Chapter 166

"Startup confirmed."

Ai Yue casually said, then temporarily turned off all the data reports, "Synchronize the information from the real-time monitoring system to me."

Since the data doesn't seem to indicate any problems for now, let's take a look at the Sea of Quantum.

"Synced."

The machine emitted a cold voice. "Please take necessary precautions and preparations, remember the rules of exploration, and avoid getting lost in the Sea of Quantum."

As the notification sound ended, the real-time video feed from the monitoring system was simultaneously displayed on Ai Yue's glasses.

As the Sea of Quantum Teleportation Gate was activated, a gentle breeze seemed to stir within the room—a phenomenon caused by the overflow of energy. This indicated that the Teleportation Gate had successfully connected to the Sea of Quantum.

It seems that the problem is not Sea of Quantum.

Ai Yue looked at the various data from the monitoring system, and they were basically the same as those shown in the data report given by Dr. Mei.

However, the data does not show all the information. We still need to go inside and explore to find out what the interior of the Sea of Quantum is like.

Once the Teleportation Gate had completely stabilized, Ai Yue was fully prepared. He activated his armor system and then prepared to enter the Teleportation Gate.

However, the moment he touched the Teleportation Gate, the real-time data displayed in front of him began to fluctuate wildly. The line graph used to demonstrate the changes in the situation suddenly became like an electrocardiogram. Then, Ai Yue heard something explode inside the device.

The next second, the Teleportation Gate closed completely in front of him, and a plume of black smoke rose from the entire Teleportation Gate device.

Ai Yue watched this scene silently, then looked down at his own hand—the timing of all of this was so perfect that he first suspected that something on his body had damaged the equipment in front of him.

But both the armor's self-check results and the last data left by the monitoring system told him that the problem lay in the Teleportation Gate to the Sea of Quantum.

It appears that an abnormally high data point was detected, exceeding the safety device inside the Teleportation Gate, causing the device to overload and forcibly interrupting the startup.

However, before Ai Yue could check the specifics, he received a new communication request—this time from Ying.

"Doctor Ai Yue, I am currently in Atra City."

After the communication was established, Sakura's calm and capable voice entered Ai Yue's ears. Her words were very concise, even omitting greetings, "The situation with the Sea of Quantum Teleportation Gate is very bad... It's as if the Sea of Quantum is overflowing from the Teleportation Gate."

Ai Yue narrowed his eyes.

Chapter 41 Misfortune may be a blessing in disguise.

The Sea of Quantum overflowed from the Teleportation Gate.

This statement sounds strange—and it is indeed very strange.

No, to someone unfamiliar with the situation it might just sound strange, but to knowledgeable people like Ai Yue or Dr. Mei, it's as terrifying as a horror story.

Because it means that the Sea of Quantum is eroding the world.

"Transmit the details to me,"

Ai Yue didn't hesitate for long before saying, "Also, make an emergency evacuation of Atra City... no, the entire Mu Continent. Go to the Moth to Fire branch and find Eden. Just say 'Project Zero,' and she'll know."

Ai Yue is now very glad that he did not completely lower his guard because the Ninth Herrscher gave up on destroying the Mu Continent. Project Zero was a plan he prepared to prevent special situations from happening again in Atra City in the future.

To facilitate this plan, the new city of Atra not only has pre-built, detachable shelters, but also shelters that can be towed away by vehicles in case of an emergency, thus preventing the people of Atra City from being unable to leave in the event of a disaster that affects the entire continent.

"I'm here, Ai Yue."

Eden's voice came through along with the pop-up projection screen, "Project Zero has been activated, so there's no need to worry about the evacuation."

Although Eden did not yet understand how serious the dangers of the Sea of Quantum were to the real world, her intuition was very sharp, so she took action from the very beginning.

At that moment, Ai Yue also saw the scene that Ying and the others were facing.

At this moment, two Fused Warriors were standing in front of a huge iron gate, which Ai Yue recognized as the heavy gate leading to the Sea of Quantum Teleportation Gate. It could both block outsiders from spying and isolate disasters from within.

However, the surface of this heavy metal door was already showing specks of chaotic, dark color, like an abyss, which, like rust, were gradually creeping across the entire door.

