Langhua Nation, Langhua City.
The Super Combat Department also received a warning, from a transnational mysterious organization.
The awakened of the Super Combat Department admitted that the mysterious organization was powerful, with top experts like Yin Ling, Monk Ming Deng, and Lei Si Shou.
In terms of the number of top experts, they might not be fewer than their Super Combat Department, perhaps even more.
But Langhua Nation was their territory; how could outsiders dictate terms? No matter how strong the awakened and cultists were, they were still flesh and blood.
"Those cultists are now precious experimental subjects. The higher-ups are eager to capture more cultists."
"You speak the truth. If there were cultist activities in our Langhua City, it would be even better... but I don't think cultists would dare."
"I think so too. We've already captured all the cultists around Xue Man City. Langhua City is right under our noses. As long as cultists have a bit of sense, they wouldn't come here."
"Heh, compared to those unseen abominations, I'd rather shoot a few cultists."
"Perhaps there are, living like rats in the sewers."
"Hahahaha—"
The Super Combat Department members laughed, their laughter abruptly cut short.
Their entire faces turned red, the sky filled with a scarlet glow that illuminated the vast night sky.
In the night sky, the most eye-catching sight was no longer the bright moon, but a round moon radiating a crimson light.
Eerie, horrifying, descending from the heavens.
"Praise our Lord, the Great Crimson Moon."
"You are the source of all life, the ruler of the night sky, the creator of life."
"The Red Moon is your incarnation, and your glory will shine upon countless worlds."
In the bustling Langhua City, many people were startled, many were terrified, and chaos ensued. But at this moment, from all corners of the city, from various buildings, houses, and families, people began to emerge. Under the illumination of the red moon, they unusually took to the streets, their faces filled with piety, chanting praises.
The crowds converged, growing larger and larger.
The followers of the Crimson Moon marched like a parade, their synchronized chants audible from kilometers away, attracting more and more people to join the procession.
One such group even passed by the Super Combat Department.
Some angry and frightened Super Combat Department members rushed forward, only to be drenched in blood the next moment. Their faces contorted as they laughed fanatically, their nails eerily elongating into sharp spikes.
Blood dripped from their tips.
Before them lay a pile of fallen Super Combat Department members.
The cultists continued their march, leaving bloody footprints, the spilled blood gradually forming small streams, and then merging further.
Not far away, several awakened in the Super Combat Department's office building held their breath.
Even with guns, their hands and feet felt cold.
"At this moment, preserving our strength is the most important thing."
"Exactly!"
"But there are so many of these cultists!"
"There isn't just one group; at least ten similar cultist groups have appeared in our Langhua City, and their momentum is growing."
A Super Combat Department member frantically typed on his computer, his expression growing increasingly grim.
"Not only that, we've lost contact with the outside world. Our Langhua City is now an isolated island!"
"But we still have many powerful individuals in our department, and we have weapons!"
"It's just... this situation..."
The blood moon hung high, its crimson light diffused. Cultists emerged from all over Langhua City. The awakened of the Super Combat Department, who had just confidently dismissed the cultists as insignificant, were now completely discredited.
But at this moment, no one cared about saving face.
They cared more about survival.
"If we don't provoke these cultists, they don't seem to attack us actively? Perhaps we should surrender."
"Are you insane!"
"There are countless cultists in the city, and we can't even distinguish who is a cultist. Outside the city, a terrifying wave of abominations is surging. How can we fight this? How can we fight!"
"Surrender, and you'll be assimilated into monsters!"
The enemies were not human, and indeed, they were not given a chance to raise a white flag.
In the suburbs, at a Super Combat Department base, Anderson, code-named 'Prince,' roared.
"I told you long ago that the warnings from the mysterious organization should not be ignored!" Although he had said this before, driven by his obsession with the physician Yin Ling, he hadn't taken it very seriously himself.
But others had taken it even less seriously.
Anderson had at least read the letter. He asked, "Can that mysterious organization be contacted now?"
"No, we can't communicate with the outside, nor can we leave the area covered by the red light. It's as if our Langhua City and the outside world are two different realms. However, communication within the city is still normal."
"Then we'll do as the letter suggested!"
Anderson roared, "The ritual has just begun! As long as we find and destroy the ritual nodes scattered throughout the city, we can interrupt and destroy this ritual!"
"If we fail, we can only perish with everyone in Langhua City!"
...
Across the many nations of the Blue Star, the mystical powers of the four major countries—Donghuang, White Eagle Federation, White Bear Nation, and Sunset Nation—were the strongest.
Firstly, these four countries were themselves major powers with robust national strength. Secondly, as the Blue Star connected with the Abyssal Realm and the mystical began to descend, each of these four countries gave birth to and discovered secret realms within their borders.
