Danger Approaches!

The bus driver was named Chen Chen, a deputy captain of the second squad.

He was a slightly chubby young man with a very kind face, who said with a chuckle, "This is your first time coming to the Black Cloud Stronghold, right? Be careful, everyone, and don't act alone. We're going to a hotel now to rest and, incidentally, complete the handover of the cargo."

The group nodded slightly, putting away their phones and looking around.

Gu Jianlin was also curiously scouting his surroundings; in every new environment, his priority was to gather information.

According to the Deep Sky Network's data, the Forbidden Zone known as the Black Cloud Stronghold had formed eight years ago. At that time, the Kirin Immortal Palace had not yet fully descended, but the dimensional rifts had already opened, allowing the aura of the super-ancient world to pour in.

It was said that back then, when the Ascenders on the east coast of Feng City looked up, they could see massive cracks appearing in the sky. Black clouds and mist poured down like a torrential flood, and monstrous waves surged across the sea, as if it were the end of the world.

From then on, space and time overlapped in the area shrouded by the dark clouds.

The space-time that had once been lost to history had reset with reality.

If an ordinary person drove across the cross-sea bridge and took a turn, they would enter a brand-new development zone.

But if one possessed spirituality, they would see a cluster of dilapidated buildings from the 1950s, shrouded in dark clouds. Due to the influx of a large number of wild Ascenders in recent years, it had become a chaotic and lawless stronghold.

Thus, it was named the Black Cloud Stronghold.

As the bus drove into the stronghold, a sense of a bygone era rushed to meet them. The roads were riddled with potholes, and the sidewalks were lined with withered, yellowed old trees. The ground was covered in sand, with not a single intact brick to be seen. Along the streets stood mottled, dilapidated tenement buildings, their corridors draped with miscellaneous items and clothes, feeling as though a gust of wind could knock them over.

There were small shops nearby with crooked signs, their walls covered in grease stains.

There were also abandoned trash stations that reeked.

Some people were pushing carts, selling snacks.

Some of the small streets were actually quite lively, filled with street food stalls.

Gu Jianlin looked left and right, observing the traces of life in the surroundings, especially the people passing by.

A child was squatting by the side of the road playing with marbles.

A beggar on the street corner had a dagger hidden in his arms, staring coldly at the passing bus.

A tattooed man sitting at the entrance of a food stall drinking beer had a hideous scar on his back that looked like a giant snake.

A mother pushing a stroller had a missing hand, her sleeve hanging empty, yet there were two pistols tucked into her waist.

An old man selling fried chicken strips by the roadside was using some kind of ability, with a giant ancient warrior manifesting behind him.

It was clearly the Ancient Martial Arts path.

This was the panorama of all living things.

Gu Jianlin had never imagined that the so-called Black Cloud Stronghold would look like this. It felt as if he had traveled back to the 1950s, yet most of the people here were not so simple.

Now, his Life Perception could cover a hundred meters, allowing him to hear countless melodies.

He could sense all sorts of people.

Those people, those traces, all held stories.

The bus stopped in front of a dilapidated hotel.

"The mission begins. Stay sharp."

Chen Chen gave them a reminder before leading the team off the bus.

A waiter came out of the hotel, exchanged a few words with him with his head bowed, and made a phone call.

Then, several burly men appeared in the shop and, without a word, began unloading cargo from the back of the bus.

The so-called forbidden items were actually materials from the transcendent world. Some were excavated from super-ancient ruins around the world, while others were artificially manufactured drugs or alchemical products.

During this process, no one spoke.

Yan Ye swept a cold, sharp gaze over the group, then followed behind like a lackey.

After arriving at this stronghold, everyone was clearly shocked, maintaining constant vigilance and looking around.

At this moment, Gu Jianlin received a new WeChat message.

"Watch closely, feel it well. Your father also spent many years here."

--Lu Zicheng.

Gu Jianlin fell into silence.

This was the first time he had been this close to the traces left behind by that man.

Suddenly, Cheng Youyu scurried to his side with a shifty look and whispered, "Brother Lin."

Gu Jianlin turned his head to look at the chubby man.

"What is your relationship with Captain Lu?"

Cheng Youyu asked curiously, "Why would he suddenly decide to lead the team?"

Gu Jianlin was stunned: "What do you mean?"

Cheng Youyu was startled: "Brother Lin, you don't know? Captain Lu didn't have to lead the team. His return to the country was purely because the Lu Family wanted him to come back and recuperate so his sister could take care of him. It's said that during a mission back then, there were heavy casualties, and he himself was severely injured, making it very difficult for him to advance to the next stage in this lifetime."

Gu Jianlin was silent for a second.

In truth, having spent time with Lu Zicheng, he could tell that the man had a story.

As for the rest, Lu Zicheng hadn't said much, and he hadn't asked.

After all, although Lu Zicheng took good care of him, they had actually had very little contact.

"I see," Gu Jianlin said. "Thank you."

Cheng Youyu waved his hand: "That's too formal. I know that because of... that reason, most people in the team ostracize you. Don't take it to heart; many people in the association have gone mad. You saved my life last time, and I've kept that in mind. In this mission, no matter what happens, Sister Xiangsi, Brother Cheng, and I will definitely help you!"

