Fantasy Game: Infinite City

The night was as dark as ink, and the abandoned buildings in Pljevlja stood like silent tombstones in the darkness. Black marks spread across the ground and walls, and occasionally a few mutated creatures wandered between the buildings, emitting low growls that broke the deathly silence. The ten members of the Dark Raven Squad were gathered on the top floor of that abandoned building. The captain stood on the edge of a broken floor-to-ceiling window, his gaze sweeping across the ravaged city below, the virtual screen in his hand flashing as he recalibrated the parameters of the detector.

"Captain, the detector has been calibrated. Although it is still slightly affected by the black mark energy, it can now capture residual energy signals normally." A team member walked up to the captain and reported the equipment status. His nano-armor still had some black stains on its surface, which were traces left from the battle with the mutants. The energy indicator light on the armor was flashing slightly, showing the energy consumption.

The captain nodded slightly, his fingertips rapidly swiping across the virtual screen, dividing the city of Pljevlja into ten zones: "We'll split into five groups of two, conducting a grid search of the city. Focus on areas with abnormal energy fluctuations, especially signals matching the energy of the decomposition force field and the unknown violent energy. Remember, keep communication open. Prioritize eliminating any mutants you encounter. If attacked by an unknown force, do not linger in combat; immediately call for reinforcements and evacuate to the rendezvous point."

The team members quickly divided into groups, each receiving a map of the search area and checking their weapons and armor energy reserves. The captain was paired with a tall teammate to search the city center, which had once been the commercial heart of Pljevlja, a densely built area where energy residues might be more complex.

The team members withdrew from the top floor of the building one by one, using the abandoned structures as cover to advance towards their respective search areas. Their steps were light, their nano-armor activated in stealth mode, leaving only a faint energy fluctuation when they moved, quickly blending into the darkness. Han Zu followed far behind his team leader, maintaining a distance of about three hundred meters. His body was pressed against the shadow of an abandoned office building's exterior wall, his aura completely concealed, as if he had become one with his surroundings.

The abandoned shopping mall in the city center was deserted, shelves overturned, goods scattered everywhere, covered in black markings and emitting a faint smell of decay. The captain and his team cautiously entered the mall's first floor. The detector screen displayed chaotic energy signals, mostly polluting energy from the black markings, occasionally mixed with traces of mutated bio-energy. The team members, armed with plasma rifles, warily scanned the areas behind shelves and in elevator shafts, while the captain operated the detector, constantly filtering the energy signals, trying to find traces matching their target.

Suddenly, the detector emitted a soft beep, and a faint energy peak appeared on the screen. The captain immediately raised his hand to signal his team to stop, tapping the screen to amplify the energy signal for analysis. "It's the bio-energy of the mutants, two of them, in the supermarket area ahead," the captain said in a low voice, slowly drawing his plasma blade, its blade gleaming with a pale blue light. The team members immediately adjusted their guns, aiming at the supermarket entrance; their nano-armor masks automatically tightened, enhancing their visibility.

The two walked side by side toward the supermarket, their footsteps making soft sounds as they stepped on the scattered packaging. The refrigerated display cases inside had long since stopped working; the glass doors were shattered, and the contents were rotting and emitting a pungent odor. Two mutated creatures, resembling wild boars, lay on the ground, gnawing on unidentified remains. Their skin was grayish-black, covered in irregular growths, and bony spurs protruded from their backs, rising and falling slightly with their breath.

The captain's eyes narrowed, and he launched the first attack. He propelled himself forward like an arrow, his plasma blade, carrying a sharp energy edge, slashing towards the neck of one of the mutants. Sensing danger, the mutant reared up and roared, trying to dodge, but it was too late. The energy blade struck its neck precisely, black blood gushing out. The mutant's body convulsed a few times before collapsing to the ground, motionless.

Seeing this, another mutant charged furiously at the captain, spewing black, corrosive liquid from its mouth. The team member immediately pulled the trigger, the plasma rifle firing a blazing energy beam that struck the mutant's leg. The mutant screamed, its movements momentarily halted. The captain seized the opportunity, turning and swinging his blade again, piercing the mutant's skull and ending its life. The entire battle lasted less than ten seconds, clean and swift, showcasing the elite nature of the Dark Raven Squad.

