Wasteland Border Inspector

Chapter 320: The Disaster of Red River, Ghost Vehicles in the Wilderness!

After driving out of New Pond Gathering Place and getting their bearings, the Armored Vehicle turned and began its detour toward the south.From Old Pond County onwards, the terrain became increasingly complex.

Not only was the area crisscrossed with waterways, but a continuous chain of rocky mountains completely blocked the conventional route.

In the old era, these mountains had winding mountain roads for passage, acting as important routes connecting villages and towns. But after decades without maintenance, they had long been completely eroded by wildly growing vegetation and the power of time, reduced to a patch of Ruins.

And this was the main reason why the southern route was directly excluded when planning the route to Guang Province back then.

However, today, precisely because this area was desolate enough, the number of Infected Bodies detected by the radar became fewer and fewer. Even those small villages abandoned at the foot of the mountains were mostly empty when occasionally explored.

Driving with difficulty until 2 PM, Niu Fu stopped the vehicle in an open area in front of a rocky mountain.

While everyone got off to eat lunch, Cheng Ye spread out the Map and took a look, immediately feeling a headache coming on.

Four hours had passed, and the Armored Vehicle's Endurance had dropped by a full 115 kilometers, but the actual distance advanced was only about 60 kilometers.

Constant detours caused the mileage to increase rapidly. At this rate of efficiency, even by nightfall, they would barely be able to travel another sixty or seventy kilometers. They simply couldn't reach the abandoned Gathering Place one hundred and eighty kilometers away as originally planned.

And at this moment, there was still nearly six hundred kilometers left to Twin Moon Lake Gathering Place.

Moving forward at their current speed, it would take at least a week to arrive. Not only was it ridiculously slow, but they also had to consider the risk of running out of fuel from driving around in circles.

"We have already passed Mountain Shadow Gathering Place. Should we change course and take the middle route for a while?"

Cheng Ye's finger traced back and forth over the Map, trying to plan a route that stayed far from the original middle route while perfectly avoiding the rocky mountains of the lower route.

It didn't take long before he actually figured out a viable path.

By diverting north for a hundred and twenty kilometers from this rocky mountain, the journey would take them through uninhabited open wilderness, and they could camp at Red River Gathering Place tonight.

This was an abandoned Gathering Place situated in a canyon, a terrain that was easy to defend and hard to attack.

When they set out from Red River Gathering Place on the second day, driving straight east for two hundred kilometers would allow them to completely bypass this mountainous region.

By then, whether they continued on the middle route or returned to the lower route, they would reach Twin Moon Lake in two days at most.

Calculating it this way, it would save a full three days of time and over three hundred and sixty kilometers of travel.

However, choosing this path meant bearing the hidden risks of the middle route.

After spending the first day in the Wilderness and gradually seeing the text in the data turn into visible reality, Cheng Ye couldn't help but feel tempted as he looked at the barren rocky mountain before him, where not a single blade of grass grew.

He pondered it carefully for a while longer. After finishing the nutrient paste in his hand, he stood up, found Liu Bi, and voiced his idea.

Pulling the Map over, Liu Bi pondered slightly after looking at it, evidently showing no intention of objecting.

He simply opened his Defense Terminal and brought up the Related Data for Red River Gathering Place.

"New Pond Gathering Place anticipated the path of the Infection Tide in advance, and their timely evacuation left behind a relatively intact site. But Red River Gathering Place is different. It was crushed head-on by the Infection Tide. Although both are Forbidden Lands, the residual risks of the two are worlds apart. There are very likely many high-risk Infection Sources still lying dormant inside."

Liu Bi read the analysis from the data in a deep voice.

Red River Gathering Place was destroyed by an Infection Tide in the New Era Year 24. At its peak, its population was around six thousand.

It was originally chosen as a Gathering Place primarily because there were multiple rich mines distributed nearby, making its economic value far outweigh the risk assessment. Coupled with the fact that the terrain was easy to defend and hard to attack, as long as the flow of people was well-controlled, the risks were originally within a manageable range.

