Blind Spot
Chapter 343 - 317 trouble one

Chapter 343: 317 trouble one

In Naxi Town, inside a seafood restaurant.

Three members of the Ethics Committee sat, eating a simple meal with clueless expressions on their faces.

Old Barton, along with his two deputies—one man and one woman, Angeal and Karan—composed the entire team sent by the committee to investigate the Eternal Song Association.

In actuality, although the Ethics Committee was vast and well-known, its strength entirely depended on the temporary support from various countries.

If the support was substantial, the committee was strong. If the support was minor, so was its strength.

This type of large organization, similar to the United Nations, was mostly comprised of representatives sent by countries in fixed cycles. Many times, it was just to borrow the name for convenience in action, nothing more.

Thus, it also resulted in the Ethics Committee sometimes making earth-shattering moves, yet most of the time it remained unheard of, relying on the many idealists who joined to keep it going.

"Hmm, last month’s salary was ten percent less than before."

Karan, the only woman of the trio, was munching woodenly on scallops. Her voice was listless as she chewed the meat in her mouth.

"Don’t worry, this month it will be even less." Commissioner Barton rubbed his bald head, a habit he had developed during meals, feeling as if it made the meal more satisfying.

The salary wasn’t high, and constant trips out of pocket were needed. It was becoming impossible to get by.

Look at the three of them. How long had it been since they last changed their work suits? Three years, or five?

For frontline workers like them, who were constantly traveling and in conflict with others, even a work suit was a luxury they couldn’t afford... Stitch and patch, and it would last another three years.

"Anyway, the assignment with the Eternal Song Association is just a formality. We’re about finished, right?" The remaining man, Angeal, sipped on his hand cream-flavored vegetable soup and looked utterly dejected.

"Yes, it’s almost over. We’ll head back tonight, when the committee’s ship comes to pick us up in the evening," responded Barton.

"What about the expenses?"

"This time it’s free."

"Huh? Free this time? They’re actually being generous for once?" Angeal was surprised.

"Yes, a sponsor provided the funds for the activity and requested that we make a stop to attend their chain seafood market’s anniversary celebration on the way back," Barton explained.

"...Sigh."

Both Engel and Karan had nothing to say, only sighing.

Many years ago, when they had first joined the committee, they were filled with enthusiasm, aspiring to maintain world peace.

But five years had passed, and now in their mid-twenties, their initial fervor had cooled.

Faced with getting married, having children, supporting their parents in old age, and saving for medical insurance, retirement funds, and their children’s future education, life was full of concerns.

"Karan, my mortgage is due soon and I’m a bit strapped for cash. You know, I send some money every month to my sister for her tuition and living expenses..." Angeal turned to his partner Karan.

"No money."

"Just two thousand. I’ll pay you back as soon as my salary arrives next month!" Angeal pleaded earnestly.

"You said that last time too," Karan replied unmoved.

"Um...excuse me, are you from the Ethics Committee?" Suddenly, a pretty girl with a pitiable look and long violaceous hair draped over her shoulders, sitting at a nearby table, asked.

The girl was very attractive, wearing a light purple dress and a white, light-shielding straw hat; her large, watery eyes like a timid deer in the forest.

"Ah, yes, miss. Is there something you need help with?" Angeal put on a quick, amiable smile and looked at her.

"It’s like this," the girl with violaceous hair lowered her voice, "I overheard your conversation earlier about looking for information on the Eternal Song Association, so... I have some intel on them."

At her words, the three committee members suddenly tensed.

They were just there to go through the motions, weren’t they?

But then it occurred to them that if there was genuine information, they might really get a big bonus for it after returning.

"Are you sure?!" Barton, as the team commissioner, quickly became serious and looked at the girl.

"Yes, I’m a hundred percent sure!" The girl with violaceous hair nodded vigorously.

"Then, may I ask your name?"

"I’m Yang Chengxi," the girl replied promptly.

She was the former pirate leader who had attacked the cruise ship and whose group had been annihilated by the Haini siblings. Although she was saved by Chen Jiahan, she still harbored fear and hatred for the Haini siblings.

Originally planning to leave the island, when she happened to overhear the conversation of the three committee members, she thought...

"I know who is in charge of the Eternal Song Association here," Yang Chengxi said earnestly.

"..." Barton and the others fell silent. This task might be harder than expected.

Boom!!

At that moment, a loud explosion came from the direction of the beach.

It seemed as though something heavy and solid had collided.

All four of them were startled and stood up to look toward the source of the sound.

"It’s coming from the northwest side of the beach!" Barton judged immediately.

"Should we check it out?" Karan asked.

"I think it’s better to be safe. We can wait until it quiets down and then..." As Angeal looked around, he noticed the island residents on the streets were skillfully packing up, locking their doors and windows, and then hiding inside their homes, drawing the curtains.

Even the restaurant owner grabbed the money drawer and ran. Soon, they heard sounds of doors locking and bolting nearby.

"Well... we’re from the committee and have been through rigorous training," Barton hesitated for a moment before standing up.

Under the watchful eyes of the three, he turned and ran.

"I’m sure to run faster than the rest!"

"..."x3.

The other three were stunned for a moment before they also got up from their chairs and fled.

From their investigation these past few days, they knew about the existence of monsters like the Great Blood Corpse within the Eternal Song Association.

If the three of them dared to approach, they wouldn’t even know how they died.

*

*

*

At Elsa’s home.

Li Chengyi and Chen Jiahan stepped out the door.

They had also heard the loud noise coming from the direction of the beach.

"Shall we take a look?" Chen Jiahan inquired.

"No need," Li Chengyi smiled. "You’ve awakened the Fantasia Floral Armor, right?" He glanced knowingly at Chen Jiahan.

