Chapter 182: Illusionary Crack
Hearing me say this, Lin Hanning raised his eyebrows slightly, not surprised. "One of Gali's relics? You want to obtain that power and further steal the authority of God? There might be a trap set there by someone in advance."
"That's one of the purposes." He nodded and followed her words.
"But more importantly, I need to verify some things. About the notes, about a former investigator... Is she really gone completely?" I deliberately showed appropriate doubts and vigilance.
This note appeared inexplicably, most likely arranged by An Xiaowei. Although I wiped out the Apocalypse Sect before, An Xiaowei would not leave herself a way out. I now suspect that she is not dead at all.
Since the Secret Garden Society can secretly dominate the development of world affairs, it must know An Xiaowei.
Lin Hanning nodded, clearly aware of the situation. "A wise decision. That woman possesses the ability to live forever, yet is as elusive as a ghost. Even if her death is confirmed, we must maintain the utmost suspicion."
After that, she gave me some information: "We have some basic scan data on Binhai Town. The energy field there is very unique. There may indeed be some high-level heritage, but it also comes with extremely high risks. Strong mental interference can even distort space."
She walked to the console and quickly called up some data:
"The Secret Garden Society can provide you with support. A protective suit that can better stabilize your mental state and reduce the mental interference there; a high-precision energy detector to help you accurately locate the energy source of the 'Resonance Crystal'. In addition, one of our external reconnaissance teams is currently conducting routine monitoring missions near Binhai Town. I can direct them to provide you with limited coordination and intelligence support."
"But what will it cost?" I asked, knowing the style of the Secret Garden Society well.
"This is considered an initial investment, Ji Ling."
Lin Hanning gave a formal smile.
"We are very interested in the data and observations you brought back from Binhai Town. We also want to know what treasures are hidden in the ruins. Sharing all the data is the price of this assistance."
"The data and information belong to the Secret Garden Association, and the power belongs to you."
It was fair, generous even. I nodded. "Deal."
"Very good. The equipment is ready for you in Equipment Room No. 3. The reconnaissance team's contact frequency and identification code will be directly imported into your receiver. I wish you all the best, Ji Ling." Lin Hanning stretched out his hand and tapped the control panel with his fingertips.
She looked up at me one last time and said, "I hope you can bring back the information we need, and more importantly... come back alive."
A moment later, I was wearing a dark silver protective suit that fit my body tightly. The faint energy field it brought did indeed alleviate the occasional whispers in my mind.
A temporary communication and scanning module was also implanted in my brain.
Without stopping for long, I once again passed through the strange "access point", left the secret salon of the Secret Garden Society, and returned to the ruins.
Following the detector's guidance and the coordinates in my mind, I used the mirror jump again and headed towards Binhai Town.
…
Binhai Town was much like any other place, deserted and deserted, save for the occasional mutated monster and the air filled with unknown pollution. Under the protection of the Investigation Bureau, a delicate doomsday order was maintained.
With the equipment provided by the Secret Garden, it was not particularly difficult to find the place in the notes.
Soon I arrived at an inconspicuous old community.
Of course there are no ruins here, but the instruments show that there is an unusual space here.
After thinking for a while, I took out a mirror and looked into it using my real vision.
Sure enough, in the mirror, there was an inconspicuous illusory crack somewhere in the residential building.
I moved a little closer, and using my illusory authority, I stretched my hand into the crack, and half of my palm disappeared into thin air.
It seems that this crack should be a passage leading to somewhere.
Without hesitation, I stepped directly into the crack and disappeared into the old residential building.
Behind the crack was a completely dark space. There were still no magnificent ruins, murals, or anything like that, nor was there any crystal jungle. Instead, there was an extreme coldness and silence.
It was as if I had stepped out of reality into a forgotten, frozen world.
I walked in the darkness for a while, and just when I was wondering if I was standing still, some glimmer of light appeared in front of me.
My heart moved and I involuntarily quickened my pace towards the direction of the faint light.
The ball of light grew bigger and bigger, as if connected to another world, and I vaguely saw some reflections of the mirror.
The sky of this "world" is grayish white, with no sun or clouds, only a chaotic halo.
The ground beneath my feet was no longer dirt or ruins, but a dark, glassy surface, smooth as a mirror, yet riddled with tiny cracks, reflecting my blurry and distorted form. The surroundings weren't buildings either, but countless huge, broken, and awkwardly angled mirrors.
Some of them are upright, some are tilted, and some are even suspended in mid-air. Not all of the mirrors are intact. Many are covered with spider-web-like cracks, or are missing large chunks, revealing the empty gray-white sky behind them.
This is not entirely a world in the mirror, but a gap between reality and illusion.
I looked up at the mirror fragments. What was reflected in each mirror was not my current appearance.
They still reflect my face, but in different clothes and in different scenes.
I took a deep breath of the cold air, forced myself to calm down, and walked forward step by step. With each step, tiny ripples appeared on the "mirror" under my feet.
My peripheral vision caught sight of "myself" in one of the mirrors, and I saw myself wearing a neatly tailored senior uniform of the Bureau of Investigation, with a unique emblem representing a secret-level officer on the shoulder straps.
My eyes were sharp and steady, and I exuded a powerful aura. At this moment, I was calmly directing a containment operation targeting a high-risk anomaly unit. Surrounding me were the trusting gazes of Song Nanxing, Chen Yubing, and others.
That is the "me" as a secret investigator, powerful, respected, responsible but with a clear path.
A voice in my heart sounded quietly:
"This is the path you were meant to take: a safe, powerful, and respected path..."
I paused, my gaze fixed on the mirror image for a moment. That had indeed been one of the futures I longed for. But I quickly averted my gaze and continued on. That path, from the moment I was chosen by Gali, had been broken.
But soon, my eyes were drawn to another broken mirror. The scene in that mirror was so warm that it was dazzling.
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