Soon, Chen Hai and his men hurriedly arrived at the city gate, their hearts filled with anticipation and excitement.

As he approached the line waiting outside the door, his gaze immediately fell on the young man riding a black horse at the front of the line.

Judging from the subtle respect shown by those around him and his unique stance on horseback, he must be the 'captain' of this team.

Upon closer inspection, Chen Hai suddenly froze.

The young man with a bow and arrow, riding a black horse, was such a rare combination that Chen Hai instantly thought of someone.

Li Yu, the hero of Zhongzhou?! He's also the commander of the new 7th Regiment of the Zhongzhou Military Command.

Although others might not think much of his position as the head of an external regiment, Li Yu's heroic reputation had spread throughout Zhongzhou.

Just a few days ago, the newspapers even published a news article about Li Yu taking charge of Yangcheng and helping to maintain stability.

Even Yangcheng City Lord Li Yang gave an interview afterward, personally acknowledging Li Yu's help to Yangcheng and praising everything Li Yu did.

At this thought, Chen Hai quickly came to his senses, almost leaping forward, and immediately greeted them with a warm expression, saying in a loud voice:

"Chen Hai, Director of the Thunder Bureau Branch, welcomes Regiment Commander Li Yu to Kangcheng!"

"Kangcheng?" Li Yu raised an eyebrow; this was the first time he had ever heard of the ghost town having another name.

Moreover, this Kangcheng carries a sense of solemnity that is completely different from that of a "ghost town".

However, if the other party recognizes you, then things will be much easier.

Without needing to explain his origins further, saving himself a lot of trouble, Li Yu dismounted and stepped forward, cupping his hands in greeting:

"Director Chen Hai."

"Commander Li, you're too kind!" Director Chen Hai immediately stepped aside to make way for him: "Commander Li, please come in, please."

Passing through the steel city walls, the moment they stepped into the gates of Kangcheng, even the Seventh Regiment, who had been to many large cities, couldn't help but let out a low gasp of amazement, their eyes wide with wonder.

The rain continued to pour down.

Despite the continuous heavy rain, there was no standing water on the ground inside the city.

Unlike Qingcheng, which used energy to completely isolate itself from the heavy rain and create a 'greenhouse', Kangcheng was perfectly integrated into the rain.

The ground is paved with special stone with fine drainage channels. Rainwater flows gently along the ingeniously designed network of ditches and converges into the wide "water corridors" on both sides of the main road. The clear water rushes out of the city, forming a dynamic rhythm.

Rainwater is not a burden, but rather becomes part of the urban landscape and circulation system, allowing the city environment to fully integrate with nature.

As you venture deeper into the city, the streets are lined with detached buildings that are simple in style yet highly designed, arranged in a pleasing, staggered pattern.

Rainwater flows down the sloping roof and rain gutters, forming a flowing water curtain on the building's surface due to its special design. Together with the gray sky, it creates a grand and tranquil rain-soaked scene.

The high-standard building complex was picturesque in the rain, making it hard to believe that no one would want to live in such a place.

"It's so beautiful! This... this place, no one would want to live here? And it's even called a ghost town?" Fu Xiyao couldn't help but exclaim to Li Yu in a low voice, her eyes full of disbelief.

Even Li Yu was attracted to this beautiful city with few people.

At the rear of the group, Shi Tuo Yan, who controlled the alien beasts and the deep-sea guardians, pursed his lips, warily looking around, his withered hands constantly rubbing something: "The more beautiful it is, the more likely it is to hide a poisonous sting."

Although it is said to be a ghost town, many original inhabitants still live here.

Hearing the commotion outside, the scattered residents emerged from the buildings one by one, curiously observing the rare outsiders.

Li Yu glanced at the surrounding residents and suddenly noticed something different.

The residents of Kangcheng seemed to be in excellent health. Almost all of them had rosy complexions, robust physiques, and full of energy, with an indescribable sense of peace in their eyes.

This quality of life is far superior not only to the refugees struggling to survive outside, but also to the ordinary residents of many large cities in Zhongzhou!

This is very unusual.

Li Yu was unaware that Chen Hai, who was standing next to her, had the same reaction.

When Chen Hai saw the large, well-equipped team behind Li Yu, composed entirely of Awakened individuals, he was even more astonished.

Although they appeared to be composed of refugees, the menacing aura of their formation, their almost identical movements and order to those of the military, and the subtle energy fluctuations they exuded suggested that they were no rabble!

Chen Hai could tell at a glance that these were all elites!

It's important to understand that Kangcheng's relatively small number of residents have been able to enjoy a good life because of the support it received from the Central Plains government.

I learned from the newspaper that Li Yu had led refugees all the way from outside Zhongzhou, and yet he had managed to develop to such an extent.

Chen Hai was utterly shocked and curious about how Li Yu had managed to build such a team.

But when he thought about how Li Yu had helped countless refugees on the road, and how he treated outsiders so well, it was not surprising that he treated his subordinates so well.

However, Chen Hai still felt some pressure from the intimidating presence of the Seven Regiments behind him, whose formation was so tight and disciplined.

Chen Hai glanced back at the giant cannon on the city wall. If Li Yu and his group were here to attack Kangcheng, even with the powerful defenses of the cannon and the city wall, they would probably suffer heavy losses.

Because the population of Kangcheng was too small, even a large number of weapons would be of little use. In addition, the recent incorporation of two elite units from Kangcheng into the Zhongzhou Legion had further reduced the fighting capacity of the city's personnel.

Fortunately, it was Li Yu, the hero of Zhongzhou, who came.

Chen Hai glanced at Li Yu curiously, wondering why, given Li Yu's reputation and strength, he hadn't participated in the expansion of the Central Plains Legion to gain merit and resources, but instead came here.

Li Yu ignored Chen Hai's complex thoughts and began to observe constantly after entering the city, her gaze sweeping back and forth.

He was quickly assessing Kangcheng, while also searching for the vague "hint" from Li Yang and the elusive opportunity mentioned by the monk Jingshi.

Everyone was saying he was coming to the ghost town, and now that he's here in person, I'm filled with anticipation too.

A chill suddenly swept over, and besides the freshness of the rain, the air was suddenly filled with a faint, icy coldness.

Unlike the coldness of the air, it felt more like a chill that sent shivers down your spine.

Li Yu's gaze involuntarily drifted towards a certain direction deep within the city.

Chen Hai immediately noticed Li Yu's gaze and looked in the same direction, only to be surprised to find that the area where Li Yu was looking was the area in Kangcheng where "paranormal" phenomena were most frequent.

He had long since figured out the strange area, but even powerful Awakened Ones, or even those with a spiritual Awakening ability, still couldn't understand the patterns of those ghosts.

Several attempts to clear the area all ended in failure.

Chen Hao looked over curiously, wondering if Li Yu had a solution.

But then, a slight smile appeared on Li Yu's lips.

"We've really come to the right place."