"Hmm, if you’re talking about that kind of magically fragile armor, then I’ve awakened it. It’s just too frail and thin. For me, it’s not very useful," Chen Jiahan said calmly.

Although he was the senior brother of Yan Bagua Gate, due to his terrifying martial arts talent, he wasn’t only proficient in Bagua Palm but also mastered many other random martial arts and combat techniques.

In the market, aside from some closely guarded secrets, he had some knowledge of nearly everything else.

"That’s good to hear. Let’s find the flower you need," Li Chengyi said.

The stronger the host of the Floral Bead, the stronger the amplification and enhancement he receives.

This is determined by the nature of the Flower Language Ability.

Therefore, enhancing Chen Jiahan’s strength was also a way of enhancing his own.

"Flower?" Chen Jiahan somewhat didn’t understand.

"Along with the armor you described as fragile, there is also a special ability," Li Chengyi explained. He quickly explained the Flower Language Ability in a scientific manner.

"Flower Language?!" Chen Jiahan was completely dumbfounded. Does such a peculiar ability really exist in this world?

"You’ll know once you see it," Li Chengyi said, not elaborating further, and led him towards the circular forest surrounding the island.

The weather in May should already be summery, and this island is close to the central Earth-Moon region, near the circumferential line, in one of the hottest areas.

The island’s forest was already blooming with all sorts of messy wildflowers.

The thriving vegetation was like a carpet, thick and dotted with clusters of weeds and shrubs.

Some black-hearted, yellow-fringed Snake’s Eye Chrysanthemums were sparsely scattered in the undergrowth, capturing the main view.

The rest were tiny wildflowers, red and white, the size of a fingernail cap, and their varieties were unknown.

Under some large trees, in the cooler shade, various kinds of ferns were mixed together, with a few large-leaved grasses with serrated leaves occasionally poking out.

"Just pick any flower and touch it to see," Li Chengyi instructed.

Chen Jiahan narrowed his eyes, looked at Li Chengyi to make sure he wasn’t joking, then walked out and stood amidst the small flowers, reaching out to grasp a pale yellow little flower.

That was a little wild chrysanthemum.

Soon, his expression changed, and his whole demeanor was completely different.

From Li Chengyi’s point of view, there was no visible change, but for Chen Jiahan.

Strands of floral essence flowed into his body, simultaneously accompanied by the influx of Flower Language information. This magical first-time experience left him momentarily dazed.

He crouched on the spot for a full five minutes before finally standing up.

Then he looked at Li Chengyi with a shocked expression.

"Is this real?? Not an illusion?"

"Of course," Li Chengyi pointed towards the different flora on the ground, "go find the Flower Language you want."

"I..." Chen Jiahan wanted to say something but held back. He now finally understood just how vast the gap was between himself and the person before him.

If that Flower Language information was real, it meant that Li Chengyi was far beyond the level that mere combat techniques could limit.

Even for Reinforced Humans, even for Feiyi Masters, facing such a bizarre and exaggerated Flower Language Ability, one would undoubtedly be at a loss and bound to lose if caught off guard.

"I understand."

He extended his hand again to touch other small flowers.

Unlike the other members, it took Chen Jiahan only about fifteen minutes to have touched all the varieties of flowers nearby.

And he very decisively confirmed his primary flower right away.

The moment he confirmed his primary flower, Li Chengyi also felt the amplification and enhancement from the Purple Magnolia.

This indicated that Chen Jiahan had completed his primary flower choice and maxed out the collection.

He didn’t ask what flower the other chose and simply turned around, heading back the way he came.

"Let’s go, you need to get used to the Flower Language Ability and then integrate it into your combat system," Li Chengyi said.

"Yes."

*

*

*

The northwest beach.

Great Blood Corpses howled and leaped forward, rushing toward the Reinforced Humans of Utopia coming ashore.

Swish!

Streaks of gray sword light suddenly illuminated.

The Whisperers drew their weapons and effortlessly chopped down the Great Blood Corpses one by one.

In just a moment, hundreds of Blood Swallow corpses were scattered all over the beach, silent and still.

"How come these inferior bio-engineered creatures appear in such a place?" Blood Swallow held the neck of a Great Blood Corpse, lifting it up to inspect closely.

"The technique is not very sophisticated, quite crude," she assessed.

"Strangers, this is private property, not a place you should be," as Blood Swallow tossed the Blood Corpse aside, more of them emerged from the beach’s forest.

This time, the Blood Swallow were much larger than before, each standing two meters tall and spanning four to five meters in length.

They moved on all fours like animals, with blood-red muscles and white ligaments clearly visible all over their bodies.

What drew the most attention was not these larger Great Blood Corpses, but the living people among them, each wearing a smiling human skin mask.

Each of these people held a book in their hands, wore dark red robes, and kept their heads slightly lowered, resembling monks who had endured long-term ascetic practices.

"Are you the indigenous forces of this island?" Blood Swallow asked calmly, facing this new group of troublemakers.

"What do you think?" the lead elder man among the figures in red robes answered solemnly.

"Heh, gutsy. After seeing our equipment and weapons, you should know whether you’re at a level that can threaten us," Blood Swallow said, confidently advancing towards them in her centaur-like form.

"We are already people who cannot live much longer; what have we to fear?" the elder in red sighed.

A red Cross Sword flying machine slowly extended its blade from behind him, aiming at the opposing group.

"Besides... do you really think you’ve killed the Blood Corpse?"

Blood Swallow and a group of Whisperers were taken aback, suddenly sensing something and looking down.

The Great Blood Corpses that had died just moments before had somehow healed and were standing up again.

Apart from a few corpses that were chopped into pieces, nearly all the Blood Swallow had come back to life.