Chapter 1 West Continent, City of Light

The glory of the setting sun lingered, filling the temple. The magnificent statue of the sun-crowned god stood atop the sacred mountain. Beneath the statue, the Sacred Judges prayed day and night, giving thanks for the light that this great deity brought to West Continent.

Not far from the temple was a side hall dedicated to the "Power of Blessing."

These side halls housed West Continent's forbidden sealed objects and blessing tablets. Outside the halls was a wishing pool built to carry the desires of mortals.

Sincerity brings forth divine response.

The great deity could hear the voices of the people of West Continent. As long as they came here with a wish in their hearts, they might receive a "divine scroll."

In addition, the high priests of the Sacred Judges legion, responsible for prayer and evangelism, would regularly bring offerings to maintain and clean the tranquility of the shrine.

And the Light Deity would occasionally descend with divine thoughts, giving guidance to the Sacred Judges and mortal believers within the shrine of the side hall.

Today, within the shrine,

the burning incense produced thick black smoke.

The priest praying nearby looked pale. He insisted on chanting sacred texts, but the dense smoke swirled around the hall, obscuring the last ray of sunset light... This was the land of sunset, the mountain of eternal day, protected by the power of the deity. For hundreds of years, it had never known true darkness.

But at this moment,

the hall was darker than ever before.

*Clatter!*

Within the Blessing Shrine, a tablet suddenly fell!

"Ah!"

This sudden scene startled the believers serving nearby, who cried out in alarm.

The priest's lips were dry. He looked bewildered, and a great sense of foreboding welled up in his heart as he stared at the no-longer-bright shrine. After the anomaly occurred, the nearest believer stepped forward to try and lift the fallen tablet.

Then a shrill, terrified voice echoed through the hall.

"The soul of the Blessed Child is shattered!"

...

...

Doro River Disaster Zone.

The sound of thunder reverberated through the firmament.

Lin Lin stood up and began to don his source armor, preparing to depart. As commander, his job was to ensure the operation went smoothly and that the various captains could coordinate effectively through the mental network.

But now... the connection to the mental network had been severed.

The main control boat had become an isolated island.

The commander had also completely lost his effectiveness.

A large, powerful hand rested on his shoulder.

"Lin."

Osmonde asked in a deep voice, "Are you leaving the main control boat?"

"Lord Osmonde, I can no longer wait like this."

Lin Lin's voice was resolute. "For some time now, there has been no sign of the mental network being repaired... Clearly, the connection points we previously laid out have been destroyed. What are we waiting for by just sitting here? The corpses of our comrades?"

Yes.

This was a difficult wait.

Since Lu Zhe set off, no team had returned with any information.

All twelve teams had disappeared at the end of the Doro River's tributaries... And the Black Snow Mountain at the end of the disaster zone seemed to be erupting with violent tremors. The disconnected main control boat could not receive any information. In this state, the "commander" was like a blind man—unable to see or hear.

"On the battlefield, the general has his position, the king has his position... Exploring the Doro River is something the captains should do. You and I, as commanders of the restart mission, should be stationed on the command boat. Before you made this decision, did you ever consider that if you leave the main control boat, and communication is restored, and the captains return, but the commander is missing, the operation will suffer an even greater blow?"

Osmonde stared directly into Lin Lin's eyes.

"..."

Lin Lin was speechless.

He gritted his teeth. "Doesn't Your Excellency realize that something unexpected has happened in this disaster zone... Those captains are likely in danger."

The sound of distant thunder seemed to tear the sky apart.

Being trapped on the main control boat in this situation was truly despairing.

"I've read your files."

Osmonde gazed at the young man before him with his one eye and said slowly, "During your time garrisoning Gu Fort, you encountered seven major storms and nineteen other chaotic source material impacts. Each time, you were among the first to rush forward as a 'vanguard.' Even after becoming the fortress administrator, you were still the same. I've carefully reviewed the specific records of every battle in the files and can reconstruct the situation at any time."

Lin Lin fell silent.

Over the years... he had experienced too many battles to remember them all clearly.

The Eye of the Legion had actually kept them in mind.

"As a fortress garrison, taking the lead is not wrong because behind you is the homeland of all humanity. For people like us, the best end is to die on the Great Wall."

Osmonde said, "But this isn't the Great Wall. The 'enemy' we face isn't a storm. This isn't a problem you can solve by donning your source armor, rushing out of the main control boat, and engaging in a sword fight... Do you not trust the captains chosen by Her Majesty? Or do you trust your own abilities too much?"

These words left Lin Lin speechless.

He fell completely silent.

"Your Excellency..."

After a long silence, he reached out and pressed his hand on the table, looking at the dark screen. The lights inside the main control boat were warm, but after the deep-sea link was severed, this dead silence made him feel a chill...

Lin Lin's voice was a little hoarse as he said, "I... I can't bear to just stay here and do nothing."

"Oh, I almost forgot something."

