Dark.

It's pitch black, and it's a secluded world.

When the investigation team came to the dark world, they found that this place was completely different from what they imagined.

It was as if the vision was gone, and even with your eyes wide open, you couldn't see anything but darkness. There was a dead silence all around, no sound, no birds, no insects, not even the sound of the wind.

Time seems to stand still, thoughts slow down, hearts begin to beat faster, and panic arises spontaneously.

Scold!

At this moment, a fist-sized flame bloomed in midair, and the orange light was like a bright lamp, illuminating everyone's sight and guiding them closer.

The warmth that emanates from it can't help but make people feel a little reassured.

"Investigate the members of a team and move closer to the flames."

At this moment, a deep male voice broke the silence and sounded not far away.

Everyone heard that this was the voice of Captain Jack, and they were immediately relieved.

But as members of the Imperial Inquisition, they did not let down their vigilance.

Rahn suddenly asked:

"The sun shines on the earth......"

Immediately, there was a brief silence.

The people who investigated the group suddenly felt nervous, this was the code they discussed before entering the dark world, to avoid the scattering of the team due to various factors, and to confirm the identity of the members when they met.

"Dispel the cold and darkness."

Captain Jack's voice followed.

Only then did everyone sigh a sigh of relief, and they all went towards the flames. When I got closer, I saw that the flame was suspended in the captain's palm, swaying gently.

"This is the 'dark world' hidden in the third layer of the spirit world? Such an environment is terrible...... I feel that my perception is suppressed, and if there is an attack by contaminated creatures in the middle of my actions, I am afraid that it will be difficult to react in time. ”

Wells said in a deep voice.

The crowd stood together, with the captain and the flame in his hand in the middle. The orange light shone on everyone's faces, and the light and shadow flickered, revealing their solemn expressions.

"It's okay, Xibei and I can create a light for the team and illuminate it...... This will prevent sneak attacks from the dark. ”

Rahn spoke up, and Sibe nodded beside him.

Chen Lun shook his head slightly.

At the same time, he extinguished the flame in his hand, causing the team to let out a soft sigh.

When the environment fell into darkness again, only Captain Jack's voice said:

"The dark world is full of powerful polluted creatures, and if we are not careful, we will be in great danger, and lighting with the power of the solar sequence is like a child with a torch walking through the jungle in the middle of the night, shouting to the beasts, 'I am here'......"

The members understood what the captain meant.

While lighting will make it easier to move around, it will also create greater hidden dangers.

Because the light is in the dark world, it is very likely to attract the attention of polluting creatures!

"Captain, what are we going to do? Except for Wells and Federica, who were able to adapt to the absence of light, everyone else would be more or less unable to exert their strength due to the darkness......"

Rahn's voice rang out.

"Don't worry, we're only hiding in the dark while we're on our way and investigating, and in the event of a fight, Rahn and Sibe will be the first to light up...... But remember to fight quickly, and extinguish the light as soon as you take out the enemy. ”

Chen Lun explained.

"Yes, Captain."

After a little thought, the crowd agreed to the proposal.

Immediately, Chen Lun whispered a word to go, and then took a step forward. Everyone confirmed the direction based on the slight footsteps deliberately made by the captain, and followed closely.

Chen Lun relied on the [Five Senses] and used the sense of smell as vision, unimpeded in the dark. At the same time, he also took out a silver cane and performed a cane to confirm the direction of the investigation.

However, the team had not gone far before they were soon attacked.

Sou!

The scream of the Sky Breaker came suddenly, and the perception of the team members was suppressed by the darkness, so that they were only aware of the attack when it approached.

Immediately there was a loud bang!

Bang!!

Everyone only felt that the ground under their feet trembled violently, and a strong wind blew from behind them, even lifting the corners of their clothes and hair.

Rahn's face changed, and his arms spread suddenly.

"Light!"

Sibe shouted with him.

