Inside The Black Mist

Sure enough, it wasn’t long before the scene on the screen changed, showing Su Lie’s team arriving at a base entrance.

They seemed to have known that there would be an underground base here, as they brought the necessary tools and quickly created an opening in the tightly sealed door.

What followed was exploration and combat.

During this process, the footage was either shaky or edited. As a result, Tianyang couldn't see clearly, only that Su Lie’s team was searching for something.

Additionally, they encountered various black creatures, including the Shadow Knights.

A few minutes later, the screen went completely dark. Tianyang thought it might be over, but seeing the progress bar still active, he continued.

He swiped his finger across the screen, and when the image reappeared, he stopped.

The next image showed a well-lit room. Through the window, it was pitch dark outside; it was unclear whether it was night or if the filming location was still within the Inverse Universe.

Su Lie appeared in the frame, moving a chair to sit in front of the camera. He was holding what seemed to be a metal plate.

Su Lie sat down, stared at the metal plate in silence, and then suddenly sighed.

He shook the metal plate. “I sacrificed many brothers for this. In that damned place, only Yin Qi and I made it back. But Yin Qi was severely injured; I don’t know if she’ll survive.”

Su Lie cradled his head; his expression hurt. “I now have doubts about the higher-ups' motives, so I think it’s necessary to record what I’m about to say. After all, we sacrificed so much for this. And…”

He stopped abruptly, his gaze deep and thoughtful.

After a moment, Su Lie straightened up and held the metal plate up, pointing to a line of engravings. “I’m glad I learned the Inverse Universe script from Jing Nan, so I can understand what this says. This is probably something the higher-ups didn’t anticipate. If they see this footage, they might regret choosing me for this mission.”

“Calamity Compass.”

Su Lie pronounced each word clearly. “Calamity means disaster; I understand that. As for ”Compass,”

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it seems to be some sort of tool used by the Inverse Universe residents, but whatever... what’s important are the following words.”

The man on the screen looked at the engraving with a serious expression. “We’ve engraved this information, hoping that future generations will know what we have done. As for whether it was right or wrong, that’s for them to judge.”

“According to the ”Fan Wenzhe—Demon Tomb Research Report,” we found that tomb and confirmed it contained unimaginable things.”

“Many of our comrades believed that what was inside that tomb could help humanity resist the Eternal Night. We organized several teams to explore the tomb.”

“But the outcome was disappointing. The tomb contained too many unknowns and dark, evil tomb guardians. Many of our teams vanished without a trace inside the tomb. Only the leader of the last team escaped and warned us that we must seal the tomb.”

“There is something terrifying inside, and he swore that if it was released, it would hasten the destruction of our world.”

“Unfortunately, we didn’t take it seriously at first, leading to a series of mistakes. But it was too late to regret it.”

“The survivor quickly went mad and could no longer work or live normally. Shortly after, the entities from the tomb sent their minions, and those terrifying beings not meant for this world found us.”

“We had no choice but to seal off the base, hoping to keep them out. Meanwhile, we destroyed all records related to the Demon Tomb. Indeed, the tomb should never have been discovered, let alone opened.”

“But we still have some personnel at another base. We wanted to contact them, but communication was cut off. Now, we can only send a team to notify them to destroy any related records.”

“So, we created this Compass. It not only guides the team to Base No. 2 but also records our actions. I hope the world won’t fall into the Eternal Night because of our foolish actions.”

At this point, Su Lie put down the metal plate and turned it over to show the camera.

The other side of the metal plate displayed a tangle of seemingly meaningless lines.

It looked like a chaotic mess.

Su Lie pointed at the lines, “This might be a map or something, but it’s encrypted by the Inverse Universe residents using some method. Personally, I think the higher-ups at the Fortress intend to find the Demon Tomb; otherwise, they wouldn’t have sent me to lead the team into the base.”

“It’s damnable. If I hadn’t found that ”Fan Wenzhe—Demon Tomb Research Report” during a previous mission, none of these terrible events would have happened.”

Su Lie wiped his face. “To get to the point, the information recorded on this thing is terrifying. Humans and the inhabitants of the Inverse Universe also call themselves humans… I don’t know if it’s a coincidence or something else. But this title fills me with deep fear.”

“We’ve speculated more than once that the roaming monsters in the Inverse Universe are transformed from Inverse Universe residents. If they were once humans, then what about us… Will we also become like them someday in the future?”