The team member stepped forward and scanned the mutant's corpse with a detector: "Captain, these mutants have a higher level of genetic contamination than the ones we've encountered before, and the residual energy in their bodies is also more concentrated. They seem to be constantly evolving."

The captain didn't speak, but used a plasma scalpel to pry open the tumor on the mutant's body, revealing faint black markings wriggling inside. He paused for a moment, then signaled to his team to continue the search: "Speed ​​up. This rate of evolution is abnormal; it might be related to residual energy sources."

Han Zu remained hidden in the shadows of the buildings outside the mall, observing everything. His body was slightly bent, like a cheetah poised for action, his gaze fixed on the figure of the Dark Raven Squad leader, without making the slightest move. His perception range expanded, covering the entire mall area, while he also kept an eye on the energy signals of the other four teams, ensuring he could keep track of the entire squad's movements.

Time ticked by, night deepened, and the temperature in the city of Pljevlja continued to drop. The polluting energy emanating from the black mark fluctuated more noticeably in the low temperatures. The members of the Dark Raven Squad continued their search, eliminating over a dozen wandering mutants, several of which were far stronger than the previous ones. These mutants not only had stronger defenses but also possessed basic tactical coordination abilities, causing considerable trouble for the squad.

In an abandoned industrial area on the west side of the city, a team encountered three enormous mutants. These mutants had lizard-like scales, thick limbs, and could spew scorching flames from their mouths. The team fought back tenaciously, using abandoned factory buildings as cover. The energy beams of their plasma rifles clashed with the flames, scorching and deforming the metal components within the buildings, producing a piercing sound. After a fierce battle, two team members, through excellent teamwork, finally killed the mutants. However, one team member's nano-armor was damaged by the flames, and he suffered minor burns to his arm.

"Captain, we encountered a powerful mutant in the western industrial area. It has been eliminated. Our team members sustained minor injuries and their armor is damaged. We request a temporary rest." The team member reported to the captain via communicator.

The captain's voice came immediately, carrying an unquestionable order: "Rest for ten minutes, repair armor damage, and replenish energy. Continue the search in ten minutes. Do not delay."

"clear."

During his pursuit, Han Zu encountered several sporadic groups of mutants. After the first energy surge following the meteorite's disintegration, the mutants seemed to have become even less intelligent; now, even if a mutant encountered Han Zu, it no longer felt fear and fled. However, even so, he didn't choose direct confrontation. Instead, relying on his precise control of energy, he subtly manipulated the energy beneath his feet, his body moving like a ghost between buildings, skillfully avoiding the mutants' sight. Occasionally, a mutant would sense something amiss and lunge at him. He would simply sidestep, flicking a wisp of energy from his fingertip, precisely striking the mutant's neural nodes, instantly rendering it immobile. He silently resolved the problem, making no unnecessary noise or revealing his energy fluctuations throughout the entire process.

An hour later, the Dark Raven Squad teams completed their first round of area searches, but with little success. Aside from detecting a large amount of polluting energy from black markings and the bio-energy of mutated creatures, they found no clues related to the decomposition field energy or the remnants of the unknown berserk energy source core. The energy signals in some areas were extremely chaotic, making them undetectable by the detectors; these areas were marked as suspicious and awaiting further investigation.

The captain gathered all team members on the ground floor of the abandoned building. The team members all bore the marks of battle, and the energy reserves of their nanosuits had generally dropped to around 70%. The captain looked at the suspicious areas marked on the virtual screen, his expression growing increasingly grim: "The energy signals are more chaotic than expected, and the contamination range of the black markings exceeds our estimates. Next, we will concentrate our efforts on thoroughly investigating the marked suspicious areas, prioritizing the three areas with the strongest energy signals."

