The Blood Moon Rises

However, the matter did not end there.

Just as Han Song's body Annihilation and his soul should have been destroyed by the high energy, a protective talisman in his arms, which had melted at the same time but lit up in a final burst of light, suddenly released a soft glow, protecting his soul and burning itself out.

Almost simultaneously, one of the members of the Supervision Department, who specialized in souls, was already prepared. A bottle in his hand suddenly generated a powerful suction force, accurately drawing the fragile soul radiance into the bottle. The stopper fell instantly, activating the layers of seals.

"Isolation complete. Resurrection procedures to be initiated after safety assessment."

Han Song, this newly minted Forbidden Class, "died" in an extremely tragic and dramatic way, yet retained a glimmer of hope.

Just as everyone had regained their composure and begun dealing with the explosion site and its aftermath, a new anomaly occurred.

The owner of the "shadow arm" that was vaporized by the nuclear explosion does not appear to have completely perished.

At the spot where it finally disappeared, a single, intensely dark red light stubbornly shone, then rapidly spread and expanded like a drop of blood falling into water.

The light twisted and stretched, and in just a few breaths, it formed a dark red sphere about ten meters in diameter in mid-air, with blurred edges and constantly writhing and changing!

Like a blood-red moon, it exuded a cold, ominous, and maddening illusionary power, slowly rising and suspending itself above the "sky" of Zone 76...

"Wow, that thing... is it the Legendary 'Forbidden Existence'?" A burly man looked up at the dark red sphere stuck in mid-air, lost in thought.

"This is different from our previous speculations about the Trial Instance. Weren't they supposed to be mostly the World Will hiding behind the scenes, or a possible system? Where did this blood-soaked 'moon' come from?"

Most people in Zone 76 have gone through the trials and have never actually seen this thing before.

"Don't just stand there!" A calm and authoritative voice rang out through an amplification Spell.

"Group One, immediately escort Han Song's soul container, prioritizing treatment and purification, while simultaneously attempting safe interaction to extract crucial intelligence! Group Two, organize elite reconnaissance teams, equipped with the highest-level mental Abjuration gear and conceptual Contamination filters, test safe distances, make contact with the Blood Moon, maintaining mental isolation, and strictly prohibiting prolonged direct eye contact! Group Three, activate the contingency plan, guiding non-combat personnel, especially non-professionals, to temporarily teleport back to their hometowns for refuge! Group Four, immediately activate mental Abjuration in all areas, at maximum power! Simultaneously check and activate all defensive structures!"

A series of clear and decisive instructions were instantly transmitted to the corresponding team leaders via the Survival System's private channel and other physical communication systems.

Almost simultaneously, on the Zone 76 forum, a popular post that had originally discussed other topics was completely edited, and the title was changed to a bright red warning:

[Urgent Notice for the Entire Region: Remain calm and avoid looking directly at the "Blood Moon"! A suspected Forbidden Existence appeared; all personnel must follow instructions!]

The post concisely explained the current situation, emphasized the importance of mental Abjuration, and provided suggestions for strength assessment. There was no panic in the entire Zone 76; instead, it was a tense but orderly state of combat readiness.

Beside the command post, a man in a white Researcher's coat approached the Number Two officer in charge of force and whispered a suggestion:

"Number Two, conventional firepower might not be very effective. Should we... try a few more with higher yields? Records show that many Forbidden Existence most vulnerable immediately after leaving Trial Instance —it's an excellent 'window of opportunity'..."

Zone 76 currently possesses a vast array of high-damage attack methods, including nuclear weapons and similar weapons, some of which are even being used for infrastructure development.

"You all saw the explosion just now. That shadow monster was vaporized, but it absorbed some of the energy released from the explosion, directly catalyzing the formation of this 'Blood Moon.' This likely means that its true form is this 'Blood Moon,' and conventional physical destruction or even energy impacts are not only unlikely to completely destroy it, but may instead become its nourishment, accelerating its recovery or transformation. Brute force is too risky." Number Two directly Negation.

The Researcher opened his mouth, as if to say something, but Number Two raised his hand to stop him. "The most urgent task is intelligence. Without understanding the enemy, any attack is a gamble. Han Song is the only one who has had direct contact with this thing; his memories are key... By the way, what about the other two?"

One person immediately answered:

"The president has interrupted his current mission and is returning. Consultant Su's situation is slightly different; he is currently exploring a strange Dreamscape, but the Laboratory where his body is located has received an alarm and is returning at full speed. Consultant Su indicated that he can return at any time if the situation becomes urgent."

"Okay, that's good..."

With two top-tier players backing them up, Number Two can rest easy.

High in the sky, the crimson Blood Moon continued its relentless ascent, for this form is often associated with "hanging high in the sky," representing the maximization of power radiation.

However, it hit a wall.

An invisible barrier firmly sealed off the boundary between Zone 76 and the outer Land of Darkness. The Contamination energy and Corrosion released by the Blood Moon crashed against this barrier.

It was stuck at an awkward altitude of about forty kilometers, neither high nor low.

That's the power of the system, a barrier used to isolate the area from the harsh environment of the Land of Darkness outside. Currently, only Survivor have obtained the qualification to Out-of-Zone Exploration and their companions can enter and exit.

But the Blood Moon was unaware of this; it was stuck high in the sky, stubbornly resisting while simultaneously recovering its strength.

"Buzz--"

A wave of greedy mental energy faintly emanated from the core of the Blood Moon.

He was "hungry".

He needs energy, but the energy absorbed in the nuclear explosion was too little, only enough to support the manifestation of his form.

But in this unfamiliar environment, it couldn't find any energy to absorb. In the previous Trial Instance, at least it could absorb Sun.

But soon, it adapted to its environment and began to absorb the free-floating Mana within it.

Unfortunately, due to Industrialization, most of the Mana in Zone 76 is concentrated in the Safe Zones, while the rest of the environment has very little Mana.

The Blood Moon frantically unleashed its invisible absorption field, drawing in sparse strands of Mana. The monsters roaming the area became its Vassals, and various energies merged into the dark red sphere, but the efficiency was appallingly low, a drop in the ocean.

"More 'fuel' is needed... fear... energy..."

A vague idea drove Him. Since directly obtaining energy was difficult, He would first create "nourishment"!

The dark red light fluctuated slightly, and a fluctuation targeting the consciousness of living beings began to Diffusion downwards from the Blood Moon as its center.

This is one of His powers—[Blood Moon Whispers ].

Contamination wave, a mixture of illusion implantation, mind control, and "ghost stories" seeds, attempted to infiltrate the defenses of the human settlement below.

The aim is to weave terrifying Illusion Realm into the minds of Survivors, incite hidden fears, sow seeds of distortion, thereby drawing upon their mental energy and potentially catalyzing the emergence of New Life "ghost stories" that are dependent on its own rules.

However, the effect was once again greatly reduced.