Cyber ​​God: Abyss Walker

When the "Escapee" ability is activated, the surrounding objects are not stopped in time, but slowed down by a huge margin. During the nine-second duration of this ability, Wang Yu's consciousness is not affected, which is also the standard for judging the nine seconds.

His body is also affected by the time slowing down, and he cannot do anything extra while the surrounding things are slowed down during the escapee's activation. However, the degree of time slowing down on his body is indeed smaller than that of others.

To give a less rigorous example, if the people around you are slowed down to one ten-thousandth of their original speed, while Wang Yu is slowed down to one ten-thousandth, then there will actually not be much difference in their outward appearance.

Now, Wang Yu realized that his speed during the activation of the Escaper ability had become three times the original speed. The effect of the slowing on him was weakened. Although he was still greatly slowed down, he could do some things that he couldn't do before.

"It's truly incomprehensible. Which great being is this black and white cross? The Stele Forest has its own corresponding great being, so why should I receive any additional effects from its abnormal derivatives?"

Wang Yu looked at the shattered stone slabs on the ground and fell into thought, but it was clear that such thinking would not yield any results, so he stopped dwelling on the problem.

Putting aside the potential risks, the reduced effect of time slowing on him is undoubtedly a good thing, meaning he can take more action when the escapees activate their abilities.

"Let's focus on the mission. Is the target... the central woodland of the primeval forest?"

Activate your personal star ring mercenary device, flip out the map on it, and hover your finger over the mission objective area. The anomalous area corresponding to this location is the Primal Forest Sea.

Abnormal Area—Primitive Forest

Anomaly rating: Incompletely explored area, available area, unsafe location.

"The forest where that giant creature roams is much better than some abnormal areas with inexplicable rules. At least the danger is out in the open, so you won't be killed instantly without even knowing what's going on."

He muttered to himself that the forest wasn't exactly a safe place, but in terms of its unusual characteristics, it was the kind of place that Wang Yu could accept.

This is an extremely dense primeval forest, composed of countless enormous trees, with almost every ordinary tree in the forest exceeding fifty meters in height.

Within this forest of giant trees dwell equally enormous creatures, which, for some unknown reason, have broken through the limitations of their own size. Even some extinct ancient species still exist in this vast forest.

From the outside in, from the periphery of the forest to the center, the height and density of the giant trees will continue to increase, and the number of giant creatures will also increase. These giant creatures, which are constantly fighting and rejecting outsiders, are the greatest source of danger in this abnormal area.

Currently, the central forest area of ​​the primeval forest sea remains almost unexplored, and everything inside is still unknown.

Wang Yu's mission target location this time is in the central area some distance inward from the outer edge of the forest. The mission description is quite vague, and it is likely that only by arriving at the site will one know what the so-called reconnaissance and establishment of a temporary camp means.

……

"There are quite a few people heading to the primeval forest. It seems the giant creatures in this place are quite attractive to hunters."

Dorothy observed the mobile city passengers around her, who were preparing their equipment and forming groups of varying sizes. They were all preparing to head to the primeval forest and shared their thoughts.

Within sight, the excessively lush forest had come into view of Wang Yu and his companions. Its vibrant life force, almost tangible, perfectly matched the characteristics of this unusual area.

The body parts of the giant creatures in this anomalous zone are strong enough to support their massive shells. Because of this, these giant creatures are both dangerous and excellent prey. Hunting giant creatures, then skinning them and selling the materials in abandoned cities or mobile cities is a long-standing practice of some wasteland explorers.

"After all, the body parts of these giant creatures are important raw materials for a lot of equipment in the ruined city. Some armor used to cope with special environments or even pollution is made from the shells and fur of the creatures inside. However, our purpose this time has nothing to do with the giant creatures inside."

Wang Yu responded that the mobile city beneath his feet had begun to slow down, and the docking station, which had been hidden underground to avoid attacks from giant creatures, opened its gates and rose from the ground with the arrival of Edge City No. 2, ready to complete the docking.

