Using the MC system to pretend spiritual revival

Chapter 158 Grass and Trees Like Waves, Azure Dragon

At this moment, outside the crack in the rock wall.

At the team's camp.

Sitting in front of the fire, Li Junguo had untouched instant food in front of him, but he felt no appetite at all.

The inexplicable palpitation grew stronger, as if something major was about to happen, making him feel like he was chewing wax and couldn't swallow.

And this time.

A clear, melodious voice, but without much variation, came through.

"Director, please eat as soon as possible."

"My duty is to protect your safety. Failure to replenish essential nutrients for an extended period can also endanger your life."

Hearing this, Li Junguo, pulled back to his senses, looked up and saw Ling Shan's expressionless face.

He shook his head helplessly, but still picked up the ready-made instant food in front of him.

"Okay, you're right, I should eat something."

He knew he couldn't persuade the other person otherwise, and they might even force him to eat when they thought he was starving.

After all, according to Li Junguo's understanding, the only principle for these specially trained soldiers to carry out protection missions is to ensure the survival of personnel.

Several important people I know have encountered danger while on field missions; their survival is truly the only concern.

Thinking back, a friend of mine cried after drinking.

Because he was trapped in the jungle for a month after his plane crashed, and was forced to eat insects and earthworms by special trainees every day, Li Junguo felt that he had regained his appetite.

He picked up the plate, scooped some luncheon meat with a spoon for a while, and was just about to put it in his mouth when—

"boom!!"

A loud bang suddenly rang out.

Li Junguo's hand suddenly jerked, and the scalding hot instant food spilled all over the ground.

But at this moment, no one is in the mood to pay attention to these trivial matters.

They all followed the sound and looked toward the stone wall behind them where the exploration team had entered.

It's fine if you don't look, but once you do, your heart skips a beat.

In Li Junguo's wide-eyed gaze, a dark brown tree trunk was growing and elongating at a twisting and frenzied speed in front of the crevice in the rock wall.

As it twisted, it stretched towards the sky like a disgusting tentacle, gradually branching out into jagged forks as it ascended.

It's like some kind of creature stretching out its limbs, growing taller and expanding its canopy, then sprouting branches and buds in an instant, turning into a green that blocks out the view.

At that moment, everyone was speechless with shock at the horrifying scene.

In the camp, whether they were superhumans or ordinary people, they all stared wide-eyed and dumbfounded.

When all these changes stop.

In front of what was once a cliff, on a barren rocky beach, stood a thick, gray-brown tree trunk, as thick as a pillar and requiring four or five people to encircle, reaching straight to the sky.

You have to look up to see the straight tree trunk covered with lush, pine-needle-like leaves that almost completely block out a small patch of the sun.

Li Junguo looked up in a daze, filled with amazement.

He estimated that the strangely growing giant tree in front of him was at least forty meters tall, like a tall building erected on the ground.

"Is...is this a pine tree?"

Amidst the shock of the crowd, someone suddenly asked this question.

However, the experienced local scientific expedition team quickly refuted this claim.

"No... judging from its shape, it should be a spruce tree that is very common in this mountain range."

Just as the person explaining to everyone finished speaking, a somewhat aged voice drifted from beneath the towering tree.

"Not bad, there are still people who recognize its value."

Upon hearing this, everyone realized something.

Beside those towering trees, a strange old man with a hunched back and wearing a green mask stood there, seemingly out of nowhere.

The man was dressed simply and carried a huge bamboo medicine basket. Just by looking at his appearance, he looked like a mountain herder.

But at this moment, the giant tree that suddenly grew out of nowhere was clearly not an ordinary person.

However, because the scene was so impactful, everyone present was unsure for a moment.

No one spoke first.

Finally, under the protection of Ling Shan and three other extraordinary experts from Kyoto, Li Junguo cautiously stepped forward.

But it stopped when it was less than a hundred paces away.

Closer.

Looking at the old man's face, which resembled a mask painted with oil paint, Li Junguo narrowed his eyes and made a guess.

"Old sir, perhaps this tree was also one of your schemes?"

"You may not know our identity. We are an exploration team organized by the Kyoto government."

