Forbidden Zone of Deception

Chapter 191 Camp Standoff
Jiang Jin is now very ashamed.

"I'm sorry, Commander, I let Zhou Chen escape!"

Despite being shackled, Zhou Chen and Qin Mei managed to escape right under his nose!

"Forget it," Yu Tianlun waved his hand. "It just goes to show that Zhou Chen is a real character, daring to make a move right under our noses. In the end, he still needs more experience and training."

Then, Yu Tianlun stared at the crack in the tree, his brows furrowed. The crack in the tree gleamed with an unnatural purple light, like a torn wound.

Yu Tianlun's fingers probed the edge of the crack—there was no tactile sensation, as if there was only a visual gap there.

Liu Yan's Gu worms began to stir restlessly. Fu Jiang curiously approached to examine the crack, but was pulled back by Yu Tianlun.

“The spatial rift is unstable.” Xu Yinqiu’s Eye of Inspiration peered into the distorted images inside the rift. “Directly traversing it is risky.”

This is the entrance to the dungeon in the Edo Special District.

This is completely different from the entrances contained by the reincarnation system, whose stability cannot be guaranteed at all.

Kitano Ryo nodded: "We tested it when we came in, and it is indeed still unstable. Those two people who went in just now might have fallen into other Japanese horror instances. However, after a while, they should be able to enter and exit normally. Once the spatial rift can be entered and exited stably, we will be able to receive notifications from the reincarnation system."

Soon after, four more men from the scout team arrived.

The characters are: Miyata Sho, a craftsman, wearing a single-lens goggle and carrying a huge mechanical box on his back, inlaid with intricate gears; Murayama Isamu, an Onmyoji, wearing a traditional hunting robe and holding a folding fan, who at first glance looks like Fujiwara no Sai from Hikaru no Go; Matsuzaki Ken, a samurai, with two katanas at his waist and eyes as sharp as an eagle; and Kobayashi Kyoko, a puppeteer, petite in a black kimono, with countless fine puppet strings wrapped around her wrists.

The four of them nodded slightly in greeting to Yu Tianlun and the others.

The Japanese are inherently drawn to strength, and the power of Chinese reincarnators is unparalleled globally, even surpassing that of American reincarnators.

Matsuzaki Ken said in a deep voice, "I really didn't expect to encounter a Chinese reincarnator. Could it be that this instance has an entrance that has been contained by the Chinese reincarnation system?"

Yu Tianlun remained vigilant and replied, "Well, not exactly. We also have uncontained copies over there."

Places like Red Rust Town are probably everywhere in Edo, where every citizen could become a reincarnator at any time.

"Could we exchange contact information? Perhaps we can contact each other to enter the same instance in the future." Matsuzaki Ken was clearly a junior leader of this scout squad, and he was only LV2.

"The same instance?" Yu Tianlun wasn't very familiar with the situation in Edo. "How can we enter the same instance?"

“We have recorded the coordinates of all the terrifying dungeons that can be entered in Edo. Some of our members have also obtained partial system privileges and can know the dungeon entrances that are open in China at the same time. Currently, the entrance to the Junji Itō world dungeon has just appeared in Edo. To explore such a dungeon, we really hope to cooperate with Chinese reincarnators.”

Yu Tianlun is a Level 3 Reincarnator, and this identity alone is enough to make Matsuzaki Ken treat him with utmost respect. After all, far too many Reincarnators are forever stuck at the peak of Level 2, and no matter how hard they try, they can hardly truly step into Level 3.

"also."

While they can't compare to China and the US, given the level of memetic contamination in the Edo region, any reincarnators who survive are certainly quite capable. Overall, it's fair to say that Japanese reincarnators are ranked third globally in terms of strength.

Besides, there's no harm in making friends right now, since it doesn't cost anything.

Miyata Sho's robotic arm made the sound of gears turning: "Regarding the space rift, we have a stabilizing device."

He took out a metal disc from his backpack, its surface covered with intricate runes.

"The 'star-fixing instrument,' a specialty of the Chinese reincarnation system, was among the aid supplies last year."

"That's great, thank you so much."

"By the way, since you are a reincarnation team from Muxu City, I wonder if you have any connections with teams like Bloodlust, Insect Nest, Eternal Dream, or Temple?"

These are indeed all renowned and large teams.

