Zhang Shi pondered for a moment, feeling that the mission objective was too broad. Historical records said that the city lord obtained Lao Duan in a dungeon, but the specific location was not recorded. To specifically complete this mission would be as difficult as finding a needle in a haystack.

Ge Dalong continued to flip through the historical records, which contained records of major events in Fog City, but there were no records related to Lao Duan.

Ge Dalong continued flipping through the pages, but secretly shared a passage with Zhang Shi. The translated text is as follows:

"The city lord obtained a mirror and that very night summoned all the high-ranking officials to the council hall for a meeting, the contents of which are unknown. The next day, soldiers brought out three corpses from the council hall, and all the high-ranking officials involved remained silent about what happened that night."

Zhang Shi looked at Ge Dalong, who was still intently flipping through historical records, showing no unusual behavior. However, his actions indicated that he had also noticed Zhang Shi's strange behavior.

Zhang Shi sighed softly, unsure of what was so special about the mirror, or why only he could see the anomaly.

When faced with a problem, Zhang Shi would silently open the system panel and chat privately with Ge Dalong.

"You saw it too?"

Ge Dalong replied quickly.

"What did you see? I just noticed you were acting a little strange, so I sent you the information about that mirror. What, is something wrong?"

Zhang Shi hesitated for a moment, but decided to trust Ge Dalong and told him about Wu Qing.

"Wu Qing in that mirror looks like a vengeful ghost."

Ge Dalong took a while to reply, and even the speed at which he flipped through the history books slowed down.

"Should we ask that old woman? She might know something."

After some consideration, Zhang Shi still couldn't fully trust the old woman, and finally decided to solve Wu Qing's problem himself.

Finding no other valuable information in the historical records, Ge Dalong put down the heavy book and handed it to the shadowy figure.

Seeing that Lao Duan's trail had gone cold, Zhang Shi decided to complete the current phase of the mission first, unlock the teleportation point, and then proceed with the subsequent exploration.

"Grandma, there are no clear clues here, so we've decided to explore on our own and also clear out the monsters in the city."

After putting the history book back on the shelf, the shadowy figure paused noticeably upon hearing Zhang Shi's words and asked Zhang Shi in a hoarse voice.

"You're trying to unlock the teleportation point in Fog City, aren't you?"

Seeing that the other party knew about the system mission, Zhang Shi did not hide anything and nodded in agreement. The shadowy figure pondered for a moment before slowly speaking.

"As the guardian of the Fog City, I should stop you, but this place has become a dead city, and our lineage is about to be cut off. Do whatever you want."

The shadowy figure paused for a moment, then offered another reminder.

"Just be careful, the number of monsters in this city is far greater than you can imagine, and their strength is more than one level stronger than ours. If you want to challenge them, try to hunt them on the outskirts. Do not approach the city lord's mansion, and try not to make too much noise so as not to disturb the earth beasts."

Zhang Shi nodded, finding the old woman's words of advice quite reasonable. A monster capable of destroying a city-state must be incredibly powerful, and those invisible beings seemed particularly sensitive to sound. If not handled properly, they might attract a monster tide, which could backfire and leave them unable to escape.

Then, the shadowy figure pointed out a general direction to Zhang Shi and the others before quickly leaving the hall and heading back towards the church.

"If you encounter a situation that you cannot handle, you can go back to the church to take refuge."

Zhang Shi stared at the departing shadowy figure. There were too many suspicious things about this old woman, and he dared not fully trust her when he was with her.

After everyone tidied up their equipment and ate a quick bite, they left the hall and headed towards the entrance of Fog City. Before leaving, Zhang Shi glanced at the mirror one last time. Everyone's figures were still clearly displayed in the mirror. Wu Qing's ferocious face, like a vengeful ghost, was behind him, her pair of pupil-less black eyes silently watching him.

Zhang Shi felt a chill run down his spine, but he remained calm on the surface, not letting this strange feeling affect the team's progress.

He tried to remove the mirror, but found that it seemed to be integrated with the architecture and was not a separate prop, so Zhang Shi had to give up the idea of ​​taking advantage of the situation.

Following the old woman's directions, the group walked along the rooftops, traversing winding streets and alleys, gradually approaching the edge of the Fog City. Along the way, they carefully avoided corners where monsters might be hiding, trying to remain as quiet as possible so as not to disturb the unknown beings, alert them, or disrupt their original plans.

As they moved to the edge of the Fog City, the city's decay became increasingly severe. Buildings had collapsed, streets were covered with rubble and weeds, and the air was filled with an aura of decay and death. Zhang Shi noticed that the number of monsters had actually increased significantly. They lurked in the shadows or wandered among the ruins, their occasional roars sending chills down one's spine. The streets and buildings were no longer seamlessly integrated, seemingly returning to normal.

"That's good news. At least it shows that this place is not within the range of that mysterious earth beast."

The group exchanged glances and decided to set their hunting grounds nearby. They moved cautiously, using their skills and equipment to silently eliminate any lone monsters.

Unfortunately, their good fortune was short-lived. The invisible beings possessed keen senses and quickly detected Zhang Shi and his group, beginning to gather in their direction on a large scale. Soon after, a group of orc monsters hiding in the shadows suddenly became agitated. Bloody gashes appeared on their bodies until their torsos split open. The orcs, terrified, scattered in all directions, but the invisible beings were not about to let them go easily. As if sharp steel blades had appeared in the void, the fleeing orcs were sliced ​​into pieces before they could react. In an instant, the entire street was filled with blood, flesh, and filth.

Faced with the growing number of invisible beings gathering, Zhang Shi quickly communicated with his teammates and decided to change their strategy. Instead of fighting alone, they concentrated their firepower, took advantage of the terrain, set traps, and lured the monsters into the encirclement.

They found an abandoned warehouse with its door ajar, filled with junk and collapsed shelves. Zhang Shi and his men sprang into action. One group set up traps around the perimeter, using ropes, stones, and arrows to create an area that could trap and weaken the monsters; the other group hid inside the warehouse, ready to launch a surprise attack once the monsters were lured in.

Zhang Shi and Zhao Feng were responsible for attracting the monsters' attention from the outside. They deliberately made some noise and constantly provoked the monsters, guiding them towards the warehouse.

The unseen beings took the bait. Attracted by Zhang Shi and Zhao Feng's provocation, they began to swarm towards the warehouse. In an instant, the entire street was filled with the sound of countless footsteps.

As Zhang Shi and Zhao Feng retreated, they continued to fire at the monsters, keeping them angry and driven to pursue.

As the monsters fully entered the warehouse area, Zhang Shi and Zhao Feng quickly retreated to a safe position, signaling to their teammates. Ge Dalong, Chen Beipan, and Wu Qing, who were hiding inside the warehouse, immediately sprang into action. Using the warehouse's clutter and shelves as cover, they launched a fierce attack on the monsters using various ranged attack methods.

The traps began to take effect. Some monsters tripped over the ropes, fell to the ground, and were trampled by their companions, their blood revealing their forms; others were hit by the group's skills, blown to pieces, leaving clear trails of bloody footprints in the street.