A golden ball of light the size of a skull rose into the air and bloomed overhead, but it could only dispel the darkness within a radius of tens of meters, as if this darkness was an old dirt under the kitchen sink, which was difficult to remove.

After squinting their eyes and seeing things around them, they couldn't help but take a deep breath.

I saw a silver-white slender insect man more than two meters tall, being trampled under the feet of Captain Jack, its two mantis arms were cut off at some point, scattered beside him, constantly spraying disgusting thick dark green juice, and the strangely shaped shuttle-shaped head trembled from side to side, as if trying to struggle to get up.

But in the next second, the silver cane in the captain's hand fell suddenly.

Bite!

The sharp tail of the staff pierced the wormman's head, nailing him to death.

"These children of the old gods, Didak, are constructed differently from humans, they live in the dark world all year round, and their perception is stronger than ours...... So even if we deliberately hide in the dark, we will be discovered if we get a little closer. ”

Chen Lun looked down at the corpse of the insect man and said calmly.

The team members held their breath, and they were also shocked that the captain killed the sneak attack insect man in just one breath, such strength made people have to be in awe.

Hisss Hiss!!

Strange hiss came from all directions, accompanied by dense footsteps.

"Oops! We were discovered! ”

Wells said hurriedly.

The people looked around, but there was only darkness, and they did not know the number of enemies.

It's the unknown that makes people panic.

Even Chen Lun frowned slightly at the moment, because the number of insects surging in was too much!

'Seventy or eighty...... No, there should be hundreds. ’

He thought to himself.

Swish!

With a wave of his hand, Chen Lun's left arm fell off in response, turning into seven white snakes and jumping onto the shoulders of each team member.

"Rahn, Sibe, dissipate the light...... Flee with me at full speed, and the White Snake will show you the way. ”

Although everyone was surprised by the captain's methods, they also knew that now was not the time to think nonsense, so they answered one after another.

They knew very well that the captain had made the right decision, because there was no point in staying where they were and fighting, and even if they could win, the aftermath of the battle would continue to attract more enemies, and they were here to investigate, not to eliminate these Didaq bugmen.

The ball of light above the head gradually shrinks until it disappears.

It was pitch black all around.

At the same time, everyone felt the small snake on their shoulders swinging its head, guiding them in the direction. Out of trust in the captain, they followed the instructions and ran at full speed.

There was no sense of space in the darkness, and even if the wind was blowing, they didn't know how far they had run, but the strange hiss and footsteps behind them were gradually moving away.

Ten minutes later.

The crowd stopped.

The captain flickered again in front of him for a moment, and they moved closer in agreement.

"The dark world is worthy of being a forbidden place in the mysterious realm, and if a non-high-ranking transcendent person comes here, it is definitely a life of nine deaths."

Wells let out a long sigh of relief.

"Let's move on, be careful."

Chen Lun said loudly.

The crowd replied softly.

After a series of events, in the dark, the expressions on their faces were solemn again.

*

*

*

Another two hours later.

They didn't know how far they had followed the captain in the dark, and they didn't know where they were.

The only thing you can perceive is the gravel road under your feet, which gradually turns into a broken stone pavement, as if you have stepped into the ruins of a past civilization.

At this moment, everyone suddenly heard a faint sound of battle in the distance, rumbling, not only the unique hiss of the Didaq insects, but also the sporadic shouts of humans.

The team members felt the ID cards on their chests tremble slightly.

Rahn suddenly realized something, and hurriedly said:

"It's a call for help! There are other investigative teams fighting nearby! ”

The golden nameplate on the chest of the members of the Imperial Inquisition is not only a status symbol, but also serves many other functions, one of which is to send a call for help.

Chen Lun thought about it, although it was best to avoid this situation, but after all, it was a request for help from his companions within the Imperial Inquisition, and it was impossible to save him if he saw death, so he said:

"Let's go and have a look."

Everyone moved forward in the dark, but they ran not far before they almost hit a broken wall. Fortunately, they sensed it at the last moment and reacted in time, otherwise they would have been embarrassed.

