After blasting an opening through the honeycomb-like structure, Xu Chan led a squad composed of fighters rushing deep inside.
The elite units following behind quickly secured the perimeter of the passage and escorted Bureau Director Lei and Lan Shengu right behind them, while the rest of the rank-and-file operatives rapidly dispersed to seize high ground.
Xu Chan charged at the very front holding a protective shield. He wore no hazard suit or gas mask, and the same was true for the several third limit fighters right behind him.
Heavy protective suits severely hindered their mobility, and masks restricted their field of vision. Their innate physiological resistance was more than enough to endure prolonged exposure in such an environment without significant detriment. As hazardous as this place was, it lagged far behind certain regions of the Melded Lands.
Yet shortly after breaking through, they saw a swath of yellowish-green mist rolling toward them. An immediate wave of discomfort washed over them, their mouths and nostrils itching and going numb as they breathed. But before long, the mutated tissue inside their bodies activated spontaneously, allowing them to recover swiftly.
Even so, clusters of hyphae-like filaments could be seen adhering to the protective gear of the personnel behind them, growing thicker by the second.
Realizing that this stuff was far from ordinary, Xu Chan immediately issued orders through his boundary credential: "Bring up a team of technical specialists and clean-up personnel. Have them formulate a containment plan as quickly as possible."
No sooner had he finished speaking than he noticed the filaments clinging to his boundary credential, his hair, and his exposed skin. With a slight surge of jin, he shook them loose. But the substance was ubiquitous, continuously drifting and latching onto him, forcing him to clear it away at regular intervals.
As the accumulation mounted, it even began to impair visibility, and transmissions through the boundary credential grew increasingly distorted—the combined effect of these filaments and some field interference organisms.
He realized they had only now encountered genuine resistance, but it was an obstacle they had to overcome.
He had several searchlights brought up from the rear, but scarcely had they illuminated the area when sharp cracks of gunfire rang out, shattering the lamp covers one after another. At that moment, he caught what looked like a flicker of gleam within the mist and barked, "Scatter!" In the same breath, the roar of machine-gun fire erupted ahead.
Fighters possessed rapid reflexes and had taken care to advance from cover to cover upon entering rather than standing out in the open. When the machine gun swept toward them, most evaded the burst entirely. Even the few struck were shielded by their form-fitting body armor and toughened sinew and bone, suffering little real harm.
At that moment, Yuan Qiuyuan, who was taking cover to the side, suddenly sensed something. Bellowing a shout, he raised his cudgel and smashed it forward. With a sickening crack, a figure that abruptly materialized in front of him burst apart under the blow. Bizarrely, what splattered out was not gore or viscera, but a muddy, turbid sludge churning with thick yellowish-green vapor.
Instinctively recoiling from the foul discharge, he stepped backward. Yet the moment he shifted his footing, the neighboring mist billowed outward, and a streak of jin thrust straight at him from the fog. He brought up his cudgel to block, but the force of the strike was immense, sending heavy vibrations shuddering through the weapon. His center of gravity already in motion, his footing faltered, and he was driven stumbling backward, instantly realizing he had run into a master of heart jin.
Barely had the thought crossed his mind when a spear lunged from an oblique angle. It was a straightforward thrust, but blindingly fast and viciously angled—more than enough to punch a hole through his ribs before his cudgel could be swung back into guard.
At this perilous juncture, another spear shot out from the side, striking the incoming spear blade with uncanny precision. Yet despite the deflection, the attacking spear did not waver in the slightest; instead, Qin Qingque, who had delivered the intercepting thrust, was jolted backward by two paces.
Even so, the clash forced the hostile spear to stall for a fraction of an instant, shedding just enough momentum for Yuan Qiuyuan to whip his cudgel back into position. Realizing the thrust had lost its lethal edge, the spear's wielder withdrew the weapon before the counter blow landed.
No sooner had the spearman drawn his weapon back than the hairs on his neck stood on end. He whipped around to parry. With a sharp clang, the impact jarred his body sideways. Catching sight of his assailant wielding an exceptionally long flexible sword, he instantly knew his window of attack was gone.
He had intended to capitalize on the chaos to pick one off, but he had not anticipated the seamless coordination between his targets, causing his attempt to fail. More crucially, an invisible wave of spirit power had washed over him a split second earlier, throwing him off balance. Had it not been for that interference, following up with another strike might still have severely maimed one of them.
As thoughts raced through his mind, the long flexible sword twirled, and a surge of jin tore through the spore-laden mist, parting it to either side to reveal a uniformed, middle-aged man behind it.
"Xu Chan," he thought grimly.
Spinning the spear in his hands, he attempted to parry the oncoming blade. But just as the weapons were about to collide, a gleam flashed across the sword tip. With a clean snap, the spear that had so effortlessly knocked Yuan Qiuyuan back was severed in two. The blade swept past his shoulder in a fluid arc, severing his arm and sending it flying. Without uttering a sound, he leaped backward, seeking refuge in the depths of the mist.
