The instant Zheng Zhi saw that enormous crack, he sucked in a sharp breath. He also remembered Yu Sheng's earlier warning: "Report immediately if you see anything wrong." He shouted on the spot, "I see it! That tower up ahead turned into a rift! Just like the one at Thousand Peaks Spirit Mountain!"
However, before he had even finished speaking, the colossal rift that pierced heaven and earth suddenly vanished before his eyes. That horrifying, bizarre scene was like a dream that had abruptly ended.
The group came to a sudden stop. Yu Sheng turned back to Zheng Zhi. "Another rift? How large was it? What was its condition?"
Zheng Zhi stopped as well, staring dumbfounded at the towering silhouette of the Refining Tower in the distant rain. His expression suddenly turned helpless. "Uh, it suddenly disappeared again... It only showed up for a few seconds."
A bolt of lightning suddenly tore across the sky. The dazzling flash illuminated part of the ancient Refining Tower's magnificent side structure. Yu Sheng instinctively turned toward the tower and saw its silhouette blurred in the rain. The illuminated section seemed to come alive, trembling and shuddering beneath the dim light of the sky.
The next second, before he had time to think about the rift Zheng Zhi had seen and then suddenly lost, he caught the smell of blood coming from nearby—very close and extremely strong. Even he could smell it.
By then, the group had completely left the last prosperous area on the city's outskirts and entered the abandoned zone adjoining the old mining facilities. The smell was coming from a cluster of dilapidated buildings nearby.
Carrying Eileen in his arms, Yu Sheng walked at the front and was the first to enter this maze-like complex of buildings, which was interconnected by