Fantasy Game: Infinite City

Anger and unease filled everyone's hearts. They hadn't expected that their dedication to carrying out their mission for the family would result in being silenced. Kane clenched his fists, a resolute glint in his eyes. He said, "We can't just sit here and wait to die! We must immediately contact the core members of the Deer Faction, report the situation here to them, and request their support. Ella, activate our Deer Faction's dedicated encrypted channel and contact our superiors!"

"Wait!" Renault immediately stopped Kane. "No, we can't do that. In my experience, since the Griffin Faction has already targeted us, they must have jammed all our communication channels. Except for our squad's internal communication channel, all other communication channels have been monitored by them. As soon as we activate the Deer Faction's dedicated encrypted channel and send any distress signal or the truth of the matter, the Griffin Faction will immediately pinpoint our location, and their elite 'Scavenger' squad will arrive here very soon."

"'The Cleaners' squad?" A flicker of fear crossed Thomas's eyes. "The legendary Griffin faction's most elite killing squad? They say they've never failed, and no target they've set their sights on has ever survived?"

“That’s right, it’s them.” Renault’s tone was grave. “The members of the ‘Scavenger’ squad are elite warriors carefully selected by the Griffin Faction. They wear the Griffin Faction’s most advanced power armor, are equipped with the most powerful weapons, and are extremely experienced and ruthless in combat. Although we are wearing the Deer Faction’s new power armor, the Griffin Faction is stronger than the Deer Faction in every aspect. The ‘Scavenger’ squad is far beyond what our two squads can handle. Once they arrive here, we will all be dead!”

Silence fell once more within the mine, despair etched on everyone's faces. Moving forward meant failing to find the mysterious entity and potentially facing danger; retreating meant being silenced by the Griffin Faction's "cleaners" squad; calling for help would reveal their location and hasten their demise. For a moment, they were trapped in a hopeless dilemma, each person filled with anxiety and unease.

"Is there really no way out for us?" Thomas couldn't help but ask, his voice tinged with despair.

Kane frowned, racking his brains for a solution, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't come up with a workable one. Reno also lowered his head, his face grave. He had served in the military for many years and experienced countless dangerous missions, but he had never been in such a desperate situation as he was now.

Just when everyone was at their wits' end and in despair, Sofia suddenly spoke up: "I have an idea, perhaps we still have a glimmer of hope."

Upon hearing this, everyone looked up, their eyes fixed on Sophia, filled with anticipation. Kane said, "Sophia, just tell us your thoughts. We have no way out now; any method is worth trying."

Sophia took a deep breath and said, "We can't retreat, and we can't call for help. The only way is to continue deeper into the mine and search for that mysterious being. I have a feeling that the mysterious being is definitely in this mine right now. Do you remember? When those three mysterious people were fighting, that mysterious being was hiding behind us, but it didn't attack us; it was just observing us. This means that it is definitely not a member of the Griffin Faction. Although it may also be unrelated to the Deer Faction, at least it doesn't care about our existence and has no intention of harming us."

She paused, then continued, "That mysterious being is incredibly powerful, capable of easily killing three mysterious individuals. This power far surpasses that of the Griffin Sect's 'Scavenger' team. If we can find it, we might be able to negotiate and seek its protection. If all goes well, we might even receive its help, not only to escape the Griffin Sect's pursuit but also to unravel all the mysteries."

Sophia's idea was like a ray of light in the darkness, giving everyone a glimmer of hope, but at the same time, it was extremely risky. Thomas frowned and said, "But that mysterious being is elusive and powerful. We have no idea where it is or what its nature is. If we rashly go to find it, what if it harbors ill intentions towards us? Wouldn't we be walking into a trap?"

“We have no other choice now,” Sophia said firmly. “If we move forward, there is still a glimmer of hope; if we retreat, there is only death. Rather than being silenced by the Griffin Faction, we should risk going to find that mysterious entity. At least we still have a chance to survive. Moreover, since it hasn’t harmed us before, it means it has no ill intentions towards us. Perhaps we can actually negotiate with it.”

Kane looked at everyone, pondering Sophia's idea. He knew that although Sophia's idea was risky, it was indeed the team's only chance of survival. He said in a deep voice, "What do you all think? Those who agree with Sophia's idea, please raise your hands."

As soon as Kane finished speaking, Reno was the first to raise his hand. He said, "I agree. We have no way out now, we can only take the risk. Besides, I also think that the mysterious entity has no ill intentions towards us, and we may really be able to seek its protection."

Immediately afterward, Ella, Dr. Cole, and Dr. Lena all raised their hands. Thomas hesitated for a moment, then raised his hand as well, saying, "It's risky, but I agree. It's better to take a chance than to sit and wait for death!"

Soon, everyone raised their hands; Sophia's idea received unanimous approval. A resolute glint flashed in Kane's eyes as he said in a deep voice, "Alright! Since everyone agrees, let's follow Sophia's plan and continue deeper into the mine to search for traces of that mysterious entity. Ella, immediately shut down all communication channels except for the team's internal communications to prevent the Griffin Faction from monitoring our movements. Also, you need to send out a false message saying that our communication equipment is being interfered with by energy within the mine and cannot contact headquarters normally, thus misleading the Griffin Faction."

