Light Fortress
Chapter 767 - 15 The Lonely Spiritual Food

Chapter 767: Chapter 15 The Lonely Spiritual Food

The environment of the [Old World] was terrible.

It was filled with broken particles.

Perhaps, six hundred years ago, before humans arrived at the Five Continents... this place might have been a tranquil land, but now, due to the erosion of the "Black Hole," the landscape of the world beyond the giant wall was reduced to a collapsing vortex.

The flowing clouds on the horizon continuously caved in.

Here, what the naked eye saw was not real.

Because each "Black Hole" had its own Extraordinary Traits, and those traits had no pattern, many phenomena were deceptive, and one wrong step could mean death... The main mission of the Investigation Corps over the years was to map out as complete a map of the world beyond the giant wall as possible.

A twelve-person team, following the formation they practiced, "slowly" progressed on the wasteland of the [Old World].

This mission was well prepared with ample "source energy fuel," and the Source Armor was stocked with a large amount of nutrient solution and compressed food.

Most of the time.

There was no sound in the main control channel, which was specifically for handling dispatch orders and commands.

Quietness, on the other hand, was a good thing.

It meant "nothing happened."

The only sounds Gu Shen heard were the wind and sand whipping up and the slight shattering noise as it hit the mask. The Source Armor Mask did an excellent job of blocking out these noises, and he silently watched the vast white sand dust before him. The entire [Old World] was like a "giant" slowly dying, and what rose up with the wind on the ground was the "sobs" carrying the giant’s pain.

After sealing off his spiritual power,

Gu Shen’s sensory perception was amplified several, even dozens of times.

After stepping onto the [Old World], he experienced some complex emotions... Chi Huo slowly swayed on his forehead, looking out peacefully and sadly at this segment of shattered history. Humanity recorded its many glorious conquests of the Five Continents in their annals but did not record the earlier, shameful past where they fled in disarray.

Nobody knew the truth behind history.

Only by setting foot into the [Old World] could one understand... the steep price this species of humans had paid, and how painful the journey had been to reach the safe world within the giant wall.

Compared with the brightly colored world of the Five Continents.

Here, only black and white remained.

Amidst the extreme clamor, what was hidden was ultimate silence.

Because true death is silent and tranquil.

This was a lonely "journey"; every explorer from the Investigation Corps who ventured north was a lone traveller.

"Sss sss sss..."

Even outside the main control channel, everyone had their own private channels.

Even a Spiritual Extraordinary needed to communicate with others to maintain their mental state... In long fortress missions, silence for an extended period was more frightening than the dangers that could arise at any moment.

"Hey, hey, hey..."

A young voice came through, and Gu Shen’s private channel received a request to join.

He looked ahead and saw a young man in the leading formation of the main team waving back at him, his transparent mask clearly showing a genuine smile.

Gu Shen remembered this young man.

Li Chen.

In this mission, Li Chen was a key figure as his [Source Eyes] could help the team detect danger in real time.

The most important thing was... the [Old World] was "changing."

Extraordinary Power had no discernible pattern.

Compared to the vast and shattered land, humans were always tiny creatures. The order and patterns they figured out one second could be completely overturned the next... If this was an angry sea, then the waves hitting mankind were constantly changing.

The maps of the Investigation Corps could only theoretically avoid most "danger."

If a "Black Hole" underwent an aberration.

Then... they would need to find a new pattern or a new route.

The [Source Eyes] had a strong ability to probe Black Holes.

With him around, they could greatly ensure the map’s safety.

Gu Shen accepted Li Chen’s request.

"Brother Gu, the second team has a special chat channel. It gets very lonely on the trek, and everyone chats in the channel... I noticed you haven’t joined, so I specifically came to ask," said Li Chen, his voice sounding gentle and infectious.

He was an open and sunny young man. Though his strength hadn’t reached the third tier, his ability was already remarkable. In the North Continent, any Transcendent who was "recognized" was no ordinary person.

Gu Shen’s vision was good.

He saw Li Chen wink at him, inviting, "Do you want to join?"

Gu Shen smiled and said, "Sorry... I may not be very good at handling such situations."

"No problem," Li Chen smiled back. "Take a look back, the guy at the very end of the team."

Gu Shen turned around.

At the very back of the vice team, there was a composed man, responsible for bringing up the rear.

Su He.

This position was actually not simple. Aside from finishing up, it also involved carrying out the basic task of "data collection."

Every excursion of the Investigation Corps involved large-scale "data collection missions." Take this labyrinth mission as an example... The most important thing was certainly exploring the valley routes, but the "map" changes along the way and the flow and distribution of Extraordinary Essence were also useful and important information.

All this was data from the [Old World]!

This mission’s information would determine the arrangements for the next foray.

Therefore... there was the first iron law held by the Investigation Corps.

"Living is more important than anything else."

And the completion of the data collection, in a sense... was the safety of the next mission.

Apart from that, if they encountered special circumstances and the team leader determined that they could not be resolved, the investigation team would choose to return the same way they came. The two most dangerous positions in the team were the "charge position" at the very front and the "rear guard position" at the very back.

