I can find treasures in my dreams.

The eerie Gobi Desert vanished, and the roars of beasts subsided. Zhou Furui felt a blur before his eyes, and his surroundings changed instantly.

The major only glanced at it before he froze.

The expected cold, hard cave did not appear; instead, a warm, sticky, fishy smell hit you, and you could feel the unique dampness of flesh under your feet.

What lies before us is not a sanctuary at all, but rather the interior of the organs of some enormous creature.

Everywhere you look, there are writhing, dark red walls of flesh, with bulging veins between the muscles, rising and falling slightly with some kind of dull throbbing, as if they are about to engulf and devour the intruder at any moment.

The fleshy protrusion hanging from the top was slowly gathering drops of murky mucus, which then fell down in twos and threes.

"Clap!"

One drop of slime landed squarely on the armor's outer shell, spreading out a sticky water stain and emitting a faint putrid odor.

With a "sizzle," a tiny black spot was clearly left on the silvery-white metallic surface of the armor.

"drop!"

The armor's AI immediately issued a warning: "A large amount of highly corrosive substances of unknown composition have been detected in the environment. Do you want to activate the autonomous evasion mode and turn on the protective force field?"

Zhou Furui hesitated for a moment, then commanded through the main control system: "Activate autonomous evasion mode, do not turn on the protective force field."

Although the armor still has 98% energy, who knows how long this game will last? We might never be able to get out of here, so we have to conserve some energy.

The so-called "protective force field" was considered cutting-edge technology more than a decade ago.

These days, they are very common in the UN Defence Forces, with most vehicles equipped with force field generators, the only difference being the power level.

"This is a stomach!"

As Zhou Furui observed the cave of flesh and blood, this thought uncontrollably flashed through his mind.

This place is practically the stomach of some monster, and I and Lieutenant Colonel Yang are nothing more than prey who have inadvertently fallen into it and are about to be completely digested.

He even had some doubts: Was this really a sanctuary? Had they just escaped the threat of the stone sculptures only to stumble into an even deeper trap?

"Ready to fight!"

Yang Donglin suddenly shouted.

Before he finished speaking, the surrounding flesh and blood walls suddenly trembled violently, and countless bulges rapidly rose from the inner walls, then burst open with a "poof," splashing out a sky full of bloody red liquid.

The moment the mass of flesh hit the ground, it twisted and split into hundreds of worms, their bodies glistening and slippery, as thick as an arm, swarming towards the two of them.

These worms have bizarre mouthparts split open on their heads, resembling a suddenly blooming blood-red flower, with petal-like mandibles that spurt out dark green venom.

Before the venom even hit the ground, it emitted a pungent white smoke that rose into the air. The moment it landed on the ground, it corroded the fleshy "ground" into pits and craters.

Yang Donglin reacted extremely quickly. With a flick of his wrist, the plasma blade mounted on his armor hummed as it was unsheathed, slashing a bright arc of light horizontally towards the swarm of worms.

Several worms were instantly cleaved in two, and as the foul-smelling sap splattered, he used the high mobility of his armor to sidestep and avoid the venom sprayed from the side.

A protective force field was deployed simultaneously, and an invisible barrier blocked all the sporadic splashes of venom.

Zhou Furui didn't dare to be negligent either. He controlled his armor to activate the shoulder cannon, and the low-power energy bullets accurately bombarded the densest part of the swarm. At the same time, he kept moving his feet, using tricky footwork to shuttle through the gaps in the swarm.

The agility of the Tiangong-9 battle armor was on full display at this moment. Every move it made was just enough to avoid the trajectory of the venom spray. Occasionally, when it was impossible to dodge in time, the protective force field would withstand the attack.

Nevertheless, a few drops of venom still splashed onto the edge of the armor, instantly corroding several charred spots, more than ten times larger than the small spots corroded by the liquid dripping from the cave.

The outer shell of the Tiangong-9 armor is made of a secondary alloy, which is inherently highly corrosion-resistant. However, the venom was able to leave marks easily, demonstrating its destructive power.

