The environment of the Old World was terrible.

It was filled with shattered particles.

Perhaps six hundred years ago, before humanity arrived in the Five Continents…this was once a place of serenity, but now, due to the erosion of the "black holes," the landscape outside the Great Wall was nothing but collapsing vortexes.

The flowing clouds in the sky were constantly caving in.

Here, what the naked eye saw was not reality.

Because each "black hole" possessed different extraordinary characteristics, and these characteristics were irregular, many phenomena were deceptive, and once one went astray, one might lose their life…The main task of the Investigation Corps over the years was to try as much as possible to explore a complete map outside the Great Wall.

The team of twelve advanced "slowly" across the wasteland of the Old World, according to the formation practiced.

For this mission, sufficient "source energy fuel" was prepared, and the source armor contained a large amount of nutrient solution and compressed food.

Most of the time.

There was no sound in the general control channel, which was a common channel specifically used for dispatching and commanding.

Silence, on the contrary, was a good thing.

It meant "nothing was happening."

In Gu Shen's ears, there was only the sound of wind and sand sweeping and hitting the mask, and the slight cracking sound it made. The source armor mask shielded these noises well. He silently watched the vast white dust in front of him. The entire Old World was like a slowly dying "giant," and the dust rising from the earth with the wind was the "wail" carrying the giant's pain.

After sealing off his mental power.

Gu Shen's sensory perceptions were magnified several times, dozens of times.

After stepping onto the Old World, some complex emotions arose in his heart…The blazing fire swayed slowly at the center of his brow, calmly and mournfully gazing at this fragmented history. Humans recorded their many glories in conquering the Five Continents in their own annals, but did not record the past of fleeing and wandering long before that.

No one knew what the truth behind history was.

Only by stepping onto the Old World could one understand…how much painful price humanity had paid as a race, and how much painful long march it had experienced in order to reach the safe world within the Great Wall.

Compared to the colorful world of the Five Continents.

Here, only black and white remained.

Beneath the ultimate clamor was hidden the ultimate silence.

Because true death was silent and tranquil.

This was a lonely "journey," and every explorer of the Investigation Corps who went north was a lonely traveler.

"Tzz, tzz…"

Even outside the general control channel, everyone had their own private channel.

Even mental-type extraordinaires needed to communicate with others to maintain their mental state…In the long mission at the fortress, what was even more terrifying than the danger that could appear at any time was the prolonged "silence."

"Hello, hello…"

A young voice sounded, and Gu Shen's private channel received a request to join.

He looked forward and saw a young man in the advance formation of the main team not far away waving at him, a sincere smile clearly visible under his transparent mask.

Gu Shen remembered this young man.

Li Chen.

Li Chen was a key figure in this mission. His Source Eyes could help the team detect danger as soon as possible.

Most importantly…the Old World was "changing."

Extraordinary powers had no rules to speak of.

Compared to this vast and boundless fragmented land, humans were always small creatures. The rules of order summarized in the previous second might be completely overturned in the next…If this was an angry sea, then the waves crashing towards humanity were constantly changing.

The maps of the Investigation Corps could only theoretically avoid most of the "dangers."

Once a "black hole" underwent a distortion.

Then…they would need to find new rules, or a new route.

Source Eyes were extremely capable of exploring black holes.

With him, the safety of the map could be greatly ensured.

Gu Shen agreed to Li Chen's request.

"Brother Gu, there's a special chat channel for Team Two. The journey will be very lonely, and everyone will communicate in the channel…I saw that you haven't entered, so I came to ask."

Li Chen's voice sounded very gentle and infectious.

This was a sunny and cheerful young man. Although his strength had not reached the third tier, his ability was already excellent enough. None of the extraordinaires who could gain "recognition" in the Northern Continent were ordinary people.

Gu Shen's eyesight was good.

He saw Li Chen raise his eyebrows at him, inviting him, "Want to join?"

Gu Shen smiled and said, "Sorry…I may not be very good at dealing with such scenes."

"It's okay." Li Chen also smiled, "Look back, at the guy at the very end of the team."

Gu Shen turned his head.

At the very back of the deputy team, there was a steady man responsible for guarding the rear.

Su He.

This position was not simple. In addition to finishing up, he also needed to be responsible for completing the basic task of "data collection."

Every time the Investigation Corps went out, it would carry out a large number of "data collection tasks." Taking this maze mission as an example…the most important thing was certainly to explore the canyon route, but the changes in the "map" along the way, as well as the flow and distribution of extraordinary source matter, were all useful and important information.

These were all data about the Old World!

The information from this mission determined the next deployment outside the fortress.

Therefore…there was the sentence that was regarded as the first iron rule by the Investigation Corps.

"Staying alive is more important than anything else."

And the degree of completion of data collection, in a sense…was the degree of safety for the next mission.

In addition, in the event of special circumstances, and if the captain determined that they could not be resolved, the investigation team would choose to return the same way, and the two most dangerous positions in the team were the "charge position" at the front and the "rear guard position" at the back.

