Translator: CinderTL
Silence!
The moment Zhao Meng appeared at the entrance of the passage, the atmosphere inexplicably quieted for a few seconds.
"Zhao Meng?"
Du Shan couldn't believe his eyes and quickly asked.
"It's me." Zhao Meng also looked bewildered, not fully coming to his senses.
The two immediately exchanged their secret signals, and Du Shan sighed in relief, nodding to Chen Feng.
"How did you end up here?"
Chen Feng asked, then glanced at the corpses of the Skyway Shipping members on the ground, faintly forming some guesses.
"I don't know either."
However, Zhao Meng's answer left them stunned.
"I followed a few people from Skyway Shipping and the Superhuman Group, but as we walked, some of them disappeared, and I ended up here."
Zhao Meng looked dazed, and Chen Feng slightly frowned.
"No wonder this place is called a maze."
Everyone was lost in thought. Meanwhile, Du Shan composed himself, cleaned up the three corpses from Skyway Shipping, and also destroyed the life scanner and other recording equipment to avoid leaving traces.
"Xu Qiang isn't among them; they must have gotten separated."
He voiced his speculation, as there had been about six people from Skyway Shipping earlier.
"Does that mean not everyone returns here?" Chen Feng followed up with his own speculation.
Everyone fell into deep thought. After a brief discussion, they decided to re-enter the right passage and explore together.
The winding path occasionally revealed corpses belonging to the Superhuman Group.
After walking straight for a while, they encountered another fork in the road.
"We're back again."
Chen Feng looked at the corpses and the marks left on the ground, shaking his head.
"Should we take the left this time?" Zhou Wuren suggested.
"Alright."
The five of them proceeded, only to find that the left passage was almost identical to the right.
Another fork appeared, and they were back at the starting point.
Two more hours had passed on the life scanner's countdown, but so far, they hadn't made any significant discoveries.
"This isn't right. We haven't encountered anyone else. There must be something special about this place."
Chen Feng stood by his judgment. Du Shan and the others suppressed their frustration and entered the right passage once more.
They carefully inspected the area, amplifying their senses.
Although they couldn't penetrate the stone walls, Chen Feng calmed his mind, meticulously observing every inch.
Finally, his gaze flickered as he noticed a flame mark on the right stone wall, which he had previously overlooked.
"Shall we try it?" Zhao Meng also noticed it and made a guess, thinking it might be a mechanism.
"Alright." Everyone nodded.
With caution, they watched as Zhao Meng pressed the mark on the stone wall.
Click!
A strange sound echoed, and the stone wall split and moved, revealing an open stone door.
Chen Feng was somewhat surprised. He amplified his senses as much as possible, taking in the scene inside.
A descending brown staircase, about five to six meters wide, resembling a long rectangular stone, extended downward endlessly, as if leading to a deeper part of the maze.
But unlike any previous passage, this staircase had several massive doors on either side, about seven to eight meters in size, all closed under the illumination of yellow crystals.
Two towering stone statues guarded the entrance of the staircase, with dog heads and human bodies, standing eight meters tall, holding staffs.
Moreover, there were new corpses nearby—one from Skyway Shipping and two from Jadeite Biotech, all seemingly crushed in the chest or head by heavy blows.
"It seems they must have entered here."
Zhao Meng said with relief, and Du Shan and the others nodded.
Chen Feng observed the dog-headed humanoid stone statues guarding the entrance, noticing their resemblance to a creature depicted in the murals.
Finding no other abnormalities, they entered the area.
Click!
Suddenly, the stone door behind them closed.
Chen Feng's heart inexplicably tightened. Looking at the wounds on the three biohuman corpses on the ground, he suddenly realized something was wrong.
"Run!"
He shouted, sensing something unusual about the dog-headed stone statues on either side.
Du Shan and the others reacted half a beat slower. The next second, they saw the two dog-headed stone statues' eyes glow red, and their staffs came crashing down.
"Damn it!"
Du Shan's expression changed slightly. Unable to dodge in time, he hastily activated his ability, his body turning dark gold.
Thud!!
A muffled sound echoed, like a hurricane being stirred up, nearly blowing Xie Xiao away.
When they regained their composure, they saw Du Shan being suppressed by tremendous force, kneeling on the ground.
His bio-armor, comparable to high-grade titanium, cracked and shattered. His arm, which had blocked the staff strike, trembled violently, veins bulging.
Zhou Wuren on the other side was in a similar situation, instinctively relying on his physique to withstand the blow.
Both of them now had flushed faces, bulging veins, and bloodshot eyes, as if they were on the verge of exploding.
