Chapter 42: The Secret Behind the Strange Celestial Phenomenon

Wu Zui and Xiao Ke'ai did not escape the giant wave; both were swept into the sea. However, Xiao Ke'ai was not pulled in too deeply and had already swum back. She spat out the bitter, salty seawater that had gotten into her mouth, her brows tightly knitted in discomfort.

Thanks to the weight of the two golden hammers she carried, Xiao Ke'ai was closer to the shore than anyone else. Many spirit investigators like Wu Zui, whose weight was normal and whose weapons were light, were swept out to areas more than 200 meters from the coast.

"Master, that red bird is so powerful! Where is it going?" Xiao Ke'ai looked at Wu Zui, who was still in the water, pointing at the fading silhouette of the red bird soaring away.

"In that direction... it should be heading toward Pearl Island or Grand City," Wu Zui finally made it back to the shore, wiped his face, and watched the red bird, now far away but still visible as a shadow.

With the departure of the red bird, something seemed to dissipate as well—the number of strange creatures crawling out of the sea rapidly decreased.

The spirit investigators began to clean up the battlefield and tend to the wounded. These corpses of the strange creatures were extremely valuable materials for the Research Institute. Soon, a notification from the Bureau of Dry Investigators was sent to every spirit investigator and dry investigator’s phone.

The notification mainly announced a warrant for Sun Ming and others, as well as a directive that the cores of ghosts rated three stars or above would be bought at a unified price by the Bureau, strictly forbidding private sales and absolutely prohibiting the transport of cores abroad.

Rumor had it that several provincial leaders of the Bureau had colluded with a high-ranking official from the Resource Coordination Department to sell a large number of three-star ghost cores to Grand City. The influx of these ghost cores accelerated Grand City's research into magnetic energy.

Grand City had already used the ghost cores to calculate the next stage of magnetic energy development. It was said their spirit investigators had found a way to quickly reach the three-star level. Some could even attain strange abilities after reaching three stars, which put Huaguo at a distinct disadvantage.

Adding to this was the red bird born along Huaguo’s southern coast, infused with energy from the strange celestial phenomenon. Though it did not harm anyone, the gathering of strange creatures around it caused the spirit investigators to pay a heavy price.

At this point, Huaguo could only strictly control all ghost cores, hoping to quickly discover the next stage of magnetic energy advancement.

The Bureau granted all spirit investigators two days of rest, with those seriously injured requiring a doctor’s confirmation before discharge. Luckily, a batch of new civilian awakeners would emerge soon, greatly easing the investigators’ workload.

While Huaguo recuperated,

Near the site of the twin suns phenomenon above Grand City, two giant strange creatures faced each other. One was the red bird that had traveled thousands of miles from the South Sea; the other was a whale-like monster made from human bodies.

The so-called twin suns phenomenon did not mean two actual suns appeared. Rather, there was a massive energy cluster on the horizon, radiating ominous, multicolored light.

Grand City still did not fully understand the other effects of this energy cluster, only that it attracted fierce battles among monsters. As for what it would do for awakened humans with magnetic energy, they had no idea, since they had never obtained such a cluster.

At this moment, over a hundred three-star spirit investigators from Grand City were stationed on the top floor of a skyscraper nearby, ready to evacuate via helicopter at any time. Teams of ten watched through binoculars as the two gigantic monsters prepared to clash.

Hidden in the shadows, besides the Grand City investigators, lurked a five-star ghost spirit outside the sensing range of the two monsters, waiting for its chance in the open sea.

Yes, this was the ghost spirit formed after Sun Lang’s death, having devoured the negative emotions of thousands aboard the cruise ship. It now possessed the strength to compete for the celestial phenomenon.

A shrill cry pierced the air.

A deep, mournful bellow answered.

With the roars of the two titans, battle commenced!

The red bird was enveloped in a faint black mist, beneath which lay tangible red scales. As the bird flapped its wings, the scales shot toward the whale monster below like a rainstorm.

A pillar of black smoke erupted from the whale’s blowhole, dissolving the red scales as quickly as it vanished. Their initial probing attacks ended in a stalemate—a welcome sign to all those lurking in the shadows, whether human or ghost spirit.

Equal strength meant mutual destruction was possible.

Shrill cries.

Mournful bellows.

