"I have a feeling that with Wen Jing here, this operation will be very successful!"
First came strength, now wisdom; the four were completely convinced of Wen Jing.
She herself didn't get lost in the praise from her teammates.
The reason she was able to find the key so quickly was entirely because she was more 'cultured' than them, and her perspective was naturally different.
It has been confirmed that these are traces of a Stone Age civilization. She only needs to think about it from the Stone Age perspective. Although she doesn't know much about primitive civilizations, she still knows more than the interstellar people present whose civilizations have been discontinuous.
The wilderness contains a large number of animal bones, which were widely used in primitive civilizations. In ancient times, humans used them to make tools and weapons, and oracle bone script was also carried on bone fragments.
Wen Jing previously observed the animal bones in the wasteland, but found no signs of fabrication.
If not in that respect, then let's simply consider its symbolic significance as spoils of war.
Naturally, she could think of hunting, fighting, and bravery... Combining this with the situation from the previous two explorations, she came to the guess that it was a trial.
The key question is, what will you gain after completing the trial?
The five-member team arrived at the stone wall, and the first thing that caught their eye was the densely packed abstract murals on the wall.
Everyone present could sense a subtle energy fluctuation emanating from the stone wall.
During their last exploration, when they arrived here, they tried to take some of the stone walls with them, but they failed. Even He Pingyun, who had the ability to control rocks, was unable to destroy them.
This time, because of the 'trial' Wen Jing mentioned earlier, everyone's thoughts were different when they came to the stone wall again.
Everyone followed Wen Jing and began to carefully observe the content of the murals that they hadn't paid attention to last time.
They didn't care before, partly because time was of the essence and they needed to return as soon as possible, so their priority was to bring back the spoils from the vicinity; and partly because of the 'unrecordable' nature of the Ancient Wilderness, these murals were something they couldn't bring back even if they wanted to, and even when they knocked on the stone wall, they were only knocking on the parts without the murals.
It's fair to say that most Awakened deal with traces of civilization they encounter during their explorations in roughly the same way: their first reaction is to look for items worth taking back nearby, as studying them is far too difficult.
The murals depict various wild animals of different sizes and shapes.
Because it is too abstract, it can only be distinguished by body size and whether it is a land animal or a flying animal.
With ample time to spare, the group experimented with various techniques on the stone wall—ranged attacks, melee combat, energy attacks... Eve even used bone fragments to scratch the wall, but none of them could leave a mark.
Wen Jing tried attacking the stone wall with all his might, but the result was the same.
This reminded her of the altar she had encountered when she was surrounded by blue flames, where even the Gravity Silk could be scorched. At least the stone walls had some basic mass, they just couldn't be destroyed.
So, Wen Jing meticulously scanned the contents of the mural, like a scanner.
The more she looked, the stranger it seemed.
Humans would leave behind murals, which would certainly serve as records. However, these murals are full of wild animals, but there isn't a single human in them, which clearly violates narrative logic.
As I was pondering this, Brown's voice suddenly rang out in the Mental Link.
Eve is missing!
Everyone was startled and immediately looked around, but Eve was nowhere to be seen.
Everyone was studying the murals in their own way, except for Brown, who was rather laid-back. After briefly exploring the murals, he looked up and suddenly realized that one of his teammates was missing.
Wen Jing stopped what he was doing and tried to sense the connection, but he didn't receive any Mental Link from Eve, not even the faintest one.
"He was just near the stone wall!" Brown said with absolute certainty.
Although Eve wasn't particularly strong offensively, she excelled at reconnaissance and possessed exceptional reaction and speed. Yet, she vanished without warning and without a trace...
While everyone was anxious, they also felt a chill run down their spines.
At this moment, Wen Jing asked Mental Link, "Where was she last seen?"
Everyone's spirits lifted immediately, as if they had found their anchor, and they began to recall, "I remember it being around here..."
Through communication, the general area where Eve had been active was quickly confirmed.
Wen Jing immediately floated over and carefully observed the content of the murals nearby.
Like the murals in other locations, this one also depicts various wild animals. A closer look at the heads of these animals reveals that, regardless of their position within the mural, the direction they ultimately face...
The next moment, her gaze sharpened.
The focus of the beast's head is on a small person.
people!
Wen Jing had previously scanned the entire mural with a specific purpose, but hadn't found any people depicted on it. However, now one had appeared.
