Ling Cage, pick up Lu Mingfei at the start.

Lu Mingfei held his breath and cautiously peered down through the gaps in the ventilation partition above. Below, figures surged in like a tide through the alloy door that had been violently forced open by the mechs.

Immediately afterwards, several more massive mechs, each with a unique design and a heavy industrial aesthetic, stepped heavily into the desolate space. The dull thuds of their metal feet echoed as they landed, reverberating throughout the empty building.

"Do the people up there... really like dyeing their hair?" Lu Mingfei wondered to himself, because he had already seen several people with brightly colored hair.

A red-haired girl peeked out from the cockpit of her mech, revealing her delicate and bright face; another was a lithe purple-haired woman wearing a full-face mask, carrying a well-designed sniper rifle on her back, silently following alongside the group. This group, with their vibrant colors, almost formed a rainbow.

But amidst the awe of this "visual feast," a question arose in Lu Mingfei's mind: Is it really necessary to mobilize such a large force for just a medical research institute?

He couldn't help but look away, glancing at his companion beside him. Maido was gently combing Chagai's feathers with her fingers, the little guy resting quietly on her arm; Xia Dou had somehow pulled out her game console again, the screen dimmed to its lowest setting, her fingers flying across the virtual buttons rapidly and silently;

Sui Xing stood with his arms crossed beside Mai Duo, occasionally glancing down, but mostly focusing on the interaction between Mai Duo and Cha Gai. His cold profile seemed to soften a little. Xu Tong, on the other hand, was observing the actions below with great interest.

"Xu Tong," Lu Mingfei leaned closer and asked in an almost inaudible whisper, "Are so many of them trying to empty this place? Should we come back again?"

Xu Tong curled his lip and replied in a low voice, "There are tens of thousands of mouths waiting on the lighthouse. It's not easy for them to come down. Every time, it's like a locust swarm passing through. But they mainly supply those few thousand so-called 'upper citizens,' and the common people get very little."

"Tens of thousands of people? Only a few thousand to be supplied?" Lu Mingfei was stunned. There were only a few dozen people below, plus the guards outside. How many could they move?

"Hmph," Xu Tong said with his usual sarcasm, "they can't move it all. That warehouse is huge, and I heard that people on that iron block are divided into three classes: management, upper class, and the lowly commoners whose lives are as worthless as grass. The commoners are slaves, laborers, and when necessary, the cheapest cannon fodder."

He spoke casually, as if he were talking about the weather.

These words struck Lu Mingfei like a hammer blow. Slaves? Cannon fodder? Even in the apocalypse, humanity is still engaging in this kind of behavior?

He couldn't help but recall his situation as an "invisible nobody" in his original world, and a chill crept up his spine.

If I hadn't been picked up by Bai Yuekui, but instead ended up in the hands of these "Lighthouse" people, what would have become of me...?

He dared not think about it further; fear made him instinctively shrink his neck, but his foot accidentally bumped into a small, loose pebble.

"despair……"

The pebble rolled down and hit the metal wall, making a soft sound that was unusually clear in the absolute silence.

"Who?!"

Below, the purple-haired woman wearing a mask reacted extremely quickly, instantly raising her gun. Her sharp gaze swept across the general direction of their hiding place as if it were a physical object, her voice cold and full of vigilance.

Lu Mingfei and Xu Tong were terrified. They quickly shrank back and pressed themselves tightly against the cold wall, not daring to even breathe.

Maiduo, Xiadou, and Suixing, who were standing nearby, also stopped what they were doing instantly. Maiduo covered Chagai's beak, which might make a sound, and Xiadou quickly put away the game console. The three of them exchanged a tense look, and then looked at the two who had caused the trouble with a hint of mischief.

Xu Tong glared back at him, annoyed, but Xia Dou secretly made a face at him.

Below, after a brief commotion, a dark-haired man carrying a rifle walked up to Feixue and patted her on the shoulder: "Feixue, relax. Who else could be here besides us? Some clumsy guy must have bumped into something."