Beside the bus, Zhang Cheng kept a straight face: "Can you stop calling me Brother Cheng?"

Nie Xiangsi smiled a little embarrassedly: "Um... we, we will protect you."

Gu Jianlin looked at the three of them and nodded slightly: "Thank you."

He suddenly remembered something and looked at the white-haired girl in the corner: "By the way, who is she?"

Cheng Youyu shushed him: "Don't discuss Thunder. I can only tell you privately; most people don't know yet, and I only got the news from my dad. This woman was sent by headquarters. Her background is bigger than you can imagine. Don't provoke her."

Gu Jianlin was thoughtful.

When Chen Chen finished the handover, he gestured for them to go upstairs to their respective rooms to rest.

"Something isn't right here. I think we should form an alliance."

"That's right, there's strength in numbers, and we can look out for each other."

"Who else wants to join?"

Among the seventeen people present, many realized the danger. Cooperation even began between different squads. Everyone, openly or secretly, took the first squad as the core—a very pure psychological tendency to admire the strong.

They even chose rooms that were adjacent to each other.

Yan Ye and Yan Feng, along with Mu Ziqing, were considered the strongest combination and the undisputed leaders.

As for Gu Jianlin, he was naturally ignored. Ever since they started this mission together, he had frequently felt vigilant and exclusionary gazes from all directions, probably because he was the son of a Fallen.

Of course, he wouldn't have participated in such an alliance anyway.

Most of those people had sabotaged him during the last operation.

A mob.

There was indeed strength in numbers.

But when there are too many people, it becomes even harder to shake off the dead weight.

After receiving instructions, the white-haired girl ignored everyone and walked straight to the room at the very end of the second floor.

Gu Jianlin chose a slightly more secluded room.

In the corridor, Nie Xiangsi watched his door close and pursed her cherry lips.

"Xiangsi, didn't you say you knew him?"

Cheng Youyu asked curiously, "Why didn't you go and acknowledge him?"

Nie Xiangsi lowered her head and whispered, "We only knew each other when we were kids. He might not remember me now, and... I checked his history. To him, my uncle is a bad person now."

She wasn't unaware of what her uncle had done.

But she just didn't know how to stop it.

Or rather, she didn't know how to help that boy.

"What Deacon Nie did was indeed underhanded. But that has nothing to do with you."

Zhang Cheng said, "Find an opportunity to talk it out with him, if you really want to help him."

The old hotel room was truly simple, with only a bed and a coat rack. The bathroom was pitifully small, just a squat toilet with a rusty showerhead and an old-fashioned water heater.

Although it was relatively clean, there was a used balloon in the trash can.

For someone like Gu Jianlin, who had a bit of a germaphobe streak, it was a heavy blow.

But now was not the time to fuss over the environment.

Gu Jianlin deliberately chose a room with a window facing the street so he could observe the situation at any time.

During this time, another bus arrived and stopped at a hotel across the street.

Gu Jianlin sensed twelve life rhythms, all of which he had heard at the Deep Sky Technology Building.

The captains must have arrived.

He pulled the curtains shut, and a notification from the Deep Sky Network sounded on his phone.

"Respected D-level investigator Gu Jianlin, please open your supply box."

Aside from the Desert Eagle he carried and dozens of rounds of ammunition, Gu Jianlin only had two pieces of Mythic Armament.

Well, that was a bit of a humblebrag.

He took out the supply box he carried, unlocked it with his fingerprint, and the box opened.

First were two vials of potion, the liquid inside the test tubes surging like the tide, clear and transparent.

"Azure Blood, a secret medicine to temporarily replenish spirituality. Limited to two uses per week."

Good stuff!

Even for Gu Jianlin, this was absolutely top-tier stuff. Being able to recover spirituality during battle was too precious!

Next was a bottle of canned medicine.

"Purification Stone. If you suffer from mental pollution, take it within five minutes to clear the contamination."

Gu Jianlin paused. This seemed to be due to the characteristics of the Forbidden Zone.

Because this was an area eroded by the spirit of an Ancient God, dimensional rifts opened from time to time.

The people living in the Black Cloud Stronghold were not all Ascenders.

There were also those who wanted to take advantage of the frequent dimensional rifts here to awaken.

Of course, living here meant a higher probability of being polluted.

In addition, there was a weapon crafted with alchemical technology.

An Alchemy Dagger.

An Alchemy Bulletproof Vest.

A medical first-aid kit, and so on.

For the sake of caution, Gu Jianlin wore the bulletproof vest under his shirt and tucked the dagger behind his back.

He sat by the window, patiently observing and waiting.

During this time, many interesting things happened.

For instance, one of the two Divine Priests went downstairs to smoke and play on his phone.

As a result, a boy walked past him, snatched his phone without a word, and disappeared.

The Divine Priest was shocked and furious, but in order not to alert the enemy, he went back to find his teammates.

He contacted Deep Sky and had all the data on his phone wiped directly.

Another example: almost everyone living here had their doors knocked on by several groups of people.

Some were handing out small cards, some were asking for money, and some were asking if they wanted to go to a wild bar.

