Who says a sickly daughter can’t break through the weirdness?

Even after its strange resurgence, the city still retained considerable industrial facilities for a short period of time.

However, when the black tide arrived later, ordinary cities were completely unable to cope with it and were forced to give up.

Today, Angang City is deserted and has become a ruin that was swept by a black tide and occupied by fog and strange beasts.

"Angang City..."

Shen Qiyin whispered the name and glanced at the red dot marked on the tactical map.

This city was once a major industrial base in the western part of the country and may be the key to their Titan upgrades.

"There should still be a lot of usable equipment in Angang City's industrial zone, especially heavy machinery processing plants and energy warehouses."

Lin Qiutang held a red pen in his hand, frowning slightly as he said solemnly, "But the problem is, with the monster wreaking havoc, we don't know if there's any equipment left that can be used."

"It doesn't matter. All I need is the materials."

Shen Qiyin spoke casually, but her eyes revealed a cold edge, "It's easy for us to deal with ordinary monsters now. Even a third-level monster like the Ender Ghost is just a stepping stone for us.

What I want to understand most right now is the door and the mysterious formation we encountered at the nuclear test base. If we can learn the technology behind that 'formation', it will definitely allow our physical strength to soar significantly."

Tang Miao sat at the table, supporting his chin with both hands, revealing a confused look: "Speaking of the things behind that door, I was wondering, is that really an 'ancient relic'?

Whether it's folklore, fantasy stories, archaeological news, or history textbooks, I've never heard of the existence of such an 'ancient civilization' that far surpasses modern technology... "

"I'm just guessing, you don't have to take it so seriously." Shen Qiyin shrugged.

"Well, I'm not serious. I just think your guess is the most reasonable. If there really was an ancient civilization like that on Earth, then their demise must have been related to the strange beasts and monsters.

Even they perished under the bizarre rampage. Can our modern civilization really survive this hopeless apocalypse?"

Tang Miao's voice was filled with worry and confusion.

This experience can be said to have opened the door to a new world for her, which made her truly realize how insignificant human civilization is in this vast ocean of time.

In response, Shen Qinyin just reached out and rubbed her hair, giving her a comforting smile.

"Anyway, let's get going. We can worry about the future later. For now, let's get going and get moving."

Shen Qinyin spoke casually, entered the cockpit and started the Titan.

The engine roared, and the steel behemoth took heavy steps and began to move towards Angang City.

.......

On the other side, in the commander's office at the Gyeonggi Front Command Post.

Li Huaiyuan cut off the radio, put on his worn-out glasses, turned on the military terminal on the table, and retrieved a top-secret document from the confidential files recorded inside.

After verifying the identity and unlocking the permissions, the file opened and several photos immediately filled the screen.

The pixels of these photos are not very clear, and most of them are taken quite sloppily due to lighting problems.

But even based on the outline of the photo, you can easily see that there is a heavy, ancient, and quite large mysterious door inside.

The door was slightly ajar, and was engraved with a large number of obscure and complex mysterious symbols.

The second photo is a close-up of the symbols.

Due to a certain degree of regularity, experts have analyzed that these symbols should be a special language created by a civilization based on the daily text, which was re-encrypted and compiled.

And the third photo...

Inside was a head.

To be precise, it is a huge head forged from machinery and steel.

Judging from this mechanical head and the rest of the broken parts, there is no doubt that this is a giant mecha that can only be seen in science fiction movies.

These elements almost confirm that long before the birth of human civilization, there existed an ancient civilization that was far superior to modern human technology.

The top-secret file that Li Huaiyuan browsed was only recently found and sorted out by official investigators.

The ruins in the photo are located north of Jingzhou City, in a giant mountain range called "Tianshan".

Before the end of the world, Tianshan Mountain, as the most famous tourist attraction, attracted a large number of tourists. There were also many mysterious rumors about Tianshan Mountain itself.

Some time ago, an earthquake occurred in the Tianshan area. The scale was not large. In addition, the area was sparsely populated and there were strange beasts roaming around, so it did not cause any damage.

But because of this earthquake, a huge, unnatural cave appeared in the Tianshan Mountains.

Inside the cave was the door in the photo, as well as the remains of a giant mecha.