Feixue's tense body relaxed slightly, but she remained vigilant: "What if it's a spinal worm?"

Mo Cheng smiled, though he knew she was joking, he became a little more serious: "If it were really a Spine Gu, the Devouring Beasts outside would have already surrounded us like dumplings."

"Hey! Mo Cheng! Don't jinx it!" The white-haired girl Ran Bing walked over and playfully tapped her lips with her finger, signaling him to shut up.

"Oh dear, look at my mouth!" Mo Cheng patted his cheeks a few times in a cooperative manner.

A barely audible chuckle seemed to come from beneath the snow-covered mask.

"Alright, stop wasting time." Captain Mark leaped out of his black mech, his voice steady and powerful. "The passage ahead is low. Erica, you few come with me out of the heavy structure. The rest of you, hold the key positions according to plan. Move out!"

"Understood!" the red-haired girl Erica replied, performing a nimble front flip and landing lightly on the ground.

Hearing the conversation below and the sound of footsteps returning, Lu Mingfei felt that the alarm had been lifted. He cautiously peeked out again, curiosity overcoming fear. And once he saw it, he couldn't look away.

He quickly pulled back, nudged Xu Tong with his elbow, and said in a low voice with a hint of amazement, "Wow, Xu Tong, those women down there... they're really beautiful!"

Xu Tong couldn't help but steal a glance, clicking his tongue: "Tsk, those are upper-class citizens, genetically selected, how could they not be beautiful? You've got a sharp eye!"

He gave Lu Mingfei a knowing look.

Just as Lu Mingfei was about to say something more, he suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.

He stiffly and slowly turned his head, only to see Mai Duo, Xia Dou, and even Sui Xing all coldly focusing their gazes on him.

"Oh? Aren't we pretty? Why have I never heard you praise us like that before?" Xia Dou put her hands on her hips, puffed out her cheeks, and launched the first attack, her big eyes full of "interrogation".

"I...I didn't mean that! You're all beautiful! You're all beautiful!" Lu Mingfei immediately backed down, cold sweat almost pouring down his back.

His eyes quickly swept over Maiduo and Xiadou—the two girls were young and beautiful, like newly blossoming flower buds, but compared to the several women below who were graceful, mature and radiant, they did lack a certain charm.

If we're talking about comparisons, perhaps only Sister Suixing's aloof and cool temperament can rival her? He secretly glanced at Suixing. Hmm, the cool sister is handsome, but in terms of stunning beauty... the ones below are still a cut above.

"Then tell me, since we arrived in Dragon Bone Village, who do you think is the prettiest?" Mai Duo leaned closer, a seemingly harmless smile on her face, but Lu Mingfei didn't miss the dangerous signal in her tone.

Xu Tong watched the show with great amusement, wishing he had a handful of melon seeds in his hand right now.

Lu Mingfei's mind raced. He had always held firm to his opinions on the issue of "aesthetics," and even dared to say that Chen Wenwen was the most beautiful when facing Su Xiaoqiang.

But times have changed! In a flash of inspiration, he blurted out an absolutely safe answer: "Boss Bai!"

The three were visibly taken aback, not expecting him to bring up this "big shot." Xia Dou was furious; he was actually playing the political correctness card! She pointed at Lu Mingfei: "You...you're cheating!"

Maiduo and Suixing exchanged a glance, then helplessly looked away. Indeed, when compared to Bai Yuekui, they had nothing to say.

Xu Tong secretly gave Lu Mingfei a thumbs up, his eyes saying, "Brilliant, absolutely brilliant!"

Just as Lu Mingfei breathed a sigh of relief, the actions of the hunters below once again drew his attention.

"Except for those who stay behind, everyone else will work in groups to increase efficiency!" Mark succinctly assigned tasks.

The team members quickly dispersed, forming tactical groups, and advanced towards different areas in perfect unison.

Mark himself teamed up with Ran Bing and Mo Cheng.

