The whole nation is trying to survive on the cable car; I'm choosing one of three options at ea

Zhang Peng was fighting elsewhere. He was leading his men, guided by his little zebra, against a level six giant. His pet couldn't fight yet; it could only circle around him, occasionally letting out a neigh, as if cheering him on.

His gaze kept drifting towards Su Mu's van. He saw that Su Mu remained seated in the van and didn't get out. Hearing the surrounding people's discussions and doubts about Su Mu, the corner of his mouth twitched slightly... not with a smile, but with a more complex expression, a mixture of relief and envy.

He was relieved that Su Mu hadn't made a move; those people didn't know Su Mu's strength, so the threat to him was less. What he envied was that Su Mu could rest in his car, while he had to fight his way through this situation.

The little zebra nuzzled against him, whimpering softly. Zhang Peng glanced down at it, then looked up and continued directing his men in battle. He had to become stronger, strong enough that he no longer needed to fear Su Mu.

Zhao Derong burst out of the horde of monsters, his hammer stained with dark green blood and bits of flesh. He had several more wounds, but he didn't even look at them, panting and drinking water. He saw Su Mu's car, saw Su Mu sitting inside resting with his eyes closed, and heard the surrounding people talking about Su Mu. He frowned, but didn't join in.

"What do you think of that Su Mu?" his teammate Liu Yang asked.

Zhao Derong took a sip of water and wiped his mouth. "I don't know. But he must be someone special to get Commander Bai to make an exception. Don't jump to conclusions."

Liu Yang nodded and didn't ask any more questions.

Fang Lin stood behind Zhao Derong, her back bent, longbow in hand, her eyes scanning the surroundings warily. She had less than ten arrows left in her quiver, each stained with dark green blood. She glanced at Su Mu's carriage, then looked away.

The battle lasted for nearly two hours. Waves of monsters charged in, with military tanks and armored vehicles holding them off in front, while evolved squads provided support from the flanks and rear. The casualty count was slowly climbing, but the overall situation remained under control.

Su Mu barely made a move.

Lin Xiaohe didn't make many moves, maybe four or five, but each time it was a clean and swift kill. Lin Yuwei made two moves: once to help a besieged squad escape, and once to deal with a level six giant that had rushed to the vehicle.

Her fighting style remained the same: a head-on collision without dodging or avoiding. The green aura exploded on her fist, blasting a hole in the giant's chest.

Chen Jun did not get out of the car from beginning to end. He didn't need to get out; his job was to drive.

"Brother Su, something seems off up ahead," Chen Jun suddenly said, his voice not loud, but his tone carrying a clear sense of alertness.

Su Mu opened his eyes and looked in the direction Chen Jun pointed.

The sky ahead changed from grayish-blue to an abnormal grayish-yellow. It wasn't a sandstorm or smog, but a more eerie color, as if something was permeating the air.

The vegetation on the ground began to change... from barren ruins to a dense forest, but the trees were the wrong color. Normal leaves are green, but these leaves were a deep purple with black edges, as if something was rotting inside them.

Su Mu frowned. He opened the car window, and a damp, foul-smelling wind rushed in. The smell wasn't blood or gunpowder, but a more complex one, like the stench of fallen leaves rotting in the rain.

"Slow down," Su Mu said.

Chen Jun eased off the accelerator, and the car slowed down.

The column ahead halted. Tanks and armored vehicles stopped by the roadside, and soldiers jumped out to stand guard on both sides of the road. Several regimental commanders huddled together, whispering amongst themselves around a map.

Zhou Weiren stood in the center, tapping the map a few times with his finger, his tone decisive. Bai Liuxi stood beside him, arms crossed, her expression calm.

Su Mu got out of the car, walked to the roadside, and looked ahead.

A dense forest stretched out before us. The trees were very tall, with gray-black trunks covered in fine cracks, as if something had burst them open from the inside.

Branches stretched out from the trunk, intertwining and weaving together to form an impenetrable net overhead. Sunlight filtered through the gaps, casting dappled patterns on the ground like broken glass. The air was thick with the stench of decay, even stronger than what had been smelled in the car, so strong it made one's throat tighten.

Su Mu tried to use his area perception to probe the dense forest, but the feedback was a blur. It wasn't that there was no information, but rather that the information was being interfered with by some force, like a mirror covered by fog, where only a blurry outline could be seen, and the details were unclear.

His brow furrowed even more. This feeling of being disturbed was somewhat similar to when he encountered the large golden bird at the zoo, but not entirely the same. The bird's interference was a pure, overwhelming energy suppression, while the interference in this dense forest was more subtle, as if something was actively shielding his senses.

"Commander, let's take a detour," Commander Li said, his tone filled with obvious worry. "Something's wrong with this forest; my detection equipment is completely malfunctioning."

Commander Sun adjusted his glasses. "Mine too. And it's not just the detection equipment; even the communication signals are weakening. I suspect there's something inside interfering with the electromagnetic waves."

Zhou Weiren remained silent for a moment, his gaze fixed on the dense forest. His expression remained unchanged, but Su Mu noticed that he tapped his fingers lightly on the seam of his trousers.

"How far is the detour?" Zhou Weiren asked.

Fatty Qian flipped open the map and gestured with his finger. "It'll take at least four more hours. And the detour goes through a swamp, where the terrain is more complicated and we're more likely to be ambushed."

Zhou Weiren fell silent again. He was weighing his options, calculating, making a decision that any commander must make.

"No detours." Zhou Weiren's voice wasn't loud, but it was decisive. "Go through. Have all squads prepare for battle. The tank and armored companies will lead the way, and the evolved squads will disperse to the flanks. Report any unusual situations immediately."

No one objected. Military orders are absolute.

The convoy set off again, slowly driving into the dense forest. The light dimmed the moment they entered the woods, as if a black curtain had been drawn across the sky. The stench of decay in the air grew stronger, so strong it was nauseating. Chen Jun rolled up the car window, leaving only a crack for ventilation.

Su Mu leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes. But his mind remained focused; his golden blood flowed slowly through his body, and his ears picked up every subtle sound outside the window...