Chapter 87: and ===GLOSSARY===

The small disturbance brought by Su Mei was nothing more than a ripple to Lin Yue now.

He didn't take it to heart at all, and the next day he plunged into the construction planning of Xuanwu City.

In just over ten days, the energy crystals obtained from trading with the Three Major Shelters of Suchen exceeded what he had painstakingly gathered in Hangcheng over half a year.

This made Lin Yue sigh: if he had known, he would have come straight here when Black Tortoise upgraded to level 4.

After obtaining so many Energy Crystals, Lin Yue was not stingy; upon discovering that the Xuanwu Supermarket's goods were insufficient, he directly exchanged a large amount of food, vegetables, and meat from the System Mall.

For a time, Xuanwu City became the hottest trading center in the entire Suchen region.

Basically, every two to three days, people from the Three Major Shelters come to Xuanwu City to "shop".

The Three Major Shelters tacitly accepted the existence of Xuanwu City.

No one dared to test it lightly anymore.

By now, Xuanwu City could be considered to have firmly planted its feet in Suchen.

However, just as everything was developing for the better, a huge crisis capable of overturning the entire Suchen was about to descend.

At the bottom of Yangcheng Lake, the Deep Blue Matrix.

Beep—beep—beep!!!

A piercing alarm sounded suddenly without warning.

What happened?!

Report to the leader!

A researcher shouted in terror:

It's the A-3 monitoring station in Tai Lake waters! We've detected high-energy radiation near Tai Lake!

Switch immediately to the real-time feed of the A-3 monitoring station!

Upon hearing this, Sun Ba's heart tightened, and an ominous premonition rose in him.

No! Leader! The signal from the A-3 monitoring station has been cut off! All the water-source monitoring equipment we deployed near Tai Lake has lost contact!

What?!

Sun Ba's pupils contracted sharply, and that ominous feeling grew stronger.

Because the most terrifying mutant beast in Suchen, the Abyss Terror Crocodile, lurks there.

To monitor Tai Lake's water quality and energy fluctuations in real time, the Three Major Shelters spared no expense in deploying over a hundred of the most advanced monitoring stations around the lake area.

But now, someone actually told him that all these monitoring stations had lost contact at the same time?!

Activate the 'Water Ghost' drones; I want to know what exactly happened in Tai Lake within ten minutes!

Sun Ba gave the order.

Yes!

Following his command, the huge gate of the Deep Blue Matrix at the bottom of Yangcheng Lake opened, and over a dozen drones resembling manta rays slipped into the water, then dove toward Tai Lake at astonishing speed.

These ten minutes felt like an eternity to Sun Ba.

Have we arrived?!

We've… arrived!

A technician's voice trembled.

The next second, a horrifying scene appeared before everyone's eyes.

In the feed returned by the drones, Tai Lake, which should have been shimmering with blue waves, now showed a nauseating murky green.

And in the center of that murky water, a terrifying shadow over two hundred meters long was slowly moving.

Each sway of its body sent towering waves across the lake surface, making even the scientists watching through the screen feel a suffocating pressure.

Abyss… Terror Crocodile!

Sun Ba squeezed out a few words from between his teeth.

At the onset of the apocalypse, the Three Major Shelters had once eyed Tai Lake, trying to bring this water area completely under their control.

However, they encountered this Abyss Terror Crocodile in Tai Lake.

The Three Major Shelters paid a heavy price to severely wound it, never expecting that a moment's carelessness would let it flee into the deep waters of Tai Lake.

Left with no choice, the Three Major Shelters designated the deep waters of Tai Lake as a forbidden zone and placed over a hundred of the most advanced monitoring stations around its perimeter.

For nearly a year, Tai Lake had been quiet, and Sun Ba still thought that the Abyss Terror Crocodile had died from its serious injuries.

Leader, what should we do now?

A young researcher asked, voice trembling.

Immediately synchronize this matter with the Suchen Refuge and the Heavenly God Group!

Sun Ba stared fixedly at the giant beast on the screen, speaking in a solemn tone.

Suchen Refuge, Supreme Command Center.

Qian Wanjin's plump face had lost its former laziness and ease; he paced irritably back and forth in the meeting room, his valuable silk Tang suit wrinkled from his own grasping.

Damn it! Damn it! What the hell is going on!

Sun Ba, you said it was dead—how did it suddenly appear again!

He pointed at the holographic screen showing that giant beast and hurled abuse at Sun Ba.

Sun Ba ignored his outburst, merely saying with a grim face:

Boss Qian, you also thought that, didn't you?

Bullshit! What do you mean 'you also thought that'? Didn't you say it was dead first?

Upon hearing Sun Ba say that, Qian Wanjin immediately became displeased.

Stop arguing!

Zhao Weiguo slammed his hand on the table,

What's the point of blaming each other now? Or should we think about what we should do?

Qian Wanjin was startled by Zhao Weiguo's shout, the fat on his face trembling, but his bluster obviously subsided.

He plopped back into his chair, panting heavily, and said:

So what do you suggest we do? Back then, our three families joined forces, using all our secret weapons, and what was the result? We almost got wiped out by it! Now it looks even more terrifying than a year ago—what do we have to fight it with?

Qian Wanjin's words were disheartening, but they were also an undeniable fact.

That brutal battle from a year ago remains a shadow that the leaders of the Three Major Shelters cannot shake off.

Even if we can't beat it, we still have to fight.

Zhao Weiguo gave Qian Wanjin a cold glance, then turned his gaze toward Sun Ba.

Chief Sun, according to your monitoring, what is the current situation of this beast?

Sun Ba called up a series of complex data charts, his face growing grimmer.

The situation is worse than we imagined. Based on preliminary analysis of energy fluctuations, this Abyss Terror Crocodile didn't die from its severe injuries over the past year—it actually grew stronger.

Grown stronger?!

Qian Wanjin and Zhao Weiguo exclaimed in unison.

That's right.

Sun Ba nodded, pointing to the unsettling dark-green water on the screen,

and I suspect it's about to evolve.

The meeting room fell into a dead silence.

Even before evolving, this Abyss Terror Crocodile was already hard to deal with; once its evolution succeeds, it will be an existential disaster for them.

Now there's only one option!

Zhao Weiguo slammed his hand on the table.

As soon as he said that, Qian Wanjin and Sun Ba both froze, staring at him in unison.

Zhao Weiguo didn't speak; he simply raised his hand slowly and brought up an image on the holographic screen.

In the image was Xuanwu City.

"Commander Zhao, you mean..."

Qian Wanjin instantly understood Zhao Weiguo's meaning—they were preparing to hire that Black Tortoise to deal with the Abyss Terror Crocodile.

That's right.

Zhao Weiguo nodded slowly,

"These days, in Suchen, perhaps... only that Black Tortoise can stand against the Abyss Terror Crocodile."

PS: New book, please urge for updates and collect!