But at that very moment, within the primeval forest, a large number of trees on the outer perimeter suddenly began to shake. Their branches and leaves were scattered by the impact of some huge creature flying at high speed. The obvious noise and the trajectory of its movement spread all the way towards the direction of the second edge city.

Clearly, the colossal city of Edge Two had attracted the attention of the giant creatures within the Forest Sea. They couldn't discern the strength of a mobile city; their proportionally magnified sensory organs only detected the abundance of food within this massive metal fortress.

"Smack!"

Completely breaking through the cover of branches and leaves, a number of enormous insects, numbering in the hundreds, flapped their wings and flew at extremely high speed toward the direction of Edge City No. 2.

It's hard to say exactly what kind of insects they are. They have the body shape and wings of beetles, huge compound eyes similar to flies, and even spider-like silk-spinning organs. But in any case, these giant insects must have a very strong hunting ability.

"Clang, rat-a-tat-tat-tat!"

Unfortunately, these giant insects with extremely strong hunting abilities are not facing humans, who are also carbon-based life forms, but rather the great creations of human technology—mobile cities.

The moment the giant insect flew into the warning range of Edge City No. 2, the fire network that was originally set up on the edge of the mobile city was instantly activated, all weapon systems were activated, and the sentry guns, with an extremely exaggerated caliber and number, aimed their muzzles at the enemy in the air.

"Three, two, one..."

Amidst the piercing warning countdown, the central intelligent system adjusted the firing direction of each fixed rapid-fire machine gun, and then unleashed full firepower.

A dense barrage of bullets ripped through the sky, with tracer rounds alone creating several trails of ammunition. The rapid-fire machine gun stopped firing after about three seconds, as there was no need to waste ammunition; a complete firepower network had been woven.

Bullets rained down like a storm, and the exoskeletons of those giant insects offered no effective protection against the machine gun fire, their fragile and repulsive internal organs exploding into the air along with their shattered shells.

In less than half a minute, a storm of bullets swept through the airspace, tearing apart all the giant insects flying toward Edge City No. 2, turning them into scattered fragments falling to the ground.

"This firepower is outrageous. Mobile cities weren't designed just to deal with things like this, were they? What kind of terrifying being could truly threaten a mobile city?"

Wang Yu stared at the machine gun corps that formed a saturation fire network. This thing was far more powerful than the technology of Earth in his time, but even with such strength, humanity was still trapped within the safe zone and could only explore the wasteland to a limited extent.

"Stop daydreaming, let's get going. Having a large group of people entering together on the outskirts of the primeval forest will make the activity safer."

of. "

Dorothy's voice interrupted Wang Yu's gaze, but she wasn't talking to him. Instead, she was talking to the Happy Clown beside her. The clown seemed to be lost in thought and suddenly stopped in place, as if in a daze. Dorothy reminded him, somewhat annoyed.

"I haven't seen you for the past two days. You're probably doing something that might affect this hiring assignment. Nobody cares what you're doing, but at least wait until the assignment is finished before you go."

Just as Dorothy said, the Happy Clown hadn't appeared at the hotel for the past two days. He only showed up when Wang Yu sent him a message as they were about to reach their destination in Edge City 2. Now he's suddenly standing there in a daze, which makes it hard not to be suspicious.

"Sorry, I'm with these people in the Clown Mother Cult above the Second Edge City. Some gains have made my sorcerer power much stronger than before. I'm a little excited, so I sometimes get distracted. Don't worry, it won't affect this mission."

The cheerful clown apologized and explained in his characteristically light and cheerful tone.

"It's okay, I believe you."

After the other person finished speaking, Wang Yu immediately echoed his agreement, eliminating the need for Dorothy to say anything more. The parasite's superficial cognitive probing had been activated. The Happy Clown hadn't lied; his emotions still carried a lingering excitement, likely the result of his activities within his sect over the past few days.

"Alright..."

Since Wang Yu, the employer, said so, Dorothy didn't say anything more. The four of them followed the group of people who were going to the Primordial Forest Sea and entered the interior of the forest sea from the lower deck.

