MM Racing Page 294
Page 294
The Queen remained dignified and gentle, asking Naruto how he had rested and whether he had gotten used to life in Loulan.
Naruto took a deep breath and decided to test the waters.
He did not directly expose the underground arms factory, but instead expressed his "concerns" in a relatively subtle way:
"Your Majesty, thank you for your concern."
"Everything about Loulan is amazing."
"But... I had some insomnia last night, and while I was taking a walk near my residence, I seemed to vaguely hear... some unusual sounds coming from underground, like the clanging of metal and the roar of machinery?"
"And it seems... the energy of the dragon veins on the ground sometimes becomes... restless? Is that a problem?"
He tried to make his tone sound curious and a little uneasy.
However, upon hearing his words, the Queen merely smiled faintly and gently, shaking her head: "Young ninja, you are overthinking it."
“There are indeed some workshops and energy regulation devices set up underground for the operation of the city, and some noise is normal.”
"As for the energy of the dragon vein, it has always been personally monitored and regulated by Minister An Lushan, and there will never be any problems."
"He was Loulan's benefactor, and his wisdom and loyalty are beyond question."
Her tone was full of unwavering trust in An Lushan, without even the slightest doubt about Naruto's words.
It's as if any questioning of An Lushan or the existing order is unnecessary.
Naruto's heart sank.
The Queen was completely unaware of this, or rather, she was completely deceived.
An Lushan clearly concealed the truly dangerous aspects very well, showing the Queen only the beautiful and prosperous side.
He could not continue speaking, otherwise it would only arouse suspicion.
He could only lower his head and pretend to be relieved: "So that's how it is. I was being too sensitive. Please forgive me, Your Majesty."
After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Naruto and Sara took their leave and departed the palace.
Stepping out of the palace, the sun shone brightly, but Naruto felt even heavier in his heart.
It seems that peaceful negotiations and reminders are not an option.
He looked at Sarah, who was innocent and carefree and completely unaware of the impending crisis, and clenched his fists secretly.
It seems that only one last option remains.
Infiltrate the palace at night to find conclusive evidence, or... directly expose the true face of the so-called "Minister An Lushan"!
He looked up at the sky; Loulan was still beautiful and peaceful during the day.
But once night falls, undercurrents will surge once more here.
Chapter 315 The Reincarnated Ruler
The night was as dark as ink, once again enveloping the prosperous yet eerie Loulan.
Inside the guest room, Naruto was not asleep, but sat cross-legged on the bed, breathing long and rhythmic.
The surrounding natural energy, as if drawn by an invisible force, slowly converged from all directions and flowed into his body.
It maintains a delicate balance and fusion with its own chakra and spiritual energy.
Gradually, orange-red eyeshadow appeared around his eyes, adding a touch of mystery and majesty to his appearance.
When he slowly opened his eyes, his pupils had already turned into horizontal stripes of vertical pupils like a toad's—Sage Mode activated!
This was the first time Naruto had used Sage Mode since finishing his training at Mount Myōboku.
Before, you didn't need to use it, but now you need to be able to catch the super-strong perception of Sage Mode.
During his training at Mount Myōboku, he became well aware of the terrifying amplification of sensory abilities that Sage Mode could provide.
Not only can it greatly expand its range, but it can also "see" the nature of chakra, subtle fluctuations in emotions, and even... the form of life.
Naruto used the immense sensory power granted by Sage Mode like radar waves.
Centered on itself, it spread outwards to the entire Loulan region and even further afield.
In an instant, the world became completely different in his "perceptual vision".
Instead of the buildings and lights visible to the naked eye, there are countless flowing, colorful chakra points of light.
The chakra of ordinary residents is weak and steady, like quiet stars in the night sky;
The core of those dragon vein puppets consists of stable yet cold purple light spots that operate according to a predetermined program;
Further away, he could even vaguely "see" the massive and mixed chakra aggregate of Sunagakure on the border of the Land of Wind.
Like a lighthouse in the desert.
But he immediately focused his mind and concentrated all his senses back on Loulan itself.
The sensory field of vision is constantly magnified and refined, penetrating walls, sweeping across streets, and penetrating every corner of buildings.
