Chapter 331: Discovering the Illegal Farming Operation
In the surveillance footage, fields of luminous wheat shimmered as a man, using Gang Qi, harvested the grain and ground it into piles of white flour.
Another man then channeled Gang Qi to compress the flour into brick-like blocks, which were stacked neatly like construction materials.
“They’re processing flour here?” Zhang Yu thought to himself. “I don’t know what kind it is, but like Heavenly Essence Rice, this flour is no ordinary product.”
Fu Ji, also witnessing the scene through the ritual’s power, mused, “So this is how they ship it? Hmm, it’s definitely more space-efficient and easier to transport.”
Zhang Yu’s mind kept flashing with the words “Dark Seed Territory.”
The Dark Seed Territory — the forbidden realm Zhang Pianpian had warned her younger brother never to touch on his first day at Myriad Laws University City.
After nearly a year living in the University City, Zhang Yu understood all too well that illegal farming was a grave violation of school rules and the law — a perilous act that could lead to ruin, having every last drop of blood, flesh, and soul extracted from you.
“They seem to be doing more than just processing flour.”
“Could they actually be farming here?”
“That’s unbelievably audacious.”
Yet the more Zhang Yu considered it, the more plausible it seemed. After all, Converging Dragon Garden was built atop a Spirit Vein, brimming with spiritual energy — an ideal location for farming.
He then recalled the recent cemetery restoration project and mentally asked, “Could the destruction of the cemetery be connected to the Dark Seed Territory?”
Fu Ji agreed, “That’s entirely possible. After all, farmers in that territory live with their heads hanging by a thread. Murder and silencing witnesses are commonplace.”
“It’s no surprise they’d resist capture fiercely, preferring death to imprisonment. If they damaged the cemetery during the fight, that’s perfectly understandable.”
Zhang Yu stared at the bricks of flour on the surveillance footage, his expression shifting repeatedly. His brow would furrow and then relax, his eyes flickering with hesitation and longing.
Sensing his inner turmoil, Fu Ji asked, “What’s wrong? You thinking about seizing this batch of goods?”
Zhang Yu replied matter-of-factly, “In University City, who wouldn’t be tempted by this much flour? But… it’s just too dangerous.”
Zhang Yu stared at the flour on the surveillance monitor, his mouth watering as he recalled the days when he had eaten regularly.
“If I report this, will I get a reward?”
“But how do I explain how I discovered it?”
“I found it through ritual power, which is hard to explain.”
Over the next two days, Zhang Yu periodically monitored the flour processing through the surveillance cameras, mentally weighing his options and debating what to do.
Fu Ji said, “We still lack too much information. We don’t know how many of them there are, how strong they are, or what to do with the flour if we get our hands on it. We don’t even know the consequences of reporting them.”
“Maybe… we should talk to your Elder Sister?”
“She’s with the University City Patrol Team now, right? She definitely knows more about the Dark Seed Territory than we do.”
“Just ask her if she can identify some flour you found on the construction site. See what she says.”
After some deliberation, Zhang Yu realized Fu Ji’s advice made perfect sense. Discussing this with Zhang Pianpian seemed like a good idea.
That night, while Yu Xinghan and Le Mulan were away, Zhang Yu placed the white powder he had found in front of Zhang Pianpian.
Zhang Yu asked, “Sis, look at this stuff I found. Do you think it’s flour?”
Zhang Pianpian glanced at it curiously, dipped her finger into the powder, and licked it slightly. Her eyes widened in surprise. “It’s real flour — 99% pure Earth Qi Wheat.”
Zhang Yu looked puzzled. “99% pure? What does that mean?”
Zhang Pianpian explained, “Flour from the original source is typically over 99% pure, with minimal impurities.”
“But once it’s distributed, suppliers add additives to make more profit before selling it.”
“The conscientious ones might add medicinal powder or cement.”
“The truly unscrupulous… they’ll add anything and everything.”
“By the time it reaches individual customers, if the purity is still above fifty percent, that’s considered good quality.”
Hearing Zhang Pianpian speak so knowledgeably, Zhang Yu thought to himself, “I definitely asked the right person.”
Zhang Pianpian pressed, “Where did you find this flour?”
When Zhang Yu mentioned the construction site at Converging Dragon Garden, Zhang Pianpian immediately declared, “Take me there now.”
Under Zhang Pianpian’s decisive actions, the two quickly arrived at the graveyard construction site.
“Brother, if you manage to catch someone from the Dark Seed Territory this time, you’ll truly be doing me a great service.”
“Once I capture these deranged individuals who dare to cultivate here in University City, I’ll properly thank you.”
Zhang Pianpian tapped her finger lightly, and a virtual Book of Talismans appeared before her in the form of a Spirit Realm Projection.
As her fingertip swiftly traced across the virtual Book, an invisible wave radiated outward from her in all directions.
Eye of Truth Talisman — Activate!
Zhang Pianpian’s Bionic Eye flickered briefly. In the next instant… the images seen through Zhang Yu’s Bionic Eye materialized within her own.
With the Eye of Truth Talisman activated, Zhang Pianpian could directly access another person’s Bionic Eye vision, observing the world through their Bionic Eye.