But no one expected that the Infection Tide in the New Era Year 27 would suddenly change direction during its advance.

Over fifty thousand Infected Bodies lunged straight toward Red River Gathering Place.

The people in the Gathering Place only received news of the Infection Tide's change in direction in the morning. By dusk, the frenzied Infected Bodies, led by a Malignant Mother Source, had already arrived at their gates.

The hastily organized resistance collapsed without any suspense. Aside from the high-level officials of the Territory who fled in a panic during the chaos, the rest either died fighting on the defensive lines or became part of the Infection Tide.

"Moreover, it is highly unlikely for Hermits to settle in a place like this. Unlike New Pond, which has arable land and passable natural conditions nearby. The existence value of Red River Gathering Place relied entirely on the adjacent mineral veins and trade routes. Now that the trade routes have stopped, the Gathering Place has lost its foundation for survival."

"High-risk Infection Sources..." Cheng Ye repeated softly.

According to the grading standards of the Inspection Station, the so-called "high-risk" meant Infected Bodies at the Plague-level or above.

But since Liu Bi specifically pointed it out, it meant that there were not only Plague-level threats here, but possibly even Disaster-level Infection Sources hidden away—terrifying existences on the same level as the Abyssal Water Cave Crab.

Without the Obsidian Battle Armor for protection, fighting an Infection Source of this level was secondary in difficulty; the key issue was that the margin for error was too low. The slightest carelessness would lead to eternal damnation.

Relying on the dual guarantees of his life tier and the Earth-Shrinking Giant Louse Symbiotic State, Cheng Ye himself was not afraid, but Liu Bi, Niu Fu, and the four people in the vehicle including Yin Ruofeng, would likely be completely unable to withstand it.

However, just as Cheng Ye was about to give up on this route, Liu Bi spoke up again. "You decide the route. The danger of the middle route is definitely much higher than the lower route we are on now, but this is also a form of Experience. In a place like the Wilderness, everyone is actually equal."

"Whether it is us Inspectors or those Hermits, when encountering true, immense terror, we all have to rely on experience and judgment to survive. As for ordinary dangers, they pose no threat to us anyway."

Pausing for a moment, he added, "What you lack the most right now is actual Cognition of the Wilderness. In the future, you will definitely go to places more dangerous than Red River. When that time comes, I might not be by your side anymore."

'A challenge?'

Cheng Ye didn't rush to agree. Instead, he crouched on the ground, repeatedly tracing the route on the Map with his finger.

Aside from this plan to divert to the middle route, it wasn't that there were no other detour routes, but the risks wouldn't necessarily be lower.

Comparing the two, Red River Gathering Place was actually a relatively safe choice.

"Then we will head to Red River Gathering Place."

Cheng Ye looked up, his tone resolute. "We definitely don't have the ability to excavate these rocky mountains. If this route can be cleared in the future, opening up a shortcut through Red River, it will save a lot of time and mileage for future round trips to Guang Province."

"Alright!" Liu Bi nodded lightly without a single word of unnecessary nonsense.

When the Armored Vehicle set off again, Cheng Ye gathered everyone together and explained the plan to change their route.

Although they had to travel a section of the middle route, there wasn't a trace of worry on the faces of Yin Ruofeng and his three companions.

After all, they used to travel this very middle route when commuting back and forth between Radiant Rainbow Shelter City and Happiness City. In comparison, this current lower route was a truly unfamiliar area.

Not to mention, they had also rested and reorganized at Red River Gathering Place in the past, so they were very familiar with the terrain.

As for Niu Fu, he was even less worried.

Having followed Liu Bi across the land in the past, he had traveled on routes far more perilous than this countless times.

Being able to survive in the Wasteland until today was partly due to luck, but mostly it was due to genuine, solid Strength.

After getting in the vehicle, the Armored Vehicle finally no longer had to detour around the clusters of mountains, driving straight onto a highway left over from the old era.

