I created a safe zone in the nightmare world.

Safe Zone, Mission Lobby.

A figure rushed in through the gate and strode towards the area where the mission would be accepted.

There are now several receptionists, and three rather long queues have formed in front of the counter.

Not far ahead and behind, two other staff members were busy, either updating task information or writing task reports. The newcomer didn't queue, but went straight to the far left counter, where no one was processing tasks.

This is the VIP channel, available only to premium members and those who have important information to provide.

The person personally in charge of this window is Yang Linna, the head of the task department.

She was somewhat surprised to see the newcomer: "Lord of Burning Maple City."

This person isn't exactly a rare visitor; they've been in the safe zone for quite some time now.

As the head of the mission department, Yang Lina naturally had to remember any member of high status or position.

Ran Feng stepped forward, his anxious expression gone, and asked calmly, "I heard that the shopkeeper is searching for a precious medicine called the Thousand-Refined Awakening Grass, and that the reward for this task is exceptionally generous?"

"That's right."

Yang Linna realized something and a sense of anticipation rose in her heart. She immediately retrieved the mission information.

Immediately, the task details appeared on the display screen in front of the cabinet.

The energizing potion that Ranfeng had been longing for was displayed on the front and back display walls, placed in one of the display cases.

The potion was emerald green, with halos emanating from it and a faint, invisible power emanating from it.

mysterious!

mysterious!

Lord Ranfeng took a deep breath.

He said, "I have information on the Revitalizing Herb. By the way, may I see the shop manager?"

Yang Linna said, "I can ask for you. As for now, let me process your mission paperwork first."

Lord Ranfeng nodded: "Thank you for your trouble."

Yang Linna was only an early-stage extraordinary being, but Ran Feng dared not underestimate her.

This is the head of the safe zone mission department, and he enjoys the store manager's deep trust.

He simply thought for a moment and asked, "When will I receive the reward for the mission?"

Yang Linna: "The reward will be issued after we conduct an investigation of the target area and confirm the existence of the Thousand-Refined Awakening Grass."

Ran Feng: "Understood."

The information he provided did not actually include the Thousand-Refined Awakening Grass.

However, he had once seen a considerable number of Ten-Refining and Hundred-Refining Awakening Grasses in one area.

He was more than 80% certain that the Thousand-Refined Awakening Grass existed deep within the region.

Of course, that area was also quite dangerous, with supernatural and bizarre creatures roaming around its perimeter; otherwise, Ran Feng would have already led his men in to sweep it up.

At the counter, Yang Linna quickly integrated the information, combining it with the information provided by the Lord of Burning Maple City and the "Ghostly Forest - Mostly - Rough Topographic Map" already drawn by the safe zone, and roughly delineated the location of the target area.

"That area seems to be outside the coverage area of ​​our safe zone."

"If we go through the existing entrances and exits, it might take several days to more than ten days."

She didn't know the locations of the various gates to the safe zone, but that wasn't something she needed to worry about.

After Yang Linna finished organizing the information, she waited for the store manager's reply.

"Okay, no problem. Let's issue the commission according to this standard. Just to be on the safe side, I'll send one or two more people in from the security department." Shi An walked over, glanced at the completed task list, and said this.

Lina's professional skills are indeed very mature. The task formulation, the suggested number of people, and the amount of compensation she proposed were basically the same as Shi An's expectations.

Lord Ranfeng walked over and said, "I can also send someone to guide us. He is an extraordinary person who has been to that area with me before." As for why he doesn't go himself?

He is already a regional overlord and the leader of a top-tier power. If he still has to do everything personally, what is the point of him painstakingly building Red Maple Town?

For Ran Feng, there are only two things worth his time right now.

First, he doted on his newly acquired concubine; second, he used the various cultivation wonders in the safe zone to cultivate and become stronger.

Oh, there's one more thing.

Ran Feng inquired about the price of the "Awakening Potion." He hadn't forgotten that one of the rewards for the mission was merely the "right to purchase" this potion.

Although the right to purchase it is also very valuable, otherwise, this excellent potion would be impossible to buy through any channel.

