Chapter 67

Xiaobaihong stood on a tree, vigilantly observing the surroundings.

"There are only those two vehicles, no other situations," he said to the group.

"Wait for them," the captain ordered.

The two trucks clearly noticed the situation and immediately approached.

A soldier with a gun ran over quickly, shouting, "Which unit are you from?"

Wuxiaode replied, "We are from the Engineering Corps, the Second Exploration Squad."

"Why aren't you moving?"

"The vehicle has a bit of a malfunction, we are repairing it."

"Identification!"

"We have it, here you go."

Wuxiaode handed over his identification.

The soldier carefully examined the identification, and the tense expression on his face gradually relaxed.

"Aren't you supposed to be ten people? Why are there only six?" he asked.

The captain replied, "The other four ran away, we are preparing to report it."

The soldier nodded in understanding and waved to the two trucks.

Soon,

Several soldiers came down from the trucks, surrounding a man who looked like an officer, and walked up to the group.

"Where are you headed?" the officer asked.

"Base S11-4798," the captain replied.

She rubbed her hands, lightly stomped her feet, and glanced at the trucks.

At this moment, everyone appeared relaxed on the surface, but they all knew the captain was getting anxious.

The gunner understood and tapped a spot on the engine.

The engine roared to life.

"Fixed! Sergeant Wu!" the hawk shouted loudly.

"Good, let's go. We must get to the base as soon as possible, after all, we have military duties!" Wuxiaode immediately responded.

Xiaobaihong was about to jump down from the tree but hesitated, restraining himself and slowly slid down the tree.

The gunner and the hawk were already running towards the trucks.

Wuxiaode extended his hand to shake the officer's, saying solemnly, "Time is tight, shall we go together?"

"Sure, you lead, we'll follow," the officer replied.

Everyone got into the vehicles.

The military trucks roared to life, kicking up dust on the mountain road, and drove into the depths of the mountains.

About ten minutes later,

The group safely arrived at a base deep in the mountains.

The base, in reality, was just a collection of tents of various sizes.

Soon, someone came to check their identification and led them into the camp for a temporary rest, saying that new orders would be issued soon.

Wuxiaode observed for a while and said curiously,

"I really can't understand..."

"What can't you understand?" Xiaobaihong asked.

"This world can create high-tech things like spatial teleportation devices, but why are they still using such outdated trucks, and the camp is so primitive? Look, their phones are similar to ours," Wuxiaode said.

Outside the tent, a soldier was holding a phone, trying to make a call but failing.

"Indeed, something is off. It's not possible that only spatial technology has developed—so I've been investigating the reason, and I just traced it here," the captain said.

"What do we do now?" Wuxiaode asked.

"Following orders is a soldier's duty. Let's see what we are assigned to do and then plan accordingly," the captain said.

Not far away,

An elderly man with a sword and shield emblem on his shoulder insignia was surrounded by people and walked to the center of the camp.

"This is a general, probably the most powerful person here," the captain quickly reminded.

At this moment, everyone in the camp stopped what they were doing.

The general stood on a few boxes of military supplies and shouted, "I have some good news for everyone. The excavation work we've been doing has been recognized by the World United Government. After we return, everyone will receive commendations!"

Everyone cheered and clapped.

"Something's not right. The way that old man speaks, there's something off, not sincere," the hawk whispered.

"I have the same feeling. I wanted to kill him when he was speaking," Xiaobaihong smiled.

Regardless of the private conversations among the team members,

The atmosphere in the camp had become lively.

Morale was high.

On the stage,

The general smiled, raised his hands, and gestured for everyone to quiet down.

"Alright, now listen to me."

"I order all personnel to immediately begin the next phase of work."

"—We will start the most important exploration of this mission!"

"Yes, sir!" everyone responded in unison.

The entire camp became busy.

The general's senior officers were running around the camp, shouting orders to various squads, urging everyone to speed up and prepare for entering the underground cave.

The general had already led a group of soldiers towards the location of the underground cave.

"Something's not right..."

The captain frowned and whispered.

"Should I go check?" Xiaobaihong asked.

"Your soul power?"

"Recovered two points."

"Be careful, don't act rashly, gather information and return immediately," the captain said.

"Understood."

Xiaobaihong opened a black umbrella, walked out of the tent, and suddenly disappeared.

After a while,

He returned with the umbrella, whispering,

"The general has two communication officers who have been trying to contact the World United Government using various methods, but they can't get through."

"That's impossible," the hawk exclaimed, "The communication technology in this world is similar to ours, and there are satellites in the sky. They shouldn't be unable to contact their superiors."

—His chest was still bleeding.

Wuxiaode rubbed his forehead and turned his gaze.

Watching this happen and being unable to do anything was driving him crazy.

"They also tried to contact other units, but couldn't get through," Xiaobaihong said.

Everyone fell silent.

Wuxiaode suddenly felt a sense of foreboding and looked up.

The Book of the Dead quickly flew down, opened in front of him, and displayed a line of icy small text:

"This book has sensed a restless spirit."

"His desire is so strong that he remains in this world, unable to leave."

"With this desire, this book has formed a special commission with him:"

"The secret underground."

