Chapter 1 The Snowstorm

The wind and snow were heavy.

Blindingly so.

A six-man elite squad was trudging along with difficulty… their shoulders bore the snow-white lizard emblem, the signature insignia of General White Lizard of North洲.

These extraordinary individuals were all at least at Tier 3, absolute elites within the North洲 Investigation Corps.

The route they were currently taking was an exploration path assessed by the Deep Sea as having an A-level danger rating. Starting from the 牯堡 Fortress, they would leave the fortress's giant walls, boldly advancing twenty kilometers north. After a tortuous fifteen-kilometer trek, they would encounter a massive snow mountain canyon, crushed and fragmented by a black hole. In the Old World, such collapsed and broken mountains were natural labyrinths.

The Investigation Corps had explored thirty-seven incorrect paths over the past decade.

North of the fortress lay not only shattered order, but also a glimmer of hope.

Perhaps, by exiting this canyon, humanity could glimpse an oasis… or at least, get a little closer.

The team maintained a wing formation, advancing slowly.

After leaving the giant walls, the air thinned, and the wind and snow contained the corrosive power of collapsing order. Extraordinary individuals lacking sufficient strength had to wear source-energy armor to move freely… Even though North洲 had invested heavily in research and development, the latest generation of source-energy armor was not enough to support the Investigation Corps's unbridled advancement. They had to return within a specified time, and if they encountered a storm during the exploration, the probability of survival was almost zero.

Most importantly, the Deep Sea could not cross the giant walls to establish a mental link with these extraordinary individuals.

Their sights and sounds could not be transmitted back to North洲.

Therefore… the most important task of the Investigation Corps was not to discover a safe route deeper into the Old World.

It was, more importantly, to return alive.

Once dead, all was lost.

"Thirty-eighth route exploration, seventeenth time… no problems so far. Time to replace the source-energy fuel," the six-man squad leader, Hong Zhong, said in a low voice on the command channel. "All members, replace source-energy fuel. Prepare to return."

This counted as a successful exploration.

The previous thirty-seven routes had been considered the same way, before discovering "dead ends" and encountering unremovable "black holes." Extraordinary individuals entering the Investigation Corps had to possess strong psychological qualities. They bore North洲's most dangerous missions, and 30% of them were injured each year during exploration missions.

The Old World concealed countless dangers. Take this canyon, for example… the phenomenon of collapsing order was like a shattered mirror, hidden in every corner of the snow mountain. If one looked with their eyes, they were sure to be deceived.

And if one came into contact with a black spot, even for an instant, the extraordinary individual's body would suffer irreparable and significant damage.

Extraordinary individuals capable of entering the Investigation Corps possessed extremely powerful spirits and tenacious psychological fortitude.

And the North洲 military equipped each person with an instrument to check for "free-roaming source-matter."

The six-man squad rested in place, replacing spare source-energy fuel.

They were located in a crack within the canyon, yet this ghostly place was incredibly bright, even somewhat dazzling… the abundant flying snow reflected patches of intense white light.

It looked as if… the road ahead was bright.

Blindingly bright.

In reality, every extraordinary individual in the squad knew that this area likely concealed a massively growing "order collapse point," and this bizarre, scorching sunlight was its associated extraordinary rule.

Just as everyone was preparing to return.

The detection instrument emitted a low hum.

"Free-roaming source-matter detected ahead."

Someone spoke anxiously in the channel.

Hong Zhong immediately issued an order: "Everyone, stand by."

The instrument's humming sound… meant that there were "dispersed source-matter" nearby. He had performed dozens of missions north and often encountered this situation.

"Black holes" were certainly terrifying.

But their growth rate was extremely slow, and they had no awareness and would not actively attack. This meant that… as long as one did not actively touch them, they would not encounter danger.

In this situation, standing by was the best option.

Observe first, then judge.

The free-roaming "source-matter" might be a fragmentation phenomenon of order collapse. A certain black hole was too large, so it split into… two?

The six-man squad subconsciously clustered together, using the instrument to search for the sparse points of "source-matter." But a hair-raising phenomenon appeared.

When the instrument turned towards the return direction, the low warning sound became extremely sharp.

The instrument's alarm indicated one thing.

The disordered source-matter of order collapse was surging from the return direction.

The team fell into silent stillness.

This was undoubtedly devastating news. There was only one road back. If the alarm on the detection instrument was to be believed… then this road had been cut off.

The most ironic thing was.

Under the illumination of the large patches of snow-white light, the narrow road back was dazzlingly clear.

"T… Captain…"

A young recruit who had not been in the team for long subconsciously moved closer to Hong Zhong. He stared blankly at the alarm direction on the detection instrument and asked in a hoarse voice, "Are we… are we not going to be able to go back?"

Hong Zhong silently looked at the dazzling long road.

Of course… he replied in his heart.

This entire canyon was full of fragmented and incorrect forks.

There was only one correct road, and of course, there was only one road back.

Whether there was a long road out of the canyon, he did not know.

