Otherworld Bone Dragon Operation Guide

Chapter 187 Catherine's Return
The radar suddenly sounded an alarm. Su Ming checked and found that a group of people had appeared 15 kilometers away. He immediately dispatched a drone to check the situation. When the drone was halfway there, another group of people entered the radar range from another direction.

The two groups were the same size and their modus operandi was extremely similar, immediately giving Su Ming a bad feeling. Sure enough, the drone camera footage showed two squads of white-clad cavalry!
“They’re looking for something,” Catherine deduced. The footage clearly showed soldiers spreading out in a dispersed formation, searching back and forth on the snow, maintaining a certain distance as they searched northward.

As they were talking, two more teams appeared on the radar, with the exact same composition and behavior patterns.

"It's a large-scale search," Su Ming said. "Is it aimed at our train?"

“No.” Catherine denied Su Ming’s guess. “This linear, dispersed formation and the interlaced patrol method are used to search for personnel and small targets.”

Su Ming thought about it and realized that it made sense. A large group of people hunched over, digging through the snow, searching for the "Youth Civilization Model Unit"—it was just too comical.

“It’s more like they’re looking for me,” Catherine said hesitantly.

“I think so,” Zijin said, dissatisfied. “We can’t have another important figure from the North disappearing!”

Catherine didn't argue. After her disappearance, Shariko must have given the Cold Mountain Kingdom a serious run for its money; it was normal for them to search for her with all their might. The only question was, "This place is far from Zouma Slope, why would they come this way?"

Zijin suddenly picked up the milk powder that Su Ming had bought and poured it all out. Sure enough, she found a tracking magic circle at the bottom of the can.

"Truly well-hidden!" Violet sensed it. "The fluctuations in output are extremely low; it's completely undetectable without paying special attention!"

Catherine took the milk powder can and examined it. "It's a method of trading low output for concealment. It can only indicate a very vague location."

"Tracking the milk powder, it's definitely looking for you!" Violet released her magic, destroying the magic array. "The Cold Mountain royal family really thinks highly of you, sending out special forces like the White Scatter Cavalry to search for someone!"

The possibility that another person might go missing, and also happen to have a child with them, is extremely low.

"Your Excellency Catherine," Su Ming suddenly had a thought, "could it be that the attack on you was orchestrated by the Cold Mountain royal family, and Princess Daphne was a pawn? The White Scatter Riders were sent here to—"

He made a gesture resembling a decapitation strike.

“That’s impossible,” Katharine categorically denied. “I’m not worth trading Daphne for!”

"Eh?"

Zi Jin explained, "She's right. The agricultural conditions in the Cold Mountain Kingdom are very poor, and mining is their pillar industry. Daphne is a top geological expert and the most precious person in the Cold Mountain Kingdom. Her value cannot be compared to that of a queen."

“Princess Daphne represents the development and future of this country, while I am nothing more than a politician and executioner.” Catherine’s tone was self-deprecating. “How can a player in a zero-sum game be compared to a pioneer!”

“Moreover,” she added, “if I die here, King Shariko won’t care who did it; he’ll make sure the Kingdom of Cold Mountain suffers a severe blow first!”

Su Ming nodded. The actual relationship between Catherine and Shariko was irrelevant; she was the queen in name only. She was a target with limited value but maximum hatred, a losing proposition. "Since Princess Daphne is so important, why were your guards so easily defeated?"

“Our defenses are strong,” Catherine sighed, “but a large group of highland bearmen are among the attackers.”

"You guys are so lucky!" Violet exclaimed upon hearing this.

The Highland Bearmen have lived at the highest points of the ice plains for generations and are highly adapted to the environment. Encountering these savage orcs in a snowy battle is a truly terrifying prospect.

Even Violet wouldn't want to face a well-organized group of bear-people. They are enormous, thick-skinned, and slow to react to damage. A small number can be dealt with, but a large number would make your hands hurt just from casting spells.

"Wait a minute, now that you mention it, it makes sense that the Cold Mountain Kingdom sent White Scattered Cavalry to investigate," Su Ming said, suddenly realizing.

Ordinary troops are no match for the bear-men, so deploying high-level special forces is inevitable.

****
On the screen, the white cavalry searched methodically, their lines gradually extending and advancing.

The Youth Civilization Team was hiding behind the earthen slope, and had set up snow walls and illusions so they wouldn't be seen for a while. But if things continued like this, they would be exposed sooner or later.

