Lu Jingyu’s eyes flashed with a cold glint: “Prepare to assemble. Leave two people to escort this guide back to base. The rest of the team follows me into the instance.”
The nearby sentinels immediately looked solemn and picked up their weapons.
The two sentinels who had just spoken to Xu Qingsui stepped forward: “Respected Guide, please come with us. The Source of Contamination Number 9 is very close. If we don’t hurry, you will also be in danger.”
Xu Qingsui frowned tightly and looked up at the chemical plant in the distance.
Above the source of contamination, lead-grey clouds gathered, their edges rolling with a sickly fluorescent green, and light purple thick smoke continuously billowed towards the sky.
The giant plants surrounding them twitched unnaturally. The size of the mosquitoes began to swell, their proboscises elongating into sharp straws. Hyenas and wild rats, attracted by the feeding frenzy, were drawn in madly. As they approached the contamination, their claws gradually hardened into black keratin, sharp fangs sprouted and intertwined, and their eyes began to bulge, their pupils turning a bizarre green.
The sewage, bubbling and reeking, was flowing continuously into the deep sea nearby, dyeing the surface of the sea a terrifying deep purple!
The screams of agony and the roars of mutated creatures could be heard from afar. She pushed away the two sentinels beside her and caught up to Lu Jingyu: “Wait, I’m going too.”
Lu Jingyu stopped, his brow deeply furrowed: “You have no combat experience.”
The two sentinels also followed closely: “Yes, Respected Guide, although your psychic power is strong, combat is not one-on-one soothing and guiding. It will be very dangerous. Please come with us.”
The female sentinel spoke even more rudely: “All those from the academy are idiots. Do they think that just because they got a high rating by luck, they can boss us around in the contamination zone? Going there will just be a burden to us.”
Xu Qingsui ignored her and calmly said to Lu Jingyu: “Although my combat ability is not as good as yours, I can focus on psychic healing. If anything happens, I will take responsibility myself. If you still don’t believe me, I can sign a waiver of liability.”
“Since both guides and sentinels are meant to fight side-by-side, the guide will not abandon you to seek refuge alone at a critical moment.”
She couldn’t bear to watch others fight on the front lines while she safely fled. Moreover, how could she unravel the secret of the fragments if she cowered under someone else’s protection?
Therefore, she had to go into this instance!
Lu Jingyu looked down at her, his gaze dark.
Their alliance was not without S-class guides, but those who feared death never dared to venture into instances.
Yet this young girl before him had commendable courage.
His expression softened considerably, and he said in a deep voice: “We will do our best to ensure your safety, but after entering the instance, you must strictly obey orders. If you violate the rules, no one can save you.”
Rules?
Xu Qingsui frowned inadvertently. She followed them to the combat support point to change into her isolation suit before heading to the Source of Contamination Number 9.
The chemical plant and the adjacent coast were already shrouded in dense black mist, and giant waves churned in the deep sea, as if they would engulf them at any moment.
Before Xu Qingsui could observe her surroundings, a pitch-black rift suddenly appeared on the sea surface.
Immediately, a cold, hoarse voice sounded.
[Instance: “The Dark Abyss of the Sea” has been opened. Please human participants enter the instance in an orderly fashion.]
[Clearance Time: 48 hours. If the instance is not cleared within the stipulated time, this area will be completely contaminated.]
Xu Qingsui walked into the rift with them, looking confused, and asked the golden octopus: “What is an instance?”
[Host, an instance is a special existence in this apocalypse. Entering and clearing a rule-based instance can prevent the spread of contamination, but if you die in the instance, you will also die completely.]
[Furthermore, there will be various rules in the instance, and violating them will result in direct elimination.]
Xu Qingsui fell into thought. Unknowingly, a huge city gate made of reef appeared before her.
On the gate, a few lines were crookedly engraved with a carving knife, and dark red bloodstains clung to the knife marks—
[To the brave and fearless successors:
1: If you see three consecutive glowing blue rings on walls, floors, or any surfaces, close your eyes immediately and remain still!
2: There are no blue doors in the ancient city. Do not enter! Do not enter!]
3: If blue spots or marks appear on your skin, immediately seek the song of a whale!
4: When golden light blooms, the city will return to its prosperity. Light them up!]
Xu Qingsui pondered the meaning behind these rules and followed a group of sentinels into the underwater city.
It was terrifyingly quiet all around. The group tried their best to tread lightly, hearing only each other’s heartbeats.
But strangely, as they ventured deeper, the heartbeats grew louder and louder.
Lu Jingyu suddenly stopped and raised his right hand, signaling them to halt: “Something’s wrong. Everyone, be on guard.”
The sentinels immediately formed a circle, drew their weapons, and cautiously scanned their surroundings.
However, Xu Qingsui felt her own heartbeat overlapping with the powerful heartbeat. In her psychic domain, a strange blue mass of energy was rapidly approaching from the rear right!
When the energy mass was only a few breaths away, Xu Qingsui sensed danger and shoved Lu Jingyu, who was closest to the energy mass!
“Dodge! It’s here!”
The moment her words fell, a giant blue-ringed octopus emerged from the black sea and spewed venom at the group with its tentacles!
Lu Jingyu quickly drew his gun and steadily shot the giant tentacle the octopus swung towards them: “It’s an S-class mutant! Retreat first!”
The well-trained sentinels quickly formed a formation and engaged in a struggle with the mutated octopus, retreating in the opposite direction.
Xu Qingsui followed the team, intending to leave, but suddenly felt a heavy push from behind!
She stumbled and fell, seeing the female sentinel who had spoken sarcastically to her standing behind her.
“Respected Guide!”
The nearest sentinel was about to step forward to help her up, but the blue-ringed octopus was rapidly approaching, spewing another pool of venom!
At the same time, a large group of blue-ringed octopuses swarmed forward, surrounding Xu Qingsui directly!
“Damn it!”
Xu Qingsui gritted her teeth, trying hard to break free from the octopuses’ restraints, but she was tightly bound by their tentacles.
The azure neurotoxin was injected into her body, a haze enveloped her vision, and her consciousness instantly blurred.
Lu Jingyu realized something was wrong and turned back abruptly to pursue her, but the octopuses retreated rapidly, disappearing without a trace in an instant.