Generally speaking.

The captain would be at the very front, while the vice-captain was responsible for guarding the rear.

Gu Shen looked at the extremely taciturn man and asked in some surprise, "Su He…also joined the chat channel?"

"Of course." Li Chen said with a grin, "Most of the time…he doesn't talk, but it's good to know he's there. It makes everyone feel a lot more secure."

The next moment.

He sent an invitation.

Gu Shen chose "agree." The next moment, the cold and lonely world in his ears suddenly became lively.

"Old Mo, I suddenly remembered the bet you made with me in the combat training last time…A bet is a bet. You said you'd introduce me to a girl. Where is she?"

"Hey, kid, can't you be a little more ambitious? Don't always think about girls. You're supposed to be the elite of Team Two of our Investigation Corps. You've only been out of the fortress a few times and won a few honors, and you're already thinking about romance. When you get the 'First Class Medal' awarded by the commander, are you afraid you won't have any girls?!"

"Tch, a First Class Medal? Can a living person get that thing? You wouldn't be planning to make a paper doll and burn it for me, would you?"

"A paper doll is too shabby. If that day really comes, I'll definitely borrow money to buy you a silicone one to burn."

A burst of laughter.

Gu Shen silently raised his head.

The distant vault of the sky was a collapsing vortex, shattered particles, and flying gravel, black and white snowflakes.

The chat channel was filled with joy, as if he had suddenly arrived at some underground tavern with a lively atmosphere. The travelers trekking on the abandoned old land had no alcohol in their air masks, but they were very happy.

As long as you team up with the right people, no matter how far the road is, you won't be lonely. What is loneliness? Loneliness is a kind of spiritual food that can be chewed. Chew on it when you have nothing to do.

After listening silently for a while.

Gu Shen felt that these guys were more interesting than he thought.

On the Old World where order had collapsed, a group of rough men gathered together to chat. It was really an…incredible scene.

"Brother Gu, the wording of these guys may not be very elegant."

A few minutes later, Li Chen's voice sounded again in the private channel.

He had been observing Gu Shen. In his heart, this was a taciturn guy like Su He. He looked gentle and refined, and most likely wouldn't adapt to the language customs of the Northern Continent.

He spoke somewhat cautiously.

If the content of the chat channel was made public one day, then half of a sentence would be [censored]. Some of the titles and modal particles contained in it were really inelegant.

"If this is their normal level, then…they can be considered cultured." Gu Shen said silently in his heart.

Compared to Song Ci…

These guys were considered cultured.

"Old Mo, a bet is a bet. Don't go back on your word. Washing my underwear for a month isn't too much to ask, right?"

"Count me in. I don't want the girl. Speaking of which, I've saved up a month's worth of socks and they're still in the team…"

Gu Shen listened to the messages in the chat channel and suddenly asked, "They keep talking about bets…What's going on?"

Mo Hongyi seemed to have made bets with many people and lost them all.

"Ah…"

Li Chen was a little embarrassed. "You asked to participate in the daily training that day, and Old Mo started a betting pool…betting that you couldn't keep up with our training. You can see the situation now. He lost terribly."

Gu Shen smiled softly when he heard this.

So that's how it was.

Betting that he couldn't keep up with the training…He really did lose terribly.

Gu Shen had completed all of the Investigation Corps' training in the past few days, and he had completed it very smoothly. For him, sealing his mental power was a kind of "extreme cultivation." Following the daily training of this elite team allowed him to perceive better.

And to use his "physical body" better.

He had gained quite a bit from the training in the past few days.

He just didn't expect that many people in Team Two would support him. It seemed that only Old Mo had lost.

After Gu Shen smiled softly, the entire chat channel suddenly fell silent.

He then realized…that he was currently in a public channel.

Everyone then discovered that a newcomer had joined the channel.

"Gu…Gu Shen?"

Mo Hongyi turned his head in astonishment. This young man's presence was so low that he was almost an "invisible man" like Su He. No one mentioned him, and everyone had forgotten that there was such a person.

"Little Li pulled him in."

At that moment, a cold voice sounded.

Su He said softly, "He's been in for a while…"

There was a brief silence in the chat channel, followed by a burst of laughter.

Gu Shen looked at the "private chat requests" that were exploding in front of him.

So the silence and loneliness just now…

Was all fake.

It was just because everyone hadn't remembered him.

He agreed to all of them, and a series of greetings immediately sounded in the private channels.

"Brother Gu! I'm Zhu Xiao, just call me Old Xiao!"

"Little Brother Gu, I'm Zhang Ning from the main team. My ancestral home is also in the Eastern Continent, but it's in the remote Tundra region. I've heard about the incident in Nagano…You're really awesome!"

And everyone's attention was quickly drawn back by the speech in the public channel.

The taciturn Su He spoke again, saying, "If I remember correctly, you said that if Gu Shen could persevere, you would squat down and lick his shoes."