These were creatures that could only be described as monsters.
Once formed, these monsters were massive, standing two or three stories tall. Their bodies were slender and twisted, existing in a state between a physical entity and a phantom.
They would shift from clear to blurry at a moment’s notice.
The creatures lacked distinct facial features, possessing only a single vertical slit in the center of their faces—like a cyclopean eye without a pupil.
The most terrifying part was that there was more than one.
Su Wan looked past the nearest monster and peered deeper into the mist.
There, another orb of light was taking shape.
Further away, there were even more.
As far as the eye could see, the same scene was playing out silently every few dozen meters.
The specks of light that had been drifting aimlessly in the mist could actually coalesce into monsters!
They were born within the Death Tide in this eerie manner, wandering deep within the mist to hunt for any living flesh.
Every so often, they would deconstruct, dissolving back into countless light specks to return to the mist.
Minutes later, those same light specks would aggregate again to form a different monster.
Su Wan pushed her ability to its limit, cautiously extending her mental power out the window and into the grayish-white mist.
As soon as her mental power touched the mist, she felt a strong sense of repulsion.
Enduring the discomfort, she extended her perception even further.
She wanted to know how the Death Tide was generated and where this grayish-white mist truly came from.
Eight hundred meters...
This was nearly the limit of Su Wan’s mental range.
It was at this moment that Su Wan suddenly saw an extremely blurry silhouette deep within the mist.
It was colossally huge, like a moving mountain range.
As Su Wan attempted to see exactly what that gargantuan object was...
Buzz—!
An indescribable sense of oppression surged from the direction of that silhouette like a tidal wave!
Su Wan’s mental power shattered instantly!
Her body jerked violently, her face turning deathly pale as cold sweat poured down her forehead.
What was that thing?!
In that brief moment, her mental power had made the slightest contact with that silhouette.
And that tiny bit of contact alone had completely pulverized her mental power.
If she hadn’t withdrawn quickly, that oppressive force might have followed the mental connection and struck her consciousness core directly!
“Host!”
The System’s voice rang in her mind, carrying a rare sense of urgency:
【Detected that Host’s mental power has suffered an unknown impact! Scanning Host’s status—】
【Mental power depletion: 43%. Consciousness core is stable; no signs of permanent damage.】
【Recommendation: Cease exploration immediately and return to the Safe Zone to recover!】
Su Wan took a deep breath, suppressing the shock roiling in her heart as her pulse hammered like a drum.
Her voice was slightly hoarse. “What... was that just now?”
The System remained silent for a few seconds before a prompt popped up:
【Analyzing the unknown entity encountered by Host’s mental power...】
【Analyzing...】
【Analysis complete.】
【Information on the target is extremely limited. Preliminary inferences can only be made based on residual mental power fluctuations—】
【Target Level: Unknown (far exceeding Host’s current detection limit).】
【Target Form: Suspected to be a giant lifeform or an energy aggregate.】
【Target Nature: 99.7% energy similarity to the Death Tide.】
【Preliminary Judgment: This target is directly related to the 'Death Tide' phenomenon and is highly likely to be the core or one of the sources of the Death Tide.】
【Reminder: Given Host’s current strength (Level 3 Early Stage), forcibly probing this target carries extreme risk. It is recommended to conduct further exploration only after reaching Level 5 or higher.】
Su Wan looked at the System’s analysis, her heart filled with an overwhelming sense of shock.
The thing she had just seen was a giant entity with the same energy source as the Death Tide.
It was very likely the source of the Death Tide itself!
And it was actually a living thing!
But right now, she didn't even have the right to get close to probe it.
A mere graze of her mental power had cost her nearly half of her reserves.
If her physical body entered the mist and encountered that thing—
Su Wan didn't dare to think further.
She took a deep breath. “With my current strength, what is the maximum range of my mental perception?”
【Host’s current mental detection limit: Approximately 800-850 meters in radius (actual effective range is 600-700 meters due to energy interference from the mist).】
【If Host reaches Level 3 Mid Stage, the detection range can expand to approximately 1,000 meters.】
【Level 3 Late Stage: Approximately 1,800 meters.】
【Level 4 Early Stage: Approximately 3,000 meters.】
【Level 5 Early Stage: Approximately 10,000 meters.】
【Above Level 5: Unknown.】
Su Wan stared silently at the numbers.
Level 5 Early Stage, ten thousand meters.
Yet she had felt that unbearable pressure from that massive silhouette at a distance of only eight hundred meters.
Just how powerful was that thing?
Su Wan didn't know.
But one thing was clear to her—
The truth of this world was far more terrifying than she had imagined.
The Death Tide was no simple natural phenomenon.
It was more like the traces left behind by some entity as it wandered through the ruins. The eerie gray mist and the light specks that formed monsters were all like extensions of this being.
Every Death Tide marked a moment when this entity drew near human settlements.
Once her strength was sufficient, she would go and see for herself exactly what that gargantuan thing moving slowly deep within the mist truly was!
Su Wan closed her eyes and began to recover her depleted mental power.
Time flowed slowly in the silence.
Eight hours later—
【Ding! The Death Tide has ended. The external environment has returned to normal.】
【Novice Quest “Death Tide Witness” completed!】
【Calculating...】
【Non-host units within the shelter during the Death Tide: 774 people.】
【Casualties: 0.】
【Base Reward: 20,000 Points.】
【Extra Protection Reward: 774 × 50 = 38,700 Points.】
【Total Reward: 58,700 Points have been issued! Current Points balance: 116,000 (Updating in real-time...).】
...
After the Death Tide ended, the Outer City was a complete mess.
Night Owl Base, basement.
The iron door creaked open, and Scarface was the first to squeeze out, taking a deep breath of the outside air.
“Damn, I was suffocating in there!” He rolled his neck and shouted back inside, “Everyone out! The Death Tide is over!”
Liu Sen and several Level 1 members followed him out, their faces filled with relief.
They had survived yet another one.
The last to emerge was Lei Lie.
He maintained his usual calm expression.
“Brother Lei, I really admire your mental fortitude,” Scarface said, giving a thumbs up.
“Being stuck in that pitch-black basement for so long and you didn't even blink. I was about to lose my mind.”
Lei Lie didn't respond, only looking at Liu Sen. “Is the matter of the two of us entering the city settled?”
Liu Sen took out the residency permits and handed them to Lei Lie.
“Settled. Short-term employment permits, valid for three months. That’s enough for you to stay in the Inner City for a while.”
Rate on N.U.