Rahn stretched out his hand and groped for a moment, and said in surprise:

"It looks like a ruined, simple stone bungalow, but it's collapsed."

"There are traces of civilization in the dark world?! Was this the dwelling place of mankind? Or is it some other creature ......? ”

Xibei said.

"I don't know yet."

Wells spoke.

"Let's investigate slowly, now let's go and save people first!"

"Hmm."

The crowd crossed the wall and continued to run.

However, they found that the frequency of various buildings gradually increased, as if they had come to a passing town.

Probably near the center of the area, the crowd saw the light.

In an open space that resembles a stone square, six or seven members of the Imperial Inquisition are under siege by dozens of silver-white worm people!

The leader is none other than Hamilton, the captain of the second investigation team!

The long-haired man's face was stained with dark green juice, his expression was fierce, and his arms seemed to be assimilated into the surrounding environment, turning into two huge shadow marrows, fighting three insect men alone, and colliding with the lightning fast mantis arms.

Jingle Bell!

Mars bursts several meters away, making it particularly dazzling in such an environment.

The members of the second group seemed to notice the arrival of everyone, and their originally anxious eyes suddenly showed joy.

"It's reinforcements! There's another investigation team coming! ”

"Good!"

Hamilton swung more than a dozen knives in succession, causing the three Dedaq Bugmen to retreat one after another, and the stone slabs in the square within the range of the battle were all cracked and sharp.

He jerked his head to the side, and at the edge of the brightly lit square, a team of investigators was hurrying in. His eyebrows couldn't help but furrow, as if he was a little surprised.

"Jack?"

Chen Lun rushed to the scene with the team, and after a general glance at the battle situation, he immediately spoke:

"The whole team will help the second team get out of trouble!"

"Yes! Captain! ”

Ryan and the others immediately responded, and immediately rushed forward with solemn expressions, while exerting their respective sequence abilities.

Chen Lun directly teleported, appearing behind the three insect men Hamilton was fighting, and the silver cane in his hand changed into a slender snake sword in a few tenths of a second, and was thrown out of his hand.

The silver light shone brightly, flashing in dense trails.

Jingle Bell!

The three insects reacted quickly, and with a wave of their mantis arms, they used their slashes to resist, and struck with the snake-like sword, sending out a dazzling fire.

This series of movements was dizzying, and Hamilton saw it clearly, and the whole person stopped in place, staring at the figure of the black-hatted gentleman.

Chen Lun's face was calm, and he suppressed the three insect people by himself.

The snake sword in his hand suddenly changed its form again, turning into a terrifying giant sword, and when he turned around, he teleported to the other side of the insect man again, this change made the insect man stunned for a moment.

Rumble!!

The giant sword slashed horizontally, like a baseball bat hitting three bottles of beer, directly sweeping the three bugmen dozens of meters away.

The reason why it was not cut off was because one of the wormmen had a sturdy beetle-like back carapace, which stood in front of its companion at the last moment.

Thundered!!

The three insects rolled in the square, crushing countless stone slabs and plowing out horrific marks. As they struggled to get up from the ground, they noticed more than a dozen red streamers speeding towards them.

That was the "square piece flying card" thrown by Chen Lun!

Woooo

The sharp and unstoppable red flying card was like the most terrifying cutting weapon in the world, spinning at high frequency and piercing through the bodies of the three worms.

Snort!

The three insect men suddenly collapsed like broken porcelain.

Disgusting dark green juice spilled all over the ground, and their exuberant vitality had not yet dissipated, even the pieces were constantly wriggling.

Chen Lun didn't look at them anymore, retracted the giant sword into the form of a cane, walked up to Hamilton gracefully, and asked softly:

"How's it going?"

Hamilton glanced deeply at the young man in front of him, and then dispelled the shadow machete in his arms, and lowered his eyes.

"Not so good...... Two members of the team died. ”

“……”

Chen Lun was silent for a few seconds as a sign of silence.

