I can find treasures in my dreams.

Half a minute later.

The two stepped into another slightly sloping downward passage.

The inner walls of the passage were no longer the previous matte super alloy, but instead had a faint dark silver luster, with fine energy guide strips embedded in the walls.

At the end of the passage, an elevator appeared.

From the outside, it is no different from the other elevators in the Sky Shield Base, with a simple and bright design that exudes a strong sense of futuristic science fiction.

But Liu Yi only glanced at it twice before her brows furrowed slightly, and a sense of unease arose in her heart.

The feeling was subtle, without any specific direction, as if her subconscious was reminding her that things in front of her were not as simple as they appeared on the surface.

She used her mental energy to carefully sense the surroundings, but couldn't find any unusual clues.

"Om-"

A very faint hum was heard, and the elevator car doors slowly slid open to the sides, revealing the interior.

On the inner wall of the cabin, the logo of the Sky Shield Base, outlined by a holographic projection, is displayed: an exquisite shield wrapped with starlight and cloud patterns, with flowing light and shadow, a strong three-dimensional effect, and suspended in the center of the interior.

Zhao Xiaoying stepped into the sedan chair first, followed closely by Liu Yi.

The car doors closed automatically, and the car began to descend smoothly and rapidly.

As the descent deepened, Liu Yi's sense of unease grew stronger.

The female secretary had a vague feeling, as if the elevator car beneath her feet wasn't descending down the shaft, but rather plunging her into a bottomless, dark abyss.
The surrounding space seemed to be slowly shrinking, and invisible pressure surged from all directions, making her mental energy involuntarily tense.

There is definitely something wrong with this!

Liu Yi suppressed her unease and subconsciously looked up at the holographic screen on the inner wall of the elevator car.

The screen clearly displays the elevator's operating parameters—running speed 30 meters per second.

In this era, high-speed elevators generally operate at a speed of 20 to 40 meters per second.

The female secretary turned her head and looked around, her gaze sweeping over every inch of the wall and every shadow, trying to find the source of the incongruity.

Zhao Xiaoying glanced at her subordinate out of the corner of her eye and said calmly, "No need to look anymore, this isn't a real elevator."

"what?"

Liu Yi exclaimed in surprise, her pretty face filled with disbelief and shock.

She subconsciously raised her gloved hand and gently touched the wall of the carriage.

The wondrous effects of the Spirit Insight Technique allowed her to truly experience the cold, solid, and tangible sensation.

This is actually a fake elevator?!

As a senior confidential secretary to the Second Commander of the Human Alliance, she possesses considerable personal strength. Not only has she reached the level of a high-ranking warrior, but she has also awakened a second mental ability, giving her a level of perception far exceeding that of ordinary ability users.

This is not a waste of talent, but a very necessary approach.

Because confidential secretaries have access to top-secret information year-round, if an ordinary person with no physical strength were to hold that position, they might become a target for malicious individuals.

Zhao Xiaoying explained calmly, "The Mysterious Island is a space island personally designed by Mr. Lingya. The elevator is the entrance to the Mysterious Island, and it is essentially a special product manifested by the power of space."

"I see!"

Liu Yi suddenly realized.

She didn't inquire about the underlying principles, nor did she intend to delve into why spatial power could materialize into such a realistic elevator—she knew very little about space, and even if her superior explained it in detail, she might not understand.

For her, the name "Mr. Raven" was the best answer.

For a big shot like him, it wouldn't be surprising if he could conjure up something even more outlandish, let alone an elevator.

Liu Yi looked at the operating speed on the holographic screen again and immediately realized that this was a smokescreen to deceive people.

The elevator does not descend in real three-dimensional space, but rather travels through the gaps between spaces.

The spatial scale is completely different from reality. If measured by conventional speed, the elevator is probably moving at a speed of more than a few kilometers per second.

A thought flashed through the female secretary's mind: "Being by Commander Zhao's side, I always encounter these incredible beings."

She had been a confidential secretary for two years and had seen many things that were unimaginable to ordinary people. She knew all too well how terrifying the hidden strength of the Azure Civilization was.

Zhao Xiaoying casually mentioned more information: "This elevator is not only the entrance, but also the guardian of the mysterious island's gateway. It has given birth to a unique spatial spirit and possesses simple consciousness."

"Mr. Lingya named it 'Observer.' Its core responsibility is to observe and record the supernatural spatial characteristics of everyone who enters the Mysterious Island. This is the first and most important identity verification step for entering the Mysterious Island."