Yongmeng is a team whose reputation rivals that of Bloodlust and the Insect Nest. Meanwhile, the Temple is undisputed the strongest team in Muxu City, and the mastermind behind this team is none other than Long Mingzhang, the head of the Membrane Contamination Monitoring Department!

To be honest, when Yu Tianlun was at the peak of his strength, he did meet with the members of the Temple team.

“You’re joking,” Yu Tianlun replied. “How could we possibly have any contact with such a large team? I’m only LV3. Besides, both the Temple and Eternal Dream are official reincarnation teams, and they’re paid by the imperial court. How could we possibly have any say in their affairs?”

Upon hearing Yu Tianlun's words, Matsuzaki Ken immediately showed a regretful expression.

"By the way, take these pills." Yu Tianlun took out the blue pills. "This world is based on Junji Ito's manga 'The Head Balloon,' so remember to be extra careful."

"It's alright, we have a way to handle it. So, once the passage inside the crack stabilizes, will you leave immediately?"

“Yes, oh, there’s something… Could you protect this child?” He pointed at Yuko. “She’s not a reincarnator; she’s from this plane.”

Matsuzaki Ken nodded: "Sure, no problem."

Yuko looked at Jiang Jin with some unease: "You...are you leaving later?"

Jiang Jin shook his head: "There's still one person from the Bloody Team left here, we need to deal with him."

Kitano Ryo patted Yuko on the shoulder: "Don't worry, we'll protect you."

Yuko bit her lip and finally nodded.

Murayama Isamu took a talisman from his sleeve and gently placed it on Yuko's forehead. The talisman instantly ignited, transforming into a pale blue light that covered her entire body.

"In this way, even after the effects of the pill wear off, the balloon won't see her."

Yuko found it very strange. She stood there for a while but didn't feel anything special.

Just then, the edge of the crack in the tree suddenly split open into an even larger gap!

A pale hand suddenly reached out from the crack and grabbed Yuko's ankle!
"Ah!" Yuko screamed, staggering backward as she was pulled.

"Not good!" Matsuzaki Ken drew his katana and slashed at the hand!
A flash of light, and the arm was severed, but no blood flowed from the break; instead, it dissipated into black mist.

Yu Tianlun and the others stood there, their expressions solemn.

"What is that?" Jiang Jin asked in a low voice.

Murayama Isamu's face was grim: "The vengeful spirits wandering in the rifts... After Edo fell, the dungeon went out of control, and now even the spatial rifts are not safe."

At this time, at the Yihai camp in Muxu City.

The atmosphere in front of Yu Tianlun's villa was tense.

The five members of the strongest team in the Yihai camp—the Yin Sha team—stood at the entrance.

Liang Ji, who was in the lead, crossed his arms and sneered, "Assistant Wen, are you sure you want to stop us?"

Wen Qi, the assistant administrator of the Yihai Camp, stood in front of the villa with a calm expression: "The camp regulations stipulate that the residence of reincarnation teams cannot be occupied without authorization. This villa was specially approved by the government for Commander Yu. What are you trying to do?"

"Occupy?" Liang Ji scoffed. "You and I both know perfectly well that the Nirvana Team is probably all dead at the hands of the Bloodstained Team! A dead man's house is naturally ownerless. Our Yin Sha Team is currently in an expansion phase, so this villa should belong to us!"

His teammates behind him echoed his sentiments.

"Exactly! Yu Tianlun and the others are definitely dead by now!"

"Our Yin Sha team is the strongest in the Yi Hai camp! Why can't we stay here?"

Wen Qi adjusted her glasses: "Unless there is conclusive evidence proving the Nirvana Team has been wiped out, the camp rules remain unchanged. The houses in the Reincarnation Camp are government property, not the private residences of the reincarnators! Who owns them is up to the government!"

Liang Ji narrowed his eyes: "Assistant Wen, you wouldn't... have taken a bribe from Yu Tianlun, would you? Hmm, let me guess, or maybe you two are having an affair?"

Wen Qi's eyes turned cold: "Watch your words."

"Heh, speaking of the government, our Yin Sha team has connections within the government," Liang Ji said in a low voice. "Are you sure you want to offend me for a dead man?"

Wen Qi remained unmoved: "I only follow the rules."

She knew perfectly well that the other party dared to be so arrogant because someone was behind it.

My current actions are essentially tantamount to taking sides. Ultimately, unless someone in the court gives in, there won't be a bloody, open pursuit and killing of Nirvana.

