Chapter 624 - 621: It’s Roger

Chapter 624: Chapter 621: It’s Roger

They tracked them for about another half an hour before the Orange Rank male scouting ahead rushed back. "They’ve stopped."

Bai Wanwan immediately asked, "Are they resting? What are the surroundings like?"

"They’re resting in a clearing in the woods."

"I’ll go keep an eye on them."

Chou Rong stopped him. "Your beast form is too conspicuous. The controlled males might not notice you, but if the Beastman controlling them is also in the area, you’ll be easily discovered."

Bai Wanwan nodded. "Chou Rong is right. Yin Ze, don’t go. None of you need to. I have a plan."

She gave her Beast Husbands a reassuring smile, then, without hesitation, decisively spent ten thousand Points to exchange for an insect-form reconnaissance drone.

"Jin Yi, I’m giving this to you. Just sneak up close and place it near them."

Jin Yi took the box. It was cool to the touch. Though he didn’t know what it was exactly, he had long grown accustomed to and trusted the various miraculous items Bai Wanwan produced.

He gripped the box, his deep eyes fixed on her. "Alright, I’ll go," he said, still worried. "Don’t leave Chou Rong and Yin Ze’s side, and be extremely careful."

"Don’t worry," Bai Wanwan gave him a reassuring smile. "They’re all here. I’ll be fine."

After watching Jin Yi’s phantom-like figure melt silently into the dense woods, Bai Wanwan immediately found a relatively concealed spot with a wide, open view. From her System Space, she retrieved the tablet-like monitor that paired with the insect drone and prepared to operate it.

The insect drone was designed to be rather intelligent; as soon as it left its special shielding box, it would automatically activate, enter standby mode, and await her remote commands.

The wait seemed to stretch on.

About ten minutes later, the perpetually black screen suddenly flickered. Then, a blurry, shaky image gradually stabilized and came into focus.

Clearly, the insect-shaped drone was out of its box.

Bai Wanwan’s spirits lifted. She immediately began maneuvering the little bug in the distance, carefully using the virtual joystick and buttons on the touchscreen.

She guided the bug slowly toward the group of seated Beastmen, crawling all the way to the grass by their feet and even scuttling past one Beastman’s outstretched palm.

However, the controlled males had no reaction. Their eyes stared blankly ahead, completely oblivious to the bug at their feet.

’Just like Hua Han was back then...’ Bai Wanwan muttered to herself, staring at the numb, stiff, and lifeless faces on the screen.

They were like puppets whose souls had been stolen, simply sitting there in silence with no interaction, as if waiting for something.

"What is that?" Yin Ze scooted closer to her. Seeing the glowing "slate" in her hands displaying a clear picture, his eyes filled with astonishment and curiosity.

Bai Wanwan looked up, smiled at him, and explained, "It’s a... machine that can see for us. With it, we can safely observe what’s happening from a distance."

She gave a simple explanation of its function.

A look of intense interest appeared on Yin Ze’s face. He sat down beside Bai Wanwan, leaning in to watch the screen with her.

"It looks like... they’re waiting for a command?" he guessed, observing the motionless state of the Beastmen.

"Mm, I think so too." Bai Wanwan nodded in agreement. "We’ll just have to wait and see what it is they’re waiting for."

She maneuvered the bug, having it deftly climb a large, nearby tree wrapped in thick vines. She picked the best vantage point—high up and overlooking all the Beastmen below—and had it stop there, perfectly still.

Time trickled by in the silent wait.

The image on the screen remained almost unchanged, the Beastmen as motionless as stone statues.

Bai Wanwan stared at the screen with rapt attention, her eyes beginning to feel sore and dry from focusing for so long.

As she watched the sun set and the sky grow dim, she couldn’t help but worry about the drone’s effectiveness at night.

The prolonged concentration made her feel a wave of fatigue. She couldn’t suppress a small yawn, and tears pricked the corners of her eyes.

Yin Ze, who had been waiting quietly beside her, saw this and extended a strong arm, gently pulling her by the shoulder into his embrace. "Lean on me," he said in a low voice. "You’ll be more comfortable."

"Mm." Bai Wanwan didn’t refuse. She obediently leaned into his warm, firm embrace, adjusted herself into a more comfortable position, and even tilted her head back to affectionately plant a light kiss on his well-defined jaw.

Feeling the soft touch of her lips and her rare show of dependence, Yin Ze’s lips curved in a satisfied smile.

Bai Wanwan had many Beast Husbands, so opportunities like this—to have her to himself and enjoy a moment of quiet tenderness—were exceedingly rare.

His arm around her shoulder tightened unconsciously. He lowered his head, his eyes swimming with affection, wanting to take advantage of the lull to steal a kiss...

However, his lips had barely touched hers, giving him no time to savor the moment, when Bai Wanwan suddenly pushed him away with a hand to his chest.

"Yin Ze, wait!" Bai Wanwan’s voice was urgent, her focus sharpened by a new development. Her gaze was locked on the screen. "Look there!"

A flicker of disappointment passed through Yin Ze, but he immediately looked at the monitor, following her pointing finger.

There, at the edge of the insect drone’s camera view, faint, moving figures appeared in the twilight-shrouded woods.

At first, they were very far away, appearing as just a few blurry dots on the screen, impossible to make out.

But as the figures drew closer, slowly and silently, the image gradually sharpened...

When the face of the Beastman leading the group came into clear view, Bai Wanwan’s pupils contracted, and her expression turned to one of surprise.

"It’s Roger!"

Bai Wanwan’s fingertips curled unconsciously as she stared intently at the real-time feed on the tablet in her hands.

The insect-shaped drone, cleverly hidden in a gap between dense leaves and branches, transmitted the distant scene with perfect clarity.

When that familiar, somewhat sinister face suddenly filled the center of the screen, she felt both surprised and, at the same time, as if she should have expected it.

Surprised to see him again so clearly, in this place and at this time; yet it was just as she’d suspected—his shadow was behind all of these events.

Onscreen, Roger strode casually among the controlled Beastmen with their empty eyes and stiff movements, as if inspecting his own army of puppets.

She immediately suppressed the turmoil in her heart and turned to Yin Ze, who stood guard beside her.

"Yin Ze," Bai Wanwan said, speaking quickly but keeping her voice low, "go get Chou Rong. Now."

"Don’t move. I’ll be right back."