Fantasy Game: Infinite City

“No problem,” Christina replied immediately. “I will connect the base’s main control system to your personal terminal to monitor your status throughout the process, while also keeping a close eye on the Griffin Faction’s movements. I will notify you immediately of any developments. I can also help out if necessary.”

"No need for support." Han Zu refused directly. "The situation in the instance area is unclear. Even my communication equipment here may malfunction. Besides, you won't be of much help and will only expose our whereabouts. You stay at the base and closely monitor the Griffin Faction's movements, especially their deployment and personnel movements within the instance. This information might help me determine their target location. I will explore on my own and will try to contact you once I find anything."

Christina was one of the people who knew Han Zu relatively well among those who had contact with him. She knew Han Zu's personality; once he made a decision, he wouldn't easily change it, and with his strength, he really didn't need anyone else's support. "Okay, you're the boss." She nodded. "Then let's agree to set off two days from now. I'll help you adjust your time difference in advance to ensure you arrive on the outskirts of Pljevlja by sunset."

Over the next two days, Han Zu devoted himself entirely to preparations. He visited the contractor's headquarters and had γ4 test his contractor's equipment. The equipment's detection capabilities were enhanced, enabling it to detect faint energy fluctuations and providing a degree of interference resistance, ensuring normal operation within the instance area. He also specially extracted a blood sample, gave it to γ4 for backup, and researched effective healing agents, sending them back to his base. In case of unknown damage in the instance, Christina could immediately provide assistance using these developed healing agents. However, Han Zu was not worried about this; his body had extremely strong self-healing abilities, and ordinary injuries did not require special treatment. Even against unknown threats, he was confident that his own abilities would withstand them.

The night before departure, Han Zu did his final warm-up in the base's training room. His figure moved swiftly through the room, his punches whistling through the air, each strike carrying a powerful energy surge that shattered the floating cannons simulating training targets. His experience on Planet Gozeri 4 had honed his control over energy, further enhancing his strength and speed. He deliberately concealed his energy aura, making his movements lighter and almost silent, crucial for infiltration and stealth. He knew the "Silent Corridor" was an extremely dangerous place; players and Griffin soldiers from years past had perished there. Even with his immense power, he had to be absolutely cautious, remaining completely hidden throughout to ensure his safety while exploring, and to effortlessly eliminate any soldiers he encountered, leaving the illusion of an "abnormal instance" to avoid further complications.

Two days later, at the agreed time, Han Zu was ready in front of the teleportation device at the base.

"Be careful. If you encounter a danger you can't handle, don't force it. Evacuate immediately. I will monitor your condition at the base the whole time. If your vital signs become abnormal, I will forcibly activate the teleportation program to bring you back."

"Okay." Han Zu nodded and gave a thumbs up to indicate that he had finished his preparations.

Christina saw Han Zu's signal and initiated the teleportation procedure. The teleportation device's energy halo lit up again, enveloping Han Zu's figure. The destination was a forest on the outskirts of a small town in Pljevlja, Eastern Europe. As the halo dissipated, Han Zu's figure disappeared from the teleportation device, leaving only Christina in the control room. She stared at the red dot representing Han Zu on the holographic screen, her eyes filled with solemnity, her fingers unconsciously tapping the control panel, awaiting news from Han Zu.

Deep in the forest on the outskirts of the small town of Pljevlja, a faint aura of energy flickered, and Han Zu's figure slowly appeared. After teleporting, Han Zu immediately concealed his energy, minimizing his presence as much as possible. He flew like a ghost behind a large tree, cautiously observing his surroundings. It was dusk, and the last rays of the setting sun filtered through the leaves, casting dappled shadows on the ground. A faint smell of decay filled the air, mixed with a hint of an unknown fishy odor. This smell matched the description provided by Christina, indicating that they had clearly entered the influence range of the instance area.

Han Zu used the contractor's equipment to confirm his current location. He was now in the forest west of the small town, about five kilometers from the abandoned industrial area. The Griffin Faction's outer blockade line was located at the boundary between the forest and the industrial area. The terminal screen displayed the blockade line deployment map that Christina had transmitted in advance. The outer blockade line was equipped with ten surveillance cameras and twenty soldiers, divided into five squads of four, patrolling in shifts every ten minutes, with a gap of about thirty seconds between adjacent squads. This gap was his best opportunity to break through the outer blockade line.

Han Zu completely concealed his presence, including energy fluctuations and vital signs, making himself appear as lifeless as a stone. He flew close to the ground, his figure like a ghost, darting towards the industrial area. His energy shielding worked perfectly; he moved swiftly through the woods, leaving no trace, and the surrounding surveillance cameras detected him completely. Along the way, he encountered two patrolling squads of soldiers, all dressed in Griffin Faction standard combat uniforms, carrying energy rifles, vigilantly scanning their surroundings, occasionally exchanging warnings with barely concealed tension and fear. Han Zu, with his exquisite stealth skills and superhuman speed, moved swiftly through the soldiers' blind spots, easily bypassing them without arousing any suspicion. He could even clearly hear the soldiers' whispers, mostly about the eerie rumors surrounding the instance and their fear of unknown dangers. This further convinced Han Zu that the Griffin Faction soldiers were deeply wary of this instance, facilitating his later creation of the illusion of "instant instance anomalies."

