Zone Fifty-One, United Federation of Bald Eagles.
Compared to the Sunset Kingdom and the White Bear Kingdom, which had found a clue, and the Wave Kingdom, which had found two or three clues, Zone Fifty-One was completely in the dark.
They had actually discovered the existence of cultists very early on and had made arrangements.
Many elites were dispatched to the Wanta Kingdom.
Originally, Zone Fifty-One could have obtained firsthand information, but...
"Is there still no news from Thunder Fist?"
Thunder Fist was the person in charge of hunting cultists in the Wanta Kingdom, the captain of the Third Secret Battle Team, and one of the top powerhouses in Zone Fifty-One.
The leader was quite confident in Thunder Fist, but now it seemed Thunder Fist was completely useless!
"Wave Kingdom, Sunset Kingdom, have you found out anything?"
His assistant shook his head, "Both the Wave Kingdom and the Sunset Kingdom claimed they didn't know. They said a large number of strange beings suddenly appeared, along with some mad awakened individuals."
"Leader, it's also possible that the Wave and Sunset Kingdoms are genuinely unaware. After all, the disaster situation in Fog City and Wave City was severe."
The leader narrowed his eyes, "The cult has been developing under their noses for so long, is it possible they are completely unaware?"
This was impossible!
Therefore, the Wave Kingdom and the Sunset Kingdom were both lying, and they must be hiding crucial information!
(Wave & a
Zone Fifty-One, by leveraging international influence, had mobilized a large number of personnel to conduct investigations and excavations there.
The progress was faster than that of the Sunset Kingdom, the Wave Kingdom, and other countries.
This was the only somewhat favorable news since the appearance of the anomaly.
The assistant spoke, "Indeed, some items have been excavated, including broken weapons and scattered remains of bodies... Preliminary judgment of the body remains indicates that many of them belonged to those cultists... We also discovered the body of a black-robed cultist, which is currently being secretly transported back to our Zone Fifty-One."
The leader nodded, his mood slightly eased.
"Furthermore, based on our on-site survey, that region may have suffered a massive energy impact and destruction, which is why it has become like this."
"We have identified this as the core of the Shattered Land, and by comparing it with the map, we can confirm that a castle once stood here."
The castle had long since vanished.
What remained in its place were craters and fragments of various sizes.
Yes, there were no longer any giant palm prints. This core area was indeed the most severely impacted region by the energy shock. The palm prints had long since lost their shape under multiple bombardments.
The leader looked at the photos taken at the scene, his eyes narrowed.
"What do the experts analyze, was it man-made or natural?"
"It's unlikely to be man-made. Large craters require extremely powerful energy bombardment to be produced. Experts have referenced the powerhouses of Zone Fifty-One for comparative research and believe the possibility is extremely low."
"Even ten times stronger, it might not be possible to create such giant craters by human strength alone."
The assistant paused and continued, "And according to our understanding, on that night, agents saw terrifying dark red lightning descend."
These giant craters were very likely caused by dark red lightning.
As for why the dark red lightning was produced, and why the red light pillar, the changing winds and clouds, and other anomalies occurred...
Damn it, the leader also wanted to know!
"Continue the investigation, at all costs!"
"Yes!"
The assistant hesitated for a moment and then said, "Leader, a faint gray mist is spreading around the Shattered Land, and from time to time, strange beings, even exceptionally large ones, are spawned... Currently, there have been considerable casualties."
The excavators were mostly ordinary people.
They were not even professional warriors. Facing strange beings, they were almost certainly doomed, and rescue might not even arrive in time.
But for the secrets hidden within the Shattered Land, these sacrifices were worth it.
The assistant understood, nodded, and made arrangements.
...
The next day,
Snowfall City.
This was an unremarkable small city within the Wave Kingdom, and within the city stood an ordinary office building.
This was the office of that mysterious organization!
This was not Anderson's first time here, but compared to his previous visits, this time his mind was filled with thoughts, and the ordinary office building in front of him seemed to have become extraordinary.
"This is the mysterious organization's outpost in our Wave Kingdom?"
Also accompanying him were another powerhouse, Katrina, and over a dozen other personnel.
In fact, Anderson really didn't want to bring this woman along, but he had no choice. This woman represented another powerful faction within the department, and he couldn't refuse.
