Steel torrents pioneering a different world

Chapter 152 Will My Clan Face Another Darkest Hour? (Please Subscribe)

Lani glanced at the oldest red-leafed, white-barked tree with a human face on its trunk. The face on the trunk resembled a weeping, blood-stained figure with its eyes closed, as if it had fallen into an eternal slumber.

Lani sighed and made up her mind.

She slammed her staff heavily on the ground, and ancient, obscure syllables spilled from her lips, no longer words, but the key to unlocking the magical particles of the world.

A pale green magical glow emanated from the crystal at the tip of the staff, rippling outwards like waves and enveloping her.

The light grew brighter and brighter, and she seemed to transform into a miniature emerald sun, even her silver hair was illuminated and glowed with a translucent radiance...

The forest responded to her.

In the windless forest, the leaves began to rustle violently, and the ground trembled slightly. In the minds of countless living beings, a strange consciousness began to descend.

The consciousness of the herd is gradually beginning to converge...

……

Temporary frontline command post.

More than a dozen screens are mounted on the metal wall, providing real-time updates on the situation across the battlefield.

Wu Mudi held a cup of instant coffee that had long since gone cold, his eyes calmly scanning the scrolling lines of the latest data.

A young staff officer quickly approached him and reported in a low voice: "Reporting, Commander, fifteen minutes into the operation, we have captured thirty-seven target elves. There have been no casualties on our side so far. The special inhibitors dispersed in the air have been very effective, and the elves' magical abilities have been largely paralyzed."

"Basic?" Wu Mudi didn't even look up, his fingertips lightly tapping on the table. "Still not completely under control?"

He just finished speaking.

"Drip-drip-drip-"

A piercing alarm suddenly blared throughout the entire command center!

A technician responsible for monitoring magical fluctuations suddenly straightened up and shouted, "Commander! Extremely high intensity magical reaction detected! Coordinates A1 area, energy level is rising exponentially!"

On the main screen, a 3D terrain map pops up instantly, with a glaring red dot flashing and expanding wildly.

Its location is right in the center of that grove of red-leaved, human-faced, white-barked trees!
"The waveform matches! It's released by the red maple trees! Haha, they really are calling for help!"

The command center fell into a deathly silence as everyone turned to look at Wu Mudi.

Wu Mudi downed his cold coffee in one gulp, crumpled the paper cup into a ball, and threw it into the trash can.

“I thought they were like turtles, never going to make a move!” He walked to the main screen, his tone completely calm. “Order the bayonet squadron to execute the chokehold contingency plan.”

He drew a circle on the screen with his finger, circling the most important red dot.

"Knock down the tree that has the brightest and largest energy reaction."

In a normal war, those red maple trees would be destroyed, but after humans destroyed the red maple trees last time, the snow on the forest boundary immediately began to invade the southern forest belt.

This is not what humanity wants to see.

"Understood!" the communications soldier immediately replied loudly.

The order was passed down quickly.

The propellers of the five attack helicopters that had been hovering in space for some time began to spin faster, creating huge air currents.

"Bayonet One received."

"Bayonet No. 2 received. Ammunition loading safety disengagement initiated!"

With a tremendous roar, five giant steel birds took off in succession, swooping down into the depths of the forest where a monstrous beast tide was brewing.

Two months have passed since humans arrived in this other world, and they are learning more and more about it.

Intelligent creatures with long lifespans, such as elves, are also a key focus of attention.

The more humans learn about elves, the more they realize that elves are not as powerful as legend has it.

First, their genetic profiles are 99 percent similar to those of humans.

The similarity among the Ice River tribe is even higher, reaching 99.5%.

Genetic analysis shows that humans in this world do not experience reproductive isolation from each other, and the same applies to modern humans.

It's just that elves in other worlds have an extremely low chance of getting pregnant.

Besides this, they possess superhuman senses and are more adaptable to sensitivity and stimulation.

But the pain will not be less.

Although elves can resonate with external magical particles through their pineal glands, thereby releasing magic to control living beings, they must maintain a high level of concentration.

Unexpected interference on the battlefield, noise, respiratory irritation, etc., can prevent them from releasing those magical spells.

Humanity's greatest fear is the mind magic of the elves; this invisible means of controlling people is the most troublesome.

However, the special equipment brought by the consultants turned out to be very useful, which directly changed the subsequent strategic planning.

Besides this, the scientific investigation of the captive Annies also made humanity's perception of some aspects of magic less obscure.

With the participation of numerous scientists in research and design, devices specifically designed to detect magical fluctuations have been created, giving humanity the ability to proactively lock onto enemies during the casting of magic.

Just like how anti-radiation missiles lock onto enemy radar in the modern world, when elves cast spells, they also generate a certain amount of electromagnetic interference.

Once this fluctuation is found, humanity will have the ability to lock onto magic.

