Dragon Clan, Lu Mingfei who repeatedly returns from the game

Tokyo, a temporary safe house.

This is not a luxury suite at the Peninsula Hotel, but a secluded hideout located on the edge of a bustling area, with an old exterior but a modernly reinforced interior and sophisticated electronic shielding.

Thick curtains blocked the view from the outside world, and only a few tactical lights provided illumination in the room, with the light concentrated on the huge electronic whiteboard in the center and the documents covering the table.

Lu Mingfei, Chu Zihang, Ling, Xia Mi, Qingniao, and Gu Nan.

She still carried the sweet scent of Akihabara candy.

Several people sat around the tactical table, the air filled with the bitterness of coffee, the smell of ink from printed documents, and a tense focus.

Lu Mingfei just briefly updated everyone on the latest situation.

The Osaka trap, Su Xiaoqiang's second disappearance, Uesugi Yue's revelation of the inside story of the Oni Clan and the Snake Clan, the limited information provided by Genji, and the contents of the letter pointing to the "King General" and "Black Swan Harbor".

"That's the situation,"

Lu Mingfei placed his hands on the edge of the table, his gaze sweeping over everyone. "The waters are murky, the enemy is lurking in the shadows, and their purpose is unclear. But we must untangle the clues."

All I can say is that having a reliable think tank is far more effective than him locking himself in a room and racking his brains alone.

Chu Zihang spoke first, his voice as calm as ever, cutting in with the precision of a scalpel.

"By summarizing all the clues, the core objective of the Demon Clan, combined with the records in the ancient books of the Snake Clan and the testimony of Uesugi Kotsu, strongly points to the resurrection of the White King, the god worshipped and feared by the Snake Clan."

He wrote on the whiteboard, “The core objective of the Ghost Clan is to resurrect the White King,” with powerful strokes.

Ling then added that she pulled up a well-organized chart, which analyzed the characteristics of the victims and the purpose of the experiment from different clues:

"And their abduction and kidnapping of mixed-race people from all over the world, including this time from China, likely has two purposes."

She pointed to the chart with a laser pointer: "First, dragon genetic research. Hybrids from different bloodlines may have different gene expression, and they may be looking for optimal, or specific, gene sequences for their god-making or enhancement experiments. The hybrid samples and modified Deadpool from the Osaka lab support this."

“Second,” her laser dot moved to the other side of the chart, “is preparing ‘nourishment’ or ‘vessels’ for the ‘resurrection ritual’ or the resurrected god. In ancient legends, the resurrection of powerful beings often requires a large amount of life energy or special sacrifices. These hybrids may be the ‘blood food’ or ‘vessels’ they are preparing.”

Xia Mi lay sprawled on the table, her chin resting on her crossed arms, looking at the charts and lazily interjecting.

"Hmm, that sounds like something those lunatics would do. But the 'nutrients' analogy is interesting... That White King guy, he was completely devoured by Daddy back then, and all his power was taken away. Even if there were any remnants or marks left behind, do you think he can be resurrected by consuming a few hybrids? Dream on. Unless..."

Her golden vertical pupils narrowed slightly, flashing a deep light belonging to the Dragon King: "Unless they find another key, or... what they resurrected is not the complete White King at all, but some kind of monster that inherited part of the White King's power."

This speculation sent a chill down everyone's spine.

"As for how far the Ghost Clan's plan has progressed..."

Chu Zihang frowned. "Key information is missing. Although Yuan Zhinu is a high-ranking official, she is clearly excluded from the inner circle, and many secrets are only known to the King. We lack a direct chain of evidence."

Aoki retrieved an ancient nautical chart document that had leaked from within the Sheki-Hachi family and had been partially verified by Uesugi Kochi, and projected it onto the other side of the whiteboard:

"Based on the most confidential records of the Snake-Headed Eight Families and some abnormal data from modern sonar detection, they believe that the place where the gods slumber—Takamagahara—is most likely located on the deep seabed near the Japan Trench. The exact coordinates are unknown, but the depth... is estimated to be below eight thousand meters."

