"A trap?!" Lin Yi's heart skipped a beat, his adrenaline surged, and he almost swallowed back the word "departure" that was just on the tip of his tongue.
He slammed on the brakes, abruptly stopping his foot from stepping into the spacetime rift.
This sudden turn of events left everyone present momentarily stunned.
Long Wu jumped up, his fat jiggling like a spring mattress.
"Holy crap! What's going on? A trap?! Who's trying to set me up?!"
The person who came was dressed in rags, covered in blood, and his face was covered in mud, making it impossible to see his appearance.
He stumbled and crawled to Lin Yi's feet, grabbed his trouser leg, and wailed weakly, "No...don't go...to the 'Forgotten City'...it's...it's a trap..."
Lin Yi quickly crouched down, helped the man up, and asked urgently, "Who are you? What happened?!"
The man coughed violently, spitting out a mouthful of blood, and said haltingly, "I...I am...from the reconnaissance team...we...we were ambushed...Night Owl...Night Owl and the others...they knew...they knew you were coming..."
"What?!" Lin Yi's expression changed drastically, and a chill ran straight to the top of his head.
Did the owl have foreseen this all along?!
How is this possible?!
Could it be Xuanmingzi...? Is he also plotting against me?!
"Damn it, these bastards!" Long Wu was so angry he jumped up and down, rolled up his sleeves and was about to rush out. "I'm going to kill them right now!"
"Calm down, Long Wu!" Lin Yi grabbed him and said in a deep voice, "Now is not the time to act rashly. We need to figure out the situation first."
He turned to Chu Yao and asked urgently, "Yao Yao, what about the intelligence sent back by the reconnaissance team? Is there any detailed information about the situation inside the 'Forgotten City'?"
Chu Yao quickly accessed the database and began searching rapidly.
"Master, the reconnaissance team has only sent back some scattered images and data; most of the information has been blocked. There seems to be some kind of powerful interference field inside the 'Forgotten City,' which is blocking our signal."
"Damn it!" Lin Yi cursed under his breath; the situation was worse than he had imagined.
"What do we do, Brother Yi?" Long Wu was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan. "We're stuck in a dilemma, unable to move forward or backward. Are we just going to stand by and watch those bastards, Night Owl, get away with it?"
Lin Yi took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.
He looked around, his gaze settling on the white-bearded man's weathered face.
"Dad, what do you think?"
Whitebeard stroked his beard. "Gurarararar... It seems this matter is more complicated than we imagined. That Night Owl is indeed no pushover."
"I've roamed the seas for years, what kind of storms haven't I seen? Since they want to play dirty tricks, then I'll play along with them!" The white-bearded man swung his fist with domineering force, making the air hum.
Lin Yi nodded, feeling somewhat relieved.
With Whitebeard, this seasoned veteran, around, at least the team's fighting strength can be guaranteed.
"Su Qing, what do you think?" Lin Yi looked at Su Qing, who had been silent all along. Her identity was mysterious, and perhaps she could offer some different perspectives.
Su Qing frowned slightly, pondered for a moment, and said, "I think we can't completely trust the intelligence from the reconnaissance team. Perhaps this is a trap set by Night Owl to lure us in."
"Luring us into a trap?" Lin Yi's eyes narrowed. He had considered this possibility before, but now it seemed that Su Qing's guess was not without reason.
"If the 'Forgotten City' really is a trap, then what is Night Owl's purpose?" Lin Yi thought quickly. "Could it be that he wants to use the power of the 'Forgotten City' to completely control the entire game world, or even the real world?!"
Thinking about this, Lin Yi couldn't help but feel a chill of fear.
If the owl succeeds, the consequences will be unimaginable.
"It seems we have to change our strategy," Lin Yi said in a deep voice. "We can no longer proceed according to the original plan, or we may fall into Night Owl's trap."
"What should we do now?" Long Wu asked anxiously.
Lin Yi: "Splitting the troops into two groups!"
"Huh? Split into two groups?" Long Wu was completely bewildered. "Even now, you're still splitting up?!"
“That’s right, we’ll split into two groups!” Lin Yi nodded firmly. “One group will consist of me, Dad, Long Wu, Su Qing, and me heading to the ‘Forgotten City’ to scout out the situation and make our move when the opportunity arises. The other group will consist of Lan Ran and Chu Yao staying at the base to continue analyzing intelligence and finding weaknesses in Night Owl’s plans.”
“But…” Su Qing said with some worry, “The ‘Forgotten City’ is fraught with danger. We know nothing about what’s inside. Wouldn’t it be too risky to enter rashly?”
"Fortune favors the bold!" Lin Yi said with a determined look in his eyes. "If we keep hesitating, we will only miss opportunities. Besides, we also have time teleportation, so even if we encounter danger, we can retreat in time."
"Alright..." Seeing that Lin Yi had made up his mind, Su Qing didn't say anything more.