“And also, this metal plate was protected by several Shadow Knights. At the time, I didn’t understand why those damned things would protect it. Now I have a terrifying thought—could those knights...”

Suddenly, the sound of movement interrupted Su Lie’s words, and he left the frame. After a while, he returned.

“Good news! Yin Qi has woken up; at least she’s not dead.”

“But now there’s a dilemma. I’m debating whether to turn this thing in. If I do, there’s no doubt I’ll receive great praise. Perhaps they’ll make me the next Night Walker Commander as promised.”

Su Lie shook his head, “But if they decipher the map on this [Compass] and find Base No. 2, obtaining the location of the tomb… I’m not sure if the Fortress has the means to open the tomb. If the things inside are released, will the world outside be affected?”

“Maybe I need to talk to them first…”

Looking at the camera, the haggard-faced man with stubble nodded firmly. “That’s how it will be!”

The recording ended.

Tianyang took out the chip, checked the card reader to ensure no residual information was left, and then stored the chip safely.

The boy laid back on the bed, staring at the ceiling, lost in thought.

Tianyang still didn't know whether Su Lie ultimately handed over the metal plate, but the fact that Su Lie went missing later was undeniable.

Moreover, this matter involved high-ranking members of the Fortress, but it was unclear who specifically was involved.

Also, Su Lie was a Breaker, and it was the first time Tianyang had heard of such a position within the Night Walkers.

Unfortunately, Tianyang had only recently joined the Night Walkers, so he was unaware of many internal details. But it seemed that regardless of whether Su Lie handed over the metal plate or not, the Fortress had covered up the incident.

It was possible that the blockade of the roads leading to Hongni Town was the Fortress's doing. With Hongni Town reopening for exploration after seventeen years, it appeared that there were a few left who knew about the incident.

Otherwise, they wouldn’t have allowed prospectors to freely enter the town.

Even Deputy Minister Shen Mozhu was unaware of the details, showing just how deeply concealed the matter was!

The boy, rubbing his forehead, thought, “Maybe it’s best to put this matter aside for now.”

The situation was too complicated!

If even the high-ranking officials of the Fortress were involved, then even clinging to the Night Walkers’ support didn’t guarantee safety.

Recalling the recent incident where someone sneaked into the apartment, seemingly searching for Su Lie’s journal, it was likely that some people had not forgotten the matter and were still searching for the so-called Demon Tomb. More importantly, how did they find out about the journal being in his possession?

All this indicated that he was already entangled in the situation. Continuing the investigation might just lead to his own downfall.

To get to the bottom of this, one would need either significant power or sufficient strength. Unfortunately, Tianyang lacked both at the moment.

In light of this, he had no other choice but to endure and restrain himself.

For the next two days, Tianyang felt downcast, with thoughts of Su Lie lingering like a thorn in his heart.

One day, after finishing treatment at the medical center and feeling dejected, he wandered around the base to clear his mind. As he passed under some twisted, sickly Inverse Universe trees, he suddenly heard a soft cry, a delicate voice that seemed to belong to a woman.

Accompanied by the sound of branches snapping, a dark shadow fell from above Tianyang. Instinctively, he reached out and caught the falling figure, finding himself cradling an exquisite young woman in his arms.

She was petite and frail, wearing mechanic's clothes, with a few smudges on her face. However, this didn’t diminish her beauty; instead, it made her look even more charming and playful.

The girl, who appeared to be around Tianyang’s age, had a pair of clear, tranquil eyes that seemed to cleanse the soul. Looking into her eyes, Tianyang was reminded of the bright moon in the night sky outside.

They were equally radiant and bright.

As Tianyang momentarily lost focus, the girl lifted her hand and gently brushed the fine strands of hair from his forehead. “So beautiful, so pure silver. Is it natural?”

“Huh?”

Tianyang snapped back to reality and quickly set the girl down. “Are you alright? How did you end up in the tree?”

The girl showed a row of white teeth and stuck out her tongue, saying, “I was repairing the sensor tower. I missed my step, and luckily you caught me, or I would have fallen badly.”

She blinked her dreamlike eyes and took Tianyang’s hand. “By the way, I haven’t thanked you yet. I’m Xiaoniao. What’s your name?”

“Tian... Tianyang.”

“Tianyang?” The girl named Xiaoniao closed her eyes and said, “As broad as the sky, as bright as sunlight. It’s such a lovely name.”

Tianyang shivered slightly, surprised that this girl had interpreted his name with a meaning similar to Su Lie’s.