"I'm sorry."

"It's something that can't be avoided."

Hamilton shook his head.

He took a deep breath and glanced at the others, realizing that his teammates had temporarily stabilized the situation with the help of a team.

"Let's clean up those damn Didaks before we talk."

"Okay."

Chen Lun's answer was quite succinct.

The two captains then joined the fray, quickly killing the remaining Zergs. Hamilton asked one of the members of the Sun faction to disperse the ball of light in mid-air, and everyone took refuge in a ruined building in an orderly manner.

After a tough battle, everyone felt a little tired.

In the small space of various broken walls and stone slabs, there was only a faint light the size of a finger made by Rahne, and everyone was resting on portable dry food.

"On behalf of the second team, I would like to express my gratitude to you."

Hamilton stood up and saluted Chen Lun and the others.

The team members behind him also bowed down one after another, showing kindness on their faces.

Originally, they looked down on the captain of the first team, thinking that he didn't even dare to bet, but now it seems that it is just a prejudice.

The opponent was not only strong, but also helped them, which made everyone in the second team change their opinion of Jack to a considerable extent. Now in addition to admiration, it is gratitude.

At the same time, Chen Lun received a panel prompt -

[Hamilton's favorability towards you has increased! ] Currently for intimacy! 】

[Moore's favorability towards you has increased!] Currently for intimacy! 】

[Jenna Mill's favorability for you has increased ......]

Chen Lun quietly closed the series of prompt boxes, and then waved his hand and said:

"It's nothing, it's all for the Empire, and you won't die without help...... Anyway, you entered the dark world before us, did you find anything? ”

Hamilton sighed.

"It didn't ...... We've been here for two days, but the environment is too harsh to avoid not only the insects, but also the treacherous terrain hidden in the darkness...... Sara and Hector died halfway through, and we were exhausted by the walk. ”

He pointed to the bottom of his feet.

"But if there's a takeaway, it's the city...... The ancient city still has some traces of the past, and you may be able to find some clues from it. But before we could take a closer look, we alarmed the nearby bugmen. ”

Chen Lun remembered the codex that Mr. Biles had left him, which also mentioned the ruins of the ancient era.

He stood up and walked slowly through the small ruins of the building, his eyes sweeping around every corner, and suddenly, he noticed that in the pile of rubble at the entrance, there was half an unusual stone slab.

Under the gaze of everyone, Chen Lun walked straight over and bent down to pick him up.

Looking down, there were some strange words carved on it, and Chen Lun recognized that it was consistent with the words on the "Monument of Destiny" he had collected, and it belonged to the Yanita language.

"Do any of you know 'Yanita'?"

Chen Lun turned his head and asked.

At this moment, a mature woman in Hamilton's team stood up.

"I've been exposed to a little bit."

"Then please take a look, what is written on this slate?"

Chen Lun handed over the things in his hand.

After the female team member took it, she looked at it carefully for a moment, and finally just frowned and said:

"It seems to be just a kind of 'diary' content, but the recorder said that he ...... today. It seems that today we should go to the monument in the middle of the city to pray, but because of ...... I don't know much here, but because of some delays, he missed the prayer, and he is confessing to the 'Lord of Destiny'. ”

Chen Lun's pupils suddenly shrank.

'Lord of Destiny...... What do you mean by the ring male?! ’

He thought for a moment and said to the others:

"I'm going to explore the ruins and see if I can find the so-called 'monument', and maybe there are more clues on it."

"Let's go together, Leia knows a little 'Yanita', and if you do find the monument, she can help you interpret it."

Hamilton said.

Chen Lun thought about it and felt that the other party made sense, so he nodded in agreement.

He called out to the team, and the two teams walked out of the building in silence, slowly heading towards the depths of the ruined city.

The darkness was dead silent, and no one could see anyone.

There are still quite a few terrifying Deedak bugmen still roaming the area.

(End of chapter)