The two sides faced off, and the atmosphere became tense.

"The Samsara Camp does not allow violence. Are you trying to force your way in?"

“Forcing my way in is out of the question,” Liang Ji shook his head and said, “but if Assistant Wen insists on stopping me, I can only report the situation truthfully.” This 1.8-meter-tall male medium exuded a fierce aura. Behind him was the soul-capturing master Mo Hongmian—this woman in a cheongsam was playing with a string of human bone beads, each bead engraved with a different person’s name.

Wen Qi knew that Liang Ji's claim of having "connections in the government" was not just empty boasting. Otherwise, he wouldn't dare to be so arrogant towards her, after all, she was also an official of the imperial court.

Mo Hongmian said sarcastically, "Now who doesn't know that the two Bloody Gangs went to intercept and kill them? What kind of style does Blood Lord have? Leaving them with their corpses intact is already a great act of mercy!"

“I…” Wen Qi’s words were interrupted by the sudden ringing of her cell phone.

Wen Qi answered her phone, and the voice of Manager Sun from the Yihai Camp came through: "Wen Qi, I already know about the situation on your end. Let them stay temporarily, and we'll complete the formalities later."

"What? This...this doesn't follow the procedure?"

"What? You're still telling me how to do things?"

Wen Qi cursed inwardly. He was usually a hands-off manager, handling all the affairs of the camp. Now, all he did was make a phone call without any written authorization. If something went wrong, wouldn't she be the one to take the blame?

But there was nothing she could do; she was just an assistant official. Rank matters, and she couldn't very well disobey orders directly.

“The manager has spoken,” Wen Qi sighed, “saying you can move in first.”

Liang Ji grinned triumphantly and waved his hand, "Move things! Throw all the Nirvana junk into the warehouse!"

The members of the Yin Sha team rushed into the villa like wolves and tigers.

Liang Ji surveyed the villa meticulously decorated by the Nirvana team, a ferocious smile spreading across his face.

"Search! Move everything valuable to the warehouse!"

The members of the Yin Sha team scattered like locusts in a landslide.

A young man with tattoos all over his arms kicked open the master bedroom door and ripped all the clothes out of the closet and threw them into the air; a woman in leather pants grabbed a photo frame from the coffee table and smashed it on the ground, then ran over the photo of Yu Tianlun and Xu Yinqiu with her military boots.

"Don't go too far!" Wen Qi walked in. "You're only staying temporarily! What if the people from Nirvana return..."

Mo Hongmian chuckled, the human bone rosary beads spinning on her fingertips, and said with a smile, "Assistant Wen, didn't you hear what Manager Sun said? This is our territory now. I advise you not to worry about it. Things are different now; the court has begun to change its policies."

A burst of unrestrained laughter came from the basement.

Liang Ji discovered Yu Tianlun's talisman workshop. He put all the meticulously drawn, unfinished talismans and the specially made cinnabar jars into his Reincarnator watch!
Wen Qi's temples throbbed.

As the camp's assistant officer, she knew very well that Yu Tianlun had made great contributions to the entire Muxu City!

Now, just because he refuses to accept the imperial court's offer of amnesty, does he have to suffer such humiliation?

"Liang Ji!" she said, barely suppressing her anger. "Leave room for maneuver in your actions! Why bother with reincarnators who might not be seen today but will be seen tomorrow—"

"Who gives you the right to lecture me?" Liang Ji emerged from the basement, his 1.8-meter height casting an imposing shadow. "Don't even talk about whether Yu Tianlun can come back alive, even if he can..."

He leaned close to Wen Qi's ear, his breath hot on the female official's neck, "Do you know who my brother-in-law is?"

Wen Qi stood frozen in place.

Of course she knew—Lin Sen, the deputy head of the restricted area management section of the Membrane Pollution Monitoring Department in Muxu City, was Liang Ji's brother-in-law.

Although he was only a deputy, he held real power, which is why he was able to become the leader of the Yin Sha team.

Just then, Wen Qi's phone rang again.

The caller ID showed it was the management office of Dingyou Camp.

She took a few steps back and answered the call: "Hello?"

"Is this Assistant Officer Wen?" an unfamiliar male voice came from inside. "This is the Dingyou Camp Management Office. Blood Owl Chief asked us to tell Chief Liang Ji to call back as soon as possible if the Yin Sha team arrives."

Liang Ji raised an eyebrow; he had clearly overheard the conversation.

