Eternal Night: I Have a Legendary Navigator's Manual

The Thirteenth Safety Protocol, to put it bluntly, is a self-destruct protocol. Everyone who enters the Black Mist must agree to this protocol.

To sacrifice oneself, whether willingly or unwillingly, when necessary, so as not to cause trouble for the city-state!

Their protective suits were insufficient to withstand such a high concentration of black fog.

If you stay in there for a long time, your will and mind will eventually be corrupted, turning you into a monster with the memories of a living person!

"The car can still be driven... but there's a problem with the seal!"

Roy understood what Zhong Xu meant, and he briefly conveyed the most important information: right now, they had to do everything they could to survive.

Zhong Xu turned his head and saw a gruesome gash on the side armor of the exploration vehicle; it seemed that he had been thrown out from there.

He had originally planned to hide in the car, so that at least they wouldn't be exposed to the high-concentration area anymore and would be away from the storm. They just needed to drive back steadily.

But now it seems that all of this has become a pipe dream. He looked at Lilia, wanting to know if the engineer had any solutions.

Although Lilia's expression was obscured by the helmet, her disappointment and despair were palpable.

"There's not enough time. It'll take at least an hour to fix it!"

Her words caused the three of them to fall silent for a moment.

"Damn it! Can't this thing be turned off?! It's driving my brain crazy!"

Roy roared and slammed his helmet, making a loud clanging sound.

As the expedition's driver, he was naturally well aware of what Safety Protocol Thirteen meant.

The exploration vehicle's seal was damaged, and now all three of them are practically sentenced to death.

In just over ten minutes, it is extremely difficult to escape from a high-concentration area.

Because 80 percent of the places shrouded in black fog are high-concentration areas!

On the contrary, the places that are able to allow human habitation are actually in the minority!

"Damn it! Damn it! It's all that damn storm's fault!"

"Damn it, I already told Elsa I'd go back and marry her once I've earned enough points!"

Roy's voice gradually changed from angry to hoarse.

This man, who always thought about earning more points no matter what he encountered, was kicking the monster's corpse on the ground.

Lilia was no different; she also had a younger brother who was still quite young.

If she dies, her younger brother will be completely alone, and the thought of how difficult his future will be makes her feel suffocated.

Of the three, only Zhong Xu was alone, but that didn't mean he was willing to die. Having transmigrated, he valued his life more than anyone else.

Zhong Xu did not comfort them not because he was indifferent, but because he was focused on the "Navigator's Manual" in his mind.

On the other side of the map, he noticed that his current location was an area outlined with a marker.

Even on the entire map, including those completely black areas, roughly half of the area was marked using the same method.

[High Concentration Zone], he suddenly remembered that when he first got this manual, it was because he unlocked the information in this area.

He quickly examined the entire map and, sure enough, found a note in the corner: all the marked areas belonged to the "high concentration zone".

Although knowing this wouldn't actually improve Zhong Xu's current situation, he quickly realized something:

Does the absence of a marked area mean it is not a "high concentration area"?

It could be a more dangerous area, but it's also possible that it's a safe area.

This guess was like a ray of light in the darkness, which he grasped tightly.

Now, we have to take a gamble!

Without further hesitation, Zhong Xu raised his oddly shaped pistol and repelled a crawler that rushed from the edge of the black mist. He then urged the two of them to continue:

"Get in the car first! Otherwise, before that agreement kills us, these monsters will have torn us to pieces!"

Roy and Lilia were completely unaware of the reptile, as they were taken aback by Zhong Xu's performance.

They knew this wasn't the time to ask questions, so they all got into the car.

Roy, who instinctively gripped the power lever, asked:

"What should we do?"

"Remove the unnecessary parts, turn 10 o'clock, lock the throttle, and go straight for it!"

Upon hearing Zhong Xu's words, both Roy and Lilia wore expressions that seemed to say, "Are you crazy?"

Wandering aimlessly through the black fog often means an even faster death.

But when Roy saw the steadfastness and unwavering resolve unique to a navigator on Zhong Xu's face, he felt a strange sense of peace.

He gritted his teeth:

"You're the navigator, you tell me where to go, and I'll go there... Hold on tight, or you'll get thrown out!"

After disconnecting from the other exploration vehicle, Roy pushed the power lever all the way down in one go.

With this action, the exploration vehicle suddenly shot off at great speed, with a reckless and desperate determination.

"Turn right and keep driving!"

"At one o'clock, drive across this bridge!"

"Keep going, keep going! I won't say anything, just keep driving!"

This was the first time Roy had felt such pressure as a driver in all his years of experience; he had never driven at such a high speed before.