“I’ll go and meet these people.” Catherine picked up her winter cloak. “If they’re really looking for me, I’ll go with them. We can’t let them find out!”

Catherine fastened her cloak, summoned her spellbook, and immediately flew away.

Su Ming and Zi Jin did not stop her. Since the Hanshan royal family could not be the murderers, Catherine's actions were indeed a decisive and straightforward method.

Su Ming was about to continue eating the fish cakes when he discovered that a certain beast had already swept up all the fish cakes on the table while everyone was discussing things.

Helpless, Su Ming picked up a pair of earphones, tossed one to Zi Jin, and the two of them put them on.

"You planted a listening device on Catherine?"

“Yes,” Su Ming said, “I learned that from her daughter.”

Since eavesdropping on Iser last time, Su Ming felt like he had unlocked a new world. These technologically advanced eavesdropping devices had no magical fluctuations, making them difficult for people from another world to detect anything unusual.

Covering a distance of over ten kilometers, Catherine flew at full speed and quickly approached the search party. The White Scatter Riders sensed the magical fluctuations and stopped searching. But when the officer in charge recognized Catherine, he even cheered.

Upon discovering that Catherine was safe and sound, the captain's excitement was palpable. Not seeing the little boy, he cautiously inquired about the prince's whereabouts.

The captain relaxed abruptly upon learning that Prince Xingchen was unharmed and had simply been left nearby.

“Alright, you guys wait here for me,” Catherine said. “I’ll go get the baby.”

"Your Majesty," the captain hurriedly said, "let us accompany you."

"No need, I'll be right back," Catherine said. As she left, she remembered a question, "There's something I need to know. Why are you monitoring the milk powder?"

Although the other party traced it here through baby formula, upon closer inspection, this is a bit strange.

"We hadn't been able to find you for so long, sir, that we thought you had been kidnapped!" the captain explained. "We deduced that the bandits would choose to kidnap the prince, so we started by looking at the baby formula."

The little dumpling is ostensibly a descendant of the Star Emperor Shariko. Regardless of the attackers' motives, kidnapping this child would be highly profitable. From the kidnappers' perspective, milk powder is far more convenient and safer than finding a wet nurse. The icy plains are bitterly cold, making the supply and demand of milk powder scarce, and thus easy to set up.

“Well, that’s clever,” Catherine said, turning to leave.

****
Things went more smoothly than expected. While Catherine was back on the Youth Civilization Ship, the White Shotgunners stopped their search and actually waited obediently in place. Su Ming breathed a sigh of relief.

“I’ll head back to Bubing City first,” Catherine said to them. “That’s good. I’ll make arrangements for the Divine Might Prison as soon as possible and investigate the mastermind behind my assassination attempt.”

"Take care on your journey," said Violet.

They agreed on contact information and a meeting place. Hanster took out a large backpack and, together with Eunice, helped pack their things.

Catherine, holding the baby, bowed to everyone, saying, "Thank you all for your help and for taking care of me during this time!"

"You're welcome," Su Ming said. "Just remember to keep your promise."

“Don’t worry, I’ll do my best,” Catherine said. “You want to save people, and I want to clean up the mess. It’s a win-win situation.” One backpack wasn’t enough, so Hanster brought two more, and it was just enough to fit everything.

During this time, Su Ming summoned all things, Yuni'er hand-sewn them, and with the recent purchases in Turkmenistan, no one expected that the little dumpling would have so many odds and ends.

It seems we need to send someone off. Right now, there seems to be only one person on the bus who is mobile, popular, and can appear openly and legitimately.

All eyes turned to the unicorn as it drank the last sip of soup.

"What?" The unicorn's hair stood on end.

"Why don't you take Catherine with you?" Su Ming said.

"I'm tired after eating!" Qi Luo refused decisively.

"I seem to remember, you still owe me a sled ride," Su Ming said.
Qiluo turned her head to the side and snorted.

“The sledding work will be offset, and the penalty labor time will be reduced by ten hours,” Violet offered.

"Forty hours!" Qi Luo demanded, raising her price on the spot.

"Eleven hours."

Thirty-nine hours!

Su Ming interrupted, "Average price, twenty hours!"

Qi Luo snorted, "Deal."

She jumped off the dining chair, transformed back into her original form, and Hanster piled all the packages on her back.

"You'll be punished by the heavens for treating unicorns like mules!" Qi Luo muttered.

Su Ming inserted the in-ear communicator, specially made for unicorns, into her ear. "Keep in touch."