This is the power of science!

The only regrettable thing is that the anti-magic missiles and other weapons made by humans are first-generation, and there is great potential for improvement in terms of accuracy and error rate.

Closer to home!
Upon receiving Wu Mudi's order, the five attack helicopters, like five sharp blades hanging in the air, lowered their noses slightly and suddenly surged towards the target area.

Not far away, armed transport helicopters carrying special operations forces also began their rapid advance...

When the armed helicopter was still ten kilometers away from the eerie red maple forest, the atmosphere in the cockpit suddenly changed.

The instrument panel in front of the pilot of "Bayonet One" was slightly distorted, and the murmur in his ear grew louder and louder.

Then, he seemed to see his young daughter waving at him and giggling.

hallucinations!

He bit his tongue hard, and the sharp pain brought him to his senses for a moment.

At the same time, beneath his combat uniform on his chest, a palm-sized piece of paper equipment began to emit a soft yet unassailable glow, dispelling the eerie power that had invaded his mind.

"The enemy has started a psychological attack! Everyone be careful!" the pilot growled over the public channel, his voice hoarse.

As he got closer to the grove of red-leaved trees, that peculiar feeling grew stronger and stronger.

The driver's brainwaves began to change!

How do you all feel?

"I'm very good!"

"I... damn it..." Before the driver could finish speaking, a slight electric current suddenly shot out from the metal ring around his neck.

Nourishes—

A tingling sensation shot straight to the top of his head, completely dispelling the hallucination.

"The new equipment really works!" another pilot said in the channel. "Its wake-up mechanism is great, it's even more painful than when my wife pinches me!"

These elite pilots all wore the latest brainwave signal jamming devices around their necks.

If their brainwaves become abnormal, this thing will unceremoniously "wake them up" with an electric current.

The combination of technology and metaphysics yields remarkable results.

"Understood! All units maintain formation!"

The formation of armed helicopters did not slow down at all, and the launch pods under the fuselage were already open.

"Target reached!"

"Deploy the first round of ammunition and begin clearing the obstacles!"

One rocket after another detached from their racks, trailing long plumes of white smoke that formed a steel barrage as they viciously hurtled toward the most conspicuous red-leaved giant tree with a human face in the forest.

hum...

An invisible energy shield instantly appeared on the canopy of the giant tree.

The rockets struck the shield, exploding into clusters of orange-red fireballs, but they were like mud oxen sinking into the sea, only causing ripples on the shield.

However, after twelve consecutive rockets, the shield's energy was finally exhausted, and after a series of unstable flashes, it shattered like glass.

Subsequent rockets exploded one after another in the red maple forest without any further obstruction.

The massive shockwave sent countless tree branches and face-shaped leaves flying into the air, leaving the scene in complete disarray.

"Shield breached, deploy can opener."

"Received, can opener unlocked!"

On the tail of a Jiutian drone hovering in the distance, several missiles, several times larger than rockets, quietly slid down.

The rear engine ignited, whistling as it precisely drilled into the thick, exposed roots of the main tree.

Boom——!
A deafening roar erupted as the entire giant tree was uprooted, its massive trunk shattering into pieces in the explosion.

However, this is not the end.

Before the shockwave from the main explosion had fully dissipated, the Jiutian UAV also launched a missile carrying cluster munitions.

These cluster bombs exploded at an altitude of 1000 meters, and the thousands of special submunitions hidden inside were then scattered in all directions by a clever force.

Parachutes began to appear at an altitude of over 700 meters, and by the time they descended to a height of 300 meters, they had covered an area of ​​several kilometers in radius.

However, these weapons did not carry traditional lethal weapons!
There were no flames, and no secondary explosion.

The next second, an extremely piercing high-frequency sound wave instantly spread out from the point of impact!
hum-

In the distance, Lani, who was leaning against the sacred tree grove and chanting incantations in preparation for a large-scale summoning ritual, suddenly trembled.

The disposable sound waves released by some of the sonic equipment felt like steel needles, piercing her brain and causing her to abruptly stop chanting the spell.

She instinctively covered her ears, curled up on the ground in pain, and the enormous magical power that had just gathered around her instantly went out of control and scattered and collapsed.

Some of the parachutes exploded suddenly when they were falling to an altitude of 100 meters.

Immediately afterwards, a strong, pungent gas drifted away on the wind.

Lani only took a little breath before her lungs felt burning, and she just wanted to gag.

Tears and snot flowed uncontrollably.

"Despicable! This is poison gas?"

Lani thought to herself, then covered her ears to avoid the sonic attack and staggered away, hoping to escape the range of these special gases.

Just as she was frantically trying to escape, her mind a complete blank, like a headless fly trying to flee, a large net woven from high-strength fibers descended from the sky and trapped her firmly.

Before she could react, several human soldiers dressed in full-body combat suits descended from the sky and skillfully touched her fair neck with a short black stick.

