Gathering of Experts (Continued)

At 8:30 a. m., Shen Xing got up quickly after receiving a call from the Anomaly Handling Bureau.

After a quick wash, she pushed her wheelchair out of the rented room.

The elevator arrived at the first floor.

As soon as I came out, I saw a black minivan parked on the side of the road, with no markings on the body.

Several men and women dressed in black suits stood nearby, their expressions serious.

Before he could get close, a middle-aged man with a side-parted hairstyle and a refined appearance quickly came to greet him.

"Hello, Mr. Shen Xing, I just spoke to you on the phone."

The middle-aged man smiled and very professionally presented his identification.

Shen Xing glanced at the documents, and nodded after confirming that everything was correct.

"Come here and help Mr. Shen Xing into the car." The middle-aged man waved to the people behind him.

Several men in black suits stepped forward without a word and together lifted Shen Xing, wheelchair and all, steadily into the car.

Then, the others filed into the carriage.

Clang.

The doors closed, the engine started, and the van sped away from the old town.

Inside the carriage, Shen Xing sat with several other men in black suits.

The middle-aged man sat opposite him, his hands folded on his knees, his posture as upright as if he were attending a formal meeting.

"Mr. Shen Xing, let me introduce myself first. My surname is Yuan, and my name is Yuan An."

He extended his hand, his tone gentle and polite. "Currently, I'm an operative with the Anomaly Handling Bureau, and also the person in charge of this transport mission."

Shen Xing also reached out and shook his hand. "Hello."

Seeing that he was easy to talk to, the middle-aged man named Yuan An relaxed a little. "Mr. Shen Xing was chosen by the higher-ups to participate in the Mist Void Realm, so he must be one of the best among the lords."

You are so young, you have a bright future ahead of you.

Shen Xing glanced at him, thinking to himself that this guy really had a good eye for people.

"No, I was able to participate in this Void Realm thanks to Captain Zhou Zheng's help; it has nothing to do with me," he replied modestly.

"You're being modest," Yuan An smiled. "Even if Captain Zhou Zheng submits the application, you still need to be capable enough; otherwise, you won't pass the higher-ups' review."

Next, Yuan An chatted with Shen Xing casually, trying to find topics to talk about.

However, they mostly asked about her life, such as Shen Xing family situation and relationship status.

It felt like a household registration survey, which made him quite uncomfortable.

Yuan An seemed to sense his reaction and handed him a bottle of water. "Mr. Shen Xing, are you dissatisfied with our arrangements this time?"

"No, it's just that I've been spending more time with Zhou Zheng lately," Shen Xing shook his head and said, "You guys are all so formal now, it's a little unusual."

Yuan An paused for a moment, then chuckled and said, "I'm sorry, Captain Zhou Zheng is indeed a bit eccentric, but he's quite capable."

Shen Xing nodded, ending the awkward conversation.

To be fair, although Zhou Zheng is a bit of a slacker and doesn't seem very reliable.

But compared to that, he still preferred to be around Zhou Zheng.

These men in suits were so formal that they made him subconsciously tense up.

In silence, the van slowly drove toward their destination, Mingyue Bay Park.

Located in the northwestern suburbs of Jiangcheng, this park is a relatively niche wetland park, and it doesn't attract many visitors on weekdays.

Since the fog leak incident, the entire area has been sealed off.

The park has announced that a small-scale geological subsidence has occurred and a safety inspection is underway.

However, as the 'Mist Void Realm' continued to form, the mist grew increasingly dense, and the anomalies in that area could be seen from a great distance.

Many passersby uploaded the videos to short video websites or social media, which garnered a large number of reposts and attention.

The authorities quickly issued a statement explaining that the leak was caused by the continuous subsidence of the earth, resulting in the leakage of a toxic substance from underground, and that experts were being dispatched to investigate.

The notice was presented in a formal manner, and even included several photos of staff in protective suits conducting investigations and taking samples.

To be honest, if Shen Xing hadn't come across that game, he might have actually believed it.

Lost in thought, they soon arrived near Mingyue Bay Park.

Just like in the short video, a large area shrouded in fog could be seen from afar.

Through the thick fog, one could vaguely see swaying tree shadows, a few unattended park facilities, and extinguished streetlights.

The fog stopped at the edge of the park, where it was surrounded by red warning tape.

"Beep beep--"

The official car honked its horn as it drove along the empty streets, with starkly different scenes flashing past the windows on either side.

The buildings and shops on the right are typical modern urban architecture.