Ai Yue stared intently at one of the areas for more than ten seconds, and in that short time, the color block visibly expanded. Although the expansion was not significant, it was still quite alarming.

Ai Yue remembered clearly that even after passing through this door, he still needed to walk through another corridor to reach the control room responsible for managing and monitoring the Sea of Quantum Teleportation Gate. So why was this door already being corroded the moment Dr. Mei informed him that the Sea of Quantum Teleportation Gate was malfunctioning?

"No matter what, get out first, and if possible, turn on all the blocking devices."

While organizing his thoughts, Ai Yue instructed, "It's enough to leave the monitoring machines here to observe the situation. Don't let anyone approach this place. Also, don't use anything with Honkai Energy to try to stop the erosion. That will only stimulate the Sea of Quantum to become more active."

After saying that, he glanced down at the small Teleportation Gate in front of him. "I'll get there as soon as possible. Until then, do nothing, understand?"

"I see,"

Sakura nodded. "Should we report the situation here to Dr. Mei?"

"If you haven't said it yet, then don't say it."

Ai Yue took a deep breath and smiled again. "Don't worry, with me here, none of this is a problem."

Even Dr. Mei couldn't find a solution to this situation in a short time, so telling her would obviously only add to her worries. In fact, even Ai Yue himself was a bit confused, but as the savior, he naturally had to appear confident and not put pressure on others.

After ending the communication, Ai Yue immediately began to conduct a detailed inspection of the equipment in front of him to see if he could find any clues from the malfunction of the Teleportation Gate.

But the final result was very disappointing to him. The safety device did not blow due to an abnormal reading in the Sea of Quantum, but rather it seemed that there was a problem with the circuit itself.

This situation has occurred a few times before. After all, even equipment manufactured by the system cannot run perfectly indefinitely. However, the timing of this occurrence was too coincidental, causing Ai Yue to have unnecessary expectations.

No, wait... what if this isn't a coincidence?

Looking at the broken machine in front of him, Ai Yue inexplicably touched the coin he always kept in his breast pocket—a coin that Pardofelis considered a symbol of good luck and had given to him during a previous gift exchange.

As a scholar, Ai Yue often comes up with seemingly unrelated associations, and this time was no exception, since equipment malfunctions have nothing to do with good luck.

But if the equipment works smoothly, it might not be a good thing.

Ai Yue still remembers that in the original storyline, the "Herrscher of Binding Extermination Battle" that wiped out almost all the Fused Warrior was supposed to include Pardofelis, but she fell seriously ill just before participating in the mission, which caused her to remain unconscious and ultimately miss the mission.

A serious illness is certainly not a good thing, but if it can save you from a potentially fatal disaster, then that's a different story.

Could it be that there's really something wrong with the Sea of Quantum? If so, shouldn't I make more preparations?

But what if the situation is urgent and you make preparations that you can't use, and instead waste time?

Ai Yue hesitated for a few seconds, but finally decided to play it safe for the time being.

With the help of the system, it shouldn't take too long, but constantly looking back and forth here is just a pure waste of time.

Meanwhile, Sakura and Eden, following Ai Yue's instructions, activated all the blocking mechanisms. Twelve iron gates slowly descended, isolating the Sea of Quantum on the other side.

Will this even work?

Looking at the heavy gate in front of her, Sakura didn't feel any safer. "The feeling I get from the Sea of Quantum... is really strange. Can physical barriers really work?"

"I don't know, after all, my understanding of the Sea of Quantum isn't much better than yours, Sakura."

Eden, monitoring the emergency evacuation situation through his armored system, remarked, "But this is Ai Yue's order, so he must have his reasons."

"In this kind of thing, it's really hard for us to help much."

Sakura sighed, her hand unconsciously resting on the hilt of her sword again. "If only it were the kind of event where the winner could be decided by fighting."

"Since Doctor Ai Yue joined the Moth to Fire, such incidents seem to have become less and less frequent,"

Eden shook his head slightly. "I really don't know if it's a good thing or a bad thing."

Sakura wanted to say something more, but suddenly paused, because one of the twelve surveillance cameras in front of her had lost connection.

"So quickly... the first barrier has been breached?"

Chapter 42 The rate of erosion is keeping pace with inflation.

Did you see it too?

