Old Man, System

It was now almost certain that the people left behind were the assistance the other side had arranged for me.

Those people he had abducted had become bargaining chips in his hands.

Once I obtained the core, he would use them to threaten me and force me to hand it over.

When we reached a fork in the road, I naturally chose the path on the left.

There was no particular reason. I had to choose one direction or the other.

The moment I stepped onto the path on the left, I felt a flicker of surprise.

Because, just as they had said, I sensed the location of the core.

The connection between the core and me felt more like the tacit understanding I had developed with Duan Hongbin and the others before, and later with Ying Gou.

"I felt it," I said to Old Shu and Dan Zeng. Joy appeared on Old Shu's face, while Dan Zeng asked whether I could determine the distance.

I focused carefully, then shook my head. That sensation had vanished in an instant.

Dan Zeng asked, "Was the feeling very strong?"

I shook my head and explained the situation.

Dan Zeng frowned. "The feeling disappeared?"

I said yes. I thought something had blocked it.

"That's not right. Everyone wants you to obtain the core, including the system. They have no reason to stop you from resonating with it."

That was right. Everyone's goal was the core, so why would they stop me?

"Never mind. Let's thoroughly search within a hundred meters," Old Shu said.

Since my perception of the core had been within a hundred meters, a carpet search seemed like the simplest solution, except this place was far too large.

There was no telling how long such a search would take.

And there