93: The northern mists shroud the Bear Kingdom, while the forbidden lands of the west remain isolated from the mortal world.

Chapter Ninety-Six: Northern Mists Envelop the Bear Country, Western Forbidden Zone Divides the Mortal Realm

The skynet satellite's signal covered the entire globe. On the command center's screens, every inch of land was clearly discernible, except for the Bear Country in the north, which remained perpetually shrouded in a thick, grayish-purple mist of energy.

The mist seemed alive, churning restlessly in the satellite images. Any probe beam that penetrated it would be like a stone sinking into the ocean, failing to send back even a hint of feedback. The researchers adjusted over a dozen detection frequencies and even utilized high-penetration gamma rays, but in the end, they could only see eerie flickers of light and shadow at the edge of the mist, unable to glimpse the true situation within the Bear Country's borders.

Even more baffling was the border region between the Bear Country and Western Huaxia.

From the snowy peaks of the Pamir Plateau to the depths of the Taklamakan Desert, and across the thousand-mile grasslands of Hulunbuir, a long, narrow strip stretching thousands of kilometers had become a Vacuum Forbidden Zone, isolated from the world. In the images captured by the skynet satellite, this area showed no signs of life—no roars of Mutants, no traces of survivors, and even birds and beasts had vanished from the place.

At the edge of the forbidden zone, the air seemed to have solidified into a transparent wall. A Reconnaissance Squad sent by the Western Granary Base had tried to cross the line to investigate. However, the moment the lead team member's fingertips touched that invisible barrier, his entire body seemed to have all life drained away, instantly turning into fly ash without leaving behind even a single bone. The accompanying recorder only transmitted a piercing energy hum before failing completely.

When the news reached the Central Hub Base, the atmosphere in the command room became so heavy it was nearly suffocating.

"This energy mist and Vacuum Forbidden Zone are definitely not natural formations." Lin Zhou stared at the grayish-purple area on the screen, his fingertips lightly tapping on the Bear Country's border on the sand table. "Before the apocalypse, the Bear Country possessed the world's top energy weapon research system. Could it be that they initiated some unfinished super experiment when the apocalypse broke out?"

Chen Hao's brow furrowed as he agreed in a heavy voice, "It's highly likely. The energy fluctuations of that Vacuum Forbidden Zone are completely different from any Mutant or Skeleton Serpent weapon we know. It's more like... a sort of spatial-level blockade."

Wang Hu looked worried. "The Western Granary Base is right on the southern side of the forbidden zone. If this energy barrier undergoes any sudden change, wouldn't the base be the first to bear the brunt?"

Lin Zhou was silent for a moment before raising his hand to issue orders. "First, the Western Army Group is to immediately deploy three elite divisions to station along the border and establish a three-layer alert defense line outside the forbidden zone; any anomaly must be reported immediately. Second, the Research Team will form a special task force to analyze the energy residue data brought back by the Reconnaissance Squad to determine the nature of this barrier. Third, the skynet satellite will maintain twenty-four-hour continuous surveillance of the Bear Country and the Vacuum Forbidden Zone—not even a flicker of an unusual shadow can be missed."

As the orders were issued, the roar of armored vehicles already resounded across the snowfields of the western border.

Soldiers of the Western Army Group braved the biting cold winds to set up camp at the edge of the forbidden zone. Monitoring towers rose from the ground one after another, with various precision instruments pointed at that desolate region. Holding their weapons, the soldiers warily watched the empty grasslands before them—no one knew what secrets were hidden behind that invisible barrier.

In the skynet satellite's monitoring footage, no one noticed that deep within the grayish-purple mist covering the Bear Country, occasional flashes of crimson light appeared, like the pupils of some giant beast peering out from the darkness at the world outside.

Meanwhile, in an undersea base deep in the Pacific Ocean, Zhulong watched the footage of the Vacuum Forbidden Zone on his screen, a meaningful smile curling at the corners of his mouth.

Beside his hand lay a dusty file. Printed on the cover was the national emblem of the Bear Country, along with a line of encrypted text—'Pandora Project' Activation Records.

"Those old friends from the Bear Country are still as crazy as ever," Zhulong whispered, taking a sip from his wine glass as a glint of calculation flashed in his eyes. "This energy barrier has actually done me a huge favor. At the very least, it will keep Lin Zhou occupied for a while."

He turned to look at the cultivation tank behind him. The deep-sea behemoth inside was slamming its head against the tempered glass, letting out muffled roars.

"Don't be in such a hurry." Zhulong patted the cold wall of the tank, a hint of madness in his voice. "When that mist dissipates, it will be the day we sweep across the globe."

On the command tower of the Central Hub Base, Lin Zhou leaned against the railing, gazing toward the northern horizon.

The afterglow of the setting sun dyed the grayish-purple mist into an eerie orange-red. At the edge of the Vacuum Forbidden Zone, the wind howled past, swirling with snow and making a wailing sound like the whispers of departed souls.

He knew that this mist shrouding the north and the vacuum zone spanning the west would eventually reveal their mysterious veils. And behind those veils might lie a threat even more terrifying than the Serpent Skeleton Research Institute.

But there was not a trace of fear in Lin Zhou's eyes.

Behind him were the indestructible Five Great Bases, hundreds of millions of compatriots united in purpose, and the increasingly powerful Dawn Army.

No matter what was hidden behind the mist, he had the confidence to lead Dawn City to meet every challenge.