Wen Jing's eyes lit up; she seemed to know where Eve was.
However, she then noticed that the color on the left hand of the mural figure seemed to be fading.
After a moment's thought, Wen Jing conjured a shield and approached the stone wall.
"Follow me."
The instant she touched the stone wall, a strange change occurred—
Under the watchful eyes of the other three, the little insect vanished without warning from in front of the mural.
" Wen Jing!"
The three people nearby gasped in surprise upon seeing this, communicating through their Mental Link.
Then they saw that the little figure on the mural had changed from one to two.
"Let's go inside."
Seeing this, Ji Shuang was the first to react and immediately flew over.
The next second, her figure also disappeared in front of the mural, and the figures in the painting became three.
If it were another team, they might hesitate about whether to take the risk in this situation.
But everything happened too suddenly. The two strongest members of the team had already entered the stone wall. In the end, even though they were apprehensive, the two gritted their teeth and approached the mural.
Soon, the little figures in the mural, who were being faced by a group of wild beasts, became five.
Time flies and stars shift.
The barren stone walls vanished, replaced by an endless expanse stretching into the distance...
rope?
The little insect looked at everything in front of it with surprise.
Upon entering the stone wall, I expected to be attacked by the real Wilderness Beast depicted in the murals, but instead I found myself in a rope... or more accurately, a rope net.
Wen Jing was at the end of a thick rope. In front of him was a rope maze made of various rope structures, while behind him and beyond the rope maze was endless void.
"Woof!"
Without having time to observe the surroundings further, she had already found Eve by following the sound.
Not far in front of her, a large number of ropes, seemingly appearing out of thin air, were wrapped around the meerkat. Some she had already broken herself, but more were wrapping around her, and her left paw was completely trapped in them, unable to break free.
"Whoosh!"
A Wind Blade condensed, drawing a beautiful arc in mid-air, and severed the Eve binding Eve.
She broke free and grabbed the nearest securing knot with both hands.
"Grumble!"
Just then, a bird's cry rang out, and Ji Shuang arrived at the location.
Seeing Eve's condition, she instinctively spread her wings and flew over to help her.
Just as Ji Shuang took flight, a subtle fluctuation occurred, and ropes that looked like living things emerged from the nearby void.
Seeing this, Wen Jing realized the problem and immediately said:
Stop!
Upon hearing this, both of them paused in their movements.
Ji Shuang, who had just taken off, landed. Eve, who was about to jump this way, also stopped abruptly. Just then, He Pingyun and Brown arrived right behind them...
For a moment, the four teammates stood frozen in place like wooden figures.
The ropes that were originally meant to wrap around Ji Shuang and Eve seemed to shrink back at the command.
"What... what's going on?"
There was a complete silence for more than five seconds before Ji Shuang's mental fluctuations reappeared in the 'team voice chat'.
Wen Jing walked forward along the rope for a while.
After confirming that everyone was safe and sound and verifying her suspicions, she explained to the others in a soft voice, "You can't fly or jump here; you have to move on the ropes."
I see...
Eve, still shaken, lay prone on the rope, too afraid to move.
She entered this unfamiliar space, intending to find a way back, but she almost met with certain death by instinctively jumping to the side.
If it weren't for the teammates arriving quickly, the consequences would have been unimaginable.
However, Ji Shuang then said, "No, it's not that. Did you... sense it just now?"
"I sensed it," He Yunping replied.
"Me too," Brown replied.
"Me too!" Eve seemed to suddenly realize as well.
Wen Jing was puzzled; why was she suddenly starting to say things she couldn't understand?
She hasn't lost connection, so she shouldn't have missed anything.
At that moment, Brown volunteered, " Wen Jing, could you do that again?"
Wen Jing, no longer caring about whether it was shocking or not, finally couldn't help but ask, "What?"
"Say 'Stop' to us again, just like you did before," He Pingyun added.
Wen Jing was unaware that her mental strength, as perceived by others, was not simply a matter of 'loud voice,' but rather that its nature was different from others.
If everyone else is like flowing water, then she is like magma; although they both appear to be fluids, they are not the same substance at all.
Therefore, each use of the Mental Link will have a certain impact on teammates.
The only time was different.
So, Wen Jing, still puzzled, cooperated and said, "Stop."
"..."
Everyone stood still, and after a brief silence—
"This time it's confirmed."
" Wen Jing, when you said 'stop,' it didn't have the same impact on our spirits as before."