At that time, some people speculated that these were relics left behind by an ancient civilization, which used some kind of technology to seal these things up until the end of the world.

Otherwise, it would be impossible to explain why no trace of these relics has been found so far.

In modern society, except for the seabed, which cannot be explored by humans, basically all land is covered with human traces.

What's more, modern technology is so advanced that if these relics really existed on the earth all the time, it would be impossible for humans not to discover them.

In other words, it is no coincidence that these relics have only appeared now.

The mecha wreckage left in the ruins and the runes with mysterious energy are likely to become powerful weapons for humans to resist the weirdness.

If only we could crack the mystery before the Kuroshio Tide further encroaches on the territory and approaches the capital.

Then the country will be able to fight back against the ravages of the black tide!

"A nuclear test base in the Tataria Desert has unexpectedly revealed a ruin..."

Li Huaiyuan tapped the table lightly with his fingers, then opened the national map and looked around.

"Knock, knock, knock."

"Commander, do you have a moment?"

Just then, there was a knock on the door and Xu Mengqiu's voice came from outside.

"Enter."

Li Huaiyuan gave the authority without even raising his eyes.

"excuse me."

Xu Mengqiu walked into the office with dark circles under his eyes and gently placed a document with a red "Top Secret" stamp on it on the wooden table.

"Commander, this is the official record of the battle between the 'Broken Wing Squad' and the 'materialized' Black Tide clone. Central authorities have requested your immediate review. There is a conference call in ten minutes that requires your attendance."

"okay."

Li Huaiyuan put the folder aside and tilted the monitor of the military terminal towards Xu Mengqiu. "Xiao Xu, take a look at this. I received a report from my 'informant' this morning. There seems to be new information regarding the 'ancient ruins.'"

Xu Mengqiu leaned forward slightly upon hearing this, his right hand unconsciously holding onto the edge of the table. His pupils suddenly contracted the moment they came into contact with the contents of the screen.

"Wait, wait, this is... the same architectural structure as the Tianshan Ruins?"

"Yes, another ancient relic appeared out of nowhere in the Tataria Desert, and it's located right below the nuclear test base."

"Are you talking about the ruins discovered in Tianshan?" Xu Mengqiu's expression changed slightly. "So, the experts' speculation is correct? There are several such ruins?"

"Yes, there are currently two ruins discovered in the northern Tianshan Mountains and the western Tataria Desert. If the experts' speculation is correct, there should be two more such ruins, one in the south and one in the east.

"So, the four directions, east, west, south, and north..."

Xu Mengqiu looked thoughtful as he murmured softly, "It just corresponds to the ancient worship of the stars and the Four Symbols theory of Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Black Tortoise, Vermillion Bird..."

Li Huaiyuan took off his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose with his thumb and index finger.

This habitual action let Xu Mengqiu know that the commander was thinking about an important issue.

After a moment, Li Huaiyuan slowly said, "According to the experts' speculation, these ruins are probably still in an 'inactive' state. If all four ruins 'awaken', it may bring about huge changes."

"So, what are we going to do?"

"The East is already trying to find out if there are any underwater ruins in the East China Sea. The problem is, there's an unknown giant monster in the East China Sea that hasn't been spotted yet, and the investigation is quite dangerous. And the unactivated ruins in the southern region..."

Li Huaiyuan stood in front of the window, his fingertips unconsciously stroking the copper buttons on the cuffs of his military uniform.

Outside the window, several armed helicopters were slowly taking off, their propellers stirring up the dust on the ground.

After a while, Li Huaiyuan seemed to have made a decision and said, "If the official investigation team is unable to spare any effort, I will have no choice but to send another 'special force' to attack."

"The 'special forces' you mentioned... are you referring to the ones that completed this exploration of the ancient ruins in the west?"

Xu Mengqiu looked worried and warned, "Commander, please don't blame me, but the team you mentioned is not an official investigation team, and it has not been officially certified. If they cause any trouble in the future, the central government will investigate..."

"Xiao Xu," Li Huaiyuan looked at her, his voice suddenly becoming low. "Don't worry about the official statistics. Do you know how many regular troops and investigators we have lost so far?"

"I, I, I don't know..."

"The situation is changing every day. Sticking to the old ways will only lead to missed opportunities and eternal regret. We must do everything we can to use whatever means we can."