Osmonde's expression softened slightly. He said slowly, "The only battle you didn't personally participate in was the 'Storm Counterattack' not long ago, right?"

The greatest disaster Gu Fort had ever encountered.

Lin Lin had contracted mental toxins and was unable to go into battle himself.

For a general accustomed to fighting on the front lines, this was a great loss and an irreparable regret.

"Mm..."

For Lin Lin, participating in this restart mission was more like a negotiation.

Most people here did not know his true identity.

After returning to Central City, Lin Lin had a brief conversation with his brother, Zhu Xue... Under the pressure of the family's will and the situation in North Continent, he knew that there were some things he could not choose.

He would likely have to stay in Central City, announce his royal identity, and then become an "important pawn" in stabilizing the situation... This meant he could not garrison Gu Fort.

Once his royal identity was announced, Lin Lin's life trajectory could be predicted. He would go to the best academy in Central Continent for further study, form a marriage alliance with Light City, and then try to gain "momentum" for the Lin family.

These were all very, very good things.

But he simply did not like them.

So, there was that conversation with his sister on the second floor of the ancient fort.

He expressed his truest thoughts, but his sister, sitting on the throne, did not say a word, simply listening quietly.

Finally, he came here.

Lin Lin did not go through the selection process but directly joined this high-profile special operation as "commander." In fact, he did not feel relaxed but rather very complicated.

Because he was not clear about his sister's true intentions in making this arrangement.

This might be his last battle.

This mission was crucial to the fate of North Continent. If he messed it up, then he would have no choice but to stand up, even if it meant sacrificing his life for the family.

But if the mission went smoothly and he proved his "talent," perhaps his sister would "make an exception."

"Don't worry."

Osmonde's voice was still gentle as he patted the young man's shoulder. "Danger is hidden in the mist. We don't yet know who the enemy is. The only thing we can do now is 'wait.'"

In a chess game, the best way to win is not to advance rashly.

But to wait.

Gather intelligence, clear the fog, plan steadily, and finally... wait for the enemy to make a mistake!

Lin Lin calmed down at this moment.

He exhaled a breath of turbid air and apologized, "Sorry... I was impulsive."

"Young man."

Osmonde smiled dismissively, leaned back against the table, lit a cigar, and handed it to Lin Lin.

The two of them looked at the distant, blurred Black Snow Mountain.

*Sizzle!*

Suddenly, a crisp electrical arc sounded. At this moment, the mental network seemed to experience a brief fluctuation!

The two of them turned around abruptly.

A face was reflected on the main screen.

Osmonde bit his cigar, exhaled a large puff of smoke, and said in a loud voice, "Fisher, what's happening!"

However, the image Fisher transmitted was very blurry.

It seemed to be a high mountain range. The mountain peaks were filled with mist. At the highest point was a suspended black gate, from which countless sharp black shadows poured out.

The next moment,

the image disappeared.

This link was completely erased.

The old and the young man looked at each other, seeing the shock and bewilderment in each other's eyes.

Although it was only for a second... the amount of information was enormous.

Those overwhelming "black shadows" were all transcendent creatures!

"Those are drilling out from the *Hei Men* (Black Gate)... Is there really something still alive?"

Osmonde's voice trembled slightly.

There was confusion, there was worry, but more than anything, there was excitement.

He had garrisoned the fortress for decades, and had performed countless expeditions beyond the wall. What he wanted to verify most, besides the specific location of the oasis, was whether living beings existed!

...

...

At the top of the mountain, the *Hei Men* (Black Gate) hung high. The seven transcendents of the Deep Scale Squad stood at the summit, silently watching the overwhelming black shadows before them.

For some time, they had been trapped by the fog.

They walked around and around, but seemed to still be in the same place, eventually returning to the front.

Then, they saw a "scene" they had never imagined in their lives—

When they discovered the bones, they had a certain amount of mental preparation, perhaps in the Doro River disaster zone, there existed "transcendent creatures" of unknown origin.

But they never thought

that there would be so many of these transcendent creatures.

Hundreds, thousands, and the number was still increasing... These black shadows, slender and thin, ignited fire-like vertical pupils in the black fog. They crashed into the sky like strong and agile falcons, emitting a sharp whistle.

Even more chilling was that,

from a distance,

"they" seemed to have faces similar to humans!

Fisher expressionlessly watched those "birdmen" circling in the high sky.

He had tried many times to connect with the main control boat, trying to transmit the scene he was seeing back to the main boat, but because the signal was broken, he did not know if his many attempts had been successful.

But fortunately...

As more and more things poured out from behind, these mists seemed to dissipate a lot.

He could already see the approximate direction of the return journey.

"Deep Scale Squad, prepare to return, return to the 'main boat.'"

Fisher drew his long sword and said, word by word, "Everyone remember, there is only one mission objective—"

"Survive."

Huai Shuai Jiao De Xiong Mao reminds you: Remember to collect after reading