Clearwater Village.
This was a remote village, an hour's drive from the urban area.
The sky was a hazy gray, and an unsettling atmosphere pervaded the surroundings.
An off-road vehicle stopped by the side of the road, and Su Wan got out, bringing Iron Hand and Water Child along.
Iron Hand's expression looked even worse, as if he might drop dead at any moment. "Another mission... After this mission, I'm taking mandatory leave..."
"Fine, fine..."
Su Wan inwardly rolled her eyes and offered a few words of pacification. She wanted to take leave too, but unfortunately there really was nobody left upstairs, leaving them to grab anyone they could deploy.
"Wait!"
Water Child suddenly spoke up.
The three of them halted their steps, and they saw an old locust tree standing at the entrance of the village.
At that moment, a straw rope hung down from the tree branches, with a corpse dangling from it.
Whoosh, whoosh!
A gentle breeze blew, and the corpse swayed in the wind, revealing dull facial features facing front. It had clearly been dead for some time, and even livor mortis had set in.
A chilly, sinister aura diffused outward.
A strange floral tattoo crawled up Su Wan's face, covering the majority of it like a mask.
Water Child beside her exuded water currents from his clothes, quickly soaking his entire body.
Iron Hand's complexion turned even more ashen and dark, his hands rubbing together to produce the crisp, clashing sound of gold and iron.
"It seems... the Erosion Domain hasn't formed yet."
A team member nearby spoke.
"Yeah... It hasn't connected with the other side of the Veil yet, which counts as good news. We must sort it out before that happens."
Su Wan issued her command. "Iron Hand, go launch the reconnaissance drone...