This sight terrified Zhao Meng and Xie Xiao, who hurried forward to rescue them.
Swoosh!
The two were forcefully pulled away as the stone statues' staffs struck the ground.
Boom!!!
Like an earthquake, the staircase shook.
All five of them felt their balance waver, their bodies swaying, nearly falling.
"Fifth tier! Definitely fifth tier!"
Zhao Meng exclaimed in shock. Du Shan and Zhou Wuren, who had been rescued, were gasping for breath, drenched in cold sweat, and pale.
Buzz!
The next second.
The two stone statues' eyes, like red crystals, scanned the area. Their bodies moved from their original positions, stepping toward them.
"Damn it!"
"Run!"
Du Shan urgently shouted a warning. Chen Feng narrowed his eyes, suppressing the urge to activate his talent.
Too many eyes around; it wasn't suitable to expose himself.
Moreover, he wasn't sure if destroying these stone statues would lead to even greater dangers.
Tap tap tap tap tap!
The five of them sprinted downward, the yellow crystals emitting a faint glow, dispelling some of the darkness.
Boom!!
Although the stone statues moved slowly, their massive size made up for it.
The sound of their steps kept getting closer, yet the staircase seemed endless, no matter how fast they ran.
"What do we do!"
Zhou Wuren shouted.
He wasn't like Xie Xiao, with ample lifespan. He wasn't willing to die here.
Du Shan and the others' expressions shifted, equally unwilling.
"There are only those three corpses, which means Xu Qiang and the others must have escaped."
"There must be an exit!"
Du Shan hurriedly analyzed. Chen Feng had a similar speculation and finally looked at the doors on either side of the staircase.
They had already run several kilometers, but the scenery on either side seemed to be endlessly repeating, with no changes.
A flash of inspiration struck him, and he immediately led the way.
"Head into those rooms!"
The others were momentarily stunned. They had considered this before, but with the stone statues chasing them, was hiding in the rooms really safe?
Boom!!
Another heavy strike landed, and Zhou Wuren's expression turned grim, nearly getting hit.
"Let's risk it!"
He gritted his teeth and followed Chen Feng's lead, trusting that this young grandmaster with the Innate Tyrant Bone wouldn't gamble with their lives.
Seeing this, Du Shan and Xie Xiao followed suit, quickly arriving outside a door.
Boom!
The two stone statues approached again, their heavy footsteps shaking the ground.
Chen Feng pushed the door with all his strength, only to find it incredibly heavy, likely weighing hundreds of tons.
"Everyone, together!"
Du Shan and the others also noticed something was wrong. Not daring to delay, they all pushed the door together.
The red Flame Tiger, the brown giant lion, and the dark True Intent.
The three martial arts grandmasters all used their force, and the two biohumans also unleashed their strength.
Click!
A strange sound echoed as the stone door slowly opened.
A bit of light shone through until, finally, the two massive stone statues were right behind them.
Buzz!!!
The sound of the staffs being raised echoed, like a gust of wind being stirred up.
Everyone's hair stood on end, but Chen Feng remained the calmest, full of confidence.
"Open!!"
"Open it!!!"
Du Shan and the others roared, and the stone door was finally pushed open halfway.
Boom!!!
A howling gale swept past, and a dull sound echoed through the air.
All five of them rushed into the room.
Du Shan and the others looked relieved, but before they could regain their composure.
Buzz!
A flash of light, and Zhao Meng disappeared.
"What!!"
Zhou Wuren's eyes widened, and the next second, he too disappeared.
Chen Feng glanced at Du Shan and Xie Xiao, seeing similar expressions of shock on their faces.
Before he could sense his surroundings, he soon felt an invisible force enveloping him.
The next second.
The world before his eyes changed, and he found himself in an unfamiliar place.
"Quick, run!!"
"No! How can we just abandon these research results!"
"We should take these modification techniques and blueprints with us as seeds!!"
Voices of shock and anger rang in his ears. He looked around in a daze.
This was a warship in the process of landing.
Outside the window wasn't a blue sky but rather a black mist and dazzling flames.
It seemed like countless explosions were happening outside, with inhuman creatures charging from all directions.
Inside, the cabin space was made of gray metal.
Various projection screens floated, and many precision instruments he couldn't understand were operating, displaying numerous parameters.
Humans in white lab coats and combat uniforms were moving around in a panic, operating various instruments or backing up confidential data.
Chen Feng almost thought he had returned to the outer city of Yun Port.
But when he looked down, his gaze froze.
He was wearing a white-gray combat uniform with a golden star ring emblem on the left chest.
This was completely different from his previous attire.
"This!"