It's sizzling!

Lani, who was trying to retaliate, suddenly stiffened, her vision went black, and she completely lost consciousness.

Before Lani lost consciousness, her last thought was: "It's over! I think I'm about to face my darkest hour!"

"Command, primary target captured, summoning ritual confirmed to have been interrupted."

"Repeat, primary target captured, threat from the elves temporarily eliminated."

"Put a helmet on her, or she'll choke!"

The special operations captain, codenamed "Butcher," reported while waving his hand in vain to dispel the irritating mist just released by the humans in front of him, his eyes warily fixed on the red maple trees in the distance.

They went to great lengths to capture the elves alive.

At this moment, the air is filled with a strange smell, a mixture of gunpowder smoke, ozone, and some kind of chemical agent, which makes people lose control of their bodies.

If the soldiers hadn't been wearing fully enclosed isolation masks, they too would have lost their ability to fight, just like Lani.

The remaining soldiers quickly established a circular defensive line, their dark machine gun muzzles aimed at the red-leafed, human-faced trees swaying in the shockwave of the explosion.

These strange, superpowered plants, apart from the leading large tree which was destroyed, suffered damage to the leaves and branches of many red-leaf trees after withstanding a round of rocket attacks.

However, trees are quite resilient, and these injuries will likely heal themselves next year.

The butcher captain watched the disheveled red maple trees stand silently, the human face patterns at their roots seemingly watching these uninvited guests in silence.

"Report, the red maple trees show no signs of retaliating," a lookout whispered.

A calm voice from command center came through the communicator: "Understood. Proceed according to plan and bring the target back!"

"clear."

The butcher put away his communicator and strode toward the figure bound like a rice dumpling by a high-strength fiber net.

He crouched down, wiped the goggles of his gas mask with his tactical gloves, and carefully examined the unconscious elf.

The other person's face looks a bit large, but it's very beautiful and conforms to human aesthetics.

However, due to the pain, that inhumanly delicate face was furrowed in worry.

He noticed that beneath her tightly closed eyelids, her eyeballs were trembling uneasily, as if she were trapped in a nightmare.

"He must be the leader of the elves; he's quite skilled with magic."

The butcher put a protective mask on the victim, and as the intake of irritating gases decreased, the victim's expression gradually returned to calm.

"Give her two extra layers of protection, just in case she capsizes in a ditch."

Two soldiers immediately stepped forward and swiftly used specially made polymer handcuffs to lock Lani's hands behind her back, and then added another pair around her ankles.

"Captain, this guy..." one of the soldiers responsible for lifting Lani's upper body suddenly groaned, "How come he's as light as paper?"

Lani is 1.75 meters tall, but her weight is ridiculously light. Two strong men lifted her up effortlessly, as if they were carrying a large doll.

"Didn't the information say that her bones are very special?" another person joked, while continuing to work on their hands.

The group carried her away from the eerie forest.

After retreating less than 300 meters, the electrical noise in the communicator noticeably decreased.

"How's the communication going?" the butcher asked.

A technician inspected the equipment, his brow furrowed: "It's still not very stable. Captain, the mental interference from these trees is too eerie. The light from the purification talismans on the brothers' chests is almost exhausted, and my head is still buzzing."

The butcher glanced back at the red forest, a hint of apprehension flashing in his eyes.

"Evacuate at full speed!"

……

"Buzzing—"

The loud roar and the vibrations of the aircraft forcibly pulled Lani out of her deep coma.

She opened her eyes groggily.

What came into view was not the familiar canopy of the sacred tree, but a cold, cramped space made of riveted steel.

The strong smell of engine oil mixed with the smell of human sweat made her gag.

Several demons, their faces obscured by black combat suits, sat around her, each holding an ugly "magic wand" that could spew lightning and made her lose control of herself.

I... have been captured?
This thought, like a bolt of lightning from the abyss, instantly cleaved through her chaotic consciousness.

Countless bad thoughts immediately popped into her mind!

The tragic fate of those captured by humans and reduced to playthings and slaves, passed down from generation to generation by her ancestors, those bloody and tearful histories sealed in ancient parchment scrolls, now transformed into a chilling current, rushing from her tailbone all the way to the top of her head.

"no no!"

Despair instantly overwhelmed her reason, and she let out a roar that was somewhere between a whimper and a scream, her body bursting with astonishing power.

She twisted and struggled frantically, causing the specially made shackles on her wrists and ankles to creak and rattle.

"Ha, you woke up so quickly? You recovered pretty fast!"

One of the soldiers was startled by her commotion and raised an eyebrow in surprise.

Without saying a word, he pulled a short black stick from his waist and pressed the switch.

sizzle-

Blue and white arcs of electricity leaped at the tip of the short stick.

He pressed the tip of the stun gun against Lani's fair neck without any expression.