He snatched the phone: "I am Liang Ji. Is Blood Lord looking for me?"

"Yes. The Yongmeng team just contacted Blood Lord, apparently to discuss something important. Blood Lord asked you to participate as well."

Upon hearing the name "Eternal Dream," Liang Ji's expression immediately turned serious.

He tossed the phone back to Wen Qi and strode towards the door: "Hongmian, I'll leave this to you. I'll be right back."

Mo Hongmian bowed respectfully and gave Wen Qi a fake smile: "So...shall we continue?"

Looking at the villa in complete disarray, Wen Qi felt a wave of helplessness wash over her.

The main building of the Dingyou Reincarnation Camp was brightly lit.

The screen in front of Blood Lord lit up.

A man in a white Tang suit appeared in the picture. He looked to be in his early forties and did not exude any authority. However, the Blood Lord sat upright and dared not show any disrespect.

"Commander Ye."

Ye Xiu – Leader of the Eternal Dream Team, Soul Stealer LV5 – Thousand Faces!

This is the realm that Blood Lord has always dreamed of reaching! However, he has always been just one step away!
With a strength level of LV5, even if all of humanity is dragged into the Interdimensional Realm by memes, there is still the confidence to survive!

"Blood Lord, thank you for waiting." The middle-aged man in the Tang suit said.

Blood Lord maintained a respectful demeanor: "I wouldn't dare. Commander Ye wants to speak with me..."

"What do you think of Liang Zhiyuan's death?" Ye Xiu asked bluntly. "The test results of the remaining Gu worms at the scene are in. They are a variant of Lady Pussy's 'Bone-Eating Gu'."

Blood Lord knew the truth, but showed no sign of it: "What? The Insect Nest team dared to attack the Imperial Envoy?"

“Not surprising. That woman was a madwoman to begin with. After she reached LV4, she herself was also severely corrupted.” Ye Xiu said this casually, but the temperature in the communications room dropped sharply. “According to our intelligence, the Insect Nest team controls the [Miao Jiang Gu Shi] horror instance. Lady Pustules resides there and has already turned it into her home world.”

Blood Lord revealed a shocked expression at the opportune moment. Transforming a dungeon into a home world requires a massive amount of resources, but once completed, the team's strength in that world will experience a qualitative leap.

"What does Commander Ye mean?"

"The imperial court is preparing to wage war against the Insect Nest, and our Eternal Dream will lead the charge," Ye Xiu stopped spinning the dice. "This time, we need the Bloodstained Team's assistance. You have the most experience fighting the Insect Nest and are familiar with their tactics."

Blood Lord had long anticipated this situation. He wanted to use the power of the imperial court to completely eliminate his nemesis and also get a share of the spoils.

He was originally prepared to agree immediately, but the Shadowblade and Crimson divisions have been out of contact ever since...

“I am honored that Commander Ye thinks so highly of me,” he replied cautiously. “However, we have two regiments currently on important missions. I will check on their situation and get back to you later.”

Ye Xiu seemed to have expected this: "Are we going to deal with Nirvana? What, has something gone wrong?"

"It shouldn't be a big problem..."

"Don't be nervous." Ye Xiu smiled. "Even if something really happens, as long as Zhou Chen is alright, it's fine. He's your future Bloody Ace. Even Lord Xuan Niao occasionally inquires about him."

Xuan Niao is a high-ranking official in Yanjing, and his high regard for Zhou Chen demonstrates Zhou Chen's astonishing potential, proving the court's strong belief in Zhou Chen's potential to become a Level 5. This belief even surpasses that of the Blood Lord himself. Many believe that Level 4 is the Blood Lord's limit, while Zhou Chen, following the Blood Pact path, truly has a glimmer of hope to become a new Level 5! The addition of another Level 5 reincarnator to China is a matter of great importance, enough to reach the ears of the Emperor!

"So, when will we target the Bug Nest team...?"

"It's still under discussion. After all, this is no small matter. We will have a video conference with Yanjing at noon tomorrow. Please remember that."

"it is good……"

After ending the communication, Blood Lord was extremely pleased with himself.

The plan to use one tiger to devour another has succeeded!
The imperial court is finally going to take action against the Insect Nest team!
Such good news… he had to let Sima Jin know immediately…

but……

Blood Lord felt a vague unease.

Zhou Chen... he should...

Will everything be okay?
(End of this chapter)