"Strange, the lights here..." Mark frowned and became alert as he walked through the front hall and looked at the fluorescent lights overhead.

"Could it be that a Devouring Beast broke in earlier and accidentally triggered the backup power?" Mo Cheng looked around at the dense fleshy soil and guessed.

"Perhaps... they are survivors from the surface?" Ran Bing suggested another possibility, her voice carrying a hint of hope that she herself wasn't entirely sure about.

"Impossible," Mo Cheng immediately denied. "The Lighthouse hasn't found any survivors on the ground for over twenty years. How could scattered survivors possibly survive in this environment?"

Ran Bing nodded silently, her gaze sweeping over the various forms of flesh and earth. These grayish-white sculptures depicted the myriad aspects of human life: some wailed in pain, some reached out in despair, some clung tightly to each other until their last breath... This was completely different from the flesh and earth she remembered that had been drained dry by the Devouring Beasts and left powerless to struggle.

The scene before my eyes was as if, in a single moment, everyone's life had been simultaneously and forcibly stripped away and taken away.

"They...it's as if their souls were ripped away in an instant!" Ran Bing was startled by her discovery and couldn't help but exclaim.

Upon hearing this, Mark and Mo Cheng carefully examined the surrounding fleshy soil, their expressions gradually becoming serious. Mo Cheng, with his quick thinking, spurred a rapid deduction: "Could it be that the Mana ecosystem didn't spread slowly, but rather erupted suddenly on a global scale? Were these people, sensing the danger and preparing to flee, instantly stripped of their life essence by some unknown force?"

"What can do that in an instant? It's terrifying..." Ran Bing felt a chill and gripped the gun tightly.

"Alright," Mark interrupted their thoughts, his tone calm and resolute, "these are not our current tasks. The research institute will investigate the truth behind the ecological outbreak. Our objective is medical supplies; we must act quickly, delay means danger."

"Okay, Captain." Ran Bing stuck out her tongue and composed herself.

Mark's heart skipped a beat upon seeing this, but his face remained expressionless. Just then, an excited voice came through Mark's communicator: "Report, Captain! Main storage area located, marked!"

"Roger that! We're on our way!" Mark perked up, waving to Ran Bing and Mo Cheng. "Let's go, we found it!"

The three immediately headed towards the marked location. Soon, a number of hunters gathered in front of the warehouse that Lu Mingfei and his group had discovered earlier.

"Attention everyone! Move everything in an orderly fashion according to plan! Quickly!" Mark stood at the warehouse door, giving a loud and clear command.

The warehouse immediately sprang into action. A Dustman, number 4533, accidentally cut his arm on a sharp, broken piece of the shelf while moving a box, letting out a soft cry of pain.

"What's wrong, 4533?" asked the mortal next to him, number 4547, with concern.

"It's nothing, just a scratch." 4533 shook his head, glanced at the shallow wound on his arm, and saw drops of blood dripping down, landing right in the cracks of the grid-like floor below.

"Be careful, and go back to get bandaged up as soon as you're done," 4547 reminded him.

"What are you dawdling for! Hurry up and move it!" an impatient supervisor shouted.

The two dust dwellers immediately fell silent and quickened their pace, daring not to delay any longer.

However, no one noticed that beneath the grid floor, in a dark corner, a few drops of fresh blood, like pebbles falling into calm water, activated a sleeping demon—a viscous, pitch-black, lifelike substance began to slowly writhe, like a swarm of awakened snakes, silently spreading upwards along the direction from which the blood drops fell.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the warehouse.

With her extraordinary intuition, sniper Feixue always felt that something was wrong in this area, and a feeling of being watched was always with her.

She crouched down again and examined the ground carefully, discovering some blurry footprints with patterns that were completely different from the standard military boots of their hunters.

"Feixue, what did you find this time?" Erica leaned closer and asked curiously.

Feixue pointed to the marks on the ground and expressed her doubts.

Erica waved her hand dismissively and laughed, "They're just footprints left by those dusters wandering around! You're overthinking it. How could there be anyone else here?"

