With a detailed plan in place, the next step is implementation.
Zhang Shi had ample manpower and resources, and successfully established the shelter before sunset. In Zhao Feng's words, after a long day of work, the soldiers couldn't be allowed to sleep on the floor.
Since it was their first day on the island, and no one knew much about it, Zhang Shi personally led twice the manpower for night watch. Little did he expect that something would happen on that very first night.
The night was as dark as ink, deep and silent, broken only by the gentle lapping of waves against the shore in the distance and the occasional low growls of wild beasts from the depths of the jungle. Zhang Shi sat atop the wall, browsing information on the regional channel. Every now and then, a squad of soldiers would pass by below, carrying torches and weapons, patrolling the perimeter of the camp. Their eyes were alert, ready to deal with any potential threats at any moment.
Just around midnight, the surroundings suddenly fell silent. Zhang Shi looked up in surprise, suddenly realizing that the patrol team hadn't shown up for quite some time. The new shelter wasn't large; even at night, ten minutes was enough to patrol the entire shelter. But almost half an hour had passed, and the patrol team hadn't appeared since their last visit. Zhang Shi realized something was amiss and quickly gathered some men to search along the perimeter wall.
The giant sunflower seemed to have entered a dormant phase, and the entire island was pitch black. Apart from the faint light from the torches in everyone's hands, it was practically impossible to see one's own hand in front of one's face.
Zhang Shi cautiously activated his True Senses, hoping to find some clues, but after circling the shelter, he found nothing.
Zhang Shi glanced at the dark forest ahead and pondered in his heart.
The patrolling soldiers are in teams of ten. Even if they encountered some powerful monster, they should have made some noise. How could they have disappeared so silently?
Overwhelmed by his thoughts, Zhang Shi suddenly remembered the panoramic map and quickly opened the system panel to check it. Sure enough, there were more than a dozen glowing dots in front of the shelter's gate, among which the blue dot shone particularly brightly. Zhang Shi knew that these glowing dots represented his team.
Zhang Shi zoomed out on the map and immediately spotted ten red dots in the upper left corner of the shelter. These ten red dots were motionless, right next to the wall. Zhang Shi was a little puzzled; he had just passed by there, so how come he hadn't noticed them? He then zoomed in on the red dots and adjusted his view to a direct angle, and was astonished to find that the ten soldiers stood there blankly, their expressions as if they had lost their souls.
Zhang Shi hurriedly called everyone to rush to that area, but when they arrived, the place was empty as far as the eye could see, with nothing there.
Zhang Shi checked the panoramic map again and confirmed that the missing team was indeed here. He couldn't help but wonder if there might be some kind of illusion or "ghost wall" here. However, he couldn't detect anything unusual, which left Zhang Shi at a loss for what to do.
Zhang Shi frowned, a sense of foreboding rising in his heart. He looked around; the jungle in the night seemed to conceal countless unknown secrets, and the ten vanished soldiers seemed to have been swallowed up by this mysterious place without a sound.
Just as Zhang Shi was at his wit's end, a flash of inspiration struck him. Recalling his previous experiences in Huojia Village, he had a vague guess in his mind.
Could this so-called "ghost wall" phenomenon actually be caused by some kind of formation?
Zhang Shi quickly gathered all the soldiers on night watch, and even pulled Ge Dalong up with him. Ge Dalong was a magician and was sensitive to magic, so having him along would make things much easier.
Zhang Shi shared his guess with Ge Dalong, and the two decided to take immediate action to rescue the trapped patrol team. He knew that in this unknown and dangerous environment, delay would only make the situation worse.
"We must find the entrance to the formation or a way to break it, otherwise those soldiers may be lost inside forever." Zhang Shi's tone was firm, and his eyes revealed an unwavering determination.
Upon hearing this, Ge Dalong frowned. He recalled reading about mazes in ancient books, which were illusionary mazes created by using terrain, light and shadow, sound and other factors to make people lose their way and even hallucinate.
“I remember reading in ancient books that there is a type of formation similar to the current situation. This formation is called a bewitching formation. There are often one or more key points in the formation. These points may be special markers, terrain features, or specific time conditions. Finding and triggering these points can break the flow of the bewitching formation and thus break the formation.”
Ge Dalong shared his knowledge, trying to provide clues for everyone.
Zhang Shi knew nothing about these things, but Ge Dalong's words reminded him. Zhang Shi, with a mysterious smile, took out the Spirit Gathering Array Plate.
"The formation needs spiritual energy to support it. If I absorb all the spiritual energy here, do you think this bewitching formation will break down on its own?"
Ge Dalong was moved by Zhang Shi's idea and clapped his hands.
"That's a good idea, much better than going through the trouble of finding the array's core."
Without hesitation, Zhang Shi placed the Spirit Gathering Array Plate directly on the ground and then activated it with all his might. A visible vortex appeared out of thin air above the shelter, and everyone simultaneously felt an invisible current of energy permeating their bodies, making them feel comfortable all over, as if every pore on their skin had opened up. Some soldiers even groaned in comfort.
Having experienced a higher concentration of spiritual energy, Zhang Shi glared at the out-of-control soldier but didn't delve into it, instead focusing on observing the map and the changes around him.
Sure enough, a few minutes later, everyone felt that the scene in front of them had changed significantly, as if two similar pictures had been superimposed. Although the picture in front had been torn apart, there was a faint sense of separation in the world in front of them.
A moment later, the ten missing soldiers suddenly reappeared in front of everyone.
They only then regained their senses and, seeing even their lord appear, looked at the large group of people who had suddenly appeared before them with puzzled expressions, wondering what major event had occurred.
Zhang Shi examined the ten soldiers and, finding nothing amiss, granted them leave to return to the shelter and rest. He then led the other soldiers into the dense forest, referring to the map as they went.
There's something in there.
Zhang Shi pointed to the panoramic map, where a stone tablet was visible. Next to the tablet was a swirling vortex that resembled ripples, somewhat similar to a teleportation portal.
"Could this be the entrance to some dungeon?"
Ge Dalong was quite knowledgeable; usually, only secret realms or dungeons with generous rewards could be concealed by such formations. He felt a surge of anticipation. The shelter was currently in the initial stages of rebuilding, and acquiring some useful resources would be ideal.
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