The field of vision suddenly opened up, and the Suppressed, stifling feeling from being in the mountains vanished into thin air.

Liu Bi leaned back in his seat, continuing to flip through the data on Red River Gathering Place.

Happiness City had collected quite comprehensive information on these Gathering Places within Shi Province, with even the internal building distribution maps clearly recorded.

Yin Ruofeng gazed at the fleeting scenery outside the window, suddenly sighed, and brought up past events. "The Settlement Lord of Red River Gathering Place was a rare female leader in the Wasteland named Liu Xianghe. She herself was also a formidable Special Ability User. When she was young, she worked as a manager for a large trade caravan, traveling extensively and gaining vast experience. I met her twice in the past, and every time we discussed the ore purchasing business, it went very smoothly. There was never a situation where extra complications arose when picking up the goods after the price had been agreed upon."

"It's just that Red River Gathering Place developed too fast. In just four short years, it already had the faint momentum to advance into a shelter city. There were three other Gathering Places nearby, all of which developed by relying on this mineral vein. Rumor has it that the reason the Infection Tide suddenly changed direction was because those three Gathering Places were playing tricks behind the scenes."

"There's such a rumor?" Liu Bi paused, his tone full of astonishment.

Even though he was an Inspector of Happiness City, he knew very little about these covert disputes in the surrounding areas.

"These things were never written into the data. For one, it was everyone's speculation without concrete evidence. Secondly, such underhanded methods cannot see the light of day and cannot be known to everyone. Luring an Infection Tide to destroy enemies is something that, in any era, is meant to be buried in history."

Yin Ruofeng explained with a bitter smile. "The reason I know is because in the New Era Year 28, I ran into Lord Liu again in Radiant Rainbow Shelter City. We had a pleasant conversation that day, and she personally told me that her grand revenge from back then had already been exacted. Those three surrounding Gathering Places had all been crushed step by step by her schemes. Inspector Liu, you just need to search for the data on those three Gathering Places, and you'll know if what she said is true or false."

After saying that, Yin Ruofeng named those three Gathering Places.

Liu Bi's fingertips tapped rapidly on his Defense Terminal. In the data he brought up, all three of these territories were marked with red "Destroyed" tags.

But upon opening the specific details, the reasons were shockingly consistent.

They were not destroyed by Infection Tides or high-risk Infection Sources, but rather due to internal power struggles that led to complete disorder. The Territory's high-ranking officials fell into infighting and turf wars, and the lower-class citizens fled in droves upon seeing this. The Gathering Places ultimately disintegrated.

"Looking at it this way, it does seem bizarre. For three Gathering Places to actually collapse in the exact same manner, someone definitely set them up behind the scenes."

Liu Bi stared at the screen, his tone full of astonishment. "But this Liu Xianghe—her methods are actually formidable to this extent?"

"She truly isn't simple."

Yin Ruofeng sighed emotionally. "Back then, she also told me that after resting and replenishing supplies in Radiant Rainbow Shelter City, she was going to take her remaining personnel to Hu Province to rebuild a new Gathering Place and start everything from scratch. So many years have passed, I wonder how her side is developing now."

Liu Bi and Yin Ruofeng conversed in low voices about the rumors of the past. Cheng Ye sat quietly to the side listening, while simultaneously searching for Related Data on his Defense Terminal.

If the Infection Tide that attacked Red River truly was deliberately redirected by someone, then such behavior could undoubtedly be considered extremely vile on the Wasteland.

After all, behind this was a conspiracy at the cost of tens of thousands of human lives. Even in a post-apocalyptic world where the strong preyed on the weak, it was incredibly despicable.

Furthermore, if this Lord Liu possessed concrete evidence and submitted the evil deeds of those three Gathering Places to the surrounding shelter cities.

Whether it was Happiness City or Radiant Rainbow Shelter City, these hegemon-tier shelter cities would never turn a blind eye.