"Fuck!"

A violent electric current instantly coursed through her body, causing Lani to jolt violently. Looking at the demonic army before her, she let out a short gasp, then her eyes rolled back, her head lolled to one side, and she collapsed once more.

The soldier put away his stun gun, grinned at his comrades who were also startled.

"Haha, a shock will make them behave."

He put away the stun gun, looked at the now calm Lani, and spoke with a hint of amusement and disdain.

"I thought these long-eared creatures were some kind of sacred beings, but aren't they afraid of electricity too? In the end, they're just like us, carbon-based life forms."

"Alright, don't let your guard down. Check these guys' brainwave devices again to make sure there's nothing wrong with them, lest they fall for a trap!"

"Don't worry, I'm keeping an eye on things!"
-
Command Center in the Time-Space Portal Area.

On the huge electronic screen, the blue dot representing our unit had completely surrounded and eliminated all the red dots.

In the bottom right corner, on the newly refreshed battle damage report, two bright red numbers stood out prominently.

Casualties: 0.

"call……"

Throughout the command center, the suppressed breathing that had been suppressed for so long due to tension finally dissipated, rising and falling in waves, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Victory!
And it was a resounding victory with zero casualties!
"Brilliant!" Brigade Commander Man slammed his hand on the table, his face beaming. "It was a textbook example of a flanking maneuver! Wu Mudi, that kid, did a great job commanding!"

A commander nearby chimed in, "These elves look tough, but they're surprisingly weak. I thought it would take more effort."

Just then, the communications officer's voice, tinged with suppressed excitement, rang out: "Reporting to Commander Su! The first phase of the operation is complete! All the sprites have been captured! We suffered no combat casualties, only two soldiers sprained their ankles due to the intense pursuit, but the injuries are minor!"

"Very good." Su Mingjin also had a smile on her face. "Has the boundary line moved?"

"Report: Since the main tree of the Red Leaf White Bark Human Face Tree was destroyed, no trace of movement has been found."

Su Mingjin secretly breathed a sigh of relief and ordered the communications officer, "Order the front-line troops to carry out the subsequent hunting missions according to the second phase plan."

"Yes!"

After assigning the tasks, Su Mingjin's gaze swept over the cheerful faces present, but the smile on her face slowly faded.

Her cool voice wasn't loud, but it instantly brought the lively atmosphere in the command room to a freezing point.

"Gentlemen, don't be too happy yet."

The smiles on everyone's faces froze, and they all turned to look at Su Mingjin.

"The problem with the red maple trees has only been temporarily suppressed, not solved." Su Mingjin tapped her fingers lightly on the table. "We still don't know why they only use mental interference instead of physical attacks!"

Previously, people speculated that since those strange red-leafed, white-barked trees with human-faced features could release an active protective energy shield, they could also release physical attacks capable of harming humans.

But so far, apart from psychological interference and infiltration, humans have not found any evidence that the warriors have been subjected to physical attacks.

This was a real blow to everyone's hopes.

"We haven't figured out their strength yet. If we underestimate them, the next time the casualty report might not show zero numbers."

Her gaze was like lightning, sweeping over each of the commanders present.

"The loss of Jingzhou due to carelessness, and the lapse in will, is like a thousand-mile dike being destroyed by an ant hole. I do not want to see any of you here lose your precious lives because of a single oversight, or be burdened with a lifetime of inner demons and shame!"

As soon as the words were spoken, the smiles on the faces of Commander Man and the others vanished instantly. Their expressions turned solemn, and they stood up straight as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over them.

"Please trust our professional capabilities, Mr. Su and Mr. D!"

Her voice was strong and clear, without a trace of frivolity. Su Mingjin nodded, her gaze inadvertently sweeping over and landing on Deng Dakang's empty seat.

That old guy, he runs faster than anyone else.

She muttered something to herself, then stood up and said goodbye to everyone.

“You guys keep following up, I’m going to check on the new ‘guests’.”

The frontline warriors were extremely efficient in this operation, capturing dozens of elf prisoners.

These visitors from another world suffered injuries of varying degrees. Most were minor cuts from bullets or shockwaves from explosions, but a few were unlucky enough to suffer serious injuries, including broken bones.

She felt this should be an opportunity for a breakthrough.
-
Outside the field hospital not far from the headquarters, the air was filled with the smell of disinfectant.

Numerous medical staff and combat personnel are waiting here.

An Kang kept rubbing the hem of his clothes, his eyes following Deng Dakang as he paced back and forth with his hands behind his back.

"Professor Deng, are those elves really that difficult to communicate with?"

Deng Dakang stopped and glanced at him, his eyes looking at a naive young man who had never seen the world. He raised the corner of his mouth but said nothing.

"We should be able to communicate!"

"I wonder what elves look like. Do they have pointy ears like in the game? Are they particularly beautiful?"

