If you were made a mascot, you would become a legend in the police force.

"Return to nothingness? The end of all things?"

Li Tuantuan repeatedly pondered the words brought by Jin Dou in her mind, a chill running from the soles of her feet straight to the top of her head.

In his previous life, he was a seasoned office worker who had read countless online novels, so he was all too familiar with the term "Gui Xu," which sounded sophisticated and ominous.

In mythology and legends, this thing is basically synonymous with "cosmic garbage can" and "world crematorium".

[Li Tuantuan's inner monologue]: What the hell? That white deer said this place is Guixu? Doesn't that mean we're standing at the entrance to a sewer that could flush the whole world down the toilet at any moment?

The more he thought about it, the more uneasy he felt.

No wonder the system issued such a hysterical alarm just now; it turns out it detected that this is a high-risk demolition zone.

[Li Tuantuan's inner monologue]: No, this is no place to stay! What purple bamboo shoots, what merit points, compared to my life, they're all meaningless! I must quickly call for help and weld this broken door shut!

He made a quick decision and prepared to lead the team back the way they came.

However, when he turned around, he discovered that the crack in the bronze door they had come through had silently disappeared without him noticing.

Instead, there was a massive, solid stone wall that seemed to blend seamlessly into the entire space.

On the stone wall, there are also mysterious patterns that are exactly the same as those outside the bronze door.

Our escape route has been cut off!

"The door...the door is gone!"

Someone in the group let out a desperate cry.

Everyone's face turned deathly pale instantly.

This is like a group of people excitedly entering a haunted house, only to find that the door is locked from the outside, and the ghosts inside are all real!

An atmosphere of "despair" instantly filled the group.

"Shut up, all of you!"

Li Tuantuan suddenly let out a low roar.

He didn't use the "Beast King's Roar" skill, but the pure power and overwhelming rage contained in that sound struck everyone's hearts like a heavy hammer.

All the wails and complaints were forced back down.

[Li Tuantuan's inner monologue]: Are you wailing? I'm not even dead yet, and you're already in a hurry to start the feast?

[Li Tuantuan's inner monologue]: If the road is gone, I'll carve a new one for you! If the sky is falling, I'll push it back up with my fists! A bunch of grown men aren't as tough as me, a panda!

He walked to the huge stone wall, took a deep breath, and concentrated all his strength into his right fist.

"Ultimate Technique: One-Punch Super Bear!"

His bear paw, as big as a clay pot, slammed down on the stone wall with tremendous force.

"Thump—!"

A deafening roar, loud enough to shatter eardrums, echoed throughout the space.

Li Tuantuan felt as if he had been struck by a neutron star of infinite density; the immense recoil made his entire arm go numb.

Apart from the spot where he hit the stone wall, which rippled with a blue light, there wasn't even a single crack!

Li Tuantuan was dumbfounded.

His punch, powerful enough to split mountains and shatter rocks, couldn't even break through the defense?

Now, even he himself started to feel a little uneasy.

[Li Tuantuan's inner monologue]: What material is this broken wall made of? Vibranium?

Just when the team's morale was about to completely collapse.

"Look everyone!"

The beautiful woman codenamed "Heavenly Voice" suddenly pointed in another direction in the forest and let out a gasp.

Everyone looked in the direction she was pointing.

Deep in the forest, a towering stone tower, reaching into the clouds, began to emit a soft white light.

The light seemed to carry a guiding power, forming a faint path of light spots before everyone's eyes, extending deep into the forest.

"Is that... the exit?" someone asked uncertainly.

"I don't know." Lin Wan shook her head, but her eyes became incredibly determined. "But right now, that's our only way."

Li Tuantuan nodded as well.

There is no turning back now.

Whether we live or die, we have no choice but to grit our teeth and forge ahead.

"Taishan, you lead the way. Shadow, you scout ahead. Everyone, maintain battle formation and follow!"

Li Tuantuan quickly issued the command through telepathy.

The group rallied and cautiously made their way deeper into the forest along the path marked by the lights.

The forests of this world are eerily quiet.

There were no birdsong, no insect chirping, not even a whistling sound of wind.

The only sound was the soft rustling of people stepping on the fluorescent moss.

The further in you go, the taller and more peculiar the surrounding trees become, and the shapes of many plants are completely beyond people's comprehension.

Just as the group was passing through a "forest" made up of giant mushrooms.

The "Shadow," responsible for scouting ahead, suddenly emerged from the shadow of a mushroom and solemnly gestured for a halt.

"Captain, there's something ahead." His voice was extremely low. "A lot... not living things."

Li Tuantuan signaled the team to remain on guard, then led Lin Wan and Taishan, and quietly crept up.

After passing a giant blue mushroom that was at least ten meters tall, the sight before them made everyone gasp.

In an open space ahead, dozens of lifelike stone sculptures stand.

The shapes of these stone sculptures are all those of a lizard they have never seen before, with a lithe and agile physique.

Some of them are poised to pounce, while others raise their heads and roar. Every detail is sculpted with remarkable realism, as if they might come to life at any moment.

"Are they the guardians of the ruins?" Taishan asked in a deep voice.

"It doesn't look like it." Lin Wan shook her head. "These stone carvings don't have any energy fluctuations; they're just like ordinary stones."

Li Tuantuan also started a system scan, and the results were the same as Lin Wan's judgment.

[Target: A regular obsidian statue.]

[Danger Level: None.]

[Li Tuantuan's inner monologue]: What a scare! It was just a bunch of decorations.

Relieved, he waved his hand and prepared to lead his team around.

However, just as they were passing by these stone sculptures...

An anomaly has occurred again!

When the group reached the center of the stone sculptures, two points of scarlet light suddenly lit up in the originally empty eye sockets of all the stone sculptures!

"Click...click..."

A series of sounds of stones breaking rang out.

The stone chips on the stone leopards began to fall off in a rustling sound, and their bodies began to slowly unfold as if they were alive!

A cold, violent aura, purely composed of the will to kill, instantly locked onto everyone present!

"Holy crap! It's come back to life!" Taishan exclaimed, instinctively adopting a defensive stance.

These stone leopard sculptures, made of spiritual energy, have moved!

They are not made of flesh and blood, but are pure energy constructs!

"roar!"

The closest stone leopard let out a roar produced by the friction of rocks, and transformed into a black lightning bolt, pouncing towards the weakest support-type ability user in the group!