“Additionally, we have discovered that there is a certain connection between the flow of pollution energy and the Aberrants.”
Dr. Villa called up a massive holographic map marked with dense red points of light and countless winding, dark red lines.
“This is a map of the pollution energy flow we have observed over the last three hundred years.
“It is clearly visible that the pollution is spreading outward from the Abyss Rift Valley on the West Continent, creeping along the earth veins, underground rivers, and a type of ‘energy pulse’ that we do not yet understand.”
He pointed to those dark red lines.
“The activity areas of Aberrants, the formation sites of Aggregates, and the peak zones of pollution concentration... they all highly overlap with these pulses.
“In other words, as long as we find the flow path of the pollution energy, we can predict the distribution and movement direction of the Aberrants.”
Jiang Lin nodded.
In the upcoming battles, this was indeed vital intelligence.
“Do you have a pollution flow map for the entire East Continent?” Jiang Lin asked.
“We do, but it is not precise enough.”
Dr. Villa zoomed in on the map, pointing to the area surrounding the Ash Mountains.
“This is the data around our controlled zone, which is relatively accurate.
“But for the regions deep within the Corrupted Plains, the Crystallized Jungle, and the Eternal Frost Ruins, most of the data is speculative because our detection equipment cannot penetrate those areas.”
Jiang Lin nodded, indicating his understanding.
He looked again at the intricate map of pollution energy flow.
The dark red lines were like blood vessels covering the entire continent, starting from the Abyss Rift Valley in the West Continent, crossing the ocean, and spreading to every inch of the East Continent.
The Corrupted Plains was the most densely packed area, where the lines were as thick as rivers, woven into an airtight web.
The Crystallized Jungle was slightly better, but several major pulses still ran through it.
The sparsest was the Eternal Frost Ruins, with only a few thin lines winding deep into that pale ice field.
Dr. Villa pushed up his glasses and swiped his finger across the screen, highlighting several special nodes.
“These are the ‘pollution nodes’ we have discovered.
“The core of an Aberrant gathering area is usually the place where pollution energy is most densely concentrated. Rusty Town was one of them, though it was a lower-level node.”
Jiang Lin looked at the marked nodes, lost in thought.
Rusty Town was merely a small node on the periphery, yet it had been occupied by over five thousand Aberrants and more than ten 4th-rank Aggregates.
What about those large nodes deep within the Corrupted Plains?
“If we compare the pollution pulses to blood vessels, then Aberrants are the blood, and the nodes are the hearts,” Dr. Villa explained.
“Destroying a node can cut off the local pollution cycle, but it cannot shake the root. The true source is in the West Continent.”
Jiang Lin nodded.
“There is no rush for the West Continent for now. We will deal with the Aberrants on the East Continent first.”
Leah gave a slight nod.
“The Research Institute will cooperate with you fully. Dr. Villa, from today onward, you will report directly to Mr. Matthew.”
Dr. Villa was stunned for a moment before nodding respectfully.
“Understood.”
Jiang Lin didn't stand on ceremony. He walked to the holographic screen and swiped his finger across the Corrupted Plains.
“We will start with the closest one. Rusty Town has been taken; next is here.”
He tapped a node marked with a dark red skull, located about two hundred kilometers from Rusty Town on the edge of the Corrupted Plains.
“This is the Rust Mine.”
Dr. Villa immediately pulled up the relevant data.
“Before the Great Cataclysm, it was the largest iron mining area on the East Continent. Now, it is one of the primary gathering areas for Aberrants.
“According to our last reconnaissance, approximately twenty thousand Aberrants are entrenched there, including at least fifty 4th-rank Aggregates.
“However, the current specific situation there is not very clear.”
Hearing this, Jiang Lin nodded.
Dr. Villa’s finger tapped the holographic screen, and the Rust Mine marked with the dark red skull was enlarged, showing more detailed terrain data.
“The Rust Mine covers about twenty square kilometers. The core area consists of three massive open-pit mines, each over two hundred meters deep.
“Before the Great Cataclysm, tens of thousands of miners and engineers worked there year-round. It was fully equipped with residential areas, processing plants, and transport tracks.”
He paused, his voice dropping.
“When the disaster struck, the mine was operating at full capacity.
