CHAPTER 460: CHAPTER 226: THE DEAD CITY IS AWAKENING

Meanwhile, 20 kilometers south of the Mountain City.

Lin Yu, along with his three teammates, cautiously traversed the mountains, inching closer to the Mountain City.

The physique of the Blood Source had given them a stronger physical condition, allowing them to cover over a hundred kilometers in one night and penetrate into the "hinterland" surrounding the Mountain City.

However, once they entered the 20-kilometer loop, starting with that iconic tunnel, everyone’s movements slowed down.

From here, they truly entered the territory of the "Mountain City."

No one knew what would happen, because over the years, even the farthest exploration team had barely managed to continue two kilometers past this tunnel.

If we look back further, some Holy Blood had once gotten within 10 kilometers.

But that large-scale team ultimately faced a fate close to "total annihilation."

And now, as time has passed, this mysterious city is undergoing changes.

Past experiences are no longer reliable, and those paths already explored are no longer safe.

All they could do was rely on their intuition and experience as much as possible to find a relatively reliable path.

Lin Yu moved at an extremely slow pace, his actions as gentle as possible.

Like fearing to disturb the insects, fish, birds, and beasts in the forest, the team advanced silently.

The scout led the way ahead, climbing tall trees to check the path ahead, and each time he returned to the ground, he would bring Lin Yu the same answer.

"Very quiet."

Lin Yu nodded slightly, then whispered an order:

"Continue advancing."

"How far are we from the edge of the Mountain City?"

"15 kilometers left."

The scout replied softly:

"We’re already quite close, much closer than the team two years ago."

"But it’s strange, we haven’t encountered anything unusual."

"This is completely illogical...."

"Logic?"

Lin Yu shook his head.

"This city doesn’t have anything like logic..."

"We’re alive now, but we might die in the next second."

"The last team was the same."

"They were clearly communicating with me a few minutes ago, but a few minutes later, they completely disappeared in this forest."

"As if they never existed..."

"So, don’t be careless."

"Keep advancing."

"Understood."

The scout replied briefly, turned, and continued forward.

At this moment, the shield guard in the team suddenly approached, came to Lin Yu’s side and asked:

"Sir, do we really need to keep moving forward?"

"It’s already very dangerous here... If we continue to advance, no one knows what will happen."

"It’s precisely because we don’t know what will happen that we must keep advancing."

Lin Yu’s tone was firm.

After a slight pause, he said:

"This might be a precious opportunity."

"From 30 kilometers to 15 kilometers, we’ve not encountered any unexpected issues."

"I suspect it’s not because we’re lucky, but because the Huaxia Army’s attack was effective."

"Attack effective?"

The shield guard furrowed his brows.

"An attack launched from a thousand kilometers away in Jinling, directed at the Mountain City?"

"If such an attack could be effective, then it wouldn’t seem like something humans could do; rather it resembles some kind of..... magic."

As the words fell, Lin Yu suddenly laughed.

"If you say it that way, then the Huaxia Army indeed is a team mastering magic."

"Alright, go back to your position."

"We must keep advancing."

Having said that, Lin Yu followed the scout’s footsteps forward.

The shield guard knew he couldn’t convince him, so he could only silently follow.

This four-member squad continued advancing in silence, with the midday sun filtering through the forest, casting mottled light onto the narrow, winding, weed-infested path beneath their feet.

And as those light spots gradually moved, they unknowingly pushed forward to within 10 kilometers of the Mountain City’s perimeter.

By then, Lin Yu could see the outlines of the Mountain City with his naked eyes.

The city was still shrouded in a seemingly eternal mist.

But it seemed... it became somewhat different.

Crouching in the protective bushes, Lin Yu asked:

"Is communication normal?"

"Normal."

The scout beside him answered:

"Very strange, we can still use radio communications."

"This has never happened before."

"Based on experience, as long as we enter the 30-kilometer range, the radio should start malfunctioning."

