In the depths of the vast rainforest, a flat landing pad came into view. Starships and spaceships of various sizes were parked on it, and there were at least fifty of them.
It was not a large fleet, but to be able to pass through all the obstacles and land on Rainforest Planet, the people who came here must be quite capable.
To the south of the tarmac was an abyss. It looked like a mark left by a sharp blade on the ground. Beyond this abyss was a higher cliff. The cold rain and white fog lingered on the cliff, making it difficult to see what was hidden above.
Through Lu Feng's introduction, Ding Meng now knew that the cliff was the headquarters of the Fifth Lord's forces. Flying units were not allowed to go up there without permission. The abyss was too wide, about three to four hundred meters long, and there were only four arm-sized steel cables at each end. In this weather, the cables were covered in a layer of frost, and the sky was still drizzling with cold rain. It would be very difficult for people without strength to cross this cable bridge.
Ding Meng spread out his telekinetic vision and scanned the area. The abyss under the cable bridge was bottomless, and there seemed to be some kind of magnetic interference on the opposite cliff, making visibility very low. In the end, this so-called 'headquarters' was actually quite well hidden. It was very difficult for technology like radar to discover this place unless you came here in person.
Lan Cheng then explained, "We can't get on the bridge without receiving orders."
He did not finish his sentence. Even if they got on the bridge, they might not be able to cross it. This kind of cable bridge was not difficult for combat masters and combat generals, but it would be hard to say if someone interfered.
However, Ding Meng didn't care about that and directly walked onto the cable bridge. Looking at his appearance with his hands behind his back, it was as if he was walking on flat ground. Once Ding Meng stepped onto the bridge, Su Xia naturally wouldn't fall behind. With regards to this kind of steel cable, at their level, it was nothing more than a test of mental fortitude.
Halfway across the bridge, someone appeared on the opposite side of the cliff. It was a soldier holding a photoelectric gun and wearing the same uniform as Ding Meng and the others. However, he did not stop Ding Meng and Su Xia from getting on the bridge. Instead, he patiently waited for Ding Meng to walk up the cliff.
"Honored guests, please come in!" The soldier was very polite.
Ding Meng was a little surprised. "I'm an honored guest?"
The soldier nodded affirmatively. "The Fifth Lord has ordered for Brother Ding to enter."
After climbing up the cliff, Ding Meng found that there was basically no difference between this place and an ordinary rainforest. The dense forest stretched on, and the cold rain was chilly and dreary. The only difference was that the ground was no longer swamp, but very dry soil.
The soldier brought Ding Meng and Li Du to a small wooden hut in the middle of the forest. It was a real wooden hut in the truest sense of the word. Every brick and tile was made of pure wood. The facilities in the hut were very simple. There was a wooden table and two long benches. A middle-aged man was sitting on one of the benches. He seemed to be waiting for Ding Meng.
The middle-aged man's hair was disheveled and his body was filthy. Even his clothes were tattered. However, when Ding Meng walked in, he immediately sensed a cold aura coming from the man.
Ding Meng asked, "Is there any information about this person in the database?"
Xiao Ai's voice was a little surprised. "Yes, I'll send it to you right away!"
At this moment, the middle-aged man finally said coldly, "Ding Meng?"
Ding Meng asked, "Do you know me?"
The man said, "If you were really from the military, you would have been dead a long time ago."
Ding Meng asked curiously, "How do you know that I'm not?"
The man said slowly, "Not only do I know that you're not from the Norse Empire, but I also know that you're not actually from the Norse Empire. You're from the Holy Grail Federation."
Ding Meng was a little surprised. "Oh?"
The man said, "Ten years ago, you studied at Starlight University in Blue Pole Star City of the Holy Grail Federation's Blue Moon Planet. You passed the Starlight Exam with excellent results and participated in a secret military operation. However, you died in that operation."
Ding Meng was shocked. After a long time, he murmured, "The Fifth Lord is really a capable person. I didn't expect you to be able to find out about this."
The man said coldly, "I'm not the Fifth Lord."
"I know you're not!"
Ding Meng said slowly, "Your name is Hua Xiang, a pirate leader of the Sky Pole Star Zone in outer space of the Norse Empire. Thirty-two years ago, you robbed an Empire caravan and killed 78 Empire citizens. You were captured and killed by the Empire's Special Operations Team. I didn't expect you to still be alive."
Hua Xiang looked at him in surprise, but he soon calmed down. "You're wrong. I'm dead."
Ding Meng was silent for a while, then suddenly laughed. "I understand. I'm dead too."
Hua Xiang nodded and said, "It's good that you understand. Everyone who comes to this place is dead, no exception."
The "dead" he was referring to were people who were considered dead by the public and the government, but were still alive.
Ding Meng said, "How many dead people are there in this place?"
Hua Xiang laughed coldly. "That's not a question you should be asking."
Ding Meng said, "Then what should I be asking?"
Hua Xiang said, "You shouldn't be asking either. You should go back."
Ding Meng wondered, "Go back?