The towering trees almost completely blocked out the sunlight. If these trees hadn't shown a unique adaptation to their environment, allowing some of their leaves to grow into a semi-transparent state, the lack of sunlight would have made it impossible for such lush herbaceous plants to grow on the ground.

"Chirp chirp chirp..."

The strange cries of various creatures echoed through the forest. Wang Yu's wary gaze, scanning the surroundings, had seen monkeys, several times larger than normal adult males, darting and leaping swiftly between the giant trees.

"Da da da...!"

"Buzz..."

"It seems the hunt has already begun. I've deployed a swarm of drones around us, and their scanners will form a reconnaissance network covering an area, enough to keep the giant creature from getting close."

Amidst the intermittent and dense gunfire, the drones, controlled by Dorothy, rose into the sky and followed the group. Without the unfriendly environmental constraints of the Rain of Life, the drones became quite agile. The scanning network formed by a dozen drones could effectively avoid most threats.

"Snapped!"

With his hands clasped together, the Silent Monk unleashed his power, the power of silence enveloping the four of them, making footsteps, footprints, smells, and other sounds within a certain range imperceptible to the giant creatures existing in the primordial forest.

With double insurance, the group moved forward at a considerable speed. They used the vision advantage of the drone swarm to avoid large predatory creatures, and relied on the Silent Monk's ability to prevent attracting the attention of other creatures in the forest. They were almost unimpeded. As long as they did not aim to hunt giant creatures, at least the outer area of ​​the forest would not pose any threat to them.

However, this ease and speed are limited to the outer perimeter of the primeval forest. In the outer area, the giant trees that make up the main body of the forest can be regarded as inanimate objects, but as you go deeper, these giant trees will gradually become abnormal creatures that can move like animals. The unique exclusionary characteristics of the creatures in the primeval forest will make plants a source of danger.

"Snapped!"

"Damn it, this is the third drone that has been damaged. Why would those giant trees be interested in inanimate objects? Drones aren't living beings, so why are they attacking my drones?"

With a sound of metal being smashed and twisted, another of Dorothy's drones was struck by a giant tree branch that suddenly moved. The powerful force broke it in half, causing it to shatter in mid-air and explode into a shower of sparks and fragments.

They spent about a day entering the central part of the forest from the outer perimeter. After a short rest, they continued onward, but it was no longer as easy as before. The seemingly normal giant trees in their field of vision could suddenly start moving at any moment.

With eyes opening above the bark, or by spraying acidic liquids or directly striking and whipping with branches and trunks, Dorothy's drones were destroyed in a short time.

"You'll receive an extra 10,000 universal currency as a reward for the mission. You can retrieve the drone now; the target location is just ahead."

Wang Yu spoke, simultaneously piercing the ground in front of him with his fingers flashing with plasma arcs, piercing the brain of the disguised anglerfish-like creature hidden below. If he stepped on it, the sharp and venomous hooks would pierce through his shoe sole and into his foot.

The deeper they go, the higher the density of life becomes. Relying on drone swarms and the Silent Realm, they can avoid large predators, but they don't have a good way to deal with these trap creatures hidden in the environment.

Wang Yu's solution was to rely on his own observation and the escapees to investigate. When his abilities were used up, he would temporarily switch to the Happy Clown, whose somewhat mixed skills seemed to include some ability to avoid harm.

The same day had passed, but their progress was much slower. Finally, the four of them approached their target location. Looking at the several collapsed giant trees with obvious charred marks ahead, Wang Yu finally realized what the so-called reconnaissance in the Tide Gang's mission was, and why they were being so secretive about it.

On top of the collapsed giant tree was a large transport aircraft that was still relatively intact. The flames extinguished themselves after burning, and judging from the cause of the crash, it seemed to be caused by the huge hole in the aircraft's power compartment.

"Was it attacked by some kind of creature that caused the crash? Did fuel spill out from the engine room and catch fire...?"

Wang Yu observed the large transport aircraft from a distance, muttering to himself, "This is the crash site. Clearly, there's no one left alive. The Tide Gang's objective isn't important right now; what's important is…"

Is the location of the downed aircraft still nearby?