Heads were arranged around the Blood Moon Descent Object, forming a strange pattern.

Based on the wounds, Lin Qi could tell.

These heads hadn’t come from Zombies, but from survivors.

’The Moon Worshipers of Shuining City are already killing people?’

’And they’re doing it so brazenly. Where did they get this much nerve?’

’Aren’t they afraid of the rescue team here...’

Thinking of the rescue team, Lin Qi’s thoughts naturally turned to other matters.

Shuining Station was empty, which meant Shuining City had already fallen.

’If a High-tier Monster hadn’t appeared, then the ones responsible were likely... the Moon Worshipers.’

The main reason Lin Qi had left that group of Moon Worshipers in Beining District alone was that, although they worshiped the Blood Moon, they hadn’t killed anyone.

This had led Lin Qi to slightly misjudge the Moon Worshiper Extraordinary Profession.

’Looking at it now...’

Lin Qi asked directly, "You just said the Blood Moon Descent ritual here is almost complete. Does the final step of the Blood Moon Descent require killing people?"

Wei Yue looked a little lost. The Blood Moon Descent rituals she had conducted were still in their initial phases; she hadn’t even produced enough Blood Moon Descent Objects.

She didn’t yet know the ritual’s complete steps, only that upon completion, it would give rise to the qualities needed to become a Blood Moon Envoy and would also spawn a High-tier Monster.

’As for killing people?’

Wei Yue truly did not know.

She shook her head and answered, "I don’t know."

Wei Yue’s voice trembled slightly. It was unclear whether it was from the shock of the scene before them or the influence of Lin Qi’s Spiritual Tentacles.

Lin Qi could tell that Wei Yue was not lying.

But regardless, Lin Qi’s opinion of the Moon Worshiper Extraordinary Profession had already changed.

’These are bona fide traitors to humanity, the kind with no humanity left.’

At the same time, Lin Qi grew more wary of the connection between the Blood Moon Envoy and the Wizard Profession.

’If the two share a fundamental commonality, doesn’t that mean...’

’Moon Worshipers and Blood Moon Envoys are influenced by the Blood Moon and lose their humanity, so what about Wizards?’

’Will the Wizard Profession be affected this way in the future?’

Shaking his head, he temporarily cleared away his distracting thoughts. Lin Qi walked to the center of the square, preparing to pick up the Blood Moon Descent Object and destroy it.

But just as he got close, a large amount of Spiritual Particles converged around the Blood Moon Descent Object, forming a special force field that blocked Lin Qi’s approach.

’Extraordinary Power!’

’This is a use of Extraordinary Power.’

’And it seems this method of using Extraordinary Power is more sophisticated than those in the Cyber World.’

’A technique like this developed in such a short time since the apocalypse began?’

’A Moon Worshiper... a first-generation Moon Worshiper!’

’Only a first-generation Moon Worshiper could acquire this kind of Extraordinary knowledge through the whispers.’

Lin Qi did not approach rashly, instead sending out one of his Spiritual Tentacles.

He probed from several meters away.

However, just as the Spiritual Tentacle was about to touch the Spiritual Particles, they suddenly receded as if they had recognized something, offering no resistance at all.

’It seems the Spiritual Particles, influenced by the Blood Moon Descent Object, treat Wizards differently.’

The Spiritual Tentacle easily touched the Blood Moon Descent Object.

Lin Qi was just about to destroy it when he suddenly thought of something.

He immediately asked Wei Yue, "When I destroy a Blood Moon Descent Object, will you, as its creator, feel anything?"

Lin Qi didn’t want to alert the enemy.

He couldn’t confirm what level of Extraordinary Power the first-generation Moon Worshiper behind all this had reached.

Regardless, they were clearly on a completely different level than Wei Yue.

As expected, Wei Yue looked baffled for a moment upon hearing his question.

Then she said, "I can’t sense it, but I’m not sure if a High-tier Moon Worshiper could."

"The Moon Worshiper in Shuining City, although not yet a Blood Moon Envoy, has most likely reached a higher-tier level."

Wei Yue was well aware of her own limitations. The way this single Blood Moon Descent Object was being used was enough to illustrate the power gap between them.

