The comments said I was deeply affectionate, I just added points by using an alternate account.

Wang Shuo was taken aback: "Why?"

"Because the most dangerous places are always reserved for the most capable people."

After Liu Feiyu finished speaking, he closed his eyes again, his fingers moving in perfect rhythm, continuing to immerse himself in his own world.

Everyone in the carriage understood what he meant.

These student soldiers are not yet in a position to go to the most dangerous places.

Wang Shuo's face turned pale and then red; after saying this, he looked like a joke.

Chen Guan remained silent, leaning against the corner of the connecting area between the carriages—the most bumpy and inconspicuous spot.

The soreness in my left arm became more pronounced in the low temperature and bumpy ride, as if countless ants were crawling in the cracks of my bones.

Just then, the vehicle shook violently, and the emergency light on the roof flashed twice, then went out and came back on.

Li Ce's voice came through the communicator in the cockpit, crackling with static: "We've just passed through the first sensory barrier. The energy field is starting to become unstable. Hold on tight."

Through the narrow bulletproof observation window at the rear of the carriage, one could already see the blue rift that stretched across the sky in the distance.

"How much longer until we arrive?"

An Changqing asked into the communicator.

Five minutes.

Li Ce answered.

Chen Guan stretched out his right hand and touched the cold metal disc in his pocket.

Baal scoffed, "Humans are truly amusing, grasping at a cotton thread as a lifeline."

Chen Guan ignored His sarcasm and simply stuffed the disc deeper into his pocket.

Although his physical body is invincible and he has a demonic tenant in his mental space, it's always better to be safe than sorry.

The troop carrier gradually slowed down and finally came to a stop after a slight sway.

The engine stalled.

The surroundings fell silent instantly, with only the energy fluctuations from the blue rift, transforming into a low pulsation, echoing in one's ears.

The hydraulic system at the rear of the carriage made a dull hum.

The heavy metal ramp began to descend, and a beam of eerie blue light, mixed with the cold air, shone in through the opening.

Li Ce appeared at the entrance of the slope. He did not turn around, but simply raised his hand and made a forward gesture.

"arrive."

"Everyone in the eastern exploration team, get off the bus."

An Changqing was the first to walk down the slope, his footsteps landing on the crystallized ground with a crisp cracking sound.

cold.

So cold.

It's extremely cold.

A chill instantly permeated everyone.

There wasn't a drop of moisture in the air; every breath felt like it carried ice and snow, making one's chest feel stuffy.

The twelve people quickly formed a loose defensive formation outside the vehicle.

The troop carriers behind them did not turn off their headlights; two beams of light pierced the darkness in the distance, becoming the only warm-colored light source in this eerie blue world.

"Commander Li Ce, aren't you going to join us?" a student from Yanjing Academy asked.

Li Ce shook his head, leaned against the car door, and crossed his arms: "Our mission is to get you safely to your destination and wait for you at the designated pick-up point at the appointed time."

"Good luck to you."

After he finished speaking, he turned around and went back to the driver's seat.

The heavy slope slowly rose, and the moment it closed, it emitted a heavy thud, swallowing up both beams of light.

The engine roared back to life, the troop carrier turned around, its tracks grinding across the crystallized ground, and it quickly disappeared into the darkness.

Now, they are completely left behind in this wasteland.

Only the distant rift that pierced the heavens and earth remained, like a giant blue eye silently watching them.

"Team Leader An, which way do we go now?" Wang Shuo's voice broke the silence.

Although he had some reservations about the matter, he wouldn't contradict the leader at a time like this.

An Changqing raised his wrist, and a simple map appeared on the screen, with a flashing red dot marking their current location.

"Proceed in the three o'clock direction, maintaining a constant speed."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over everyone: "This is a reconnaissance mission, not a combat mission."

"Our primary goal is to collect data without conflicting with anything, understand?"

"Understood," everyone replied in unison.

"Set off."

An Changqing walked at the front, with Qin Wu and Li Yuqing flanking him on the left and right, forming a basic triangular search formation.

They had collaborated to some extent before, so they had a fairly good understanding of each other.

As for those in Yanjing, they were more relaxed, which was unavoidable.

Chen Guan walked at the back of the group, with Long Ao on his left and Su Yuehe on his right, protecting him in the middle.

The team moved silently across the crystallized wasteland, the only sound being the cracking of the crystals beneath their feet.

A deep blue light poured down from the crack in the ceiling, dragging and distorting everyone's shadows across the uneven ground.

"This godforsaken place, the thermometer shows minus forty degrees Celsius, but it feels colder than minus sixty degrees Celsius."

A student from Yenching Academy rubbed his hands together, and his breath immediately condensed into frost.

Chen Guan was at the back of the line. The soreness in his left arm became more pronounced in the extreme cold, and a fine, stinging sensation seemed to emanate from his bones.

Ahead, An Changqing stopped and raised his hand to signal the whole team to halt.

"What's wrong?"

Qin Wu stopped and looked at him.

An Changqing squatted down and touched a crystal on the ground that was clearly different in color. The crystal was a deep purple, which was completely different from the light blue around it.

"The detector is responding."

Li Yuqing held up the instrument in her hand, and the waveform on the screen was jumping violently: "The energy is three times that of the surrounding area, and the direction is 800 meters directly in front."

Wang Shuo leaned over and glanced at the data, his brows furrowing. "This concentration is wrong. The briefing said that the energy concentration in the outer area should be within the safe threshold."

"The briefing data is from three days ago."

An Changqing stood up, patted the debris off his hands, and said, "The fluctuation frequency of the fissure is increasing, so it's normal for the energy concentration on the periphery to rise."

"Normal? This is normal?"

Wang Shuo's voice rose half an octave.

Long Ao walked up from behind and stood beside An Changqing. He glanced at Wang Shuo and said, "If you're scared, you can stay where you are and wait for us to come back."

Wang Shuo's face flushed red: "Who said I'm scared?"

"Then let's keep going."

An Changqing offered no further explanation and turned to continue forward.

The group moved again, but at a noticeably slower pace, and the distance between each person increased.

Chen Guan walked slightly behind on the right flank of the group, with Su Yuehe just two steps in front of him.

Her steps were steady, but Chen Guan noticed that her breathing rate was much faster than when she set off.

Are you cold?

Chen Guan asked a question.

Su Yuehe turned to look at him, her nose red from the cold: "It's alright, it's just that the air here isn't very comfortable to breathe in, my chest feels stuffy."

Huo Qixing could also change his attributes to resist the severe cold, so Su Yuehe, who was already short of mana, really had no choice but to tough it out.