About half an hour later, Han Zu arrived at the border between the forest and the abandoned industrial area. He hid behind an abandoned factory building, using his X-ray vision to observe the outer blockade. As shown in the deployment map, the blockade was densely packed with surveillance cameras. Soldiers were divided into small teams, patrolling back and forth along the blockade, maintaining close communication and reporting the situation in real time via communicators, forming a seemingly impenetrable defense. The industrial area was deathly silent. Abandoned factory buildings and equipment were scattered haphazardly, the walls riddled with bullet holes and cracks, and the ground littered with rusted metal fragments and dried stains. Clearly, a fierce battle had taken place here, perhaps a conflict between the Griffin Faction and the abnormal forces of the instance, or perhaps traces left by early players. The stench of decay and stench in the air was even stronger than in the forest, mixed with a faint energy fluctuation. This fluctuation was extremely strange, belonging neither to energy weapons nor to any known creatures, clearly caused by the anomaly of the instance itself.

Han Zu observed for a moment, confirming the patrol teams' patterns once again. Each team's patrol route was fixed, their patrol cycle was exactly ten minutes, and the gap between adjacent teams was precisely maintained at around thirty seconds. He waited patiently, his body pressed against the wall of the abandoned factory like a sculpture, his breathing extremely low, almost blending into the surrounding environment. As one patrol team slowly passed by, and before the next team reached the gap in the blockade, Han Zu immediately stood up, his figure darting out like a ghost. He was incredibly fast; even though he deliberately slowed down to ensure his energy wouldn't be detected, he crossed the fifty-meter-long blockade in a few seconds, silently entering the abandoned industrial area. The entire process was completely silent, without even disturbing the surrounding airflow, and without using contractor equipment to interfere, he perfectly avoided all surveillance cameras and the soldiers' line of sight.

Upon entering the industrial zone, Han Zu remained vigilant. Although the area appeared long abandoned, the energy fluctuations in the air were unusually pronounced and more concentrated than on the outskirts, indicating the presence of soldiers and signifying that he had entered the core influence range of the dungeon's anomalous power. He temporarily halted his flight, moving swiftly along the walls of the abandoned factory buildings with light, feline-like stealth, avoiding several hidden surveillance cameras—these cameras were even more concealed than the outer perimeter of the blockade, clearly additional installations by the Griffin Faction to prevent any internal anomalies. Using his keen senses, he easily detected the energy signals from the hidden cameras, bypassing their detection range beforehand and moving towards the center of the industrial zone.

In the heart of the industrial zone stood a tall, abandoned factory. Its gates were wide open, revealing a pitch-black interior, from which the faint sounds of soldiers conversing could be heard. Han Zu approached the factory silently, hiding behind a pillar beside the gate and listening intently. Four soldiers were talking inside, their voices filled with obvious fear, clearly deeply uneasy about their surroundings. Han Zu didn't interrupt them, but patiently listened, trying to glean more information about the dungeon from their conversation, while also assessing the number and distribution of soldiers within the factory.

The soldiers' conversations mostly revolved around the nighttime defense arrangements and their fear of the instance. They mentioned that a small squad had lost contact near the edge of the town the previous day, with even their terminal signals completely disappearing, leaving only some eerie black marks. They also mentioned hearing strange whispers at night, causing mental confusion, and some even experienced hallucinations. These descriptions corroborated the information provided by Christina, further confirming the existence of the instance's abnormal power and giving Han Zu a preliminary understanding of this power—it could not only cause physical damage but also interfere with a person's mind.

After listening for a moment, Han Zu confirmed that there were only four soldiers inside the factory, and that their attention was mostly focused on their fear of danger, making them relatively less vigilant. He didn't act immediately, but instead turned and circled around to the side of the factory, climbing through a broken window. The window glass was shattered, leaving only sharp edges. As Han Zu rolled over, he slightly shifted his body to avoid the sharp glass, his movements fluid and light, making no sound. The factory interior was pitch black, filled with dust and abandoned equipment. A strong smell of machine oil and decay permeated the air, creating an unsettling atmosphere. Using his night vision, Han Zu avoided the dim light, quickly moving through the shadows of the factory, while further concealing his presence to avoid being detected by the soldiers.

He found a secluded corner on the second floor of the factory, obscured by discarded machine parts. The view was unobstructed, allowing him to clearly observe the movements of the soldiers on the first floor, yet he remained relatively undetected. He hid there, patiently waiting for complete darkness. The sun was almost completely setting, casting its last rays through the factory's broken roof before being swallowed by the night. The instant darkness fell, the atmosphere in the entire industrial area became even more eerie. The energy fluctuations in the air suddenly intensified, and a faint whispering sound drifted from the direction of the distant town. The voice was indistinct, like countless people speaking simultaneously, or perhaps the roar of some unknown creature, sending chills down one's spine.

Han Zu's mind was highly focused, his internal energy quietly circulating. His willpower, as strong as refined gold and steel, easily resisted the corrosive influence of the whispers. His perception was heightened to its limit, allowing him to clearly detect the changes in the heartbeats and breathing of the four soldiers inside the factory—their heartbeats were noticeably faster, their breathing rapid, clearly affected by the eerie whispers, their mental state becoming even more tense. Han Zu knew the time was ripe. The nighttime environment would not only better conceal his movements but also allow the soldiers to attribute their subsequent deaths to the spread of the abnormal power within the instance, perfectly fitting his plan.

He slowly rose, his figure gliding down the stair railing like a ghost, landing without a sound. Four soldiers on the first floor were huddled together, backs against the wall, gripping their energy rifles tightly, their eyes scanning their surroundings warily, completely unaware of the impending danger. Han Zu moved with incredible speed, instantly reaching the first soldier behind him. His right hand, like an iron clamp, covered the soldier's mouth, while his left arm tightened around the soldier's neck. The soldier's body stiffened instantly; he tried to struggle, but found the opponent's strength astonishing, his limbs completely immobile, only able to emit weak whimpers. Han Zu tightened his arm slightly, and with a soft "crack," the soldier's neck snapped instantly, his body collapsing to the ground. The entire process was lightning fast, completed in less than a second; the other three soldiers didn't even have time to react.