Chapter 497: Chapter 496: Unexpected Discovery Chapter 497: Chapter 496: Unexpected Discovery Upon hearing Fang Zheng’s command, Tina nodded and then raised her hand. Soon, three small golden Star Spirit drones flew over from the distance.

These were indeed the detectors of the Star Spirit, utilizing Acceleration gravity propulsion to launch silently. They were not only permanently invisible but could also analyze the battlefield and locate targets hidden underground or camouflaged through the sensory matrix ahead. Tina used these detectors to lock onto targets for long-range sniping.

The girl waved her hand gently, and in the next moment, the three detectors quietly vanished into thin air, leaving no trace. Then she pressed a button on a band-like device on her wrist, and soon a projection screen appeared in front of them.

Seeing this scene, Wells couldn’t help but exclaim, understanding how vital such a weapon was for warfare. However, Wells wasn’t particularly surprised, since Mages could also perform similar feats to a certain extent. Some Prophet Mages could even foresee future events through a crystal ball, so, relatively speaking, this technique wasn’t too unexpected.

In the projection screen, the three stealth detectors swiftly swept across the wilderness, moving forward. Although it was now nighttime, with the help of the drones’ night-vision capability, everyone could clearly see the landscape of the wilderness.

Bodies were everywhere.

At first, the number of bodies wasn’t too many, but as the detectors penetrated deeper, more and more Chaos Monster corpses appeared in front of Fang Zheng and Wells. The number had far exceeded their expectations.

“How could there be so many?”

Even the Old Paladin’s expression changed slightly upon seeing this scene, and he had not anticipated so many Chaos Monster corpses ahead. Although it was common for Chaos Monsters to slaughter one another, in the depths of the Chaos Land, had their battles been so fierce?

Fang Zheng then focused on the screen and gave another command.

“Tina, leave one drone there to examine the wounds on the corpses.”

“Okay.”

Upon hearing Fang Zheng speak, Tina nodded, then made a gesture. Following her movements, the image on one of the screens quickly shifted and then zoomed in. Soon, Fang Zheng could clearly see the wounds on the dead Chaos Monster through the screen.

“Triangular…”

There was no need to ask further; clearly, the wounds on this Creature’s body were essentially the same as those they had previously seen on the Demon Raven. It wasn’t just this one; after further inspections, to their astonishment, they found that nearly all the Chaos Monster corpses bore similar wounds.

This meant that these Chaos Monsters didn’t die from mutual slaughter but were annihilated by the same entity.

“…How could this be? What exactly is going on?”

Wells was also taken aback by this sight, although he had long realized something unusual about this Chaos Beast attack. Seeing what was before him now, he felt both uncomfortable and fearful. Honestly, if these Chaos Beasts had suddenly set aside their differences to fight together or had been subjugated by a powerful Demon Beast Lord, he could have accepted that. But these circumstances…

“It seems someone else shares our interest in maintaining world peace,” Fang Zheng remarked, squinting as he continued to watch the screen, which still displayed an endless wilderness and countless corpses of Chaos Beasts, and… Hmm?

“Stop!”

Just as the screen was turning, Fang Zheng suddenly shouted, startling Tina. She quickly manipulated the detector to stop, looking at Fang Zheng in surprise, wondering if she had made a mistake. Wells also turned his head in astonishment, staring at the young man beside him.

“What happened?”

“Tina, turn back, return to our position three seconds ago…”

“Okay.”

Although Tina did not understand Fang Zheng’s intention, she obediently maneuvered the detector back to the position from a moment ago. Soon, the image was restored, but beyond the endless wilderness and bodies, there was nothing else.

“Initiate Life Detection mode.”

Following Fang Zheng’s command, the screen quickly shifted to a cold blue and white hue–but within this dim blue and white, a faint red was strikingly apparent!

There was still life here, and from its shape, it appeared to be a human!?

“Go there and check it out!”

“Okay.”

At that moment, Tina quickly maneuvered the detector toward the source of the life signal. The screen turned again, crossing the distant wilderness to reach the edge of a small hill. There was a natural cave, not more than a meter deep, but importantly, the screen clearly showed there was an armored Paladin inside!