To the left, a swirling mist made it seem as if stepping into it would lead to another world.

A few minutes later, the official vehicle drove into a parking lot near the park.

The vehicles here have been cleared out, and many container houses have been set up next to it as a temporary base.

Before even getting out of the car, Shen Xing saw two familiar figures, a man and a woman, through the car window.

The man was burly and wore Charge despite the hot weather. He carried a black shoulder bag that was bulging with something inside, making him look like he was going hiking.

The woman was slender, wearing a long-sleeved T-shirt with Hatsune Miku printed on it and tight jeans on her lower body, and looked like she had just woken up.

It was Qin Lang and Xu Jiayi.

When the car door opened, they saw Shen Xing being carried off the train by several men in black, and the two of them immediately walked over quickly.

"Brothers, leave it to me."

Qin Lang chuckled, skillfully took the wheelchair from the man in black, and pushed Shen Xing forward.

"You two are here pretty early," Shen Xing said, turning her head.

Ugh, don't even mention it.

Qin Lang shook his head and said helplessly, "I was thinking of getting some rest early to conserve my energy since we're entering the Mist Void Realm today."

"I was so nervous that I couldn't sleep, and I stayed up all night until dawn. I had no choice but to come over early."

"Jiayi arrived early because she lives nearby."

Shen Xing smiled and asked, "Has there been any notification about when we will enter the Void Realm?"

Xu Jiayi replied from the side, "We need to go to the registration desk first."

"Then at noon, all players will enter together."

Shen Xing nodded, thinking to himself that this was actually quite well-organized.

As Qin Lang pushed the wheelchair, he said, "I just took a look, and there are a lot of experts here. It seems like all the top players from the forums are here."

"Let's keep a low profile for a bit, so we don't get targeted by these big shots and become easy targets for them."

Shen Xing looked around and indeed sensed many powerful auras.

Some of them even gave him an invincible sense of oppression.

The three of them walked along the road to a prefab house on the west side of the parking lot.

We encountered quite a few players along the way.

Like them, most players here team up in twos or threes, but there are also quite a few lone wolves.

Some players noticed them and were slightly taken aback when they saw Shen Xing sitting in a wheelchair, but then quickly looked away.

We arrived at the registration desk quickly.

However, there were two or three players ahead of them in line, and they were patiently waiting.

About ten minutes later, it was their turn.

The person in charge of registration was a woman in uniform with an outstanding demeanor.

She was probably in her early thirties, with light makeup, and appeared poised and elegant.

On the table sat an identification card— Jiang Rong.

She looked up at them and smiled, "State your names, lord rank, and the star rating of your strongest unit."

The three exchanged glances, a hint of hesitation flashing in their eyes.

The woman named Jiang Rong saw through their thoughts and smiled, "Don't worry, it's just a simple statistic."

"If you're worried about revealing your strength, just give any name except your real name."

Upon hearing this, the three men's concerns were somewhat alleviated.

Shen Xing spoke first, "Shen Xing, level 6, strongest unit is Elite Three Stars orc."

Qin Lang also reported, "Qin Lang, level 5, unit type is Elite Three Stars halfling."

"Xu Jiayi, Level 5, Unit: Elite Three Stars Golem."

Jiang Rong's fingers moved rapidly, quickly typing their information on the keyboard.

"Not bad."

She gave a compliment, then took out three rhombus-shaped crystals that emitted a blue light and placed them on the table.

"This is your Void Realm Crystal. Please keep it safe."

The three looked down and saw that the crystals were about the thickness of a thumb, and each of them displayed a number: 45, 46, and 47.

"What is this?" Qin Lang asked, puzzled.

"Someone will explain it to you later, so take it for now."

Jiang Rong spoke calmly and slowly, her magnetic voice seemingly possessing a special magic that subconsciously calmed people's minds.

The three of them didn't waste any more of her time, each choosing a number and putting the crystal into their pockets.

Shen Xing is number 45, Qin Lang is number 46, and Xu Jiayi is number 47.

Then, they arrived at a temporary waiting area at the back of the parking lot.

This looks like the former entrance to the park; through the hazy mist, a carved stone gate can be vaguely seen.

There are also some stone sculptures for decoration nearby, but they have been stained black by the fog.

The three looked around and saw that quite a few players had already gathered there.

However, most of them were very aloof, standing in their own corners with their arms crossed, giving off an impression that strangers should not approach.

Of course, there are also some more active players who are striking up conversations with other players, seemingly trying to invite them to team up.

As mentioned earlier, players can also team up in the Void Realm.