After the tentative attacks, the two monsters began to converse. Monsters ranked five stars or above possessed intelligence equal to humans, and both understood that mutual destruction was the worst outcome. Peaceful division of the celestial phenomenon’s energy would be ideal.

Grand City’s hidden investigators and ghost spirit worried the monsters might simply split the energy and leave, but as their calls became increasingly urgent, even a fool could tell they were arguing.

Suddenly, both monsters opened their confinement spaces.

Two black spheres formed on the sea’s surface, colliding with an explosive crash. The mere collision of these confinement spaces sent a five- or six-meter-high wave crashing onto the beach. Fortunately, Grand City had cordoned off the area ahead of time; otherwise, untold numbers might have been swept away.

As the two monsters’ confinement spaces clashed again and again, piercing sounds echoed. The battle’s fierce resentment energy overflowed, disturbing even the hidden spirit investigators, leaving them restless and agitated.

As for the ghost spirit lurking in the sea, it felt nothing at all. Resentment energy? Did these monsters not realize our innate skills? Dare they challenge us with that?

But as the battle raged, winds began to rise.

This was no ordinary wind; it was generated by the collision of the confinement spaces. The energy breaking through the spatial barrier at their intersection produced a violent gale—a spatial turbulence.

Yet neither monster showed any intention of stopping.

The red bird, having absorbed celestial energy once before, knew well its importance to monsters. The whale, driven by its body’s need for strange energy, would not yield either.

With repeated collisions, a conspicuous black crack appeared at the intersection of the two confinement spaces. Though both spaces were black, this fissure was darker still—so dark it seemed capable of draining the soul of any creature that gazed upon it.

In an instant, cracks appeared in both monsters’ confinement spaces. The spatial fissure began absorbing all nearby energy like a black hole, targeting the confinement spaces first. The five-star ghost spirit lurking nearby had already slipped away.

Faced with the growing pull of the spatial fissure, both monsters simultaneously withdrew their confinement spaces. Should their spaces shatter completely, they would need a long period of recovery to restore them.

But as the monsters hurriedly evaded the fissure, the five-star ghost spirit seized its opportunity, reaching the celestial phenomenon—the yellow energy cluster.

Though ghost spirits sensed better than their monster counterparts, getting too close risked detection. As the ghost spirit approached the energy cluster, both monsters noticed it at once. But just then, the spatial fissure exploded with a loud bang, and its pull intensified, catching both monsters unawares.

Shrill cry.

Mournful bellow.

Both monsters detonated part of their bodies—the whale its tail, the red bird half a wing—blasting themselves free of the fissure’s pull. They rushed toward the energy cluster formed by the celestial phenomenon.

In a blink, the two monsters and the ghost spirit disappeared from Grand City’s investigators’ surveillance, plunging into the energy cluster. Though the monsters had withdrawn their confinement spaces, the shattered spatial fissure remained, its pull forming a waterspout...

After more than a minute, the spatial fissure vanished, but the waterspout, propelled by inertia, raced toward Grand City’s coastline.

Seeing the waterspout connecting sky and sea, the spirit investigators of Grand City were furious. They had only come to watch, perhaps hoping to play the fisherman if conditions allowed. But now, even spectators were in danger?

This waterspout was no mere resentment-based attack; even spirit investigators were as vulnerable to it as ordinary people.

"Fuck! Go! Go! Go!"

"Get out of here!"

With the squad leaders’ shouts, Grand City's investigators rushed onto the nearby helicopters.

As for the ordinary citizens living along the northern coast? Perhaps a sudden natural disaster would be a convenient explanation; after all, no one would imagine that this waterspout was the result of two monsters battling.

Helicopter after helicopter lifted off, carrying away the hidden investigators. Pilots anxiously urged the remaining investigators to hurry, for if they got too close to the waterspout, the aircraft might be sucked in.

Finally, before the waterspout made landfall, all investigators had evacuated by helicopter. Sadly, nearly half the coastal city was destroyed by the waterspout, with countless residents caught in its devastation.

As the waterspout raged ashore, inside the energy cluster formed by the celestial phenomenon, the three monsters did not fight. The energy cluster was not particularly sturdy; the five-star ghost monster’s resentment could easily shatter it from within, which would benefit none.

At this moment, the cluster transformed into three white beams, continuously absorbed by the three monsters. The whale’s severed tail and the red bird’s lost wing were already fully restored.

Their bodies shone with white light, energy twisting to form runes, as the strange energy made their forms even more solid.