Captain Taylor’s expression gradually darkened as he stared at Joachim and said, "I heard that someone entered the Star River ship’s cabin before the mutant worm outbreak and that an anonymous report also appeared in the Inspection Department at that time..."
"Captain, this matter has nothing to do with me."
"Is that so? Why did I hear that you had previously entered the disassembled Star River ship and nearly had a conflict with the Star River’s military forces..."
"Captain, what are you implying? If there is evidence, you can speak directly."
Taylor withdrew his gaze from Joachim, coldly warning, "Don’t make me find evidence. The only reason you’re still on this ship is because of Minister Zachary’s influence. I hope you realize that and refrain from taking any actions, or else..."
Just then, the ship’s doors opened with a rapid "ka-ka-ka".
A soldier rushed in, visibly nervous, "Report, Captain! There’s an issue in the aft laboratory!"
"What?" Taylor immediately stood up, "Take me there!"
Joachim’s mind stirred, and he immediately followed.
They quickly arrived at the frozen aft warehouse, where Shilok had already arrived with the Inspection team, securing the scene.
Taylor looked at Shilok and asked with a frown, "What’s going on?"
Shilok shook his head and motioned for everyone to clear the way.
Taylor, accompanied by the others, approached the warehouse and immediately noticed something strange.
The laboratory appeared normal compared to before, except for the fact that the crystal worm’s flesh cocoon was missing from the corner.
Where was the crystal worm?
Taylor’s pupils contracted, and he looked at a soldier nearby, demanding, "What happened?"
"No, I don’t know..."
The soldiers guarding the ship’s exterior shook their heads and said, "We heard unusual sounds from inside a little while ago, so we immediately initiated the procedure to investigate. When we entered, we found that the crystal worm’s flesh cocoon was missing..."
"Who else came here?!"
"All the Inspection Team members were with us guarding outside. Except for Leader Keith, who took his research team to conduct a check, no one else... no one else..."
The soldier paused, his gaze shifting to Joachim standing behind Taylor.
Instantly, all eyes turned to Joachim.
Joachim’s pupils shrank, and his face changed slightly.
He swore to the heavens that he had indeed come here, but it was only to take some of the crystal worm’s pheromones.
When he came, the crystal worm was completely normal!
"Captain, I did come here, but I only wanted to check the ship. I didn’t do anything!" Joachim said.
"Shut up!" Taylor fixed his gaze on Joachim and said in a low voice, "The only people who came here were you and my people. Who do you think I should believe?"
Joachim’s mind went blank for a moment, unable to defend himself. He looked at Dr. Keith, confused.
The disappearance of the crystal worm had nothing to do with him.
So, it must have been Dr. Keith?
Why would the doctor steal the crystal worm?
Suddenly, Joachim remembered the reason he had come here, his face went pale, and a terrifying thought appeared in his mind.
Could it be Fang Heng?
"Take him away, keep him under tight surveillance, and connect with headquarters immediately!" Taylor ordered.
The sun shone down on the earth as usual.
Wayne’s team of players had worked tirelessly as porters and sorters in the game for two days, and they finally returned to the real world to get a good night’s rest.
By noon, they lazily got out of bed and had lunch, then gathered in the first floor hall of the Western District Federation building.
The teaching team "hired" by the Western District Federation had officially arrived.
In the campus area, many mercenary teams had already heard that some teams had unlocked the "lock" method and gathered in the high floors of the building, peeking down at the first-floor hall where the gathering was taking place.
On the seventh floor, the deputy director of the military department in charge of the Star Map Project, Sigmund, looked down at the hall from above, accompanied by several officers.
"I didn’t expect Teacher Benny to personally take on the mission and come to guide the training."
His assistant replied, "I heard that the elite player training for unlocking the ability didn’t produce ideal results, so Mr. Benny wanted to improve the cultivation intensity and test some more aggressive training on this batch of mercenaries to enhance efficiency later on."
"I see. Make sure to take good care of Teacher Benny."
Benny’s identity was special.
He was one of the Federation’s members, with a high status in the Western District Federation and deep connections. He had also been one of the first batch of internal testers to enter the game, with formidable strength.
In addition, Benny had served as the leader of an assassination team under the Federation, later organizing multiple training sessions in the military department and holding the position of minister of internal training.
Many high-ranking officers in the military department of the Western District Federation would respectfully address Benny as "Teacher."
On the first-floor hall, Fang Heng and the twenty or so players participating in the trial lined up.
Zaka, standing next to Fang Heng, whispered, "Tch, still have to queue up, it’s like we’re elementary school students doing morning exercises..."
The accompanying teaching team of more than fifty people arrived and immediately split into pairs, standing on either side of the players.
An elderly man with a cane made of gnarled poplar wood walked to the front of the group.
"Everyone, I’m Benny, the chief instructor for this training. I’ll be responsible for your unlocking ability training in the coming period."
"First, I must explain that our Western District Federation’s unlocking method is different from the one used by the Central Federation. So, regardless of your previous foundation in ’lock’ ability cultivation, we will start from scratch. Of course, if any of you have already completed part of the unlocking process, your progress will be faster."
Benny’s voice was a bit hoarse, and his eyes, narrowed into slits, scanned each player.
"Let’s not waste any more time. We’ll start with a simple basic test to assess your fundamental abilities. If your abilities don’t qualify for unlocking, we won’t waste time on you. Let’s begin."
As soon as Benny finished speaking, a powerful spiritual pressure erupted from him, rapidly bearing down on the players.
The invisible mental strength pressure engulfed the players like a tidal wave!
All the players were simultaneously struck by a massive mental shock. Zaka felt his brain explode with a boom, and everything in front of him blurred. He staggered for a moment but managed to stay on his feet and endure the first wave of the shock, inwardly cursing.
D*mn! It’s a mental shock!
Players with weaker basic mental attributes immediately passed out from the shock, collapsing to the ground.
The teaching team on the side had already made preparations, and they lifted the unconscious players and pulled them out of the trial area.