Feixue frowned. Reason told her that Erica was right; the possibility of survivors on the ground was extremely slim.

However, just as she was trying to convince herself, the feeling of being watched suddenly disappeared.

Lu Mingfei, who was high up, had just pulled back and was still shaken when he said to his companions, "That purple-haired girl down there has such sharp eyesight! She seems to have noticed our footprints!"

Xu Tong patted his shoulder and comforted him, "Don't worry, the idea that there is no one living on the ground is deeply ingrained in their minds. Even if they see some clues, it's hard for them to think in that direction."

Upon hearing this, Lu Mingfei seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, but couldn't resist peeking out again.

Seeing that Lu Mingfei still wanted to look, Xu Tong grinned mischievously and teased in a low voice, "I bet you've been bewitched by those pretty girls down there, haven't you?"

Lu Mingfei's face flushed, and he hurriedly retorted, "Get lost! Do you think I'm that kind of person? What's so interesting about that one wearing a mask? In our village, she's just... uh, a roadside face!" As he spoke, he cautiously glanced at Maiduo and the others out of the corner of his eye.

"Oh? What about the others?" Xu Tong, always eager for drama, continued to fan the flames.

Lu Mingfei felt a chill run down his spine as he sensed the "cold" gazes gathering behind him once more. He immediately stated decisively, "Same! Both are just roadside stalls!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he felt those chilling gazes slowly move away, and he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

However, at this moment—

"Ah—! Help me!!"

A piercing scream, so intense it was almost distorted, suddenly ripped through the relatively orderly atmosphere of the moving operation!

Xu Tong's expression changed, and he suddenly stood up and looked down. He saw a commotion in the crowd below, but he couldn't see what exactly happened.

"It's Breath of Earth! Run!!" Another terrified voice rang out. Dustman 4547 scrambled out from the depths of the warehouse, his face contorted with extreme fear. "4533... he's been swallowed! Ah—!!"

Before he could finish speaking, a surging, pitch-black substance, like living asphalt, instantly caught up with him, wrapped around his ankles, and quickly devoured and enveloped him amidst his desperate struggles and cries, eventually transforming into a new, distorted, gray-black mass of flesh and earth!

Lu Mingfei watched helplessly as a living person was swallowed up and frozen in a few seconds. He turned pale with fright, his breathing almost stopped, and immense fear gripped his heart.

Meanwhile, in another corner of the warehouse, Feixue and Erica also noticed something amiss. Before them stood several flowers emitting a faint blue glow, the light flickering and fading rapidly at an unnatural frequency, like the pounding of a dangerous heart!

The two followed the path where the flowers grew, and a red mana flower floated before their eyes.

"Mana Flower! How could there be something like this here!" Erica exclaimed in shock.

Feixue immediately pressed the communicator, speaking rapidly: "Calling the captain! Mana Flower found! Repeat, Mana Flower found! Suspected personnel injury triggering activation of the Breath Soil!"

Mark had just heard the screams when he received an urgent communication from Feixue. He instantly understood what had happened and immediately opened the all-hands channel, his voice booming like thunder: "Attention all units! Activation of the Breath of Soil! Repeat, activation of the Breath of Soil! All units, carrying all transported supplies, evacuate to the exit immediately! Evacuate immediately! Flamethrower teams, advance to cover the rear!"

On the high platform, Lu Mingfei's voice trembled: "Xirang... that person... just like that, dead?"

"Take a deep breath, Lu Mingfei," Mai Duo pressed down on his slightly trembling shoulder, trying to keep her voice steady, "Maintain your core, and they won't be able to find us. Don't be afraid."

Xu Tong, his expression grave, observed the utter chaos below and quickly said, "Once they draw most of the fire and things get chaotic, we'll find an opportunity to retreat from the other side. Hold on!"

However, as if to confirm Mo Cheng's earlier "jinx," at that moment, a dense and chilling howl, like a tide of death, faintly came from outside the building, growing clearer and clearer...