"Mr. Sun, hello. My surname is Zhao, and I'm the vice president of the Linping City Spirit Master Guild. Please follow me."
The speaker was a middle-aged man in his early forties, somewhat portly. His gaze swept over the team from Whale Island University, and as he caught sight of the final-form spirits one after another, he couldn't help but click his tongue in amazement.
Everyone knew prestigious schools were strong, but just how strong? President Zhao understood it clearly today. Less than two hours after the emergency distress signal was sent, Whale Island University had assembled a twenty-person elite-level team—all students! Many of their spirits, President Zhao estimated, were even stronger than his own.
'Old, I'm getting old.' He had long lost the drive to push for higher levels, only wanting to resolve the Black Society issue properly to keep his vice president seat secure.
The group walked toward the guild building not far away. When they reached the entrance, they happened to see the doors of several special transport vehicles swing open. A number of spirits jumped out, along with a crowd of young people just like them.
"Those are from Dongyun University."
Su Hao was in the 4th squad, led by a captain named Zhou Ming, a standout among the sophomores who had participated in similar missions before. He spoke up, "The distance from Dongyun Province's capital to Linping City is only a little over a hundred kilometers. Besides our support team from Whale Island University, there are definitely people from other universities in Dongyun Province coming too."
Zhou Ming looked at Su Hao and Bai Hongzhen, "This is your first time on a large-scale mission. I want you to watch more, listen more, and don't act on your own. Large-scale missions are completely different from ordinary arrest missions!"
Bai Hongzhen frowned, as if he wanted to say something but held back. Su Hao shrugged, signaling no problem. Sticking together was safer, after all.
...
The group filed in and arrived at the spacious command hall. Many professionals sat in front of rows of computers, busy communicating, commanding, analyzing, and deploying personnel. There were also local guild spirit masters and high-ranking officials from other departments, a group of them discussing strategies. When the support team from Whale Island University walked in, many people's expressions visibly relaxed.
Up front, Tutor Sun and other command staff were discussing. Su Hao and the other students naturally listened quietly, waiting to receive orders. He observed his surroundings.
Three universities from Dongyun Province had sent support teams. Among them, only Dongyun University was a key university, with a team of about ten students, though not all were elite-level. The other two were just ordinary universities, with even fewer students—only three or four, most still at the entry level. The main support came from their tutor teams. After all, spirit universities were essentially part of the official forces.
"Most tutors at ordinary universities are just veteran elite-level." Of course, there were definitely master-level tutors. Key spirit universities like Dongyun University even had a champion-level presence. But compared to Whale Island University, the gap was huge. The same went for the students. A few seniors from Dongyun University looked at Whale Island's team, their eyes sweeping over the spirits, then landing on the younger underclassmen, their expressions complex.
...
At the front of the command hall, a map was projected on the screen. The president of Linping City's Spirit Master Guild stood there and said, "We tracked traces of several criminal spirit masters near the Dragon Lake Villa District in the eastern suburbs. After comparison, we confirmed they are registered serious offenders with ties to the Black Society. Through analysis, we believe there is a Black Society stronghold within this area..."
The map on the screen zoomed in, and a red circle marked the range. But it was a bit large, covering the Dragon Lake Villa District and several surrounding neighborhoods. Everyone with experience furrowed their brows.
The president continued, "We didn't dare to investigate further. With how seasoned those Black Society criminals are, even a slight disturbance would alert them. Moreover, this is a residential area. What we're more worried about is those Black Society lunatics going on a killing spree if they see no way out."
It wasn't impossible. Those terrorist organization types had countless lives on their hands and would do anything when cornered. But not rooting them out was even worse—it was a ticking time bomb that could explode at any moment. Worried the Black Society might relocate, the strategy meeting didn't drag on long. Tutor Sun came over to them and began assigning tasks.
"Squad 1 and Squad 2, follow me into the neighborhood to find the Black Society stronghold. Squads 3, 4, and 5, you'll patrol here, here, and here respectively, keeping an eye out for fleeing Black Society criminals. Local special forces members will assist you; ask them for specifics. Action starts in one minute."
...
At a major intersection, traffic police had set up a checkpoint to block outsiders from entering and guide people inside out. Further in, the local special forces had established an encirclement. The special forces were one of the main forces under the Spirit Master Guild. They weren't spirit masters, but they carried special firearms and wore spirit bracelets on their wrists that could withstand minor damage. They had experience dealing with spirits.
"Even so, dealing with Black Society fugitives still relies on you students."
"Don't worry, Captain Fang!" said a student from Dongyun University, his tone tinged with both nervousness and excitement. He looked at the four from Whale Island University, "We'll take the left; you take the right?"
Zhou Ming nodded indifferently. The four-person squad from Whale Island University walked forward with a special forces member. Looking around, the roads outside the Dragon Lake Villa District were quite wide, but there were few cars now. After walking for a few minutes, Bai Hongzhen suggested splitting up.
"Searching like this, when will we ever find the Black Society criminals? I think splitting up is best. Each of us has the ability to defeat and capture elite-level opponents. Acting alone is the most efficient."
Captain Zhou Ming shook his head, "No. You're both inexperienced newcomers. The reason Tutor Sun assigned you to my squad is so I can look after you. Yes, you can beat ordinary elite-level opponents, but how do you know all the ones in the Black Society stronghold are just ordinary elite-level? Even if you're stronger than them, how much stronger? Can you take down their spirits quickly? Can you guarantee they won't take hostages or harm innocent civilians? If you can't, what's the point of acting rashly?"
He paused. "Our squad has spirits skilled in defense, assault, control, reconnaissance, and more. When we find a target, using overwhelming force to subdue them is the correct approach!"
Bai Hongzhen opened his mouth but couldn't find words. Captain Zhou Ming then looked at Su Hao, "Have your Fire Velvet Crow take to the sky for reconnaissance. At this point, every car and every person is suspicious."
After he spoke, he saw that Su Hao's Fire Velvet Crow still hadn't taken flight. He frowned. "It's already scouting," Su Hao said. "The reconnaissance-type spirit I'm referring to isn't the Fire Velvet Crow—it's the Dream Moth."
Su Hao wouldn't dare send the Fire Velvet Crow off alone to scout.
Zhou Ming: "???" His frown deepened. Even if the Dream Moth had reconnaissance abilities, that spirit had been lying on top of Su Hao's head the whole time. Had it done anything? Nothing at all! He was starting to get angry when he heard...
"Two hundred meters ahead, a pedestrian is about to come out from the corner. Over a hundred meters to the right, there are two people. On the left road, four people, moving fast—probably in a car."
Zhou Ming was stunned. The next moment, he saw a pedestrian in a short-sleeved shirt emerge from the corner ahead. Shortly after, a car sped by from the left, only to be stopped by the special forces at the checkpoint behind. His look toward Su Hao changed completely.
Not far away, a young man in casual clothes stepped out of the stopped car, cursing, "How dare you stop my car? Do you know who my father is..." But before he could finish, a thunderous boom erupted from the villa district. The ground itself seemed to shake. Su Hao looked up, gazing into the distance.