Shi An hesitated for a moment before saying, "2000 contribution points and 4000 dream crystals."

This price...

Not expensive!

Although there are no truly exceptional potions on the market to reference, Lord Burning Maple City has a price range in mind.

Not to mention, such an excellent potion cannot be bought with Dream Crystals under normal circumstances.

His contribution of 2000 was far below his expectations.

Because currently, premium members are required to have 3000 contribution points.

Although... Ran Feng currently doesn't even have two thousand contribution points on his account. After all, he's a "newbie" in the safe zone.

He thought for a moment and said, "Sir, may I pre-order this potion?"

He was terrified that if he didn't buy this treasure immediately, someone else would snatch it away at any moment.

He said, "After this mission is completed, I'll have enough contribution points on my account. As for Dream Crystals... can I use precious medicine to offset that?" "Of course." Shi An pointed to the distance, where the acquisition area was. "Our safe zone has always had a business of buying precious medicines from outsiders. If you provide rare precious medicines, you can get some extra contribution points."

Shi An called Fa Gui over and asked him to take City Lord Ranfeng over.

At the valuation machine at the acquisition point, Lord Ranfeng took out a bunch of red maple leaves.

These maple leaves were exceptionally neat, and they were radiated with a thick, blood-red light, making them extraordinary at first glance.

"This is the blood maple, a specialty of our Red Maple Town. It can enhance a person's physique and vitality, and is suitable for making medicine."

He was about to say that when the evaluation machine quickly displayed the description, explanation, and suggested price of the Blood Maple.

Their knowledge of blood maple is almost as good as that of the people in their small town.

Lord Ranfeng quickly gathered four thousand dream crystals and paid immediately. He wasn't afraid the money would be stolen; he was just worried the shopkeeper wouldn't accept it.

Fortunately, the store manager accepted it.

"I've taken a large sum of money from you, and I haven't even given you the goods yet. Why are you so happy?"

Shi An originally thought that it wouldn't hurt to give the potion to someone as prominent as Lord Ranfeng in advance, to see the effect and then test it out.

But since City Lord Ranfeng was so happy to pay, and he didn't bring it up again, Shi An didn't bring it up either.

the other side.

The task was accepted by a VIP member within ten minutes of being posted.

This task places high demands on the execution team.

Because the mission involves traversing a vast distance and venturing into a highly dangerous region, Yang Linna's plan requires at least four extraordinary individuals, including one exceptionally skilled in reconnaissance.

The requirements are very high.

It is difficult for a single high-level member team to meet this requirement.

Then, wouldn't it be enough if I just brought in a few foreign players?

The safe zone is now teeming with powerful individuals, making it incredibly easy to assemble a top-tier team that meets the requirements.

The one who secured the mission was "Old Wang with a bushy beard," a veteran of the safe zone. He was one of the earliest senior members, and now his team includes not only himself but also another extraordinary individual, making it a formidable and powerful force.

Before vying for the mission, Lao Wang had already extended invitations to the two extraordinary experts.

It wasn't Xuan Jian or Xi Xue, those star powerhouses in the safe zone, but rather...

One of them is Piaoxu·Xu Qian.

One of them is Sun Bowen, the Thousand-Mechanic.

Piaoxu Xuqian is a veteran member of the safe zone, second only to Lao Wang and Li Wei in seniority, and now she is also one of the senior members.

Her signature ability, Featherfall, has a very wide coverage area and powerful interference capabilities.

This move has limited destructive power, but if encountering a formidable enemy, it can be used to disrupt them, creating space for the team to retreat. Sun Bowen, the Thousand-Mechanic, is a rising star in Lin Dong City. He hasn't been in the Transcendent Realm for long and isn't known for his combat prowess. However, Sun Bowen has a "battle that made him famous."

He once controlled dozens of magical flying eyes at once, and with micro-management!

This is a skilled reconnaissance user with a strong mechanical ability.

Including the Security Department's Spade and someone from Red Maple Town, there are a total of six extraordinary individuals, seven of whom are at the second or third level of the Refinement Realm.