An Kang's eyes gleamed. As one of the first warriors to enter the other world, he had extremely bad luck. He was wounded and sent back to the rear right at the start, and he had been holding back a lot of energy for a long time.

His unusual hobby of "animal-eared girls" was well-known throughout the company.

"Ankang, wipe your drool, don't drip it on the floor." A cold voice came from behind. Head Nurse Sun Jing crossed her arms and gave him a disapproving glare.

An Kang blushed slightly and was about to say something to make amends when he saw a bright smile suddenly bloom on Deng Dakang's usually expressionless face.

"coming."

An Kang suddenly looked up and followed Professor Deng's gaze. Sure enough, three increasingly larger black dots appeared on the horizon, and the roar of helicopter rotors stirring the air grew louder as they approached.

Three transport helicopters landed steadily amidst strong winds, and the rear cabin door opened with a "bang." The field medics, who had been waiting in the wings, immediately pushed mobile hospital beds over.

"Don't rush!" a commanding officer roared. "Make sure your helmets are properly on! Check your neck stabilizers! You don't want to be captured and made a fool of yourselves, do you?"

A low chuckle rippled through the crowd, easing the tense atmosphere slightly. The medical staff deftly donned silver-white full-coverage helmets and fastened a faintly glowing instrument around their necks.

After doing all this, everyone quickly rushed into the cabin.

Several wounded elven prisoners, who had been given sedatives, had been carried off by the soldiers.

Ankang also put on a helmet and curiously stepped forward, instantly drawn to the bright color on the stretcher.

"What beautiful green hair!"

She was a female elf, whose skin was extremely pale due to blood loss.

Even while asleep under the influence of sedatives, her face, with its eyes tightly closed, remained so exquisitely beautiful that it seemed unreal. Long, pointed ears peeked out from her disheveled green hair, adding to her exotic charm.

"Are these the only three injured people?" a doctor quickly stepped forward and asked.

"Yes! One was shot in the leg, and the other lost an arm, but neither is in life-threatening danger," the escorting soldier replied.

"What about her?"

The doctor pointed to the last stretcher, on which lay the female elf, her face ashen, her clothes soaked in dark red blood that had already congealed.

"She was the unluckiest; she was blown away by the blast wave and her body was covered in shrapnel! One of the shrapnel was right near her heart, so she was the most seriously injured!"

"Quickly!" The attending physician's eyes lit up suddenly, not with greed, but with the excitement of a surgeon facing a top-level challenge. "Colleagues, immediately conduct a comprehensive examination of the seriously injured and prepare for triage treatment! Clear out resuscitation room number one!"

He took a deep breath, his voice trembling slightly.

"This time, we must snatch the first spirit from this other world back from the clutches of death, no matter what!"

"come on!"

The medical staff responded in unison, crowding around the most seriously injured patient, and rushed to the operating room.

The heavy metal door of the operating room slammed shut, separating the two worlds.

The stench of blood and disinfectant that filled the air seemed to be mostly blocked by that door.

The severely injured female elf has been anesthetized and will likely remain unconscious until the surgery is over.

But everyone knows that the real challenge lies in what happens after she wakes up.

An Kang rubbed his stiff face, his gaze shifting between Professor Deng Dakang and expert Gong Pengfei before finally wandering over to head nurse Sun Jing, who had just finished watching the commotion and was about to leave.

He cleared his throat and put on what he thought was his most sincere expression.

"Sister Sun, I thought elves would be so beautiful, but after seeing them today, they're nothing special! Compared to you, they're worlds apart!"

Sun Jing crossed her arms, glanced at him sideways, and had a half-smile playing on her lips.

"Really? Whose eyes were practically glued to the stretcher just now? Their jaw was almost dislocated, and if they kept drooling, I'd have to get a mop."

"Ahem!" An Kang's face flushed red as he tried to explain, "Sister Sun, you don't understand! I was conducting rigorous battlefield species observations, assessing the impact of their physiological characteristics on the psychological defenses of our human soldiers! This is called... this is called knowing yourself and your enemy!"

“Alright, researcher.” Sun Jing bluntly exposed him. “Have you finished collecting the materials for your research report? Hurry up and go to the rest area. Don’t get in the way here.”

After saying that, she turned and left, but the slight upturn of her lips betrayed her feelings.

Ankang then left.

Not far away, Deng Dakang watched all of this, a hint of a smile flashing in his cloudy eyes before returning to calm.

He watched as the other wounded elves were wheeled into different isolation treatment rooms, and said to Gong Pengfei beside him, "The other uninjured elf prisoners are expected to be transported here by vehicle within 3 hours. What are your plans?"

"The interrogation team and psychological experts are all in place and ready to begin at any time." Gong Pengfei's expression was very serious, like a finely wound-up instrument.