In less than a minute, the last worm was chopped into several pieces, twitching and collapsing to the ground.

The battle came to an abrupt end, leaving only the throbbing of flesh and the lingering stench of decay in the air.

Yang Donglin's armor was spotless, without a trace of venom.

On Zhou Furui's armor, the dozen or so corroded spots were particularly glaring in the dim light.

“It’s safe now, we can rest for a while.” Yang Donglin’s tone remained calm. “The second wave of bugs is expected to appear in two hours. This game won’t let us get through one night in peace.”

Zhou Furui nodded, a wave of shame washing over him.

Just now, he even doubted that this place was not a shelter and questioned his superior's judgment.

Now that we've calmed down and thought about it carefully, from the perspective of game designers, these layers of tests are actually quite reasonable.

Finding shelter tests one's insight and wisdom, while the battle to enter the shelter tests one's strength and adaptability.

The being who created this bizarre Gobi world probably wants to use this thrilling game to select the truly intelligent and courageous candidate.

"drop!"

A voice from the intelligent AI sounded in the cockpit of the battle armor: "Sentinel mode activated."

After the armor switches to Sentinel mode, the machine instantly enters a low-power operation state. Only the life support system and the full-band detection system remain at full capacity, while the other modules switch to standby mode.

The driver can rest with peace of mind. Once a danger signal is detected, the intelligent AI will automatically take over the armor for emergency defense and issue a warning to the driver immediately.

Zhou Furui's tense back finally relaxed, and he slowly closed his eyes to regulate his breathing.

The series of bizarre and unbelievable encounters he had just experienced were the most bizarre and thrilling moments of his life. Now that his nerves had relaxed a little, exhaustion washed over him like a tidal wave.

A few minutes later, Yang Donglin's calm voice broke the silence: "Let's take a look at the situation outside now."

Zhou Furui suddenly opened his eyes, his gaze immediately drawn to the gilded soul card album floating in mid-air.

The pages of the card album flipped rapidly with a "whoosh," and a card with a strange pattern floated out. On the card, a bronze mirror shaped like a ghost's head appeared lifelike.

The mirror's edge is engraved with intricate ancient patterns, and a wide-open vertical pupil is embedded in the center of the mirror. The mottled texture of the copper rust is striking, exuding a strong sense of antiquity and eeriness.

The card shattered into countless points of light in an instant, which then coalesced into a phantom bronze mirror with a ghostly head.

The vertical pupil in the center of the bronze mirror slowly bulged out from the surface, transforming into a spinning ghost eye. Its surface was covered with dark green patina, and the pupil gleamed with a cold light, sending chills down one's spine.

Zhou Furui stared blankly at this scene, marveling in his heart: Where did Lieutenant Colonel Yang learn so many incredible methods?

Just then, something rather comical happened.

The ghostly eyes suddenly shifted, staring intently at Zhou Furui. A hoarse, arrogant voice rang out from nowhere: "What are you looking at, you scoundrel? You dare not pay your respects to me?"

He had the exact demeanor of an old-fashioned, grumpy patriarch.

Zhou Furui was immediately filled with embarrassment.

Yang Donglin coughed lightly and said in a deep voice, "Don't be rude."

Ghost Eyes instantly suppressed his ferocity, his tone suddenly becoming obsequious: "Yes, my great master!"

Yang Donglin glanced at his embarrassed subordinate beside him and casually explained, "The core of this 'Bronze Ghost Eye' was transformed from a peculiar remnant soul, which is why it has a somewhat eccentric nature."

Zhou Furui was increasingly shocked as he listened.

Soul modification is an extremely profound field. Even among knight-level powerhouses, only a few can get involved. How could Lieutenant Colonel Yang have mastered such a mysterious technique?
Yang Donglin said no more and gave Ghost Eye the order: "Observe the situation outside the shelter."

Ghost Eyes respectfully replied, "I will obey my master's orders!"

Before the words were finished, the bulging eyeball suddenly disappeared, and ripples spread across the surface of the ghost-headed bronze mirror. When the ripples subsided, the real-time scene of the Gobi Desert was clearly reflected on the mirror.