While activating the talisman, Zhang Pianpian briefly explained its function to Zhang Yu, then added, “…the Eye of Truth Talisman forcibly invades another person’s Bionic Eye, which is considered highly impolite. You absolutely must not use it. If you’re discovered, it could lead to serious trouble.”
“Not just impolite, this is fucking illegal, isn’t it?” Zhang Yu thought to himself. “Besides, how would I even know how to use this?”
Zhang Pianpian continued, “However, the talismans I’m using today are my own modified private talismans. Although they draw upon divine power, they won’t be easily recorded by the Spirit Realm Network, so they won’t attract the attention of Righteous Gods.”
“Therefore, don’t record what happens next, and don’t spread any of this around.”
As she spoke, more images surfaced within Zhang Pianpian’s Bionic Eye.
It was the Bionic Eye vision of the extremists in the underground tunnel, who were processing flour.
Seeing the stacks of flour bricks before them, Zhang Pianpian first felt a surge of excitement, followed by a jolt of alarm.
Zhang Yu, who had been observing his elder sister’s expression, asked, “Sis, what have you discovered?”
Zhang Pianpian replied grimly, “Dark Seed Territory forces are indeed processing flour here, and the scale is massive. I doubt I can handle this alone…”
Zhang Yu gasped, “Even you can’t handle it? Should we call in some colleagues from the Patrol Team?”
Zhang Pianpian clarified, “What I mean is, I can’t eat this entire batch myself.”
Zhang Yu: “Huh?”
“Wait a minute… Aren’t we here to make arrests?” he thought.
Zhang Pianpian explained, “For small-scale cases, we’d just make the arrests directly.”
“But the scale of this operation is too large. We’ll arrest some and turn them over, but keep the rest for ourselves.”
Zhang Pianpian glanced at Zhang Yu beside her and said, “Little brother, let me teach you another Dao today.”
“In Kunxu, you can’t be too reckless, but you also can’t avoid taking risks entirely.”
“Being too reckless — constantly putting yourself in danger, constantly gambling for excessive profits — will inevitably lead to disaster sooner or later.”
“But refusing to take any risks at all, relying solely on honest work to climb the ladder… that’s even more of a pipe dream.”
As she spoke, Zhang Pianpian’s fingertips danced across her interface, activating the Surveillance Talisman. The talisman immediately seized control of all the surveillance cameras she had observed through the target’s Bionic Eye.
She then activated the Eye of Truth Talisman through these surveillance cameras, capturing the Bionic Eye perspectives of everyone else within the camera’s range.
By seamlessly switching between the Eye of Truth Talisman and the Surveillance Talisman, Zhang Pianpian swiftly gained complete control over this Dark Seed’s hideout.
Dozens of images flickered across her Bionic Eye, as she continuously monitored the hideout’s activities. “The situation is manageable,” she declared.
“I’ve already seized control of their cameras and Bionic Eyes. Over the next two days, I’ll observe their personnel deployment and schedules to formulate a plan of action.”
“But suppressing these people and transporting the goods out with just the two of us… that’s going to be tricky.”
Zhang Yu thought, “Wait… am I already being dragged into this?”
He couldn’t help but ask, “Sis, didn’t you tell me to stay away from the Dark Seed Territory before?”
Zhang Pianpian replied coolly, “I told you not to farm there.”
“But grabbing farmers and stealing their crops? That’s fine.”
Zhang Yu’s lips twitched slightly. He had already considered stealing the shipment himself, but he lacked the confidence to pull it off.
Now that Zhang Pianpian was leading the charge, he suddenly felt much more assured.
Zhang Pianpian asked, “What do you think of Yu Xinghan and Le Mulan? Are they trustworthy?”
Zhang Yu’s eyes flickered. “You’re thinking of recruiting them?”
Zhang Pianpian said, “I’ve reviewed their chat logs and browsing history. While some parts were difficult to understand, my overall assessment is that they seem trustworthy enough. What do you think?”
Zhang Yu’s heart sank at her words… “Wait… Elder Sister, you didn’t check my browsing history too, did you?!”
Zhang Yu ultimately refrained from asking the question. Instead, he said, “They’ve lent me money before. I think we can trust them.”
Zhang Pianpian said, “Then after you get back, test the waters with them.”
“I’ll monitor their communications.”
“If neither of them leaks any information, we’ll prepare tomorrow and move on the day after.”
Myriad Laws University City.
In a surveillance-free alley below the 100th floor, where detection was nearly impossible:
“Sis, how does it feel?”
“Mmm, a little more pressure.”
“Got it.” Yu Xinghan wiped the sweat from his brow and continued massaging with renewed effort.
Just then, a message flashed in his Bionic Eye.
Zhang Yu: “Old Han, got something to discuss. When are you coming back?”
Yu Xinghan: “Busy. Won’t be back today.”
Zhang Yu: “It’s really important. Can make money.”
As Yu Xinghan hesitated, the woman’s voice interrupted: “Don’t stop. It feels amazing.”
Yu Xinghan quickly resumed the massage, replying: “More than 0.06 Spirit Coins?”
Zhang Yu: “More than that.”
Yu Xinghan: “Wait for me.”