[Identity verification complete. Today's work begins]
After a pleasant reunion with his good-for-nothing friends, Fu Qian put on his work badge right on time Sunday morning.
By now, this was more than just a job to him. It was a rare source of enjoyment.
At the very least, he couldn't think of any other job that would make him willingly work overtime on the weekend.
[Warning: Containment Breach]
[Name: Angel of Peace, Code: 1-003]
[Today's work assignment has been updated: Enter Containment Scene 1-003 and complete re-containment]
As expected, a new containment breach had occurred.
Fu Qian was already used to this sort of thing, but the moment he saw the item's number, he couldn't help but grow wary.
This was the first time he'd encountered a breach involving an item whose code began with a 1.
Fu Qian had always wondered what the numbers at the beginning of these items' codes meant.
By common-sense reasoning, the numbers should follow some kind of pattern. For example, the smaller the number, the more dangerous the item.
If that was the case, this containment assignment probably wouldn't be easy. He'd have to stay alert.
Aside from the number, there was something strange about the anomaly caused by the item leaking from the Warehouse.
The phantom image caused by the breach was a white sphere about two meters in diameter.
Fu Qian examined it several times and confirmed that there was nothing unusual about it. It was just a ball, without even a pattern on it.
[Entering Containment Scene 1-003]
[...1%...5%...10%...55%...75%...100%, scene loading complete]
[Eternity brings peace.
Supernatural beings enjoy exploring all kinds of forbidden realms, tempering themselves and seeking advancement.
As a young supernatural being, you once ventured out to explore with a group of fellow travelers. Together, you stepped into an unknown realm, a place filled with mist and ancient buildings, steeped in mystery.
Unfortunately, the explorers didn't know that not every road led back.]
[Skills: Air Bullet, Internal Organ Critical Hit, Cat School]
[Weapon: Tyrant's Fist]
[Containment requirement: Escape the Furnace]
[Current Sanity Value: 56, Current Inspiration: 16]
Rows of explanatory text flashed by, and Fu Qian regained his senses.
"Strange. Is this place on the map?"
Someone was speaking up ahead. Fu Qian followed the voice and found himself amid the ruins of a cluster of buildings.
Mist shrouded the sky above, hiding the sun, moon, and stars.
A group stood among the ruins. They looked young, most of them in their early twenties.
They might not have been old, but they were all quite capable—far stronger than Ye Yang and Young Master Ye's crowd, at least.
A few of them even had an impressive presence. They were probably at least Seventh Order.
More importantly, they were armed to the teeth, carrying all kinds of gear and weapons, from knives to swords.
An exploration team, Fu Qian recalled from the introduction he'd just read.
The speaker was a young man at the front of the group. He was frowning as he called for everyone to stop.
"There's no path again. This place is laid out in such a confusing way."
He was right. The path they'd been following came to an abrupt end. A section of broken wall jutted crookedly into the way, its stones marked by mottled traces of age.
They could climb over it, of course, but there was no telling what lay on the other side.
And it wasn't just the broken wall. A closer look revealed that this place was a jumble of buildings.
Spires, archways, stone pillars, and all sorts of architectural elements were crammed together. The disorder was so overwhelming that just looking at it made one feel physically ill.
All the buildings were shrouded in grayish-white mist.
The mist wasn't especially thick, but it somehow obscured everything, making it difficult to see what lay beyond.
"Liushuang, should we stop?"
The young man looked around, then turned to someone else in the group, apparently asking for her opinion.
The person he called Liushuang was a young woman around his age, walking right behind him.
She had beautiful features, her face as lovely as a painting. Even in practical clothing suited for travel, she was still breathtakingly beautiful, every bit as stunning as Wen Li, whom Fu Qian had met before.
"It is a little strange."
The young woman furrowed her brows as well.
"I've never heard of a place like this, and there's nothing marked on the map. Yet judging by the ruins, these buildings are quite ancient."
"There are too many forks in the road here. We've ventured too far in. We should stop and take a break. There's no need to rush."
"Even though this is a free exploration, we'd better not get too far from the other teams. Otherwise, Dean Li will have a hard time looking after everyone."
The two were clearly the core members of the group. As soon as they spoke, almost everyone agreed. The group took off their gear in practiced unison and rested, soon setting up a campsite.
A group of young supernatural beings, well guided and prepared for an expedition.
Fu Qian quickly assessed the situation.
This team was not only made up of capable individuals, but also worked together seamlessly. They must have strayed into these ruins during some exploration mission.
His task was to escape the Furnace. Was this graveyard of buildings the "Furnace"?
If he got out of here, would the containment assignment be complete?
Fu Qian glanced around but didn't see anything that might obstruct him. Still, it would be easy to get lost in a place like this.
Especially since the buildings, which could have served as landmarks, were piled together at bizarre angles. They might even distort one's sense of direction.
Young people were always full of energy. Soon, from their chatter, Fu Qian learned that Liushuang's full name was Ji Liushuang, and that the first speaker was Yuan Xin. The two of them were the strongest members of the team.
They were all from a place called the Academy, an institution dedicated to training supernatural beings.
Besides this team, there were two others, thirty people in all. They were all elite students from the Academy, led by the vice dean himself. It was a truly impressive exploration party.
Unfortunately, this formidable exploration party seemed completely unaware that they'd already stepped onto a road with no way back.
"Does anyone know what this is?"
Just then, someone in the team took an object out of their backpack and held it up for everyone to identify.
"We've barely seen any living things in these ruins, but this stuff grows right on the stones. I picked some up as we went along, and there's more and more of it the farther in we go."
The person tried tearing at it with their hand.
"It's as fine as a strand of hair, but surprisingly tough. It seems like it'd make a pretty good material."
Everyone shook their heads. Someone grinned and pointed toward where Fu Qian was sitting.
"You could ask Fu Qian. He knows quite a bit about weird things like this."
He'd attracted everyone's attention out of nowhere.
Fu Qian had realized earlier that he was playing the role of an outsider on the team. He wasn't particularly popular.
Not only had he been walking at the very back of the group, but no one had said a word to him during their break.
Now, though, he had suddenly drawn everyone's gaze.
Sure enough, the person grinned and held the object out in front of him.
Fu Qian gave it a glance.
"Hair."
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