The memories of all humanity are awakening, except for mine.

"Please come with me, Manager Xu is waiting for you."

Manager Xu?
Jiang Chuan quickly realized that the "Supervisor Xu" he was referring to represented Xu Shan. He immediately nodded and, together with Grandpa Yu Jinlai, followed the man in the white lab coat.

Previously, during the Lu Bin incident, Xu Shan had warned Jiang Chuan in advance that some unexpected events might occur. When the unexpected happened, Jiang Chuan wondered how Xu Shan had foreseen it. On one hand, Lu Bin's covert measures were quite effective; on the other hand, Xu Shan's position at headquarters wasn't high, and his movements were restricted. Even Mr. Zhou hadn't anticipated this, so how did Xu Shan know?
Of course, Jiang Chuan was unaware that the trouble Lu Bin had caused had always been under Mr. Zhou's watchful eye. In fact, Mr. Zhou was even exploiting the gains Lu Bin had made at the cost of his life. But even if Jiang Chuan knew this, it wouldn't dispel his doubts… after all, given Xu Shan's position, he shouldn't know these things.

However, he wasn't thinking about that at the moment. After all, part of the reason he was saved was because Xu Shan provided his location information; otherwise, Lu Bin might have really killed him. He wondered if the descent would be triggered prematurely because of this... The cause and effect of the world are hard to understand, and after so many things have already happened, it's impossible to use "what ifs" to deduce what happened back then.

But what Jiang Chuan was thinking about right now was where that mysterious "base" was located.
Following the researcher deeper into the military camp, Jiang Chuan discovered that the number of soldiers in the camp seemed to be quite small, with many places appearing deserted. After walking for several minutes, he saw virtually no guards, and even the guard posts at the outposts were empty of soldiers.

"Is it on holiday? Or is there really no one here?"

"Why does it feel so wrong?"

Although he realized something was wrong, Jiang Chuan didn't connect it to the various beast disturbances happening in different places. He was only more convinced that this Ministry of War camp was indeed a decoy, and the real base being concealed must be something else entirely. Thinking back to what the old man had said a few hours earlier, Jiang Chuan felt even more curious.

"What kind of base needs such a military camp as cover?"

"What exactly is this research? If Xu Shan is here, could it be related to the Nine Lines?"

"If it's related to the Nine Lines, then it's normal that I was assigned to train here."

"Could it be number 9, row 2?"

As Jiang Chuan pondered this, they walked on until they came to a stop in front of a huge gate disguised as a hill.

Jiang Chuan looked up at the enormous door, feeling a sense of oppression in his heart. For a door, it was simply too huge. He noticed that Old Master Yu Jinlai was also looking at the massive door, a hint of melancholy on his face.

The researcher went through three verification processes—iris scanning, fingerprint recognition, and card swipe authentication—before gaining access. A smaller door nested within the main door, its airtightness compromised, opened with a hiss.

The researcher said, "Mr. Jiang, your communication devices, such as mobile phones and smart bracelets, need to be handed over."

"We are not allowed to communicate with the outside world here..."

Jiang Chuan nodded: "It's already been handed over to that person."

The researcher nodded with a smile and said solemnly:
“Mr. Jiangchuan, Mr. Yu Jinlai.”

"Welcome to the Yanjiao Research Base."

Jiang Chuan and Yu Jinlai followed the researcher through the doorway, but instead of a spacious area, they found a tiny room filled with blinding white light.

Just as Jiang Chuan was pondering this with some suspicion, the small room suddenly came to life.

"elevator?"

Jiang Chuan stared in astonishment at his feet, a strange feeling welling up inside him. He never expected that this was an elevator.

Although you can't see the outside world, you can feel that the elevator car is descending very quickly. In less than ten seconds, the elevator will stop.

After a "ding" sound, the elevator doors opened to the left and right, revealing a straight, wide corridor filled with cold white light.

To put it simply, this place has a rather "high-tech" feel.

The researcher did not act with Jiang Chuan; he seemed to be only responsible for welcoming them. Standing in the cold, brightly lit corridor was Xu Shan, whom Jiang Chuan recognized.

Xu Shan nodded to Yu Jinlai first, then looked at Jiang Chuan: "You're here."

"I didn't expect the higher-ups to throw you here... Did you offend someone?"