The team members nodded in agreement, quickly replenishing their energy grenades and armor energy. Han Zu, meanwhile, lay in ambush on the rooftop of an abandoned residential building opposite the main building. Using the broken rooftop railing as cover, his gaze pierced through the darkness, landing on the team members on the ground floor. His fingers lightly tapped the railing, a faint energy swirling around his fingertips, ready to respond to any unexpected situation.

After resting, the entire Dark Raven Squad headed towards the first suspicious area. This area was located in an abandoned hospital in the northern part of the city. The detectors showed the most obvious remnants of unknown, violent energy here, mixed with a faint, barely identifiable energy signal. The hospital building was already in a state of disrepair; the roof of the outpatient building had largely collapsed, the walls were covered with black marks, and abandoned medical equipment and skeletal remains were scattered at the entrance, emitting a nauseating stench.

The captain signaled his team members to spread out and search each floor of the hospital. He himself led two team members into the first floor of the outpatient building. On the detector screen, the energy signal became increasingly clear. "The energy source should be in this building. Search every room carefully," the captain said in a deep voice, gripping his plasma scalpel tightly and scanning his surroundings warily.

The outpatient building was a mess. Treatment tables were overturned, medicines were scattered everywhere, and black marks formed irregular patterns on the floor, like eerie spiderwebs. The team members carefully pushed open each door, clearing out the mutants lurking within. Most of these mutants were contaminated former hospital staff—small in stature but agile, capable of spraying corrosive saliva, causing considerable trouble for the team.

Han Zu then circled around to the back of the hospital, using his agility to climb the wall to a second-floor window and silently enter the hospital. Instead of following the Dark Raven Squad members, he moved towards the direction with the strongest energy signal, his body pressed against the shadows of the walls, moving like a ghost through the corridors. His senses expanded, scanning the surrounding energy fluctuations, trying to pinpoint the exact location of the energy source.

Inside the hospital operating room, a member of the Dark Raven Squad noticed something unusual. The operating table was relatively intact, but it seemed that a sharp, thin shard had pierced through the dust cover covering it, embedding itself diagonally inside the table. A thick layer of black markings covered the opening, with a faint glow emanating from the center. A powerful energy spike instantly appeared on the detector screen. "Captain, we've found something here!" the member immediately called out to his captain via communicator.

The team leader immediately led the rest of the team to the operating room, his gaze falling on the black mark on the operating table. He gestured for his team to step back, then carefully stepped forward and gently lifted a corner of the dust cover bearing the black mark with a plasma scalpel. Beneath the mark, a fragment of broken metal could be vaguely seen, stained with black dirt and emitting a faint energy fluctuation of a decomposition force field. This was likely a piece of the decomposition force field ray device that had been blown to this location when the meteorite decomposed and emitted energy waves.

"It's a fragment of the decomposition force field ray device!" A hint of joy flashed in the captain's eyes. He immediately ordered his team to collect the fragment in a special container. "Analyze the composition and residual energy of the fragment immediately to see if we can find any more clues."

The team members immediately took out their analytical instruments to examine the metal fragment. Han Zu, meanwhile, lay in wait in the shadows of the corridor outside the operating room, his gaze fixed on the fragment. His internal energy circulated silently, ready to act at any moment. But he did not act immediately; instead, he continued to observe, waiting for a better opportunity.

A few minutes later, the team members completed the test and reported to their captain: "Captain, the fragment is indeed a core component fragment of the decomposition force field ray device, and the residual energy on it is consistent with what was detected before. However, the fragment is severely damaged, making it impossible to extract complete technical parameters, and the residual energy on it is dissipating rapidly, which should be due to the erosion caused by the energy of the black mark."

The captain's expression darkened slightly, his initial joy fading considerably: "Continue the search and see if we can find more fragments around here. Also, keep a close eye on the changes in the energy signals; the unknown, violent energy here seems to be interacting with the fragments' energy."

The team immediately expanded their search area, meticulously examining the rooms surrounding the operating room. However, aside from the fragment, they found no other valuable clues. Furthermore, as time passed, the energy fluctuations of the black mark on the operating table gradually weakened, and the energy signal on the detector became increasingly faint.