They would definitely immediately dispatch personnel to verify it. Once confirmed to be true, they would inevitably launch a devastating "dimensional strike", ensuring that the Gathering Places responsible for such heinous acts would never have the chance to employ such vicious methods again.

"Did Lord Liu ever mention to you what types of Infection Sources were within the Infection Tide that struck Red River Gathering Place back then?" Cheng Ye asked Yin Ruofeng, turning his head after finishing reading the data.

Yin Ruofeng shook his head. "She didn't mention that. After all, they were heartbreaking memories. However, at the time, she did want to trade a piece of intel with me. She said that inside the mine shafts dug by Red River Gathering Place, quite a few Benign Infection Sources were left behind after the Infection Tide passed. She asked if I was willing to spend some money to buy the map leading into the mines. She said that if I submitted this intel to Happiness City, it might help me secure a major merit."

"Did you buy it?" Liu Bi raised an eyebrow, his tone carrying a bit of anticipation.

They had just reaped a batch of highly valuable Treasures, and right on its heels, news of Benign Infection Sources popped up.

The harvest of this Field Duty was simply exceeding expectations. Everything they encountered was invaluable; not a single thing was useless.

"I looked at it at the time, but I didn't end up buying it." Yin Ruofeng scratched his head, explaining with some regret. "She asked for thirty thousand Contribution Points right off the bat, and I had no way to verify if the news about the Benign Infection Sources in the mine was true or false."

"Furthermore, with the authority in my hands, I could only spend a maximum of ten thousand Contribution Points in a single transaction. Anything more had to be reported for approval.

In the end, after I reported it to Happiness City, before the approval even came down, she had already sold the map to someone else, and subsequently set off for Hu Province with her people."

"That really is a pity. If we could have obtained the mine map, perhaps we really could have gone down to explore the situation this time."

Liu Bi couldn't help but smack his lips, but then he quickly changed his tune. "However, since the map was given to someone else, even if there were Benign Infection Sources inside, they've probably already been taken away."

'Explore the mines?'

Sitting in the passenger seat, Cheng Ye's heart stirred. He hadn't expected that right after descending into a salt mine this morning, there would be a genuine mine waiting for him to explore.

After a moment of thought, he tapped open his Defense Terminal to search for information on the mineral veins around Red River.

The core purpose of Red River Gathering Place and those three Small Gathering Places putting down roots here in the first place was to mine the underground mineral veins.

Leaving aside those common ores, the most precious among them was an ore called "Redstone".

This ore had extremely strong electrical conductivity and could vastly improve the performance of various electrical devices, making it highly valuable.

Unfortunately, the reserves of Redstone were sparse to begin with. Back then, Happiness City had even clashed head-on with Radiant Rainbow Shelter City to fight for the priority purchasing rights of Redstone.

As for the specific outcome of that clash, Cheng Ye couldn't find a detailed record in the data. He only saw that afterward, the two sides drew a clear boundary: the Redstone produced by the four Gathering Places would be split equally between them.

But the mining of Redstone came to a complete halt by the New Era Year 25, because the reserves had been exhausted, and there was absolutely no production after that.

Without enough mineral veins to support their income, the economic conditions of the four Gathering Places naturally plummeted.

Under these circumstances, it made sense for those three Gathering Places to harbor malicious intentions. By eliminating Red River Gathering Place, which had the largest faction and population, they could perhaps maintain their previous income levels by dividing up the mineral resources left behind by Red River.

"When you looked at the map back then, did you see the specific route clearly?" Cheng Ye closed his Defense Terminal screen and pressed Yin Ruofeng again.

Yin Ruofeng nodded in confirmation. "I saw it clearly at the time, but it's been... well, it's been almost seven years. I can't remember the details clearly. I can only roughly recall that there were over three hundred mine shafts inside, and the deepest parts were dug down to three hundred meters underground!"

'As long as he saw it clearly, then it's easy!'

Cheng Ye's heart immediately stirred. Since Yin Ruofeng had seen the map clearly back then, as long as he searched the related intel, it would be equivalent to obtaining this mine route map.

