102: Chapter 102 A person who crossed the border and managed to sneak back?

The auction had completely become a one-man show for that mysterious Great Master "Old Wang".

Lin Mo sat in the car on the way back, happily calculating his earnings for the day, the smile on his lips never fading.

He did not know, however, that two matters closely related to him were already quietly fermenting in the shadows.

Northern Continent, capital of the Beautiful Country.

In the conference room on the 22nd floor of the Chase Group building, the atmosphere was so oppressive it could wring water out.

A group of group executives in suits and leather shoes surrounded the long table, staring fixedly at the cliff-like downward curve on the screen.

Everyone's complexion was as green as if they had just been fished out of the water.

"The situation is already terrible,"

The CEO slammed a fist on the table, his voice full of anxiety.

"In just a few days, our revenue from formula royalties has shrunk by 80%! Once that new drug from Dragon Country goes into mass production, within a month, our market share for Elementary Soul Power potions will not only be completely kicked out of Dragon Country, but I'm afraid the entire global market will be cannibalized!"

"Damn it!"

A blonde executive clenched his fists, "According to the latest intelligence, that new Elementary Soul Power potion formula was actually patented by a laboratory in a second-rate academy in Dragon Country!!"

Various data on the potion scrolled across the screen.

Higher purity, lower cost, side effects almost negligible; it was an existence that completely crushed them.

The conference room instantly fell into silence.

By monopolizing the Elementary Soul Power potion market and formula patents, the Chase Group had already made a fortune in just a few decades.

Relying solely on the annual royalties, they could hold their position in the world's top ten.

Now, to have the rug pulled out from under them by an obscure academy laboratory, how could they be willing to accept this?

"We must stop them," a hint of ruthlessness flashed in the CEO's eyes, "Use all our power. I want to know all the information about that laboratory. Find out who registered the patent, and no matter what method you use, acquire the patent for our group!"

"That's right, even if we have to use diplomatic means, we must get the patent for the new formula."

The sunlight outside the window was blinding, but it couldn't shine into this conference room filled with anxiety and hostility.

A war without smoke was already quietly brewing.

Meanwhile.

In a heavily guarded scientific research conference room in Dragon Country, the atmosphere was similarly heavy, almost frozen.

Dozens of researchers in white coats and military generals sat around a long table, their eyes locked on the huge screen in front.

In the footage, above the smoke-filled ruins.

Countless mechs shimmering with metallic luster, roaring tanks, and circling drones were engaged in a fierce battle with a group of strange-looking, large and small exotic beasts.

Those exotic beasts were as large as small mountains, some covered in indestructible carapaces, their tailbones capable of easily smashing armored vehicles when whipped.

Some spat corrosive mucus, causing steel to sizzle and melt wherever it touched.

Others even had wings; the foul wind kicked up when their sharp claws slashed across the sky could tear a gash even in the alloy shells of drones.

The sounds of cannons, explosions, the roars of exotic beasts, and the alarms of mechs intertwined; every second, equipment was torn apart, and every moment, soldiers were fighting in bloody battles.

The intensity of this battle was in no way inferior to any recorded exotic beast tide in history, and it was even more bizarre.

For the forms of those exotic beasts, everyone present had flipped through all the records, yet not a single one could be identified.

"This footage comes from an electronic component provided by the Lu Family research lab. They said this component was found in the Wasteland Secret Realm."

The man in the white coat standing in front of the screen pushed up his glasses, his tone calm but carrying an unquestionable certainty.

He was Commander Lin Yaqin's older brother, Lin Feng, and this component was exactly what Lu Jianjie had specially had someone deliver to him.

"No, impossible!"

A gray-haired researcher stood up abruptly, his tone so excited it was as if he were possessed:

"In the Wasteland Secret Realm, apart from a ruin of residential houses, there is absolutely no trace of war to be found, let alone the remains of these mechs and exotic beasts in the video!"

"That may be so, but after comparing it with the samples obtained previously, the two are indeed from the same source. The only difference is that one is civilian-grade, and the other is military-grade."

Lin Feng called up two inspection reports and projected them onto the screen; the overlap of data parameters was shockingly high.

"I think it's at most a coincidence!" another researcher countered, frowning, "The Wasteland Secret Realm is only that big; if there really were such things, we would have detected them long ago."

"I also think it's suspicious," someone mused, "Unless... this thing came from outside the boundary wall..."

"Hmph, outside the boundary wall? Are you joking?!" someone immediately sneered.

"Even a level 99 Soul Saint wouldn't dare to easily touch the boundary wall; who could cross that barrier and bring things back from the outside?"

"Exactly, if you said someone discovered a new Secret Realm, I might believe it a little."

The discussion in the conference room grew increasingly heated, with everyone holding their own opinions, and no one could convince anyone else.

Just then, an old man with white hair, dressed in a military uniform with multi-star general rank insignia on his shoulders, suddenly spoke, his voice steady and powerful: "Dr. Lin's words... might be true."

Once these words were spoken, the whole room instantly fell silent, and all eyes turned towards him in unison.

The white-haired general's expression was grave as he slowly said, "After the special reconnaissance team sent out by Linjiang City returned, they reported a strange incident."

"What strange incident?" someone asked eagerly, the air in the conference room seemingly freezing.

The general paused, his voice low:

"They discovered two clear pressure marks near the boundary wall. Judging by the traces... it seems someone used something to forcibly break through the boundary wall, and they even returned."

"Gasp—"

Once these words were spoken, a collective gasp of cold air filled the conference room, startling many people into standing up abruptly from their seats.

"This, how is this possible?!"

An old researcher's voice trembled with excitement, his eyes slightly reddened from shock.

In fact, the higher-ups and the scientific community had long had a suspicion.

Perhaps every Secret Realm was originally part of a world, only to be forcibly isolated by that mysterious gray boundary wall.

Yet for many years, let alone Transmigration, even touching the boundary wall would trigger a terrifying energy backlash.

Even a level 99 limit Soul Saint wouldn't dare to try it easily, yet now someone could come and go freely?

The shock brought by this news was no less than a clap of thunder on flat ground.

"Nothing is impossible," the white-haired general said in a low voice.

"Combining the report from Linjiang City with the war footage in this electronic component, we have reason to suspect... this batch of components was very likely brought back from outside the boundary wall."

After hearing this analysis, the conference room fell into complete dead silence.

The two pieces of news were like two giant boulders, smashing one after another into a calm lake, the ripples stirred up...

Made everyone feel a sense of trepidation.

Lin Feng pushed up his glasses, a sharp light flashing in his eyes: "In that case, General Li, are you suspecting... that the person who provided this batch of electronic components to the Lu Family and the person who broke through the boundary wall are the same group of people?"

This guess was too bold, yet it precisely hit the key point.

Everyone present looked at each other, no one countered for a moment, and all fell into deep thought.

The white-haired general took a deep breath and slowly stood up, his military boots making a steady sound as they stepped on the floor:

"No matter what the truth is, immediately send more troops to blockade the entrance to the Wasteland Secret Realm and guard it strictly. At the same time, contact the Lu Family and have them fully cooperate; we must find out the background of the person who provided this batch of electronic components!"

His gaze swept over the war footage still playing on a loop on the screen.

Mech wreckage and the corpses of exotic beasts were piled up like mountains, and the smoke-filled sky revealed a despair like the end of the world.

"This matter is likely even more complex than we imagined."

The general's voice carried an unprecedented gravity.

"But perhaps... this is also the key to unlocking all the mysteries of the Secret Realm."

The conference room was deathly silent, with only the sounds of explosions from the screen echoing softly in the empty room.