Upon hearing Carl's response, Dao Lao stroked his white beard thoughtfully. From the information Carl provided, it seemed that Dao Lao's path to uncovering more valuable intelligence from the Mastanians was blocked.
Seeing the subtle change in Dao Lao's expression, Dream Jia immediately inquired through their system, "Old Dao, have you noticed something again?"
"Not sure yet. Let me observe a bit more," Dao Lao replied simply. Haoran could sense a strange and incredulous flavor in Dao Lao's eyes.
Watching the three in front of him deeply engrossed in thought, Carl couldn't help but exclaim, "Wow! I didn't expect you three to come up with so many questions. It seems the boss was right; you three are indeed those rare newborn Mastanians with exceptionally high intelligence! Hehehe, we're really lucky to have discovered you during our mission! You know, a special ops team like ours really needs talented individuals like you! No wonder the boss insisted on keeping you three in the team! It's not just Ah Yun's looks that caught her eye, hehehe!"
"Oh Carl! Don't talk nonsense! I swear, I'm clean with the boss! Watch out, I might just report to the boss about your gossip later!" Haoran hastily raised his fist in warning.
"Hehe! Whether it's talent or looks that she's into, who knows! Sometimes, women can be just like you stinky men, only thinking with their lower half! Especially certain types of women!" Dream Jia interjected sarcastically, casting a cold glance at both Haoran and Carl.
Seeing Dream Jia's icy and sharp gaze, both Haoran and Carl couldn't help but shiver. They both quickly shut their mouths and subconsciously shifted away to sit farther from Dream Jia.
To prevent Dream Jia from getting angry again, Dao Lao quickly changed the subject, "By the way, Carl, did you collect the bodies of the Mastanians this time?"
Carl also turned his gaze away from the formidable sister's face and pointed to another battleship as he answered, "Of course. Since there were many Mastanians involved in last night's battle, we easily collected three relatively intact bodies."
"In that case, when we get to the rest station, can I check out those three Mastanian bodies first?" Dao Lao asked again.
Perhaps realizing that his tone was too serious, Dao Lao immediately put on a carefree expression to avoid arousing any suspicion from Carl. "Haha! Carl buddy, don't get me wrong! It's just that after hearing your description of the Mastanian body structure, I suddenly became interested in seeing what these biomechanical beings actually look like!"
Haoran and Dream Jia immediately sensed that Dao Lao was deliberately masking his emotions. But Carl, being a straightforward young man without much guile, nodded without much thought after hearing Dao Lao's explanation, "Got it! It seems our conversation just now unintentionally triggered Old Dao's talents, which made him suddenly interested in these boring machines! You know, whenever a newborn Mastanian with strong potential learns about this world, they naturally activate their latent talents. This is a great thing for us! Old Dao, rest assured, when we arrive at the rest station, I'll take you to see those three Mastanian bodies. I'll do my best to help you activate your potential so you can contribute better to humanity in the future!"
As Carl spoke, he checked the time and realized that the special ops team had been traveling on this highway for over three hours. So he yawned and stretched lazily, "Ah——! If everything goes smoothly, we should reach the designated rest station in five or six hours. That way, we can reserve at least two hours to set up the night defense line, so we can better withstand any potential attacks from pursuing Mastanians tonight!"
Seeing Carl suddenly yawning non-stop, Haoran tactfully said, "Carl, I bet you haven't had a chance to rest since last night. Why don't you take a quick nap? After all, you'll need to lead us in the mission tonight in good shape!"
"Ah——! No problem, no problem! I actually really enjoy chatting with you three. You know, I haven't had many opportunities to talk with the senior veterans in the team due to my junior status. Those seniors are too busy with their missions to pay much attention to a small fry like me who just runs errands. So now——, I finally have companions to talk to, Carl is naturally very happy! Glad to meet you guys——, hoo——! hoo——!" Although Carl pretended to be casual and continued to spill his heart out, he was so tired that he ended up leaning against the ship's bulwark and falling into a deep slumber.
Seeing Carl's loud snoring, Dream Jia turned to Dao Lao and asked, "Old Dao, have you discovered something again?"
"Well——, maybe. But I really hope my guess is wrong," Dao Lao replied with a tense expression, his tone cautious.
Upon hearing Dao Lao's words, Haoran and Dream Jia couldn't help but feel a bit down. It seemed that Dao Lao had indeed discovered something, and it was serious enough for him to want to confirm and explain further. However, judging from Dao Lao's reaction, it was clear that this matter was of utmost importance. Haoran and Dream Jia naturally refrained from asking further questions. Therefore, the two of them ignored Dao Lao, who was still lost in thought, and began to review the information they had just obtained from Carl and the others.
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After leaving Terlayeh City, the Skeleton Special Forces Mobile Unit passed through several small towns. From afar, these towns, marked by evident signs of war, were long abandoned, leaving only dilapidated buildings standing desolately. Despite being forsaken by humans for countless years, these towns remained fraught with danger. As the unit sped along the highways beside these towns, Haoyun clearly saw Westerner aircraft parked in the shattered blocks and numerous patrols of Westerners monitoring the streets and buildings on alert. Fortunately, these enemies were in a state of semi-hibernation, so even though the unit's vehicles emitted a certain roar as they passed, Haoyun and his comrades were confident in their audacity as they sped past the Westerners.
