The Investigator Was Done For

In Zone 76, the teams trained by the Mutual Aid Association with substantial resources and targeted contracts are known as the "Direct Training Teams." After their members Class Change, they are directly incorporated into the Mutual Aid Association's management system.

The "Non-Direct Training Team" mainly relies on their own efforts, with the Mutual Aid Association only providing indirect support such as strategy information, teleportation permissions, and market resource purchase quotas. This is the path with greater freedom that most Survivors in Zone 76 will take in the Future.

Currently, almost all professionals in the area come from the Direct Training Team, and even the fastest Non-Direct Training Team has only reached a stage where three people have [Class Change Certificates ].

He even heard rumors that the Mutual Aid Association's leadership was considering gradually phasing out the Direct Training Team system and allocating resources to a wider range of Non-Direct Training Teams.

The Supervision Department, led by Captain Xi Ji and other first-generation professionals, is specifically responsible for handling various armed disputes and security risks within and outside the region.

If someone obtains a [Class Change Certificate] but deliberately holds off on Class Change, consistently occupies the top spot on the Regional Level Rankings to steal the daily bonus rewards from the system, and hoards Skill Experience Stones, then the visible hand of the Supervision Department will come knocking on their door for some friendly guidance until they deeply reflect on their actions.

"Alright, now get out of here!"

Ding Lexin donned her props, a translucent crystal embedded between her brows, a jade crown, a necklace around her neck that could warn and deflect malicious attacks, a ring on her finger that enhanced mental focus, and a talisman embedded in her body that automatically triggered a powerful mental shield, along with other props...

This is the temporary perk for special investigators; their morale is already maxed out, all they need is a Perfect- quality item.

Taking a deep breath, Ding Lexin pushed open the door, threw out a lighting device, and began to explore.

Pulling up the map, he confirmed that there were three large [Dangerous Terrain] areas and seven small [Dangerous Terrain] areas near the target area, three of which crossed the boundary between East District 36 and East District 35. He needed to check them one by one and locate the "source" causing the Survivors' severe headaches.

As he continued onward, casually clearing out several waves of low-level monsters, Ding Lexin remained highly vigilant. Suddenly, a distinct chill emanated from the [Clear Mind Crystal] on his forehead.

"They're here!"

Ding Lexin's spirits lifted, and she immediately stopped to carefully sense her surroundings.

This strange headache effect is completely different from the uniform, silent infiltration of [Mental Corrosion].

It was more like a targeted shockwave whose intensity changed drastically with distance. After testing it in different locations multiple times, Ding Lexin became even more convinced that there was a powerful "source" that continuously emitted this mental impact.

After simple measurements and collecting Survivor feedback information from the forum, he overlaid this data with a precise Sanctuary distribution map and quickly used the triangulation principle to calculate the most likely coordinates of the "source".

"Roughly in this direction, about five kilometers away as the crow flies... Strange, this coordinate point isn't within any known [Dangerous Terrain] area. New terrain? Or some kind of special monster? Monsters from outside the area don't seem to be able to get in..."

Despite her doubts, Ding Lexin continued to record environmental data while speeding up her approach, stealthily moving towards the calculated coordinates.

The closer he got to the target, the more violently his mental Abjuration gear reacted.

"Damn, this feels a bit like Curse, but something feels off."

When he arrived at a distance of about one kilometer from the calculated coordinates, he felt a chill run down his spine. An inexplicable feeling pressed down on him, and the surrounding environment became eerily silent. Even the occasional groups of monsters disappeared, leaving only a suffocating stillness.

A small crack quietly appeared in the crystal on her forehead, which Ding Lexin quickly noticed and replaced with a new one.

"What the hell? Won't creatures with a mental Attribute below 16 points get killed if they get too close?"

Ding Lexin, who was only 500 meters away from the "source," looked surprised, and an even more eerie feeling descended upon her.

An indescribable, invisible pressure seemed to bypass his layers of Abjuration gear and directly press down on his mental world.

As if facing something vast and imposing, he hesitated to move, feeling a strong sense of unease.

Her thoughts raced, Ding Lexin jotted down everything. Then, she threw out a high-quality lighting prop, hoping to catch a glimpse of its true form.

Radiant with light, the lighting props produced by the system defied the rule that "light cannot travel too far" in the Land of Darkness, rising into the air and illuminating everything around them.

Ding Lexin clutched her head, which felt like it was about to split open, and barely managed to lift her eyes to look at the illuminated core area—

There was nothing there.

There was no distorted space, no eerie architecture, no twisted monsters. There was only a barren wasteland with a few monsters lying scattered on the ground.

Apart from that, there were no other abnormalities.

Just as he was stunned by this ordinary scene, the [talisman] in his body suddenly exploded, transforming into a soft, milky-white halo that swept over his entire body, instantly clearing away some of the accumulated headache effects and invigorating him.

"Something's wrong! Something's really wrong!"

Ding Lexin's fighting instincts kicked in, and without hesitation, he turned around and prepared to evacuate immediately.

However, the instant he turned around, a chilling sensation crept up his spine. He instinctively looked down to check his condition—

Most of the mental Abjuration gear he was wearing had lost its luster, and its surface was covered with fine cracks; some pieces were even completely shattered.

Beneath his clothes at the chest, a wisp of Black Flame, seemingly without a real form, had appeared at some unknown time, Jingjing clinging to the spot and Burn silently!

There was no high temperature, no smoke, and it didn't even ignite any clothing, but it was there, Burn coldly.

Ding Lexin instantly realized something and immediately immersed her senses into her mental world.

Just as expected!

In his mental world, a black flame of the same form appeared out of thin air and quickly took root Spread. It was not only Burn his Divine Power, but also attaching itself directly to his Divine Power, and even... his soul, in an incomprehensible way!

An invisible force, in the form of flames, was attacking him; he could neither defend against it, nor comprehend it, nor avoid it!

What is this? Curse?

But as the black flames continued to Burn, and as consciousness gradually blurred, teetering on the edge of a dark Abyss...

He finally seemed to remember something and roared, "Consultant Su!!"

But there was no response; he was still being burned by the invisible flames, burning his entire body until he completely lost control.

Jin Ye was engulfed in a spray of excrement and urine, his eyes dimming with the flames. His consciousness and body, stained with profanities, plummeted into the Abyss...