Chapter 2616: Red Zone(2)
Chapter 2616: Red Zone(2)
An hour after entering the Red Zone, one of the Void Specters suddenly attacked a soldier, forming an arm that shot forward like a spear.
Fortunately, the soldier remained alert and evaded it using Void Control.
However, the nearby Void Specters also started attacking, forcing everyone to use Void Control to teleport to safety, ignoring the Unknown Ores scattered nearby.
"Are we just going to wander aimlessly and hope we find one of these tunnels?" Yuan asked after several hours.
"No."
Shi Fa responded by showing Yuan the small device he had been carrying ever since they entered the Red Zone.
"Areas containing Unknown Crystals cause subtle changes in the surrounding atmosphere. This device can detect those fluctuations and guide us toward their source."
"I’ve been wondering what that device was..." Yuan muttered.
"The only drawback of this device is its limited detection range," Shi Fa continued. "So, to answer your earlier question, yes—we’re essentially wandering around until it detects something."
Several more hours passed, yet they still hadn’t found a tunnel. None of the soldiers in the squad spoke, each remaining fully focused on their surroundings and personal safety.
The atmosphere was a stark contrast to the Orange Zone, where everyone acted far more relaxed and casual.
As for Yuan, he’d stopped studying the red mist to look for the tunnels with his own methods.
’If Unknown Crystals are anything like Unknown Ores and contain Eternal Essence, I should be able to detect them. The only problem is...’
Unknown Ores were abundant throughout the Red Zone, with most of them buried underground. Their sheer number interfered with Yuan’s senses, making it difficult for him to distinguish any potential Unknown Crystals among them—or so he thought.
’What a tremendous amount of Eternal Essence! I can sense it all the way from here even though it’s so far away!’ Yuan cried inwardly when it suddenly entered his detection range.
However, there was a slight issue.
Rather than heading toward the source of the Eternal Essence, his squad was heading in another direction.
With no other choice, Yuan said to Shi Fa, who was the squad leader, "Hey, this is going to sound weird, but my gut is telling me to head that way."
Yuan pointed in the direction of the energy.
Shi Fa followed his gesture and aimed the device that way, but it showed no reaction whatsoever.
When Shi Fa turned to look at him again, Yuan quickly spoke, "My instincts are never wrong. Just trust me on this one."
"Alright."
Knowing just how abnormal an existence Yuan was, Shi Fa didn’t doubt him for a moment and immediately instructed the squad to head in the direction he had indicated.
One... two... three...
Five more hours passed without the slightest reaction from Shi Fa’s device. Just as he began to doubt Yuan’s instincts, however, the device suddenly vibrated, and a red arrow appeared on its screen, pointing in the very direction they were already heading.
"A-A tunnel! There’s a tunnel up ahead!" Shi Fa announced to the others, his voice sounding a little shaken.
He turned to look at Yuan, who remained silent, but there was a smile hanging on his lips that said ’I told you so’.
Another hour later, they finally arrived at their destination—a cave-like burrow that descended deep underground.
"I can’t believe we found one so quickly," said one of the soldiers.
"Right? It’s normal to go weeks without finding one."
"This is likely the fastest tunnel discovery in recent times."
"And we have Corporal Yuan to thank for that," Shi Fa said.
"What did it feel like when your instincts kicked in? You know, for future reference," one of the soldiers asked.
"You know that strange feeling you sometimes get when you’re alone and suddenly feel like someone is watching you from afar? It felt something like that," Yuan replied, making up a random explanation on the spot.
"I don’t get it... But I’ll keep it in mind."
"Are we all ready?" Shi Fa asked them a few moments later.
Everyone nodded.
"Good. Then let’s—"
Shi Fa suddenly stopped talking before looking at Yuan.
"Once we go inside, just clear any Void Specter that is in our path."
"Just my specialty," Yuan replied with a smile.
"Then let’s go."
Shi Fa entered the burrow first, followed closely by Yuan and the others.
Once inside, the narrow passage widened considerably. What had initially been barely large enough for a single person to squeeze through soon became spacious enough for all seven members of the squad to walk side by side with room to spare.
However, it was incredibly dark inside. The light from the entrance only illuminated the first few meters, while everything beyond was swallowed by pitch-black darkness.
Of course, such darkness posed no obstacle to cultivators like them, whose vision in the dark was just as clear as it was under broad daylight.
It didn’t take long for them to encounter Void Specters. After only a few minutes of traversing the tunnel, they came across a group clustered together like a pile of trash, completely blocking the path.
"I got it," Yuan said as he pointed his minigun at them.
"H-Hey... be careful with that thing. We don’t want the tunnel to collapse—"
One of the soldiers tried to warn Yuan, but he had already opened fire.
The others instinctively stepped back and prepared to flee. To their surprise, however, every bullet struck the Void Specters with perfect precision before vanishing upon impact, preventing them from piercing through and hitting the tunnel walls.
"Hm? What were you saying?" Yuan asked the soldier after clearing the tunnel.
"N-Nothing..."
Shi Fa chuckled and said, "They don’t call him the Cleaning Maniac without reason. Anyway, let’s continue."
As they continued deeper into the tunnel, Shi Fa said to Yuan, "I know you like to clean alone, but the Void Specters are much tougher in here than outside. When you start feeling tired, let us know."
Yuan nodded.
"I know."