The group set off quickly.

Those at the second and third refinement stages did not hold back, and even those at the transcendent stage dared not travel at a rapid pace in the unknown Nightmare Wilderness.

Use items or abilities to scout ahead and advance as quickly as possible while maintaining safety.

We also need to take a break in between.

They can go back to the safe zone to rest, but for the sake of efficiency, they can't keep going back to the safe zone.

Take a short break along the way occasionally.

During the refining stage, one can stand guard and be on alert, allowing extraordinary individuals more time to rest.

After the task was sent out, Shi An didn't pay much attention to it, only glancing at it occasionally when he remembered it.

He also spent most of his time practicing martial arts, enduring torture from martial arts students in the training ground.

To this day, Shi Da's store manager still cannot defeat his own copy.

"After all, he's my clone, so it's normal for him to be a bit stronger."

"Being able to hold out for three minutes is a victory."

Occasionally, he would handle some tasks, such as considering the direction of the next lookout tower camp.

Or temporarily suspend it.

After all, the watchtowers stretched from Baijiang City to Tiannan City, winding through several areas along the way, and he had used up a considerable number of watchtower blueprints. He needed to keep some so that the watchtowers could be rebuilt if they were damaged.

the other side.

After a six-day journey, Lao Wang, Spade, and their group finally arrived at their destination.

"It's just ahead. That place is very conspicuous. It's a canyon with towering rock walls on both sides."

After surveying his surroundings for a while, the extraordinary individual from Red Maple Town spoke with great certainty.

They discovered that area several months ago.

Nightmare worlds do change, that's true, but those iconic, highly visible areas don't just disappear so easily. Sure enough,

As they continued onward, when the gray fog could no longer obscure their vision, they came into view towering cliffs reaching into the clouds.

Walking along the rock face in one direction for about an hour, we arrived at the entrance to the canyon.

"We've finally arrived!"

Old Wang also breathed a sigh of relief.

The journey wasn't exactly dangerous, but it wasn't easy either.

For example, once they stopped for a short rest, thinking they had found a relatively safe area, but who would have thought that the tin shack would turn into a strange creature the next second.

They almost lost personnel.

On another occasion, they encountered a strange tide that suddenly passed by, and they had to take a detour to avoid it.

This nightmare world is still fraught with danger.

No wonder... Old Wang understands now why the Dreamers of Nightmare factions like Stone Village Camp and Giant Tree Camp tend to only operate within the areas surrounding their own factions.

Even those with extraordinary abilities rarely travel far.

It's not that they lack the ability to travel far, but traveling far means danger; sometimes even those at the pinnacle of transcendence encounter great calamities. "But fortunately, we have a safe zone as a backup plan. Even if we encounter a major disaster, as long as we're not instantly killed, we have a good chance of escaping back." Thinking this, Old Wang still didn't relax.

After consulting with the extraordinary individuals in Red Maple Town and the leader of Spades, he gradually ventured deeper into the target area along the side rock wall.

After walking for about three hours, the view in front of us became more and more open.

The canyon is narrowest at the entrance, widening as you go further in.

As for how deep it is inside, they don't know.

At this moment,

"etc!"

Suddenly, Sun Bowen, the Thousand-Mechanic, raised his arm and made a gesture to stop advancing.

He closed his eyes, focusing more intently on controlling the magical flying eye.

He quickly smiled, "I've found the Hundred-Refining Awakening Grass."

Following the information provided by the Thousand-Mechanic Hand, they continued forward, and after slaying seventeen strange beings blocking their path, they finally found the precious herb beside a stubborn rock.

In appearance, the Refreshing Grass is inconspicuous, just like a weed growing tenaciously.

But upon closer inspection, one can discover that this awakening herb contains a rich and pure magical power, like a luminous plant.

"A rare and precious medicine!"

In the next hour, the team found three more rare-grade and eight more common-grade Awakening Grasses.

But the bad news is...

Old Wang focused intently, peering into the distance.