Yet before his feet could touch the ground, the sword pursued him like a shadow. With a deft loop in midair, his head slid cleanly from his neck.
When his headless body struck the ground, it remarkably remained standing upright without collapsing, demonstrating exceptional balance and formidable vitality.
Only a moment later, however, the yellowish-green mist seeped into the severed flesh. Soon, the corpse was coated in yellowish-green filaments, melting and collapsing into a limp, softened heap.
Xu Chan withdrew his sword and cast a glance over the remains, his wariness toward the mist deepening further.
Engines roared from behind as armored vehicles rolled forward, their flamethrowers spewing jets of fire in all directions. The yellowish-green mist quickly burned away under the inferno. Although enemy machine-gun fire peppered the vehicles, the bullets rattled harmlessly off the heavy armor plates.
As more armored vehicles reinforced the line, searchlights from the rear were lit once again, finally exposing the enemy gunners' positions. Long-range marksmen on their side opened fire, suppressing and answering the hostile fire.
Bureau Director Lei produced a pendant necklace and let it swing. Its tapering point oriented toward a specific direction. Following its lead, he quickly marked the coordinates on his boundary credential and said to Xu Chan, "Supervisor Xu, we need to head over there. It is of utmost importance."
When Lan Shengu saw the pendant, a complicated look crossed his eyes.
Xu Chan stated decisively, "Lao Zou, Captain Lü, you two advance with me. Operative Yuan, Operative Qin, you are tasked with protecting Bureau Director Lei and Mr. Lan. I'll assign a six-man squad to assist you. Report any developments immediately."
"Yes, sir!"
With orders swiftly dispatched, the group parted ways. Xu Chan set out to assault the enemy's forward firing positions, while Bureau Director Lei and Lan Shengu moved toward their target under the protection of Yuan and Qin.
After overcoming a few minor obstacles, Lei's group arrived near an extremely well-concealed tunnel entrance. Clearly masked by deliberate camouflage, it was nearly impossible to spot from the outside, yet under the guidance of the pendant, they had located it with ease.
Once inside, their flashlights swept across the passage, revealing tunnel walls covered in grotesque patterns that evoked an intense, visceral revulsion.
Seeing the designs, Lan Shengu's breathing grew shallow and hurried. He murmured, "This is... the Secret Fiend Feast Ritual."
Bureau Director Lei remained calmer, though his expression was exceedingly grave. Stepping forward to examine the wall, he said, "These patterns... have been prepared for at least two years. No, wait—" He rubbed his hand against the surface, scraping away a portion of the thick pigment, and concluded with certainty, "There was an earlier layer underneath, which was later overlaid with a fresh one."
Lan Shengu stepped up to inspect it. Demonstrating his professional expertise, he reached a rapid conclusion: "The previous layer likely failed to activate for some reason, but..."
Inhaling deeply, he continued, "If the new one succeeds, it will awaken the power left dormant in the older layer as well." He turned around and said with utmost gravity, "Bureau Director Lei, this ritual is abominably wicked. Now that we have encountered it, we must destroy it at all costs!"
Bureau Director Lei nodded grimly. The purpose of the Secret Fiend Feast Ritual was to feed an evil god with vast quantities of flesh, blood, and rancorous malice in order to fulfill a certain desire. In the old era, the appearance of such an esoteric ritual was almost invariably accompanied by the annihilation of entire cities.
After studying the walls further, he noted, "Judging by the style of the strokes, this was entirely the work of a single individual. The ritual is intricate and volatile. He likely hasn't finished it yet—we still have a chance to stop him."
Yuan Qiuyuan thumped his cudgel against the ground and said bluntly, "Gentlemen, sorry to interrupt. We don't understand any of this, but if the situation is urgent, I suggest we pick up the pace. With such a massive commotion outside, whoever is in here is bound to know by now, right? What if the person behind this is brewing up something catastrophic?"
Bureau Director Lei replied, "That is precisely what I was going to suggest. We must reach the lower levels as fast as possible. However, our legs won't carry us quickly enough, so we'll need to trouble you two for assistance."
Yuan Qiuyuan shouldered his cudgel. "Easy enough."
Qin Qingque promptly gave instructions to the escort squad, ordering them to head back and report the situation and everything just discussed to command without missing a word.
The two operatives then scooped up Lei and Lan respectively and dashed deep into the tunnel.
Because the tunnel system was convoluted and further altered by artificial excavation, Yuan and Qin paused every so often to confirm their bearings. Even with these brief stops, their movement was swift, and in just a few minutes, they arrived in an area draped in pitch-black darkness.
Here, the four heard a muffled, scratchy scraping sound.
Yuan and Qin swiftly drew illuminating flare sticks from their waists and hurled them forward. The flares instantly lit up the space ahead—and what met their eyes sent a chill down their spines.
Before them, a long-haired man crouched on the ground with his back to them, appearing to be inscribing something. As the flare light washed over him, his movements paused. He turned his head slowly, revealing a ghastly pale face.
"So many guests? Good... how wonderful..."
As he spoke, he slowly rose to his feet.
Chapter 927