“According to survivor records, the first wave of Aberrants surged from the depths of the pits. They killed almost all the miners and then used their flesh as nourishment to rapidly multiply and grow.”
“The depths of the pits?”
Jiang Lin caught the keyword.
“What is down there?”
“We don’t know,” Dr. Villa shook his head.
“Our reconnaissance equipment cannot penetrate the bottom of the pits. The pollution concentration there is too high; any probe will fail within three minutes of entering.
“We speculate that there might be a special Aggregate down there.”
He brought up a cross-section diagram showing the general structure of the mine.
The surface was a broken industrial ruin. Below that were intricate mining tunnels, and further down was an unknown area marked with a question mark.
Jiang Lin nodded.
“Knowing this much is enough. Help me plan the marching route and prepare for the logistics construction.”
Suddenly, he seemed to think of something and asked:
“With more safe land, you should be able to support the construction of more infrastructure, right?
“Do you have the capacity to build large-scale animal farms?”
Hearing Jiang Lin’s words, Villa was a bit confused, but after a moment of hesitation, he said:
“If safety can truly be guaranteed, then with our current technological level, we can indeed build large-scale animal farms.
“However, animal growth and the large-scale production of animal feed take time. If we want to increase production now, we would need to start by building the most basic facilities.”
Jiang Lin nodded.
“My Blood Demon army requires flesh and blood for support. If there is no flesh provided, maintaining their existence will consume my magic power.
“And my magic power is not enough to support their existence on a large scale.
“Therefore, to prevent a shortage of flesh after the Aberrants are depleted, I need you to build large-scale animal farms to help provide me with enough meat.”
Although he didn't quite understand what Jiang Lin was saying regarding the Blood Demons, Dr. Villa still nodded.
“No problem. We understand.”
Jiang Lin’s reasoning was simple.
Although there were currently enough Aberrants on the continent to grow his Blood Demon army,
Once the evil god was slain, the Aberrants would eventually be exhausted.
If he wanted to leave these Blood Demons on this planet as his reserve force in the void, he would need a sufficient supply of flesh.
Since this world’s technology had already entered the industrial age and they could build such farms and livestock areas in such a small space, large-scale farming outside should not be a problem.
Given a few months, they should be able to complete the first batch of livestock.
At that point, he could leave with peace of mind.
“I will immediately arrange for staff to plan the animal farms,” Dr. Villa said, pushing up his glasses. “However, Mr. Matthew, I need to know the approximate scale. Roughly how much flesh do you need?”
Jiang Lin was silent for a moment, quickly calculating in his mind.
Nine hundred 2nd-rank Blood Demons, each needing to devour flesh equivalent to one-tenth of its body weight every day to maintain its existence. If calculated at an average weight of one hundred kilograms per Blood Demon, that would be nine tons per day.
If the Blood Demon Legion expanded to five thousand or ten thousand in the future...
“The initial goal is a daily supply of fifty tons of fresh meat,” Jiang Lin gave a conservative figure. “If possible, it would be best to reach a production capacity of two hundred tons per day.”
“Fi... fifty tons? Every day?”
He swallowed hard, his fingers tapping quickly on the screen.
“I am not asking you to do it immediately; I will give you a few months.
“During this time, you won’t have to worry about your safety.
“And land will be plentiful.
“If there is a place naturally suited for a farm, we can conquer it in advance.”
Dr. Villa opened his mouth but eventually just gave a heavy nod.
“I understand. I will discuss this with my colleagues in the agriculture department and come up with a plan as soon as possible.”
...
On the other side, at the ruins of Rusty Town.
When the first ray of dark red light spilled from the gaps in the clouds, an engineering team of thirty people arrived at this once-dead town.
Leading them was a middle-aged man in his forties with a crystallized scar running diagonally from his forehead to his chin, making his already serious face look even more terrifying.
His name was Joel, and he was the captain of this engineering team.
“Everyone, stop.”
Joel raised his hand, signaling the team to halt.
He narrowed his eyes, looking deep into the ruins.
There, countless blood-colored figures stood silently atop collapsed buildings, in the shadows of ruins, and even in the middle of the streets.
A crimson claw-wing crouched on the highest clock tower ruin, its bone wings folded, its dark red eyes staring at them.
