However, these attacks seemed futile. The eerie footsteps did not cease; instead, they became even more rapid, as if closing in to completely surround them. Zhang Shi was anxious; he knew that if this continued, everyone would be trapped in a desperate situation.

"ah!"

Zhang Shi shouted, deciding to take a risky action. He released his shadow skill on the spot, holding back the black shadow, and his main body suddenly turned around, using the roof tiles as leverage. In a few leaps, he unleashed several sword lights in mid-air, forming a net of swords that enveloped the center of the street.

In an instant, several tearing sounds echoed through the space where the blades fell, followed by a series of heart-wrenching screams, and the number of monsters killed by the system also increased.

Faced with the relentless attacks of its shadow clone, the dark figure finally ceased its evasive maneuvers. Instead, it contorted its body at an unusual angle, its upper body almost detached from its legs, and passed through the clone's attacks. At the same time, a fleeting glint of light seemed to appear beneath its cloak. Zhang Shi's heart stirred, catching a crucial piece of information—this dark figure might not be entirely formless and intangible, but rather possessed certain specific rules or limitations.

Just as he was preparing to further explore this discovery, the situation on the ground worsened once again. Ge Dalong and the others were almost completely mired in the mud, with only their upper bodies exposed, their struggles becoming increasingly feeble. Meanwhile, the number of invisible entities on the street remained considerable, their footsteps now almost within reach, threatening to materialize at any moment.

"Zhang Shi, think of something quickly!" Chen Beipan's voice was filled with despair. He had exhausted all his strength, and now the ground had swallowed most of his body. He felt that he was having difficulty breathing and could only watch helplessly as death approached step by step.

Zhang Shi took a deep breath, abandoning the shadow and the invisible presence, and flashed to Ge Dalong's side with a Shadow Step. Before even landing, Zhang Shi threw a few planks on the ground. He then landed steadily on the planks.

Sure enough, the wooden plank increased Zhang Shi's contact area, and he did not sink into the muddy ground.

Zhang Shi steadied himself, then grabbed Ge Dalong and pulled hard, but despite his best efforts, Ge Dalong's sunken body wouldn't budge an inch. In desperation, Zhang Shi slashed at the ground with his knife, but unexpectedly, the ground, which had been as hard as a rolling knife, was easily cut open by Zhang Shi. The ground, in pain, began to undulate violently again. Seeing this, Zhang Shi quickly swung his knife, cutting open the ground around Ge Dalong, and then pulled him out with a mighty tug.

Ge Dalong lay on the wooden board and forcefully peeled off the strange substance stuck to his body. To his surprise, the gelatinous substance that was stuck to his body turned into a puddle of liquid sludge as soon as it was removed from the ground, flowing back to the ground and filling the gap.

Taking advantage of the ground tremors that temporarily relieved the invisible threat, Zhang Shi went to his teammates and, in the same manner, rescued everyone.

Strangely, the mysterious dark figure stood quietly watching them from a short distance away on the street until Zhang Shi and his group were all out of danger and the tremors on the ground gradually subsided. Only then did the dark figure slowly walk towards them.

Zhang Shi's eyes were sharp as he kept a close eye on his opponent's every move, ready to fight at any moment.

"Old Duan..."

The shadowy figure's voice was like the sound of mechanical friction, hoarse yet sharp.

Does the other party recognize Lao Duan?

Zhang Shi's nerves tightened even more. Although Lao Duan was a mythical-level weapon bestowed by the system, its various attributes were unknown. In his hands, it was just a kitchen knife that could cut through iron like mud. The other party seemed to be able to communicate. If the other party recognized Lao Duan, perhaps he could learn Lao Duan's detailed attributes from him.

"You recognize him?"

Zhang Shi raised the kitchen knife. After one battle after another, Lao Duan's blade was still spotless, looking exactly as it had been when he first got it.

"Come……"

The shadowy figure spoke sparingly, then turned and walked away into the depths of the city.

Zhang Shi nodded to the crowd and then quickly followed.

The dark figure was very familiar with the Fog City, and maintained a moderate pace as it led the group through the city. They encountered several unseen entities along the way, but the dark figure easily shook them off.

"You're not on the same side as those things?"

When Zhang Shi asked, the shadowy figure slowed down, seemingly organizing its thoughts. After a long while, it gave a vague answer.

I guess so.

Zhang Shi didn't understand the meaning of his words and asked again, but the dark figure stopped responding and just kept walking towards a target.

About half an hour later, the shadowy figure led the group to a dilapidated church.

The interior of the church was dim and solemn. On the ancient stained-glass windows, dappled light and shadow cast strange patterns, as if they were scenes from another world. An atmosphere of antiquity and mystery permeated the air, instilling a sense of awe in everyone.

Most importantly, there is light here!

The sky above the Fog City wasn't entirely covered by fog; there were still a few gaps through which sunlight streamed in, bringing a few rare rays of light to the otherwise dark city.

The dark figure stopped in the center of the church, slowly turned around, and its eyes, hidden under the cloak, seemed to pierce through the darkness, staring directly at Zhang Shi and his group.

"Perhaps this place can give you the answer."

An old but gentle voice came from inside the room. To Zhang Shi's surprise, the person was speaking English. Only after the system translated the words did Zhang Shi understand their meaning.

A moment later, an old woman slowly walked out. Her face looked like that of a Westerner. She was leaning on a cane, and the skin on her hands was dry and withered, with fine lines like rings of time imprinted on her body.

The old woman stretched out her slightly trembling hand, and the dark shadow transformed into a beam of black light that merged into her body.

"Is it a puppet?"

Ge Dalong looked at the old woman with great interest, very curious about her method.

"It's a technique; I can teach you if you want to learn it."

The old woman waved her hand, revealing a bright green wristwatch on her wrist, gesturing for everyone to sit on the bench. Seeing that the old woman meant no harm, Zhang Shi took the first seat. He had too many questions about this place and didn't even know where to begin, but the old woman spoke first.

"You're outsiders, aren't you? How long have you been in this world?"

Zhang Shi and the others exchanged glances and immediately realized that the old woman was definitely not a monster or NPC spawned by the system.

No one answered. Ge Dalong whispered to Zhang Shi to exchange information.

"Her accent was very heavy, and her vocabulary was strange, like... well, like she was speaking classical Chinese."

Zhang Shi nodded, indicating that he understood, and then took off his wristwatch and showed it to the old woman.

“We’ve only been here a short time. More than anything, I’d like to know where you got your watch? And how do you know Lao Duan?”

The old woman took off her wristwatch and gently stroked it, as if reminiscing.

"I know you have many questions, but don't worry, I will answer them one by one."