Chapter 224: 224. Chapter 222: Plan to Communicate with the Monsters!

224. Chapter 222: Plan to Communicate with the Monsters!

Under the night sky, scattered starlight fell upon the deep dark cloth, inexplicably making people feel somewhat oppressive; the brightly lit 749 Bureau was silent, and for a moment even time seemed to pause.

After a long while, Wang Xuehao finally broke the silence: "What do you all think of what Professor Song and the others said?"

The others exchanged glances, their expressions all somewhat strange.

The people of the 749 Bureau guessed that there must be some mysterious power inside Longyuan Mountain; that mountain was certainly not as simple as it appeared on the surface, perhaps due to a special magnetic field, or perhaps for some other reason.

But they never expected it to be a group of monsters.

This matter was truly beyond belief, surpassing ordinary expectations.

They had all grown up under the ideology of scientific materialism, and the things the research team spoke of completely overturned their notions.

But thinking of the genetically mutated animals that had appeared abroad earlier, as well as the various anomalies that had shown up in various places before, and the clues uncovered—such as strange scales, hairs, and so on……

If they were monsters, then everything could be explained!

This reason, although absurd, was somehow reasonable.

After coming into contact with so much, the notions in the minds of the 749 Bureau personnel had begun to waver; after all, the hairs they found on site could not be detected even with the most advanced technology—what kind of creature they were.

If they were indeed some kind of genetically mutated animal, there would be traces to follow, and the corresponding DNA chain could be found in the database.

As well as the series of strange occurrences encountered earlier that could not be explained by science.

Wang Xuehao let out a heavy sigh: "I will report this matter together with what we have investigated to the superiors; Professor Song also said he would submit a report to the superiors, and as for how it will finally be handled, we still have to see what the superiors decide."

Yao Ruotong couldn't help but ask: "Captain, do we still need to go to Longyuan Mountain?"

Wang Xuehao recalled Song Ze's advice; as he spoke these words, the fear in his eyes almost took substance, and after a moment's thought he said: "First we will report our side's situation upward, then we will discuss follow‑up actions."

Xu Tiancheng couldn't help muttering to himself: "Could it be that monsters really exist in this world?"

The answer to him was Wang Xuehao's prolonged silence.

Nobody could answer that question.

From the vast universe above to the deep, dark ocean below, humanity seems to occupy a large portion, but in fact what we have explored is only a tiny fraction.

Many undeveloped and unexplored areas remain around the world; perhaps there truly exist forces beyond human imagination that are still unknown.

Just because something has never been seen does not mean it does not exist.

……

The members of the research team rushed all night, finally arriving at Wu Du Airport, taking the earliest flight back to the capital; upon returning, Song Ze immediately planned to hold a press conference.

Upon hearing his decision, the other members of the research team felt somewhat uneasy.

"Professor Song, we have already reported the information we gathered to the superiors, but we have not yet received an accurate reply; holding a press conference now might be——"

Song Ze shook his head and interrupted him: "I know what you want to say; I have also given this matter careful thought, and if the superiors come to blame me, I will bear it alone."

He faintly had a premonition that the numerous mountain sprites and monsters discovered in Longyuan Mountain absolutely could not be ignored.

Before, this mountain had always been peaceful; even if something occasionally occurred, it was only minor skirmishes spreading within a small area.

Combining the information the 749 Bureau had previously investigated, Song Ze had reason to suspect that the frequent supernatural events occurring all over the country nowadays are inseparable from this mountain, and perhaps these monsters are the cause.

What exactly caused this situation? The spirits of this great mountain are finally about to emerge from behind the scenes into human view.

Although the above are merely his guesses, regardless of the reason, Longyuan Mountain should not be underestimated; perhaps one day in the future it will bring about earth‑shaking changes!

Song Ze hopes to draw humanity's attention so that everyone can prepare early.

As one of the most authoritative professors in the field of geology and natural sciences in Huaxia, and also holding an important post at the Capital General Research Institute, the news that Song Ze would hold a press conference immediately attracted much attention.

Moreover, Song Ze released word that he had already found the main cause of the frequent anomalies occurring recently across the country, which only heightened people's curiosity.

For a time, the press conference venue was packed to overflowing, a sea of people, showing just how high the interest in these matters was.

Cameras and microphones were all pointed at the elderly man before them; it was evident his face looked somewhat exhausted, likely because he had not rested well over the past few days.

"Professor Song, I heard you led the research team all night from Wu Du back to the capital, and as soon as you arrived you called this press conference—may I ask what you have discovered?"

"I heard you have already found the cause of the frequent anomalies occurring all over the country, and that this matter is related to Wu Du's Longyuan Mountain—may I ask whether that is the case?"

"Professor Song, you look quite fatigued; did you encounter something in Longyuan Mountain? Could you share this experience with us?"

The reporters eagerly posed their own questions.

"I know that some of you may not believe what I am about to say, but I can guarantee with my integrity that these things are what I and my teammates have personally witnessed in the mountains!"

