Cui Mao and Zhou Yi talked until nearly dawn before they and the guards rode off on their motorcycles.

In front of the floor-to-ceiling windows.

Zhou Yi faced the Dead Sea.

The rising sun lit up the edge of the contiguous fog zone, where the occasional Death Light also began to stir into action.

This gaseous domain composed of light and fog reminded him of the vast clouds he had seen from an airplane.

It was the time when the Guangna Species would emerge.

Zhou Yi unscrewed a can of latte coffee, drinking it while his mind sorted through the information Cui Mao had provided.

The covert struggle between Heavenly Kingdom and Star Axis had already infiltrated many industries in various cities.

This initially reminded Zhou Yi of the Cold War era's US-Soviet hegemony.

But according to Cui Mao's description, it was not the same at all.

"The Black Emperor is attempting to reconnect the entire world from the division caused by the Dead Sea and establish a new order centered around Heavenly Kingdom. Under this order, all joining cities and lords, whether humans or Guangna Species, are to obey basic legal constraints and fulfill corresponding obligations."

"This new order will stabilize the local situations, allowing all parties to be freed from the chaotic pressure and anxiety, reducing the likelihood of rough and brutal war through enhanced trade and culture. It will reconnect the scattered settlements into one, where all will find a stable position for survival within this framework."

"The goal of Heavenly Kingdom is to lead the world's united order."

Star Axis, however, operates on an entirely different intrinsic logic.

Cui Mao said, "Unlike Heavenly Kingdom, Star Axis's domain is not in our world, but among the stars beyond."

"Star Axis advocates absolute elitism."

"The Eye of the World watches over every person who joins the Star Axis, recording and assessing their speech, behavior, and intellectual talents, seeking those with unique abilities and assigning them targets and tasks. If someone accomplishes these within a specified time frame, they might be chosen by the Star Axis, becoming a Star Core Elector."

"Electors are constantly protected by the Star Axis. If they face threats of death or danger, they will be enveloped by the Eye of the World, making them hard to harm. Electors can also enter the Star Axis territories beyond our world; it is said that the Star Axis is made up of stars, and each elector can possess their own star..."

Heavenly Kingdom aims to be the civilized leader of the Wasteland Era, while Star Axis engages in selecting the cream of the crop from everyone, a practice similar to reaping the profits.

The core contradictions between the two are irreconcilable.

Both sides are further consolidating their own domains and attempting to attack and weaken the other.

Qian Su and Ji Zhang are a microcosm of the confrontation between the two powers.

"To be honest, we really want to get hold of Ji Zhang's criminal evidence."

"With direct testimony and physical evidence, we could issue an official warrant for his arrest, confiscate his assets under the jurisdiction of the Tianjin Knights, and arrest related individuals."

Cui Mao said seriously, "If, I mean if, Mr. Zhou captures him alive, please hand him over to us. This will deal a greater blow to Ji Zhang."

He gave something resembling a firework and said that once launched, he would see it and come immediately.

Zhou Yi said it depended on luck.

His own combat style had always been to eliminate the enemy's living forces as much as possible, rarely leaving any survivors.

It was a habit formed by the environment of the Dead Sea.

...

He had just been through the most intense battle to date.

He then hosted Qian Su and Cui Mao.

Yet Zhou Yi wasn't sleepy at all.

After finishing his coffee, he lit a signal, headed for the Dead Sea, and quickly reached the nearest unnamed old residential complex.

The last time he was here, the goal had been to collect some sofas, bed frames, mattresses, tables, and chairs, which he moved to the box-style rooms on the top floor of Jade City, to improve the office environment for the team.

This time, the target was food.

Zhou Yi walked into No. 101 of the closest building. The security door had been chiseled open by the samurai crabs, and with a gentle pull, it would open. The reason for closing it before leaving was to prevent the Bone Fish from getting in and damaging the items inside.

The room was about 120-130 square meters, with all household appliances like TV, fridge, washing machine, and air conditioner.

In the TV cabinet's photo frame, there was a family portrait of three.

Zhou Yi bowed with hands together to the photo and silently said, "Excuse the intrusion, just borrowing something."