Jiang Chuan was taken aback, not expecting Xu Shan to ask such a question upon meeting.

He shook his head and said, "I received the notification suddenly, but the specifics... I don't know."

Xu Shan nodded and said, "Come on, I'll take you to the dorm first."

……

The dormitory room is very small.

Although small in size, it has all the necessary functions.

It looked remarkably like a space capsule often seen in science fiction movies, maximizing space utilization. Yet, it didn't feel cramped at all. Even Jiang Chuan, a layman, could sense the designer's extraordinary talent.

After settling Yu Jinlai in, Xu Shan stood at the door of Jiang Chuan's room.

As Jiang Chuan looked around the room, filled with curiosity, he asked Xu Shan, "What exactly is this base researching?"

Xu Shan shook her head: "You can't know yet."

Jiang Chuan didn't mind. Since it was a secret, he didn't need to ask any more questions. He changed the subject: "How should I train next?"

Are there virtual reality devices here too?

Xu Shan nodded: "In terms of computing power alone, this base has the same computing power as the headquarters building."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Chuan raised his eyebrows: "So you mean there's a Nine Paths here too?"

Xu Shan said, "There is only one Nine Lines, but this place has the highest level of access to Nine Lines, and the fiber optic cable is very thick."

"I just said that the computing power is the same as that at headquarters, but in terms of efficiency, the algorithms here are more advanced."

Jiang Chuan nodded, his mind replaying his training process over the past few days.

Currently, the month-long training is halfway through. Utilizing the computing power of the Nine Lines has brought considerable benefits to training in virtual reality. Although he has been training for fifteen days, he has almost completely digested the benefits gained from slaying the dragon. The spiritual energy released after the shackles loosened is now enormous for Jiang Chuan.

He himself certainly received a huge boost.

I imagine that in the next fifteen days, by integrating and mastering this digested spiritual energy, my strength will undergo another qualitative change.

Xu Shan said, "I might be quite busy during this period."

"Jiang Chuan, take good care of yourself during your training. If you need anything, just contact the staff here."

"Items such as daily necessities and clothing can be picked up directly from the logistics department."

"As for food and drinks, don't be too demanding. Everything here is provided by the cafeteria."

"Oh, right……"

Xu Shan seemed to suddenly remember something and said, "I forgot to tell you, your training time has been extended."

"The exact end date of training is undetermined."

"Just stay here quietly and wait for new instructions from above."

Jiang Chuan: "Huh?"

However, Xu Shan didn't explain anything further. He simply handed Jiang Chuan a card and then left.

I examined the card closely. The material was similar to the ID I had at headquarters, and the information on it was very simple. Besides my name and photo, there was a "Level D Access" label.

Jiang Chuan quietly put the card away. Seeing that it was already three in the morning, he stopped thinking about it and quickly went to bed.

Although the location is different, training will still proceed as usual tomorrow.

Jiang Chuan slept soundly, unaware that the whole world was undergoing a dramatic transformation.

...Meanwhile, on the other side.

In the Kunlun Mountains.

A vehicle encased in armor was speeding through the mountains, its engine roaring and screeching through the desolate landscape.

Zhu Chengzhu gripped the steering wheel tightly, his eyes fixed on the road ahead, muttering curses under his breath, his foot never leaving the accelerator. Even though this driving style was extremely dangerous, he had no choice but to grit his teeth and continue driving, because the giant behind them was still following them silently, and the distance between them seemed to be getting closer and closer.

Li Yu sat in the passenger seat with his arms crossed, his pupils gleaming white as he cleared away the rocks that might obstruct the vehicle's path.

The ride was incredibly bumpy, but that didn't stop them from their grumbling and cursing conversation.

"What the hell do we do now?"

"What on earth is this monster? Damn it, if this keeps up, we're all going to get trampled to death!"

"Damn it, this beast tide is outrageous! How can it be so fast? We're already going 150 km/h!"

All seven people in the three groups were sitting in the car. Except for Li Yu and Zhu Chengzhu, who were staring ahead, the others were craning their necks to look back, their faces full of confusion.

However, at that moment, their car suddenly braked hard. Zhu Chengzhu swerved the steering wheel, and the car spun several hundred degrees in the darkness. Fortunately, the car was extremely heavy, otherwise it would have definitely overturned.

