Exploration

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“On July 10th, the terrestrial relic number 1170 emerged; external reconnaissance completed on September 14th, rated level D. Exploration plan initiated. Lily Team member Yuan Jin Xing appointed as provisional team leader to lead Vanguard Squad Nine for exploration. Lily Team serves as the external defense line.” The operational order was issued.

“Power outage maintenance across all six lines; the Orchid Team, able to arrive within ten minutes, will be unable to provide support.” On the screen, the original message about checkpoint maintenance was precisely relayed to the entire operational team via multi-channel communication.

“Attention all Bamboo Team members: On September 14th, due to a fire safety drill at the Survey Bureau’s supervisory building, power will be cut for maintenance; full-line rest period.”

“Bamboo Team acknowledged.”

After reading the messages on the screen, Yuan Jin Xing gazed out the window.

Beneath the night sky’s radiant lights, raindrops shimmered and streaked fleetingly, as if without beginning or end, leaving only a brief trace that evoked a faint melancholy.

Yet the steady drizzle continued endlessly, like life’s persistent thread; the momentary brilliance paused and transformed into eternity...

The noodle shop’s floor-to-ceiling windows shielded the wind and rain, seemingly isolating it from the outside world, offering warmth and tranquility.

Today was September 13th, the Mid-Autumn Festival.

A steaming bowl of noodles was served, rich with soy sauce aroma. Vibrant green pea shoots mingled with the noodles, stirred evenly by chopsticks, the sauce coating the strands invitingly.

“Slurp.”

The information on the screen marked her first relic exploration in six months; among trainees from the same batch, she was the only one yet to receive a mission.

When training ended, Yue Chuan and her squad were the first dispatched, sent to Lan City, not returning for six months.

She missed them somewhat.

Today, she was leaving the training camp to celebrate the festival.

Suddenly, a piece of pickled vegetable appeared at the bowl’s bottom. She glanced toward the jar of kimchi on the counter.

“Why didn’t you put my pickled vegetable in?” The owner, her hair dyed wine red and styled like a fluffy explosion, questioned from behind the cash register.

“It was put in. Maybe the wrong bowl was served,” her husband, the idle cook, emerged from behind the curtains.

“That’s odd—I wanted to try some, but after checking, it’s not there.”

Suddenly, a crisp snap sounded.

Both turned to see.

Yuan Jin Xing bit into it: sour, spicy, crisp—just enough to lift the richness and whet the appetite.

Delicious indeed.

“Hey, look at you. Bring another one,” they realized the bowls had been switched.

“One with the pickled cabbage, please.” The owner’s words just fell as Yuan Jin Xing held her bowl.

“I’ll have one too, I’ll pay.” She liked the flavor.

The cook boiled freshly rinsed pickled cabbage until slightly pale, less intense, then scooped one into a net bag for each.

“Crunch.” Two crisp bites.

Delicious!

After the hot noodles, she paid and prepared to leave.

“Hey, wait up, kid,” the owner called out, her eyes warm.

“For Mid-Autumn Festival, I packed some kimchi for you—tasty and appetizing. It’s tough for young people out there in these turbulent times; you must take good care of yourself.”

The owner’s words moved Yuan Jin Xing, and she gratefully accepted.

“Thank you.”

A crane descended along tracks above the buildings. After a millennium, most asphalt roads had been phased out; between cities ran emergency military highways.

Unlike a thousand years ago, tracks now lacked sleepers, flexibly extending over buildings like agile tentacles.

They had a poetic name—Star Tracks.

Once the crane picked up passengers, the tracks adjusted to the nearest route, propelling the crane forward like a small house or telephone booth.

Magnetic levitation caused a soft “whoosh” sound. This technology neutralized kinetic energy during track twists, ensuring smooth crane movement.

Many passengers rode the cranes, orderly queued on each track, yielding as needed.

Urban planning concentrated populations; besides stationed technicians, rural towns emptied as people moved to cities. Beyond cities lay plantations, resorts, factories, parks, and natural environments; villages and small towns became obsolete as everyone enjoyed a moderately prosperous life.

Buildings stood six stories high, externally armored with steel plates and spiked defenses. Stone-paved paths between buildings served for strolling and patrols; interiors resembled traditional courtyards, nurtured by artificial sunlight and nourishing liquids to simulate forest environments.

No large roads were opened to prevent ancient creatures from roaming cities freely.

Stone paths converged at plazas, shopping centers, and museums. Indoors, temperatures were constant; outdoors, one could feel the changing seasons.

Yuan Jin Xing laid aside her tense, complex emotions and fell asleep, awaiting tomorrow’s relic activation.

Relic 1170, Ninth Squad, officially assembled.

“So far, no anomalies detected along the drone’s route. Everyone stay alert,” Deputy Leader Bai Chang Pu monitored drone operations. Due to magnetic interference, drone footage was intermittent.