"The spirit narrates: My teacher and other experts died deep underground. As his student, I couldn't even figure out what happened underground."

"Please help me find out the reason for the deaths of the underground scientists. If you find the answer, I will do my utmost to repay you."

"Reward: Unknown."

"Do you accept the commission?"

—Another spirit mission.

The last time he came, the soldiers asked him to help hold off the monsters so that the people from Secret Passage Five could evacuate.

This time, he encountered even more spirits.

Should he accept this commission?

Wuxiaode thought for a moment and suddenly remembered the talisman the captain had earlier.

"Captain, what did that talisman mean earlier?" he asked directly.

"According to our Daoist understanding, it means that life in this area is heading towards destruction, and no one can save them," the captain sighed.

"Don't talk about them. Many of us professionals have died, and more might die today," the hawk said half-jokingly.

Wuxiaode glanced at him.

Brother, can you control your mouth? Do you know how you get yourself killed?

He lowered his gaze, thought for a moment, and said to the Book of the Dead,

"Accept the commission."

—There's too little information now.

Those who died must know things he doesn't.

He needs to work with them!

The Book of the Dead trembled.

An unusual wave of energy emanated from the book.

Wuxiaode understood that the Book of the Dead was calling the spirits who had issued the commission.

Suddenly,

A senior officer walked over and shouted, "Engineering Corps, Second Exploration Squad?"

"Yes, sir!" Wuxiaode ran forward and responded.

The officer looked at him and then at the people behind him.

"Besides excavation, do you have any other special skills?" he asked.

Other special skills?

Wuxiaode was taken aback.

The question was too abrupt, and he had no idea how to answer.

"Make sure to mention your strongest skills so he can assign you to the underground cave."

A voice sounded.

A translucent figure appeared in the air beside the senior officer.

A spirit!

He was wearing a military uniform, slender, and looked scholarly, with the same insignia on his shoulder as the senior officer!

It seems the one who commissioned him was this spirit!

Wuxiaode's expression changed, and he said telepathically,

"I know you want me to explore the secrets underground, but our situation is also dangerous. I need to ensure the safety of my team first before helping you explore."

The spirit said, "I am here to help. Listen—"

"Humans can no longer withstand the attacks of the monsters. This area has been completely overrun. The monster army will search the mountains and valleys for humans. Your only chance of survival is to go underground."

"Go underground as soon as possible, at least it's safer there!"

Wuxiaode took a deep breath.

So that's it!

He looked at the senior officer, who was getting impatient due to the lack of response.

"Report, sir, everyone in our squad is strong and skilled in combat."

Wuxiaode said loudly.

The senior officer shook his head, "Strong? I see there are women in your squad—"

Wuxiaode gave the captain a look.

The captain knew what to do.

She walked to a truck loaded with supplies and lifted it with both hands—

The two wheels of the truck left the ground.

The captain immediately let go, stood up, and panted, looking exhausted.

Not bad!

Wuxiaode silently praised.

When he had only three points of soul power, his physical strength was several times that of an ordinary person.

With the captain's physical strength, far exceeding ten points of soul power, lifting a truck with one hand wasn't too difficult.

But that would be too shocking.

This level was just right, leaving a strong impression while still appearing slightly stronger than normal.

The officer praised, "Impressive! Even the female soldiers have such strength. You are also skilled in underground exploration, but you mentioned you are also good at combat—"

The gunner stepped forward, saluted, and said, "Report, sir, please allow me to demonstrate."

"One shot," the senior officer said.

"Yes, sir!"

The gunner grabbed the sniper rifle and aimed casually.

Bang—

A bird in the sky was shot down.

The senior officer made a decision and said, "You are indeed elite. There is a task for you. Can you complete it?"

"Guaranteed to complete the mission!" Wuxiaode saluted.

"Good. Now, I order your squad to quickly prepare supplies and immediately set out. Take the second truck to the underground cave."

The senior officer handed the keys to the second truck to Wuxiaode and took out a copper badge, dipped it in ink, and pressed his fingerprint on it before solemnly handing it to Wuxiaode.

"This badge represents that I have selected you for the underground excavation work. Hand it over to the military officer when you arrive, and he will know how to arrange you."

"Yes, sir!" Wuxiaode said.

The senior officer nodded and hurried away.

Several team members gathered around.

"Smooth sailing," the captain said.

"Yes, going underground will help us understand what these people are excavating," Xiaobaihong added.

Wuxiaode's gaze inadvertently fell on the Book of the Dead.

His eyes moved, and he saw the spirit officer standing to the side, curiously staring at the Book of the Dead, as if wanting to study it.

That's not right.

"Hey, you're already a spirit. Why can't you go underground yourself to find out the secrets? Why do you need to commission me?" Wuxiaode asked.

"Spirits can't go everywhere either. Some places I can't enter," the spirit officer said.

Wuxiaode's face turned pale.

He remembered the hanging dead man.

Is there something like that underground?

Damn, if that's true, I'd rather find a place to hide from a nuclear bomb on the surface!

In the next instant,

A blinding flash appeared beyond the mountains.

Boom!

A deafening explosion echoed in the distance.

A mushroom cloud slowly rose.

It was a nuclear bomb!

(The book is now available, and I will update for the patrons in chronological order.)