At this moment, it was unclear whether the Paladin was dead or alive. He leaned against the cave wall, holding his Longsword, his blond hair already looking somewhat greyish. His cloak was tattered, and if not for the flickering sparks from the fire at the Paladin’s feet, even Fang Zheng might have missed the presence of someone hiding in such a place.

Seeing the Paladin, Wells was also greatly shocked.

“This is… Fino! He’s still alive!? May the Goddess of Order bless us, this is incredible!!”

“Fino?”

“He’s the Paladin I mentioned to you before, Lord Fang Zheng, who sent us the information. After that, I lost contact with his team. I never imagined he could still be alive…”

At this point, Wells was so excited that his beard began to tremble.

“Forgive my impertinence, Your Excellency Fang Zheng, but I wish to return to camp immediately to organize a rescue team to retrieve Fino. Judging by his condition, he might not hold out for long, and I fear something might go wrong if we don’t administer treatment soon…”

“Of course.”

Hearing Wells’s words, Fang Zheng nodded in agreement. As Wells had said, the detectors showed that the Paladin’s physical values were declining to various extents. Nights in the Chaos Land are extremely cold, almost reaching sub-zero temperatures. Fang Zheng’s subordinates can return to rest in the warm warship, and within the range of the Crystal Tower, the temperature can also be maintained.

But out here in the wilderness… it’s not so fortunate.

“However, it’s too dangerous to go out at this moment, and the distance is considerable. Let me handle it…”

As he spoke, Fang Zheng closed his eyes and began to call out to his fleet. Soon, a burst of radiance flashed overhead, and then a Purification-Class Stealth Bomber appeared above the Crystal Tower. Following that, a girl with a purple ponytail, holding a long spear, appeared before Fang Zheng.

“Reporting, Commander, Javelin reporting for duty. What are your instructions?”

“We’ve discovered a survivor. Your task is to bring him over.”

“Yes, Commander.”

Hearing Fang Zheng’s orders, Javelin nodded and then saluted with her hand.

“Please watch Javelin’s performance closely!”

Before the sound of his voice had faded, the girl’s figure in front of Fang Zheng vanished, and the Purification-Class Stealth Bomber quickly soared forward, disappearing into the night.

The speed of a stealth bomber is naturally not slower than that of a drone. It wasn’t long before Fang Zheng saw that Javelin had reached the designated location. Clearly cautious, she didn’t deactivate her stealth immediately but instead gently decreased her altitude. Then the shuttle door opened, and the girl somersaulted from the warship, landing on the ground.

She then approached the cave cautiously, holding her long spear.

“Is anyone there?”

While peeking forward, Javelin spoke softly. However, she received no response. In the wilderness, nothing could be heard but the sound of the wind. Nevertheless, Javelin had already gathered the information she needed through scanning.

Is it in that cave over there?

Javelin slowed her pace, turned over the hillock, and came to the cave entrance. Soon, she saw the small pit under the hillside and the figure leaning against the cave, showing no sign of response.

“Hey, are you alright, still alive?”

Seeing this scene, Javelin hurriedly ran up, but just as she reached in front of the Paladin to try to wake him, the latter suddenly opened his eyes and roared furiously, swinging his longsword at Javelin.

“Clang!!”

The Paladin’s longsword didn’t hit the target but struck Javelin’s Klein Force Field Shield. Faced with this sudden attack from the Paladin, Javelin was also startled and quickly stepped back.

“Hey, are you alright? I’m here to save you!”

“Whim… whim…”

But facing Javelin’s words, the Paladin glared at her like a wild beast, emitting a garbled growl. Seeing this, Javelin sighed reluctantly, then stretched her hand forward and grabbed. Accompanying the girl’s gesture, several Klein Force Field barriers suddenly appeared in the air, encasing the Paladin within them like a cage.

“Commander, what should we do now?”

“No matter what, let’s discuss it when you’re back.”

Through the screen, Fang Zheng naturally saw the scene of the Paladin attacking Javelin and simply shrugged his shoulders.

“Perhaps Lord Wells has a solution.”