Mysterious Light Orb

Meanwhile, Zhou Yaning and the others were still discussing their plan for a second entry into the black mist—how many people to bring, what to do after entering, considering every possible detail.

This had nothing to do with him. He was just muscle; once inside, all he had to do was kill monsters.

But... what exactly was that call? Was it something good, or something strange?

Lu Chengchuan recalled the call from within the mist. Now that his strength had improved, should he seek out its source?

After reaching Qi Refining, his physical strength, reflexes, and five senses had all improved tremendously.

The energy flowing through his lower dantian had all sorts of miraculous effects. Once he circulated it, his physical strength could be temporarily enhanced. It could also boost his explosive power, endurance, and recovery ability. The benefits were numerous.

He was becoming more and more like the powerful martial artists described in books—his body was impervious to blades and bullets, and he had even cultivated Inner Energy.

Meanwhile, Zhou Yaning and the others finalized their second-entry plan. The leaders and experts went back to prepare personnel and supplies, while Zhou Yaning put down her notebook and slowly walked over to Lu Chengchuan.

"The plan is to enter the mist again tomorrow. You don't have any issues with that, do you?"

Perhaps it was just an illusion, but Zhou Yaning suddenly felt that Lu Chengchuan had changed greatly. His injuries seemed to have healed completely. That was not a normal person's recovery speed.

"I can move out anytime." Lu Chengchuan waved a hand.

He felt better than ever before. His realm had broken through, his strength had grown, and his lifespan had risen to more than nine years. He had not felt this good in years.

"I'm curious. There are quite a few martial artists in the Investigation Bureau too, but you're completely different from them."

Standing before Lu Chengchuan, Zhou Yaning felt that the man in front of her was more like a monster. So far, she had yet to encounter a monster that could exchange more than a few blows with him.

This guy was absurdly strong. Even now, she had no idea just how strong he truly was.

"What kind of martial arts do the Investigation Bureau's martial artists practice?" Lu Chengchuan was curious as well.

The system had only given him two martial arts manuals, and they did not seem to be of a high grade. By now, both martial arts had reached perfection, leaving no room for further advancement.

If the Investigation Bureau had many martial arts...

Lu Chengchuan narrowed his eyes, thinking about those martial arts.

"There are many kinds of martial arts, but I haven't practiced them. I don't know much about them," Zhou Yaning said quietly. She had no idea what Lu Chengchuan was thinking, but whenever he narrowed his eyes, it made her skin crawl.

"Does the Investigation Bureau sell martial arts?"

Lu Chengchuan wanted to learn more martial arts. His illness had not been cured yet, and his realm could not advance. In a few years, he would still die.

"You want to buy martial arts? Why?" Zhou Yaning asked.

Was Lu Chengchuan's strength still not enough for him? Just how strong did he want to become before he was satisfied?

"If you sell them, I'll buy them. Help me ask around, or help me find someone selling martial arts. Consider it a favor—I'll repay you later."

With a mysterious organization like the Investigation Bureau around, Lu Chengchuan would be doing them an injustice if he did not make use of them.

"Fine. Once this matter is resolved, I'll find some time to ask around for you."

If anyone else had asked, Zhou Yaning would not have wanted to get involved. But Lu Chengchuan was too mysterious, and his strength was outrageously great. Given the current situation, the favor he promised might prove extremely useful.

"Then thank you in advance. I'll wait for your good news." Lu Chengchuan thanked her ahead of time.

Zhou Yaning waved a hand with a cold expression. "Deal with the mist first. If that thing doesn't disappear, I won't have time to ask anyone for you even until the day I die."

"Isn't the main force going in tomorrow? As long as guns can kill the monsters, no matter how many there are, they won't threaten us."

The first time they entered, there had been too few of them and too many monsters, and they had been caught off guard. If they prepared thoroughly, with enough personnel, weapons, and ammunition, they should be able to slaughter their way through the monsters.

"It's too strange in there. We still need to be careful. Around this afternoon, when the main force arrives, we'll go in and take another look."

The main force was being assembled. Once afternoon came, they would take their equipment, bring enough people, and enter again.

Lu Chengchuan and the others waited inside the temporary outpost. By the time the sun was setting, a hundred-man force stood before the mall, ready to depart.

The military had selected another Dare-to-Die Squad. This time, they had brought ample ammunition and were determined to carve their way through the monsters in the mist.

Once everyone had arrived, Lu Chengchuan picked up his equipment and followed the main force into the mist.

When they entered the mist again, it was still completely empty. There were no corpses, nor were there any monsters. Zhou Yaning and the others had hoped to find their companions' bodies and bring them out, but now there was nothing at all.

"Advance carefully. Open fire the moment you see a monster."

With the order given, the main force began scouting ahead. Last time, they had encountered monsters after walking for ten minutes. This time, they had their weapons ready from the start, prepared to fire as soon as the monsters appeared.

"I saw something over there."

After walking for a few minutes, Lu Chengchuan, who sensed the call, moved to Zhou Yaning's side and pointed toward their left.

The silent call came from that direction. Lu Chengchuan truly wanted to go over and see what was happening, so he lied and claimed that he had seen something there.

"What was it? A monster or something else?" Zhou Yaning looked in the direction he pointed. It was pitch-black, and she could see nothing. Turning back, she asked, "Are you sure you didn't see wrong?"

"I didn't. There was something there just now," Lu Chengchuan said firmly.

If anyone else had said that, Zhou Yaning would have assumed there was something wrong with their eyes. But Lu Chengchuan was different. Perhaps there really was some strange thing ahead.

"Head that way!"

After thinking it over, Zhou Yaning decided to take a look.

They had entered without knowing where to go. Since someone had seen something, they would go investigate.

The group moved forward, and Lu Chengchuan felt greatly reassured. That call never stopped. If he did not go take a look, it would really keep bothering him.

After walking forward for several minutes, one grotesque figure after another emerged from the black mist.

Without any warning, the monsters' roars reached everyone's ears. In an instant, a swarm of monsters surrounded them, followed by the crack of gunfire.

Streams of muzzle fire spat out a massive barrage of bullets, and the monsters that had surrounded them fell in droves.

Lu Chengchuan fired as he moved forward. The group quickened its pace, using terrifying modern firearms to tear open a gap in the monsters' encirclement.

The farther they advanced, the more densely packed the monsters became. It was as if every kind of monster was being controlled by something, with only humans in their sights.

As Lu Chengchuan fought, he made his way to the very front. The source of the call was ahead. He could feel it—the thing was not far from them. But the path ahead was filled with monsters, and they had to pass through them to reach that place.

"Stay close to the group! Don't get separated!"

More than a hundred people struggled to hold out within the monsters' encirclement. They had killed many monsters, but quite a few people had died as well.

Lu Chengchuan kept his finger clamped on the trigger. Whenever he ran out of bullets, he reloaded immediately. In less than two minutes, he fired several hundred rounds, and the magazines on his body dwindled rapidly.

"There's a light orb ahead! There's a light orb!"

He did not know how far they had gone when Lu Chengchuan saw a ball of light within the dark mist. With a single glance, he knew that this Mysterious Light Orb was the thing calling to him.