Seven days passed quietly, and the battle on the front lines had reached a stalemate. Although they had successfully resisted the onslaught of the Exotic Beasts time and again, people's hearts were growing increasingly restless.

They had searched almost every corner of the Different Dimensional Space but still hadn't found the space-time node. Logically, the strongest Exotic Beasts should be guarding the space node, accompanied by very obvious anomalies.

The God-given Army had scouted all the dangerous places but failed to find the space-time node. If they couldn't find the space-time node, they couldn't close the space. And if they couldn't close the space, did that mean they had to kill all the Exotic Beasts in this Different Dimensional Space?

You're kidding, right? There were more than two hundred thousand of them. Even if Star Sea Stage teachers from the Star Martial Academy in Modu City led the team, it would be impossible to kill over two hundred thousand Exotic Beasts.

If it weren't for Wang Lan, a powerful Medical Attribute in the rear, and Soul Bead supplements for Star Power loss, even those at the Star Sea Stage would have to kneel here.

The mercenary legion's casualty rate had already exceeded two-thirds. If they still couldn't close this space, it wouldn't be about seeking fortune amid danger; it would be pure suicide.

The front lines were as intense as a raging fire, but the rear was stable and peaceful. Under the alternating escort of Yu Ruoyun and Wu Shaohua, the vaccine transport was very smooth. Although mysterious forces had attempted to attack the vaccine a few times, Yu Ruoyun and Wu Shaohua successfully repelled them.

After learning that a Star Sea Stage expert had been arranged to escort the vaccine, those who had designs on it extinguished the thought.

Wang Lan walked through the rear field hospital, where mercenaries with missing arms and broken legs lay wailing on stretchers. At this moment, Wang Lan, with a healer's compassion, naturally couldn't just stand by.

"Bro, this isn't just simple treatment; we're talking limb regeneration here. Charging you fifty Soul Beads isn't too much, right? What? Thirty beads? No way, can't make this deal. Next..."

"Bro, your injury is worth at least twenty Soul Beads. Agreed? You're a straightforward guy, bro. Beads first, then treatment."

"Ah? You figured it out so quickly? If you'd figured it out sooner, you would've bled less. Fifty Soul Beads. Here, let me connect a Life Lock Chain."

Yu Ruoyun, who was on break, watched with folded arms and a cold gaze as Wang Lan bustled about among the wounded like a diligent little bee. This guy... how can he be so shameless? As comrades, isn't treating one another a given? He's even trying to earn the mercenaries' hard-earned money. His conscience is utterly rotten.

"Hey bro, whoa, you're covered in blood! How'd you get so badly injured? At least twenty Soul Beads. You're a man of action, my friend. Alright."

"All done, no worries. You don't need a stretcher anymore. Huh? You're not going back to the front lines?"

"No, Mr. Wang Lan. We came here hoping to make a fortune but almost lost our lives instead. I'm going back to my hometown; it's safer there," the Caucasian man in front of him said with a broad smile, waving his hand and leaving with the companion Wang Lan had just saved.

"Mr. Wang, quick, there's someone severely injured over here..."

"Coming! It'll just take a few seconds, what's the rush?" Wang Lan dashed to where the call came from and connected a Life Lock Chain.

"By the way, do you know my name?"

"I only know your surname is Wang and that you're a noble from Jade Country. May I have the honor of knowing your esteemed name, Mr. Wang?"

Wang Lan's expression suddenly changed. He turned to look at a Star Martial Art warrior from the Kingdom of Ice and Snow beside him.

"Do you know my name?"

"Well... I was just told you're Mr. Wang, our distinguished guest, and the inventor of the Star Martial Toxin Vaccine..."

"You lot over there, halt!" Wang Lan suddenly barked.

At the sound of Wang Lan's voice, everyone's movements slowed for a beat. Yu Ruoyun quickly turned her serious gaze toward the seven individuals.

"Which country are you from?"

"We... we're from Kowil Country."

"The Middle East? Isn't the Middle East a major disaster zone overrun by Exotic Beasts? Warriors from there are all daredevils. You were scared that easily? You said earlier you wanted to go back to your hometown? Your hometown doesn't seem any safer than here, does it?"

"My hometown isn't ravaged by Exotic Beasts, so it's fine."

"Is that so..." Wang Lan walked over slowly. "If it's convenient, please cooperate with an identity verification. If there are no issues, we'll let you pass. Ruoyun, take them..."

Before he could finish speaking, the seven individuals suddenly leaped up and, in a flash, tried to dash towards the exit.

The moment they ran, Wang Lan instantly realized something was wrong. Before Yu Ruoyun could even react, Wang Lan's body dispersed into ten black butterflies.

The butterflies gently flapped their wings, vanished in an instant, and reappeared beside the seven fleeing figures.

Wang Lan's form materialized almost simultaneously beside all seven, a single palm strike sending them flying backward. Less than a second had passed from their synchronized leap to their synchronized flight.

By the time Yu Ruoyun reacted, it was all over. The dust had settled.

"It seems there really is a problem with your identities. Would you care to tell me who you are?"

BOOM—! Suddenly, a terrifying Star Energy Fluctuation erupted in the distance. The powerful force was palpable even to Wang Lan and Yu Ruoyun in the rear.