Generally speaking,

the captain will be at the forefront, and the deputy captain is responsible for covering the rear.

Gu Shen looked at the man who was silent to the extreme and asked with some surprise, "Su He... has joined the chat channel too?"

"Of course," Li Chen laughed heartily, "Most of the time... he doesn’t talk, but it’s good to have him lurking. Knowing he’s there makes everyone feel a lot more secure at heart."

The next moment,

he sent an invitation.

Gu Shen chose "Agree," and in the next moment, the once silent world around him suddenly became lively and noisy.

"Old Mo, I suddenly remembered the bet you made with me during the last combat training... A bet is a bet, and you said you’d introduce me to a girl. Where is she?"

"You youngster, can’t you be a bit more ambitious? Don’t always think about girls. We are the elite of the Investigation Corps Second Team. You’ve only left the fortress a few times and earned some honors, and now you’re all about love and romance? When you get the ’First Class Medal’ awarded by the Corps Commander, will you still worry about not having a girl?"

"Pfft, First Class Medal? Can a living person even get that? Aren’t you planning to make a paper effigy and burn it for me?"

"A paper effigy is too shabby. If that day really comes, I’ll definitely borrow money and buy you a silicone one to burn."

A burst of laughter.

Gu Shen silently lifted his head.

The dome of the sky was a collapsing vortex, shattered particles, and fluttering debris, with alternating layers of black and white snowflakes.

The chat channel was full of cheer, as if in an instant they had arrived at some bustling underground tavern. The travelers trekking on the abandoned Old World didn’t have alcohol in their air masks, yet they were jovial all the same.

As long as you’re with the right people, no road is too long and lonely. What is loneliness? Loneliness is a kind of spirit food that can be chewed on when you have nothing better to do.

After silently listening for a while,

Gu Shen felt that this bunch was more interesting than he had imagined.

In the collapsing order of the Old World, a group of rough men gathered to chat, which truly was an... unbelievable sight.

"Brother Gu, the language used by these guys might not be very elegant,"

A few minutes later, Li Chen’s voice once again arose in the private channel.

He had been observing Gu Shen, who in his mind was as silent as Su He—a man who seemed well-mannered and most likely wouldn’t adapt to the language customs of the North Continent.

He spoke with some caution.

If one day the content of the chat channel were to be made public, then half of the words would probably be [censored], containing certain titles and speech particles that are truly indecent.

"If this is their normal standard, then... it’s still considered cultured," Gu Shen muttered to himself.

Compared to Song Ci...

This bunch was indeed of some quality.

"Old Mo, you’ve made your bet, now don’t be a sore loser. Help me wash my underwear for a month; that’s not too much, right?"

"Count me in, I don’t need a girl. Speaking of which, I’ve been saving a month’s worth of socks, still in the team quarters..."

Gu Shen, listening to the messages in the chat channel, suddenly asked, "They keep talking about bets... what’s that about?"

It seemed that Mo Hongyi had made bets with many people and lost them all.

"Ah..."

Li Chen was somewhat embarrassed. "The other day when you requested to join the daily training, Old Mo started a betting pool... betting that you couldn’t keep up with our training. Now, as you can see, he has lost quite miserably."

Upon hearing this, Gu Shen gave a light chuckle.

So that was it.

Betting that he couldn’t keep up with the training... he indeed had lost quite miserably.

In the past few days of Investigation Corps training, Gu Shen had completed everything very smoothly. For him, closing off spiritual power was a kind of "Extreme Practice." Following the daily routine of this elite team allowed him to have a better perception,

as well as a better use of his "physical body."

The training of these past few days had been quite rewarding.

He just didn’t expect that many people in the Second Team supported him. It seemed like only Old Mo had lost.

After a soft laugh, the entire chat channel suddenly became quiet.

Only then did Gu Shen realize... he was now inside the public channel.

Everyone then noticed that a newcomer had joined.

"Gu... Gu Shen?"

Mo Hongyi turned around in astonishment. The presence of this young man was really low, almost as "invisible" as Su He. No one mentioned him, and everyone forgot there was such a person.

"Xiao Li brought him in."

Just then, a cold voice spoke up.

Su He said softly, "He’s been here for a while..."

There was a brief silence in the chat channel, followed by laughter.

Gu Shen looked at the explosion of "private chat requests" in front of him.

The previous silence and solitude...

Were all fake.

It was only because they hadn’t remembered to include him.

He accepted them all, and the private channel was immediately filled with greetings.

"Brother Gu! I’m Zhu Xiao, just call me Lao Xiao!"

"Brother Xiao Gu, I’m the main team’s Zhang Ning, my family’s also from the East Continent, just from the remote Tundra District. Speaking of the Changye incident, I’ve heard about it... you’re really awesome!"

Meanwhile, the attention of the others was quickly drawn back by the public channel’s discussion.

The usually silent Su He spoke again, "If I remember correctly, you said if Gu Shen could keep up, you would kneel down and lick his shoes."