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Chapter 161 Sword Manual, Hell! (35 chapters out of 2 words, please vote!)

Dark green military transport planes roared to a landing at a military airfield on the eastern outskirts of Songdu City.

As the hatch slid open, what rushed out was not the expected stench of insect swarms or the smell of gunpowder, but rather a humid sea breeze carrying a salty, fishy scent, and the unique hustle and bustle of this coastal port city in the distance, a mixture of cargo, fuel, and urban life.

Fang Qingyu stepped out of the cabin first, followed by Jiang Wei and the others.

Looking up, the airport is situated on high ground, offering a panoramic view of the core urban area of ​​Songdu City.

Skyscrapers stand tall, neon lights begin to illuminate the scene, and the massive port terminal is brightly lit, with cranes loading and unloading container ships in an orderly manner like giant steel arms.

Ships shuttle back and forth on the sea.

Everything was far removed from the apocalyptic scene he had imagined when he first heard about the molting-class crater.

My gaze swept across the edge of the city.

Fang Qingyu narrowed his eyes slightly.

In the vast suburban area bordering the mountains to the west of the city, a huge, wide-ranging, invisible energy film, like an inverted giant glass bowl, firmly envelops its core area.

Force field!

It was this powerful force field that forcibly isolated and compressed the deadly purple miasma in the pit, as well as those terrifying howls and writhing sounds, within that small area, maintaining the prosperity and "normality" on the surface of this port city.

"Tsk, this looks really weird."

Qin Hui walked to Fang Qingyu's side and also looked at the force field dome in the distance.

In the afterglow of the setting sun, the thin film occasionally rippled with energy visible to the naked eye of martial artists.

"Such a huge bowl covered up, while things are in chaos underneath and everyone's still singing and dancing outside?"

“Didn’t we do this before?” Qi Hao took off his boxing gloves and replied, “This is the largest freight hub in the Southeast, with several million people. We can’t let the whole city be paralyzed just because there’s a hole underneath. Force fields are expensive, but they are the most effective solution at the moment.”

He glanced in the direction of the city and said, "Didn't you feel that after the earthquake, the city only panicked briefly, and now everything's fine again? Everyone's back to eating and going to bars as usual."

As Qi Hao said, although Qingjian City felt a noticeable tremor, for Songdu, it was more like a slightly stronger, perceptible earthquake. After confirming that there were no aftershocks, the city's pulse quickly returned to its original frequency.

Fang Qingyu withdrew his gaze, said nothing more, and simply said, "Follow me. We'll go to the temporary outpost to assemble first."

Instead of entering the bustling main city, they took an internal transport vehicle arranged by the Bureau of Sanctuary, traversing the complex terrain and roads of the suburbs, and headed straight for the edge of the force field that covered the huge crater.

The closer you get to the force field, the stronger the tension in the air becomes.

Instead of the city skyline, there are huge clusters of temporary military tents, transport planes taking off and landing frequently, and engineering vehicles with flashing warning lights.

And logistics and technical personnel, dressed in standard combat uniforms, hurrying about with tense expressions.

The air was filled with the smell of disinfectant and a faint sense of tension.

The vehicle eventually came to a stop on a high ground about one kilometer from the edge of the force field barrier.

Several rows of simple but extremely strong modular metal houses have been built here, serving as one of the temporary bases for frontline support troops.

All the teams from Qingjian City gathered here to receive their missions and supplies.

Fang Qingyu and his team were assigned to a prefabricated house at the back.

The interior was unusually simple, with a few bunk beds, a metal table, and a few stools.

Qin Hui and Lao Qiao put down their huge backpacks and began to make up their makeshift beds.

Qi Hao and Lü Chen checked the surveillance cameras in the environment.

Fang Qingyu didn't make a move. Instead, he took out a thick book with an old cover and no writing on it from his backpack, pulled over a chair, and quietly flipped through it in the corner.

The booklet's inner pages are not printed, but handwritten knife technique diagrams, with vigorous strokes and unpredictable and fierce moves, exuding a life-or-death killing spirit.

Qi Hao leaned closer, unable to contain his curiosity: "Qingzi, you're already at the front lines, what treasure are you carrying around? A sword manual?" He remembered that Qingzi had often looked through some martial arts classics while in Qingjian these past few days.

Fang Qingyu lifted his gaze from the book, glanced at Qin Hui, and spoke in a calm and even tone, as if he were talking about something perfectly ordinary: "Hmm, swordsmanship. I used my merit points to exchange for a few techniques before leaving. I figured I'd be staying in Songdu for quite a while, so I'll take this opportunity to hone my skills in actual combat."

He turned a page, and the ink marks on the yellowed paper outlined the sharp and strange trajectory of the sword.

Qi Hao shrank back and muttered, "Fine, you're ruthless. I've only just broken through to the Martial Artist realm; I'm lucky if I can even master the basics." He stopped bothering him and turned to organize his equipment.