The navigator's constantly changing instructions made him increasingly nervous, his heart feeling as if it were about to burst out of his chest.

Not only him, but Zhong Xu's face was also covered in sweat. He was intently looking at the map in the manual, constantly helping Roy correct the direction.

Along the way, they narrowly avoided many monsters and dangerous terrains.

The alarm continued to sound, constantly reminding the three of their dwindling time.

"Warning! If you cannot reach a safe zone within two minutes, Security Protocol No. 13 will be automatically executed!"

Zhong Xu silently counted the time in his mind, and even someone as calm as him couldn't help but urge him on:

"We're out of time! Roy, can you go any faster!"

"Damn it, I almost broke the power lever, and this is already the fastest I can go!"

Lilia didn't speak. Her face was deathly pale, as if she were about to die. This was not only because of the countdown to death, but also because the churning in her stomach made her dare not relax for a moment.

Feeling the wind blowing in through the gap and slapping against the helmet's visor, Zhong Xu mentally counted down the final time.

7...6...5...4...

When the time comes, the three people will be humanely eliminated, with no chance of survival.

Fortunately, at this last moment, new information appeared in the "Kuroshio Navigator's Handbook":

[Successfully reached the low-concentration area; terrain has been captured; area assessment function unlocked in the manual!]

The gamble paid off! They survived!

"Hahaha! That damn noise has finally stopped!"

As the group rushed into the area where the black fog had thinned considerably, the incessant alarms finally subsided.

A relieved smile appeared on Lilia's pale face, but she forced herself to keep a straight face as she felt the burning sensation in her throat.

Roy slowly brought the car to a stop, and the three of them immediately jumped out. If Zhong Xu hadn't grabbed Lilia, she probably would have fallen to the ground.

It seems this trip with Fast and Furious was a bit too exciting.

"Zhong Xu, I can't believe you actually led us to survival! I knew it, no one is more suitable to be the navigator than you!"

Roy's tone was filled with undisguised joy as he sincerely praised the man in front of him, giving him a firm pat on the shoulder.

Lilia, having recovered, also came over, bowed deeply, and spoke in a slightly weak but excited voice:

"Thank you, Zhong Xu. You saved me twice. I'll remember that!"

"This is also to save myself."

"There's no conflict, is there?"

Zhong Xu did not deny Roy's words; saving himself was the same as saving them, and there was no conflict between the two.

After resting for a while and adjusting their state, Lilia, the engineer, took out a bunch of tools from the trunk of the exploration vehicle and began to try to repair the gap.

Roy climbed onto the roof of the vehicle and set up the high-energy machine gun. He was responsible for guarding the surrounding area and ensuring its safety.

Although this high-energy machine gun couldn't lift its head in the face of the black mist storm, the flames it spewed were enough to tear apart ordinary Nightwalker species!

This is precisely what gives them the courage to explore the black mist and fight the monsters.

Zhong Xu kept a close eye on the parameters to prevent the concentration of the surrounding black fog from changing again.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, he finally had time to carefully study the "Navigator's Manual" in his mind.

He flipped to the first page, which was the map that had saved him. After unlocking the [Low Concentration Zone], it was also marked on the map, although it only occupied a small part compared to the whole map.

What was originally a clear area of ​​a small circle on the map has become a thin line segment after they moved.

It seems that simply passing through this area will unlock the dark zone on the map.

In addition, seemingly because of the newly unlocked [Area Assessment] feature, he saw a note next to his own golden dot area on the map:

This area is currently considered safe; there are no significant threats within it.

Based on this, the area seems safe.

Zhong Xu let out a barely perceptible sigh of relief, his tense muscles relaxing, but this movement aggravated his wounds, causing him to gasp involuntarily.

He continued to turn the pages of the manual using his consciousness.

There are quite a few blank spaces in the middle.

One page contained basic information about the monster that Zhong Xu had shot dead—the Crawler.

One of the most valuable points:

The weak point of this type of monster is the nerve center located in the very center of its chest cavity; destroying this area will result in an instant kill.

Zhong Xu was completely unaware of this news beforehand; his ability to kill the crawler with a single shot was purely accidental.

Further on, there are descriptions of "high concentration areas" and "low concentration areas".

For Zhong Xu now, the biggest difference is that he can stay in one place, but not in the other.

Continuing on, the manual is completely blank until the very last page, which has "Personal Information" written at the top.

The first image is a headshot of Zhong Xu himself, followed by some basic descriptions of him.

This manual also visualizes his attribute numbers:

[Physical Fitness: 5]

【Perception: 9】

【Intelligence: 7】

【Mental Power: 7】

[Gene Lock Unlock Progress: 0]

And at the very bottom, something that caught his eye.

[Usable cognitive points: 2]