A huge purple spider has woven a massive web among the canopies of several trees that are twenty or thirty meters tall.

"It's the extraordinary, bizarre 'Six-Eyed Spider'! It's said that this creature can open six eerie eyes on its abdomen and possesses mental attack abilities!"

He said solemnly.

"That's not all..."

The mechanic in charge of reconnaissance chimed in, "Look at these images. I'm 80% certain that there are supernatural and bizarre entities in these areas!"

If they go any further, they'll easily attract the attention of the supernatural and eerie.

However, the magic eye also has a controllable range; if they don't go deep, the magic eye can't detect very far.

They haven't found the key mission objective yet.

At the same time.

Within this nightmarish area named "Wasteland Canyon," a vanguard team consisting of four extraordinary individuals and eight individuals at the Third Refinement Realm is currently conducting reconnaissance.

A cultivator at the third level of cultivation was operating some kind of monitoring device. He said, "Commander, other Dream Fallers have entered."

"Hmm, how come there are Dreamers in this godforsaken place?"

The commander frowned.

This is a rather dangerous area, with hardly any camps around.

The nearest human power—the Red Maple Alliance—would take at least ten days to get here. These isolated, lost forces wouldn't stray that far from their own territory.

They had obtained a clue that there might be several advanced potion formulas deep in this area... which is why they traveled all the way from Tiannan City.

They are the strongest members of the Third Army Corps of the Tiannan City Defense Force.

Only they have the ability to cross such a long distance.

Commander Han and his vanguard team have been in this desolate canyon area for three days.

For the past three days, he has been conducting preliminary reconnaissance.

The more they investigated, the more alarmed they became.

"This area is very likely a Level 5 Nightmare zone!"

They divided Tiannan City into various areas deep within the nightmare.

The most ordinary area, with only one leader-level being strangely active, is a level 1 area.

Next, areas with multiple leader-level beings or dozens or hundreds of strange groups are Level 2 areas;

The area possessing extraordinary and bizarre inhabitants is a Level 3 area;

A region possessing late-stage or higher extraordinary beings, or multiple extraordinary and bizarre beings, is a level 4 region.

Here, however, he judged it to be a full level 5.

"We have already discovered seven extraordinary and bizarre entities. These entities are of different types and have different habits, yet they maintain a unique balance, which clearly indicates that a true overlord exists deep within this region."

They wanted to find "ruins" in the area, which was difficult.

and,

"There are other Dreamers here! If they accidentally provoke something supernatural and cause a bizarre upheaval in this area, we'll be implicated!"

"No, I need to talk to these people."

Commander Han knew very well that the team that was able to come to such a high-risk area must have a significant background.

There must also be multiple extraordinary beings in the team.

But what if you're extraordinary?

If it were a bizarre riot, even if their vanguard squad had twice as many extraordinary beings, they would still be in danger.

Their ability to explore such a dangerous area and discover extraordinary and bizarre beings was not due to their strength, but rather to the various devices and tools developed by their Tiannan City Research Institute.

For example, the warning devices they set up around the canyon.

For example, they also installed a lot of extractable spell power monitoring in the outer areas.

More than a dozen drones served as their perimeter defense.

Commander Han led another extraordinary individual forward, stopping at a strategic point on the road and waiting patiently.

Sure enough, more than an hour later.

Three figures appeared in his field of vision.

It was Old Wang, Thousand-Mechanic, and Spade.

After discussing it, they decided to split into two teams, one to stay on the perimeter to provide support, and the other to continue deeper into the area.

The Thousand-Mechanical Hand looked around.

"This is a good spot. From here as a center, we can explore multiple areas within the canyon."

So said the Thousand-Mechanic Hand.

then,

Commander Han and his two extraordinary city defense soldiers saw a tall, thin young man in the distance open a huge, silver-white box in front of him.

Suddenly,

Amidst a series of soft crackling and buzzing sounds,

One, two... ten, twenty... forty...

Sixty flying objects, seemingly drones but smaller than drones, took off with a whoosh.

With remarkable agility and almost no sound, it flew in all directions.