Chapter 85: TMD, Who the Hell?!

"Among all the geological survey teams that entered the Extreme North, only your team remains in contact."

"The Corps Commander has ordered the Northern Army to temporarily enforce federal wartime laws. Anyone who disobeys military orders will be executed on the spot."

After delivering the order, the messenger quickly marched away, leaving the survey team leader standing in stunned silence. It took him a long moment to process what had just happened. When he turned to look at his still-living team members, his expression became even more dejected.

After this near-death experience, many researchers were still trembling.

The team leader sighed heavily. "Everyone, take a break. I'll go check the Eight-Headed Seismograph again."

That defeated tone immediately made Xue Ling's crystalline ears twitch like butterfly wings.

Without a sound, she followed him, moving through the military camp, passing through layers of fortifications, and descending into an underground chamber.

The space below was vast, containing a special anti-airfield that prevented flight. Any attempt to fly inside would trigger an alarm.

A cross-shaped bridge was the only passage in. However, both ends were broken, leaving only two pathways that could only be accessed by manipulating a hidden mechanism to rotate them into position.

Navigating through multiple twists and turns, they finally arrived at the underground room where the Eight-Headed Seismograph was stored.

Placing it underground also had the advantage of better detecting geological shifts.

The entrance's security lock could only be opened by two people: Corps Commander Guo Zhenfeng and the elderly leader of this survey team, who also held the title of a federal council member.

"Click!"

The door opened, and before the old man could step inside, he collapsed at the entrance.

Standing behind him was Xue Ling, her true form revealed. And what greeted her eyes was the strangely shaped soul device inside.

It had a diameter of eight feet and resembled an ancient wine vessel.

The Eight-Headed Seismograph was polygonal, with eight dragon heads protruding in different directions—east, south, west, north, northeast, southeast, northwest, and southwest. Each dragon head held a pearl in its mouth, and beneath each one was a corresponding frog.

The bronze surface was engraved with deep, intricate markings, with one prominent name: "Hongchen Heng" (Red Dust Balance).

The next moment—"Boom!"

Xue Ling's palm struck the spot engraved with Hongchen Heng.

Imperial Palm: Great Snow Without Cold!

Of course, she had carefully controlled the force, only destroying the core formation of the Level-10 Soul Device.

That was enough.

A soul device without a core formation was basically half-crippled.

After finishing, Xue Ling didn't leave immediately.

Over the years, she had developed a keen interest in tinkering with soul devices.

Feeling a little itchy, she sat down on the spot and started dismantling and reassembling the Level-10 Soul Device, just to see if she could repair it.

Xue Ling was quite a talented mecha repairer. Fixing a Level-10 Soul Device shouldn't be a problem for her.

After some enthusiastic tinkering, she had successfully made the Eight-Headed Seismograph even more broken.

On the surface, it looked exactly the same as before, but the scattered parts on the ground told another story—those were the pieces she couldn't figure out how to put back.

"…Uh."

Xue Ling was dumbfounded.

Apparently, repairing a Level-10 Soul Device was still just a tiny bit beyond her current skills.

—

At the same time, she wasn't the only one stunned.

Inside the central command tent of the Northern Army, Corps Commander Guo Zhenfeng was staring at his soul communicator in disbelief.

The reddish-brown device was of the highest security level.

He was so shocked that he blurted out, "Maintain normal operations?! You're telling me to maintain normal operations?!"

"I…"

Just as he was about to yell in protest, the voice on the other end cut him off.

"This is a temporary order to maintain normalcy."

"All deceased researchers will be officially recognized as martyrs of the Federation, and their families will receive the highest level of compensation."

"As for the Eight-Headed Seismograph's findings? Just prepare for disaster response."

"The Northern Frontier is vast and sparsely populated. No matter how severe the disaster, the damage will be limited."

"The Northern Army has stood at the edge of the Extreme North for thousands of years, surviving countless beast tides. If you can't even handle a natural disaster, you might as well prepare for a military tribunal."

Guo Zhenfeng tried to interject, "I…"

"What do you mean, I?!"

"Just follow orders."

"Beep, beep, beep…"

Listening to the disconnected call, Guo Zhenfeng stood frozen for a long time before coming back to his senses.

"Clang!"

Furious, he slammed the communicator onto the table.

Fortunately, top-security soul communicators were built to withstand abuse, so it didn't immediately spark or explode.

For years, strange events had been occurring in the Extreme North. The mecha units had suffered numerous losses.

This time was even worse—entire research teams had vanished into the depths of the north.

Having commanded the Northern Army for years, Guo Zhenfeng couldn't shake his unease. The frequent, inexplicable occurrences in the Extreme North made him anxious—so anxious that he was getting irritated.

The more he thought, the deeper his frown became.

The more he thought, the more restless he felt.

The more he thought, the more pissed off he became.

—

"Riiiing, riiiiing…"

Right as his frustration peaked, his private communicator rang.

Already in a foul mood, he didn't even check the caller ID before slamming the accept button and barking:

"TMD, WHO THE HELL?!"

"AH!"

"DAD?!"

"I-I-I didn't mean anything!"

His temper vanished instantly.

Reflexively, he snapped to attention.

"Yes, yes, sir. I understand."

On the other end of the call was his father—the head of the Guo family, a major figure in the Sun-Moon Federation's bureaucracy, and one of the highest-ranking officials in the nation.

Thanks to his father's influence, Guo Zhenfeng had been able to rise to the federal stage and become a key regional commander.

After scolding his unruly son for a while, his father finally got to the point.

"You're dissatisfied with the military orders again, aren't you?"

Hearing this, Guo Zhenfeng's thoughts spun rapidly. He cautiously asked, "Dad… do you know something?"

"I don't know anything."

"Just follow orders."

After a brief pause, his father continued:

"The Federation is going to be very busy in the coming years, but none of it will affect the Northern Army."

"The Northern Army is a border defense force—no one will mess with you."

"The Extreme North has been stable for years. Even if something does happen, it won't be your problem."

His father's words did ease Guo Zhenfeng's nerves a little.

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, he wisely ended the call without pressing further.

Politics had never been his strong suit. His expertise lay in military affairs.

That was why he wasn't the one chosen to lead the Guo family—his smooth-talking, politically savvy twin brother had taken that role instead.

Just as he was finally starting to feel a little reassured—

A messenger burst into the room.

"REPORT!"

"Corps Commander, the leader of the geological survey team has been found dead in the underground chamber housing the Level-10 Soul Device, the Eight-Headed Seismograph."

The small comfort Guo Zhenfeng had just gained instantly evaporated.

His chest tightened. His vision darkened. His lips parted—

"…F*ck."

(End of Chapter)