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

Chen Guan thought for a moment and handed her a piece of compressed rations: "Eat something, it will warm you up."

Su Yuehe took it, tore open the packaging, and took a bite: "Thank you."

Su Yuehe took another bite, and after a while said, "My mother just asked me to go to the cafeteria for lunch, but I didn't go."

Chen Guan didn't respond to that question.

Su Yuehe chuckled to herself and stuffed the remaining compressed food into her pocket: "Never mind, let's not talk about this."

The team advanced another 300 meters or so, and the purple crystals on the ground became more and more dense, turning from scattered spots into patches of color.

An Changqing stopped again.

This time, it wasn't because of the detector.

"Did you hear that?"

His voice was very low, and everyone subconsciously held their breath as he spoke. After a while, nothing happened.

"I didn't hear anything."

Qin Wu shook his head, and as a senior figure, he spoke first.

An Changqing shook his head: "No, it is..."

Before he could finish speaking, Li Yuqing suddenly said, "I heard it. It was a human voice, but it was far away, and I couldn't make out what it was saying."

Wang Shuo's expression changed: "Could it be a hallucination?"

"It's not necessarily a hallucination."

An Changqing placed his hand on the hilt of his sword at his waist: "Senior, can you tell directions?"

Li Yuqing closed her eyes and listened intently for a few seconds: "East by north, about four hundred meters."

Baal's voice, tinged with amusement, echoed in Chen Guan's mind: "Interesting, that's not an illusion."

"What do you mean?"

"That was a real sound, just not from this time."

Chen Guan frowned. "Explain yourself."

"The spacetime structure near the rift is unstable, and sometimes sounds can seep in from other timelines, which may be from the past or the future."

Baal's tone was mocking: "What do you humans call this again, echo?"

Echoes?

Chen Guan's pupils contracted slightly; he was all too familiar with this word.

"It's different from yours."

Baal directly saw through his thoughts: "Your echo is a manifestation of mythological power. This is a natural phenomenon, a byproduct of the rift tearing through spacetime."

An Changqing has already made his decision.

"The team will maintain its current formation and advance towards the source of the sound, at half speed."

"etc."

Wang Shuo stopped him: "Our mission is to locate the source of the anomaly, not to investigate any sound. What if it's a trap?"

"The direction of the sound source coincides with the direction of the anomaly source."

An Changqing looked at him: "Locating the source of the anomaly is the direction we should be heading."

Wang Shuo opened his mouth, but found himself speechless.

After walking another hundred meters or so, Chen Guan also heard the sound.

It was very soft, like a voice coming through a thick pane of glass, intermittent and the words were indistinguishable.

But one thing is certain: it is human language.

"I heard it too."

Long Ao said in a low voice, his fist already clenched.

Su Yuehe paused for a moment: "Is it...Chinese?"

Chen Guan pricked up his ears, trying hard to distinguish the indistinct syllables.

It is indeed Chinese.

Moreover, there was more than one sound.

It was like many people talking at the same time, noisy and chaotic, but something suppressed the volume, leaving only faint fragments.

"...Retreat...not...in that direction..."

Fragmented words seeped out from the void.

An Changqing stopped in his tracks.

Then, everyone stopped.

Because they all heard the last sentence clearly.

"...Don't come any closer..."

Wang Shuo was the first to speak, his voice tense: "This is a warning; someone is warning us not to go over there."

An Changqing's hand did not leave the sword hilt: "The whole team retreat fifty meters and maintain defensive formation."

"An Changqing, what do you mean?" Wang Shuo asked urgently. "That's a warning. We should leave here immediately."

An Changqing turned to look at him: "I need to confirm the nature of this sound source before reporting it and allowing evacuation."

He found that these students from Yenching Academy were somewhat timid, easily startled, and lacked discipline.

Huaqing was much calmer; after all, it's a grand stage, so don't come if you don't have a job.

A fugitive escapes in three days, a demon appears in five; anyone in charge would be safe.

The group slowly retreated, the soles of the twelve men's boots crunching over the purple crystals, the sound exceptionally clear in the empty wasteland.

After retreating to the designated position, An Changqing took out his satellite phone: "Team Leader Bai Ying, report from the eastern reconnaissance team."

A short, static-filled sound came through the phone, and then White Eagle's voice answered.

"White Eagle received, speak."

"Our team discovered an anomaly in the northeast direction of the designated detection area, which is three times larger than that in the surrounding area and exceeds the estimated value."

An Changqing continued his report: "At the same time, the entire team detected what appeared to be a spatial echo about 400 meters from the source of the anomaly. The content was in Chinese and contained clear warning messages."

White Eagle's voice rang out again: "Repeat the warning."

"Don't come any closer." An Changqing said, enunciating each word clearly: "Three words, confirmed by multiple people in the entire group."

The White Eagle's orders finally arrived.

"The eastern reconnaissance team, immediately halt your advance and return to the rendezvous point via the same route. Repeat, return to the rendezvous point via the same route."

Wang Shuo let out a long breath, and his tense shoulders relaxed.

An Changqing did not close the communication: "Team leader, data collection is less than 30% complete. Should I continue from a safe distance...?"

"No need." White Eagle interrupted him directly: "The anomaly data you've collected is enough. Leave the rest to the unmanned probes. People, come back first."

"receive."

An Changqing turned off the communication and turned to face the team.

"Understood, return the way you came."

Qin Wu had already begun packing up the portable detection equipment that had just been deployed, his movements swift and efficient.

Li Yuqing made a final archive of the instrument data and stuffed it into the side pocket of her backpack.

Several students from Yenching Academy also began to organize their equipment, their lips tightly pressed together, their movements somewhat stiff.

Only Wang Shuo remained standing, staring at An Changqing's back: "An Changqing."

An Changqing turned around.

"Were you planning to continue?" Wang Shuo's tone was strange.

An Changqing glanced at him: "Insufficient data will compromise our judgment when we get back, which will be detrimental to subsequent missions."

"However, an order is an order." An Changqing put the detector into his storage ring. "Let's go."

Wang Shuo didn't reply and followed the group.

He had long heard that the freshmen at Tsinghua University were all incredibly audacious, and seeing it today, he found it to be true.

Chen Guan walked at the back of the group, with Su Yuehe to his right and slightly ahead, her pace much faster than when they arrived.

Baal's voice rang out again: "Aren't you curious about who owns that voice?"

Chen Guan thought to himself, "I'm curious, but now is not the time to investigate."

"That's true, saving your life is the most important thing." Baal's tone was light and airy: "But Lord Baal kindly reminds you that the emotion in that voice was benevolent."

bona fide?

Chen Guan's steps remained unchanged, but his mind was racing.

What could possibly inspire a well-intentioned warning? What lies ahead?

Chen Guan glanced helplessly at An Changqing; it was true that wherever An Changqing went, trouble followed.

Could it be because he is the hero Baal spoke of?