapter 224
Chapter 224: Even the Tiger Roar Army Will Be Useless
Time flew by.
In the blink of an eye, nearly two months had passed.
These two months were the stage during which Humanity thoroughly probed Stage Three of the Abyss.
At the same time, it was also the stage during which otherworldly beings gradually began to reveal themselves.
Linyuan City developed steadily for two months with a posture of reconnaissance and defense.
The city walls were continuously raised and reinforced.
Social order also returned to its previous state.
Through the efforts of the Research Institute, communication between cities was barely established through Spirit Treasures.
However, each city basically had only one or two such Spirit Treasures.
And they could only contact the nearest city.
Moreover, this communication was not something just anyone could casually use.
All of it was controlled by the local highest military command department.
It was used solely as a wartime interconnection system.
The teleportation mechanism had also barely been established.
The Research Institute referred to the otherworldly lands as “Forbidden Zones.”
They referred to Blue Star’s original land as “Original Ground.”
Just as Li Mu had expected...
The Forbidden Zones had risen from the ground and cut the Original Ground into pieces. At every cut surface, there was effectively a “Spatial Barrier.”
These Spatial Barriers blocked signals and teleportation.
At present, Humanity could use Return Stones and activate teleportation arrays on Original Ground.
However, they could not set up teleportation gates on “Original Ground.”
They could still only set up teleportation gates in “Forbidden Zones.”
Furthermore, the area of the Forbidden Zones was far, far larger than the original area of the Original Ground.
The teleportation distances were much greater.
Every city could set up a teleportation gate in the Forbidden Zone area nearest to itself.
But not every city could be reached through Return Stones.
For some places where the distance was insufficient, people had to run!
Linyuan City and Ironhand City were extremely fortunate.
The Forbidden Zone between them was long and narrow. It barely fell within teleportation range, so they could reinforce each other quickly.
The other cities, however, were miserable.
If one wanted to go from Linyuan City to Bloodpool City...
One had to first undergo a maximum-distance teleportation, then travel 1,800 kilometers overland.
Only after entering the teleportation gate range of Bloodpool City’s Forbidden Zone could one use a Return Stone again and arrive at the Forbidden Zone edge closest to Bloodpool City. After that, one still had to run another 11 kilometers to reach Bloodpool City.
There were countless cities in similar situations!
This situation made one of the Abyss-Suppression Army’s units extremely important!
Special forces!
Or they could be called rapid-response forces.
Li Mu’s Tiger Roar Army was precisely this kind of unit.
The mobility and combat strength of special forces were far above those of ordinary battle teams.
They were units specifically meant to chew through hard bones.
Therefore, many special forces had already begun moving between cities, putting out fires everywhere.
Of course...
The Research Institute had also gained a certain understanding of the current Stage Three.
Among their theories, there was one that Li Mu cared about the most.
That was: the current situation on Blue Star was absolutely something deliberately created by a powerful, godlike existence with consciousness and life.
Starting from the descent of the Abyss, through Stage One, Stage Two, and Stage Three...
At every stage, the Abyss monsters were stronger than Humanity.
Yet they were never strong enough to directly exterminate Humanity.
That existence had clearly first dropped a portion of Abyss space and monsters onto Earth.
When Humanity began to have more Profound Rank experts, it dropped a corresponding number of Profound Rank monsters and Abyss spaces.
When Humanity began to have more Earth Rank experts, it dropped a corresponding number of Earth Rank monsters and Abyss spaces.
Some people even speculated that there was not just one such lofty “god.”
According to the nine Abyss types that countries around the world had previously explored...
Perhaps there were nine such “gods”!
Li Mu was most sensitive to this theory.
Because it made him think of the “Heavenly Court.”
The demons and monsters of the mortal world all came from heaven.
Lofty and untouchable.
Toying with all living beings.
Using all things in heaven and earth as nourishment to seek eternal existence...
When Li Mu learned of this theory, he felt the faintest trace of panic.
Compared to such beings that could control the fusion of worlds...
His current self was probably as weak as an ant, right?
Therefore, no matter from what perspective, Li Mu had to develop a vast force and protect Humanity well.
Because once Humanity was wiped out...
This world might lose all value to the “gods.”
And he would then...Bloodpool City.
Bloodsea Military District Overall Command Center.
Bang!
Zhong Xinghai, Commander of the Bloodsea Military District, slammed the table heavily.
The command console shook fiercely.
At this moment, the entire command center, filled with several hundred people, was terrifyingly oppressive.
“Damn it! It’s just a low spiritual-pressure region. Is it really that hard to take?”
“I’m so angry I want to go myself!”
Zhong Xinghai roared furiously at the large screen.
On the large screen at this moment...
A special operations army from the Bloodsea Military District was collapsing in frantic retreat.
It had originally been a unit of more than two thousand people.
Now, after being slaughtered, only about thirteen or fourteen hundred remained.
This was already considered very impressive.
At the very least, they had fought their way about thirty kilometers in.
Two days ago, the special forces of the Shenqi Military District had numbered more than two thousand, but only five hundred returned.
Everyone nearby was as silent as cicadas in winter.
