Global Ghost Stories: I'm Investigating Ghosts in My Nightmare!

Chapter 59 Requiem for Eden

After breaking the sound barrier, the assault transport aircraft entered supersonic cruise mode.

The intense whistling sound generated by the friction between the fuselage and the air was isolated by the thick alloy shell and noise reduction system, resulting in an eerie silence inside the cabin.

This silence, in stark contrast to the rapidly receding clouds outside the window and the constantly fluctuating parameters on the screen, felt more like an overture to a warrior about to be executed—oppressive yet tragic.

"Warning! We have entered a high-concentration zone of 'conceptual contamination'! The outer shell of the machine is being continuously corroded by an unknown energy! The energy shield has been activated, and the current loss rates are 3%, 5%, and 8%!"

"Navigation system malfunction! All satellite signals have been completely blocked! Switching to inertial navigation mode!"

"Ultra-high intensity spatial distortion field detected ahead! Attempting to detour... Detour failed! Preparing for a forced entry!"

Lancer's voice kept coming from the cockpit, and each report was like a heavy hammer blow to everyone's heart.

The closer they got to that storm-shrouded "Garden of Eden," the more clearly they could feel the immense will emanating from the "Tower of Ten Thousand Heads."

It's like a tyrannical monarch, forcibly rewriting all the "rules" of the territory it has descended upon, turning it into a forbidden zone where no "outsiders" are allowed to set foot.

"Boom——!"

The fuselage suddenly lurched violently, as if it had crashed into an invisible wall. The cabin lights flickered wildly a few times before going out completely, leaving only emergency red lights that cast an ominous, hellish glow on everyone's faces.

"We're in." An Mu's calm voice came from the cockpit. He gripped the control stick tightly, trying to stabilize the aircraft amidst the raging energy turbulence. "Everyone! Check equipment! Prepare for the impact!"

Bai Yu slowly opened his eyes. Under the continuous soothing power of "Deep Cold," the burning pain on the back of his hand had been suppressed to a tolerable level. He looked out through the small porthole of the cabin.

The sky outside the window was no longer azure and white, but a dark red sky like a sea of ​​blood.

The sun and moon were nowhere to be seen in the sky; only enormous spatial rifts appeared intermittently, each accompanied by a silent energy explosion.

Beneath the dark red sky lies the distorted "Garden of Eden".

The island's vegetation was no longer vibrant, but a sickly gray-black. The mountain outlines became twisted and sharp, like giant bone spurs pointing towards the sky. In the center of the island, the silhouette of a dark, towering structure became clearer than it appeared in satellite images. It was like a giant black nail piercing between heaven and earth, firmly pinning this world to a canvas of despair, constantly radiating malice in all directions.

"Prepare for an emergency landing! Hold on tight!" An Mu's shout rang out again.

Like a giant bird with its wings torn by a gale, the transport plane swooped down toward the relatively flat black sand beach on the island in a near-crash manner.

"boom--!"

With a loud metallic crash, the transport plane slammed heavily onto the beach. The immense inertia carved a deep trench, hundreds of meters long, into the black sand before finally coming to a stop amidst the screech of metal scraping under the strain.

"Cough...cough..."

Inside the cabin, everyone was dazed and confused by the violent impact.

"Everyone... report status..." An Mu's voice carried a hint of weariness.

"Mo Fei is fine! It's just that his butt is almost split in eight!"

"Lan Ce... The equipment is slightly damaged, but its main functions are intact."

"I...I'm fine too..." Lu Yueqi's voice carried a hint of lingering fear.

Bai Yu unbuckled his seatbelt, shook his slightly dizzy head, and said, "We've arrived."

"Zi-"

The cabin door slowly opened amidst a screeching hydraulic screech.

The air was thick with the stench of sulfur, rust, and the decay of some unknown creature, which rushed in from outside the door with a sudden gust of wind, causing everyone to frown.

The five people disembarked from the transport plane one by one and stepped onto this thoroughly polluted land.

The sand underfoot was cold, making a "rustling" sound as you stepped on it, like stepping on a pile of fine ashes.

The air was filled with visible gray dust, and every breath felt like inhaling glass dust, stinging my lungs.

The surroundings were deathly silent. There was no sound of any living creature, no waves, no birdsong, and even the wind sounded like a deathly whimper.

This is a true land of death.

"Lan Ce, where is the 'cradle' device of the first director located?" An Mu asked in a deep voice while scanning his surroundings warily.

Lanze quickly pulled up a 3D map, but the map was covered with a thick layer of red snowflakes, and the signal was severely interfered with.

"According to the descriptions in the 'Genesis' files, the 'Cradle' is located in the central area of ​​the island, at the deepest point beneath the first director's private villa. However... the space here has been distorted by the power of the 'Tower,' and our original maps may be completely invalid. The only reference we have now..."

His gaze fell on Bai Yu.

Bai Yu nodded. He focused his senses on the "Eye of the Vortex" mark on the back of his hand, which acted like an activated compass, constantly emitting waves of burning pulses, guiding him in a clear direction—the center of the island, the location of that giant black tower.

"Come with me."

Without saying anything more, he gripped the heavy "Concept Disruptor" in his hand and took the lead towards the gray-black primeval jungle.