Lin Yi turned to Aizen and asked, "Mr. Aizen, what do you think of this plan?"
Aizen adjusted his glasses and smiled slightly.
"I have no objection and will follow Mr. Lin Yi's arrangements."
“Alright!” Lin Yi nodded and said decisively, “It’s settled then! Yao Yao, open the spacetime rift and send us to the ‘Forgotten City’!”
Chu Yao quickly got to work, her hands flying across the keyboard.
A blue light flashed, and a huge spacetime rift appeared before everyone.
"Remember, Mr. Aizen, you must be careful and cautious while staying at the base, and keep in touch at all times," Lin Yi instructed.
"Please rest assured, Mr. Lin Yi, I will do my best to ensure the safety of the base," Aizen said calmly.
Lin Yi took a deep breath and turned to look at Whitebeard, Long Wu, and Su Qing.
"Brothers, let's go!"
Just as they were about to step into the spatial rift, Chu Yao suddenly exclaimed, "Wait! Master, I think I've discovered something!"
Lin Yi suddenly stopped and turned to look at Chu Yao. "What did you find?"
Chu Yao pointed to a line of data on the screen and said with a solemn expression, "I discovered that Night Owl and Xuan Mingzi did not seem to enter the 'Forgotten City' through the normal route. They... they seem to have used some special means to bypass the necessary conditions for entering the 'Forgotten City'!"
"What?!" Lin Yi's pupils suddenly contracted, and a strong sense of crisis surged into his heart.
"How on earth did they do that?!" Lin Yi asked through gritted teeth.
Chu Yao shook her head and said, "I'm still analyzing it, but their methods are very covert, and I need more time."
"There's no time!" Lin Yi said decisively. "We must take immediate action to stop them!"
He turned to look at Whitebeard, Long Wu, and Su Qing, and said in a deep voice, "The plan has changed. We must go to the 'Forgotten City' immediately to stop Night Owl and Xuan Mingzi!"
"Alright!" everyone responded in unison.
Lin Yi took a deep breath and stepped into the spacetime rift first.
Whitebeard, Long Wu, and Su Qing followed closely behind.
The spacetime rift slowly closed, leaving only Aizen and Chu Yao in the base's laboratory.
Aizen gazed in the direction where the spacetime rift disappeared, a meaningful smile playing on his lips.
He gently pushed up his glasses on the bridge of his nose.
“It seems things are getting more and more interesting…” he said in a low voice, his tone full of anticipation.
He turned to Chu Yao and instructed, "Continue analyzing the intelligence and find Night Owl's weaknesses. Also, keep a close eye on the movements of the 'Forgotten City' and report to me immediately."
"Yes, Mr. Aizen," Chu Yao replied respectfully, continuing to bury herself in data analysis.
The laboratory fell silent again, with only the sound of keyboard clicks echoing in the air.
However, at that moment, the laboratory door was suddenly pushed open from the outside, and a dark figure silently walked in...
"Yo, Aizen, long time no see." A sinister voice broke the silence in the laboratory.
"Holy crap, who is it?!" Long Wu's loud voice almost caused the spacetime rift to collapse.
He instinctively wanted to turn around, but Lin Yi grabbed his shoulder.
"Don't turn around!" Lin Yi's voice was low, but it carried an undeniable authority.
"Since they managed to get this far, they're definitely not someone to mess with. Be careful, it might be a trap!"
Whitebeard narrowed his eyes, and an invisible aura of dominance instantly enveloped the entire area.
"Gurgle gurgle gurgle... Looks like a group of uninvited guests have arrived!" His weathered eyes gleamed with excitement, as if he had spotted some interesting toy.
Su Qing silently drew her dagger, concealed it in her sleeve, and stared coldly at the spacetime rift.
Although she is not good at fighting, she can deliver a fatal blow to the enemy at crucial moments.
Lin Yi took a deep breath and slowly focused the power of spacetime into his eyes.
He activated the [Eye of Time and Space], attempting to see beyond the spacetime rift.
However, just as he was about to see through the spacetime rift, a strong interference field suddenly surged over, instantly blocking his vision.
"What the hell?!" Lin Yi couldn't help but swear, feeling like his eyes were about to go blind.
"Be careful, something's fishy!" Lin Yi immediately warned.
Just then, the spacetime rift suddenly began to tremble violently, as if something was trying to forcefully break free of its constraints.
"Oh no, the spacetime rift is about to collapse!" Chu Yao's voice came through the communicator, tinged with fear.
"Master, get out of there quickly!"
Lin Yi's expression changed, and he immediately realized the seriousness of the situation.
Once the spacetime rift collapses, they will likely be swept into the spacetime turbulence, and even those with god-level professions will find it difficult to escape death.
"Go!" Lin Yi made a decisive move, grabbing Su Qing's hand and forcibly pulling her into the space-time rift.
However, at that moment, a bolt of black lightning suddenly shot in from outside the space-time rift, heading straight for Lin Yi's face...
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