Liu Yi instantly realized that the strange sense of unease she had felt earlier was not an illusion, but rather that the "observer" was conducting a comprehensive observation and recording of the entrant.

Zhao Xiaoying did not speak again.

The cabin fell silent again, with only the numbers on the holographic screen still fluctuating.

A full two minutes passed.

The numbers flashing on the holographic screen inside the elevator car finally slowed down.

The running speed suddenly dropped from a peak of 30 m/s, first jumping to 15 m/s, then slowly decreasing to 5 m/s, and finally settling at 0 m/s.

"Click——"

With a crisp metallic click, the elevator doors slid open to both sides.

The scene outside the door stunned Liu Yi instantly.

What lay before me was not the experimental hall filled with sophisticated instruments as I had imagined, but an endless expanse of shimmering water.

The clear water rippled outwards, and under the influence of an unseen breeze, it slowly surged toward the shore, carrying with it a refreshing, watery scent.

Looking up, I saw a clear, almost transparent blue sky overhead, as if it had been dyed with the purest sapphire, without a trace of impurity.

Large, fluffy white clouds hung loosely in the sky, each with a different shape; some were as light and graceful as cotton wool, while others were as thick and continuous as mountain ranges.

Sunlight filters through the clouds, scattering into tiny golden rays that shimmer on the water's surface, creating a breathtakingly beautiful scene.

Liu Yi stared blankly at the scene before her, hardly believing her eyes.

She originally thought that the "Long River" in the name of the supernatural device she came to see was just a code name.

But to her utter surprise, what came into view was a vast, seemingly endless river.

"Wow--"

A wave, carrying countless tiny sprays, slowly and steadily washed towards the shore.

Liu Yi subconsciously took a half step back, her muscles tensing instantly.

This is the body's instinctive defensive response when faced with something unexpected or unknown.

The water surged in and instantly washed over the knees of the divine armor.

The cool sensation traveled along the armor's sensory modules and was precisely transmitted to the brain nerves by the "Spirit Detection and Mind Clarity" secret technique.

For a moment, Liu Yi almost thought that this was a real, unadulterated body of water.

But the next second, the splashing waves began to become transparent at a speed visible to the naked eye, turning into tiny specks of light that slowly dissipated into the air.

Liu Yi then suddenly realized that the river water that was within her reach was also an illusion manifested by the power of space.

Until then.

She suddenly realized something else—the elevator car behind her had vanished without a trace, and she and her boss were standing in a vast expanse of white river water. One second they were in a futuristic base elevator, and the next they were stepping onto this seemingly isolated river.

The stark contrast in the scene left Liu Yi momentarily disoriented.

Out of the corner of her eye, Zhao Xiaoying noticed that her subordinate was still in shock and took the initiative to explain: "The river water you see now is not real water, but 'Ling Water' transformed from the Level 3 Space System material 'Lingluo Tianshui' after it has been fully activated."

She stepped forward, her ice-blue armor slicing through the water, creating a soft "splashing" sound.

The long-legged girl's voice was exceptionally clear in the open space: "Then, through a specific secret method, the cold water was given real physical properties, including touch, temperature, water flow fluctuations, and so on."

"That's why you think it's no different from real river water, but it's essentially a manifestation of some kind of alien energy, not a natural body of water. Therefore, once the splashing waves lose their energy support, they quickly dissipate and become ethereal."

Liu Yi mechanically made two "oh" sounds, opened her mouth, but found that she couldn't find the right words to respond.

The female secretary's gaze drifted far into the distance, her shock deepening.

The long river before us stretches as far as the eye can see, and the amount of "Lingluo Heavenly Water" required to support such a massive manifestation of the cold water must be an astonishing figure.

on the other hand.

This is enough to show that the Azure Civilization's current foundation is far more profound than I imagined; otherwise, it would be impossible for them to produce so many level-three exotic materials to build the "Long River".

Liu Yi didn't notice that her boss mentioned the words "fully stimulated" during the explanation.

Only those who truly understand the characteristics of "Lingluo Tianshui" know that activating more than 80% of the energy contained in the exotic material is already considered a very high level.

"Fully activating" means squeezing the potential of a foreign material to its limit, which is simply defying the heavens.

Zhao Xiaoying continued, "Lingshui has another extremely rare characteristic: it is naturally connected to the 'power of time' with a slight but close relationship."

"Mr. Lingya took advantage of this point and personally performed a high-level time-based secret technique, drawing out a wisp of pure time power from the vast river of time and merging it into the Lingshui River."

"The River of Time?!"

Liu Yi was stunned.