Although Haoyun had become a demigod and possessed endurance and hunger resistance that surpassed ordinary beings in the lower realms, this did not mean he was immune to fatigue. Especially now, less than a day had passed since Haoyun last used his Drilling Dog Hole skill. This environment amplified the fatigue on him after most of his comrades in the unit had fallen into slumber. Therefore, with nothing urgent to attend to, Haoyun decided to take a brief rest to ensure he was in peak mental and physical condition for tonight's defense mission.
The Special Forces convoy swiftly entered a section of elevated highway built within mountainous terrain. The elevated road wound through the mountains, leading to a tunnel artificially carved into the mountainside ahead. By this time, it was mid-afternoon, and the bright sunlight, gentle breezes brushing the mountain ridges, and wildflowers swaying on either side of the mountains imbued the Skeleton Unit, hardened by daily warfare, with an unusual sense of tranquility.
The convoy soon entered the mountainous tunnel and spiraled through the lush valley before emerging back onto the elevated highway constructed across the plains. At this moment, the brilliant sunlight was not only completely obscured by dense dark clouds but occasional muffled thunder rumbled within the gloomy clouds. This stark change in weather from the serene mountainous environment to the plains filled with the pungent bitterness of scorched earth deeply oppressed Haoyun's previously content mood. The air on the plains was no longer sweet but thick with the acrid smell of burnt earth. What made it even more unbearable for Haoyun was his heightened sense of smell, which allowed him to detect a hint of rot amidst the choking smell of burnt earth.
As the stench intensified, Haoyun began to feel dizzy and experienced acid reflux. However, before he could readjust his breathing to better cope with the extremely foul air due to severe pollution, he felt the whole world begin to spin, pull, and tear apart. Haoyun wanted to scream aloud, but the twisting and tearing of his body along with the world rendered his throat seemingly strangled by some powerful force, unable to make any sound.
The indescribable suffocation and pain quickly numbed Haoyun's body as if it were anesthetized, completely ignoring his commands and causing him to lose all ability to resist. Thus, in a state of extreme terror, Haoyun could only gasp desperately with his mouth wide open, trying his utmost to breathe. At the same time, he struggled to force open his heavy eyelids, attempting to refocus his extremely blurred vision to see clearly what was happening before him. However, no matter how hard Haoyun tried, all he could see was chaos. Soon after, Haoyun felt his body begin to disintegrate, turning into meteors and falling alongside the starry dust into a terrifyingly unfathomable abyss.
Although Haoyun's body struggled intensely amidst extreme fatigue, his mind was acutely aware that once he fell into that abyss, he would be forever trapped without hope of escape. Driven by an intense will to survive, Haoyun continued to struggle. He attempted to rally the star-like fragments of his body together, but the more he struggled, the faster his body disintegrated and fell.
"Is this really how it ends?" Haoyun, feeling the complete disintegration of his body into a myriad of falling stars, asked with extreme reluctance. However, now powerless to resist, Haoyun could do nothing but watch as the countless meteors formed from his own body were mercilessly drawn into the abyss. At this point, Haoyun finally succumbed to despair, resignedly awaiting the arrival of death.
Yet, what surprised Haoyun was that the abyss did not bring him annihilation. Although his fragmented consciousness could distinctly feel the countless pairs of eyes fixed on him upon his descent into the abyss, these eyes seemed only to watch him plummet rapidly, occasionally emitting sighs of resignation or endless mocking laughter, without launching any attack on the starry formation Haoyun had become.
Seeing this, Haoyun quickly tried once again to gather his consciousness, then puzzledly posed a question within himself: "Where exactly is this place? Where am I supposed to go now?"
"Namnamsantoda. Tainamze. Zhereluo. Zhunshapohē. Namnamsantoda. Tainamze. Zhereluo. Zhunshapohē——" Yet, the only response Haoyun received was fragmented and cryptic chanting.
Haoyun naturally remembered this chant because he had heard it more than once during his journey to Earth NX.
"What does this chant mean? Who are you? Why do you keep reciting this chant?" Haoyun struggled to ask another question from his consciousness. However, before receiving any response, he fell into a deep sleep once again.
After an unknown period, during which Haoyun had no idea what occurred, he suddenly perceived a faint crimson in the darkness before him. Then, in an instant, Haoyun's consciousness felt as if a powerful electric current surged through him, causing his entire body to convulse in pain. Next, Haoyun's mind was filled with the intense beating of a heart. Breathing—he could breathe again! Simultaneously, the acrid stench of burnt earth and decay swiftly withdrew from his senses, replaced by a refreshing air tinged with the scent of earth and grass.
However, with the sudden return of consciousness, the gradually awakening Haoyun immediately sensed a profoundly intense aura of malevolence. "Mold Spirit energy!" Haoyun couldn't help but be alarmed. As a celestial official tasked with tracking Mold Spirit energy, Haoyun was all too familiar with its aura!