Chapter 392 - 390: Unable to Stomach This

Chapter 392: Chapter 390: Unable to Stomach This

Although the contact points with the Otherworld were still spreading, the force of the collision between worlds was gradually weakening. The patterns of interference had stabilized somewhat, allowing some wired, non-wireless data transmissions to send small amounts of information after about half a day.

The twin brothers’ magic power, with its high sensitivity, helped the nations of the World Alliance find reliable routing methods, serving as a temporary stopgap before new technologies could replace the old infrastructure.

This was why Qin Xiaoxia was able to respond almost immediately, his voice sounding like it was coming over a telephone, after Baru sent his message using the Sound Transmission Flower.

As Baru set out, Qin Xiaoxia was in his tower room, pondering the situation in San Francisco and other severely affected regions around the globe.

He had found out what happened to Blaise and the others even before Baru did.

Including the Secret Realm Guardians, they had lost nearly twenty people at once—a devastating loss the likes of which Dawn had never experienced.

These people were the elite of the elite among the Silent Knight Order’s reserve forces, which was evident from the fact that Blaise and his team had worked together to slay two Magic Controllers.

Furthermore, Blaise was Baru’s first student. Even if Baru never said it aloud, Qin Xiaoxia knew him well enough to know that he had grown to truly care for Blaise after taking him under his wing. It was no wonder the usually stoic Baru was furious.

Over thirty severely affected disaster zones like San Francisco had been identified so far, and ordinary contact points were developing into "deep contact points."

The total number of contact points alone was in the hundreds, if not thousands. In addition, "fracture points"—or as scientists described them, "random elastic diffusion points"—were appearing intermittently across the globe.

The entire world was temporarily in a state of disarray.

The nations of the World Alliance comprised essentially all of the world’s nuclear powers. They were exercising extreme restraint in using weapons of mass destruction, precisely because the contact points were too numerous and could not be effectively eliminated.

Earth was their home, after all. They couldn’t just unleash hell everywhere. Triggering a nuclear winter would be a self-inflicted wound, and it wouldn’t even be guaranteed to stop the invasion from the Otherworld.

Qin Xiaoxia found the contact points peculiar. ’Why can they cross over, but we can’t? It’s not likely that our Power of the World is at a disadvantage. In fact, Earth’s Power of the World is surprisingly strong.’ No one was more aware of this fact than he was.

The fact that Magic Creatures—including troublesome beings from the Shadow Realm and other unknown types—had already appeared was also something to consider.

’The world on the other side already shows a great number and diversity of species, and it certainly doesn’t lack Magic Creatures. A world like that shouldn’t be completely unknown...’

Seeing the troubled look on Qin Xiaoxia’s face, the Red Demoness, who was perched on the edge of his desk, couldn’t help but smile.

"Heh, isn’t this perfect? Let Baru go test the waters. While he’s at it, he can grab an informant with some real standing."

Qin Xiaoxia gave her a helpless look. The Red Demoness was sitting on the corner of his desk in a rather suggestive pose. ’It’s hard to think straight with you sitting like that!’

"What’s the situation in the oceans? Is it serious?"

"Hmm, how should I put it? It feels a lot better than on land. The things that come through don’t seem to want to stay in the water. Maybe they aren’t suited for an aquatic environment. They all show a tendency to move toward land."

"Perhaps there’s a stronger pull on land..."

As for the source of that temptation on land, Qin Xiaoxia sighed and let the subject drop.

"Still, this alone isn’t enough to threaten Earth. We’ve already sent out most of our personnel, so helping to stabilize the situation won’t be a problem. Let’s focus on solving the immediate issues first!"

Every problem had its priority. Finding the patterns in the shifting contact points of the Power of the World could be left to the Holy Spirit for now. The new project before him was actually more important.

Spread out on his desk were the documents for a proposed plan.

It was a joint research project within the World Alliance, a technical proposal to determine whether true quantum communication could be achieved with the help of Dawn’s miraculous powers.

Hua Country was a world leader in this field, but even with the launch of their quantum satellite, it wasn’t true quantum communication in the complete sense. The satellite’s primary function was to leverage the properties of Quantum Entanglement to encrypt existing communication methods.

Even so, this was highly significant for countering the communication interference caused by the worlds’ contact.

The high sensitivity of Quantum Entanglement inherent in their quantum communication technology would allow them to determine interference thresholds by cooperatively emitting entangled photons. This would let them pinpoint the ideal wavebands or directions for transmission and establish a multi-point relay network to bypass the interference to some extent.

It was a solution that treated the symptoms, not the root cause.

According to the current understanding of the scientific community, although the connection between particles in a Quantum Entanglement state is instantaneous—far exceeding the speed of light with no predictable upper limit—the interaction is random, making it impossible to establish true quantum communication. Furthermore, maintaining the coherence of the entangled state was another major hurdle.

Previously, when communications were working normally, everyone had been too busy with more pressing matters like doomsday preparations and researching anomalous events. With so much on their plates, no one had given this a second thought.

But the contact between worlds had practically crippled human communications, at one point regressing them to ancient standards. For military strategists accustomed to real-time coordination, this was intolerable.

However, Dawn’s Sound Transmission Flower had made the World Alliance’s scientific community abruptly aware of the miraculous nature of "Magic Power." This sparked the idea of seeking an alternative path for a breakthrough, leading them to formally propose a joint research and development project with the Dawn Association.

