Mini World Game Console

Was it a raging wind?

Was it a warm light?

What did it feel like when the Spiritual Energy burst forth?

Li Dan couldn't distinguish the sensation; it wasn't a contact describable by physical senses. This was a storm originating from another dimension, a cataclysmic shift between heaven and earth that humans could only perceive with their souls.

It was a feeling that could only be described through memories. As the one closest to the eruption, Li Dan suddenly recalled a certain period of his life.

It was an ordinary enough past. He was in college when his parents both died in a traffic accident. His father had run the family business, and relatives quickly shed their kindly façades for the sake of profit.

During that time, he had to manage his parents' funeral arrangements while enduring the nauseating hypocrisy of his relatives.

But that was nothing; encountering fortune and misfortune is the main theme of life. Li Dan had been happy and joyful before simply because someone else had been bearing his burdens.

Li Dan wasn't crushed by these difficulties. Together with a few close uncles, he handled his parents' affairs and steadfastly held his ground regarding the family business interests. What his parents had left him, he might not want, but it absolutely could not be snatched away!

The upbringing he received from his family was nothing short of excellent. Continuous setbacks didn't defeat him; instead, they leveled him up. During that period, his temperament matured, and his actions became more reliable and methodical. He maintained his studies while handling the myriad trivialities arising from the massive changes in his family.

However, in the still of the night, Li Dan would also sink into uncontrollable loneliness, like standing on the edge of a cliff where a single misstep meant plummeting into an abyss.

Until he met her.

It was a common campus romance that ended after graduation when she had to return to her hometown for work. Yet, during that challenging period, Li Dan found immense courage because of her. He no longer woke up startled in the middle of the night, no longer suffered from insomnia plagued by tumultuous dreams, no longer felt lonely.

That feeling was like it didn't matter if you fell, because you knew someone had your back.

Now, that was the feeling.

The entire world seemed to have become Li Dan's support.

It wasn't a direct increase in strength, but Li Dan felt he could receive help from this world at any moment.

It was like the difference between being alone in a haunted house and being with a group—strength, courage, calmness; these subjective factors were heightened by the change in the atmosphere.

Of course, Li Dan knew that any Spell he cast now would far surpass its previous effects. Furthermore, in the future, the difficulty of learning new Spells would decrease, and his Cultivation speed would also increase.

Spiritual Energy had revived further!

Watching the crimson glow erupt in the sky, numerous red meteors streaking from Sky Capital in all directions, Li Dan and his team had just recovered from the aftershocks of the nearby Spiritual Energy burst when they saw a red meteor land at the edge of the quarantine zone.

The next second, from the spot struck by the red meteor, an afterimage of a small animal suddenly shot out. It crossed the quarantine area and entered the city district in just three seconds.

Merely seconds later, the entire temporary research station erupted in noise, and an urgent command sounded in their ears:

"Chase the Pangolin!"

In an instant, all personnel in Black Body Armor in the temporary camp urgently convened. The higher-ups of the Tactical Bureau rapidly assigned search tasks to various squads. Minutes later, all Cultivators, armed police, and Public Security personnel, except for a few military units, were dispatched.

However, Gu Yuexuan and the other twenty members remained within the quarantine zone, starting their search from where the Pangolin had first appeared.

"Ren Zuo is truly prescient," Gu Yuexuan exclaimed. "Other search teams already have assigned tasks and can't return to Sky Capital quickly. And when it comes to Scouting abilities, no single Investigator from the Investigation Department can compare with our team."

"Isn't Ren Zuo available too?" Cheng Xiao asked.

"Hmm... but we can't expect Ren Zuo to handle everything himself, can we? Besides, he's not at the scene."

Gu Yuexuan turned to Li Dan, "Li Dan, we'll need your help next."

"Yes, sir!" Li Dan saluted and replied solemnly.

The location where the Pangolin first appeared had been cordoned off and was being scoured for clues by personnel in Black Body Armor using various tools. After Gu Yuexuan and his team identified themselves, they dispersed the crowd.

"Li Xuefu!"

Li Xuefu, his skin dark, exhaled softly as his entire body slumped down weakly.

"Spiritual Qi Avatar," Li Xuefu's awakened spell, allowed him to create an avatar within the Spiritual Qi Space. This avatar, projected into reality, was unaffected by any physical energies or laws and couldn't impact reality in any way. It existed solely due to Li Xuefu's Willpower, and he shared its senses.

