Chapter 85: Provocation

Gu Sha asked in confusion, “So, what you mean is, the authorities want to explore this alternate dimension to see if it can be turned into a sanctuary?”

“Exactly,” Mad Blade replied. “If this works, it could truly be humanity’s hope. Things on Earth are almost unbearable now—there are frequent acid rains that make agriculture impossible, resources are scarce, and disasters like earthquakes and tsunamis strike one after another. Outside, the world is crawling with the undead and mutated beasts; humanity has nearly run out of space to survive. I even heard there was once a proposal to migrate to Mars, but technology just isn’t advanced enough for that. Now, with the emergence of this alternate space, it’s become a beacon of hope. That’s why Beijing sent two high-ranking guardians like Lin Xingyun and Lu Shanyou here.”

Lifting his teacup thoughtfully, Gu Sha considered the situation. According to Mad Blade, the conditions inside that alternate dimension were indeed suitable for human survival—and there were no undead or beasts, making it a potential new home. However, Gu Sha wasn’t optimistic. In the future he remembered, many such alternate spaces had appeared, yet humanity still clung to Earth; after living twenty years in that era, he’d never once heard of alternate dimensions being colonized. That could only mean the plan had failed—otherwise, space migration would have been a known reality by now.

“Is it that the spatial rift can’t be opened? Or is there some other problem?” Gu Sha narrowed his eyes slightly. It couldn’t be that the rift was impossible to open—after all, in the future, alternate spaces did descend upon Earth. But humanity hadn’t migrated, which meant there must be a major issue with the alternate dimension.

Looking at Mad Blade, Gu Sha asked, “Brother Blade…”

“No, no,” Mad Blade quickly interjected. “Please, just call me Little Blade!”

“Alright, Little Blade,” Gu Sha said, “did you notice anything unusual while you were inside that space?”

“Unusual?” Mad Blade shook his head. “No, it was just like any city we lived in before the apocalypse.”

Gu Sha thought for a moment, then asked, “Were there any supernaturals inside?”

Mad Blade shook his head. “No, at least I didn’t see any during my stay, and I didn’t ask. The law enforcers who came to escort me out were all ordinary people.”

“What about Source Energy? Did you sense it there?” Gu Sha pressed.

“That, yes,” Mad Blade replied. “Actually, the concentration of Source Energy inside was even higher than on Earth.”

Gu Sha’s pupils constricted instantly.

Mad Blade hurriedly asked, “Is there… is there a problem, boss?”

Gu Sha shook his head. “I’m not sure yet.” He continued, “What’s the plan on the Barrier’s side?”

Mad Blade responded, “Here at the S City Barrier, we’ve assembled ten supernaturals: eight of the fourth tier, one fifth tier, and myself at sixth tier. From Beijing, twelve more have arrived—Lin Xingyun is seventh tier, two are fifth tier, the rest fourth. The Northwest Barrier sent eight—Lu Shanyou is seventh tier, one is fifth, the rest are fourth, and quite a few have special abilities.”

Gu Sha nodded. At this early stage of the apocalypse, such a force was formidable: two at seventh tier, one at sixth, four at fifth, over twenty at fourth, and some with abilities. Even twenty years later, this would make for a formidable mercenary team.

Mad Blade went on, “The Barrier’s plan is for us to lead a group of scientists into that primeval forest, locate the spatial rift, and then try to negotiate with the people inside to see if we can open a passage.”

Gu Sha nodded and asked, “When do you plan to set out?”

Mad Blade replied, “At today’s meeting, it was decided we’d leave tomorrow morning.”

Gu Sha agreed, “Alright, let me know when it’s time.”

“Sure,” Mad Blade hesitated, then said, “Boss, there’s something I should mention. I had Huang Mao keep watch outside because I was worried someone might come looking for trouble.”

Gu Sha frowned. “Trouble for me?”

“That’s right,” Mad Blade said. “Originally, the meeting was supposed to wait for your arrival, but Lin Xingyun and Lu Shanyou suddenly insisted on starting early, clearly to give you a hard time. But you didn’t show, so their plans fell through. Still, I doubt they’ll give up so easily. There are two reasons: you’re both top-ranked, but you’re First Sequence—which means a lot. Everyone wants that title. Second, they want unified command for this mission, but if you don’t accept their authority, it’ll be hard for them to win people over. So…”

Gu Sha laughed. “So you think someone might try to put me in my place?”

Mad Blade nodded.

Gu Sha chuckled lightly and said nothing more. Mad Blade, seeing this, took his leave.

After seeing Mad Blade off, Gu Sha sat in his room and began to cultivate. There were some corpse cores in his bag, but he didn’t use them—he needed to save them for possibly activating his ability to foresee the future, which consumed a lot of energy.

Yet, having consumed so many Source Orbs, his potential had been developed to a level unimaginable for ordinary people. Even with regular cultivation, he absorbed energy much faster than most people using corpse cores.

He spent the night cultivating. By morning, after having the hotel staff bring him breakfast and waiting a short while, he received the expected notice.

Outside the hotel, several staff from the Supernatural Association drove Gu Sha to a military base. As soon as he stepped out of the car, he saw Mad Blade jogging over with his massive sword on his back, calling out, “Boss, do you need any weapons? I can get you anything you want.”

Gu Sha shook his head—he already had the King’s Bone, which was more than enough.

By now, a large crowd had gathered in the square. Many were fully armed, though some, confident in their abilities like Gu Sha, wore no protective gear.

As soon as Gu Sha appeared, almost everyone turned to look.

A man and a woman approached—both strikingly attractive and distinguished. Gu Sha recognized them from their photos: the current leaders of humanity’s sequence ranking, Lin Xingyun and Lu Shanyou.

They walked over, and Lin Xingyun extended his hand first. “Hello, Mr. Gu Sha. I’m Lin Xingyun.”

Gu Sha reached out and shook his hand, but as he tried to let go, Lin Xingyun gripped him tightly, increasing the pressure, his face still fixed in a calm, gentle smile.

Gu Sha looked at Lin Xingyun and said slowly, “Are you looking to die?”

(End of this chapter)