"Within 15 kilometers, the radio should completely fail."

"But now it’s 10 kilometers...."

"Has this city... died?"

"Died."

When these two words were spoken, Lin Yu’s heart suddenly jumped.

He finally understood why he had that strange feeling.

Indeed, although the mist still lingered, the city truly seemed dead.

It was no different from those relic cities, even more... lifeless.

The Huaxia Army’s weapons proved effective.

Lin Yu’s expression instantly changed.

He realized this was a rare opportunity.

An opportunity that might allow them to truly enter Mountain City!

"Keep moving forward."

"Advance to the hill 6 kilometers away."

"We’ll organize our observation there."

"Understood."

The team members nodded immediately.

But then, the Shield Guard spoke up:

"So, what exactly are we looking for?"

"Crater."

Lin Yu replied:

"A big crater."

"Big crater?"

"Yes."

Lin Yu continued moving forward, then answered:

"The Huaxia Army dropped a nuclear bomb on Mountain City—a thing known as ’the Sun’. "

"Nuclear bomb? The Sun!?"

At this moment, the Shield Guard suddenly understood where Lin Yu’s confidence came from.

If the Huaxia Army really had the capability to drop a nuclear bomb on Mountain City.....

Then this city might truly have been destroyed!

In an instant, his steps became resolute.

The four-person squad continued forward, still encountering no hindrance.

After getting to 6 kilometers straight from Mountain City’s edge, the squad turned west and began to climb toward the peak.

And at this time, this mysterious city, considered a forbidden zone from start to finish, finally revealed itself completely to them.

Huge, nearly brand-new buildings beyond description.

The complex, dense tracks connecting the buildings.

Trains hanging on tracks like long serpents.

And the grayish-white fog drifting up from the city’s underground.

Lin Yu’s heart continued to race.

He knew he might very well be the first person in this world to truly see the full expanse of Mountain City.

----But there was no time for sentiment now.

For as his gaze slowly moved, he saw the shocking "crater."

Perhaps, if more fitting language is used, it should not be called a "crater."

It was a massive depression area.

As if some heavy object had fallen from above, the whole area collapsed like a sand castle built by children into ruins.

Fires were burning within the ruins, mixed with black smoke and the occasional flashes of electrical sparks.

No doubt, that was the nuclear bomb crater!

The Huaxia Army’s attack truly worked.

Though it didn’t hit the center of Mountain City directly, the damage it caused was evident!

That’s why his squad hadn’t encountered any surprises.

This city has already died!

Lin Yu exhaled deeply.

He said:

"We can report to the Huaxia Army now."

"This city has been destroyed; it’s probably... no longer functional."

"Inform them, we’re entering Mountain City."

"We’ll report any findings within Mountain City, subsequently..."

"Wait!"

Before Lin Yu finished speaking, the Scout beside him suddenly grabbed his hand.

Then, the Scout spoke with a hint of fear in his voice:

"The west."

"The west side of Mountain City!"

Lin Yu picked up his binoculars again, looking in the direction the Scout pointed.

And just with that glance, his hair stood on end.

Lights.

He saw countless lights.

Lights gradually turning on!

A small area had already been illuminated by the lights, and along with the illumining, the ground fog became thicker.

Next, the lights began to spread, expanding like a chain reaction.

Lin Yu’s lips trembled slightly.

He immediately took out the radio and started calling the Huaxia Army far away in Han Shui City.

----But just then.

A sound suddenly came from behind them.

The Scout reacted the fastest and instinctively looked back, and as his long knife swung down, a strange object floating in the air fell abruptly.

Here it comes!

"Enemy attack!!"

The Scout shouted loudly.

Further in the woods, the sound of more movements already occurred.

Lin Yu drew the handgun from his waist.

He aimed at the distance while loudly speaking into the radio in his hand:

"I am Lin Yu!"

"I am in Mountain City!"

"This city is dead!"

"But... it’s reviving!"