“Based on current relic information, no useful judgment can be made yet. Exploration has just begun; we must remain vigilant.” Yuan Jin Xing’s expression grew serious as she addressed the sixteen-person squad, three years of training culminating in today’s chance to secure permanent status.

“Ninth Squad, prepare to depart.” Standing atop a pile of broken cement, here in the outskirts of Bamboo City, an abandoned millennia-old village lay.

“Yes!” Everyone donned protective masks and checked equipment.

Squad members were those neither outstanding nor eliminated in final selection; only through initial relic exploration could they be absorbed into Bamboo Team proper and achieve formal status.

This was also the squad most often deemed expendable.

“Hopefully it’s not a major relic. Everyone, just survive and you’ll be promoted.” Although young, Yuan Jin Xing’s gaze was deep and her movements precise.

As temporary squad leader and Bamboo Team regular, this was her first mission since formalizing six months ago.

Her twin ponytails matched the hue of orange juice. Her delicate face bore a weight beyond her years.

“Ninth Squad, we await your good news—come back alive.” In the squad’s audio channel, Lily Team leader Yun Jin’s voice sounded.

Everyone was watching!

Yuan Jin Xing felt a surge of spirit.

Mom, can you see this...

“Move out!” She leapt down from the ruins.

The squad advanced toward the relic’s entry point, their steps agile and disciplined.

Bai Chang Pu primarily managed communications, compiling and transmitting information back to command.

The rest were combat personnel.

Command Center

“Many elements remain unrecorded; so many uncollected data points pose a thorny problem.” Lily Team analyzed the images transmitted from within the relic.

The pictures depicted walls engraved with various dragon totems.

“Higher than dragon runes recorded in previous relics. Likely a great dragon lord or even the main lord. This exceeds our capacity. Since communication is lost, retreat by the original route.”

“Retreat.” Yuan Jin Xing commanded.

The squad maintained formation and caution, carefully retracing their path.

Yuan Jin Xing studied the murals.

Among races, hierarchy was strict; walls adorned with myriad dragon depictions signaled immense power.

Bai Chang Pu recorded data at the center, watching surroundings.

Xuan Cao Hua stopped.

“Captain, ahead—no way forward.”

Their spirits dampened.

“If I’m right, our original position has shifted,” Yuan Jin Xing sheathed her blade.

“Preserve strength, hold position and await rescue. Yun Xiang, Bai Chang Pu, repair communications. Yu Ting, arrange shifts. This is our base. Take turns resting.”

“I’ll scout ahead; you all form a defensive line.”

The squad rested in place.

Yuan Jin Xing advanced a dozen meters into the corridor.

No anomalies, but the passage seemed bottomless.

No intersections?

Where did this path lead?

She had noticed rapid positional changes during the earlier gale.

They might have reached the inner sanctum.

Though the mask filtered outside air, she sensed a musty odor. Masks couldn’t block everything, and their effectiveness was waning. As a special ops member, she had undergone augmentation by R&D to increase resistance.

But unconfirmed members risked death if exposed to toxins too long.

She returned.

“Captain.” Xuan Cao Hua remained close.

“Don’t come near—poisonous gas.” Yuan Jin Xing’s body emitted a green stench symbolizing decay.

“Toxic gas is spreading. This path is a one-way tunnel within three hundred meters—no branches.”

“Prepare defenses. I’ll scout ahead; build a quarantine barrier. Once safe, I’ll return.”

“Captain.” They felt helpless, worried.

“Please come back safe.”

“Mm!” Yuan Jin Xing brimmed with confidence, as if nothing could stop her.

Their hearts eased slightly.

She plunged into darkness, racing to find an exit before it was too late.

The sensation was reminiscent of the Yuyu incident—the tension, the oppression.

I won’t watch others die anymore.

She wiped tears stung by poison.

The passage seemed endless.

Upon receiving orders, all Bamboo Team combatants mobilized; reinforcements assembled.

Rose Team bore signal boosters to maintain coverage. The relic’s magnetic field disrupted communications, which is why bulky electronics were useless—like scrap metal inside. Thus, they carried electromagnetic devices to counteract the field and restore low-capacity comms.

The relic’s terrain had changed drastically.

A moss-covered stone wall had risen, with slime flowing like the mouth of a monster.

Now, a large hole had been blasted through it.

“Hurry up and follow!”

A thirty-person squad carried equipment, running fast to keep pace and maintain signal.

“Can you sense anything?” Bamboo spoke into the empty corridor. Behind, teammates readied weapons, standing guard. Why cold weapons? Because Phyling weapons penetrated well, and ancient beasts often attacked suddenly, leaving no time to fire.

The wall trembled slightly.

Numerous decayed humanoid cultists appeared.

“Hope the provisional squad is alright.” Deputy Rain expressed concern.

