Rou Moyu’s eyes were deep, calm to the point of ruthlessness. Her slender fingers lightly tapped the table as she brought up a map and data:

"E-City’s geographical location is unique. It was a crucial transportation hub and industrial reserve base in the old era. Its underground pipeline network system is extremely complex. It is quite possible to call it a ‘transfer station.’"

"Wen Dizhi mentioned ‘the true ritual’ and ‘the true future’ are beyond our reach, combined with the lack of ‘timing’ and ‘materials.’ I believe the core ritual site is likely not in E-City. E-City might just be a distribution center for supplies, information, or low-level personnel, or even a deliberate bait."

"As for the materials…"

She paused, looking at Zuo Feng,

"Chief Zuo, there’s something I don’t know if I should say."

Zuo Feng replied:

"Just say it."

Rou Moyu slowly raised her eyes, her voice low and clear:

"Actually, regarding the material that is even harder to obtain than ninety-nine million sacrifices, I might have a slight conjecture."

As soon as Rou Moyu said this, the entire command center fell into a brief silence.

If they could know what that material truly was, they might be able to anticipate the enemy’s next move.

"Actually, Chief Zuo, haven’t we witnessed an act of sacrifice before?"

"If the ‘Master’ Wen Dizhi spoke of is to perform a large-scale sacrifice, then Chief Zuo, the sacrifice that appeared in the Void Land can be understood as a failed rehearsal or a localized experiment."

"But the core of the sacrifice involved always follows similar patterns."

Speaking of this, Rou Moyu paused for a moment before continuing:

"Chief Zuo, during that sacrifice in the Void Land, we all thought it was the Six-Slash Zombie’s self-sacrifice that attracted those eyes. But later, Chief Zuo also produced many Six-Slash Zombies; why didn’t any of them self-sacrifice again?"

"Because that Six-Slash Zombie was not a voluntary sacrifice, but a guided, manipulated offering, just like the ninety-nine million sacrifices. The reason there were no more sacrifices later is the lack of that core medium that can manipulate and guide the sacrifice, which is the ‘material’ that is harder to obtain than ninety-nine million sacrifices. This means that in the previous sacrifice, that ‘material’ had already appeared."

Rou Moyu stopped here, her gaze fixed on Zuo Feng.

Zuo Feng’s pupils suddenly constricted, and his fingertips abruptly gripped the edge of the table.

Rou Moyu had made it clear enough. The reason that sacrifice succeeded, besides the offerings, was that it was entirely guided by the Born Beasts!

At first, everyone thought those little beasts were just playfully toying with the Slash Zombie;

But now, combining this with what Wen Dizhi said, it’s clear that sacrifice was primarily conducted by the Born Beasts. As for the material, even if it isn't the Born Beasts themselves, it must have a deep connection with them.

Recalling the process of the little beasts completing the small sacrifice that night, it seemed no additional external objects were needed as a medium. The entire battle never left everyone’s sight. The only time it left their sight was a short period before the sacrifice when Fatty and Rolley used their spatial abilities to bring the escaping Six-Slash Zombie back into the spatial interstice. The captured Six-Slash Zombie then completed its self-sacrifice, and at that moment, Tiegada conveyed a dangerous thought to Zuo Feng.

Connecting all this, that successful sacrifice was definitely led by the little beasts!

And was that material, more crucial than the ninety-nine million sacrifices, truly a physical object?

Or was it some intangible existence, like a qualification? Perhaps the material was not a physical entity, but a kind of bestowed “authority”—only Mutants or Born Beasts could open the gate of sacrifice.

Mao Wudi, Tie Zhenshan, Rou Moyu, everyone’s eyes were fixed on Zuo Feng.

Mao Wudi’s bell-like eyes were wide open, and the flesh on his face twitched. He clearly recalled that bizarre scene, his heavy breathing like a bellows.

Tie Zhenshan’s clenched fists were white at the knuckles, and the anger in his eyes was replaced by a deeper dread.

Rou Moyu’s fingers, tapping the table, also stopped. Her gaze was as sharp as a needle, capturing every subtle change on Zuo Feng’s face.

"It’s them…"

Zuo Feng slowly raised his head, a surging tempest in the depths of his eyes—a tremendous shock and bone-chilling coldness brought on by glimpsing a corner of the abyss.

"The last sacrifice in the Void Land was not initiated by the Slash Zombie, but by those Born Beasts… They were the true guides!"

He suddenly looked at Rou Moyu, his voice urgent, almost demanding confirmation:

"Chief Rou, do you mean that the ‘material’ that Wen Dizhi and the ‘Master’ behind him lack, which is more important than ninety-nine million sacrifices, is very likely… the Born Beasts themselves? Or, a critical medium capable of controlling them to guide the sacrifice?"

Rou Moyu slowly nodded, her glasses reflecting a cold light:

"This is the most reasonable deduction so far. They successfully guided a Six-Slash Zombie to complete a sacrifice last time, summoning that terrifying existence."

"So, if there are enough, or more powerful Born Beasts, combined with ninety-nine million zombie sacrifices… the ‘ultimate ritual’ they intend to complete will be far beyond our imagination in scale and power!"

"They… might be the key to opening that ‘Gate of Sacrifice’!"

Zuo Feng and Da Bai Tu exchanged glances, both seeing a hint of caution in each other’s eyes.

Currently, besides Firefly, no other force has successfully captured Mutants, and there isn’t even a record of injuring a Mutant!

If Mutants and Born Beasts are truly the most crucial ‘keys’ or ‘materials’.

Where did the ‘Master’ Wen Dizhi spoke of get the confidence and audacity to control such a terrifying ritual?

Does he already possess some existence capable of wielding Mutants and Born Beasts?

Or does he, like Zuo Feng, have an awakened ability to subdue Mutants?

Zuo Feng’s mind raced. He always felt something was missing. Only Mutants could defeat Mutants. Zuo Feng recalled his process of subduing Mutants. He was able to subdue Kong Ling entirely because when he encountered Kong Ling, the Blood Moon had not yet descended, and Kong Ling had not fully awakened into its true Mutant form. It was still in the early stages of transformation. Even so, Zuo Feng barely managed to subdue Kong Ling after a life-and-death struggle. As for Tiegada, subduing it was pure luck. It was only with these two Mutants, Kong Ling and Tiegada, that Zuo Feng’s later attempts to subdue Mutants became smoother.

The Master Wen Dizhi spoke of could never control Mutants out of thin air. Even if he had the same subduing ability as Zuo Feng, there would have to be a prerequisite—at least one already domesticated Mutant as a “catalyst” to gradually control more. This probability is too low.

Moreover, Wen Dizhi also revealed that his “Master” had not performed the ultimate sacrifice due to a lack of materials, indicating that even if the “Master” possessed a method of domestication, he did not have Mutants.

Since he doesn’t have Mutants, how would he complete the sacrifice guidance?

And there’s another point: the timing is not right. The ‘timing’ Wen Dizhi spoke of may not necessarily refer to the sacrifice needing to occur at a specific time, but more likely to the achievement of a certain state or condition.