Eden's voice broke the silence. The two exchanged a glance, both revealing anxious expressions. "This speed... is simply outrageous."

"Yes,"

Sakura nodded. "Most importantly, the erosion of the real world by the Sea of Quantum will obviously not spread in just one direction."

This is the most worrying problem. As Sakura said, the erosion range is spherical, with the Sea of Quantum Teleportation Gate as the center, and it continues to spread in all directions. Therefore, it seems that only one gate has been eroded now, but the effect on the entire erosion range is a huge expansion.

"Fortunately, this is very deep underground."

Eden said in a complicated tone, "But unfortunately... it's deep underground."

Because the Sea of Quantum Teleportation Gate is far from areas of human activity, there may be no need to worry about the Sea of Quantum's erosion affecting ordinary people for 24 or even 48 hours. However, because it is deep underground, exploration and monitoring work cannot be carried out at all. All information can only be obtained from this passage in front of us. Therefore, no one knows how large the Sea of Quantum's erosion area is now.

"All we can do now is wait."

Sakura closed her eyes, trying to calm herself down. "But we can't wait indefinitely and put all the pressure on Doctor Ai Yue. That would be irresponsible to him and to everyone else."

Eden frowned. "Sakura, what are you going to do?"

"Let's go in and find out."

Sakura said calmly, "I think we should gather some valuable information before Doctor Ai Yue arrives."

"I disagree. This isn't just about your safety, Sakura."

Eden immediately said, "Don't forget, Doctor Ai Yue told us not to use anything containing Honkai Energy near the eroded parts of the Sea of Quantum. Fused Warrior themselves cannot be separated from Honkai Energy. How do you expect your actions not to add fuel to the fire?"

"By using the armor to isolate the Honkai Energy within my body from direct contact with the Sea of Quantum, I think this situation can be avoided."

Sakura said, "Of course, if even the armor can't resist the erosion of the Sea of Quantum, then I'll find a way to get out before that happens."

"The Sea of Quantum is not a place you can enter and exit at will. Do you think you can just leave whenever you want?"

Eden shook his head. "I will not agree to your plan."

"Then what should we do? Are we just going to stand by and watch?"

Sakura gripped the hilt of the sword tightly, a hint of anxiety finally showing in her voice, "If we miss the best time, then we will both be sinners!"

Clearly, she wasn't as calm as she had appeared.

Even so, still...

Eden's words of advice were cut off halfway through his sentence.

Because the second surveillance video also turned black at that moment.

"How is that possible?"

This time, even Eden could no longer contain his anxiety. "Only a few minutes have passed..."

In just a few minutes, the second gate was also completely eroded. This speed was more than twice as fast as before.

At this rate of expansion, Atra City... no, the entire Mu Continent might not even last 24 hours!

But will this erosion stop after it has devoured the Mu Continent?

The thought of what might happen in the future Eden a chill up her spine and down to the top of her head.

"Are you still going to stop me now?"

Sakura's tone calmed down again, but the blade at her waist was already drawn an inch from its sheath, clearly indicating that she had made up her mind to carry out her ideas even if it meant resorting to force.

"No,"

Eden shook his head. "I'll go with you."

"Eden?"

This time it was Sakura's turn to be stunned. "You don't need to do this. Besides, one of us needs to stay behind to take charge."

"If the erosion continues to expand like this, there will soon be no big picture to speak of."

Eden said firmly, "Moreover, as Mental Perception Fused Warrior, my sensory range far exceeds yours. In an unknown realm like the Sea of Quantum, a radar is still quite necessary, right?"

"It seems I can't convince you."

Sakura hesitated only briefly before nodding, "In that case, let's set off immediately."

However, just as the two of them made a move, they simultaneously heard a voice. "'Please' calm down, you two."

"Aponia?"

Feeling that stiffness that made her body feel out of control, Sakura blurted out, "Are you in Atra City?"

"No, I am not here, but it is not difficult for me to keep an eye on this place."

Aponia said calmly, "Please be patient, Ai Yue is on his way—and if my senses are not mistaken, the situation may not be as bad as you think."

"Can you sense the extent of the erosion by the Sea of Quantum?"

Eden couldn't help but ask, "But the rate of erosion of the Sea of Quantum is still accelerating. Isn't that the worst thing?"