138: Chapter 137 Wonderland? Trap? All teammates have gone missing
By late morning, the wind outside the tent suddenly stopped.
Lin Feng sat cross-legged on the moisture-proof mat, checking his equipment.
The dragon slaying sword hung at his waist, the Medicinal Pill inside the wanxiang ring were sorted and arranged, the positioning talisman was kept close to his body, the communicator was stuffed into his pocket, the protective bead hung around his neck, and the Yuan-Returning Pill was placed in the most accessible spot.
He touched the hilt, checked it one more time, and confirmed everything was correct.
Rapid footsteps came from outside.
Zhao Gang lifted the tent flap, stood at the entrance, his expression more serious than usual.
"Lin Feng, the Secret Realm is about to open. Mr. Chen wants everyone to gather at the cave entrance."
Lin Feng stood up, picked up his backpack, and followed Zhao Gang out of the tent.
The camp was already in an uproar.
Representatives from various countries crawled out of their respective tents, carrying backpacks and weapons, surging toward the direction of the cave.
Some were shouting, some were checking equipment, and some were making phone calls.
The sky above the camp echoed with various languages—English, Russian, Japanese, Korean, Hindi, Arabic—all mixed together, buzzing like a pot of porridge.
Lin Feng followed the crowd toward the cave entrance.
The snow underfoot crunched as it was stepped on, and snowmelt mixed with mud splashed onto his pant legs.
The sunlight was blinding, reflecting off the snow with a stark white glare that made it impossible to keep one's eyes open.
He squinted and saw the blue light curtain of the cave in the distance, pulsating violently.
That light curtain was several times brighter than what he had seen yesterday.
The pale blue light flickered on and off, like a beating heart.
With every pulse, the light curtain expanded a circle and then shrank back.
When it expanded, a low buzzing sound could be heard, like distant thunder, or perhaps the breathing of some giant beast.
Over a hundred people had already gathered outside the cave entrance.
Representatives from various countries stood in small circles, whispering to each other.
Some were smoking, some were drinking water, and some were crouching on the ground checking their weapons.
The air was filled with a tense atmosphere, mixed with the smell of tobacco, sweat, and the cold, crisp scent unique to snowy mountains.
Mr. Chen stood at the very front of the cave entrance, with several people in military uniforms standing beside him.
He held an instrument in his hand, palm-sized, with dense data jumping across the screen.
He stared at the screen, his brows locked, his expression grave.
Zhao Gang and Su Xue stood next to Lin Feng.
Zhao Gang carried a huge military backpack, bulging, and it was unclear what was inside.
Su Xue had two short blades hanging at her waist; the scabbards were white, matching her Explorer uniform perfectly.
Su Xue looked at the light curtain and whispered, "So bright. Much brighter than yesterday."
Zhao Gang nodded. "The energy fluctuations are getting stronger. Mr. Chen says there's at most half an hour left."
Lin Feng didn't speak.
He stared at the light curtain, and an indescribable feeling welled up in his heart.
The pulsation of the light curtain had a certain rhythm.
It wasn't random; it was rhythmic.
Like a heartbeat, like breathing, like some ancient call.
He closed his eyes and felt that rhythm.
Thump, thump, thump.
One beat after another, very powerful, very powerful.
"Lin Feng? Lin Feng!" Su Xue's voice pulled him back to reality.
He opened his eyes. "What's wrong?"
Su Xue looked at him, her eyes showing some concern. "You don't look so good. Are you okay?"
Lin Feng shook his head. "I'm fine. Just thinking about something."
Zhao Gang patted his shoulder. "Don't overthink it. Just stay close to us after we go in."
Lin Feng nodded and didn't speak.
He touched the positioning talisman on his chest and then touched the communicator in his pocket.
Those things were all there, but the feeling of unease in his heart was becoming stronger and stronger.
The pulsation of the light curtain was getting faster and faster.
From once per second to two, three, five times per second.
The buzzing sound also grew louder, changing from distant thunder to the sound of drums nearby, shaking people's chests until they felt stifled.
Some covered their ears, and some took a few steps back.