"Wang Lan, I'll go check it out..." Yu Ruoyun said urgently.

"No need. The front line has the Titled Strongman Longya. What concerns me more right now are these seven." As Wang Lan's gaze fell upon the seven, their heads suddenly twisted, exploding like watermelons.

"Mind Skill Form! Paradise Bird!"

Wang Lan hurriedly searched the seven men and quickly found a map on their leader, a route clearly marked on it.

But this map covered an extremely large area, featuring lakes and seas. The territory it depicted was at least half the size of Jade Country. It definitely couldn't be a map of this Different Dimensional Space; even a Pioneer Space was unlikely to be this large.

After the distant commotion, a long silence followed. But soon, three Star Martial Academy teams came rushing over, carrying stretchers.

"Wang Lan, quick... save them—!"

Wang Lan instantly teleported to the stretchers. His expression changed drastically when he saw the three figures, mangled beyond recognition. Without hesitation, he connected Life Lock Chains to the three tactical teachers.

"Senior, what happened?"

"Fuck! Someone set up a Space Stone trap! We found a relatively hidden, dangerous area and suspected a space node might be inside. The Exotic Beasts were very strong, so four teams attacked together."

"But when we fought our way in, we found a pyramid made of Space Stones. The Space Stones activated, creating spatial turbulence within a five-hundred-meter radius."

"The four teachers risked their lives to protect us. Teacher Ai didn't make it; he was torn apart by the spatial turbulence and died on the spot. We haven't suffered such a heavy loss since entering this Different Dimensional Space."

"Didn't it open a spatial passage?" Wang Lan asked anxiously.

"What spatial passage? No, it just blasted open into spatial turbulence."

This setback at the front line further demoralized the God-given Army. Many mercenaries were no longer willing to continue fighting. They risked their lives for money—their own lives. Who would willingly throw their life away for someone else?

That spatial turbulence was clearly man-made. If the Kingdom of Ice and Snow couldn't provide a satisfactory explanation, no one was willing to move. Subsequently, the academy's volunteer group and the Black Tiger Army also retreated from the front line.

The army receded like the tide, while the Exotic Beasts at the front roared to the sky as if in victory.

On the army's retreat path, a disheveled Princess Aier and her remaining three hundred royal guards blocked their way.

"Princess Aier, it's useless to block us. This was a man-made ambush. We are fighting on the front lines; if the rear isn't stable, we can't fully commit to battle. Morale is low now. We can't continue fighting," Longya said through gritted teeth, his voice low.

THUD—

The three hundred royal guards and Princess Aier all knelt.

"Please, we're so close to finding the space node... Please save the Kingdom of Ice and Snow."

"Don't do this. I also want to save the Kingdom of Ice and Snow, but we must first identify the enemies behind us. Until we catch the mastermind, we face too much danger."

"You've seen it; a single spatial turbulence cost us three Star Sea Stage teachers and five Galaxy Stage students. If this happens a few more times, our entire army will be annihilated."

"I'm sorry, but please, you must persist a little longer. We've worked so hard to achieve these results and explored this far. We can't give up now."

"Princess Aier, your request is very difficult for me to grant. I must consider the safety of my colleagues and students."

Suddenly, Longya stopped speaking. Three figures were rapidly approaching from the distance like lightning.

Princess Aier turned, and a glimmer of hope flashed through her tear-filled eyes.

"Wang Lan, Yu Ruoyun, what are you two doing here? Your mission is to stabilize the rear." Longya felt a surge of displeasure upon seeing Wang Lan and Yu Ruoyun.

Longya was well aware of the mission's importance. But compared to the mission, Wang Lan's and Yu Ruoyun's safety was paramount. They were accompanying the team to gain experience, and these two young, ambitious geniuses couldn't be allowed to realize it. Otherwise, knowing the typical nature of geniuses, they would undoubtedly attempt some reckless feat, like knowingly walking into a tiger's den.

"Director Long, I think I know who the mastermind is," Wang Lan said, approaching Longya without even noticing Princess Aier still kneeling.

"Who?"

"Paradise Bird!" Wang Lan said somberly. "Just now, I spotted a few suspicious individuals. As soon as they realized I was onto them, they immediately chose to flee. When they knew there was no escape, they killed themselves."

"I've seen this method of suicide before with Paradise Bird and Demon Clan spies, so they must be connected. Therefore, I speculate their purpose for infiltrating the mercenaries was to set up the Space Stone traps."

"So what? What we need now is to find them and eliminate the threat. If the threat isn't resolved, we can't continue to fight," Jin Wenbing interjected grimly.

"There are two problems now. First, where did they get their Space Stones? Second, why do they want to prevent us from closing the Different Dimensional Space? The Kingdom of Ice and Snow holds no value for Paradise Bird. In fact, leaving the Kingdom of Ice and Snow intact would be more beneficial to them."

"And from their leader, we found a hand-drawn map. This map has a clear route marked on it."

Saying this, Wang Lan took out the map and handed it to Longya.

"Jin, take a look."

"A map of what place is this? No, what country is this? Do we have such a place on Sky Blue Star?"

"This is a map of the Different Dimensional Space," Yu Ruoyun quickly added.

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