56: A red glow at night reveals clues, and unusual activity in the crystal core hides a mystery.

Chapter 58: Red Light Night Raid Reveals Clues, crystal core Abnormality Hides Secrets

The night wind swept through the dense forests of Beishan with a chill, making the flames of the campfire crackle loudly. Sparks flew up only to be quickly extinguished in the darkness. The survivors' whispers gradually grew quiet, and many leaned against tree trunks and fell into a deep sleep, leaving only the rhythmic footsteps of the patrolling soldiers echoing through the woods.

Lin Zhou stood at the edge of the campfire, his gaze locked onto the night sky to the northwest. That red light was still moving, its speed fluctuating as if it were deliberately evading something. Chen Hao's perception ability remained locked on that area, fine beads of cold sweat appearing on his forehead. "Commander, the number of signal sources is increasing; there are at least three now... Their energy fluctuations are very stable. It doesn't look like the disordered release of a Mutant, but more like... human-controlled instruments."

"Human-controlled?" Lin Zhou's brow furrowed even tighter. "Are there other survivor factions around Qingyang County besides us?"

Wang Hu gripped the bone-spur longsword at his waist and said in a heavy voice, "Could it be associates of those thugs from before? Or survivors from other counties who have their eyes on our third-level crystal core?"

"It's unlikely," Lin Zhou shook his head. "Equipment capable of emitting signals on the same frequency as a third-level crystal core is not something ordinary survivors would possess. Moreover, their movement trajectory is very stealthy. They don't seem to be here to steal things, but more like... they're conducting reconnaissance."

Just as he finished speaking, the Research Soldier responsible for guarding the crystal core suddenly cried out in alarm, "Commander! Something's wrong! The crystal core is reacting!"

Everyone immediately gathered around. Inside the specially made energy-sealed box, the purple third-level crystal core was glowing faintly. The energy indicator lights on the box walls were flashing frantically. The originally stable energy fluctuations had now become violently turbulent, as if resonating with the distant signal source.

Zzt—

A layer of pale purple light appeared on the metal outer shell of the sealed box, and a slight vibration came from the lid, as if the crystal core inside might break free at any moment. The Research Soldier hurriedly pressed down on the lid, his face turning pale. "The energy resonance is too strong! The suppression power of the sealed box is about to give way!"

Lin Zhou immediately reached out to hold down the sealed box. An icy sensation came from his fingertips. The vibration of the crystal core grew increasingly violent, and even a faint, weak ripple of consciousness seemed to transmit—it was a kind of longing, a desire to fly towards the northwest.

"There's definitely something wrong with this crystal core," Lin Zhou's voice turned a few degrees colder. "Chen Hao, can you interfere with these signals?"

Chen Hao gritted his teeth and nodded. Concentrating all his mental energy, he released a burst of chaotic sound waves. However, those signal sources seemed prepared; their fluctuation frequency adjusted instantly, bypassing the interference and becoming even clearer instead.

"It's useless! They can adapt to the interference!" Chen Hao panted heavily as he withdrew his perception ability. "Commander, these people are not simple!"

Just then, the red light in the northwest suddenly accelerated, charging straight toward the campfire! Its speed was astonishingly fast, reaching a hundred meters away in the blink of an eye.

"Everyone, on alert!" Lin Zhou ordered. The patrolling soldiers immediately formed a defensive formation. The helmets of their Bone Armor Power Armor lit up with red night-vision light, and their muzzles were all aimed at the direction the red light was coming from.

Three streaks of red light pierced the night, stopping abruptly fifty meters from the campfire. Only then did everyone see clearly that they weren't instruments at all, but three Small Aircraft that were entirely black. Their bodies were streamlined, and a blurred silver emblem was printed on the wings, resembling a bat with its wings spread.

The aircraft hovered in mid-air, and the cabin doors slowly opened, revealing three figures wearing black combat suits. Their faces were covered with masks, leaving only pairs of cold eyes visible. Their gazes swept over the crowd by the campfire, finally landing on the sealed box in Lin Zhou's hands.

The leading Men in Black raised his hand and made a "put it down" gesture toward Lin Zhou. His voice came through the mask's speaker, carrying a mechanical coldness: "Hand over the third-level crystal core, and we will let you leave."

Wang Hu shouted angrily, "How insolent! Do you know who we are? Get lost now!"

The Men in Black acted as if he hadn't heard, his tone remaining flat. "The third-level crystal core does not belong to you. We will give you ten more seconds to consider, otherwise..."

Before he could finish his sentence, the little girl in Chen Yang's arms suddenly began to cry. The girl broke free from Chen Yang's embrace and ran to Lin Zhou's side, pointing at the black-clad men with a face full of fear. "Bad people! They are bad people! I've seen them! Three months ago, they were the ones who released that big monster into Beishan!"

As soon as these words came out, the entire scene was in an uproar.

