Otherworld Advance Team
Chapter 1140 - 1133: Wrong Direction

Chapter 1140: Chapter 1133: Wrong Direction

The sound of gunshots attracted armed guards, some of whom were otherworldly mercenaries, and some were hybrid armed personnel from Haiya Academy.

"Boss..." An Aud hybrid holding a gun approached Li Si, calling out nervously.

"It’s not your fault. Go arrange to increase the guard and reinforce the alert, especially to protect our team and the researchers of the Otherworld Gate!" Sighing, Li Si said coldly.

"Understood!" The Aud hybrid nodded vigorously, then turned to have his subordinates protect the Advance Team, while he went to report and deploy.

Li Si pulled out a pair of white gloves from his pocket, put them on, and walked straight toward the attacker’s body. The attacker lay on his back, his lifeless eyes staring up at the sky. A hole had been blown open in his head, and blood was splattered all around.

Li Si walked up to the side of the body, bent down to pick up the attacker’s pistol, and inspected it closely—it was a Makarov pistol. Li Si removed the magazine and the bullet from the chamber, revealing a cold smile.

"Brother Li!" Luo’er walked up to him and looked down at the pistol in his hands.

"Just by looking at this thing, we know who did it." Li Si shook his head with a cold laugh, and inserted the magazine back into the grip.

"It’s good that the target of the attack was Lord Xia Yue..." Luo’er said, pausing, then continued, "But it’s not entirely fortunate."

As he spoke, he went over to Xia Yue, who was rubbing her forehead, and asked with concern, "Lord Xia Yue, are you all right?"

"You finally care about me?" Xia Yue complained teasingly.

"Uh..."

"Just kidding. I might need to replenish soon, or my body will get smaller and smaller due to the damage," Xia Yue said, releasing her hand from her forehead, which now appeared as smooth as before, with no sign of the gunshot wound.

"Understood, we will arrange that immediately. So, do we rest first, or...?" Luo’er asked hesitantly.

"Let’s head to the research center first to open the gate sooner rather than later," Xia Yue waved off the question, "I personally don’t care about life or death, but it’s you who are at stake."

"Alright, then we are in your debt, Lord Xia Yue," Luo’er said gratefully.

"Dispose of the body, set the area around the Otherworld Gate as restricted, and all access must be by ID. Those who intrude without permission may be shot without warning. Also, investigate all potential suspects inside and outside the city to ensure no one is carrying weapons privately." Li Si ordered loudly.

"Yes!" came the unanimous response from the mercenaries around.

"What a disgrace!" Li Si muttered under his breath, cursing softly to himself.

After a small disturbance, the Advance Team continued towards the Otherworld Gate in the city center. The headquarters had also arranged a row of modular houses around the square to serve as the research center and accommodation for the research team.

This scene inevitably reminded the members of the Advance Team of the glorious beginning. Armies from several otherworld nations had assembled here, waiting for Fu’en to open the Otherworld Gate. Those moments were still vivid in their memories, and now, everything had changed.

The modular house closest to the Otherworld Gate was the main research center, and thus it was larger than the others. As they approached, they could see Earth’s research personnel constantly entering and exiting, along with the mercenaries standing guard and patrolling the door.

Under Li Si’s lead, the team moved unobstructed and walked straight into the research center. The place was crowded and, despite the magic arrays cooling the air, it was still hot and stuffy.

Most of the people in the research center were scientists from Earth, and many were from abroad. Seeing the group enter, an elderly scientist with white hair came forward, excitedly saying, "Teacher Zhu, you’ve finally come."

"Just call me Xiao Zhu, you are too polite, Academician Liu," Zhuyan Yu took the scientist’s hand, responding respectfully.

"Let me introduce you, this is Academician Liu Anbang from the Science Academy, who was once focused on high-energy physics but now primarily conducts magic research. He is one of the leaders of this research project," Li Si said to Luo’er and the others.

"How did a high-energy physicist end up researching magic?" Cheng Ziang asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, what else?" Li Si shrugged and said, "Physics research has nearly hit a ceiling, with no groundbreaking progress in decades. In contrast, the field of magic is like a fertile yet unbroken field, where even minor digging can yield major research discoveries. Nowadays, it’s not just in our own country; many physical scientists from abroad have switched to studying magic as well."

After a pause, he continued, "Don’t be fooled by Teacher Zhu, who both teaches classes and holds the rank of lieutenant colonel. She is an outstanding figure in the field of magic research and has a high level of authority in this domain."

"No wonder she has no interest in love and romance..." Luo’er muttered quietly to himself.

While everyone was exchanging pleasantries, Xia Yue walked straight to the research center’s long table. For her small stature, the height of the table reached her eyebrows, but Xia Yue didn’t care. With a light leap, she jumped onto the table.

Her actions caught the attention of everyone present. They watched with wide eyes as a little elf girl with bare feet walked back and forth on the table, occasionally picking up a piece of research material covered in runes and annotations and revealing a disdainful smile.

"Whose child is this? Get her down right now!" Seeing this, Academician Liu Anbang called out with a frown.

Before anyone else could respond, Xia Yue ripped the research material she was holding in half and tossed it aside. The sound of the paper tearing was so harsh that it elicited a chorus of distressed gasps from the scientists in the research center.

"What are you doing? That’s important material!" Liu Anbang, driven to near-fainting by her action, pointed at her and scolded fiercely.

"Trash, all trash. If the research direction is wrong, writing a thousand words or ten thousand words is all in vain, just a waste of paper," Xia Yue said bluntly.

"What did you say? You said our research direction is wrong?" Liu Anbang was so infuriated he could hardly stand, but fortunately, Zhuyan Yu supported him in time.

"Academician Liu, please calm down. This lady is an expert in the field of magic research, and she must have her reasons for saying so," Zhuyan Yu consoled him.

"Just a little girl, what kind of expert is that?" Liu Anbang asked, puzzled.

"She is an elf..." Unsure of how to explain Xia Yue’s identity further, Zhuyan Yu chose to focus on the lighter aspect of the explanation.

"An elf!" Liu Anbang was about to argue when the word ’elf’ struck him, and he immediately froze before turning to look at Xia Yue.

Xia Yue ignored him and continued to look down at the documents on the floor, kicking aside anything she found unsatisfactory. To the surprise and anger of those around her, the wide table was cleared clean, leaving practically no research material that met her standards.

In the face of the angry stares from everyone, Xia Yue looked around serenely and asked, "I have a question for all of you researchers. How many of you are mages?"

"I am!" A Marsyan raised his hand and stepped forward.

"Which magic academy did you graduate from?" Xia Yue inquired.

"Uh..." The Marsyan lowered his head, his face showing his discomfort.

"Hehehe..." Seeing his expression, Xia Yue let out a mocking, cold laugh.

"A group of scientists from Earth, led by a couple of third-rate mages, producing a pile of meaningless trash. Is this your research? Do you think too highly of yourselves, or do you underestimate the field of magic research?" Xia Yue asked with a mocking smile, tilting her head as she surveyed the room.

"What do you mean, and what gives you the right to say we’re third-rate?" The Marsyan mage became extremely angry, pointing at Xia Yue and shouting.

"Third-rate means that you’re useless. I admit there are powerful mages among the common folk, like the summoner Fu’en. However, we must also recognize that most common mages are mere pretenders without any real skill. Some of them haven’t even mastered the most basic spells and thrive on so-called theories, deceiving those Earthlings who think too highly of themselves," Xia Yue said with a smile.