As night fell, the area under Chen Ding's responsibility had been basically cleared, with only a few shops with their doors closed and a few residential buildings remaining to be inspected.

Chen Ding led several soldiers to a supermarket located on the basement floor.

The supermarket's roller shutter door was tightly closed, covered in dust and rust.

“Break it open, be civilized,” Chen Ding said calmly.

Because this county town would be the temporary base of the First Army for some time to come, Chen Ding did not decide to violently demolish the facilities there.

A soldier who had once been a locksmith stepped forward, took out a tool, and started fiddling with it.

The lock was quickly opened.

As the roller shutter door was pulled up, a stale, musty smell wafted out.

The group turned on their powerful flashlights, and the bright beams drew streaks of light in the darkness.

When they saw the inside of the supermarket, everyone was stunned.

This underground supermarket, covering several thousand square meters, was completely empty.

"Holy crap, where's the stuff?" one soldier blurted out.

Chen Ding was also a little stunned.

The main gate is intact, indicating that it has not been forcibly broken into.

But everything inside had vanished without a trace.

Not only did all the goods on the shelves disappear, but the shelves themselves also vanished!

All that remained were some incredibly bulky things.

Chen Ding and the others went inside and inspected the place carefully.

The ground was covered with a thick layer of dust, but there were no signs of a panicked evacuation, nor were there any zombies or human corpses.

"What...what happened here?" a young soldier couldn't help but ask.

Another soldier swept his flashlight across the empty hall, his voice trembling slightly: "Battalion Commander, this is too bizarre, isn't it? It's like... like everything in the entire supermarket has vanished into thin air."

Chen Ding's heart tightened, and he felt a little uneasy.

He examined the ground carefully again and found that the dust was evenly distributed and there were no signs of dragging or moving.

The promotional posters on the wall were still bright and the cash register was intact, but all the supplies and shelves had vanished.

I walked all over the supermarket but didn't find anything else unusual.

Chen Ding said in a deep voice, "Report to the regimental headquarters immediately. Something is not right here."

After saying that, he led everyone out.

Less than twenty minutes later, a convoy sped up.

The person who jumped off the lead vehicle was none other than Wu Ming, the commander of the First Army.

"Commander!" Chen Ding immediately saluted, feeling both surprised and excited.

Wu Ming was one of Jiang Wu's confidants and also served as the first platoon leader, company commander, and battalion commander in the Fuxing Army.

It can be said that his growth was also the growth of the Restoration Army.

Furthermore, Wu Ming was once the chief instructor of the Fuxing Army.

This made Wu Ming extremely prestigious in the military.

Wu Ming returned the salute and got straight to the point: "Tell me the situation."

As soon as he finished speaking, Wu Ming took the lead and headed towards the underground supermarket.

Along the way, Chen Ding gave a detailed report on how he discovered the supermarket's anomaly, from breaking down the door to finding it empty, leaving out every detail.

After listening, Wu Ming's sharp eyes scanned the empty supermarket, and he said seriously, "In such a large supermarket, the supplies couldn't have just disappeared into thin air."

He turned to his entourage and ordered, "Search thoroughly, don't miss any corner!"

"yes!"

Dozens of soldiers immediately launched a thorough search.

The beams of powerful flashlights crisscrossed in the empty hall, and footsteps echoed in the silent space.

Ten minutes later, a soldier shouted from the warehouse area: "Commander! We've found something here!"

The group rushed over immediately and saw the soldier pointing to a tile on the ground that was almost blending into its surroundings.

The tile has been moved aside, revealing a dark hole underneath.

The hole isn't big, but it's definitely not small either.

It is about 80 centimeters in diameter.

The location is very hidden, in the far corner of the warehouse.

This hidden entrance would be completely undetectable without careful inspection.

Wu Ming crouched down and carefully examined the downward-sloping hole with a powerful flashlight.

"It seems someone has moved all the supplies from here."

After saying that, he was about to crawl down without hesitation.

"Commander!" the adjutant hurriedly stopped him. "The situation down below is unclear and too dangerous! Let us send men to scout ahead!"

Others also tried to dissuade him: "Yes, Commander, you are the commander of an army, you cannot take risks lightly!"

Wu Ming smiled calmly and said irritably, "I'm a level two agility-type evolver, and I'm wearing a level three snakeskin inner armor and a crocodile skin robe. If something happens to me, aren't you just going down there to your deaths?"

He surveyed the crowd, his tone firm: "Besides, when have the leader and his wives not always been at the forefront? And you want me to hide in the back? Are you kidding me?"

Seeing Wu Ming's resolute attitude, the others had no choice but to give in.

The final decision was that Chen Ding would lead three evolved individuals to clear the way, with Wu Ming following closely behind, while the others would keep their distance.

The stairs extend downwards for about ten meters, connecting to a wide sewer.

Unlike the common domestic sewer systems that are too narrow for people to walk through, this is a pipe-type sewer system.

This sewer is as wide as a small subway tunnel.

The walls on both sides are mottled bricks, giving them an old appearance.

The mud inside the passageway had dried up due to long-term disuse.

Although a faint odor still lingers, it's much better than expected.

When the flashlight beam shines, you can even see dense footprints on the ground, stretching all the way into the depths of darkness.

Wu Ming examined the footprints and smiled slightly, saying, "It seems there are quite a few people hiding here."

The group moved quickly along the passage.

As evolved beings, their speed far exceeds that of ordinary people; they are practically running at high speed through the tunnels.

The flashlight beam streaked across the darkness, illuminating the ancient sewer.

Graffiti and markings can still be seen on the walls from time to time.

It adds a lot of life to this place.

But soon, everyone stopped in their tracks.

The road was blocked off with cement and bricks.

Wu Ming frowned.

After a moment's thought, he drew the Level 3 Alligator Turtle Claw Blade from his back and slashed directly at it.

Cement and bricks are incredibly fragile in the face of the Level 3 Alligator Turtle Claw Blade.

The claw blade seemed to pierce into tofu.

Seeing Wu Ming make a move, the others followed suit.

The blocking wall is very thick, more than one meter thick.

It represents the determination to blockade.

However, this wall is as fragile as tofu in the face of biological weapons.

They quickly broke through the wall.

But outside, there was a fork in the road.

Chen Ding took the lead and walked over. Then, he exclaimed in a low voice, "Commander, look at these footprints! Something's not right!"

Wu Ming walked over and looked at the ground.

He then understood the anomaly Chen Ding had mentioned.

The footprints on the ground suddenly became extremely messy, and most of them were clearly not human footprints.

These footprints are larger than adult footprints, with four distinct toes and sharp claw marks at the front.

In addition, there are some unusual traces.

It looked like a long mark left by a thick tail dragging.