He "saw" Sara sleeping peacefully in her bedchamber, her chakra pure and warm, carrying the tranquility of a young girl.
He "saw" the intricate energy flow inside the patrolling puppet.
He "saw" some maintenance channels and energy nodes in the shallow underground layer.
However, as his senses tried to extend deeper underground to explore the details of the terrifying arms factory from the previous night.
However, after penetrating about 500 meters, they encountered an incredibly tough, invisible, and intangible yet exceptionally powerful barrier!
This barrier is not a physical entity, but rather is composed of highly condensed dragon vein energy that has been distorted by a special technique.
It perfectly blocked all information below, effectively shutting out Naruto's senses.
No matter how much Naruto activated his Sage Mode chakra, he couldn't penetrate it even a fraction, as if the space below was a completely separate and isolated world.
"As expected... the most important thing was hidden away."
Naruto frowned, not surprised by the result.
Given the meticulous planning behind this mysterious operation, the core area must be protected with the strongest defenses.
Since he couldn't explore underground, he immediately changed his target.
Pushing the precision of perception to its limit, like the finest probe, slowly sweeping across the most magnificent and central structure on the ground—
The palace where the Queen resides.
Perception penetrated the ornate walls and dome, passing over the guards on duty.
Ultimately, the focus shifts to the deepest part of the palace, to the room that symbolizes the highest power in Loulan.
The Queen's figure appeared in his field of vision.
However, the next second, Naruto was struck as if by lightning, his whole body jolted violently, and even Sage Mode almost became unstable due to the violent fluctuation of his emotions!
In his perception, the Loulan Queen's chakra... was extremely abnormal!
That was not the vibrant and warm chakra flow possessed by the living.
It was a cold, silent, eerie energy that seemed to be mixed with dust and the underworld!
Although cleverly disguised and simulated using an extremely sophisticated method, it is almost indistinguishable from a living person.
Even the whites of the eyes are visually simulated to be a normal white, and the skin is smooth without any cracks.
But this cannot escape the Sage Mode's insight into the nature of energy!
This characteristic of chakra is undoubtedly the chakra reaction unique to the dead, possessed only by those resurrected through Edo Tensei!
"How...how is it possible..."
Naruto muttered to himself, his voice trembling slightly with extreme shock and disbelief: "Your Majesty... she... she's actually a resurrected dead person through Edo Tensei?!"
This truth, like the coldest dagger, pierced his heart in an instant.
The queen, so gentle, so noble, and so beloved by her people, was actually a puppet being manipulated.
That innocent and carefree princess who loved her mother wholeheartedly... did she know?
What she faced every day was the desecrated soul and body of her long-deceased mother.
An indescribable sadness and anger instantly overwhelmed Naruto.
He was saddened by the Queen's fate and heartbroken at the immense deception and suffering Sarah might have endured.
"Who...who was so cruel as to murder the Queen? And who...reincarnated her using such a forbidden technique that desecrates the dead?!"
Naruto clenched his fists so tightly that his nails almost dug into his palms, and his intense anger caused the surrounding natural energy to begin to stir slightly.
The answer came to him almost instantly.
The technique of reincarnation in the Impure World.
Obsession with dragon veins and forbidden techniques.
Technology ahead of its time.
A ruthless and cold-blooded style of doing things that treat human life as worthless...
All the clues pointed unequivocally to one name—
"Big... snake... pill!!!"
These two words were practically squeezed out from between Naruto's teeth, filled with deep-seated hatred and murderous intent.
Only that evil scientist would do something so heinous!
Only he possesses the technology and knowledge to improve the Impure World Reincarnation technique, making it almost indistinguishable from the real thing!
If he really did arrive in Loulan in this era three years earlier than his group.
He has plenty of time to accomplish all of this.
To kill the real queen and use the Impure World Reincarnation technique to manipulate her body as a perfect cover.
Then, they would use future knowledge to bewitch or control that "Minister An Lushan," and control everything from behind the scenes.
He turned Loulan into his vast testing ground and arsenal!
The enormous conspiracy, like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, was completely completed in Naruto's mind, outlining an incomparably dark and cruel picture.