Skinwalker Belle – Chapter 281 – Analysis of the Rift

“Hey, Zhou Ming.”

Lin Fan withdrew her gaze from the crowd, casually tidying her silver hair that had been ruffled by the wind. Her tone was as casual as if she were asking if he’d had breakfast yet. “That big guy, have you figured it out?”

Zhou Ming froze for a moment, then immediately realized what Lin Fan was talking about.

A month ago, before Lin Fan left Modu for the Dragon Spirit Continent, she had specifically left Zhou Ming behind and given him a critical mission—to use his Space-based superpower, in coordination with the Federation’s equipment, to analyze the Spatial Rift.

“Pretty much.”

As the conversation turned to his area of expertise, Zhou Ming’s posture straightened, and a hint of confidence appeared on his face. “Lily, if you hadn’t come back, we were planning to try opening the Rift in the next few days anyway.”

“Lead the way.”

Lin Fan’s words were concise.

The two of them passed through the square, which was still buzzing with excitement, and headed straight for the base’s core area.

The Chuanxi Base command center had been completely transformed.

The old, Federation-style equipment had been replaced with high-precision instruments transported from Modu.

All sorts of wires covered the floor like blood vessels, and dozens of screens flickered with complex streams of data.

And in the very center of the command center stood two people.

One was Chu Chen, who was staring blankly at a screen with a lollipop in his mouth.

The other was Chen Mo, who had just regained his sanity and had a face full of guilt.

Seeing Lin Fan push the door open, Chen Mo shot up as if electrocuted, his eyes flashing with a fanatical light.

“Lady Lei Li!”

If he had been wary of Lin Fan before, then after drinking the “Holy Water,” that gratitude had transformed into a kind of near-religious devotion.

As long as it wasn’t an order to die immediately, he would do it unconditionally.

If he continued to drink the Holy Water in the future and his faith was reinforced, he would not hesitate to give even his life.

“Alright, cut the formalities.”

Lin Fan waved her hand dismissively, casually pulling over a chair and sitting down. She crossed her two long, snow-white legs, her toes in pure white short socks wiggling as they held the straps of her geta sandals.

“How’s your body?”

“Reporting to Lady Lei Li! I’m much stronger than before, and my mind is very clear!”

Chen Mo answered loudly, then his expression darkened. “It’s just… I’m no longer fit to be the commander. If you hadn’t intervened, I would have nearly led my brothers to disaster.”

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As he spoke, he looked at Chu Chen beside him and said in a deep voice, “Chu Chen is stronger than me. From now on, the Chuanxi Base will be under Commander Chu’s command.”

Chu Chen took the lollipop out of his mouth and shrugged helplessly.

“Don’t look at me, I’m just crashing here.”

Lin Fan’s fingers tapped lightly on the armrest as her gaze swept over the two of them.

“Chu Chen has a good head on his shoulders. He’ll manage the big picture.”

Lin Fan made the final decision. “As for you, Chen Mo, your soldiers are still yours to lead.”

“Huh?” Chen Mo was stunned.

“I need your men to surround this Rift completely.”

Lin Fan pointed to the massive Spatial Rift outside the window, her tone chilling. “Whether it’s something coming out from inside or someone trying to get in from outside, without my direct order, you are not to let a single fly pass.”

Chen Mo’s body trembled, and an astonishing brilliance erupted in his eyes.

This was trust!

This was God’s salvation for him, a sinner!

“Yes! I guarantee the mission will be completed! Unless we’re all dead!”

Chen Mo gave a standard military salute, then turned and strode out.

Watching Chen Mo’s back, which looked like he had been injected with stimulants, Chu Chen fiddled with the lollipop in his mouth.

“That stuff you gave him packs quite a punch.”

Chu Chen looked at Lin Fan with a half-smile.

“You’re overthinking it. It’s just high-purity Spirit Energy,” Lin Fan replied nonchalantly, then looked at Zhou Ming, who had been waiting by the side. “Show me.”

“Okay.”

Zhou Ming took a deep breath and walked to the central control console.

Voom—!

The holographic projector in the center of the command center activated.

A blue beam of light projected into the air, constructing a complex three-dimensional model.

It was a model of the Chuanxi Base’s Spatial Rift.

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Unlike a typical chaotic energy vortex, this model had countless golden lines, like a lock, binding the violent spatial energy to a specific frequency.

“This is the result of this past month’s work.”

Zhou Ming pointed to a red dot on the model, his voice tinged with excitement. “The so-called Spatial Rift is actually like a locked door. You can get in by breaking it down with brute force, but that makes too much noise and can easily damage the door.”

“What I’m doing now is finding the ‘keyhole’ to this lock.”

Zhou Ming made a grasping motion with his hand, and the holographic model began to rotate, finally splitting open a minuscule crack at the location of the red dot.

