Guo Yun: Plays Ye Shunguang, teammate Ye Shiyuan

The four members of the Dragon Kingdom squad advanced steadily toward the dark outline in the distance, forming a tactical formation.

"The ether concentration is starting to rise." Zhou Liming's voice broke the silence of the team. He pushed up his glasses, and the fluctuating numbers were reflected on the lenses. "The current concentration is 0.12%, almost twice as high as at the camp, but still within the safe threshold. The wind direction hasn't changed, it's west of northwest, and no abnormal energy fluctuations have been detected."

Ye Jianguo nodded and lowered his voice: "Everyone, pay attention, reduce the distance between each other, and stay alert. The terrain ahead is starting to change; there are more scree slopes. Watch your step."

The four of them walked even more lightly. The vegetation on the wasteland was becoming increasingly sparse, leaving only some withered, unidentified wild grasses shivering in the wind.

After walking for about twenty minutes, Ye Shunguang suddenly stopped.

She squinted slightly, looking at the ground not far ahead. There seemed to be less gravel there than around, and the ground was smoother, with faint traces of human intervention.

"What's wrong?" Ye Jianguo noticed her pause and immediately moved closer, following her gaze.

Others gathered around as well.

At dawn, Zhou knelt down, reached out, and carefully brushed away a layer of loose soil from the ground. As the soil was removed, the outline of a dark gray, hard road surface gradually emerged.

That was a highway.

A highway that appears to be abandoned.

The road surface was covered with cracks, overgrown with weeds, and the edges were eroded beyond recognition by wind and sand, but it was still clear that this was a man-made road.

The road was wide enough for two cars to drive side by side, stretching into the distance and eventually disappearing into the dark area.

"This...this is a highway?" Zhou Liming's eyes widened, his voice filled with shock. "How could there be a highway deep within this forbidden area? This means someone used to live here!"

Chen Jianjun also squatted down, tapped the road surface with his fingers, and said in a dull voice, "It's an asphalt road, the quality is good, it must have been built many years ago, but it's not well maintained. Judging from the wear and tear on the road surface, there must have been a lot of vehicles passing through it before."

Ye Jianguo frowned. He stood up, looked in the direction the road stretched out, then turned back to look at Ye Shunguang, his eyes filled with disbelief: "Shunguang, the small town you dreamed about... is it at the end of this road?"

Ye Shunguang didn't speak, but simply nodded slowly.

"My God..." Zhou Liming was so excited he almost jumped up, so excited he forgot how to describe it. "This means Ye Shunguang's... uh... sixth sense was right! There really are traces of human activity here! That town might really exist!"

The four of them had mixed feelings.

Shock, excitement, and a hint of unease. The appearance of the highway confirmed Ye Shunguang's guess and meant that they were getting closer and closer to that mysterious town.

Ye Shunguang was praying that Wildfire Town had not been swallowed by the Void, since the only way to get in and out of the Void was to rely on the Rope Craftsman, who was a "specialty" of this world.

This means that if some of the human settlements she remembered fell, she really had no other good way to find a rope craftsman on such a large map who just happened to be able to calculate the evacuation routes of the void.

All of this was broadcast live and shown on the screen of the Dragon Kingdom's live broadcast room.

When the camera captured the abandoned highway, the live stream chat exploded!

"Holy crap! A highway! It's a highway!"

"My God! How can there be a road inside a forbidden area? This means people used to live here!"

"Ye Shunguang is amazing! What she said is true! The town she dreamed about really exists!"

"Wow, my dream has come true!"

"This is unbelievable! Are there really people inside the forbidden area?"

"Of course there are! Otherwise, why build roads? Are they for monsters to walk on?"

"Don't be too happy yet! Have you forgotten the tragedy in the Land of Sakura? This place is so close to the cave; the town might have already been destroyed by monsters!"

"Exactly! What if it's full of monsters? Will our players be in danger?"

"No matter what, this is a major discovery! China is awesome!"

The live stream chat was flooded with comments, densely covering the entire screen. The viewers were a mix of excitement, worry, and amazement; the atmosphere was electric.

In the studio, the host, Bingbing, stood up excitedly, her voice trembling slightly: "General Zhao! Professor Li! Did you see that? A highway! Our contestant has discovered an abandoned highway! This proves that Comrade Ye Shunguang's guess was correct; that town may very well really exist!"

Major General Zhao Weiguo's face also showed a hint of surprise. He stared at the road on the screen, nodded, and said in a steady tone, "It is indeed a man-made road. Judging from the material and wear of the road surface, it should be quite old."

This indicates that there was indeed human activity here before the forbidden area was formed, or rather, before the hollow appeared. This discovery is of great significance.

Professor Li Jianming, his voice brimming with excitement, pushed up his glasses: "This is absolutely groundbreaking! If that town really exists, and there are still people living there, then we can get firsthand information from them about the void and the etheric erosion! This is a hundred times better than us figuring it out on our own!"

"But..." Bingbing's tone carried a hint of worry, "This place is too close to the cavern, what if the town is already...?"

"It's highly likely." Major General Zhao Weiguo nodded, his tone grave. "But no matter what, our athletes must go and take a look. Even if the town is abandoned, we can still find some useful clues."

Professor Li Jianming echoed, "That's right. Moreover, Comrade Ye Shunguang said that there are people in the town she has a feeling can offer help. Hopefully, her premonition is correct."

The atmosphere in the studio was both excited and solemn. Everyone knew that the appearance of this highway meant that the Dragon Kingdom team's exploration had entered a completely new phase.

Meanwhile, on the wasteland, the Dragon Kingdom team had already made their decision.

"Proceed along the road." Ye Jianguo's tone was decisive. He looked at everyone, "The road will allow us to move faster and reduce the chance of getting lost. But everyone must remember that we are very close to the cavern, and danger could appear at any time. Chen Jianjun, you are responsible for guarding the hillsides on both sides of the road; Zhou Liming, closely monitor the changes in the ether concentration, and immediately issue a warning if the concentration exceeds 0.5%; Ye Shunguang, you lead the way, and we will follow you."

"Understood!" the three replied in unison.

Ye Shunguang took a deep breath and stepped onto the abandoned highway first.

The road surface was hard, making a rustling sound when you stepped on it. The wild grass on both sides grew very tall, almost up to your knees, and when the wind blew, the wild grass made a "rustling" sound, like someone whispering.

The four walked briskly along the road.

……