Chapter 182: Object Tracking Skill

The smooth acquisition and integration of Universal Airlines had given Qin Feng's global strategy wings. His vast fleet, mature routes, and professional team instantly extended his reach to every corner of the world. The mobility of "Zhu Long" had undergone a qualitative leap, and the exploration plan for the "Civilization Tombstone" now had solid, reliable logistical support.

Everything seemed to be advancing steadily toward deeper stars.

Yet, just as Qin Feng prepared to lead a team personally to the depths of the Pacific for an initial close reconnaissance of the "Civilization Tombstone," a seemingly trivial yet deeply strange incident disrupted his plans.

That morning, Su Wenqian, as usual, reported his schedule during breakfast. When she said, "At ten a. m., you need a video conference with Dr. Su Yuqing from the 'Deep Blue Probe' project to discuss cooperation on the new deep-sea probe," her voice paused slightly, and her delicate eyebrows furrowed imperceptibly.

"Sir," she added, her tone tinged with confusion, "also… there's something odd I noticed. Yesterday afternoon, during my routine inspection of your wardrobe, I found a trace of extremely fine, fluorescent-like powder on the cuff of your custom Armani suit—something that had never appeared before. I've sent the suit for component analysis, but the results aren't out yet."

Fluorescent powder?

Qin Feng's hand, holding his coffee, paused slightly.

His clothing was managed by Su Wenqian and a professional team; the cleanliness was beyond doubt. The security level of Yunding Mansion rivaled that of a head of state's residence—no outsider could have sneaked in to play a prank.

This powder had appeared suspiciously.

He set down his coffee cup, his gaze sharpening: "When did you notice it? Exact location?"

"Around four p. m. yesterday. On the inner side of your right cuff, near the button—extremely inconspicuous, visible only under specific lighting as a faint glimmer," Su Wenqian described meticulously.

Inner right cuff… Qin Feng rapidly recalled his schedule from yesterday. He had attended meetings at headquarters in the morning, visited several key projects at the newly completed "Wind Rises Future Technology Research Institute" in the afternoon, and returned to the mansion afterward without leaving again.

The institute?

He immediately pulled up all surveillance footage from the institute yesterday afternoon, especially focusing on objects and areas he had touched.

The footage fast-forwarded; Qin Feng's gaze moved like the most precise scanner, leaving no detail unexamined.

During his inspection of a laboratory named "Quantum Biomarker," he had a brief exchange with the project lead and casually picked up a sealed transparent isolation box containing a new material sample, said to have extremely strong adsorption properties for specific microorganisms.

He had worn gloves then, but as he set the sample box down, the inner side of his right cuff had brushed against the box's edge with the faintest touch.

Zoom in! Zoom in further!

The high-definition surveillance footage showed faint dust residue on the edge of the sample box. And at the exact moment his cuff brushed it, minuscule particulate matter transferred from the box's edge onto his cuff!

That's it!

"Contact the lab's lead immediately! Ask what the dust on the sample box's edge is composed of! And get me full details on the Quantum Biomarker project!" Qin Feng ordered, his tone urgent and unyielding.

Su Wenqian acted at once.

The response came quickly.

The lab lead, upon being questioned, appeared deeply nervous and surprised. He reported that the sample box had previously contained an experimental, highly unstable special fluorescent marker, primarily used to track the transmission pathways of specific pathogens. But due to stability issues, the project had been suspended a week ago, and the sample box had undergone preliminary cleaning—there should have been no residue left. As for why trace residue remained on the box's edge, he stated he would immediately investigate the lab's management protocols.

Quantum Biomarker… pathogen tracking…

Qin Feng studied the preliminary technical description Su Wenqian had sent him about the fluorescent marker, and his sense of unease grew stronger.

This was no simple lab oversight.

He had a gut feeling: this minute fluorescent powder was a marker—a tracker… pointing toward something unknown.

Who? By what means, without his awareness, had they marked him? And why?

Was it retaliation by remnants of past enemies? A new probe by some nation or organization? Or… connected to the seabed's "Civilization Tombstone" or "Traveler-7"?

The unknown was always the most unsettling.

Qin Feng disliked the feeling of being secretly marked.

He needed to know the origin and purpose of this mark.

Direct investigation offered too few clues—it was like searching for a needle in a haystack.

His gaze returned to the system's array of diverse icons.

