A storm was brewing.

A strong wind blew in from the north, and dark clouds gathered in the sky.

The giant Ding Dong sat atop Qingshan Cliff, still gazing at the distant Forbidden Zone 00.

Behind him, the mountain-like fruit was carefully guarded.

A small monkey, taking advantage of Ding Dong's back being turned, quietly approached the fruit, attempting to steal a couple and run.

In the woods behind Qingshan Cliff, countless other monkeys hung upside down from trees, cautiously watching to see if their companion would succeed.

But before the little monkey could get close, it was enveloped by a huge shadow.

Startled, it looked up and saw the mountain-like Ding Dong standing before it. The monkey froze in fear!

However, Ding Dong didn't attack. He simply tapped the monkey's head with his thick index finger and gently nudged it away.

"Ding Dong!" This is for a friend, you can't eat it!

The monkeys chattered, seeming somewhat resentful.

"Ding Dong!" I know we've known each other longer, but I really like this friend.

At that moment, outside Forbidden Zone 00, airships crisscrossed the sky, and Ding Dong could see countless troop carriers arriving.

Even multi-functional field combat vehicles were deployed.

They lined up on the northern road leading to Forbidden Zone 00, intercepting any vehicle attempting to enter from the north.

Countless soldiers disembarked from the troop carriers. Under the protection of dozens of War Robots, they rushed towards the northern mountains like ants, attempting to seal off the northern mountainous region.

Drones, like moths around a streetlight on a summer night, buzzed in the air before flying off.

At an altitude of 8000 meters, two huge Class A Airships patrolled the sky.

This was a fully organized army field brigade, a formation usually deployed only during wartime to clear out wilderness settlements with populations exceeding 10,000. Each deployment required a massive amount of military funds.

Now, it was being used without regard for cost to intercept a few people.

All this unfolded before Ding Dong. He didn't know who these people were, but at one point, he wondered if it had something to do with the boy he was waiting for?

Ding Dong became worried. Could the boy already be on his way? How could he tell him?

Suddenly, a deafening roar erupted from beneath a giant tree in the distance.

Ding Dong's heart skipped a beat. He quickly stood up and looked towards the tree.

After confirming what had happened, he immediately wrapped the mountain-like fruit in a huge leaf and carried it on his back, running and leaping towards the depths of Forbidden Zone 00.

That leaf was from the giant tree at the center of Forbidden Zone 00. When unfolded, it was as tall as Ding Dong.

Years ago, creatures in Forbidden Zone 00 would use fallen leaves for shelter, but the giant tree rarely shed its leaves, remaining lush all year round.

Later, Ding Dong climbed the tall tree to pick leaves and built nests for the creatures in the center of Forbidden Zone 00.

If a most popular creature were to be elected in Forbidden Zone 00, it would undoubtedly be Ding Dong.

Until he promised to treat Qing Chen with fruit in the spring.

Return Countdown 6:00:00.

On the wasteland, the pickup truck continued to drive south.

Behind it, dark clouds rapidly rolled in. From the horizon, it looked as if the wall-like clouds were chasing the pickup truck, creating a magnificent and thrilling sight.

Shadow said from the truck bed, "A corps from Qing Wen's father's army has been deployed in the north. Qing Shi's father seems to be on the move as well. If I'm not mistaken, this elite Qing Family force will join with the Southern Chen Family forces to encircle us, trapping us in the wasteland."

"Do you know who's behind this?" Qing Chen asked.

"I've found two main culprits, and of course, accomplices hiding in the shadows," Shadow explained. "Those who have shown themselves are the ones most ambitious for the Shadow position. They can't bear to let you be Shadow for another ten years. After all, you've already shown the strength, courage, and unmatched reputation and following among the young generation to break out of Base A0."

Shadow: "I suppressed them for ten years, but I haven't damaged their roots. But if you suppress them for another ten years, the Qing Family will be ours. So, their determination to kill you is unwavering, and I'm just collateral damage. How about this? Although these big shots are hiding, I can go and kill Qing Wen, Qing Shi, and Qing Xing. Then they'll have no hope!"

Qing Chen couldn't help but laugh: "Don't joke at this time, such indiscriminate killing is meaningless."