Facing these reporters, Song Ze concealed nothing and directly recounted everything he had seen in the mountains, one by one.

"On this expedition to Longyuan Mountain, we have discovered something capable of overturning the world, and it has shaken the firm belief we once held; this land is actually not as simple as we imagined."

Song Ze took a deep breath and continued: "Everyone has probably heard the legends of mountain sprites and monsters, but I can accurately tell you that monsters do indeed exist in this world."

The reporters' excited and animated expressions gradually stiffened on their faces, being replaced by looks of disbelief—could they have heard correctly?

They had expected to hear some world‑shaking new discovery, but this is it?

There are monsters in Longyuan Mountain!

This really is a press conference of the scientific community, not some fantasy TV drama's press conference, right?

For a moment the reporters could not believe their own ears, showing bewildered expressions.

As Song Ze spoke, the originally lively press conference venue fell silent, the entire audience hushed, as if listening to a thrilling, tense fantasy story.

The research team's experience was truly full of twists and turns, gripping the heart; if this were a movie or novel, they would surely applaud.

Crucially, this is a solemn and dignified press conference, and the speaker is one of the leading figures of the scientific community!

What Song Ze said completely mismatched his status!

It feels as absurd as a clown running for president—and actually winning—truly bizarre to the extreme.

After a moment, the crowd finally reacted, erupting in an uproar like a drop of water falling into hot oil, instantly boiling over.

Not only these reporters, but even the viewers who had been watching the press conference were stunned before their screens, and even in the related academic circles a huge storm was stirred up.

Late‑night last bus: 【There are monsters inside Longyuan Mountain; the frequent anomalies occurring recently all over the country—are they also caused by this group of monsters? Professor Song, if you've been kidnapped, blink your eyes—these words really don't match your identity.】

An impossible dream: 【This is utter nonsense, and you're an old professor—if monsters really existed, why haven't they shown up before.】

Embers died out: 【Just saying, I've always admired Professor Song and taken him as a role model, but now I'm a bit disappointed.】

I want to be the skinny one: 【You say discovering a new continent I could barely believe, but monsters are too absurd—wasn't the agreement to believe in science and dispel feudal superstition?】

Cat ears: 【I think Professor Song makes a bit of sense; those earlier phenomena were indeed strange, and if they were monsters, that would explain it—after all, they don't seem like something humans could fabricate.】

Twisted thoughts: 【I also think it could be monsters—one person lying, it's impossible for an entire research team to lie, and Professor Song has no need to deceive us.】

Some believe, some don't; most are skeptical, after all what Song Ze said is simply too unbelievable, constantly challenging their fixed notions.

If anyone else said that, they'd definitely be seen as seeking attention, or doing it just to gain traffic and eyeballs.

But what kind of person is Song Ze? Nationally renowned, he's won awards so easily his hands are soft; his achievements in the field, even placed globally, hold a weighty position.

How could someone like him say such things just to attract attention? He fundamentally doesn't need hype, and with all the previous strange events, the internet instantly erupted in uproar.

After the press conference, Song Ze also successfully met with the people from the 749 Bureau.

Wang Xuehao's expression was full of complexity; evidently he had also seen Song Ze's press release, and he hesitated before saying: "Professor Song, just suddenly informing the public like this—won't the speed be too fast?"

Song Ze had his own thoughts: "Captain Wang, I know what you're worried about—I merely recounted my own personal experience, and the public also has the right to know about these matters."

"Moreover, the leadership also tacitly approved it."

"Let's talk about this later—what are your plans for Longyuan Mountain? The chief's meaning is to continue investigation and try every possible means to communicate with the monsters!"

"So you need to come up with an action plan!"

Just as the research team and the 749 Bureau were discussing the follow-up, the television suddenly broadcast a news bulletin.

"Our station breaks in with an emergency news bulletin: a meteorite has come from outside the solar system, now reached the solar system, grazed Europa, and is now heading toward Earth."

Everyone's attention was captured by the Longyuan Mountain incident, and no one noticed this news, after all meteorite falls are nothing new to people.

The vast universe stretches boundlessly, like a black curtain draped over the stars; only a golden‑glowing object is seen speeding rapidly.

Its immense pressure stirs up waves; floating debris in space turns to dust the moment it touches, and it drags a long tail, leaving its mark across the boundless cosmos.

Its destination is none other than that azure planet!

The observatory is on high alert, everyone's eyes fixed on the images sent back from the space station.

"Beep beep beep!"

The instruments emit a piercing sound.

"Director, we've detected a powerful vibrational aura on this meteorite!"

"Have you detected what's causing it?"

"We can't detect it—the energy carried on this meteorite is simply too great!"

Hardly had the words left their lips when the instrument readout peaked, a huge red exclamation mark appeared on the screen, and then the whole screen went dark!

For a moment everyone stared, dumbfounded, at the screen: "The peak has already reached the limit, the instruments are ruined—what kind of energy is this?!"

