Chapter 589, Contaminated Zone 6 (Thirteen)

The blazing sun still hung high in the sky, like a red-hot iron nail driven into the dome, motionless.

When Yun Zhao opened her eyes, the armored vehicle was completely silent, and she was the only one left inside.

She tried to get up, but felt a pulling sensation in her waist.

A climbing rope was securely fastened to her weapon buckle, with the other end taut and winding its way out from the gap in the car window.

She squinted and looked through the open observation window.

Outside the car window, Jiang Mu was half-squatting on the sand with his back to her, a gun resting horizontally on his knees, his finger rhythmically tapping the trigger guard, as if he were calculating something.

Xia Mingang stood in the shadow of the rock wall three meters away, carving marks in the rusty sand with a dagger. The sound of the blade scraping against the sand was both delicate and grating.

The rope suddenly swayed.

Jiang Mu didn't even turn his head, but instead tugged at the rope: "Make a sound if you're awake."

Yun Zhao looked down at himself, feeling like a dog on a leash.

But it seems she said it herself before she fell asleep, asking them to hold onto her backpack straps.

"She's awake. Let's go there now."

The two people outside waited for her to finish getting ready before getting back into the car.

This time, Jiang Mu took the driver's seat.

"The barrier is just a hundred meters ahead. From a distance, it is still just a stretch of Gobi Desert. You can't see anything unusual with the naked eye. You can only sense the fluctuations of spiritual energy when you get closer."

As Jiang Mu started the car, he said, "We may need to break through the barrier to check the situation on the other side."

Upon hearing this, Yun Zhao felt that the current situation looked somewhat familiar: "It's very similar to Contaminated Zone No. 88."

Jiang Mu: "This proves your guess was correct; there is a guide among the gatekeepers."

Guides excel at creating barriers, making them a major headache for Sentinels.

Moreover, they will be facing a dark guide this time.

Her dark guiding nature was previously suppressed by her childhood environment and red ideology.

Once you become a gatekeeper, those suppressed traits will be completely released.

It would be better if Shen Ying could retain her rationality.

I fear that, after being corrupted by Number Six for so long, she has already been twisted by the dark matter and lost her self-awareness.

“There is one thing that might be different from contaminated zone number 88.”

Jiang Mu said, "If the clues given by the shadowy figure are true, the six gatekeeper domains may be nested within each other, maintaining a delicate balance. If the domains are forcibly torn apart, they may be attacked by the gatekeepers."

Xia Mingang did not participate in Mission No. 88.

However, his grandfather forced him to read all the other S-class mission reports, so he had some impression of the 88th contaminated zone.

"Isn't this better? By actively triggering the gatekeeper mechanism of a certain sub-contaminated area, we can force the rules of that area to become explicit, making it easier for us to find the gatekeeper."

As he spoke, he looked at Yun Zhao sitting opposite him and said, "Then we don't need to bother confirming the location. We can just rush over and deal with them one by one. Sooner or later we'll run into the people we lost."

Yun Zhao remained silent, lowered his head, and opened a carton of milk for himself.

Qingshan Town is located north of Pollution Zone No. 6.

The contaminated area is too large.

Solving them one by one would take an unknown amount of time.

After confirming her location, besides searching for the missing people, she also wanted to go north to see if she could find her uncles...

Jiang Mu had already started the car.

The armored vehicle moved very slowly, gradually approaching the barrier.

Stop thinking.

Jiang Mu's lazy voice came over, "Captain Yun, time to get to work."

Countless fluorescent lights had already converged into green ribbons, rushing towards the barrier from all directions.

An invisible crack suddenly rang out in the air, like glass being violently shattered.

Her spiritual power transformed into sharp spikes, piercing fiercely into the twisted barrier in front of her.

The view was instantly torn apart; the Gobi Desert landscape was like a canvas being ripped open, revealing the chaotic darkness behind it.

Before he could see clearly, Jiang Mu slammed on the gas pedal, and the armored vehicle roared as it charged into the crevice.

The world turned upside down in an instant.

Yun Zhao's mental strength seems to be stronger than when he was in contaminated zone 88.

The barrier level here is much higher.

But back then, it would have taken her time to break through the barrier; now, tearing apart a domain barrier is effortless.

The light in front of me suddenly changed.

From the blinding Gobi Desert to the pitch-black night sky, it only takes a moment.

When they saw their surroundings clearly, the three of them were visibly stunned.

Mountains hidden in darkness, knee-high cornfields, familiar country roads...

"Damn! We're back in Contaminated Zone Four?"

Xia Mingang couldn't help but swear.

It's uncertain whether the clues given by the shadowy figure include Zone 4 or not. Even if they eliminate this area, they won't get any clues about Zone 6.

Yun Zhao's expression softened slightly. "We already know who the gatekeeper is, so getting out will be easy. Let's first look around to see if there are any missing people here."

I thought I had missed it, but I never expected to be able to come back here again.

She wanted to figure out why the people here were so obsessed with her father's things.

More importantly, number 4 is located to the west, making it the most advantageous place for her. She can not only find the answer but also immediately confirm the location of the contaminated area.

“Something’s not right.” Jiang Mu gestured for them to look out the window.

I remember when they broke out, the mountains and fields were covered with mutant and mutated plants, and there were tall buildings that looked like mirages.

But now there's nothing left; not a soul can be seen in the entire village.

Xia Mingang, however, felt that things were going a little too smoothly.

Since they reunited, they haven't encountered any danger.

"Is it possible that the real Number 4 has already been killed by the other gatekeepers, and this is just another illusion designed to trap us..."

Xia Mingang turned his head and asked, "Could it be a trap?"

Yun Zhao was stuffing food into his backpack when he heard this and replied, "No, it's probably because of me."

Xia Mingang: "..." There are actually people in the world with even thicker skin than him.

Yun Zhao also realized that this explanation was somewhat inappropriate, so he explained again: "It created the illusion before to see how I lived outside. Now that I have seen through it, there is no need for it to continue weaving the illusion."

Xia Mingang: "...You might as well not explain at all."

The more I talk about it, the more terrifying it becomes.

Why does the gatekeeper need to watch her life?

Could it be that Yun Zhao was raised by the gatekeeper?

Yun Zhao seemed to know what he was thinking. "It's not what you think. I don't know it at all, and I don't know what it is."

Xia Mingang: "Oh."

The answer was perfunctory because I really didn't know how to respond.

The armored vehicle was moving very slowly.

The figure of the white mythical beast appeared overhead, flying in mid-air searching for the missing persons.

The scene is still the same scene.

But the villagers and the mutants that covered the mountains and fields all disappeared.

The white-haired beast searched both mountains but found no trace of them.

"The fact that the domain did not collapse means that the gatekeeper is still alive."

Yun Zhao thought for a moment and said, "Let's go directly to the village chief's house in Wuji Second Village."

...

The armored vehicle couldn't get in and stopped at the village entrance.

It's still that familiar bamboo grove.

Not long ago, they discovered the wreckage of a spacecraft in the cellar and even fought an S-class mutant.

Coming here again feels like a lifetime ago.

Yun Zhao shifted his gaze from the bamboo grove; the lamps of the earthen house in front of him had long been extinguished, leaving the area pitch black.

Ah, it's still there!

In the courtyard of the village house, a young figure, dressed in a faded shirt and worn-out jeans, sat strangely on the threshold in the middle of the main room.