The light curtain expanded larger and larger, spreading out from the cave entrance like a giant blue palm, slowly opening in the air.
Mr. Chen raised his hand. "Everyone, attention! The Secret Realm is about to open! Enter in batches according to the previous drawing order! Do not crowd! Do not push!"
His voice was mostly drowned out by the buzzing, but everyone heard it clearly.
The crowd quieted down, and everyone stared at the light curtain.
The pulsation of the light curtain reached its peak.
Over a dozen times per second, as fast as a galloping horse.
The buzzing sound became sharp, like a whistle, like birdsong, like some ancient musical instrument.
The light curtain suddenly expanded to its maximum, and then—
"Boom!"
A loud bang.
The light curtain exploded.
It didn't shatter into fragments but turned into countless blue specks of light that drifted in all directions.
Like fireworks, like meteors, like countless blue fireflies.
Those specks of light circled in the air a few times, then suddenly contracted, condensing into a pillar of light that shot straight into the sky.
The light pillar was ten meters thick, a blue so deep it was almost purple, blinding to look at.
The light pillar lasted about ten seconds.
Then, it began to shrink.
From ten meters thick, it shrank to five meters, three meters, one meter.
Finally, it condensed into a fist-sized blue ball of light, hovering in the center of the cave entrance.
The light ball rotated slowly, emitting a soft blue light.
Mr. Chen looked down at the instrument, then raised his head.
"The entrance is stable! You can enter! Follow the drawing order!"
The first batch was the three host countries—China, India, and Pakistan.
Mr. Chen looked at Lin Feng, Zhao Gang, and Su Xue. "You go first."
Lin Feng nodded.
Zhao Gang tightened his military backpack, and Su Xue gripped the short blades at her waist.
The three of them walked toward the cave entrance.
While passing by the representatives from various countries, Lin Feng saw many gazes.
The American, Johnson, leaned against a nearby rock, arms crossed, a smirk on his lips, his eyes looking as if he were watching a good show.
The Russian, Ivanov, stood beside him, the scar on his face particularly conspicuous in the sunlight, those gray eyes staring at Lin Feng like a hunter sizing up prey.
The Japanese, Sato Ichiro, pushed up his glasses, a flash of shrewdness appearing in the eyes behind the lenses.
The Korean, Park Junghwan, put away his smile, his gaze becoming serious.
The Indian, Singh, stroked his thick beard, squinting, wondering what he was thinking.
The Pakistani, Ali, nodded at Lin Feng, his gaze firm.
Lin Feng withdrew his gaze and walked to the cave entrance.
The blue ball of light was right in front of him, rotating slowly, emitting a soft blue light.
The surface of the light ball was like the surface of water, with ripples spreading in circles.
He reached out his hand, and the moment his fingertips touched the light ball—
A powerful suction force came from inside the light ball.
It wasn't sucking his hand, but his entire body.
He felt as if he were grabbed by an invisible giant hand, his whole body flying toward the light ball.
"Lin Feng!" Zhao Gang's voice came from behind, but it was already very far away.
Before his eyes, an expanse of blue.
Not the blue of the sky, not the blue of the sea, but that kind of pure, deep blue that seemed to be able to swallow everything.
He felt himself falling, falling, falling.
The wind whistled in his ears; he couldn't see anything, couldn't hear anything.
Only blue, endless blue.
Then, he stepped onto the ground.
The feeling of solid ground made him sway for a moment.
He steadied himself and opened his eyes.
Then, he was stunned.
This was a world he had never seen before.
The sky was pale gold, like dusk or dawn, indistinguishable whether it was morning or evening.
A few clouds hung on the horizon, pink like cotton candy, like a young girl's cheeks.
The air was filled with the scent of flowers; not just one kind, but the scent of countless flowers mixed together—the richness of roses, the elegance of jasmine, the remoteness of orchids, the cloying sweetness of osmanthus.
Those scents mixed together to form an intoxicating, irresistible fragrance.
Beneath his feet was a meadow.
The grass was short, dense, and shiny green, like a huge piece of jade.
The meadow was covered with countless small flowers—red, yellow, purple, white—in clusters, like scattered gems on jade.
There were trees in the distance.
