Massive vines wound up from the ground, as thick as barrels. Their surfaces were covered in fist-sized nodules that twitched slightly, pulsating like the beating hearts of living creatures.
The canopy of the trees blotted out the sky. The leaves were as large as palm fans and a bizarre shade of deep purple, their veins glowing with a ghostly green fluorescence that shimmered eerily under the dim light.
Su Wan’s mental power extended outside the vehicle, reaching into this strange world like invisible tentacles.
She frowned slightly.
A faint energy fluctuation permeated the air here, something entirely absent from the Ruin Zone.
It was an energy field that filled the space between heaven and earth, omnipresent.
The Non-Safe Zone.
This was the Non-Safe Zone.
Su Wan slowly withdrew her mental power, her heart churning with complex, indescribable emotions.
The Ruin Zone was barren and desolate, a scorched earth abandoned by the world.
The Non-Safe Zone, however, was teeming with life and lush greenery.
But this vitality was not the gentle, life-filled greenery of Blue Star.
It was a bizarre, twisted, and dangerously frenzied growth.
Iron Bone’s voice came from the driver’s seat, low and calm. “Master, this is the Non-Safe Zone.”
Su Wan did not turn her head; her gaze remained fixed on the dense vegetation outside. “You’ve been here?”
“A few times,” Iron Bone said. “On missions, and for some... private matters.”
He paused, seemingly organizing his thoughts. “The Non-Safe Zone isn’t just one place. It’s a collective term for countless regions.”
“Any area outside the Ruin Zone that hasn’t been cleared, controlled, or stepped in by humans is called a Non-Safe Zone. Every Non-Safe Zone is different.”
He pointed toward the thick vegetation outside. “This is about forty miles east of Area A7. We call it the ‘Green Abyss.’”
“It covers a radius of about three hundred miles, filled entirely with these twisted plants. The further in you go, the denser and more bizarre the vegetation becomes, and the more terrifying the things inside are.”
“Green Abyss...” Su Wan repeated the name.
Iron Bone continued, “Most Non-Safe Zones are named after their characteristics.”
“Like here—it got its name because of the dense vegetation and the green that covers everything.”
“There’s also the Red Desert, a high-temperature wasteland where nothing grows; the Fog Marsh, which is shrouded in poisonous gas; and the Bone Plain, which is covered in the skeletons of unknown creatures.”
Su Wan listened quietly, her understanding of this world being updated bit by bit.
“Did these Non-Safe Zones form after the Death Tide appeared?” she asked.
Iron Bone shook his head. “I am not sure about that, Master.”
“Some say the Non-Safe Zones are scars left behind by the disaster of the Old Age. Others say they always existed and only became this dangerous after the disaster. There are even those who say...” He paused.
“That the Non-Safe Zones are alive.”
Su Wan turned to look at him. “Alive?”
Iron Bone nodded, lowering his voice. “Some have discovered that the boundaries of Non-Safe Zones change. Some will slowly expand, swallowing the surrounding Ruin Zones.”
“Some shrink or even disappear, and others move. A zone might be here today, but a few months later, it could be dozens of miles away.”
“This theory hasn’t been officially confirmed, but some veteran officers within the City Defense Force swear they’ve seen it with their own eyes.”
Su Wan thought of the colossal entity within the Death Tide, the points of light falling from the mist, the “Innate Immune Factor” in the infant that shared the same source as the Death Tide, and the highly active substances within the woman during childbirth.
This world was far more bizarre than she had imagined.
The armored vehicles and infantry trailing the Command Vehicle realized something was wrong the moment the sandstorm dissipated.
What they saw was not the familiar ruins, but a dense expanse of strange, never-before-seen vegetation.
Panic spread through the ranks like wildfire.
“Where... where is this?!”
“The Non-Safe Zone! We’ve entered the Non-Safe Zone!”
“How is that possible?! How did we end up in the Non-Safe Zone?!”
“Go back! We have to get back now!”
The voices of the soldiers drifted from behind, chaotic and filled with terror.
The infantrymen were in an even greater state of disarray.
Over a hundred elite soldiers were now running around the convoy like headless chickens.
Some began to vomit as a cloyingly sweet scent of rot permeated the air, making everyone’s heads spin.
“Sir! Where is the commander?!”
“Is the communication equipment still not fixed?!”
“We can’t reach headquarters! Every channel is just static!”
“We’ve been abandoned! We’ve definitely been abandoned!”
“Shut up! Anyone else who tries to shake morale will be shot!”
But the owner of that voice was shaking as well.
Fear was contagious.
Especially in such a strange environment filled with unknown dangers.
The commander was still unconscious, held captive by Zhou Hu in the back of the Command Vehicle.
Panic continued to spread through the ranks; the soldiers were like a frightened flock of sheep, huddling together amidst the alien vegetation.
“The commander is gone!”
“We still can’t get through on the comms!”
“What do we do? Are we all going to die here?”
“Shut up! Everyone shut up!”
A man who looked like an officer tried to maintain order, but his voice was quickly drowned out by the rising clamor.
Right then, Cold Wind’s icy voice rang out.
“Everyone—be quiet.”
His voice wasn't loud, yet it reached the ears of everyone present with perfect clarity.
The pressure of a Level 3 Mid Stage Ability User radiated outward like a physical force, and the frantic voices vanished in an instant.
The soldiers turned to look at him, their eyes filled with a mix of hope and unease.
Cold Wind stood beside the Command Vehicle, his gaze sweeping over the crowd. Every person his eyes landed on instinctively straightened their back.
“The commander has been injured and is temporarily unable to fulfill his duties,” he said, his voice cold and steady. “From this moment on, I am taking command of the 3rd Mobile Brigade.”
No one raised an objection.
Cold Wind was Level 3 Mid Stage; his strength was second only to Zhou Hu’s in this group, and his seniority far exceeded Iron Bone’s.
With the commander unconscious, it was the most logical choice for him to take command.
“First order of business—” Cold Wind held up a finger. “Everyone check your gear and tally your ammunition. Report back within three minutes.”
“Second, the communications soldiers will continue attempting to contact headquarters. Use whatever means necessary to restore communications as quickly as possible.”
“Third, every squad leader is to account for their men. Confirm if there are any casualties or anyone missing.”
His orders were clear and concise, without a hint of hesitation.
The soldiers began to move according to his commands.
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