With the foundation of secret realms, and the resulting Ghost Crystals, mystical materials, and spectral objects, these four nations were at the forefront of mystical research, possessing immense mystical power.
They were also among the few national powers currently capable of observing the situations in various parts of the world.
At this moment,
apart from Fog City in Sunset Nation, which was already shrouded in the blood moon, the mystical departments of Donghuang, White Eagle Federation, and White Bear Nation had all received news.
"The ritual has begun. Seven cities have been completely isolated."
Director Tang, who had temporarily returned to the Investigation Bureau headquarters to oversee operations, wore a solemn expression.
He looked southwest, towards the direction of Wantta Nation, lost in thought.
Around the same time,
in the White Eagle Federation, Sector 51, the department responsible for researching awakenings and combating abominations, the most mysterious department of all.
The White Eagle Federation, considering itself the world's police, had dispatched various special operations teams since the onset of the mystical era.
Compared to maintaining security and stability in less important regions within their own country, Sector 51 prioritized collecting mystical materials, spectral objects, and unraveling the mysteries of awakening.
Sector 51 had discovered mystical materials very early on. When the global situation was not yet so chaotic, they had leveraged the White Eagle Federation's influence to hoard mystical materials and spectral objects from all over.
It wasn't only secret realms that could produce spectral objects.
Various convergence points during the world's fusion process could birth treasures.
Sector 51 had obtained many through this means.
However, compared to spectral objects, which had severe side effects, Sector 51 and the higher-ups of the White Eagle Federation desired more than anything the secrets of awakening and eternal life.
Sector 51 generally believed that by pursuing the path of awakening, they could achieve longevity.
At the very least, it could prolong their lifespan.
But awakening was too dangerous and too difficult, something the higher-ups were unwilling to face. The awakened of Sector 51 also hoped for a path to awakening without side effects.
They had been researching this for a long time, but progress was slow. Until, in Wantta Nation, they discovered a special cult.
A cult that could easily turn ordinary people into awakened.
Although, through their research, they discovered that the awakened cultists were no longer human, more like another species.
But it didn't matter.
If it meant eternal life, they could accept the price of not being human.
At this moment,
the leader of Sector 51 gazed towards Wantta Nation, "The sky is covered in red light, enveloping seven cities. Could these pulses of red light... be related to eternal life?"
Fog City and Langhua City did not have many of their Sector 51 personnel.
However, in Wantta Nation, within the city enveloped by the red energy shield, Sector 51 had an important base, established to capture and research those cultists.
Contact had been lost, but the leader trusted the awakened of Sector 51, trusted their powerful technological capabilities.
They would seize the opportunity to glimpse the mystery.
"Don't disappoint me."
...
Wantta Nation, a certain city.
It was now in utter chaos, with constant explosions and gunfire, screams everywhere, and fervent cultists praising the great Crimson Moon.
On a tall building not far away, two operational members from Sector 51 were observing below.
One of them set up a sniper rifle, the crosshairs moving downwards.
They were the second and third members of a secret operations team, both awakened and skilled in the use of various high-tech weapons.
Drones hovered in the air, their rotors' whirring drowned out by the explosions, unnoticed.
A top secret combat team from Sector 51 had targeted a few lone cultists, more precisely, a black-robed cultist. Da Feng Novel Network.
"Their chanted praises have all been recorded, and their actions and movements have also been documented."
"Then let's begin the second phase of the operation."
"Speaking of which, we have to thank the local warlords. If they hadn't attracted so many cultists, it would have been really difficult to act."
When the red moon descended and the cultist groups appeared, they quickly clashed with the local warlord forces.
The warlords had guns and cannons, but they were soon routed by the cultists.
Many cultists pursued them.
Among the remaining cultists, one wore a black robe. From their investigations in the past few days, the secret combat team knew that those in black robes held a significant position among the cultists.
"Capture him alive and uncover the secrets of the Red Moon!"
"Understood."
In the sniper's sight, the crosshairs slowly moved down.
He did not aim directly.
He knew intimately the heightened sense of danger possessed by awakened individuals, let alone a powerful figure like a black-robed cultist.
But Sector 51 had its own methods.
Secret combat members prepared themselves, about to commence their operation.
Suddenly,
blood flowers bloomed from several cultists. Figures wielding dual pistols emerged from the shadows, wearing combat uniforms distinct from those of the local warlords.
They were not the uniform styles of Donghuang investigators and special forces members from their intelligence.
However, in Wantta Nation, who else besides the great power of Donghuang would have the capability to deploy elite awakened squads?!
Donghuang investigators were trying to snatch their prey!
They would not allow it!