The proposal, damn it, hit all the right notes for Qin Xiaoxia. Even in the midst of the current tense situation, he couldn’t contain his excitement!

Truth be told, Qin Xiaoxia had a strong desire to research peculiar phenomena. Otherwise, back when things were still relatively peaceful for Dawn, he wouldn’t have so foolishly dedicated his time to researching all sorts of strange and unusual things.

Some of those projects yielded good results, but a great many were stillborn.

Now, he wasn’t just thinking about simple communication methods. It was as if a floodgate in his mind had opened, and all sorts of wild ideas came pouring out.

First, there was the magic of the Sound Transmission Flower. Second, the Association’s research into Spiritual Power had already reached a certain stage. Third, there was the appearance of that pair of miraculous twin Dream Lizards. These were all potential starting points.

He had previously tasked Mumu with finding ways to improve the Sound Transmission Flower’s abilities, but he had never thought of linking it to the scientific concept of Quantum Entanglement.

Now, like a detective having a breakthrough in a case, he suddenly felt he had stumbled upon a crucial lead.

And the potential results wouldn’t be limited to just one, at least not for Dawn, which could wield even more wondrous forms of Magic Power.

It could even expand the Reaction Technique into an entirely new domain.

The Red Demoness rolled her eyes. Just a moment ago, Qin Xiaoxia’s gaze had been drifting toward her, intentionally or not, but now he was completely buried in the documents on his desk.

...

「In the Secret Realm of Dawn Silent Moon Island」

Blaise, Maki, and three others—five in total—lay half-paralyzed in the same intensive care ward.

Their treatable injuries had all been dealt with, but Dawn’s technology and the power of the Flower of Life were not omnipotent. Their bodies were too severely damaged and would take a long time to recover. Even though the Holy Spirit had taken time out of their busy schedule to operate on them personally—a favor granted out of respect for Baru—there was still a chance they would be left with permanent disabilities.

"’Chief, I think they reattached my hand. Looks like I’m a lot better off than you..."

Maki, covered in bandages, tentatively clenched his right fist. Aside from a twinge of pain, his hand responded without any sluggishness.

"The Holy Spirit’s power is truly miraculous!"

"Your hand might be fixed, but they couldn’t find my leg. I’ll have to use a crutch from now on."

Another reserve member said dejectedly.

A heavy mood settled over them. Sixteen had gone in, and only five had come out, all of them half-crippled. Their hearts were filled with bitter resentment.

Blaise could only move one of his eyes. Oliver was peeling fruit by his bedside, while Neil was slumped over in a chair, fast asleep.

Compared to their previous death-like state, they had all regained consciousness within half an hour of arriving at the Knight Order’s headquarters, though their bodies remained just as weak.

Oliver and Neil had been ecstatic.

KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK...

A sharp, forceful knock echoed from the door. Oliver felt Blaise’s body go rigid. The other four men in the ward seemed to be holding their breath.

She looked toward the door, where a burly figure blocked the entire frame.

Baru was already freakishly powerful, and no one knew what heights he had reached after using the G Magic Potion. At this moment, he was like a massive volcano on the verge of eruption. A tremor ran through everyone’s very soul.

"’C-Commander...’" "’Mentor...’"

...

Baru strode into the ward, his gaze sweeping over each man in turn.

"Heh. I was thinking of offering a few words of comfort, but now..."

The terrifying commander’s expression shifted in an instant, and it was as if a small storm erupted within the ward.

"A few fucking scratches and you’re already moping? Your comrades died, so you’re just going to wallow in despair?"

Even though his words weren’t aimed at Oliver and Neil, they both clapped their hands over their ears. A loud BUZZING filled their heads, though strangely, there was no pain.

Baru’s glare was fiercer than the most terrifying Demon; he was the very incarnation of the Knight Order’s nightmares.

"Either you heal up and get stronger, or you get the hell out of the Silent Knight Order!!! I have no room for trash!!"

"Answer me! Are you staying, or are you getting out?"

No one dared to hesitate for even a second. Despite their weakness, despite the searing pain, they all tore open their throats and roared.

"STAY!!"

Hearing their reply, Baru tilted his head up slightly. He offered no further criticism, but instead said softly, in a tone that was even more bone-chilling:

"Getting this wounded just means your previous training was too soft. The Knight Order’s training regimen needs an upgrade."

As if he had come to the ward specifically to berate his subordinates and student, the man feared by most of Dawn turned to leave. He only paused for a moment at the door.

"If you end up this pathetic again, you can get your own revenge. This time, however... I can’t let this slide."

After saying this, he glanced at the terrified Oliver and the dumbfounded Neil, then left the room.

...

「Outside the San Francisco contact zone」

Along the military’s defensive line, a sentry in a watchtower suddenly felt something blur past him. A few seconds later, a fierce gale swept in from behind, nearly blowing him off the tower.

While the spooked soldier on the watchtower was reporting to his superior, Baru had already penetrated deep into the San Francisco zone.

He headed unerringly for the last known location where Blaise and his men had been critically wounded.

In less than two minutes, he reached the spot where they had detonated their last bomb.

The surrounding trees were toppled and the large crater was still there. As expected, there were no bodies of the reserve members to be found.

With a crisp SPLAT.

With a casual backhand from his left hand, an invisible Giant Monster exploded into a mist of blood that swirled and stained the ground red.

’Not here, huh... Looks like it ran back into the city... A Demon is a Demon, after all. I overestimated you!’