The air inside the car seemed to have frozen into ice, stinging painfully when it hit one's face.

Zhang Shaozhong touched the lingering cool touch of Ling Qingxue on his forehead, his mind a jumbled mess, completely unable to make sense of it.

The fairy kissed him!

Although it was on her forehead, and the reason given was "to calm the mind," it was actually initiated by the fairy herself!

Still in front of Ye Meier and Su Lan!

He stole a glance at Ling Qingxue on his left. She had already returned to her aloof and indifferent demeanor, quietly watching the mountains and forests rushing past the window. However, her fair earlobes were still tinged with a faint pink, shining in the sunlight streaming through the car window.

The Night Enchantress on the right was so angry that her cheeks puffed up, like a hamster stuffed with pine nuts.

She glared fiercely at Ling Qingxue's head, then pinched Zhang Shaozhong's thigh hard, roaring in his mind, "Pretentious! She cheated! She broke the rules! How can this be!"

Zhang Shaozhong grimaced in pain, but dared not utter a sound, silently enduring this sweet agony.

Su Lan, sitting in the front row, looked completely wilted, like a frostbitten eggplant.

His eyes were fixed on the mountain road ahead, as if he wanted to stare two holes through it.

The bitterness and disappointment in her heart almost overwhelmed her.

The fairy... the fairy actually kissed that boy! Why?!

A deathly silence continued to spread inside the car, with only the roar of the engine and the sound of tires rubbing against the ground, which sounded particularly jarring.

After an unknown amount of time, the special operations officer driving the car (who had been trying to keep a low profile) finally broke the suffocating silence and said cautiously, "Captain Su, Mr. Zhang, we've reached the temporary command post ahead. The road conditions are bad, so we'll have to walk in."

Looking up, everyone saw that the car had left the main road and turned onto a bumpy dirt road. In a relatively flat clearing in the woods not far ahead, there were several camouflage tents, and people could be vaguely seen moving around.

The car stopped in front of the tent.

Su Lan took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the myriad emotions in her heart. She was the first to push open the door and get out of the car, regaining her capable demeanor. She began to direct the remaining personnel: "Xiao Wang, Xiao Li, check the equipment! Lao Liu, bring over the latest topographic map and monitoring data!"

Zhang Shaozhong felt as if he had been granted a pardon. He quickly broke free from Ye Meier (who was still reluctantly clinging to him) and jumped out of the car as if he were fleeing. He took deep breaths of the fresh air in the mountains and felt as if he had been reborn.

Ling Qingxue and Ye Meier also got off the car one after the other.

As soon as Ling Qingxue stepped out of the car, her aloof and otherworldly temperament seemed to blend seamlessly with the primeval forest, making her appear even more detached from the world.

The young special agents who stayed behind stared wide-eyed, not even hearing Su Lan call out to them.

Ye Meier stretched, revealing her curves, exuding a wild charm amidst her languidness, which also attracted a lot of attention.

She glanced at the stunned special agents, chuckled, and went to the side to stretch her arms and legs.

Su Lan walked over with a tablet and several printed drawings, avoiding eye contact with Ling Qingxue and Zhang Shaozhong, and began to explain the situation in a serious tone:

"Gentlemen, this is our forward base. The last location where the missing ranger and the scouting team sent back their signals is in this area."

She drew a circle on the tablet map, which was an undeveloped core area marked in dark green.

"Based on limited information and our preliminary exploration, this area has several characteristics: First, the magnetic field is abnormally strong, and all electronic devices will be severely interfered with or even malfunction after entering; second, the terrain is complex, with caves, sinkholes and underground rivers everywhere, making it easy to get lost; third, there are traces of unidentified biological activity, which seem to be quite large, and their aggressiveness is unknown."

She paused, then looked at the three of them, especially Ling Qingxue: "What are your thoughts? Or do you need any special equipment?"

Ling Qingxue's divine sense stirred slightly, spreading like invisible ripples into the depths of the mountains and forests. After a moment, she frowned slightly: "The energy here is disordered, with yin energy and spiritual energy intertwined. There is indeed something strange about this place. There are faint traces of spatial fluctuations."

Night Enchantress sensed it too, and pouted, "There is a slightly unpleasant smell, but it's nothing serious. As for the equipment, forget about it, it's too much of a burden."

Listening to their assessment, Zhang Shaozhong felt reassured and said to Su Lan, "Captain Su, we won't need the standard equipment. Are your men providing support outside, or...?"

Su Lan immediately said, "My team and I will go in with you! We know the terrain well and can provide support, and... it's also our duty!" Her gaze once again drifted uncontrollably toward Ling Qingxue, with a hint of stubbornness.

Ling Qingxue glanced at her but didn't say anything, which was taken as tacit agreement.

Soon, Su Lan's team was assembled. Including her, there were six people in total, all of whom were elite, well-equipped, and sharp-eyed.

Including Zhang Shaozhong and the other two, the group of nine headed towards the depths of the dense forest marked as the core area.

The initial path was relatively easy to walk; it was just an ordinary mountain trail.

But the further you go, the denser the vegetation becomes, with towering ancient trees blocking out the sun, making the light dim. Underfoot is a thick layer of fallen leaves, soft and yielding, and the air is filled with the smell of soil and humus.

Sure enough, just as Su Lan had said, the electronic devices started malfunctioning as soon as they entered the area.

A piercing static noise came from the walkie-talkie, and the tablet screen began to flicker and display a garbled image.

Su Lan signaled to the team members to turn off unnecessary electronic devices and proceed using only the most basic maps and compasses (although the pointers were also trembling slightly).

Ling Qingxue walked at the front, her white clothes standing out in the mountains and forests. Her steps were light, as if she were not affected by the terrain. Her divine sense was like the most accurate radar, avoiding some hidden pits and poisonous insect nests.

Ye Meier, on the other hand, was like someone on a picnic, looking around and occasionally picking an unknown wild fruit to play with. When she saw a particularly rugged and difficult place, she would even put her arm around Zhang Shaozhong's waist and lightly leap over it, which drew sidelong glances from the members of Su Lan's team and an even more resentful look from Su Lan herself.

Zhang Shaozhong was hugged and jumped several times by Ye Meier, his face was almost completely red, but he couldn't say anything.

After walking for about an hour, the fog around us gradually thickened, and visibility rapidly decreased.

The mist carried a cold, damp smell that was very uncomfortable to inhale.

"Everyone be careful! Stay close! There's something strange about this fog!" Su Lan shouted a warning, gripping her specially made weapon tightly.

Just then, Ling Qingxue, who was walking in front, suddenly stopped.

"What's wrong, fairy?" Zhang Shaozhong asked quickly.

Ling Qingxue raised her hand, pointing to the depths of the thick fog to her left, her clear, cold voice carrying a hint of solemnity:

"Something's coming from there."