Other nations that had previously oppressed Huaguo shared similar concerns.
After all, as enemies of Huaguo, these nations were very aware of one of Huaguo's traditions: a grudge spanning ten generations can still be avenged.
The strength displayed by Huaguo's revival and rise in recent years had already made them apprehensive; if they fell behind Huaguo again regarding Transcendent matters, then Blue Star would ultimately be ruled by Huaguo.
...
"Is there any way to enlarge the Space Gate?"
"The current Space Gate is too small; much of the equipment cannot be transported through. If the Space Gate were larger, what arrived this time wouldn't just be a mere few dozen All-Terrain Vehicles, but more, better, and stronger equipment."
Although the Combat Troops arriving in the Otherworld with the second batch brought 50 All-Terrain Vehicles and a large amount of heavy equipment, Gao Feng was still dissatisfied.
However, limited by the size of the Space Gate, the All-Terrain Vehicles were already considered the limit, and more and better equipment had so far been unable to reach the Otherworld through the Space Gate.
Solving this problem would require the efforts of Yang Zhiwen.
"Before I became a Transcendent, the Space Gate was even narrower, and its duration shorter. Only after I became a Transcendent did the Space Gate become larger and last longer. Therefore, I speculate that perhaps if I become stronger, the Space Gate can also become larger."
"Transcendent also have distinctions in rank and strength."
"Regarding the division of Transcendent ranks, I currently only know one thing: the ranks of Transcendent are divided into five levels."
"The first level is called the Initial Stage, referring to Transcendent who have just awakened their Superpowers."
"Generally, Transcendent at the first level have a time limit when using their abilities. For the ability I possess, the duration at the Initial Stage does not exceed ten minutes; if continuous fighting or defense is required during this time, the duration will be even shorter."
"The second level is called the Mastery Stage, referring to Transcendent who can already skillfully control and use their abilities."
"The third level is called the Dominance Stage, where the Transcendent can already completely dominate their abilities."
"I do not know about the subsequent fourth and fifth levels. I heard that the fourth and fifth levels are rare even in this world, and related information is considered absolutely confidential."
"Then how does one become the second level?"
"It can only be achieved by me continuously using my ability and then mastering the control and use of the ability."
"Alright, it seems that if we want a larger Space Gate, we still need time."
"Bang, bang, bang..."
"Ah..."
Just then, a burst of gunfire rang out.
Gao Feng and Yang Zhiwen exchanged a look and immediately realized something was wrong, because the gunfire originated from inside the castle, not outside.
It should be known that after the All-Terrain Vehicles arrived, Gao Feng had expanded the alert and patrol range several kilometers outside the castle. If a member of the Demon Race appeared, they could not have avoided the outer alerts and Patrol Teams.
Gunshots inside the castle now definitely meant something unexpected had occurred.
Soon, Gao Feng and Yang Zhiwen arrived at the location where the shots were fired.
"Li Guo, what happened?"
"Captain, I just saw a Commoner sneakily trying to approach the kitchen, so I shouted loudly to ask him what he was doing. As a result, this person immediately turned and ran upon hearing my reprimand, and I opened fire because I realized something was wrong."
"Captain Gao, I have some bad news."
Yang Zhiwen looked at a pool of purple liquid on the ground around the corner and immediately realized a major problem.
"What bad news?"
"A Shapeshifting Demon from the Demon Race has infiltrated the castle."
"Are you certain?"
"Look at this pool of blood on the ground; it was left by a Shapeshifting Demon."
Gao Feng had gained a preliminary understanding of the Shapeshifting Demon from Yang Zhiwen; they could transform into any person or animal of similar size, which meant this type of Demon possessed absolute infiltration capability.
"It seems we need to conduct a thorough screening of everyone in the castle."
"Not only the original occupants of the castle, but probably all the soldiers as well need to be screened."
"Are you worried that a Shapeshifting Demon might have transformed into one of our soldiers?"
"That is a possibility. It is somewhat difficult for ordinary Commoners to approach this area, but if it were one of our soldiers, they could approach easily."
"Immediately gather all Combat Troops inside the castle and conduct inspections in groups. Inform everyone that they only need to check the blood color; if anyone has purple blood, fire and kill them immediately without seeking further instruction."
"Yes!"
Because a Shapeshifting Demon had appeared inside the castle, Gao Feng and Yang Zhiwen were forced to first conduct a detailed screening of all personnel within the castle.
All soldiers were screened first.
The soldiers supervised each other in groups of five, cutting their fingers to check their blood color to determine if they were Shapeshifting Demons.
Soon, the screening results for the more than 200 soldiers were available: currently, none of the soldiers had been replaced by a Shapeshifting Demon.
After confirming there were no immediate issues inside the castle, Gao Feng and Yang Zhiwen immediately began screening the Commoners inside the castle.
However, after being busy for over an hour, Gao Feng and Yang Zhiwen were very surprised that they could not find any trace of a Shapeshifting Demon among all the Commoners in the castle.
Gao Feng and Yang Zhiwen simultaneously felt a sense of gloom.
It was certain that at least one Shapeshifting Demon had infiltrated the castle, but the problem was that after searching everyone, they could not find the Shapeshifting Demon.
"Could the Shapeshifting Demon have transformed into livestock instead of a person?"
"That is possible; immediately inspect all the livestock in the castle."
Soon, the few cattle, sheep, and horses in the castle also underwent screening, but the result was still surprising.
No trace of the Shapeshifting Demon was found.
Gao Feng and Yang Zhiwen, unwilling to give up, immediately conducted a carpet search of every place in the entire castle where a person could hide.
But the result was still fruitless, as if the Shapeshifting Demon that appeared had evaporated after being discovered.
However, whether it was Gao Feng or Yang Zhiwen, they both knew clearly that the Shapeshifting Demon that infiltrated the castle had definitely not left.
Because once it left the main castle structure and entered the outside, it would be impossible to escape under the watch of the alert personnel on the surrounding city walls and watchtowers. Especially after the gunshot, the personnel on the surrounding walls and watchtowers would immediately go on high alert; if it appeared in the sight of the alert personnel while leaving the castle at that time, it could not have escaped unharmed.
Therefore, Yang Zhiwen and Gao Feng were certain that the Shapeshifting Demon was still inside the castle.
The reason it hadn't been found was not that it had left, but that it was hidden in a place they hadn't expected.
But the entire castle, every location, had already been searched once. Could there still be a place in the castle they had overlooked?