However, he didn't rush to make a move now. He planned to wait until they arrived at Red River Gathering Place and inspected the situation on the ground before deciding.

If there really were Benign Infection Sources in the mine, bringing them back would not only earn a handsome reward but also garner an extra bonus from the Inspection Station.

After all, on the Wasteland, Benign Infection Sources were an Inspector's best aid in dealing with extreme environments.

Furthermore, Cheng Ye genuinely felt an itch in his heart.

The abilities of these Benign Infection Sources were absolutely extraordinary. If he could collect their Traits, their rarity level would definitely be far higher than that of ordinary Infection Sources.

More importantly, these abilities could also be continually fused into the Earth-Shrinking Giant Louse, further raising the Giant Louse's potential limit. Meanwhile, he could also use the Symbiotic State as a springboard to master brand-new Infection Source abilities.

It was simply killing two birds with one... no, multiple birds with one stone!

"What, do you want to go down into the mine?" Liu Bi noticed the change in Cheng Ye's expression and couldn't help but chuckle.

"Men die for wealth as birds die for food, you kid better think this through. A three-hundred-meter-deep mine is not something that place in New Pond can compare to. You won't be facing unarmed Hermits, but rather Malignant Infection Sources and high-risk Infection Sources potentially lurking in the mine. Encountering just one of those things is fatal."

"I know." Cheng Ye nodded. "We'll assess the situation when the time comes. I haven't gone crazy enough to rashly risk my life just for some money."

He couldn't plainly tell Liu Bi that he could search out the mine map. He could only find an excuse to handle it circuitously when the time came. This wasn't difficult either; casually dodging the question would suffice. Given Liu Bi's personality, he probably wouldn't pry too deeply.

The Armored Vehicle drove straight for Red River Gathering Place. Inside the cabin, apart from Niu Fu who was concentrating on driving, everyone else was occupied with their own thoughts.

Liu Bi was immersed in memorizing and analyzing the internal topographical map of Red River Gathering Place. Relying on this information, he could roughly judge which areas were safe, which were dangerous, and where Infection Sources might be hidden. Even if they really encountered an accident and needed to Flee, he would be able to immediately find the fastest evacuation route.

Cheng Ye, on the other hand, was browsing through the production records of the mine, cramming Related Data about Benign Infection Sources within the mineral veins.

Previously, he hadn't had the mind to pay attention to these things at all, let alone expect to have the chance to witness them firsthand on this Field Duty.

Yin Ruofeng fetched paper and pen, currently trying hard to recall the details of that map from back then, attempting to sketch out the general layout of the mine.

The remaining three weren't idle either, chiming in one after another to supplement their impressions. After all, the four of them had all been present to see that map back then, and they all remembered some content to a greater or lesser extent.

The sky gradually darkened. On their second day stepping into the Wilderness, they fortunately hadn't encountered any annoying gloomy rain.

But just as Cheng Ye was getting somewhat engrossed in reading, Niu Fu suddenly stepped on the brakes, and the Armored Vehicle slowly decelerated.

He subconsciously raised his head, only to see a few blurry little specks appear at the end of the distant open field.

With his eyesight far surpassing that of an ordinary person, even he could only barely make out that they were absolutely not things that belonged in the Wilderness.

As for Niu Fu, he probably just saw a shifting shadow, relying entirely on his years of Field Duty Experience to subconsciously slow down and stand on guard.

"What's wrong?" Liu Bi poked his head out from the back seat. Due to his viewing angle, he couldn't see the anomaly in the distance.

"Seems like something is moving over there on the horizon." Niu Fu squinted, staring fixedly at the distant open field, his tone laced with a bit of vigilance.

"It looks like... a convoy?"

Cheng Ye switched to Little Flame's vision, and his eyesight instantly evolved once again. Those shifting specks immediately became clear.

It was actually four trucks driving side-by-side, heading towards the Armored Vehicle from the end of the open field.