After quickly consuming the individual rations delivered by logistics, it became completely dark.

Fang Qingyu's team received the assembly order and joined up with other teams from Qingjian City. Led by a local Shenguan Bureau commander, they boarded armored personnel carriers and headed towards the nearest entrance stronghold at the edge of the pit force field.

The armored vehicle bumped along the rough, makeshift road and finally came to a stop in front of a huge, semi-concealed entrance deep underground, supported by high-strength alloys.

The air suddenly became thick and sticky, filled with a strong, sweet-smelling stench that was a mixture of putrid corpses, blood, poisonous miasma, and the secretions of biological tissues.

Even through the thick, sealed doors of the armored vehicle, the fumes seeped into my nostrils, making me want to vomit.

The scene before my eyes was more impactful than any photograph.

The huge pit extends into the ground in a fan shape.

A viscous, dark purple liquid continuously seeped from the cracks in the pit walls. It was this liquid that evaporated and formed a toxic miasma that permeated the entire pit.

Countless huge openings were carved into the pit walls, like the gaping teeth of a giant abyss beast.

This is still.
A pit without a ghost.

All the ghosts were brought into the force field, which created this scene; one can only imagine how terrifying the pit inside must be.

Countless technicians in sealed protective suits operated instruments amidst the tense sounds of communications, recording energy fluctuations and changes in the pit.

Logistics personnel pushed various first-aid supplies and heavy energy units back and forth.

Personnel dressed in combat uniforms bearing different city insignia are entering the pit entrance of the Ghostless Cave in an orderly manner, following maps and instructions.

Everything was efficient, hurried, and oppressive, filled with the smoke and death atmosphere unique to the eve of a major battle.

This is the forefront of human civilization's confrontation with fate.

Fang Qingyu and the others were led to a makeshift command platform.

A third-tier Transcendent Realm officer, wearing a combat uniform bearing the eagle emblem of the Songdu Divine Administration Bureau and exuding a calm and collected aura, rapidly issued orders to the newly arrived support team.

Behind him, a huge screen projected an extremely complex, constantly updated holographic map.

That is the diagram of the massive pit nest structure that has been explored within the force field.

The image shows countless intertwined passages forming a vast labyrinth of flesh and blood.

Many areas on the map are marked in red, representing extremely high danger, while deeper areas are pitch black, marked with huge unknown question marks.

"Your current mission is codenamed 'Sweep'!" The military officer's voice sounded somewhat muffled through the masked microphone, yet it carried an undeniable authority.

He distributed a newly updated electronic map with access markers to each squad via tactical tablet. "The core objective is to thoroughly survey and trace the nest's path within the designated area! Mark the forks in the tunnels, the main tunnel routes, and the locations of possible hidden nest chambers! At the same time, be sure to mark the types and scale of the monsters distributed along the way! The map has a shareable marker function; upload any information you find immediately! This will provide the most crucial support for subsequent large-scale clearing operations and possible tactical decisions!"

His sharp gaze swept over everyone, and he solemnly warned, "Remember! If you encounter a large-scale gathering of Death Ghosts, you absolutely cannot fight them head-on! Your mission is reconnaissance, not assault! Once you discover a cluster trend or a tough nut to crack that you cannot handle, immediately report the coordinates through the internal communication channel and call for support from nearby elite squads! Our personnel density is very high in the tunnels below, and support will arrive quickly. Don't be a lone hero!"

At this point, his tone softened slightly, carrying an undeniable air of authority, reassuring everyone:

"Furthermore, you can rest assured! That 'molting-level' main brain ghost that is entrenched deep in the pit, although powerful, has long been suppressed by 'Mountain-Splitting Hand' Chen Tiejun and cannot move at the deepest part of the ground! As long as you don't go to the deeper layers, you don't need to worry about encountering it! It is currently too busy to deal with itself and has no energy to project its power into the outer tunnels to interfere with you!"

Immediately, the adjutant stepped forward, opened a sealed metal box, inside which were neatly stacked hundreds of sealed capsules.

"All support personnel entering the pit for the first time, each will receive three Poisonous Miasma Pills!" he explained quickly as he distributed them. "The 'corpse miasma' permeating the pit is extremely poisonous, capable of eroding blood and energy, and paralyzing the nerves! This special medicine can only be taken once! One pill's effect lasts approximately three hours! Remember that! Three hours is the limit! You must come out or take the next pill in a completely safe area after that time! If the effect is interrupted beyond the time limit or the medicine's penetration is forcibly interrupted by external forces, you will bear the consequences! Understand?"

"Understood!" Fang Qingyu and the others replied in unison, each carefully putting away the pale blue pill.

"Alright! Dismissed! Enter through the designated entrance according to your terminal assignments! Good luck!"

The officer waved his hand.

The task was clear, but the pressure was no less.

Mapping this vast and complex labyrinth of flesh and blood, facing an unknown number of insidious and vicious hordes of undead creatures, every step could be a dead end.

