While waiting for news, Wen Wen had not been idle.
He had used some methods to conduct investigations within the automobile manufacturing plant.
One of his findings was the presence of hidden rune formations within the factory's outer walls.
The primary function of this formation was to conceal abnormal energies. If Wen Wen hadn't known beforehand that there was something amiss here, he would not have noticed the formation's existence.
Without Wen Wen's rune mastery, even a deliberate search from the outside would not reveal any issues with the automobile manufacturing plant.
In addition to concealing energies, the formation on the surrounding wall also served as an alarm system. Entering without regard would invariably lead to immediate discovery.
The person who arranged the factory walls should have been a rune master.
To avoid alerting the enemy, Wen Wen took out a white chalk made of special materials and drew a peculiar pattern on a side wall. This pattern was also a rune formation.
Afterward, Wen Wen produced a blood bag, stained his right hand with blood, and pressed his palm onto the center of the formation. Following a faint dim red glow, the formation at this location temporarily lost its effect.
Besides the formations, there were also infrared devices on the walls. However, these posed no difficulty for the trio. The more hidden the arrangements, the more problems the factory likely had.
Upon jumping inside, the little wagtail spirit's head swiveled rapidly, a movement speed only birds could achieve.
She had long suspected something was wrong here, but every attempt to enter was discovered and she was ruthlessly driven away. This was the first time she had seen the inside of the factory.
Wen Wen and Tao Qingqing’s eyes were fixed on the little wagtail spirit, waiting for her to lead the way. The little wagtail spirit could only shrug her shoulders helplessly.
“It seems the adventure starts now.”
Wen Wen clasped the Seeker badge around his neck, and a strange symbol appeared in the void.
This was the ‘Mystery’ ability of the Seeker badge. From now on, ordinary detection methods would not affect Wen Wen, and the two women beside him would also receive a certain degree of protection.
Then, a transparent sheen fell upon Tao Qingqing and the wagtail spirit, forming a translucent shield.
This shield came from the warehouse administrator's name tag, providing them with some protection and shielding them from certain specific mental influences.
With preparations made, the trio began their exploration.
After exploring only a small portion, Wen Wen’s expression grew solemn. The situation here was far beyond his expectations.
Within this massive automobile manufacturing plant, the number of non-human beings was staggering.
Beneath the ground, the aura of tentacle monsters was pervasive, and the aura of those giant mosquitoes was everywhere. They were present in almost every patch of shade and under every eave!
Du Ke Dan had previously worried about a few mosquitoes escaping. If he knew the number of insects here, he might have suffered a myocardial infarction.
Besides mosquitoes, all sorts of demons were also abundant. Shadow demons, puppeteer demons, succubi, devouring demons, and imps that Wen Wen had encountered before could all be found here.
Even more were various unclassified demon species. A cursory glance revealed at least a hundred, and they had only surveyed a small part of the factory. Furthermore, there was no shortage of Upper-order elite demons here; it was truly a carnival for demons.
It seemed that the River Willow Courtyard was not an important stronghold for these demons at all, but merely a small trap set by two Upper-order demons on a whim!
Even the destruction of that stronghold was not considered a loss here.
The demon worship organization, the Abyss Eye, implemented a council system. The topmost layer consisted of the Speaker and thirteen Councilors. All thirteen Councilors were True-order powerhouses, and more than half of them were demons.
Normally, a large region would have only one Councilor to oversee regional affairs.
Yet, Wen Wen could sense the aura of at least two True-order Archdemons here!
The most disgusting aspect was the simultaneous presence of many ordinary people. The factory was operating as usual at night, with these workers mixed among the demons. It was impossible to separate them.
If a carpet bombing were carried out here as before, the ordinary people would suffer the most, while many demons were hidden underground and difficult to harm.
Therefore, Wen Wen did not act immediately. He alone could not capture so many monsters. Rash action might cause these monsters to scatter, leading to even greater damage.
Moreover, the gathering of so many demons here, coupled with the mysterious kidnapping cases, indicated that the Abyss Eye definitely had some scheme planned for this place. It was possible that there was an even greater danger here than True-order powerhouses.
For instance… the Pure White Lord!
After advancing a short distance, the trio discovered an area enclosed by a wall. The security here was much stricter than outside. Wen Wen spent some time deciphering the rune formation on the outer wall.
This time, he did not bring the little wagtail spirit or Tao Qingqing with him. He entered alone.
With their strength, even with caution, they might be discovered inside. After seeing what was ahead, Wen Wen had no intention of acting directly. He needed to return and plan carefully.
The enclosed area was not large, with only six buildings. However, the quality of the demons within was much higher than those outside, and most of them did not bother with any concealment, walking around in their demonic forms.
The most conspicuous building was located in the center, an open-roofed structure surrounded by dozens of massive cylindrical pillars. The architectural style bore some resemblance to the dilapidated temples left behind by ancient civilizations in the Golden Eagle Region.
Beneath the temple, a crowd of people knelt densely, numbering at least five hundred. Wen Wen saw the missing Xu Hongjiao, and Miao Xuan, who was suspected of being taken by Wang Qin.
They knelt on the ground in unison, their heads tilted upwards at a forty-five-degree angle, their faces etched with sorrow, and two streams of bloody tears flowed down.
Abstruse energy flowed through them like grey, misty vapor, then drifted towards the places their gazes were fixed upon, finally disappearing into the night sky.
Wen Wen found this mist somewhat familiar. The first time he peeked into the Grey Mist layer, his gaze met that of a feathered serpent. A faint, thread-like connection formed between them, and the feathered serpent descended into the real world using that connection.
These misty vapors were essentially the same as that connection. However, due to their immense quantity, they appeared like a mist.
He fully unleashed his senses and looked up at the sky. Where the misty vapor disappeared, similar grey mists emerged, extending upwards to a certain point.
On the opposite side of this thread-like beginning, a similar scene appeared. A number of figures, similar in appearance but different in form, knelt on the ground in the same posture.
That should be the scenery of the Grey Mist layer!