"A convoy?" Liu Bi blanked for a moment. Not only was there not a trace of joy at meeting fellow humans on his face, but he instantly became serious instead.

He quickly pulled out the Map, his fingertip landing on their current position. This was already the Core Zone of the middle route.

If this route hadn't been abandoned, encountering a trade caravan wouldn't be surprising. But the key issue was that this road had been deserted for two years, and no one had dared to travel it for a long time.

Suddenly running into a convoy in a place like this meant they had to guard against the most terrifying possibility.

"Old Niu, later, don't talk to them, don't stop the car, and don't linger. Just drive straight past," Liu Bi instructed in a deep voice.

"I understand." Niu Fu nodded immediately, both hands tightly gripping the steering wheel.

Cheng Ye, meanwhile, intently observed the approaching convoy. As the distance continuously closed, he could see them increasingly clearly.

The trucks in the convoy were all of a uniform model, their bodies painted with a striking red maple leaf logo.

This scale was not small. Aside from the leading box truck, the other three were all semi-trailers, their lengths estimated to be around fifteen meters.

Heavy-duty trucks like these would be considered a tyrannical lineup even in modern times. Exactly which trade caravan had this kind of backing?

Cheng Ye retracted his gaze and immediately searched for the red maple leaf logo on his Defense Terminal, but the results were disappointing.

There was absolutely no Related Data in the Defense Terminal; evidently, it had never recorded a caravan with this emblem.

As the distance closed again, even without relying on Little Flame's vision, everyone could clearly see the silhouette of the convoy.

And the other side seemed to have also spotted the Armored Vehicle. Not only did they not yield, but they actually drove straight towards them.

The two sides just quietly stared at each other from an ever-closing distance.

Unfortunately, the front windshields of the trucks were covered with thick privacy film, completely blocking their line of sight from seeing the people inside.

When the two vehicles were about a hundred meters apart, the driver's side window of the leading truck suddenly rolled down. A Westerner with slicked-back hair poked his head out, bearing an indescribable smile on his face, seemingly wanting to wave hello.

"Ignore him. Drive away!" Liu Bi's voice grew a few degrees colder.

Niu Fu grinned, sharply turning the steering wheel. The Armored Vehicle directly brushed past the other party's route, maintaining a distance of a hundred meters between both sides without closing the gap in the slightest.

Cheng Ye looked through the rearview mirror and saw that the convoy had actually stopped, showing no intention of chasing after them.

It wasn't until the four trucks completely vanished from sight that Liu Bi breathed a sigh of relief. Turning to look at Cheng Ye, he asked in a deep voice, "Did you notice the problem?"

"Yeah. For a large caravan like this to only have transport trucks without any escort patrol vehicles tagging along... and to even proactively stop and try to wave hello when seeing an Armored Vehicle like ours, is indeed quite strange." Cheng Ye rubbed his chin, giving his judgment.

"No, it's not just that simple."

Liu Bi shook his head, his eyes grave. He then instructed Niu Fu, "Old Niu, turn around and drive back to the spot where we just crossed paths with those trucks."

"You got it!" Niu Fu immediately responded, wrenching the steering wheel. The Armored Vehicle followed the clear tire tracks on the ground, returning along its original path.

However, even though they were clearly getting closer to the intersection point from just moments ago, that massive convoy seemed to have Vanished Without a Trace, leaving not a single shred of evidence behind, as if it had never appeared.

Cheng Ye's gaze darkened as he instantly discovered what was amiss.

It wasn't just that the convoy had Vanished Without a Trace; even the distinct tire ruts crushed into the dirt by the semi-trailers had been completely wiped clean.

Niu Fu brought the Armored Vehicle to a steady halt in the exact area where the two convoys had crossed paths. On the ground, only the tracks left by the Armored Vehicle remained.

"There is a high-risk Malignant Infection Source nearby."

Liu Bi's gaze swept across the empty, dead-silent Wilderness. He gritted his teeth and said grimly, "Ghost vehicles in the Wilderness, where life and death become unpredictable.