One could imagine how chaotic the Black Cloud Stronghold was.

Gu Jianlin never opened his door, as if his room were empty.

At lunchtime, Yan Ye specifically created a small group on the Deep Sky Network. Most people joined his chat, keeping voice calls open twenty-four hours a day to prevent emergencies.

It was worth mentioning that Yan Feng even carried food and fruit to the room at the very end of the corridor to knock on the door.

As a result, he shouted for a long time, but no one came to open it.

By evening, this guy actually brought food over again and said something at the door.

Gu Jianlin heard it clearly from next door; it was mostly words of concern and inquiry.

"This Yan Feng seems to be interested in Thunder."

Gu Jianlin shook his head. That Thunder didn't look like someone easy to pursue.

A simp has no home.

Gu Jianlin didn't eat lunch, let alone dinner. He just kept eating candy, using his Life Perception, which had a range of a full hundred meters, to keep an eye on the movements in this block and remain vigilant.

In the rooms next door, those guys acted like lackeys who were bored to death after handing over the forbidden items.

They chatted about meaningless things, not revealing anything.

Gathered together, they seemed quite safe.

Gu Jianlin counted the time in his heart.

Because he knew that this was by no means seamless.

There was a huge flaw.

That was, the leakage of intelligence.

On the top floor of the Deep Sky Technology Building.

Lu Zijin stood behind the glass curtain wall with her arms crossed, staring at the brightly lit city in the night.

She was looking in the direction of the east coast, her beautiful eyes filled with mockery.

"Are we overacting this time?"

Chen Bojun sat on the sofa, smoking, swallowing clouds and exhaling mist.

"What is there to be soft about? We weren't fledglings who hid under the protection of our captains back in the day. Besides, they are about to enter the Kirin Immortal Palace; if we aren't cruel to them now, they'll just be walking to their deaths once they go in."

Lu Zijin sneered, "I only hope that the moles within the Ether Association don't disappoint me."

Chen Bojun smiled faintly.

The Ether Association was a global organization of Ascenders with a massive number of members.

High-level defections and members losing control were nothing new.

There was simply no way to deal with such situations.

Ascenders were prone to losing control; this was an objective fact and an unsolvable problem.

All one could do was investigate again and again.

And kill again and again.

"But the problem is, these people are just children."

Chen Bojun rested his hands behind his head, holding a cigarette as he spoke, "Isn't this going too far?"

Lu Zijin replied indifferently, "In the supernatural world, there is no distinction between adults and children. The vast majority of them represent the interests of their families. Since their families let them step forward, they must be prepared to face the consequences. After all, when we meet on the battlefield, do you expect me to play house with them?"

"That makes sense. Whoever has desires must bear their weight."

Chen Bojun said, "This is their own choice."

"Calculating the time, those Fallen should be starting soon."

Lu Zijin glanced at the time displayed on her phone, "In their eyes, those captains and their team members are nothing more than a group of naive, bloodless, and foolish enforcers, right?"

"No wonder you insisted that my brother postpone the next centralized inspection; it turns out you wanted to let these moles leak the encirclement plan. But from what I can see, the vast majority of the new recruits in your Feng City jurisdiction are no good."

Chen Bojun took a deep drag of his cigarette and said, "Only a few have decent potential."

Lu Zijin narrowed her beautiful eyes, "I want absolute elites. Otherwise, when the Kirin Immortal Palace opens, let alone fighting those monsters of the Ancient God Race, they won't even be able to compete with the new recruits from other jurisdictions."

She paused, "Taixu, report the situation."

The figure of Taixu in her maid outfit appeared, and her soft, alluring voice rang out, "The heart rate report results are as follows... out of the seventeen-person rookie squad, eight have entered deep sleep, and six have entered light sleep."

Chen Bojun raised an eyebrow upon hearing this.

Lu Zijin chuckled, "Heh, who are the three who are still awake?"

Taixu replied, "C-rank investigator Yan Ye, B-rank investigator Tang Ling, and D-rank investigator Gu Jianlin."

Lu Zijin nodded, feeling quite satisfied.

"A bit interesting."

Chen Bojun asked, "What are they doing, respectively?"

Taixu answered gently, "According to the mobile surveillance, Yan Ye is keeping watch for his companions."

She paused, "Tang Ling... is sharpening her blade."

"Still quite vigilant."

Chen Bojun asked again, "What about Gu Jianlin?"

Taixu seemed to hesitate for a moment.

"Gu Jianlin is hiding by the door, seemingly preparing to ambush someone."

At this moment, Chen Bojun was stunned, "How did he discover them?"

"Otherwise, what do you think he relied on to kill the Joker?"

Lu Zijin said with a smile, "The good show is about to begin. Let the captains die a little first."

The night was deep and quiet. Gu Jianlin stood behind the door, gripping a dagger in his hand.

He held his breath.

His heartbeat was faint.

Like a non-existent phantom, he hid in the darkness.

Because just a moment ago, his Life Perception had detected two groups of people converging on the two hotels.

At this very moment, those twisted, bizarre melodies of life were closing in.

Fallen!

My Ancient God Blood!