Crossing the wilderness to survive, starting with a broken kitchen knife.

Zhang Shi pondered for a moment and felt that the mission objective was too broad. The history books said that the city lord obtained Old Duan in a copy, but there was no record of the specific location. If he wanted to complete this mission specifically, the difficulty would be like looking for a needle in a haystack.

Ge Dalong continued to flip through the history books, which recorded some major events in the City of Mist, but there were no records related to Old Duan.

Ge Dalong continued to read, but secretly shared a passage with Zhang Shi. After translation, the content was as follows:

"The city lord obtained a mirror and summoned all the high-ranking officials to a meeting in the council chamber that night. The content of the meeting is unknown. The next day, soldiers brought three bodies out of the council chamber. None of the high-ranking officials involved spoke of what happened that night."

Zhang Shi looked at Ge Dalong, who was still flipping through the history books carefully and attentively, without showing any abnormality, but his actions showed that he had also noticed Zhang Shi's abnormality just now.

Zhang Shi sighed lightly, not knowing what was so magical about the mirror and why he was the only one who could see the abnormality.

When he was undecided, Zhang Shi would quietly open the system panel and chat privately with Ge Dalong.

"Did you see it too?"

Ge Dalong replied quickly.

"What did you see? I just noticed that you were acting a little strangely, so I sent you the records about the mirror. What's going on?"

Zhang Shi hesitated for a moment, but decided to trust Ge Dalong and told him about Wu Qing.

"The Wu Qing in that mirror looks like a ghost."

Ge Dalong took a moment to reply, and even the speed at which he flipped through the history books slowed down.

"Why don't you ask that mother-in-law what she should know."

Zhang Shi thought about it, but still couldn't completely trust the old woman, so he finally decided to solve Wu Qing's problem himself.

Not finding any other valuable information in the history books, Ge Dalong put down the heavy book and handed it to the shadow.

Seeing that Lao Duan's clues were cut off, Zhang Shi decided to complete the stage mission first, unlock the teleportation point, and then carry out subsequent exploration.

"Mother-in-law, there are no clear clues here. We decided to explore on our own and clean up the monsters in the city."

After the black shadow put the history book back on the bookshelf, he paused noticeably when he heard Zhang Shi's words, and asked Zhang Shi in a hoarse voice.

"You want to unlock the teleport point to the City of Mist, right?"

Seeing that the other party knew about the system task, Zhang Shi did not hide it and nodded. The black shadow pondered for a while, then slowly spoke.

"As the guardian of the City of Mist, I should have stopped you. However, this place has become a dead city, and our lineage is about to be cut off. Do whatever you want."

The shadow paused, then reminded.

"But you have to be careful. The number of monsters in this city far exceeds your imagination, and their strength is more than one level stronger than ours. If you want to challenge them, try to hunt them from the periphery. Never approach the City Lord's Mansion, and be careful not to make too much noise to avoid alerting the earth beasts."

Zhang Shi nodded, feeling the old woman's words made sense. A monster capable of destroying an entire city-state must be incredibly powerful. Furthermore, those invisible beings seemed particularly sensitive to sound. If handled improperly, they might even attract a wave of monsters. By then, their actions would backfire, and they would likely be unable to escape.

Afterwards, the black shadow pointed out a general direction for Zhang Shi and others, and quickly left the hall and returned towards the church.

“If you encounter a situation you can’t handle, you can return to the church to take shelter.”

Zhang Shi stared at the black shadow as it left. There were too many suspicious points about this old woman. When he was with her, he didn't dare to trust her completely.

After everyone packed up their gear and ate a quick bite, they left the hall and headed towards the entrance to the City of Mist. Before leaving, Zhang Shi took another deliberate glance at the mirror. Everyone's figures were still clearly visible in the mirror. Wu Qing's ferocious, ghost-like face was leaning against him, her dark, pupilless eyes gazing at him silently.

Zhang Shi's heart trembled, but he remained calm on the surface and did not let this strange feeling affect the team's progress.

He tried to take the mirror away, but found that the mirror seemed to be integrated with the building and was not a single prop. Zhang Shi had to give up the idea of ​​plucking feathers from a passing goose.

Following the old woman's instructions, they walked along the rooftops, through the winding streets, and gradually approached the edge of the foggy city. Along the way, they carefully avoided corners where monsters might hide, and tried not to make any noise to avoid disturbing these unknown beings and affecting their original plan.

As they approached the edge of the Fog City, the city's desolation worsened. Buildings collapsed, streets were covered in rubble and weeds, and the air was filled with a scent of decay and death. Zhang Shi noticed that the number of monsters here had increased significantly. They lurked in the shadows or wandered among the ruins, their occasional roars terrifying. The streets and buildings were no longer seamless, as if returning to normal.

"That's good news. At least it proves that this isn't the area where the mysterious beast lives."

They exchanged glances and decided to set their hunting location nearby. They moved cautiously, using their respective skills and equipment to quietly dispatch some lone monsters.

Unfortunately, the good times didn't last long. The invisible beings, with their sharp perception, quickly detected Zhang Shi and his companions and began to gather in their direction. Soon after, a group of Orc monsters hiding in the shadows suddenly became agitated. Blood streaks began to form on their bodies, until their torsos ripped apart. The Orcs, startled and terrified, scattered in all directions, but the invisible beings would not let them go easily. Sharp steel blades appeared from the void, slicing the fleeing Orcs into pieces without warning. In an instant, the entire street was awash in blood, flesh, and filth.

Faced with more and more invisible beings gathering, Zhang Shi quickly communicated with his teammates and decided to change his strategy. Instead of fighting alone, he concentrated his firepower, took advantage of the terrain, set traps, and lured the monsters into the encirclement.

They found an abandoned warehouse, its door ajar, filled with debris and collapsed shelves. Zhang Shi and his team sprang into action. One group set traps around the perimeter, using ropes, rocks, and arrows to create an area capable of trapping and weakening the monsters. The other group hid inside, ready to pounce once the monsters were lured inside.

Zhang Shi and Zhao Feng were responsible for attracting the monsters' attention from the periphery. They deliberately made some noises and constantly provoked the monsters, guiding them towards the warehouse.

The invisible beings really took the bait. Attracted by the provocation of Zhang Shi and Zhao Feng, they began to rush towards the warehouse frantically. For a moment, the whole street was filled with dense footsteps.

Zhang Shi and Zhao Feng retreated while continuously launching attacks at the monsters to maintain their anger and desire to pursue them.

As the monsters fully entered the warehouse area, Zhang Shi and Zhao Feng quickly retreated to a safe location and signaled their teammates. Hidden within the warehouse, Ge Dalong, Chen Beipan, and Wu Qing sprang into action, using the warehouse's debris and shelves as cover and unleashing a ferocious ranged assault on the monsters.

The traps began to take effect. Some monsters were tripped by the ropes and fell to the ground, trampled by their companions, and the bloodstains made their shapes revealed; others were hit by the skills of the crowd and were blown into a bloody mess, leaving clear bloody footprints on the street.