Lin Zhou's pupils suddenly contracted as he looked at the little girl. "What did you say? Say it again!"

The girl was trembling all over, yet she still plucked up the courage to nod. "When Mommy and I were hiding in the cave, I saw them throw an iron cage into the mountains. Locked inside that cage was that monster with wings! Later, Mommy was taken away by the monster..."

Hearing this, a flash of murderous intent appeared in the Men in Black's eyes. The leader wasted no more words and waved his hand. "Do it!"

Three black shadows leaped down from the aircraft, their speed as fast as lightning as they lunged straight for Lin Zhou. What they held in their hands were not firearms, but a type of short blade that glowed with blue light. The blades sliced through the air, making a piercing whistling sound.

"Protect the crystal core!" Wang Hu roared as he charged forward. His bone-spur longsword collided with a blue-glowing short blade, producing a crisp "clang." Wang Hu felt his arm go numb; the opponent's strength was actually not inferior to his own while wearing the power armor.

Chen Hao immediately released a sonic attack, the high-intensity sound waves sweeping toward the black-clad men. However, those men seemed to have been prepared, quickly putting on earmuffs. The sound waves had almost no effect on them.

Lin Zhou retreated while clutching the sealed box, his eyes fixed on the black-clad men's movements. He noticed that the material of their combat suits was special, capable of resisting bullets, and their tactical coordination was extremely proficient. They didn't seem like a ragtag group, but more like a well-trained army.

"Who on earth are you people?" Lin Zhou demanded in a deep voice.

The leading Men in Black did not answer. He swung his blue-glowing short blade again, and after forcing Wang Hu back, he lunged toward Lin Zhou. Just then, the third-level crystal core inside the sealed box suddenly erupted with a burst of intense purple light. The lid was blown open with a "bang," and the crystal core floated into the air, its purple radiance illuminating half the night sky.

The distant signal source instantly became violent. The energy indicator lights on the three aircraft lit up simultaneously, and their hulls began to vibrate violently. The crystal core floating in the air actually flew toward the black-clad men of its own accord!

"Not good!" Lin Zhou was startled. He reached out to grab the crystal core, but he was a step too late.

The leading Men in Black snatched the crystal core and a cold smile curled his lips. "Thanks."

He waved his hand, and the three of them quickly retreated back to the aircraft. The aircraft's engines roared as they turned around and sped off toward the northwest, soon disappearing into the night, leaving only a faint trail of purple light.

Wang Hu wanted to give chase, but Lin Zhou stopped him. "Don't chase them. we can't catch up."

Wang Hu clenched his fists unwillingly. Looking in the direction where the black-clad men had disappeared, he gritted his teeth and said, "Commander, we're just going to let them snatch the crystal core away like that?"

Lin Zhou didn't speak, his gaze falling on the open sealed box on the ground. Inside the box remained a trace of faint black powder, emitting a subtle, fishy stench.

Chen Hao stepped forward, pinched a bit of the powder, and sniffed it. His expression changed drastically. "This is... a Mutant Strain of the Zombie Virus! And it's exactly the same as the strain inside the Scale-Winged Commander!"

Lin Zhou's heart sank abruptly.

The black-clad men could not only control the crystal core's signal, but were also related to the birth of the Mutants. What was their origin? Why did they release a third-level Mutant in Beishan? And why did they snatch the crystal core?

Countless questions flooded his mind, but what concerned him even more were the little girl's words.

The survivors by the campfire were badly shaken by the scene just now and gathered around one after another, their eyes full of fear and unease. Chen Yang held the little girl and walked to Lin Zhou's side, whispering, "Commander, these people... will they come back?"

Lin Zhou looked at the night sky to the northwest, where peace had already been restored as if nothing had happened. But he knew that a greater storm was quietly brewing.

He bent down to pick up the sealed box from the ground, his gaze as sharp as a blade. "They will be back."

Pausing for a moment, he looked at Wang Hu. "Pass the word down. Pack up immediately. After dawn, everyone will return to Dawn City. Also, heighten security and take turns keeping watch tonight to prevent them from launching a sneak attack."

"Yes!"

The night grew deeper. In the dense forests of Beishan, only the crackling of the campfire and the heavy footsteps of the soldiers remained.

Meanwhile, deep in the mountains to the northwest, in a base hidden in a valley, the three aircraft slowly landed. The leading Men in Black took off his mask, revealing a pale face. The third-level crystal core in his hand emitted a purple light and was carefully taken by a person wearing a white lab coat.

"The crystal core of Experimental Subject No. 3 has been successfully recovered." The man in the white coat pushed up his glasses, a strange smile curling the corners of his mouth. "Next, it's time to see if those little fellows in Dawn City can withstand the next 'gift'."

On the base's large screen, a topographical map of Dawn City was clearly displayed, with red markers densely covering the entire city.