These cultists were low-level; eliminating them was effortless.

Reinforcements finally caught up; cooperation was seamless.

Suddenly, firelight blazed along the corridor, forging a path.

“Press on—reach the inner sanctum and purge the deity.”

The subterranean palace began twisting violently.

The squad was scattered again.

Yuan Jin Xing stopped advancing, bracing.

She heard the stone walls turning, the sound now clear without the wind’s cover; the green toxic mist vanished.

The ground beneath her seemed unchanged, yet she sensed rapid transport in a certain direction.

She struck the floor with a powered punch; the stone cracked, and she fell to the next level.

This was another passage; aided by night vision, she barely familiarized herself with the surroundings.

Movement halted.

The surroundings brightened, making her suspect a mental attack.

Only when she turned did she realize why—the light source was approaching, or rather, she was moving toward it.

Inside the palace, an enormous jade and glazed timber structure hovered in a massive pit, radiating faint light.

Yuan Jin Xing’s heart clenched sharply.

Such scale?

Run!!!

She fled down the corridor, shattering stone walls that blocked her path.

Only when the light behind her vanished did she halt.

Escaped?

Yet unease deepened.

Slowly stepping forward, her heartbeat thundered. A sixth sense urged her to flee quickly.

Suddenly, the stone wall before her withdrew; she looked up to see the grand building shining faintly in the pit.

Hesitation gripped her.

The chance to strike was before her—perhaps the deity had not fully awakened. This was an opportunity; success would greatly reduce casualties.

If she could solve one deity, she’d have a chance to become deputy leader, fighting alongside Bamboo Team’s captain...

“Initiate main deity purge plan.”

Lan arrived over Bamboo City via aerial launcher.

“Prepare to land.” Lan’s gaze was filled with worry. How was her beloved niece?

Bamboo disregarded the surrounding noise and activated his senses.

Where? He closed his eyes.

Noises of fighting erupted around him; before his eyes lay a dead end.

Following guidance, he placed his hand on the cold wall; a map gradually formed in his mind.

The path extended, piercing the entire subterranean palace.

Nothing. Nothing at all. He searched hard.

Suddenly, a faint signal—this was thanks to Rose Team’s efforts—reached Ninth Squad.

Could it be them?

He opened his eyes.

Another living palace? No wonder it was elusive.

Bamboo retreated.

“Everyone, stick close.”

This alternate route was even more concealed until exquisite murals adorned the walls, awe-inspiring proof they hadn’t erred.

“Careful—something’s coming.” Bamboo was first to sense it.

“Full alert!” Deputy Rain ordered.

“Thud, thud.” A dull pounding echoed from the corridor’s end, like a massive dough beating the ground.

“Crack, crack.” The palace twisted again; the squad was dispersed as the floor moved swiftly beneath Bamboo.

At the front, he faced the beast alone.

Movement ceased; the space opened like an arena.

Suddenly, massive decayed corpses fell from above, limbs trembling, a blackened mass.

Thick green toxic mist spread; more corpses dropped in succession.

The mist filled the space, exposed skin itched despite enhanced resistance.

Electricity crackled around Bamboo, electrolyzing the mist and creating an oxygen bubble.

The true giant had yet to appear.

He circled the corpses as reinforcements arrived.

But the dense mist forced them back.

“Captain! Are you alright?” Their voices were muffled beyond the green haze.

Rustling sounds emerged from all sides; faces paled as they retreated.

“Bang!” Above, stone slabs struck heavily, shaking loose debris and descending several centimeters.

Bamboo gauged their intent from the sound.

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Retreat was impossible now; if the upper slabs crushed down, the mist would spread like blood pumped by a heart, killing lower-ranked members.

Stopping the overhead pressure was critical. Alternatively, purify the area.

Lightning flooded the space; decaying corpses ignited spontaneously, ceasing toxic emission, while existing green mist was decomposed by electricity.

When silence returned, the arena was dusted with fine green powder, as if freshly painted.

“Bang!” The slabs descended further.

With clearer view, Bamboo saw the ceiling less than two meters above.

Grasping his obsidian sword, he leapt and plunged charged power into the blade, smashing through the stone.

Fragments and a huge green mist-emitting monster fell—about thirty meters wide and fifteen meters tall.

The floor was littered with crawling remains.

Bamboo focused—cursed offerings.

The creature resembled a pumpkin, eyes innumerable and red.

He stepped back; this monster...

If he was right, it was composed of gas-filled insects containing the toxic miasma.

Breaking them risked releasing the poison too rapidly to purify, causing massive casualties in the tunnels.

Slow footsteps echoed; Lan appeared.

“Looks like you’re in trouble.” She stepped onto green dust, encasing it in ice.

“You’re just in time.” Bamboo exhaled.

Lan surveyed the burned black masses.

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