Catherine bowed again, bid farewell to everyone, then took off with the little dumpling in her arms, disappearing into the snow with the unicorn.

"Is Qi Luo not very good at math?" Su Ming asked.

"That's not bad, nobody here practices mental arithmetic," said Zijin.

****
After seeing Catherine off, Su Ming finally felt relieved.

With a high-ranking insider and accomplices now in place, the scope of the prison break plan has expanded considerably. His current priority, however, remains successfully bringing the Youth Civilization train to the foot of the sacred mountain.

Su Ming turned on his computer and began organizing his recent work. Hanster reported that the boiler preheating was complete. Su Ming checked the radar; Catherine and the unicorn were already halfway there.

He decided to wait a little longer, let the White Scatter Horsemen's search party get away, and then start the train.

Through the earpiece, Qi Luo grumbled a few words. Catherine thanked her, and with a few words, she soothed the unicorn, making Qi Luo's mood much better.

Su Ming took off his earphones and handed them to Zi Jin, saying, "Keep an eye on things for a while, I'll contact Miao Xin."

"it is good."
-
The scene shifts, and Miao Xin is piloting the little rascal through a bustling market. Su Ming looks around and realizes they are at a rural market on the border between town and city.

The crowds thronged, and steam and fumes rose from the unnamed food stalls. Various toys, ring toss games, and New Year's gifts were sold, and many stalls were simply tricycles or small trucks set up on the spot.

Miao Xin was wearing a down jacket, wrapped tightly in a scarf, and sunglasses, making her appearance completely undetectable. She was already carrying quite a few things, and several preserved geese were hanging from the back of her backpack.

"Good morning," Su Ming said.

【morning. 】

"Why did you buy the preserved goose?" Su Ming asked, puzzled.

"These animals were supposedly sleeping in their cage when the water pipe above the cage froze and burst, causing them to freeze to death," Miao Xin explained. "I sensed tiny traces of resentment on the pipe."

"Goose can have grudges?" Su Ming asked, quite surprised. "Then wouldn't slaughterhouses have tons of them?"

"No, I've already been there, it's not there." Miao Xin also expressed her incomprehension, "What exactly is this 'Resentment System' you gave me?"

First, there was Gao Boyang, the strange young man I met at the cemetery, and then there were these geese that suffered.

Su Ming also began to have doubts: "Could there be something wrong with the translation of the book 'The Bell of Calamity'?"

"I'll buy these geese and cook them to see what changes," Miao Xin said.

Su Ming was speechless. What kind of research method is this?

He controlled the little troublemaker, took out his phone to search for something, but found his vision was being strangely interfered with. Sensing it, he discovered a gem embedded in the left prosthetic eye the little troublemaker used for disguise. It was this gem emitting a faint fluctuation that was distorting his spiritual vision spell.

"What's this?" Su Ming asked, puzzled.

"I found it in my head," Miao Xin replied. "Since it's almost Chinese New Year, I took it apart and washed it, and that's when I found this."

The New Year's cleaning, dismantling and washing skeletons—Su Ming felt this whole scene was a bit strange. He shifted his gaze, [Putting them in eye sockets to interfere with spiritual vision, right?]

Miao Xin adjusted her sunglasses, completely covering her eyes, and simultaneously ignited her soul fire. The prosthetic eye in her left eye immediately faded, disintegrated into powder, revealing a round gemstone. Its surface was covered with swirling cracks, from which numerous strange colors seeped.

Su Ming's spiritual vision flickered for a moment, as if something had changed. But upon closer inspection, he couldn't find any difference.

"In this state, my detection range becomes wider, allowing me to capture more ripples," Miao Xin explained. "But it seems you can't see them?"

"Of course," Su Ming said.

After activation, various colored dust particles slowly drifted out from the gem, looking nothing like ordinary things. Su Ming began to wonder, was Saint Magus Galio too wealthy? Why would he spare such a precious item for such a small skeleton?
But he couldn't figure it out in a short time, so he simply continued to go online and search for information.

Miao Xin looked at the content on her phone screen. "Are you looking for fire extinguishers again? The set you had the studio make, is it also related to fire extinguishing?"

"They have different uses," Su Ming replied. "That one is for small targets, while this fire-fighting rocket is for wide-area coverage."

"A war?" Miao Xin asked, puzzled. "Can the fire-fighting equipment be used?"

"Sure," Su Ming replied. "If you put dry powder in it, it's a fire extinguisher; if you put explosives in it, it's a life-threatening device!"

(End of this chapter)