“There are countless guard troops waiting outside the mountains. Doing this could easily cause misunderstandings.”

If these words were spoken to any random cultivator, they would certainly be wary.

However, the old man wearing the green mask paid no attention to it, seemingly not caring at all.

"The government? Can you represent the entire government?"

"Old man, I still have a few words of advice for you. You're so young to have reached the position of the second-in-command of the General Administration. You shouldn't take too much risks."

"As long as you stay put, I will let you go after ten hours."

The old man in the mask spoke rather bluntly.

Having served as an official for so many years, Li Junguo no longer cared about such verbal disputes; he was only somewhat surprised by the information in the other party's words.

I initially thought that the other party might be planning to attack and kidnap me, or try to seize the treasures in the ruins first.

Judging from their current posture, they seem to have no intention of entering the ruins or taking anyone hostage.

This is somewhat puzzling.

He couldn't help but weigh the options in his mind for a moment, then glanced at the communicator in his hand without making a sound.

He breathed a sigh of relief when he found the green light indicating good signal was still on, and continued to try to speak.

"Old sir, judging from your attire, you must be from the Masked Organization, right? As far as I know, the Masked Organization is backed by those powerful families in the capital."

"I actually have quite good relations with a few families. How about this, let's pretend we've never met today?"

Li Junguo thought he should first appease the other party and then withdraw from Xiaoxing Territory.

Before the relics and treasures are moved, lead your forces from outside the mountains back to fight your way back.

Given that the other side is capable of creating such a large-scale spectacle, it's best to refrain from engaging in combat for now and prioritize safety.

The tone of these words was clearly one of submission, almost as if they were saying, "Let me off the hook, I know so-and-so from your family."

But to everyone's surprise, the hunchbacked old man still showed no sign of backing down.

He simply raised his hand and patted the towering spruce tree beside him, it was unclear whether he was responding to the crowd or talking to himself.

"People are like birds and beasts choosing a tree to rest in."

"These trees grow only a few inches a year, but after a hundred years they become a canopy and can never leave the forest."

"Don't try any more tricks. The old man is still quite confident in his abilities."

As he spoke, the old man directly swung something towards the ground beside him.

As some green fluorescent lights flashed by, the ground, which was only covered with moss and rocks, immediately seemed to surge as if it were alive.

next moment.

A lush patch of grass sprouted right there. After doing all that, the old man took down the heavy bamboo basket from his back and plopped down on the grass.

"Ah~ That feels so good~"

"You guys should just stay here quietly. There's water and fish around. Have a comfortable day and go home peacefully. Everything will be fine."

This series of actions clearly showed that the other party had no intention of letting them leave.

As a highly skilled individual from the Kyoto Special Operations Bureau, the bald, muscular man finally couldn't hold back any longer.

He stepped forward, and a clod of yellowish-brown soil quietly appeared in his palm, as if he were about to say something more.

However, Li Junguo quickly stopped him.

"Don't act rashly, let's retreat back to camp first."

"…snort!"

He heard his boss say that.

Although the bald, burly man was furious, he could only glare at him hatefully before turning around and following the others back to the camp.

Once the group had walked away and were out of the masked old man's sight, the bald, burly man frowned and said in confusion.

"Director! We can't just listen to that old man and wait around!"

"His actions clearly indicate he's plotting something. If he does nothing, isn't he just waiting to be ambushed?"

Despite the urgency in his words, Li Junguo remained relatively calm.

I found a seat and gestured for the others to sit down as well.

"Alright, sit down first. I understand what you're talking about."

"But you should know that this group of secret organizations and independent cultivators are like the government, one is in the dark and the other is in the light."

"Since he dared to show up here and act so calmly, he is obviously not afraid of us."

"Although your information is kept confidential, it can always be found through illegal means."

"Right now, the forces present are probably no threat to him. If we rashly start a conflict, we will most likely be the ones who suffer losses."

After this explanation, the bald, burly man, who was still indignant, fell silent and could only lower his eyes and find a place to sit down.

Seeing that everyone understood this principle, Li Junguo's lips curled up slightly, revealing a smile of complete control.

