Chapter 91: Breaking the Deadlock
The system of the Blue Star Alliance was established upon the remnants of the forces that survived the Doomsday Era.
Its main purpose was to resist alien races and Ferocious Beasts, ensuring the survival of humankind on Blue Star.
Aside from the Alliance’s collective interests, each faction also had its own demands.
Therefore, whenever an unclaimed treasure appeared in the wild, anyone was eligible to compete for it.
The Alliance could not intervene unless it directly concerned the overall interests of the entire organization.
Of course, if the Alliance secretly dispatched forces to participate in such a scramble, it was not forbidden.
However, should anyone die in the process, the Alliance could not use its name to hold others accountable.
After all, if the Alliance acted openly, there would be no force or individual daring to compete against it.
No one wanted to see such a situation arise.
The path to transcendence represented great strength and longer life—no one was willing to give that up.
If the Alliance truly acted in that way, it would only lead to its disintegration, since this touched upon the interests of every Beast Tamer.
As one of the Alliance’s three ace legions, the Griffin Knight Regiment was certainly not dispatched merely for that Base Ruin.
Even if the Alliance wanted to seize the benefits within, it would have sent those who worked in the shadows—people specialized in handling dirty work.
After a brief moment of thought, Zhou Ming concluded that the only reason for the Griffin Knights’ deployment must have been the massive Dimensional Rift.
“Did something unexpected happen?”
Zhou Ming frowned, analyzing countless possibilities in his mind.
But with no concrete clues, he eventually gave up.
The appearance of the Griffin Knights, however, did not change Zhou Ming’s decision to continue forward.
Unless a Legendary Beast King appeared, the Alliance’s strength was sufficient to deal with any problem.
Besides, his departure time was already the latest; even if something had occurred, it must have long since happened.
If he turned back now, he might as well retire at Qinshan Base.
Being unwilling to take risks and being afraid to take risks—those were two different things.
Zhou Ming was merely the former.
When it came time for him to take risks, he could face it calmly.
The snake swarm scattered, forming a Radar Sensory Domain.
Holding a map of the Northern Wasteland, Zhou Ming set off again.
Too much time had been wasted—perhaps by the time he arrived, even the soup would be gone.
With the Radar Sensory Domain active, Zhou Ming didn’t encounter much danger along the way.
The flat grasslands provided many paths, and whenever the domain detected a Ferocious Beast, he would immediately detour around it.
The only real danger came from a pack of Wind Wolves, numbering over a hundred.
Wind Wolves were pack-living mutated creatures unique to the Northern Wasteland.
Skilled in running, their packs would fight to the death as long as the Wolf King remained alive.
They were notoriously troublesome.
The Gale Wolf, a ferocious variant, evolved from the ordinary Wind Wolf.
However, after becoming a Gale Wolf, it lived alone, no longer in packs.
Otherwise, if thousands of Gale Wolves acted together, their threat would rival that of a lord-level Ferocious Beast.
When Zhou Ming discovered the Wind Wolves, the pack had already drawn near.
He could only use dozens of Ironthread Snakes to lure them away, while he fled in the opposite direction.
It wasn’t that Zhou Ming couldn’t defeat the pack, but rather that there was no need to.
The cost wasn’t worth the gain—pure effort for no reward.
After shaking off the wolves, Zhou Ming followed the map’s guidance, continuing toward the ruin two hundred kilometers away.
At that moment, several kilometers from the ruin, a massive temporary encampment capable of housing over ten thousand people had been set up within a shallow valley.
Factions of all sizes from the northern region of the Alliance had gathered there.
Contrary to Zhou Ming’s expectations, none had yet entered the ruin.
In the noisy valley, Beast Tamers and hunters from various forces were not in conflict; instead, they were trading goods, creating an unexpectedly bustling scene amid the wilderness.
This situation arose because the area surrounding the ruin was infested with large numbers of Ferocious Beasts, preventing easy access.
These beasts, emerging from the Dimensional Rift, had become a common obstacle for all factions.
In a secluded corner of the valley stood a large tent occupying more than a hundred square meters.
No other tents dared to approach, as the surrounding area was heavily guarded by Beast Tamers from multiple factions.
Inside the tent, over thirty representatives from different powers had gathered, seemingly negotiating.
However, judging from the heavy atmosphere, the discussion had not gone well.
“What’s wrong? No one willing to take action? There are only five days left—after that, the military will take over the ruin!”
A middle-aged man, around forty or fifty, with a powerful voice, suddenly stood and addressed everyone.
“Chen Shaodong, that’s easy for you to say.
The Chen Family is one of the five great families of Yunhai—you can afford the loss.
If we all help clear the beasts, who among us will have the strength left to compete with your family afterward? Aren’t we just being used as your pawns?”
Hearing Chen Shaodong repeatedly mention the deadline, a defiant man responded sharply.
The others in the tent murmured in agreement, supporting Liu Xiong’s view.
The situation had arisen because a massive Dimensional Rift had appeared near the Base Ruin.
Not only did countless Ferocious Beasts emerge, but even a lord-level beast—the Azure Moon Wolf King—had appeared.
Lord-level Ferocious Beasts weren’t unheard of in the Northern Wasteland, but this area was too close to the Blue Star Alliance—only a few hundred kilometers away.
The danger had thus multiplied several times.
As a lord-level creature, the Azure Moon Wolf King naturally possessed the ability to rally beast hordes.
Being the born monarch of all wolf-type beasts, it could easily launch a massive Beast Tide against the northern bases of the Alliance.
Thus, after Lieutenant General Xu Chunjun of the military repelled the Azure Moon Wolf King, he set a final deadline for all forces.
Once it expired, the military would directly seize the ruin to establish a defensive base against future Beast Tides.
This matter concerned the Alliance’s safety—no faction could object.
After all, none could predict if even stronger beasts lurked beyond the Dimensional Rift.
However, facing the ruins surrounded by both low- and high-grade beasts, not everyone was willing to act.
The strength of each faction varied; clearing the beasts would mean casualties.
The weaker ones, suffering losses, would no longer have the qualification or strength to compete with the powerful Chen Family for the rewards inside.
“Everyone.”
As heated discussions filled the tent, an old man with a frail figure, leaning on a dark-red cane, stood up and spoke.
When the crowd saw who it was, they immediately recognized him—the Third Elder Zhang Yunfeng of the Zhang Family of Yunhai, a High-level Professional Beast Tamer.
The murmurs ceased at once, allowing Zhang Yunfeng to continue.
“I, this old man, have a proposal. After clearing the beast horde, no Professional-level Beast Tamers shall enter the ruin—only Apprentice-level Beast Tamers may go in. That way, the gap among us won’t be so wide.”
“At the same time, to ensure everyone’s interests, no matter who retrieves what from the ruin, no one shall attack them before returning to the Alliance. Any violators—shall be punished by all.”
“Elder Zhang, what about those loners and factions unwilling to cooperate?”
Many showed interest in Zhang Yunfeng’s suggestion, but someone soon voiced concern.
“Then they shall not enter the ruin. We’ll guard the outside—let’s see who dares to force their way in.”
“Elder Zhang, the Chen Family agrees to your proposal.”
Seeing Chen Shaodong’s approval, the other factions thought briefly before one by one agreeing to Zhang Yunfeng’s suggestion.