A cursed blood bone doll hovered in mid-air, its tiny bones vibrating slightly in the wind, the blood-red runes on its surface flowing slowly.
A Bloodblade Butcher stood in the middle of the street, its four arms hanging down, the bone spikes on its back emitting a dangerous light.
“Cap... Captain...”
A young engineering team member’s voice trembled, the tools in his hands nearly falling to the ground.
Joel didn't look back, only whispering:
“Don’t move, and don’t attack. The Leader said they wouldn't harm us.”
As soon as he spoke, the blood-colored figures moved simultaneously.
It was not an attack, but... they were making way.
The crimson claw-wing on the clock tower ruin shifted slightly, clearing a line of sight into the depths of the ruins.
The Bloodblade Butcher in the middle of the street stepped aside, clearing a path through the originally congested ruins.
The cursed blood bone doll hovering in mid-air drifted further away, leaving enough space for the engineering team.
“They... they are making way for us?”
Another team member murmured in disbelief.
Joel took a deep breath and strode forward.
“Keep up. Don’t fall behind.”
The engineering team carefully picked their way through the ruins. The blood-colored creatures stood still like statues on either side, merely watching their every move with crimson eyes.
The feeling of being stared at by countless monsters made everyone’s skin crawl, but just as the Leader had said, they did not launch any attacks.
In the center of Rusty Town, where the town hall plaza used to be, a relatively level open space had been cleared.
In the clearing, a unique Blood Demon was hovering in mid-air.
It was more slender than the other Blood Demons, its body covered in dark red bone armor. Its head was a bone plate resembling a mask, with a fist-sized blood-red crystal embedded in the center.
The Bloodspeaker lowered its head slightly, and the crystal in the center of its mask flashed.
In the next second, all the Blood Demons let out a low hiss simultaneously, the sound echoing through the ruins like the breathing of an ancient behemoth.
Then, they dispersed, continuing their sentry duties.
Joel stood there, watching those blood-colored creatures act like a well-trained army, the shock in his heart beyond words.
However, he forced himself to calm down and began directing his team members to complete the initial construction work.
...
On the other side, Jiang Lin remained at the Research Institute to continue learning about the Aberrants.
Additionally, he asked for the cultivation methods of this world’s transcendent system.
After studying it for a while, he discovered that the transcendent system of this world was indeed incompatible with his own.
His transcendent system involved progressing along a path opened by gods.
The transcendent system of this world, however, was a separate school of its own.
Nevertheless, the foundations of the two worlds’ transcendent systems were largely the same, both involving something similar to magic essence.
Yet, there were still some subtle differences.
Jiang Lin could also absorb the magic essence from the air of this world and convert it into his own magic power.
However, the conversion was slightly more troublesome than in his previous world.
Jiang Lin speculated that this might be because the world cores of each world were different.
Therefore, the transcendent substances they produced would also have some differences.
After staying for about four hours and learning most of the intelligence he needed to know, Jiang Lin left the Research Institute.
He did not linger further, but walked straight out of the headquarters' main gate.
There, the peak 3rd-rank crimson claw-wing was still crouched silently, its dark red eyes like two burning lanterns in the night.
No one was within a dozen meters of it.
The Emberflame members would rather take a long detour than approach this terrifying creature from another world.
Jiang Lin leaped onto the broad back of the crimson claw-wing, and with a thought,
The Blood Demon beat its wings and soared into the sky, turning into a blood-red streak of light as it sped toward the southeast.
The moonlight was obscured by thick pollution clouds, with only occasional eerie red light peeking through the gaps, illuminating the earth like purgatory.
On the ground, ruins stretched endlessly. Occasionally, scattered, wandering Aberrants could be seen. They looked up, staring at the blood-red light in the sky with countless eyes and letting out low roars.
But not a single one dared to give chase.
Instinct from deep within their bloodlines told them that the aura contained within that light was far more powerful than they were.
One hundred and twenty kilometers was but half an hour for a peak 3rd-rank crimson claw-wing.
As the silhouette of Rusty Town appeared in his vision, Jiang Lin narrowed his eyes slightly.
Compared to when he had left, the place had clearly undergone significant changes.
...
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