“I can’t tear open a passage with brute force like the one who opened the Rift.”

“But I can use my Spatial Resonance Frequency to temporarily open a ‘small hole’ in this big door.”

Lin Fan raised an eyebrow. “A hole? How big?”

“About…”

Zhou Ming gestured with his hands. “It can only be maintained for ten minutes at a time. The passage’s stability is also limited, allowing a maximum of about three hundred people to pass through at once.”

“Also,” Zhou Ming paused, scratching his head in embarrassment, “every time I open it, my stamina will be completely drained. I estimate I’ll need to rest for at least twenty-four hours before I can open it a second time.”

Chu Chen, listening from the side, nodded thoughtfully.

“Ten minutes, three hundred people, once a day.”

Chu Chen calculated, “Which means this kind of passage isn’t suitable for large-scale army operations, only for elite squad infiltration.”

“That’s enough.”

A satisfied arc formed on Lin Fan’s lips.

She had never expected to be able to lead an army of tens of thousands to counterattack the Dragon Spirit Continent right now.

That would be suicide.

What she wanted was a secret passage that could bypass the main sightlines of the Dragon Clan, allowing for a continuous flow of traffic between the two worlds.

Whether it was for trading goods or sending “leeks” over there to train, this frequency was more than sufficient.

“Good job.”

Lin Fan offered a rare compliment.

Zhou Ming’s face instantly turned red, and he chuckled foolishly, looking even more excited than Chen Mo had been.

“Right.”

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Lin Fan seemed to have suddenly remembered something and turned to look at Chu Chen.

“Those soldiers of yours from Modu, none of them have had my Energy Potion, have they?”

With a flip of her palm, a small glass bottle appeared at her fingertips.

The bottle contained a clear liquid, identical to the “Holy Water” in the large barrels in the square.

“This is good stuff.”

Lin Fan shook the bottle, her tone full of temptation. “You saw it just now. Drink it, and even an ordinary person can awaken. If those old veterans of yours from Modu drink it, their strength will increase significantly.”

“How about it? Want me to distribute some to your men?”

Lin Fan looked at Chu Chen with a smile. “It’s free, no charge.”

The air in the command center suddenly grew a little quieter.

Shi Ming, who was standing nearby, also looked at Chu Chen, a hint of anticipation in his eyes.

He had personally witnessed the miraculous effects of this potion and naturally hoped his comrades could all become stronger.

Chu Chen stared at the glass bottle in Lin Fan’s hand.

The liquid was crystal clear, refracting a captivating luster under the light.

But what flashed through his mind was Chen Mo’s fanatical gaze from just moments ago, a gaze that was almost a loss of self.

And the survivors in the square, fighting like wild beasts just to get a mouthful of water.

He even thought of the inducing agents the Federation mixed into their supplies.

In this world, all free lunches often came with the most expensive price tag in the end.

Even if the person offering it was Lei Li.

Crack.

Chu Chen bit down on the candy in his mouth, making a crisp sound.

He pulled out a handful of colorful candy wrappers from his pocket, slowly unwrapped a new one, and popped it into his mouth.

“Thanks,” Chu Chen said indistinctly, his eyes as calm as a pool of stagnant water. “But we still have plenty of Crystals from Modu. It’ll be enough for the brothers to digest for a while.”

“This kind of precious strategic resource should be left for those who need it more.”

He had refused.

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And he had refused quite decisively.

Shi Ming was a little surprised. He opened his mouth to say something, but after seeing Chu Chen’s expression, he swallowed his words.

The smile on Lin Fan’s face didn’t change in the slightest.

Of course, she knew what Chu Chen was wary of.

This old fox had a very keen nose.

Although he didn’t know the specific mechanism of “Faith Feedback,” he had instinctively sensed that something was not right.

But, it didn’t matter.

Lin Fan clenched her hand, and the glass bottle instantly vanished from her palm.

“Suit yourself.”

She stood up and stretched, her perfect waistline revealed under her raised miko robes.

“You only get one chance. If you want to drink it in the future, you’ll have to trade something for it.”

After speaking, she turned and walked towards the door.

“Zhou Ming, get ready.”

Lin Fan’s voice floated back, light yet carrying an unquestionable authority.

“We’ll open the passage this afternoon.”

“It’s about time to start our Otherworld Migration Plan.”

Watching Lin Fan’s departing figure, Zhou Ming hurriedly followed.

In the command center, Chu Chen looked at the constantly rotating spatial model on the screen, then at the chair Lin Fan had just been sitting in.

After a long while, he let out a breath, his eyes complicated.

“Lei Li…”

He murmured in a low voice, his fingers gently stroking the colorful candy wrapper.

“What… are you really trying to do?”

That power that drove people to fanaticism, was it really for the sake of salvation?

“Should I… trust you?”