Mist

No one knew exactly how big this vast lake was. The convoy had traveled along its shore for an entire day without reaching its end.

As night fell, Cao Xianming ordered everyone to stop where they were and rest.

They made camp beside the lake, and the night passed uneventfully.

Early the next morning, Cao Xianming was crouched on the ground again, writing and drawing.

After everyone had eaten breakfast, the convoy set out again, still following the lakeshore, and only made camp again after dark.

This continued for seven days straight.

Cao Xianming remained silent throughout, simply leading everyone mechanically onward along the shoreline.

The ordinary survivors were full of questions, but not one dared to speak.

Only Big Lunk Zheng Xiaofeng could not hold back. He went straight up to him and asked, "Captain, are we just going to keep following the lake?"

Cao Xianming shook his head. "No. I'm calculating our chances of survival. Following the lake gives us the highest probability of staying alive. All seven days of data have produced the same result. And I also have a theory-"

As he spoke, he lowered his head and drew a simple diagram in his notebook, then held it out for Zheng Xiaofeng to see. "Look, this circle in the middle is the lake. For now, I'm calling it Mirage Lake. This ring around it is the lakeshore, and we're right here."

Cao Xianming pointed to a spot beside the lake on the diagram, then drew a winding Great Snake outside that point. "For these seven days we've been following the lake, this snake has been following us along the outside. Don't forget our ironclad rule: we can't stay in the same place for more than 72 hours. But right now, we can't leave the lake either. The moment we step away, we'll run into this Great Snake. Escaping its jaws last time was pure luck. If it happens again, which of you is confident you'll survive?"

Cao Xianming's gaze swept over Zheng Xiaofeng, Wang Ying, and Yang Yong.

The three exchanged looks, all knowing perfectly well that they could never escape that Great Snake's jaws.

Especially Yang Yong, who had seen the Great Snake's terrifying appearance with his own eyes.

It had two heads, either one as large as a heavy truck. His puny body would not even be enough to fill a gap between its teeth.

There was no telling why that Great Snake was so relentless in hunting them down.

Yang Yong stole a glance at the people around him. Apart from him, none of them seemed to have encountered the Great Snake. By all rights, no one should have provoked it, so why did it insist on pursuing the convoy?

He simply could not figure it out.

Another night passed uneventfully.

The next morning, Cao Xianming was writing and drawing beside the lake as usual, only this time his pen moved especially fast, as though he were calculating something important.

Everyone had packed up their tents and was waiting with bated breath for his results. Yang Yong, meanwhile, leaned idly beside his bicycle, occasionally rising onto his toes to look around.

Before long, Cao Xianming put down his pen and strode toward the crowd.

This time, not just the Transcendents but even the ordinary survivors all turned to look at him.

"Captain Cao, do you have the results?" someone could not help asking.

Facing everyone's expectant gazes, Cao Xianming presented them with a difficult choice the moment he spoke. "Everyone, we now have two routes to choose from. First, we turn back and keep stringing that Great Snake along. Second, we go forward. After another day's travel, we may enter another, completely unknown world. Make your choice."

"Captain, what about the probabilities? You haven't told us the survival probability for either route!" Yang Yong raised his eyebrows and was the first to press him.

"In terms of probability, if we turn back, our daily chance of survival is 98%. If we go forward, our chance of survival is only 50%, but the chance of completely escaping the threat of that Great Snake is 100%."

"50%? Captain, are you sure? A fifty-percent death rate? What is there to choose?" Wang Ying frowned, the first to question him.

"You can't calculate it that way."

Cao Xianming shook his head and said gravely, "I have a general understanding of the rules and information of the old world-the world we're in now. But I know nothing about that new world. All I can give you right now is this vague probability, with equal chances of good and bad. Personally, I think we should go over and take a look. While the two worlds haven't fully merged yet, we can take the opportunity to gather information from the other side. Perhaps it's only during these periods of upheaval between worlds that we can glimpse the most authentic, most valuable data."

Afterward, the four gathered and discussed it for another ten minutes or so, but still could not reach an agreement.

Finally, Cao Xianming made the call. "The four of us will vote. The majority rules."

With that, Cao Xianming raised his own hand first.

Wang Ying slowly raised hers right after him.

A moment later, Zheng Xiaofeng raised his hand as well.

Yang Yong looked left and right, his face full of indecision.

Deep down, he did not want to take the road ahead, but everyone else had agreed. If he alone objected, was he supposed to leave the group and survive on his own?

Without anyone to lead the way, he would be dead for sure if he ran into something eerie.

"Good, unanimous approval! Get ready to move out!"

This time, because of the unknown dangers ahead, Zheng Xiaofeng volunteered to lead in his own off-road vehicle.

Wang Ying's off-road vehicle followed close behind, ready to provide support at any moment, while Cao Xianming and Yang Yong brought up the rear.

The journey was fairly peaceful, except that the mist around them kept growing thicker.

At first, the mist was confined to the lake's surface, but as they traveled, it actually began spreading toward the shore.

After roughly another two hours of driving, the mist grew thicker still, and visibility was frighteningly low. Ordinary people could see no farther than about three meters.

Strangely, despite all the time they had spent traveling, they still had not heard any instructions from Cao Xianming.

The three off-road vehicles ahead slowed down one after another, and Yang Yong hurriedly squeezed his brakes as well, reducing his bicycle's speed to a minimum.

After they inched a little farther, the mist grew so thick it almost seemed solid. They could no longer see their hands in front of their faces.

Only then did Cao Xianming's voice finally come through the vehicle-mounted loudspeaker, carrying a barely perceptible gravity. "Attention! Ten more meters ahead, and we'll be out of the mist!"

The moment he finished speaking, the survivors burst into a round of muted cheers.

But now they could no longer see the road ahead at all, and the convoy could only feel its way forward, inch by inch.

As Yang Yong walked his bicycle along, he could not help thinking, If only I had the divine sense from legends. Even if my eyes couldn't see, I could still use divine sense to find my bearings.

It took the convoy a full three hours to cover those mere ten meters.

The instant Zheng Xiaofeng's off-road vehicle at the head of the convoy drove another meter forward, everyone suddenly found the view before them opening up, their vision becoming incredibly clear.

For that instant, it felt as though they had passed through an invisible glass dome, and the crushing weight that had been pressing down on them suddenly vanished without a trace.

Even a Transcendent like Zheng Xiaofeng felt so comfortable that he nearly moaned.

Then came the second vehicle, the third...

Only after another long while did the entire convoy finally emerge from the mist.

The moment Yang Yong stepped out of the mist, a notification chime he had not heard in a long time suddenly rang out in his mind.

[Ding! Spiritual energy detected. Charging initiated!]