"Roger that!" Ella immediately manipulated the control panel, beginning to shut down other communication channels. "I've started shutting down all channels except for the team's internal communications, and I'm currently editing a fake message. Once the fake message is finished, I'll send it out through the previous communication channels, making the Griffin Faction think that our communication equipment has really been interfered with."

About ten minutes later, Ella said, "All non-team communication channels have been shut down, and the fake news has been sent out. The Griffin Faction should believe that our communication equipment has been jammed and will not take immediate action against us, which will buy us enough time."

“Alright!” Kane nodded and said, “Now, let’s set off immediately and continue deeper into the mine. Ella, you’re in charge of activating the radar and energy detection systems and searching for the energy signals and traces of the mysterious entity. Dr. Cole, you’ll assist Ella in analyzing all the energy data, and report any abnormal energy signals immediately. Raynor, you’ll lead the second squad to be responsible for rear guard and prevent any unexpected dangers; I’ll lead the first squad and the expert team to be responsible for forward reconnaissance and clearing the way. Everyone must remain vigilant, be ready for combat at any time, and at the same time, pay attention to conserving energy and rationally allocating the cooling time of the power armor.”

"Understood!" the crowd responded in unison, their voices firm. Although they knew the road ahead was fraught with danger, the despair in their eyes had vanished, replaced by determination and fighting spirit.

The group immediately organized their equipment, activated their power armor, deactivated hibernation mode, reactivated their energy shields, and put their weapon systems on standby. Kane led the way out of the mine and headed deeper into the main passage, with the others following closely behind. The group once again formed echelons and advanced steadily.

The underground space grew even darker, the glow emanating from the black crystals on the rock walls intensified, and a faint aura of energy permeated the air. Ella's radar and energy detection systems were operating at full capacity, the screens displaying a dense array of data. Her eyes were glued to the screens, meticulously observing every single piece of data, afraid of missing any anomaly.

“No abnormal energy signals or biological traces have been detected so far,” Ella said. “But the energy signals deep within the mine are very strong, and the energy fluctuations are becoming increasingly unstable. This indicates that we are getting closer and closer to the core area of ​​the mine, and that mysterious entity is very likely located in the core area of ​​the mine.”

Dr. Cole nodded and said, "That's right. The core area of ​​the mine should be where the black crystals are most concentrated and where the energy is strongest. That mysterious entity is likely absorbing energy there, or guarding some secret. As long as we head in the direction of the strongest energy signal, we will definitely be able to find it."

Kane said in a deep voice, "Alright, then head in the direction with the strongest energy signal. Everyone must be extra careful. The situation in the core area of ​​the mine is unknown, and there may be unknown dangers. Reno, you lead the second team to keep an eye on the natural tunnels on both sides to prevent any danger from emerging from them; Ella, continue to expand the detection range and keep a close eye on the surrounding energy fluctuations."

"Received!" Renault and Ella replied in unison.

The group continued towards the core area of ​​the mine. The main passage became increasingly wide, and the black crystals on the rock walls grew larger and denser. These enormous black crystals, like pillars supporting a dome, stood on both sides of the passage, emitting a dense black light that illuminated the entire passage in complete darkness. Only the light from the crystal surfaces flickered in the darkness, like countless eyes watching the group's progress.

After traveling for about an hour, the space ahead opened up again, revealing an even larger underground dome. This dome was at least five hundred meters high and several hundred meters wide, several times larger than the underground spaces they had encountered before. The dome's rock walls were covered with enormous black crystals, which intertwined to form a vast crystalline network that covered the entire dome, emitting an extremely dense black light that cast a dim shadow over the entire dome.

At the center of the dome stands a massive black crystal pillar, at least ten meters in diameter and hundreds of meters high. Like a colossal black giant, it radiates the most intense black light, and the energy of the entire dome seems to originate from this enormous crystal pillar.

"This is the core area of ​​the mineral deposit!" Dr. Cole exclaimed, his eyes wide with shock as he looked at the scene before him. "This crystal pillar must be the energy core of the entire deposit. The energy it contains is probably beyond our imagination!"

Kane's gaze swept across the entire dome, his heart filled with vigilance. He said in a deep voice, "Everyone, don't go near the crystal pillars. Observe the surrounding environment first. Ella, scan this dome with all your might to see if there are any traces of the mysterious entity."

"Roger that!" Ella immediately operated the control panel, activating the radar and energy detection systems at full capacity, scanning every corner of the dome. After a moment, Ella's expression suddenly turned serious. She said, "Captain, I've detected an abnormal energy signal! The signal is very weak, but the energy level is extremely high, and it's right behind the crystal pillars!"

Upon hearing this, everyone immediately became alert, raising their weapons and aiming them at the back of the crystal pillar. Kane said in a deep voice, "Ella, lock onto the location of the energy signal and share it with everyone. Raynor, you lead the second squad to the left side of the crystal pillar, and I'll lead the first squad to the right. We'll flank them from both sides, but be careful not to alert them."

“Roger that!” Reno nodded, leading the second squad carefully around to the left side of the crystal pillar. Kane, on the other hand, led the first squad and the expert team around to the right side of the crystal pillar. The two squads cooperated with each other, approaching the location of the energy signal step by step, their movements light and as silent as possible.