Go back where? "
Hua Xiang said, "Leave the headquarters and go back to your respective strongholds. Do whatever you need to do. This place doesn't welcome coolies. Weaklings will die sooner or later if they stay here. If they die here, they're really dead."
Ding Meng laughed coldly. "What if I don't go back?"
"There are no ifs in this place, only consequences!"
Hua Xiang suddenly raised his hand, and a wooden table shattered with a crash. His palm carried a sharp gust of wind with it as it swept up the table.
To be honest, he was not as strong as Ying Beinian. However, this room was small and they were close to each other. If he suddenly attacked, it would be very difficult to dodge.
Next to him, Su Xia decisively made her move. Hua Xiang raised his palm and she threw a punch at him. When their palms collided, the air immediately rippled. The ripples spread to the wooden walls and disappeared in time. It was not enough to destroy the wooden hut. This proved that Su Xia had already seen through Hua Xiang's strength when she made her move. That was why she used the same amount of strength as him.
"Since Mr. Ting is a guest of the Fifth Lord, you'd better be more polite," Su Xia said coldly.
From the beginning to the end, Ding Meng did not even move an inch. He just sat there calmly.
Hua Xiang's pupils constricted. If he could not even deal with Ding Meng's entourage, then Ding Meng himself was out of the question.
Ding Meng said calmly, "Do you still want me to go back now?"
Hua Xiang suddenly stood up and gritted his teeth. "You do have the right to go in, but I still have to tell you that even if you can get past me, there are still a lot of difficult problems waiting for you. Today is Big Tiger's birthday. Someone will come to take you in later. You'd better rest here for now."
Ding Meng said, "Who's Big Tiger?"
Hua Xiang said, "Big Dragon, Big Tiger, and Big Wei are the three fierce generals under Widow's command. When the Fifth Lord is not around, Widow and the leader jointly preside over the overall situation here."
Ding Meng smiled. "This place is quite interesting."
Hua Xiang looked at him deeply. "You won't find it interesting later. You're on your own!"
After saying that, he turned and walked out of the room. Ding Meng did not stop him. He turned his head and asked, "You've been in outer space for many years. You should know a little about this place, right?"
Su Xia pondered and said, "Do you know about concentration camps?"
Ding Meng said, "Like the Akashic Sodium concentration camp?"
Su Xia shook her head and said, "There are many kinds of concentration camps. Akashic Sodium concentration camp is for prisoners of war, but I've heard of the Blissful Island concentration camp a long time ago."
"Blissful Island concentration camp?" Ding Meng frowned and said, "What kind of concentration camp is that?"
Su Xia said, "Actually, I've been looking for this concentration camp all these years."
Ding Meng was curious. "Oh?"
Su Xia said, "Strictly speaking, the Blissful Island concentration camp should be renamed the Missing Persons Concentration Camp. Those who are thought to be dead or wanted criminals are usually taken in."
"What's the benefit of that?" Ding Meng asked.
Su Xia said, "I've heard that a lot of people have completely changed their appearances and left with a different identity. Of course, the price to pay for this is very high. Besides, the master of the Blissful Island is not called the Fifth Lord."
Ding Meng immediately realized that Su Xia must be regarded as a thorn in Beiming Gu's side. He must get rid of her as soon as possible. Therefore, if she wanted to cause trouble for Beiming Gu, she must not appear in the Empire with her real identity. Now that Gu Beiming Gu was the Vice President of the Apocalypse Group, once he found out that she was still alive, he would definitely have many ways to deal with her.
Su Xia must have come to the Blissful Island in hopes of changing her appearance.
Ding Meng wondered, "Can't the Biochemical School students practice techniques that can keep their appearance forever?
This type of technique can also change their appearance and body, so that others can't tell. "
Su Xia said, "I know about this, but there's a good thing about the Blissful Island concentration camp. As long as you can make a request to the master, as long as you can pay a high enough price, he will basically fulfill all your requests."
Ding Meng was even more curious. "There's such a thing? It seems that this Fifth Lord is not simple."
After the two chatted for a while, the soldier knocked on the door and came in. "Brother Ding, Mr. Dahu's banquet will be held in the evening. I'm here to take you there."
In the depths of the cold fog in the dense forest, an ancient-looking manor was built between a few big trees. If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, Ding Meng would have thought that he had traveled back in time to the Da Sheng Kingdom. The pavilion in front of him, with its waterside pavilions, birdsong, and fragrance of flowers, was basically the same as General Tianqing's mansion in the past.
Of course, there were still differences. At least the light source of this manor was electricity and crystal energy. At the moment, there were no less than a hundred people gathered in the courtyard. All of them looked ferocious and repulsive. Before Ding Meng arrived, he could already feel a sharp and cold aura from afar. It was the same aura as Hua Xiang's. It was enough to show that these people had killed a lot of people.
Ding Meng suddenly smiled. "Since I'm here, there's no reason for me to go back. Besides, I think this place is not bad."
Su Xia furrowed her brows. She could already smell a very strong fragrance coming from the courtyard.