"Alright, you're in charge now," Shadow leaned against the pickup truck and smiled, "What's your plan now?"

Qing Chen calmly said, "Go to Forbidden Zone 00."

Too many people wanted to kill him, and he only had one thing to do: reach Forbidden Zone 00!

Qing Chen looked at Shadow and asked, "With such a large-scale mobilization, aren't they afraid that you'll open the Shadow Gate and escape?"

The Shadow Gate was indeed a good thing, capable of both attack and escape. He could leave anytime he wanted.

If it weren't for the strange containment conditions of this Forbidden Artifact, Qing Chen would have also wanted to possess it.

Shadow smiled at Qing Chen and said, "They know I created this opportunity, and they know I'm waiting for Chen Yu and Li Bingxi. So they want to gamble: that they are more prepared than I am!"

"I understand. In a game of poker, someone has three Kings, someone has three Aces, everyone thinks they can win," Qing Chen said, "Usually, such a game is where people bet the most."

"Mm, I'll sleep for a while," Shadow said with a smile.

At that moment,

Qing Chen saw Shadow suddenly close his eyes and his head droop.

No heartbeat, no breathing.

Qing Chen was startled, his expression changing drastically.

He had just said he had three Aces, and now those three Aces had folded?!

He shook Shadow tentatively, "Big Brother? Are you faking it or is it real? A sudden backlash at this time is not good."

Yang Yang mumbled softly beside him, "From the Force field, it's not fake, it's very weak."

Qing Chen couldn't help but laugh, "Wait, let's wait an hour and see if he wakes up."

"Mm."

An hour passed.

This time, Shadow's backlash lasted longer than the last time. Half an hour passed, but Shadow showed no signs of waking up.

Qing Chen had a bad feeling.

For some reason, Shadow now seemed to be actively putting his body into a state of hibernation, preparing for the upcoming earth-shattering battle.

Last time, when Shadow had a backlash, even he couldn't tell when it would happen.

This time was different. This time, Shadow had informed Qing Chen in advance, so it was more like he was actively taking on some backlash to avoid it happening at the most critical moment.

Qing Chen asked, "Yang Yang, how many people can your flight carry?"

Yang Yang said, "Two can maintain high-speed flight, three will significantly reduce speed, and four will be impossible."

They had seven people.

"Abandon the car," Qing Chen frowned, "Driving on the road makes us too big a target. The Qing Family people have already made their move; Chen Yu and Li Bingxi won't wait any longer. The Qing Family people have no way out."

"Okay," Yang Yang sat in the truck bed and patted the driver's window, "Stop, we're not far from Forbidden Zone 00. Let's hike through the wilderness."

If Shadow was right, there would be Chen Family's main force waiting in the south. Traveling on the main road would be suicidal.

They were about 40 kilometers from Forbidden Zone 00. If they moved quickly, they could cross the wilderness in about two days.

The pickup stopped by the road, and Qing Chen carefully carried Shadow on his back.

This man, who had always protected him, now defenselessly entrusted his life to him.

As Yang Yang said, Qing Chen was the only person Shadow could unconditionally trust at the moment.

Zard curiously said, "How about I carry him? I'm strong!"

Qing Chen shook his head, "You're the strongest in the team right now, the ultimate expert, so you can't have any burdens. You need to focus on fighting."

Zard grinned, "Boss, it seems my status as the ultimate expert can't be hidden from everyone."

Qing Chen: "Let's go."

Sun Chuci and Tuanzi looked at the pickup truck reluctantly.

They had to say goodbye to this vehicle that had accompanied them since the beginning.

Qing Chen said, "You two shouldn't Cultivate the Myriad Gods Thunder Technique anymore, Cultivate the Zhunti Method."

"Ah?" Sun Chuci was stunned, "Is there a difference?"

Qing Chen said, "The Zhunti Method is what Masonic Lodge Nangong Yuanyu cultivated, and it's what Zhang Tianzhen, Nangeng Chen, Liu Dezhu, and Li Tongyun are currently cultivating. For example, a genius like Xiao Tongyun, I would recommend she Cultivate the Myriad Gods Thunder Technique. With her foundation, she can quickly transform Zhunti True Qi into thunder paste. But you two are more suitable for Cultivating the Zhunti Method. I saw you two go into a tent last night?"