"Don't be discouraged. It was expected that someone would want a piece of the pie. I just didn't expect that the organization that made the move would be of this size."

As he spoke, he took a small communication device out of his pocket, held it in his hand, and gestured to the people around him.

"However, it is clear that their preparations were not adequate. This anti-jamming communication equipment, newly developed by the Special Bureau's laboratory, is still functioning normally."

"I have just sent out a distress signal. We just need to wait a little longer for the six squads of superhumans on the outskirts to arrive."

"At that time, with the cooperation of both inside and outside, the risks can be minimized."

The others, who had calmed down, nodded when they saw the communicator in his hand and heard what he said.

Everyone couldn't help but admire their foresight.

Even the usually taciturn female assistant, Aya, nodded in affirmation after a moment of contemplation.

"This analysis is indeed the least risky approach."

Her affirmation seemed to lay the foundation for the next steps.

Everyone found a place to sit down, either to eat or to chat in hushed tones.

They are all adjusting themselves to their best condition, waiting for external support to break through to the vicinity before launching an attack.

The atmosphere was relaxed from the tension.

And in a place where no one can see it.

Not far from where the group was gathered around the stove.

In the shadow of a rock, a pair of dark eyes are watching each person with a different expression.

Only after confirming that there was no other information to be gleaned did its eyes turn completely, accompanied by a series of sparse crawling sounds.

It completely disappeared among the rubble.

……

And this time, on the other side.

A few hundred meters from the camp.

The old man carrying a bamboo basket sat down on the ground, placing the basket in front of him and picking through the miscellaneous items inside.

"Hmm, pear saplings, not bad, sturdy, just a bit short..."

"...jujube tree...apricot tree..."

He was picking through the saplings, each with different leaves.

Now, the entire bamboo basket was filled with all sorts of fresh saplings, still covered in soil.

It was obviously just dug out of the ground not long ago.

Just as he was leaning against the tall spruce he had just planted, picking out saplings.

A series of sparse sounds approached quietly.

This caused the old man to pause in his work, but he quickly resumed his task, ignoring the strange noise behind him.

As the rustling sound, like insects crawling, became more and more frequent and louder.

Then, from the crevices of dead branches, moss, and rocks, a dense swarm of gray insects emerged like a tide.

They began to pile up on each other, twisting and rising higher.

Soon, a humanoid figure, nearly two meters tall and wrapped in a strange black robe, appeared less than 10 meters behind the old man.

And looking at the back of the person in front of him who ignored everything and remained focused on the task at hand.

The figure in black robes remained silent for a few moments.

Then, a screeching sound, like metal scraping or glass being rubbed, came from the body shrouded in black robes.

"...Qinglong, those people have already called for backup as planned, and are waiting for the people outside to come and rescue them, hehe..."

"According to the plan, we will soon clash with those fools who have been lured in."

"It's a pity that those greedy rogue cultivators are weak and cowardly."

"Faced with hordes of regular Special Operations Bureau troops, they probably won't be able to resist for long before scattering like birds and beasts."

As he spoke, he seemed genuinely regretful, shaking his head which was covered by the hood and clicking his tongue.

"Tsk tsk~ Patriarch Yue means that it must be delayed until at least noon tomorrow to ensure the plan goes smoothly..."

At this point, the voice paused, and in that tone, which was difficult to distinguish as male or female, one could almost detect a hint of incitement.

"It's just you and Suzaku, plus some low-level helpers."

"Can they really withstand six special operations units from the state capital, and the guy that Director Li brought over?"

"Although your strength is not bad, you are outnumbered."

After rambling on for a while without getting a reply from the person with their back to him, he reluctantly changed the subject.

"Do you need my help? I don't need much. Just give me a bottle of Jiamu Dust, and I'll help you hold off a group of people. How about it?"

Upon hearing these words, the old man Qinglong, who had been facing away from the other party and busy with his work, paused.

His gaze, hidden behind the mask, drifted to the square bamboo basket placed in front of him, and he remained silent for a while before speaking.

"No need. Now that I've taken on this job, I won't let the Yue family head down."

"You should go back to your job and keep an eye on Suzaku's side. He might need your help more."

(End of this chapter)