Chapter 36: The Arrival of the Stability Directorate

Zhang Tong’s pupils vibrated incessantly, and bloodshot veins crawled across the whites of his eyes. If looks could kill, Li Chenqiu would have been reduced to a sieve by now.

Despite grinding his teeth in rage, Zhang Tong finally loosened his jaw. "On North Yellow Mountain, there are currently two factions of Awakened from the No-Man’s Land. One is my organization, the Underworld, and the other is the New World. Both are top-tier powers in the No-Man’s Land."

Li Chenqiu raised an eyebrow. He hadn't expected the No-Man’s Land to harbor factions formed by the Awakened, let alone one named "Underworld." Wasn't that term something the archaeological team had discovered among a pile of ruins?

However, Li Chenqiu didn't dwell on it and continued to listen to Zhang Tong.

"The reason we came to North Yellow Mountain this time is because, several months ago, the New World discovered a Sealing Box in the Cursed Lands of the No-Man’s Land. You know what Cursed Lands and Sealing Boxes are, right?"

Li Chenqiu shook his head. "I don't."

"Huh?" Zhang Tong’s eyes were filled with surprise, but he explained patiently:

"In the No-Man’s Land, there are areas where the rules have become distorted for unknown reasons. For instance, drinking water doesn't quench your thirst; you have to eat dirt instead. The faster you run, the slower you actually move, and the slower you walk while doing a handstand, the faster you go.

"Perhaps because of this distortion, these places have birthed life forms that defy human understanding. They are like the native inhabitants of these lands, having adapted to all the rules, and their strength is terrifying. This is what we call a Cursed Land.

"As for the Sealing Box, it is a special type of Mystic Artifact. Simply put, it’s for storage, but it can only hold other Mystic Artifacts. Once the lid is closed, it isn't easy to open again; you must follow the box's own specific rules.

"For example, some boxes require being submerged in water for a year, while others require striking the box with a blade ten thousand times. They are bizarre and varied. Only after completing the requirement can you open it. That is a Sealing Box."

Li Chenqiu suddenly realized. "So that's how it is. But there’s one thing I don't understand: why would a Sealing Box appear in a Cursed Land?"

"Consuming the creatures or certain strange plant fruits in the Cursed Lands can enhance one's physical body, so many Destiny-Seekers head there for improvement. But the Cursed Lands bring both fortune and disaster; even powerful Destiny-Seekers risk their lives. If they find themselves in a desperate, fatal situation, they will place their Mystic Artifacts into a Sealing Box to prevent them from falling into enemy hands."

Hearing this, Li Chenqiu’s lips curled, and his eyes seemed to brighten slightly in the darkness. "Interesting. And what is the rule for the Sealing Box on North Yellow Mountain?"

Zhang Tong said in a deep voice, "To kill ten thousand people in front of the box. Before this, the New World had already completed four thousand. To finish the final six thousand, the New World approached us, the Underworld, with a proposal for cooperation.

"Because our Underworld has some influence in City 11, they suggested that we organize this 'Bonfire Night.' They, the New World, are responsible for fulfilling the box’s requirement, after which they take the Mystic Artifact, and all the corpses belong to us."

Li Chenqiu laughed softly. "According to you, your Underworld doesn't even need to exert any effort; you could just sit back and reap the rewards. Yet, judging by your grand formation, it looks like you’re preparing for a fight!"

"The abilities of Mystic Artifacts are unpredictable and mysterious, so naturally, the Underworld wants to compete for it. I don't know how many people the New World brought for this operation, nor who their strongest is, but I know a bit about the Underworld—nearly three hundred Awakened."

"How many are above the Third Prohibition? Who is the strongest, and what are their abilities?"

"Fewer than ten are above the Third Prohibition. The strongest is a man called 'Horse-Face'—that’s just his codename, of course. I don’t know his specific abilities or his exact strength; I only know he is very strong." A flash of awe crossed Zhang Tong’s eyes, and his expression grew solemn.

"How does he compare to that big guy from earlier?" Li Chenqiu’s eyes sharpened.

"Xu Yuan?" Zhang Tong gave a disdainful laugh. "He’d be finished in one move."

When these words were spoken, Li Chenqiu’s expression turned grave. He couldn't even defeat Xu Yuan head-on right now; how terrifying must this Horse-Face be if he could take out Xu Yuan in a single strike? How could he possibly seize the Mystic Artifact?

Thinking of this, Li Chenqiu let out a long breath and stared into Zhang Tong’s eyes. "Last question: where on North Yellow Mountain can I find a satellite phone?"

...

City 11, Immigration Checkpoint.

The black steel wall stood tall beneath the night sky. On top of the wall, a dozen beams of white light swept across the quiet wilderness, guarding against the Awakened Beasts that might emerge at any moment.

*Rumble—*

From the darkness in the distance came the sound of rolling wheels. The roar of an engine shattered the silence of the wilderness, its bright headlights bobbing in the darkness.

The soldiers on the wall noticed the heavy-duty pickup truck and hurriedly used their walkie-talkies to verify: "License plate: Lian C·53274, requesting verification."

The sound of clacking keyboards came from the other end, followed by a voice after a moment:

"Verification complete. High-Risk Purge Team 14 of the Security Administration. Estimated arrival time: 18:14. Current time: 18:12. Requirements met. First gate opened. Please verify identity."

"Acknowledged!" The soldier put away the walkie-talkie and hurried off with the other soldiers on the wall.

In front of the impenetrable wall, a loud, metallic clanging echoed as the fifty-meter-wide iron gate slowly slid to the sides with a deafening roar.

However, behind that gate was not the road into City 11, but yet another iron gate.

Between the two gates were countless apertures; if any issues arose during identity verification, these holes would fire bullets and missiles to precisely eliminate the enemy!

The sound of the pickup’s engine grew closer, and it soon moved slowly into the space between the gates, coming to a sharp halt in the center.

"All personnel in the vehicle, please step out for verification," a loudspeaker blared from all directions.

The doors opened slowly, and two men and one woman stepped out with calm, steady composure. They wore uniform camouflage combat gear and stood with upright posture, radiating a subtle sense of oppression despite doing nothing at all.

The woman leading them was named Ye You, thirty-one years old, a member of the Security Administration’s High-Risk Purge Team 14 and the person in charge of this operation.

After a round of verification, the second iron gate slowly opened. The three drove the pickup past the checkpoint and vanished into the vast night.

Meanwhile, at the crossroads near the checkpoint, the Special Ability Division’s jeeps were parked on the side of the road. Gong Ran stood waiting anxiously with a group of people.

"Director, the officers from the Security Administration are here, but... they don't seem to have brought many people!" one person said, pointing toward the direction of the heavy-duty pickup.

"Quality matters more than quantity. Say less of that in the future," Gong Ran glared at the subordinate and then led the group forward to greet them.

The ones sent to purge Disaster-Water 096 had arrived!