Zhou Furui glanced at it and felt his scalp tingle, a chill running down his spine.

At this moment, the sky had been swallowed up by darkness, with only a pale sliver of light remaining on the horizon, struggling precariously, on the verge of being completely extinguished.

The thousands of stone sculptures on the Gobi Desert trembled, stone chips fell in a flurry, and violent roars of beasts rose and fell, converging into a surging wave of sound, as if to overturn the entire world.

Many of the stone sculptures were surrounded by hazy, illusory beast figures. Just by looking at them, Zhou Furui had a strong intuition: these beings were likely at the level of high-level warriors.

The major swallowed hard, a sense of relief washing over him. Had he not found shelter in time, he probably wouldn't have lasted a minute in such a situation.

Yang Donglin's voice carried a hint of solemnity: "It has begun."

The word "了" had barely left his lips when the last glimmer of light on the horizon was completely swallowed by darkness.

"Ow—!"

"Roar--!"

"twitter--!"

Countless shrill and violent roars suddenly exploded, the sound waves soaring straight into the sky.

On the vast Gobi Desert, thousands of stone sculptures instantly "came to life".

The stone body writhed and surged like molten wax, the hard rock shedding its sharp edges and transforming into supple flesh, rough skin, or gleaming scales.

Wisps of eerie black smoke swirled around them, making them look like monsters crawling out of the abyss.

These awakened beings take on various forms: there are giant birds with wings that blot out the sky and sun; there are ferocious beasts with thick limbs and sharp claws; and there are also some distorted and indescribable alien creatures that stand menacingly on the Gobi Desert.

They appear chaotic, yet they subtly form an array, displaying a military-like discipline.

Monsters gathered in one area, beasts roamed the ground, and birds circled around, quickly forming small teams.

Zhou Furui was utterly shocked, and even his breathing became labored.

*
Azure civilization.

At the summit of the Dream City, the Star Gazing Platform.

The platform is engraved with runes depicting the trajectories of billions of stars, and it flows with a faint starlight all year round.

Yang Wanyu stood in the center of the observatory, her gaze piercing through the starry sky beyond the dome.

A bright light suddenly flashed in her eyes, and a joyful cry broke the silence of the observatory: "I sensed it! It's the aura of the East!"

Yang Yanchen, standing beside him, clenched his fists tightly, his brows furrowed with a mixture of surprise and anxiety. He asked repeatedly, "Is Second Brother alright?"

The news that Yang Donglin had dared to venture into the Lost Sand Abyss had already resounded like thunder throughout the entire Yang family.

At this moment, the hearts of all the brothers and sisters in this family, who hold the title of the richest family in the Azure Civilization, are hanging in the balance.

Yang Wanyu lightly stroked the floating star-gazing monument with her fingertips, and after a moment nodded emphatically: "Don't worry, his soul fluctuations are stable and strong, and he's in excellent condition."

The twins and even triplets in the Yang family all possess an innate and mysterious telepathic connection, a bond that far surpasses that of ordinary blood relatives.

It was precisely because of this that she was able to use the power of the stars gathered at the Star Observatory to penetrate the layers of barriers of the secret realm and accurately locate her brothers.

She paused, a proud smile playing on her lips: "Now, all the civilizations in this world are racking their brains to probe the truth of the Fallen Abyss Secret Realm, and we are probably the first civilization to lock onto the specific state of the chosen ones! This observatory that Father built is truly amazing; it can even break through the barrier of the secret realm."

"So, Second Brother's plan has a high success rate?" Yang Yanchen's eyes lit up with hope, and he couldn't help but say, "Maybe we can really use his perspective to figure out the rules and details of the secret realm."

Yang Wanyu's smile faded, and her delicate brows furrowed slightly: "It's not that optimistic. When I tried to use the power of dreams to connect with Dong Lin's soul projection, I felt an extremely strong resistance."

Yang Yanchen's joy faded slightly. He scratched his head, his tone both helpless and firm: "Since our strength is insufficient, we can only send a message to Father and ask him to take action." (End of Chapter)