"Eight thousand meters..."

Gu Nan whistled, a look of interest on his face. "At this depth, the water pressure can flatten ordinary steel like dough. Even for us, it would take some effort to go down, and we wouldn't be able to stay for long."

When she said "we," she was clearly referring to non-human beings of her and Lu Mingfei's caliber.

Lu Mingfei silently estimated that with his current physical strength and the aid of his Word of Power, he might be able to dive to that depth in a short time, but his movements would be restricted, and the risk would be extremely high if a battle or accident occurred.

The deep sea is not their home turf.

Xia Mi also curled her lips: "The deep sea... that's not my territory. I might be able to withstand it if I fully transform into a dragon, but my strength will definitely be greatly reduced, and the commotion will be too great, which will easily attract unnecessary attention."

She was referring to other resurrected monarchs, or hybrid factions.

Those mixed-race forces have existed for thousands of years; if she were to go all out, she would inevitably be discovered.

A brief silence fell over the room.

The plan to dive directly to 8,000 meters to "confirm the state of God" is too risky and uncertain.

“Oh, right,” Lu Mingfei suddenly remembered something, breaking the silence. He turned to look at Xia Mi, his tone tinged with doubt.

"Where's Fenrir? Didn't he say he was metamorphosing? It's been over half a year, how come we haven't heard a thing?"

He remembered Xia Mi mentioning that Fenrir had entered a deep slumber and metamorphosis after the last incident in order to heal his injuries and accumulate power.

Upon hearing this, Xia Mi rolled her eyes and sat up straight.

"It can't be that fast! Do you think metamorphosis is like sleeping? You think you'll be full of energy after a nap?"

Her tone became more serious:

“This time he has ‘completely emerged from his cocoon,’ a rare opportunity. Now that he has a safe environment, and doesn’t have to be hunted down and hide from each other as before, I’m definitely going to make sure he heals all his old wounds in one go and gets back to his true peak before he comes out. This process… can’t be rushed, it will take a long time, maybe a few years, or even longer.”

She paused, then added, "But don't worry, the cocoon is in a completely safe location, and it has my mark on it. If there's anything unusual or he wakes up prematurely, I'll know immediately."

Lu Mingfei nodded, indicating his understanding.

Fenrir's full recovery would be an important fighting force in the long run, but it's not something we can count on right now.

He refocused his attention on the predicament before him, his fingers tapping unconsciously on the table.

Directly exploring the deep-sea region of Takamagahara is too risky.

The core intelligence of the Demon Clan and the King is missing.

Su Xiaoqiang's whereabouts are unknown, and the threat is imminent.

Internal strife is brewing within the Snake Clan, and Tachibana Masamune's stance remains a mystery.

"It seems we need to change our approach."

Lu Mingfei spoke slowly, his eyes gradually sharpening, "Since we can't figure out the God and the King's strength for the time being, let's start with what we can grasp."

He stood up, walked to the whiteboard, picked up a marker, and heavily circled the words "Su Xiaoqiang's second disappearance," "source of supplies/personnel for the Osaka laboratory," and "abnormal activities in Tokyo."

"Top priority: Use all available resources and spare no expense to find Su Xiaoqiang and the others. This is not just about rescuing them, but also about tearing a hole in the enemy's network of operations in Tokyo!"

"Second: trace the supply and funding chains of the Osaka lab upstream to uncover their partners and protectors in Japan. The international pressure from Lao Wang will soon come through, and we need to take advantage of this opportunity."

"third,"

He looked at Gu Nan and Chu Zihang, “We need a significant show of force to deter others. Gu Nan, Fingel, come with me. Chu Zihang, Zero, Xia Mi, and Qingniao, you stay behind and provide all support, and continue to investigate the connection between ‘King General’ and Tachibana Masamune.”

His gaze swept over the crowd, his tone resolute.

“We will not go down to find God; we will force those who want to resurrect God to come forward themselves!”