Fang Qingyu quickly opened the tactical terminal and confirmed the entrance coordinates assigned to his squad.

Located on the northwest side wall of the pit, at the entrance of a secondary tunnel marked "D-7".

“Entrance D-7, follow me.”

Fang Qingyu spoke succinctly to Qin Hui and the others, then turned and walked towards the area shrouded in purple miasma at the edge of the pit.

Qin Hui, Lao Qiao, and the others immediately followed, and Jiang Wei also stepped closer to Fang Qingyu.

The closer you get to the edge of the force field, the stronger and more pungent the sweet, rotten smell in the air becomes, and the ground under your feet seems to have an uncomfortable sticky feeling.

The invisible "corpse miasma field" is like a huge, cold, purplish-black bubble, separating the two worlds.

At the edge.

You can see logistics personnel in protective suits busily setting up more sensors and energy barrier generators.

Just as Fang Qingyu took out the issued "Poisonous Miasma Pills," preparing to distribute them to his team members and have them take them, a clear, calm voice suddenly rang out from an area shrouded in the shadow of a huge alloy plate nearby:
"Fang Qingyu".

Fang Qingyu's heart stirred, and he turned around to look.

They saw that Wei Banmeng had quietly appeared a few steps behind them.

She was still wearing that unmarked matte black combat uniform, which accentuated her perfectly proportioned and powerful figure. Her long, jet-black hair was simply tied back, her face was expressionless, and her eyes were as calm as a still, deep pool.

The hurried crowd around her seemed to belong to a different world from her.

She looked quietly at Fang Qingyu, then her gaze swept over the group behind him, her voice remaining calm and direct:
"Want to team up?"

Fang Qingyu stared in surprise, his gaze meeting Wei Banmeng's calm and unwavering eyes.

Before coming here, he never expected to run into this genius from Beijing.

But it makes sense when you think about it.

Currently, the only thing that's truly deadly in the entire pit is that molting-level life-threatening ghost.

For Wei Banmeng, or people like himself, other fates are different.

It's all about resources!

Cultivation is a resource for becoming stronger.

So it's quite normal that they came here to provide support.

The decision is made in the blink of an eye.

Fang Qingyu nodded decisively after only a moment's thought, almost without hesitation:

"Row."

Anyway, this is only the first exploration.

Having such a combatant join the team is actually a good thing.

Fang Qingyu then turned to Qin Hui and the others: "Wei Banmeng is joining. Same rules as before, follow orders in all actions."

"Understood!" Qin Hui and the others responded immediately, their gazes towards Wei Banmeng becoming more solemn.

Wei Banmeng didn't seem surprised by Fang Qingyu's straightforwardness; she simply nodded slightly in response.

She walked to Fang Qingyu's side, her gaze also fixed on the edge of the force field.

"The entrance?" she asked, her voice still cold.

"D-7." Fang Qingyu reported the coordinates, distributed several dark green poison pills to his team members, and swallowed one himself.

The pill melted in the mouth, and a bitter liquid with a strong minty coolness went down the throat, quickly spreading throughout the body and forming a thin protective layer that blocked the increasingly strong sweet and fishy smell from the outside world.

Wei Banmeng also silently took her poison pill.

Fang Qingyu glanced one last time at the location of the D-7 entrance displayed on his wrist terminal, took a deep breath, said nothing more, took Jiang Wei's small hand, and stepped into that invisible force field barrier.

Entering a force field does not mean passing through a physical barrier.

The moment the thought touched that barrier, a cold, sticky sensation instantly enveloped the entire body, as if the whole person had suddenly sunk into a bottomless, sticky, cold, purplish-black swamp!
hum-

A slight feeling of dizziness washed over me.

The next second, the body passed through that invisible "water film".

The world before my eyes turned upside down in an instant!
The faint sounds of the harbor behind me, the blazing sun, and the salty sea breeze.

All human senses were completely stripped away in an instant!
Instead, a thick, purplish-black miasma, so dense it couldn't be dissolved, and with a strong corrosive effect, filled the air.

It rolled around, blocking out most of the light, and the field of vision was compressed to an extremely close range.

The ground beneath our feet was slippery and sticky, covered with a layer of dark green, fungal-like substance.

The air was filled with an indescribable stench, and even with the protection of the poisonous miasma pills, the nausea that shot straight to the brain was still nauseating.

The light was dim, with only the faint glow from the moss-like tissues on the pit walls emitting a pale white or eerie green phosphorescence, and from the faint light emitted by some viscous liquid, barely outlining the twisted and grotesque contours of the tunnel.

From the depths of the tunnel, faint, chilling howls, like fingernails scraping bones, and the sticky sound of something heavy being dragged echoed in the deathly silence, adding to the eeriness.

Cold, damp, dark, putrid, wriggling, strange noises
Just one step in and you're already in a cold, gloomy hell filled with endless malice, twisted and grotesque!
(End of this chapter)