Facing an Ancient God for a Year

Chapter 1915: Chapter 1910: Sinister Malice

Indeed, one cannot judge people solely by appearances; although they both seem short-tempered, Lord Stoss is far more composed than Old Master Logan.

It might sound a bit exaggerated, but as someone who has led an exploration operation before, Fu Qian understands his viewpoint.

No matter how much truth there is in Marco’s words, since he mentioned there are two "people" there, a targeted approach must be taken.

If no one is found after the effort, it would merely confirm his nonsense, wasting no more than some time.

But as it’s already a time-sensitive operation, the place itself poses a danger.

In such circumstances, digging up information about two currently unobserved "people" cannot be ignored, regardless of their intentions.

This journey is about exploration, not a life-and-death gamble, allowing for operations to eliminate significant safety hazards.

Besides, Fu Qian has gleaned even more from the information just now.

For instance, regarding those "two people," besides the possibility that they referred to himself and Su Gao in a tricky misinterpretation, Fu Qian immediately thought of the two Demigod brothers, the stout Malfoy and the lean Malca.

Are they still on the Ark?

Is the earlier speculation that they completed their resurrection and left wrong?

Because of their higher ranking, could their resurrection have been more complicated than Marco’s, and thus they might now be hiding inside some Amber?

It’s an easy conclusion to reach and likely the least dangerous.

If it’s true, then the poor three brothers seem to have been abandoned by the Native Council together.

The parting blow of chill fear that Fu Qian delivered to the Prison Angel Commander unintentionally achieved a quadruple kill.

Lord Stos’s caution, therefore, becomes redundant; finding them won’t be easy, but even if they aren’t found, they pose no real threat.

However, people shouldn’t be blindly optimistic; Fu Qian can easily conceive other reasonable explanations without batting an eye—

For example, Nepheli and her group initially thought the place would be difficult to locate.

After Su Gao and he left, spotting some commotion, they promptly made certain countermeasures, such as sending Brother Mal back to their hometown to plot something.

If that’s the case, the two pairs of eyes lurking in the shadows are indeed maliciously obvious.

...

"Professor Fu, what do you think?"

Facts proved that Lord Stos lived up to his commendations.

Without needing further explanation, he immediately consulted the appointed advisor of Demigod Su.

"I suggest starting from the top layer."

Fu Qian, wasting no time, gave this advice, unable to tarnish Demigod Su’s perceptiveness.

"Are you still more concerned about the dead fellow above? Suspecting those ’two people’ are related to him?"

He not only agreed with Fu Qian’s idea but also directly proposed an action plan.

Stos nodded slightly and gestured for others to follow, confirming Fu Qian’s thoughts only after leaving the room.

"It’s not so much suspicion; given that there’s too little information for now, but if we are going to use simple elimination, start from the worst-case scenario.

"Additionally, these things below are rather special. Studying them a bit longer might reveal something interesting."

Fu Qian explained bluntly, motioning toward the yet-to-fall "wheat ears" ahead.

So far, Yuan Shan hasn’t disclosed the real cause of the meteor shower to the upper echelon of the Night Watchman.

That’s why Fu Qian’s involvement with Su Gao stems from a reason that officially states an attacker showed up recently in Shangjing, leaving traces similar to the feathers seen in the Academy, thus representing Yuan Shan’s special concern.

In this light, to Lord Old Master Stoss’s eyes, this incident appears even more bizarre.

An unclear, seemingly Second Phase attacker inexplicably got hit by a series of meteors at a hidden location.

Such oddities, along with the immediate negative impacts upon entering the Ark, would make anyone suspect a conspiracy, a trap meant to lure people in.

The life of a dignified Second Phase could hardly be used as mere bait; at least, it should serve as a deadly factor within the trap.

Like within the "wheat ears" on the upper layer, quickly nurturing a formidable combination of two forces.

...

"We should’ve cleared the way earlier."

As they spoke, the group re-entered the wheat field. As he pondered, Stos glanced to the side, where flames burst forth from one piece of "Amber," promptly engulfing a whole stalk of wheat.

Watching the process quietly and coming up empty-handed, Stos finally sighed, slightly regretting previous decisions.

Indeed, elimination method.

Fu Qian sighed internally as well.

As mentioned before, other than some cryptic and unreliable last words, there’s really a lack of information on the "two people".

How else can one search—eradicate potential hiding places one by one, monitoring changes along the way to confirm disturbances.

Especially suspect Amber specimens.

His suggestion basically advocated for a non-technical large-scale cleansing approach, starting from the top layer.

Of course, the best case would be a technique-driven approach rather than this cumbersome method.

Unfortunately, it has been evident that this team follows a force-focused approach.

"We’ll split up."

Without need for prompting, Lord Stos swiftly brushed off hesitation and decisively started organizing.

"Professor Fu, you join me, along with Su Gao, to confirm the conditions above."

Not only choosing a high-risk split strategy but also bold personnel allocation.

"Ah Kai, stay behind and try to test and confirm the nature of this place; Aike will ensure your safety."

Without allowing any objections, Stos immediately assigned tasks to the personnel staying behind.

The difference with Old Master Logan became apparent again; although this one also followed a power-focused path, he clearly held more respect for professionals.

"Alright."

Despite feeling the heavy weight, Ah Kai agreed without hesitation, even starting to pull out various items before Fu Qian and the others left.

"Do not touch a single one until we return."

Finally instructing Aike while pointing at the wheat ears, Stos proceeded ahead directly, heading back to where they boarded earlier.