His heart shook. Chen Feng could sense that this body was indeed his own.
His face, talents, strength, force—everything was familiar.
But this attire...
"Captain Taylor, please escort Gressa and the others away from here immediately!"
Someone appeared in front of him, interrupting his thoughts.
Though the language was different from Earth's, he could understand it as if in a dream.
The person was a middle-aged man with yellowish skin and black hair, resembling someone from the Red Nation on Earth.
The only difference was a black eye on his forehead.
"Captain Taylor?"
"Captain Taylor! Can you hear me?"
The man spoke again, looking anxious. Chen Feng came back to his senses and instinctively nodded.
"Good! Captain Taylor, I'm counting on you!"
"Please make sure to escort Gressa and the others safely back to the Star Realm!"
"This is the bio-essence we originally planned to give you. I hope it can be of help!"
The man spoke again, handing over a transparent glass vial.
It was only about the size of a finger, but inside was a crimson liquid, like serum.
Tiny silver lights flickered within, as if filled with some kind of energy.
In an instant, before Chen Feng could react.
A panel prompt suddenly appeared!
[You have discovered an ancient civilization's relic—Super-Ancient Creature's Essence Blood!]
[Effect: Injection allows for bio-modification, strengthening the body, with a chance to awaken biological abilities!]
[Drawback: Bio-modification is irreversible!]
[Tip: You can choose to convert it into pure energy to merge into your body, enhancing your essence, but the effect is reduced by one-third!]
Chen Feng's gaze sharpened, thoughts racing through his mind.
This was so similar to when he entered the Serpent Spirit Secret Realm and obtained the Serpent Spirit Fruit.
Moreover, looking at the serum-like glass vial.
He felt an innate craving.
"Essence materials, isn't this the best supplement!?"
The thought flashed through his mind. Looking at his Heavenly Aura Overlord Body in his panel, and his strength attribute, which had stopped growing and was slow to evolve.
Without hesitation, he silently uttered the word.
"Convert!"
Buzz!!
The glass vial remained in his hand, the essence blood still there.
But the tiny silver lights within rapidly dimmed, as if he had absorbed them.
No one noticed this detail. The middle-aged man who had spoken earlier quickly brought over several figures.
Five or six people, all young, the oldest not exceeding twenty-seven or twenty-eight, all with black hair and three eyes on their foreheads.
The leader was a woman with long hair, wearing a white lab coat. Her face was gentle but pale, as if reluctant to leave.
"Captain Taylor, I leave Gressa and the others in your care!"
The middle-aged man entrusted them, then pressed a button on the cabin door.
Click!
Instantly, the cabin door opened.
The outside world was revealed, and Chen Feng was stunned. He walked to the cabin door and looked outside.
Countless tall buildings, even floating metal fortresses resembling sky islands.
But the blue sky above was shrouded in black mist, with countless inhuman creatures charging out.
Numerous aircraft and warships blocked the sky, energy cannons continuously firing, blue beams cleansing the heavens.
Moreover, there were mecha warriors flying out, their thrusters emitting tail flames, like silver wings spreading. They wielded a light sword in one hand and an energy cannon in the other, blocking some extremely powerful inhuman creatures.
Yet, even so, the overwhelming black tide couldn't be entirely stopped, and many creatures had already invaded this realm.
Boom!
Boom!!
The explosions were deafening, buildings collapsing, black smoke rising.
Warships crashed, flames soaring into the sky!
"Captain Taylor, I'm counting on you!!"
"Make sure to take the seeds away!!"
The middle-aged man spoke again, his tone urgent, his face sorrowful.
Chen Feng was slightly dazed, following his gaze to the distance.
A massive star ring emitted white light, and many people were being escorted into it, seemingly planning to leave this realm.
But midway, many black tide creatures emerged from the ground, killing and stopping them.
Warships, aircraft, mechas, cyborgs...
Various forces forcefully carved a path forward.
Blood splattered, screams echoed.
Whoosh!!!
A mecha warrior fell from the sky, crashing into the ground.
Boom!!
A deep crater formed, cracks spreading.
Amidst the dust, blood oozed, staining everything.
The mecha shattered, and the young man's face was pale, blood trickling from his mouth, his breathing weak, seemingly filled with despair.
But instead, he looked up at the open cabin door, locking eyes with Chen Feng for a moment.
A resolute gaze.
As if entrusting, as if encouraging!
Leave!
You must take them away!
Thud!
A heavy sound, as a snake-headed humanoid monster charged nearby.
Just as it was about to rush into the cabin door, the dying mecha warrior smiled at Chen Feng.
Buzz!
Boom!!!
(End of the Chapter)
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