The others immediately followed, and the five of them formed a tight defensive formation, stepping into this unknown darkness step by step.

The trees in the jungle grew abnormally twisted, their trunks resembling corpses wrung dry, their branches like countless withered claws reaching for the sky. The ground was covered with a layer of grayish-black moss like a blanket, soft and silent underfoot.

"Watch out!" Mo Fei, who was walking at the front, suddenly whispered and raised his battle axe to block in front of him.

"call out!"

A black shadow shot out like lightning from the bushes to his side and slammed into his battle axe.

"clang!"

A crisp metallic clang rang out, and Mo Fei was forced back half a step by the force of the impact.

Everyone stared intently, only to see that what was attacking them was a gigantic vine that had suddenly burst forth from the depths of the ground, with countless rusty wires and cables tangled together. The tip of the vine spread out like a carnivorous flower, with dangerous sparks flashing inside.

This is just the beginning.

"Boo! Hah! Hah!"

With a series of whooshing sounds, dozens of identical metal vines simultaneously erupted from the ground in all directions. Like a group of startled pythons, they lashed out at the uninvited guests from different angles with ear-piercing howls!

"It's the original security system of 'Eden'!" Lanze shouted as he dodged the attacks. "They've been corrupted by the will of the 'Tower'! They've become the 'Guardians' of this place!"

"Guardians? Watch me chop them into a pile of scrap metal!" Mo Fei roared, his burly body advancing instead of retreating, the high-frequency electric light on his battle axe surging to its peak in an instant. Like a mad bull, he charged towards the raging vines.

"Cut it off!"

The battle axe flashed with a cold, crescent-shaped light, each swing precisely severing the tough metal vines. The severed vines fell to the ground, twitching a few times like dead snakes before falling still, black smoke continuously rising from the broken ends.

However, there were simply too many of these vines, and they seemed endless; if you cut one off, two more would immediately sprout from the depths of the ground.

"This can't go on!" An Mu roared in a deep voice while firing precise bursts from his assault rifle. "Their energy source is underground! We must move forward! Bai Yu, lead the way!"

Bai Yu's gaze was as calm as a block of ice. He did not participate in the fierce battle, but instead focused all his attention on his senses.

He could clearly sense that although the attacks of these metal vines were ferocious, they were not without pattern. Each of their attacks skillfully avoided certain specific areas.

Those areas are "safe points" under distorted "rules".

"Three steps to the left! Then five steps forward!" he suddenly announced, his voice clearly reaching everyone's earpiece.

Although the group was puzzled, they moved according to his instructions without hesitation, based on their absolute trust in him.

Sure enough, when they moved to that location, the frequency and density of the frantically lashing metal vines around them suddenly decreased, creating an extremely narrow but just-right "path to survival" for them.

"Follow me!"

Without further hesitation, Bai Yu, relying on his extraordinary intuition about the rules and the precise "navigation" provided by the mark on the back of his hand, began to lead the entire team on an extreme trek through this death jungle composed of countless metal vines.

They traversed the treacherous jungle, and suddenly the view opened up before them.

Before them lay a huge circular plaza.

The square's surface was paved with an unidentified black metal, engraved with intricate patterns. In the center of the square stood a white, three-story villa, brimming with modern design.

That was clearly the residence of the first director, Adam White.

However, this villa, which should have been a paradise, has already been completely eroded by the will of the "tower".

Thick, fleshy tentacles, like black veins, pulsated and climbed the walls of the villa. The bright floor-to-ceiling windows transformed into enormous, bloodshot eyeballs, slowly opening and closing. The entire villa resembled a gigantic living organ symbiotic with the will of the "Tower," exuding a nauseating stench.

“‘Cradle’...is located in the basement of that villa.” Lan Ce’s voice was somewhat hoarse.

"Looks like we need to go in and have a proper 'communication' with this 'living house' first." Mo Fei slung his battle axe over his shoulder, grinned, and his smile was full of bloodthirsty fighting spirit.

However, just as they were about to step into that black metal plaza...

"Om-"

Suddenly, without warning, the huge patterns on the square floor lit up with a scarlet light!
Immediately afterwards, the black metallic ground began to rise, converge, and deform like flowing liquid. Finally, amidst the creaking and twisting of the metal, it formed a gigantic metal giant over five meters tall!

The giant was entirely composed of jet-black metal, its body lines exuding power. It had no facial features, only a single, enormous eye radiating a scarlet light. Its arms were constructed from two ridiculously large energy cannons.

"Highest level alert! S-level energy reaction detected! It's the prototype of the ultimate defense system designed by the first director—'Adam'! It...it's been contaminated too!" Lanze's voice was filled with horror.

After taking shape, the giant mech named "Adam" slowly rotated its single, scarlet eye, eventually locking firmly onto Bai Yu.

A monochromatic, emotionless voice emanated from the mecha's chest, echoing throughout the entire plaza.

“A carrier of the mark of the Tower has been detected.”

"Classified as...the highest threat level target."

"Clearance protocol...start".

Before the words were even finished, two terrifyingly bright white energy orbs began to condense at the muzzles of its two enormous energy cannons!

"spread!"

Anmu's roar exploded in everyone's ears.

A fierce battle finally broke out, which was inevitable!
(End of this chapter)