Deng Dakang tilted his chin slightly toward the operating room: "If that seriously injured elf can be saved, he will be your best asset."

Gong Pengfei immediately understood his meaning: "Winning hearts and minds?"

“Yes, psychological warfare. Let them know that we are not just barbarians who only know how to kill.” After answering, Deng Dakang changed the subject, his voice becoming a few decibels, “High pressure is certainly effective, but only by being gentle and reasonable can we stay true to our original intentions.”

Gong Pengfei pursed his lips slightly, a hint of worry flashing in his eyes: "I'm afraid that even if we save the person, those life scientists will come rushing in as soon as they smell it. I've heard that several project teams have submitted reports, wanting live research samples."

The air seemed to grow colder after those words were spoken.

"At least I didn't lose my temper!" Deng Dakang pulled a crumpled pack of cigarettes from his pocket, shook one out and handed it to the other person, then lit one for himself.

After lighting the cigarette, he took a deep drag, and the smoke he exhaled blurred the expression on his face.

“Pengfei, we are doctors and interrogation experts, not butchers. We have the upper hand now, and we must uphold our principles.”

Gong Pengfei took the cigarette, lit it but didn't smoke it immediately, just held it between his fingers and watched the sparks flicker: "Yeah, I know! But I reckon everyone's going to be busy these next few days."

"Haha, whatever!"

Gong Pengfei lit a cigarette: "Dealing with a group of completely unknown intelligent beings, every breakthrough in intelligence is like lighting a lamp in the darkness. Although the process is painful, the result is very satisfying. I really enjoy this challenge!"

"Do you like this challenge?"

Hearing the voice behind them, Gong Pengfei and Deng Dakang turned around almost simultaneously.

Su Mingjin had appeared behind them at some point, a smile on her face.

"Mr. Su!"

"Mr. Su!"

"Hmm, what's the situation inside?"

Deng Dakang gave a concise report on the preliminary assessment and risks of the surgery.

Su Mingjin nodded, her gaze passing over Deng Dakang and landing on Gong Pengfei: "Expert Gong, now that the person has been rescued, how do you plan to interrogate him? Will you still use the old, gentle approach?"

Gong Pengfei frowned slightly: "President Su, we still need to follow the procedures. The other party is not a vicious war criminal, and we cannot violate discipline."

"Yes, that's very good!" Su Mingjin nodded calmly and said with a smile, "I heard that several of the prisoners captured this time were tough nuts to crack, right?"

"Uh, it's not confirmed yet!" Gong Pengfei insisted. "However, we'll soon analyze more useful information. With so many elves this time, we can adopt a separate interrogation method."

Su Mingjin remained noncommittal, then turned to Deng Dakang with a hint of anticipation in her eyes: "Professor Deng, what are your predictions for their subsequent actions?"

Deng Dakang looked helpless and waved his hand, looking like an old fortune teller being forced to tell fortunes by a junior.

"President Su, you think too highly of this old man. I'm just someone who handles scalpels and microscopes. Last time, it was just a lucky guess! That's all the information I have now. If you ask me to guess, I can only tell you that elves most likely still walk on two legs and eat with one mouth."

These words amused Gong Pengfei, who was standing next to him with a serious expression, and he almost couldn't hold back his laughter.

Su Mingjin smiled, but wasn't so easily dismissed: "Professor Deng, President Li is waiting for your analysis to make the next strategic deployment. Miracles happen once, and they happen again."

She sighed, "Never mind, you guys go ahead with your work. I need to organize the operation log. General Manager Li and the higher-ups are getting impatient."

Watching Su Mingjin stride away, Gong Pengfei approached Deng Dakang and lowered his voice, "Professor Deng, be honest with me, do you really have absolutely no clue?"

Deng Dakang rolled his eyes in annoyance: "If I were a god, I'd tell you right now what color the Elf Queen's underwear is! Intelligence! Do you understand intelligence? Without enough intelligence, what am I supposed to analyze!"

He rubbed his throbbing temples while complaining, "Let's not talk about this anymore. I suddenly realized I have a ton of things to take care of. We need to organize and compile the information on how the soldiers used the equipment this time. I need to get it all together quickly."

The old professor turned to leave, but after taking two steps, he stopped and turned back to give a word of advice.

"Kid, there's no need to try to get the elven captives to talk. Gather the elves together; sometimes, communication is the best way to gather information!"

Gong Pengfei watched Deng Dakang's figure disappear at the end of the corridor, lit another cigarette, and silently leaned against the wall.

Amidst the swirling smoke, his gaze was fixed on the red light shining on the operating room door.

comminicate?

"I wonder if these elves will suffer the loss of their Dao hearts!"

Gong Pengfei took a deep drag on his cigarette, stubbed it out at his feet, and his eyes sharpened.
-
In the modern world, in the Zhurihe area, within a glass office overlooking the time portal, the air is so quiet that you can hear the faint ticking of the digital clock on the wall.