Sun Chuci was puzzled, "What do you mean by "you two are more suitable," is there a connection?"

"Yes, you'll know later," Qing Chen said, "Also, the Zhunti Method has another shortcut, which is the bestowal of power."

They would need to travel long distances, and Sun Chuci and Tuanzi were still ordinary people, so they couldn't handle the rigors of wilderness travel. Qing Chen needed to help them grow.

Now, the Knight True Qi in Qing Chen's body was like a vast ocean. He could bestow the power of two E-rank cultivators in one go, which was enough.

After the bestowal of power, Sun Chuci and Tuanzi looked at their hands in disbelief.

They could hardly believe that the cultivator realm they had once dreamed of had now been instantly achieved.

Recalling the team members who had abandoned them to do missions, they wondered how many missions and how many days and nights the other party would have to complete to reach E-rank.

This is the benefit of following the right person.

As for Zhang Mengqian,

This child was too pitiful. Yang Yang would secretly use anti-gravity Force fields for him while walking, and Zard would even use his abilities to help him walk, making him look like he was using the legendary "shrinking the earth into an inch' technique.

Shadow would also claim that the things in Zhang Mengqian's backpack were useless, and throw them away to lighten his weight training.

Qing Chen frowned for a long time and finally didn't say anything.

He wondered what was the point of the little boy carrying an empty backpack.

However, it wasn't the time to consider these things.

The group entered the wilderness and headed south.

The mountains ahead were like a city, full of killing intent. Qing Chen and his group had to fight their way out.

Three hours after Qing Chen and his group abandoned their car, a special forces unit suddenly appeared beside the vehicle.

What was strange was that besides firearms, these people also carried two black briefcases.

They weren't wearing half-enveloping exoskeleton drive armor.

Normally, soldiers conducting rapid assault warfare in the wilderness, unless they were high-level Gene Soldiers with extreme confidence in their physical strength, would definitely wear exoskeleton armor.

This special forces unit consisted of 41 people, each with a scar on their Face[-], ruining their original appearance and making facial recognition impossible.

They had never left their DNA comparison records in the Federation database.

Faceless Soldiers.

They were also one of the Federation's most elite special forces units.

They used a miniature handheld computer to connect to the vehicle's central console. The person checking the vehicle looked at the handheld computer and said softly, "The vehicle's last driving time was three hours ago. They have both experts and ordinary people in their team, and they won't be much faster than us."

The Faceless Soldiers' team leader was silent for a moment. He gave tactical hand signals, and the 41 people quickly infiltrated the distant mountains.

These 41 people moved quickly and agilely through the forest, as nimble as monkeys. Each one of them was a B-Class Gene Soldier or above!

This was the most elite special forces unit created by other forces after learning about Shadow's unit through an arms race.

Every one of these people could independently lead a battalion-level unit in a corps.

After the Faceless Soldiers entered the wilderness,

Another brigade-sized unit arrived at the abandoned vehicle and made the same choice as the Faceless Soldiers.

A lieutenant colonel ordered the main force to continue advancing along the main road, while the reconnaissance battalion composed of Gene Soldiers moved lightly into the wilderness.

This reconnaissance battalion had 500 soldiers, each a D-Class Gene Soldier, and the battalion commander was a B-Class.

A large number of mechanical spiders were deployed into the wilderness, advancing with the Gene Soldiers. The mechanical spiders' four mechanical claws scraped against the ground, making a scalp-tingling sound.

A deputy officer asked, "There's Shadow in that group. Even if we use human lives to pile up, we can't kill him. Is this meaningful?"

The lieutenant colonel sneered, "Of course, Shadow's abilities aren't unlimited. Every person killed will accumulate some backlash. This is a rule discovered by observation over ten years. Do you think Shadow isn't afraid of human wave tactics? No, he is. Otherwise, why has he been so cautious all these years? It's only in recent months that he's become somewhat reckless."

The lieutenant colonel: "Rest assured, what the higher-ups want us to do is simply to show our attitude. It won't be us, but a Demi-God who will ultimately end Shadow and Qing Chen."