"Hold!"

Zhu Chengzhu cursed loudly, then shifted gears again, making the engine roar once more, and the car accelerated again, kicking up a cloud of dust.

This time, however, their direction of travel changed. They were originally heading west, but now they started heading south.

Someone immediately asked, "What's going on?"

"Driving sideways? You want to die?!"

When he said "open horizontally," he obviously meant "".

Zhu Chengzhu's voice continued: "If you can't drive, then you drive! There was another beast tide ahead in that direction!"

Everyone's expression changed, and they immediately looked in the direction they had just gone, only to find that a black tide covering the mountains and plains was rolling forward under the moonlight!

Except for the absence of those nearly mountain-sized giants, the beast tide in the west and the beast tide in the east are almost identical in both number and speed!
"How can it be!?"

"Where did this beast tide come from!?"

Chen Yufei sat in the back row, his face extremely gloomy. He said, "That's... the direction of the command center."

Everyone gasped.

No wonder the command center couldn't be contacted... It seems the command center was flattened by this beast horde!?

The man in camouflage was named Lu Shiqi. Thinking about this now, he was even more puzzled, and he asked with great suspicion:
"Geographically speaking, it's impossible for such a large-scale beast tide to occur in the location of the command center!"

"Where did these damned monsters come from?!"

Another team member, who was looking left and right at the horde of beasts attacking them from both sides, quickly interrupted Lu Shiqi's question:

"Don't fucking care where these things came from!"

"We're about to be crushed!"

Take care of yourself!

The team member, carrying a huge sniper rifle, looked at Li Yu, who was sitting in the passenger seat, and asked urgently:

"Boss! What do we do?!"

Li Yu remained silent throughout, continuing to clear away the obstacles in his path.

At this moment, despite the questions from his teammates, he still did not give any response.

Despair began to grow and spread in the hearts of the three teams, especially with Li Yu's silence at this moment, which left them even more without a goal.

He couldn't help but wonder, could even the invincible Li Yu be helpless?
As the most promising contender for fifth place in the A-level rankings, as rumored within headquarters... in the hearts of the three team members, Li Yu is the most trustworthy person.

Does this silence mean that even Li Yu is unable to cope?

Chen Yufei, who never showed his emotions, suddenly spoke in a gloomy tone:
"Boss, you can run by yourself."

"With your strength, escaping on your own shouldn't be a problem."

These words seemed to bring everyone back to their senses.

"Yes! Boss! We brothers will die right here, don't worry about us!"

"That's right, boss. Now that you're leaving, you need to get the message out!"

"We still don't know what that monster is; we must alert headquarters!"

As they spoke, the distance between the beast tides on both sides and them grew closer and closer.

The already bumpy car now resembled a small boat tossed about in a raging storm.

Even a team as strong as Group 3... felt deeply desperate and helpless at this moment.

Zhu Chengzhu gritted his teeth and said, "Boss! Make me a roast suckling pig on my seventh day after death!"

However, Li Yu did not answer.

The expected mocking laughter did not come.

The horde of strange beasts on both sides of the vehicle drew closer, their reddish eyes forming an eerie red border on either side.

Zhu Chengzhu gritted his teeth:

"Boss!? What are you doing? Run!"

"If we don't run now, it'll be too late!"

But at that moment, he felt a powerful force that made his heart pound, suddenly erupting around him!

A dazzling light suddenly burst forth inside the car!
A shockwave swept through the car and outwards, engulfing the soil and ground in the mountains and forming a huge sphere visible to the naked eye!

Zhu Chengzhu looked at Li Yu sitting in the passenger seat in astonishment, only to see that light was emanating from Li Yu's seven orifices!
However, he was surrounded by an imperceptible light barrier...

A vast and boundless spiritual power is being relentlessly poured outwards!

Boom—boom—!
A series of loud booming sounds echoed around the car.

The strange beasts collapsed in droves under the impact of this spiritual force. Their heavy bodies suddenly stopped during their high-speed journey, creating a deafening, thunderous roar!

Zhu Chengzhu's eyes widened, and a smile spread across his face. He even pressed the accelerator harder.

He roared wildly:
"As expected! As expected!"

"I knew it, boss! You really are invincible!" (End of Chapter)