“…”

"What's more, I trust that team, and I believe they will be worthy of my trust."

Xu Mengqiu stared at him dully. After a long while, she could only sigh helplessly: "Alas, your temper is still the same. Once you make a decision, even ten oxen can't pull you back."

"I am indeed an old stubborn person, Xiao Xu," Li Huaiyuan smiled, which was rare for him. "Maybe when you reach my age, you will be the same as me."

"Haha, please stop teasing me, old man. The world is so precarious these days. It's unlikely I'll live to your age."

Xu Mengqiu forced a smile and solemnly promised, "I will keep the secret of this team you mentioned. If there is nothing else, I will leave first. Remember to read the document just now. The meeting will start in three minutes, Commander."

"Got it. Go ahead. Also, no matter how busy you are, you need to get enough rest. Look at you, you have so many dark circles under your eyes. As an intelligence officer, you need to pay more attention to your health."

"Yes, Commander, thank you for your concern. I will pay attention to it."

Xu Mengqiu nodded, then hesitated: "Um, Commander..."

"What's wrong? If you have something to say, just say it. Why are you being so shy?"

"You haven't been back to Jingzhou City for a long time. The nurse who takes care of Xiaoxin asked me to tell you that Xiaoxin misses you very much."

"...How's Xiaoxin doing lately?"

"It's okay, I just have nightmares all the time and sleep a little more than before. But it's normal for children to be sleepy."

"Got it. Tell her for me, 'Grandpa will be back to be with her soon after he finishes his work here.'"

"Yes, I understand."

Xu Mengqiu saluted and turned to leave.

After the other party left, Li Huaiyuan's expression turned cold again.

He glanced calmly at the corner, where there was a blurry, small black shadow that only he could see, twisting in a creepy posture.

......

Two days later, we arrived in Angang City.

Shen Qiyin drove the Titan into the largest machinery factory in Angang City. She glanced around through the observation window. This once bustling heavy industrial base now only had dilapidated factory buildings, collapsed crane skeletons, and scattered parts on the ground.

"Environmental scan complete," Xiaoxiang said, his eyes twinkling. "There's remnants of large processing equipment on the east side of the factory, and metal reactions have been detected in the warehouse on the west side. Where should we go first?"

"Let's go east and see if there are any more advanced robotic arms and transmissions that will allow me to upgrade the Titan's components."

Shen Qiyin steered the Titan to turn eastward, its giant steel feet rolling over scattered parts, making a teeth-grinding sound of metal squeezing.

The sunlight shines through the damaged roof of the factory, casting mottled light and shadows on the oil-stained ground.

"The current time is 1:20 PM. Theoretically, there are still two hours until sunset."

Lin Qiutang glanced at the time on his watch and said to Shen Qiyin, "Qiyin, you and Tang Miao should stay and study Titan. Let's go outside to collect some drinking water and supplies. We haven't had much supply these days, and except for food, all the supplies are gone."

"Okay, then be careful."

"Don't worry, Xiaoxiang and Kana are both top-notch fighters. Besides, it's still safe outside at this time."

Kana couldn't help but yawn and pouted self-deprecatingly, "Have I really become your bodyguard and thug? Then I'll have to charge for it."

"I'll pay you," Lin Qiutang gave the other person a mysterious smile. "Do you want to know Angang City's specialty? Angangshan cigarettes. I heard they have a very special taste. I think you'll like them."

"Is that so? Then I'll have to look forward to it." Kana's eyes lit up.

She hadn't restocked her cigarettes before, and her stock had been used up long ago. Now, when she heard about this good stuff, she immediately perked up.

Xiaoxiang raised his hands to his chest, pretending to encourage himself. "I also want some interesting local specialties, but based on my situation, the most suitable one for me would be Angang brand gasoline. Ah, this is a cold joke, based on my mechanical nature..."

"Is there anything you think we should pay special attention to?" Lin Qiutang interrupted Xiaoxiang's boring joke without any hesitation.

Shen Qiyin didn't need anything. She glanced at Tang Miao, who looked a little weak, and said to Lin Qiutang, "If possible, go to the pharmacy to see if they have any menstrual painkillers or good quality sanitary napkins."

"Okay, if we can find brown sugar and ginger, we'll bring some back."