Lin Qi withdrew his Spiritual Tentacle.

If the Blood Moon Descent ritual had already reached a critical stage, then destroying a single Blood Moon Descent Object probably wouldn’t damage its foundation and might instead alert the enemy.

To resolve the trouble here, the optimal solution was to first find the Moon Worshiper in person.

First, he had to confirm their Extraordinary Level. If they were weaker than Lin Qi, then without a High-tier Monster to assist them, Lin Qi could confront them directly.

Whether by torture or brutal interrogation, he could surely extract information from this inhumane Moon Worshiper.

If they were stronger than Lin Qi, then he would need a more deliberate plan.

Either he could abandon Shuining City, return directly to Modu, and have Ding Yang contact Headquarters to drop a nuke.

Or he could take a gamble, return to the Cyber World, find a way to get a batch of stronger equipment, and then come back to face the Moon Worshiper head-on.

But Lin Qi believed that even if the origins of the Moon Worshiper Extraordinary Profession were a bit wild, involving a super-high-tier existence like the Blood Moon, it probably wasn’t as ridiculous as the official Dragon Country personnel, who could become a Tier Three Extraordinary in just ten-odd days.

In short, as long as they hadn’t reached Tier Three, Lin Qi wasn’t afraid.

Bringing Wei Yue with him, Lin Qi returned to the railway and followed the tracks toward Shuining Station.

Lin Qi needed to find more clues.

According to Lin Qi’s estimate, the Blood Moon Descent Object he had just seen was probably just a drop in the ocean compared to all the ones scattered throughout Shuining City.

Following the Blood Moon Descent Objects to find the first-generation Moon Worshiper would be very difficult, and even if he succeeded, it would waste a great deal of Lin Qi’s time.

Starting from the Shuining Rescue Team’s original base might yield more information.

Bringing Wei Yue with him, it took Lin Qi about an hour to reach Shuining Station. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

There were less than three hours left on the Door’s cooldown.

Two Warriors in charge of driving the locomotive were waiting inside.

These were Ding Yang’s instructions: absolutely do not act on their own, and if they lost contact with Lin Qi for an extended period, they were to immediately return to Modu and report.

While waiting for Lin Qi’s arrival, they had already switched tracks and turned the train around.

If anything went wrong, they could return the way they came at any time.

After entering the station with Wei Yue, Lin Qi didn’t go look for the two Warriors, but instead began searching the station for clues.

’There are signs of inhabitation in the station but no signs of a firefight. Does this mean the Shuining Rescue Team was indeed stationed here but abandoned their post for some unknown reason?’

Lin Qi made a deduction based on the evidence at the scene.

Less than a minute later, Lin Qi dismissed this guess.

According to Ding Yang, it was a requirement from Headquarters for all rescue teams to be stationed at train stations. The Shuining Rescue Team would not have rashly abandoned the station on their own initiative.

’Even if they left, it would have been a forced withdrawal. But there are no signs of a large-scale battle here. The few stray bullet holes look like they’re just from when they first cleared the station.’

’What could have happened to force the rescue team to abandon their base?’

Lin Qi quickly thought of a possibility.

’A monster. And a High-tier Monster at that!’

Only the appearance of an unbeatable monster would make a rescue team decide to retreat.

And after they retreated, no news from Shuining City reached the outside world. This meant that the rescue team here ultimately met with disaster even after their withdrawal.

They were most likely wiped out.

’Could one High-tier Monster do all this?’

’Impossible!’

’Unless it was a Tier Four Monster. But if a monster reached Tier Four, the first-generation Moon Worshiper in Shuining City would have already achieved their goal.’

’A Tier Three Monster. And not a dormant one—most likely a Tier Three Monster under someone’s control.’

Through these many details, Lin Qi completed a combat profile of Shuining City’s first-generation Moon Worshiper.

His opponent was strong, nothing like Wei Yue’s previous rabble.

Not only was his opponent strong, but their potential hiding place was vast, covering nearly an entire city. This made them much harder to find than the monsters in Beining District.

’No, there’s still a clue. That Blood Moon Descent Object is the best lead.’

’It’s an aluminum casting. That’s not something you make by hand; it requires machinery.’