Refusing would be useless.
The address of the mysterious organization's office in the Wave Kingdom was not known only to him; many members of the department were aware of it.
He had to bring her.
He nodded and said, "This is it. Don't underestimate this office; there are experts stationed inside."
Katrina glanced at him, "When did I say I underestimated it? Do you think I'm such a foolish person?"
Anderson said, "That's good. Prepare the gifts, and we'll pay our respects."
...
At this moment,
There were a total of six official members of the Hearth Fire in the office. The person in charge was Luo Rui, a recipient of the Flame Holder medal.
Yes, he had come here specifically.
He was currently a member of the intelligence department. Logically speaking, being stationed at the office was not within his scope of duties, but... if special circumstances arose, it would be different.
A glimmer of light flashed in his eyes, "It's as the Thousand Faces group leader predicted. People from the Wave Kingdom have arrived."
They were just a bit slow, arriving on the third day.
At first, the Thousand Faces group leader was certain it would be on the third day, and he was a bit skeptical. Now, it seemed the group leader was indeed the group leader.
His foresight was uncanny.
Next, it was his turn to perform.
Luo Rui pondered, then looked at Anderson and the others who walked in and smiled, "Please, have a seat. I have been waiting for you for a long time."
"So it's Brother Luo Rui. It's been a long time."
This was an acquaintance.
Anderson thought this was a good start, but he hadn't expected...
Luo Rui shook his head, "I personally welcome Director Anderson, but my mentor is quite disappointed with your Super Combat Department."
Anderson's smile froze.
Katrina's smile was very forced.
She wanted to lash out, but what this young man in front of her said made a lot of sense! The mysterious organization had given many warnings, but they had never taken them seriously.
No, it was the Super Combat Department that hadn't taken it seriously, and Anderson, as the director, hadn't done a good job.
Perhaps she should try being the director.
Her thoughts raced, and her gaze fell on the young man in front of her.
Her intuition told her that this was a powerhouse no weaker than herself. Was he a high-ranking member of the mysterious organization?
It seemed the mysterious organization still attached considerable importance to their Wave Kingdom.
"This was indeed our Super Combat Department's mistake. We hope to rectify these mistakes and are willing to contribute more strength to fight against the cultists."
Anderson said.
He was adopting a very humble stance, as he represented the Super Combat Department and the Wave Kingdom.
And the other party was merely an organization.
This was indeed an organization beyond imagination, but he was also the respected director of the Super Combat Department!
The foremost figure in the Wave Kingdom's mysterious departments. Such a status was only on par with a high-ranking member of the mysterious organization, and he still had to adopt a humble posture.
Anderson felt a bit wronged.
But what else could he do? He could only continue to be humble! If this matter couldn't be resolved, his position as director might not be stable.
He had to establish cooperation with the mysterious organization!
He felt a bit wronged and a bit nervous, looking at Luo Rui sitting opposite him.
After a long pause,
"Regarding your request, I can report it to my mentor, but I cannot guarantee anything."
Not rejecting him immediately meant there was a chance!
Anderson couldn't help but curve his lips upwards.
Across from him, Luo Rui also smiled inwardly.
...
"Did the Super Combat Department really come knocking?"
"Of course, if they didn't come to such a large office, they would be fools."
"As for the White Bear Kingdom, the Sunset Kingdom..."
Fang You pondered.
Of course, he could be more direct and let them find clues and contact Pei Hongjing, or Xing Jinglei, and so on.
But he felt it was better to make it a little difficult and take a more circuitous route.
If things were too easy to obtain, they wouldn't be cherished.
However, he still had to sell some clues, otherwise, if they couldn't find anything, it would be ridiculous.
It wasn't like the early days of Hearth Fire when everything was rudimentary.
Now, if the current Hearth Fire wanted to hide, the possibility of these mysterious departments finding them was very low. Even if they could find them, it would take a long time.
However, Fang You also wanted to establish cooperation with various countries.
Only through cooperation could there be mutual benefit, common resistance against the escalating disaster, and only through cooperation could these countries work for Hearth Fire.
However, compared to actively proposing cooperation, waiting for others to come seeking it would put them in a more advantageous position.
Don't misunderstand, everything was for the sake of Hearth Fire and the Blue Star.
Look, the fish had taken the bait.