"All Investigators, cast the First-Tier Magic, 'Knot'!" Gu Yuexuan commanded loudly. Immediately, he, Li Dan, and a few other Investigators clasped each other's hands, elbows touching, forming an unusual circle.

Li Xuefu was also among them, his elbows supported by his companions on either side, eyes closed as he became part of the circle.

The next moment, their minds were linked, all senses mutually open!

The First-Tier Magic, 'Knot,' was a spell of extremely poor practical utility. It allowed Cultivators to share thoughts and senses, but required close and intimate physical contact to activate, possessing almost no combat capability.

Initially, everyone thought this spell was designed for couples—a romantic spell. Even when used between teachers and students to pass on teachings, it could easily lead to scenarios akin to mythical divine couples or foster overly intimate, suggestive situations.

However, because the entry threshold for this Spell was extremely low, the Tactical Bureau found a practical application for it, firmly proving that necessity is the mother of invention. They had little choice, as there were too few Spells available and even fewer Cultivators who could use them.

Under the link of 'Knot,' the Investigators' thoughts and senses were connected with Li Xuefu, who, in turn, was connected with his Spiritual Qi Avatar. In other words, any Spell that affected an Investigator's senses could similarly affect the Spiritual Qi Avatar.

The greatest significance of the Spiritual Qi Avatar was its inability to cause physical collisions and its nearly instantaneous Movement Speed.

Gu Yuexuan conveyed through their shared thoughts: Begin.

'Wind's Wound': Gu Yuexuan's awakened spell. An Offensive Spell; however, with its attack effect nullified, it becomes a powerful ability to sense air movements and gather information about surrounding objects.

'Heavenly Sense': Wen Junjie's awakened spell, massively enhancing olfactory senses.

'Rule': Cheng Xiao's awakened spell. A Support Magic, it can make objects 'perfectly straight,' ensuring perfect accuracy with a revolver or darts over certain distances. It can also serve as a rangefinding tool during Scouting.

'Heaven's Observance, Earth's Listening': Li Dan's awakened spell, greatly enhancing vision and hearing, and temporarily granting Li Dan a 360° field of view.

The other team members also possessed various Scouting abilities, but Gu Yuexuan's five-person team was one of the best in terms of search capabilities within the entire National Countermeasure Bureau!

The scent of the Pangolin is faint, but it left a trace as it moved…

The air here has been disturbed…

It left footprints in the water on the ground, creating ripples…

The Spiritual Qi Avatar moved seamlessly through Sky Capital but soon came to a halt—Gu Yuexuan and the others could no longer trace the Pangolin.

Although the Scouting Avatar created by the five-person team was indeed formidable, its capabilities were limited.

The Pangolin escaped too quickly and hid too effectively. With such scant information, this was as far as they could trace it.

At that moment, an unfamiliar voice arose in their thoughts: "I have arrived. Recall the clues you've gathered so far."

The five of them were slightly startled. Gu Yuexuan asked in the Mind Link, "Is that Ren Zuo?"

"Yes, today's operation code is *****."

The operation code was a five-digit alphanumeric password that changed daily. Every command received via communication devices ended with this code to verify the sender's identity.

Although they had heard that Third-Tier Magic or Fourth-Stage Spells included techniques that could create Mind Links without physical contact, it was Gu Yuexuan's first time witnessing one—and from several kilometers away, no less!

"...To the front left."

The Spiritual Qi Avatar acted on the command, moving quickly. Soon, Li Dan and the others uncovered new clues.

How did he find it? Could he possess Scouting Magic even stronger than ours?

The questions from Li Dan and the others were laid bare in the Mind Link, and they soon received an answer: "I'm not on the scene; no Scouting Magic, however powerful, can achieve victory from thousands of miles away. I'm using a Fourth-Stage Spell, 'Super Brain Technique,' to perform comprehensive analysis on the intelligence you've provided and arrive at a logical deduction."

With Ren Zuo's assistance, Gu Yuexuan's team quickly located the Pangolin's hiding place. Other team members stood ready with pen and paper:

"643 meters away, 32° North of West, in the alley between buildings 156 and 159 on Linhe Street. It's right beneath the middle window. The Pangolin is in an Invisibility Status. The nearest Tactical Bureau member is on the main road, 36 meters away!"