The observatory has detected countless meteors, yet never one that caused such a commotion.

"The predicted impact point is roughly around longitude 110° E, latitude 30°–32° N, expected to arrive around three in the afternoon."

The observatory director pondered for a moment, then said: "That just happens to be the range of the Witch Mountain Range in Wu Du."

Witch Mountain Range.

Several peaks join together like a winding green dragon, lush and dripping, clouds and mist swirling to veil the summits; occasionally a mountain breeze blows, pine waves ripple, lifting a corner of thin mist to reveal the splendid, majestic scenery within.

This range lies just south of the Qinling‑Huai River in the southern region; although it connects with the Longyuan Mountain Range, the distance between them is still considerable.

At that moment, a group walked through the forest; although the woods were cool and shaded, they were still drenched in sweat, and the leader suggested:

"We've walked this mountain path for so long without finding any clue to an ancient tomb—let's rest a bit."

This remark gained the agreement of most of the team: "Professor Zhang, you should take a break too."

It turned out this team was precisely the Wu Du local archaeological squad, the same small group that had previously gone to excavate the Zuoci tomb; another batch came from the Capital Archaeology Research Center.

Having heard that the Witch Mountain Range contains ancient tombs, the two teams merged to conduct archaeological work together—but the range is vast, and the clues they've gotten are truly too few; after wandering here for days, they've found nothing.

Gazing at the looming, dark‑green mountains and the luxuriant, shade‑filled trees, Professor Zhang fell into recollection.

"Speaking of which, the last time I did archaeology in the mountains, it left a deep impression on me."

The Wu Du team members, not knowing what they'd thought of, all wore strange expressions: "No kidding—we've done archaeology so many times and never encountered anything this weird; just thinking about it now still gives me the creeps."

"If I ever got another chance, I'd never set foot in that weird mountain again in my lifetime!"

Hearing this, the Capital team couldn't help but show interest: "How so?"

The Wu Du team members instantly opened up.

"We had previously found the Zuoci tomb not far from here, near Longyuan Mountain; when we excavated, everyone all night had the same nightmare—being chased by the White Bone Spirit, with animals coming to cause trouble—this series of events made it impossible for us to continue, so we finally had to give up."

The archaeological team has roamed south and north, seen all kinds of strange things, but nothing this weird—this is the first time.

I had expected the Capital folks to look surprised, but instead they remained perfectly calm: "Come on, what's that? When we earlier went to the Zhitun relics, that was the real weirdness."

"In the Zhitun relics we found Zhitun's skeleton and a personal iron sword; the next day, guess what—the skeleton inexplicably rotted away and the sword vanished into thin air; we checked the surveillance, and it truly seemed to have evaporated like into thin air, and to this day we still haven't found it."

The Wu Du people were partly disbelieving, partly doubtful, saying: "There's no way that's so supernatural, right?"

"What would we gain by lying to you? Our professor personally experienced this—no need to fabricate lies; when we first dug up that iron sword, it even seemed to scare off a bear; in short, it's really weird!"

The Wu Du folks speculated: "Could someone have stolen the iron sword?"

"Impossible—I checked the surveillance, there was nobody, and the scene had no fingerprints or footprints. Even the 749 Bureau got involved, yet to this day they've still turned up nothing."

After this exchange, the two teams, initially a bit unfamiliar, grew much closer thanks to the common topic.

"I never expected—you've actually gone through such weird stuff."

"Indeed, back then the research center's gossip claimed Zhitun had manifested spirits, been resurrected; after a long while the rumors faded, but the local villagers said it was the Mountain God's doing."

"What a coincidence—our team originally also had someone say Zuoci had manifested spirits, not wanting us to dig the tomb, so they produced this disturbance."

The two teams chatted ever more heatedly, a vibe of 'we wish we'd met sooner,' which left a few of the team leaders laughing and crying at once.

Professor Zhang joked: "If you keep chatting, it'll get dark before we know it—are we still looking for the tomb?"

The others only then came to their senses.

Seeing that everyone had rested enough, the group planned to continue forward.

We've already searched the east; now let's see if there are any clues to the south.

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a shout rose from the team: "Professor, quick, look at the sky—what is that?"

After getting a clear look at what was overhead, the archaeology team stared wide-eyed: "What's going on? Two suns have appeared in the sky!"

One of those suns was even moving!

The archaeology team quickly realized it wasn't a sun, but a flashing object emitting dazzling golden light.

The object sped up, trailing a long tail as it hurtled toward the Wushan Mountain Range and slammed deep into it.

Boom—

A tremendous boom rang out, and huge golden light and flames burst forth in the distance, spreading like an auspicious omen in all directions.

At the same time, an ancient aura spread; even from a distance, the archaeology team felt their hearts race for no reason, staring dumbstruck at the distant dust, unable to snap out of it for a long while.

Is that a meteorite falling?

This commotion is too huge.

Professor Zhang looked toward the meteorite's impact site, interest flashing in his eyes: "Let's go see what's going on." (End of chapter)