Li Weiguo paced back and forth in front of the huge floor-to-ceiling window, his hands behind his back.

Outside the window, the enormous portal emitting a faint blue light was the focus of everyone's attention. His face remained expressionless, but his tightly pursed lips and slightly stiff gait silently betrayed his inner anxiety.

The thermos on the table, which had been opened, was no longer steaming; he hadn't touched it even once.

"Mr. Li!"

Assistant Wang Kaixuan's voice suddenly rang out, filled with barely suppressed excitement: "The car! The communications car is out!"

Li Weiguo suddenly stopped, his sharp gaze fixed on the distant time portal.

Sure enough, a transport vehicle covered in otherworldly snow slowly drove out of the bizarre ripples and came to a steady stop.

A soldier jumped out of the driver's cab and instinctively headed towards the regular communications area.

"This way! Come straight here!" Wang Kaixuan waved vigorously in that direction, his voice even louder.

The soldier paused for a moment, then saw Wang Kaixuan and Li Weiguo behind him. His expression turned serious, and he immediately strode over.

"Snap!" A standard military salute.

"How is the front line?" Li Weiguo asked, his voice hoarse from the long silence.

The soldier's face was still covered in dust from the battle, but his eyes shone brightly. He grinned, revealing a set of white teeth: "Report to Commander-in-Chief! The frontline operation was a complete success, with zero casualties on our side!"

Zero casualties!?

These three words seemed to carry immense force, striking heavily into everyone's hearts.

Wang Kaixuan's tense nerves relaxed instantly. He let out a long breath, stepped forward, and patted the soldier's shoulder hard: "Well done! Go back and get some rest!"

Li Weiguo didn't speak, but slowly nodded, a slight smile appearing on his lips, and a hint of warmth finally appeared in his bloodshot eyes.

After the soldiers saluted and left, Wang Kaixuan, holding the data disk, was so excited that his face was flushed: "General Li, zero casualties! This was the best possible outcome in the previous plan!"

"Let's go to the conference room." Li Weiguo turned around, picked up his thermos, and then his steps were noticeably lighter than before.

In the conference room, the combat data was quickly displayed on the big screen.

Only after seeing the official confirmation of "zero casualties" did Li Weiguo finally feel completely relieved.

He unscrewed the thermos, poured himself another cup of boiling water, and then slowly began to speak.

"Those red-leafed, white-barked trees with human-face shapes, we wiped them out without even a proper attack?" He pointed to a section of the report, his tone thoughtful. "I personally feel something's not right."

“General Manager Li, look here,” Wang Kaixuan immediately pointed to an analysis in Su Mingjin’s report, “The comrades at the front speculate that those strange trees may be some kind of unconscious magical plant! It needs to be activated by spirits through some specific ritual or energy. Our operation this time was fast, accurate and ruthless, which may not have given them time to react.”

“Logically, that makes sense, but the elves are paying far too much attention to these trees! I have a feeling those trees have other functions!” Li Weiguo tapped his fingers lightly on the table. “Could they be hiding something?”

Thinking of this, Li Weiguo chuckled to himself. He shook his head: "Probably not. We've captured so many elves, and their counterattack was so fierce; they shouldn't be holding back."

“Mr. Li, perhaps those trees are simply trees that can release passive interference,” said Assistant Xiao Wang.

Li Weiguo shook his head, disagreeing with Wang Kaixuan's words.

Then, his gaze swept over the end of the report and saw the words "The hunting operation has proceeded as planned," and the corners of his mouth turned up slightly.

The so-called hunting operation is actually a list of follow-up research projects compiled by the research department.

The far north is a desolate place, with few small animals and insects. Microorganisms exist, but not abundantly. The most abundant life forms are found in lakes.

Humans have analyzed many lakes in this other world, reaping a great deal of benefits and satisfying countless foodies.

Now that humans have ventured deep into the forests, their sights have naturally expanded. From tiny, otherworldly flies and mosquitoes to all sorts of birds and beasts, anything alive is subject to capture.

These will all be used to enrich the human biobank, improve subsequent treatment plans, and test the potential significant impacts of various animals on humans.

"The people in the research department must be ecstatic right now!" Li Weiguo said with a smile.

Wang Kaixuan also laughed.

A completely new ecosystem, where any single species could be the key to unlocking the secrets of this other world. Its value is immeasurable!
Scientists are really putting in a lot of effort to publish their internal scientific journals and potentially make a name for themselves in history!

"Fortunately, President Li had a brilliant idea and set fixed rest times for them, so that they could take turns resting even when they were participating in scientific research."

"You, you're getting better and better at flattery!"

Li Weiguo glanced at the captured elves, his smile gradually calming: "I wonder if these elf prisoners can be interrogated to extract any useful clues."