But they were also used to it. Zhong Xinghai had always had such a fiery temper.
It was not that he was completely blaming the special forces involved in this operation.
What Zhong Xinghai was truly furious about was this “low spiritual-pressure region.”
Just two major special forces had already lost the equivalent of an entire special unit here.
The Abyss-Suppression Army had already lost more than ten thousand people here.
If they still could not take it down, it would truly become a grave threat.
Zhong Xinghai turned around angrily.
He strode straight toward the Military Oversight Headquarters.
At the Military Oversight Headquarters...
Zu Yuanji had already convened a meeting over this matter.
The leaders of the various Military Districts were all present.
This included the leader of the Bloodsea Military District’s special forces, who had just returned in defeat.
Dong Xiao.
A Mid Tiger Marquis and a Profound Rank Fourth Grade expert.
Ever since his special unit had been established, it could be said to have advanced triumphantly all the way.
Its designation was the Wansheng Special Warfare Army!
In just five short years, it had stood out from more than a dozen special units across the five great Military Districts.
It had become Zhong Xinghai’s most presentable special unit.
But now, Dong Xiao stood in the large conference room with minor injuries, covered in dust and grime.
Even though his face was full of defiance, he could only accept it.
Zu Yuanji tapped the table with his hand.
His expression was solemn.
“Dong Xiao, explain the specific situation inside.”
Dong Xiao gritted his teeth.
“The failure of this operation is entirely my responsibility.”
“The monsters in the low spiritual-pressure region are simply too physically powerful. Their bodies are as hard as steel.”
“Inside, I was also suppressed to roughly Ninth Grade strength.”
“But even then, it was still extremely difficult for me. You can imagine what it was like for the other soldiers.”
“I suggest we let an Earth Rank expert try.”
Before Dong Xiao could finish speaking...
Zhong Xinghai snapped angrily, “Shut up! And now you are giving suggestions?”
The expressions of the commanders of the various Military Districts and Zu Yuanji all turned slightly strange.
Earth Rank expert?
They had secretly used one long ago!
Ever since this “low spiritual-pressure region” appeared some time ago, the death rate of soldiers who entered had nearly reached seventy percent!
Moreover, this region was expanding. The Research Institute’s position was that it had to be destroyed.
There was definitely some kind of Mystic Realm or resource inside.
If they did not destroy it and allowed it to continue developing, it would bring a hundred harms and not a single benefit.
The Military Districts had attacked it several times, with the death toll reaching several thousand.
After that, they deployed three more special units and once again lost several thousand people.
At that time, they had already arranged for an Earth Rank expert to go!
But it was useless.
The low spiritual-pressure region would suppress all experts above the Profound Rank to below the Profound Rank.
Put another way, the Spiritual Energy available for those above the Profound Rank to mobilize was thin!
The higher a martial artist’s cultivation was, the thinner the Spiritual Energy became.
Even Earth Rank experts could not resist it. They would similarly be suppressed below the Profound Rank.
Even so, an Earth Rank expert’s cultivation arts and combat strength were still incomparably powerful.
The key issue was this.
Earth Ranks could not be moved casually!
Every city, including the otherworldly Earth Rank monsters in its surrounding area, seemed to have a certain mutual sense of one another.
Once an Earth Rank expert left his Dao Field, his strength would decline sharply, and he would easily be targeted jointly by other Earth Ranks!
The Earth Rank expert from Linyuan City who went had been intercepted and killed midway by two Earth Ranks.
He narrowly escaped death and almost failed to return!
That was why Zu Yuanji no longer dared allow Earth Ranks to leave the city.
In this current period, Earth Ranks were equivalent to nuclear weapons. The number and power of a city’s nuclear weapons absolutely could not be figured out by others.
Even more importantly, they could not be used casually, lest they be destroyed by the enemy.
That Earth Rank expert had gone in secret, so the people below did not know about it at all.
After that came the consecutive defeats of the special forces from the two great Super Military Districts.
Now, they truly had no other solution.
Zu Yuanji sighed.
“Send a message to Linyuan City. Contact Li Mu and have him bring the Tiger Roar Army over!”
Zhong Xinghai nodded.
“All right. That is the only way.”
The other Military District commanders also nodded repeatedly.
Dong Xiao, however, felt extremely displeased.
He did not know that an Earth Rank expert had already gone out.
He did not understand why they could not deploy an Earth Rank expert, and instead had to use some Tiger Roar Army!
He had heard a little about Li Mu and the Tiger Roar Army, but only a little.
Especially when Zu Yuanji, the Military Oversight Commander-in-Chief, mentioned the Tiger Roar Army...Zhong Xinghai said that this was the only way!
The other commanders also nodded again and again.
This clearly meant that all of them felt the Tiger Roar Army was much stronger than his Wansheng Special Warfare Army!
And that it was a commonly accepted fact!
How could that possibly make him feel good?
Most importantly, so many people from his unit had died!
These commanders had no idea how powerful those monsters were!
So he hurriedly said, “Military Overseer Zu, Commander Zhong!”
“I still strongly suggest letting an Earth Rank expert try.”
“Believe me! Even if the Tiger Roar Army comes, they will still be useless. Truly!”