But the one back to North洲 had been submerged—just now.

The most tragic thing was that, on the visual level of the "naked eye," the road still existed… This was simply a merciless mockery of fate. If a snow mountain collapsed, at least everyone would know that the road was cut off, and there was no longer any possibility of returning home.

"What do we do now?"

In the silent team, a veteran with a wealth of experience calmed down.

Everyone turned their gaze to the captain.

"Spare energy… if all goes well, it's enough to last for a month."

Hong Zhong used a great deal of strength to prevent himself from turning around and looking in the direction of home. He looked at the halted thirty-eighth route and said softly, "Our hope isn't lost… perhaps there's still one possibility."

The other five teammates were all stunned.

Then they realized what the captain meant by the possibility…

Yes.

There was still one possibility.

That was that the Investigation Corps's thirty-eighth route was indeed feasible. They would leave this canyon… and beyond that canyon was the legendary "oasis."

"We have no choice, do we?"

Hong Zhong rubbed his cheeks and said softly, "Either be buried in the snow and turn into unvisited, skeletal remains. Or walk out of the snow mountain and become triumphant heroes."

The team's low morale was swept away.

Everyone saw "hope," even if it was only a sliver… but in desperation, this sliver of hope was enough to make a person do everything they could.

"Now, everyone rests for three minutes. After three minutes, we will continue to explore the complete thirty-eighth route. If anyone wants to give up on moving forward, they can bring it up now. I will give them respect, but the road home has been completely cut off."

Hong Zhong adjusted his wristwatch, counted down three minutes, and then said calmly, "Our source-energy fuel is limited, and once we start, there's no way to stop. If anyone gives up halfway, they will be considered a deserter… Everyone, now is the time to make a decision."

After saying all this.

Hong Zhong extended his palm, facing upward, silently waiting for a response.

These were three minutes of silence.

Also, three minutes of battling the devils within one's heart.

Three minutes were up—

A hand was placed on Hong Zhong's hand. The veteran who had followed Hong Zhong for many years sighed and said with a smile, "Your luck has always been good, I bet you'll be lucky this time too."

Hong Zhong smiled silently.

"Captain… me too."

The young man took a deep breath and placed his hand on top.

Soon, all six hands were clasped together.

"In that case… everyone, follow me forward."

Everyone held their breath and looked ahead. That was the endpoint where the investigation mission should have ended. This time, they would continue to trek, begin the "journey," either to be buried in the snow mountain or to find a new way out.

However.

No one expected… that this journey would not last long at all. There was no desperate situation of "running out of supplies" as expected.

In just a few tens of minutes.

The squad reached the exit of the snow mountain canyon. The thirty-eighth route was correct. This labyrinth that had plagued the Investigation Corps for nearly a decade had found the correct answer at this moment… The sound of the wind and snow in the distance was no longer violent.

The instrument's detection reaction to source-energy also gradually subsided.

The pointer on the dial was actually gradually returning to zero. No one dared to believe this was real. If there existed a world in the Old World where source-matter no longer roamed freely, then this place must be the legendary "oasis."

The six people stood at the exit of the giant canyon, staring blankly at the scene before them.

After leaving the shattered canyon, the view in front of them suddenly opened up. Before their eyes was the boundless high sky, the swirling white clouds, and the gradually spreading and melting frozen snow.

Hong Zhong looked dazed.

It turned out that they only needed to advance a little further… really just a little bit, and they could reach this "dreamland."

Perhaps, all of this was the guidance of the Goddess of Fate.

The Goddess of Fate had favored him once again, cutting off the retreat only to bestow a new life.

"Hiss…"

A slight sound of air being cut rang out beside his ear.

Hong Zhong subconsciously looked back, only to find that the road they had come from was covered in gloom. Those dancing, clear, and dazzling snowflakes had lost their luster, falling piece by piece on both sides of the mountain wall, seeming to slowly squirm.

Like… scales?

The next moment…

A huge shadow, with a "whoosh," swept over the heads of the crowd at an extremely fast speed.

The team members immersed in the joy of discovering the "oasis" had already noticed something was amiss. When the slight and biting wind swept across their faces, there was a damp, bloody smell.

"Why… why did it get dark?"

Someone murmured.

The huge shadow finally stopped its high-speed movement and hovered in place, slowly enveloping everyone.

The six raised their heads.

The sky and earth darkened.

And two golden, vertical beams of light burst out from that shadow, like burning suns in the night, locking onto them firmly.

Those were two giant "snake pupils."

And the damp, bloody wind was the sound of the snake's tongue flicking.

"Hiss…"

"Hiss…"

On both sides of the snow mountain exit, formed by countless broken snowflakes, the mountain walls began to slowly stir. Millions of scales collided, like gunpowder, igniting those flying snowflakes, burning out intense and dazzling holy light.

A large snake, coiled high, flicked its thin tongue, coldly raising its front body and closing its coils, warmly embracing the explorers who had glimpsed the light.