Those trees were very tall and straight; the trunks were silver-white, as if cast from silver.
The canopies were huge, blocking out the sky, and the leaves were golden, rustling in the breeze.
Sunlight spilled through the gaps in the leaves, casting dappled shadows on the ground.
Those light and shadows were colorful, like a shattered rainbow.
Further away, there were mountains.
The mountains weren't high, but they were beautiful.
The mountains were covered with dense forests; there were waterfalls among the forests, pouring down from the mountaintops, the mist refracting a seven-colored rainbow in the sunlight.
At the foot of the mountains was a lake, the surface as calm as a mirror, reflecting the blue sky, white clouds, and the distant snowy mountains—wait, snowy mountains? There were snowy mountains here too?
Lin Feng squinted and looked carefully.
That mountain was indeed a snowy mountain.
The summit was covered with snow, shining with silver light under the pale gold sky.
But below the mountainside was a dense forest, shiny green.
A snowy mountain and a tropical rainforest appearing on the same mountain—he had only seen such a scene in textbooks—those were illustrations from ancient times, depicting the legendary Kunlun Ruins.
"Is this... the Kunlun Ruins?" he murmured.
No one answered him.
He looked around; it was empty, with only grass, flowers, trees, and the distant mountains and lake.
No Zhao Gang, no Su Xue, no anyone.
He took out the positioning talisman; the back of the card was empty, with only one red dot—that was himself.
No other red dots.
There were no red dots for Zhao Gang or Su Xue.
He frowned and took out the communicator again.
He pressed the button, and the disk lit up, emitting a soft blue light.
A "hissing" sound of electrical current came from inside, like a radio not tuned to the right channel.
"Zhao Gang? Su Xue?" he called out twice.
No one answered.
Only the "hissing" sound of electrical current continued incessantly.
He put the communicator away and looked around.
It was too quiet here.
No birds singing, no insects chirping, no sound of wind, only the sound of the waterfall, far away, as if coming from another world.
The scent of flowers was too thick, so thick it made one dizzy.
The sunlight was too soft, so soft it felt fake.
He crouched down and reached out to touch the grass under his feet.
The grass was soft and slippery, like silk.
He plucked a blade and smelled it under his nose.
The smell of green grass, very fresh, very real.
He looked up at the sky again; the sky was pale gold, the clouds were pink—those colors were too perfect, so perfect they looked painted on.
He stood up, took the dragon slaying sword from his waist, and held it in his hand.
The blade was pitch black, with golden patterns glowing slightly in the sunlight.
With Little Black in hand, he felt a bit more at ease.
He took a Heart-Protecting Pill out of the wanxiang ring and popped it into his mouth.
As the Medicinal Pill went down his throat, a cool sensation spread from his chest to his limbs and bones.
His spirit resistance increased, and the dizziness brought by the scent of flowers lessened significantly.
He took a deep breath and chose a direction—walking toward that snowy mountain.
It was the highest point with the best view; perhaps he could find Zhao Gang and Su Xue there, or maybe see the exit of this Secret Realm.
He stepped on the meadow, walking forward step by step.
The grass under his feet was soft, making no sound when stepped on.
The small flowers swayed by his feet, as if greeting him.
He walked for about ten minutes, but the surrounding scenery hardly changed.
The same meadow, the same flowers, the same trees.
The arrangement of those trees seemed to follow some pattern.
He stopped and observed carefully.
The trunks were silver-white, the canopies were golden; tree by tree, they were arranged very neatly, as if planted by someone intentionally.
He walked to a tree and reached out to touch the trunk.
The bark was very smooth, like polished jade.
He knocked on it, and it made a dull sound, like knocking on solid metal.
He looked up at the canopy again; those golden leaves were swaying gently in the breeze, making a rustling sound.
That sound was like some kind of language.
He listened for a long time but couldn't make it out.
It wasn't human language, nor was it the cry of animals; it was a sound somewhere between the wind and water, ancient, distant, as if telling something.
He withdrew his hand and continued walking forward.
After walking for another ten minutes, the meadow ahead suddenly became shorter.
The grass went from knee-high to ankle-high, then became shorter and sparser.