What we just saw was not a trade caravan at all. It was all an illusion!"

"Once you speak to that person who stuck his head out, you will sink deeper and deeper into the illusion created by the Infection Source. Eventually, you won't be able to tell what is real and what is fake at all, and you will ultimately become completely lost in the hallucination, reduced to a walking corpse, turning into its Infected Body!"

"Then what about now? We didn't interact with him, so that Infection Source..." Cheng Ye's heart clenched.

Even though he had anticipated that the middle route was fraught with peril, he never expected to run into such a ruthless entity right after turning onto it. Moreover, it wasn't an ordinary Infection Source, but a malignant, high-risk existence.

"We're in big trouble." Liu Bi pointed at the Map, his expression solemn. "If we dare to stay here tonight, we'll definitely be targeted by it again."

It was already 5 PM, and the Armored Vehicle was less than twenty kilometers away from Red River Gathering Place.

"If this thing is merely Plague-level, its area of effect is fifteen kilometers at most, and we might still be able to settle down safely tonight." He paused, a trace of heaviness in his voice. "But if we get to Red River Gathering Place and it still comes knocking at our door—then it is absolutely Disaster-level."

The sky had darkened completely. If they temporarily diverted to find lodging somewhere else, heaven only knew if they would barge into an even more dangerous zone.

Before Liu Bi even finished his sentence, the faces of Yin Ruofeng and the other three had already instantly turned deathly pale.

A Disaster-level Infection Source was an existence capable of effortlessly wiping out a small-scale shelter city. Any Gathering Place that encountered one would only meet the fate of annihilation.

Only large or even hegemon-tier shelter cities had the confidence to face this kind of monster head-on, but that was still only while relying on fortified defenses.

Running into one out in the desolate, uninhabited wild was simply a near-death sentence.

Seeing Liu Bi's gaze shift over to him, Cheng Ye took a deep breath and immediately turned to look at Niu Fu: "Brother Niu, straight to Red River Gathering Place. We leave right now! Before dark, we must get there to make camp!"

"Got it!" Niu Fu responded, slamming his foot down on the gas pedal.

The Armored Vehicle instantly surged forward like a wild beast breaking free from its chains. The engine let out a deafening roar, and the tires crushed the ground, kicking up dust as the vehicle shot straight out.

After speeding away for a hundred meters, Cheng Ye subconsciously glanced at the rearview mirror. The sight before him instantly made his blood run cold.

Under the dimming sky, that convoy which had just Vanished Without a Trace was slowly materializing once again.

It wasn't a gradual materialization, but rather a bizarre 'overlapping' sensation, like the ghosting image on an old television with a poor signal, flickering in and out of view.

What made his heart clench even tighter was that the cabin doors of all the vehicles in the convoy were slowly pulling inward at an absolutely synchronized speed.

Along with them, the rear doors of the semi-trailers' cargo boxes were also lifting upward simultaneously, as if manipulated by invisible hands.

Cheng Ye subconsciously switched to Little Flame's vision and focused his gaze. Suddenly, he felt a rush of cold air shoot up his spine straight to the crown of his head.

Hell, what those trucks were carrying weren't goods at all, but people... a dense, packed crowd of men and women, young and old!

Figure after figure—hundreds, maybe more—filed out from behind those doors. Their movements were as stiff as marionettes, devoid of any unnecessary posture.

Above the empty and desolate Wilderness, these people actually stood in a neat row. It was a dense, dark mass that instantly crowded the entire rearview mirror.

Furthermore, the expressions on everyone's faces were surprisingly identical, carrying a somewhat sickly infatuation mixed with a chilling malice, their eyes glued tightly to the rear of the Armored Vehicle.

"What are you looking at?" Noticing Cheng Ye's body give a slight shudder, Liu Bi turned his head to look back.

However, all that greeted his eyes was an expanse of empty, deathly silent Wilderness.

Only the darkness at the edge of the horizon was slowly blanketing the entire land like a rising tide!