【Blessing Key】? Effects random, unlikely to solve this. 【Skill Key】? Too unpredictable. 【Replacement Key】? Cost unknown, and using it for this seems like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut. 【Malicious Curse】? He didn't even know the target—how could he curse?

His gaze finally settled on the 【Self-Improvement】 branch—now clearer after the system upgrade but never previously used—where, beyond skill learning, there seemed to be more obscure ability options.

He focused his mind, delving deep into the 【Self-Improvement】 interface.

Amid the abundant skill trees for combat, knowledge, and art, an unassuming branch tinged with faint gray aura caught his attention—【Auxiliary Survival】.

Opening 【Auxiliary Survival】, he found listed basic abilities such as 【Danger Perception】, 【Environmental Adaptation】, 【Toxin Resistance】, and deeper within, a skill icon named 【Object Tracking】 glowed faintly.

【Object Tracking】 (Special Skill): By contacting a marked object, reverse-trace the faint aura and causal link to the source. Effectiveness depends on Host's Spiritual Attribute and perception. Note: Even the faintest trace can lead to the root.

That's it!

Qin Feng's eyes flashed with sharp light. This skill was tailor-made for this exact situation.

"System, learn 【Object Tracking】!"

【Command received. Learning 【Object Tracking】 (Beginner). Requires 1 Skill Point, 1000 System Points. Confirm?】

"Confirm!"

【Skill Point x1 and 1000 System Points consumed. Learning successful!】 【Object Tracking (Beginner): You can sense the approximate direction, distance, and faint aura signature of the source (or device) that applied a special mark upon contact with the marked object. Tracking precision and range depend on skill level and Host's Spiritual Attribute.】

A profound knowledge of how to perceive residual energy, discern causal threads, and trace source information merged into Qin Feng's mind.

He rose immediately and walked to the Armani suit, sealed in a transparent evidence bag.

Through the bag, he extended his right hand and gently pressed it against the nearly invisible spot of fluorescent powder on the cuff.

He closed his eyes and activated 【Object Tracking】 with full force!

Hum—

His Spiritual Attribute of 35 surged like a precision radar, using the minuscule fluorescent particles as a focal point, reverse-tracing the invisible causal threads!

In an instant, countless fragmented, broken pieces of information flooded Qin Feng's perception!

He "saw" a hand wearing specialized isolation gloves carefully applying the fluorescent powder to the sample box's edge… he "perceived" the cold, inhumanly precise energy residue of the operation… he "caught" an extremely faint, intermittent causal thread pointing southeast!

Direction: Southeast. Distance: Impossible to determine precisely, but certainly not in this city—possibly not even in the country! Aura signature: Non-living mechanical precision, mixed with a hint of… familiar, repulsive coldness!

That aura… Qin Feng snapped his eyes open!

It was the same inhuman, cold precision as "Traveler-7"—but subtly different, more concealed, more… calculating!

Not a human faction.

Was it that alien spacecraft? Or… something similar to it?

They left marks on themselves—what were they trying to do? Surveillance? Localization? Or gathering data for that "Cleanup" program?

A chill climbed up Qin Feng's spine.

He had thought he had temporarily resolved the threat of the Zerg Spores and delayed the repair of Traveler-7, but he had not anticipated that the enemy—or its kind—had already targeted him with another, more covert method!

This was no longer simple probing—it was a malicious gaze from the depths of the stars!

Qin Feng's gaze turned utterly icy.

He pulled out his communicator and directly connected to the "Zhu Long" Base and the Universal Airlines special projects team on standby in the upper atmosphere.

"Cancel the original Pacific reconnaissance mission." "New mission priority: highest!" "Target: southeast, unknown coordinates. Deploy all detection methods to search for unnatural energy fluctuations, anomalous spatial distortions, or signals from unknown aerial objects!" "Gao Yuan, select your most elite squad, equip them with the latest combat armor, and stand ready to deploy at once!" "I want to know—what exactly is targeting me, Qin Feng!"

The orders rang out like thunder; the entire organization instantly realigned, entering maximum combat readiness.

Qin Feng stood in the center of his study, feeling the faint causal thread from the Object Tracking skill pointing southeast, his eyes sharp as blades.

Want to play tracking? Let's see who can track whom back to their nest!

This time, he would strike first—dig out the eye hiding in the shadows!