Even ordinary people who only have a superficial understanding of supernatural powers understand what the "River of Time" really means.

This is a magical power that has spanned the ages and is an ultimate force that transcends time.

The female secretary suddenly realized that the supernatural device was named "Long River" and it was not a random code name.

This astonishing river is a very basic version of the River of Time, hence the name is a simplified version of "River of Time".

Liu Yi composed herself, tentatively raised her right leg, and took a step towards the cold water in front of her.

The leg armor of the Divine Craftsmanship Armor sliced ​​across the water, creating ripples that spread slowly like living things, casting layers of light and shadow on the clear surface.

She subconsciously lowered her head, her gaze falling on the rippling waves.

In just two seconds, he couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, "Eh!"

A knowing smile curved Zhao Xiaoying's lips as she chuckled softly, "You saw your past in the ripples just now, didn't you?"

"Yes!"

Liu Yi's beautiful eyes widened, her face almost overflowing with shock, and her voice trembled slightly.

just now.

Within that ripple, an incredibly vivid and lifelike scene emerged:

On a warm spring afternoon, the sun shone brightly.

In a park with lush green grass, a young couple strolled side by side.

The mother was pushing a small stroller, inside which sat a beautifully sculpted little girl, swinging her chubby little feet.

Sunlight filters through the lush sycamore trees lining the road, casting dappled patterns of light on the gravel-paved path.

Suddenly, Mom turned her head and said something to Dad beside her. Dad laughed and reached out to ruffle the little girl's hair.

It was such a simple scene that it pierced Liu Yi's heart like a knife, bringing a profound impact to her soul.

Her digital photo album still contains an almost identical photo.

According to her mother, it was two years before the primordial world came into being, when she had just turned two years old. Her parents took her to the park and asked passersby to take a picture with their mobile phones.

The parents' clothes, the stroller she was sitting in, and even the trees along the path in the photo were exactly the same as those in the scene in Ripples.

This is not an illusion, nor is it a replay of memories; it is—a genuine journey back in time!

Through the power of time contained in the cold water, she actually saw with her own eyes fragments of memories from twenty-two years ago, memories that had long been sealed away by the years.

"Wow—"

However, in an instant, the ripples slowly subsided, and the water returned to calm.

The heartwarming scene from just moments ago shattered and vanished without a trace, as if it had never existed.

Looking at her dazed expression, Zhao Xiaoying sighed softly and said in a low voice, "What you keep in mind will eventually come to pass."

Liu Yi remained silent and did not respond.

Her strong will as a high-ranking warrior allowed her to forcefully suppress her surging emotions, preventing her from showing the slightest loss of composure in front of her superior, and even preventing her eyes from reddening.

In the second year of the natural disaster era, heavy snow fell and the weather was freezing cold. In order to give her and her mother a better life, her father resolutely enlisted in the army.

Because at that time, the military offered far better benefits than ordinary professions.

She still vividly remembers that morning when her mother held her and stood at the door, watching her father put on his brand-new military uniform and board the military vehicle that drove into the distance.

That was the last time she saw her father.

Three months later, the devastating news arrived.

The father's squad was on a mission to eliminate mutated creatures in another city when they suddenly encountered one, and they couldn't even bring back its remains intact.

Only now did Liu Yi belatedly realize that deep in her subconscious, she had always kept her father firmly in her heart.

Therefore, the moment one steps into the cold water, one's spiritual power will have a wonderful interaction with the power of time in the river, and one will eventually be able to glimpse the scene from twenty-two years ago.

She tried her best to suppress the turbulent emotions in her heart and exclaimed with admiration, "Mr. Lingya is truly amazing."

The power of just a ripple easily pierced through decades of time. It's hard to believe what earth-shattering things the long river would do if it were fully operational.

The female secretary looked up at Zhao Xiaoying: "Commander Zhao, the purpose of the Long River Device should be to use this power of time to observe the super natural disaster that is about to occur in the Black Sand Sea, right?"

When she first heard the words "power of time," she had a vague idea in her mind.

Witnessing that long-forgotten past with her own eyes just now completely confirmed her conjecture—if one can go back to the past, one must also be able to glimpse the future.

Zhao Xiaoying nodded slightly and uttered a single word: "Yes."

The voice just fell.

"boom--!"

A deafening clap of thunder suddenly exploded in the sky, causing the entire space to tremble slightly.

Then the calm river surface suddenly changed dramatically.

A colossal wave, over ten meters high, surged from the center of the river at terrifying speed, crashing towards the two figures like a roaring beast! (End of Chapter)