Then he opened the fridge, found two unopened bottles of Fanta soda, and one bottle of rice wine.

He also found a pack of dry noodles and a bag of rice.

In the past, Zhou Yi couldn't do much with dry grains. The water in the Dead Sea contaminated by the Death Light would even glow, making it look inedible, and cooking with fire easily attracted the attention of the Guangna Species. So he mostly consumed canned and packaged food.

Now he thought about taking some back to try.

Zhou Yi stuffed these food items into a prepared bag, strapping it onto a samurai crab.

The Red Kestrel suddenly warned, "A life form is approaching."

Mr. Zhou immediately ordered the samurai crabs to enter a combat formation, lying in ambush indoors.

He looked at the remote control in his hand.

On the screen, a red dot was approaching the green dot that represented him.

The camera zoomed out, and the newcomer was a long-necked crocodile.

New red dots emerged.

In front and behind, 4 long-necked crocodiles gathered outside the district, all coming from the north.

Mr. Zhou found it strange.

This type C monster species is solitary, so why had they started banding together?

After observing for a while, Mr. Zhou noticed that the 4 long-necked crocodiles were only resting temporarily. Two of them were wounded and the ripped wounds on their bodies were clearly visible.

Injured, coming from the north...

Mr. Zhou immediately thought of the long-necked crocodile he had killed earlier, which also had these two characteristics.

"Red Kestrel, expand the surveillance range."

The drone camera shot up sharply.

Suddenly, more red dots appeared at the distant end of the screen on the remote controller, another scattered 5, all long-necked crocodiles, all coming from the north.

Mr. Zhou asked, "Do long-necked crocodiles have a habit of migrating to give birth or something like that?"

"This species does not possess any gregarious migration or homing traits."

Red Kestrel replied, "After comparing the wound traces, the scar patterns and textures on this group of long-necked crocodiles highly resemble the wounds caused by the B-level creature 'Hunter'."

"The long-necked crocodile itself is also one of the Hunters' prey. It can be inferred that it's the Hunters' hunting in the north that caused the crocodiles to flee this way."

Mr. Zhou frowned.

If that monster came chasing after them, it would be another problem.

This was the first time Mr. Zhou had heard this name.

Although he was a veteran from the sea floor, the creatures that roamed the sea floor were mostly low-level like the samurai crabs and Bone Fish, and long-necked crocodiles were rarely seen. The high-level monsters roamed the regions further up in the Dead Sea Zone.

"Give me the information on the Hunter."

Moments later.

An electronic image popped up on the screen.

The Hunter's appearance was like a large white flower, with soft and spreadable petal-like feet, which contracted and expanded slowly, propelling its body through the water.

Next to it was a text rating.

...

[Hunter]

Strength: B

Skill: B

Vitality: C

Rating: B

Traits: Solitary, highly intelligent, outstanding explosiveness and speed, possesses great adaptability for survival.

...

Mr. Zhou became cautious in his mind.

This floral-shaped creature was also a violent Hunter.

Red Kestrel added, "Hunters have strong aggressiveness, they are the rare kind that would kill creatures even when not for the purpose of feeding."

"Their skill is 'Light Prism Outer Bone,' which focuses and refracts Death Light through the external bones of their body, giving them offensive and defensive capabilities. For this reason, Hunters' habits involve hunting during the day and resting at night."

"The long-necked crocodile is on their list of prey. But from what we see here, this Hunter is either not yet mature or in a weak or injured state, hence its multiple failed attempts to hunt long-necked crocodiles."

Mr. Zhou suddenly realized, "This data description, doesn't it resemble the format of the 'Dead Sea Atlas' quite closely?"

It just lacked a section for "Value."

Red Kestrel replied, "That's because the 'Dead Sea Atlas' was originally based on the data produced by electromechanical life, which were then modified."

Mr. Zhou thought to himself that this was good; the electronic version was more convenient.

After a careful scan by Red Kestrel, no trace of the Hunter was found within the searchable range. The long-necked crocodiles also left after a brief rest.

Having confirmed safety, Mr. Zhou then began directing the samurai crabs to pack up their large and small bags and move towards Jade City.