The small flowers were gone, replaced by patches of moss, dark green, spreading on the ground like a carpet.
The scent of flowers in the air also changed, from rich to light, from cloying to cold.
The temperature dropped as well, from warm to cool, from cool to slightly cold.
He stopped.
Looking up, that snowy mountain was already very close.
The snow on the summit was clearly visible, the waterfall on the mountainside was roaring, and the mist drifted over, hitting his face, feeling cool.
He continued walking forward.
The meadow had completely disappeared.
Beneath his feet were gravel and sand, gray and dusty, a world apart from the fairyland before.
The air was getting colder, and the breath he exhaled turned into white mist.
He wrapped his military coat tighter and quickened his pace.
After walking for about twenty minutes, he finally arrived at the foot of the mountain.
Looking up, the mountain was very high and very steep.
The snow on the summit shone with silver light in the sunlight, and the waterfall on the mountainside poured down from a hundred meters high, the sound deafening.
Beneath the waterfall was a lake; the surface wasn't large but was very deep, the water dark green, bottomless.
He stood by the lake, looking at the water.
The water was very calm, with almost no ripples.
The lake surface reflected the snowy mountain and the sky, pale gold and silver-white intertwined, very beautiful.
He looked for a few seconds, then looked away.
He took out the positioning talisman; the back of the card still had only one red dot.
He took out the communicator again and pressed the button.
Hissing sound, no one answered.
He sighed and put the things away.
It seemed that he wouldn't be able to find Zhao Gang and Su Xue in a short time.
He could only rely on himself.
He looked around, searching for a route to climb.
The mountain was steep, but not completely vertical.
There were many protruding rocks on the cliff, and some vine plants, climbing from the foot of the mountain to the mountainside.
Those vines were thick, Entangling the rocks like pythons.
He walked over and tugged at a vine; it was very sturdy and could bear his weight.
He took a deep breath and began to climb up.
Hands grabbing the vines, feet stepping on the rocks, step by step, slowly climbing up.
The wind blew down from the summit, bone-chillingly cold.
The breath he exhaled turned into white mist, quickly blown away by the wind.
When he climbed halfway, he stopped and caught his breath.
Looking down, the lake had become very small, like a mirror.
Looking up, the summit was still very far away.
He continued to climb.
The vines were getting thicker, the rocks were getting slipperier, and the wind was getting stronger.
He gritted his teeth, step by step.
Finally, he climbed to the mountainside.
There was a flat area, a large rock next to the waterfall.
He climbed up, sat on the ground, and gasped for air.
The waterfall was right beside him, the sound deafening, the mist drifted over, hitting his face, ice cold.
He sat for a while, stood up, and continued walking up along the cliff.
This time he didn't climb, he walked.
There was a small path on the cliff, very narrow, only allowing one person to pass.
The path was naturally formed, with the cliff wall on one side and a precipice on the other.
He hugged the cliff wall and walked forward step by step.
After walking for about ten minutes, the path ahead suddenly widened.
A platform appeared, very large, at least capable of accommodating hundreds of people.
The platform was naturally formed, the ground flat, as if sliced by a knife.
At the end of the platform was a cave.
The entrance was huge, at least ten meters high, pitch black inside, nothing could be seen.
He stood at the entrance and looked inside.
It was very dark and quiet inside the cave, only the wind blowing out from within, carrying an ancient scent.
That scent was like an Ancient Tomb sealed for many years, like ruins untrodden by anyone.
He hesitated for a moment, then stepped inside.
The cave was very deep; the further in he walked, the darker it got.
He raised his left hand, and a soft white light lit up in his palm.
Illumination Spell.
The ball of light floated above his head, illuminating the path ahead.
The cave walls were gray rock, very rough, with traces of water on them.
On the ground were gravel, sand, and also... footprints?
He crouched down and looked carefully.
Those footprints were fresh, deep, as if they had just been made not long ago.
He looked in the direction of the footprints; they extended all the way into the depths of the cave.
Someone had been here.
And recently.
He stood up, gripped the dragon slaying sword, and followed those footprints, walking step by step into the depths of the cave.