"Mr. Li, you definitely will!"
-
A few hours later.

Another world, a shielded isolation zone, a top-level prisoner detention cell.

Anise sat cross-legged on the soft bed, the silver magic interference device around her neck feeling cool to the touch, but she was already used to it.

On the television screen, a silly cat is being outsmarted by a clever mouse, while exaggerated background music fills the entire room.

I've been captured and brought to this completely unfamiliar world for over a month now.

From initial despair and fear, to later numbness, and now... to enjoying it.

Annie's mindset, like a rollercoaster ride, has now landed smoothly.

She not only learned to use the remote control skillfully to amuse herself, but also learned to appreciate delicious food.

In that short while, she popped a piece of sweet watermelon into her mouth and then watched the screen.

The woman on the screen rushed out again, broom in hand, shouting in a loud voice.

Annie hugged her knees, subconsciously mimicking the unique accent in the Glacier Tribe language: "Tom...you damn cat!"

After saying that, she paused for a moment, then chuckled self-deprecatingly and continued watching cartoons to pass the time.

Not far away, the monitoring room was quiet.

Tang Huanzhu stared at the female elf on the screen who was gradually "lying flat," a subtle smile curving her lips.

After more than a month, the fish have finally adapted to the water temperature in the aquarium, and it's time to... give them some serious food.

Just then, the landline on the table rang.

Tang Huanzhu answered the call quickly.

"Xiao Tang!"

"Team Leader Gong!" Tang Huanzhu's tone immediately became respectful.

On the other end of the phone, Gong Pengfei's voice was steady and strong: "The new goods have arrived, get ready to receive them."

"Yes! I'll prepare the handover procedures immediately!" Tang Huanzhu's eyes sharpened instantly.

"Ah."

Before hanging up, Tang Huanzhu couldn't help but ask one more question: "Team leader, how did the surgeries on those seriously injured patients who were brought in go?"

"I just came off the operating table, I had a lot of stitches, it's hard to say whether I'll survive tonight." Gong Pengfei's tone was completely calm. "Don't worry about that, just do your job."

"……Yes."

Tang Huanzhu put down the phone, took a deep breath, and said to her colleague next to her, "Get ready, Plan A is activated."

My colleague immediately started using the highly sensitive equipment to record data!
Tang Huanzhu took the key, signed her name on the handover documents, and the heavy alloy door slowly closed behind her.

squeak-

The door to the isolation room was opened.

Annie turned around at the sound and saw Tang Huanzhu walk in. She just glanced at him lazily, then continued eating watermelon without even changing her posture.

There was no hostility, no fear, not even curiosity.

Tang Huanzhu chuckled inwardly; the timing was just right.

"Miss!"

Tang Huanzhu's voice broke the silence in the room; she was speaking the language of the Ice River tribe.

Although the language was despised by the prisoners, the other side could understand it.

The best tool is one that you can understand!

"I have two things to tell you."

She paused, deliberately keeping everyone in suspense.

"A good news or a bad news, which one do you want to hear first?"

Anise finally reacted; a hint of doubt flashed in her beautiful blue eyes, but she still didn't speak.

“It seems you don’t want to choose, then I’ll decide for you.” Tang Huanzhu smiled. “The good news is that from today onwards, you will have a member of your clan to accompany you.”

Annie's pupils contracted slightly.

Tang Huanzhu took in her reaction, and her smile deepened.

"The bad news is... your companion has just come down from the battlefield, and because of the defeat, her mental state is extremely unstable. We are worried that she might do something to harm herself."

Tang Huanzhu took two steps forward, her voice low and possessing a seductive power.

"So we hope you can help take care of her and comfort her. After all, you are of the same race, aren't you? It's better to let her go through all the...examinations and tests that you went through."

Tang Huanzhu emphasized the words "inspection" and "test".

Annie's body tensed instantly, and her breath caught in her throat for a moment.

She abruptly turned her head, presenting the back of her head to Tang Huanzhu, her entire body radiating resistance.

That's all I have to say. Take care of yourself.

Having achieved her goal, Tang Huanzhu turned and left.

The alloy door closed again, leaving only the clanging and banging of the television in the room.

Annie slowly turned around, staring at the cold door with a complicated expression.

Frustrated, she ran her fingers through her long hair, then suddenly hugged her shoulders and curled herself into a ball.

On the other side, Tang Huanzhu had just returned to the monitoring room and immediately took off the miniature recording device from her body.

My colleague next to me pointed at the monitor screen, his tone excited.

"The data is outrageous! Just as you mentioned being of the same ethnicity and undergoing examination, her heart rate spiked from 62 beats per minute to 148 beats per minute! Brainwave activity shows that her amygdala is extremely active, a typical response to fear and anxiety!"

"Haha, you tore down her psychological defenses with just one sentence!"

(End of this chapter)