AITAMITB Chapter 117

The team, comprised of several countries and supernatural forces, drove into the sandstorm area without hesitation.

One military vehicle after another disappeared at the border. Zhao Xiaokui, amidst the swaying, followed the vehicles into a world filled with yellow sand.

Inside was even more awe-inspiring than outside.

“The way out is gone!” someone exclaimed.

Zhao Xiaokui turned around, her pupils shrinking.

They had entered from a road that, on the outside, was divided into two segments—one within the sandstorm and the other outside.

But now, at the end of the road in the direction they came from, there was still rampant yellow sand.

In theory, that place should be the entrance to the ruin.

The previously quiet radio suddenly crackled to life, and Arthur’s voice came through.

“The entrance disappeared after we came in, communication with the outside world was cut off. Keep an eye on the distance between vehicles, maintain contact!”

Someone on the radio asked, “How are we supposed to get out?”

Arthur said, “This can’t be a completely sealed space. If we could come in, we can definitely go out. Don’t worry for now; let’s gather at the designated location for data collection. We can discuss finding an exit later.”

His words greatly reassured the people in the convoy, but Zhao Xiaokui noticed that everyone’s faces were still somewhat tense, evidently shocked by this unexpected turn of events.

However, they weren’t truly terrified.

People dispatched from around the world to this team were all outstanding individuals from various organizations or forces. Many had faced countless dangerous situations before, not to mention the current sandstorm.

However, everyone could clearly feel that as the vehicles approached Fula Town, the intensity of the sandstorm increased.

Initially, when the yellow sand whipped up by the fierce wind struck the car windows, it only made a crackling sound. But now, some car window glass showed scratches from the high-intensity yellow sand. The driver even expressed a hint of panic, saying, “There are signs of the car slipping.”

It’s worth noting that they had specifically modified the vehicles for the Fula Battlefield environment. Both the tire performance and the body’s load capacity should have been sufficient to perfectly handle the world’s largest sandstorm.

Facing the endless yellow sand, it was difficult for anyone not to feel a sense of fear before the immense power of nature.

At this moment, Zhao Xiaokui admired the night watchers who came along.

Their combat power was generally inferior to the field-duty night guards, relying entirely on their intellect. Even their awakened abilities were mostly related to the aspects they researched. In short, apart from transforming them from frail researchers into researchers who could stay up all night without sudden death, there was no improvement in their combat power.

But in this environment, even some of the accompanying night guards showed signs of nervousness. The researchers, a group that seemed more scholarly, even collected a bottle of yellow sand through the vehicle’s window and started a simple analysis using the instruments inside.

“It’s just ordinary sand, no supernatural energy, and no special organisms attached.”

The mention of organisms attaching referred to a common environmental lethal factor. In some supernatural ruins, though they appeared ordinary, the air was filled with microorganisms comparable to deadly toxins. Once a living being entered, it was as good as dead. The critical part was that those who fell didn’t even know how they died, a truly unsettling demise.

Therefore, when entering each ruin, especially ones like the Fula Battlefield, which inherently had no life, everyone had to conduct tests first to determine whether there was no life in the ruin or if it was unsuitable for life to exist.

The absence of biological attachment indicated that they could be directly exposed to the environment—assuming they didn’t consider the sandstorm capable of scraping away a layer of flesh.

The yellow sand was substantial, quickly covering the car windows with a thick layer of yellow. They could only vaguely see the taillights of the vehicle in front through the light.

They traveled alone in the yellow sand. Zhao Xiaokui manipulated the scarce water vapor in the air, wiping away a portion of the window to observe the outside.

A colossal sandstorm covered the sky, wave after wave surging from the direction of Fula Town. She squinted, discerning numerous things blown into the air by the wind. Astonishingly, in a pile of debris, including broken wooden boards and bicycles, she discovered a skeleton of a sheep.

Fula Town had a tradition of raising sheep, but no one would have the leisure to meticulously shave off the fur and flesh from a sheep without damaging it. This skeletal sheep seemed more like a sheep that, while alive, had gradually lost its fur and flesh.

“Ha—” Suddenly, someone in the car cupped their hands and exhaled warm breath into their palms.

Hearing the movement, Zhao Xiaokui curiously asked, “Are you very cold?”

The one exhaling was a second-tier supernatural being. He nodded in response to Zhao Xiaokui’s question and shivered visibly, “Yes, it’s a bit cold. Did the outside temperature suddenly drop? Why is it so cold?”

His words drew the attention of others in the car to him.

Observing him wearing the same clothes as others who showed no signs of cold, his expression suddenly turned somewhat unpleasant.

It wasn’t his first time entering a ruin or similar place; he had some experience.

He had been affected.

Zhao Xiaokui asked, “When did you start feeling cold?”

“Just when we entered. At that time, I only felt a bit chilly, but I could endure it. Who would have thought that the further we went, the colder I became…”

Due to the crowded carriage and the necessity of keeping it sealed due to the sandstorm, it was actually a bit warm.

However, in the gaze of everyone, the individual’s eyebrows visibly formed a layer of white frost at an alarming speed.

When the unexpected happened, everyone remained relatively calm.

Although no one wanted to encounter such a situation, sometimes it just happened. Worrying was futile; they could only figure out a solution.

Even the person involved was shivering, suppressing fear, allowing the Night Watchers in the vehicle to attach one instrument after another to his body.

“No biological factors.”

The first thing ruled out was microorganisms like insects.

“No radiation outside the standard wavelength.”

The standard wavelength referred to the energy radiation band on their bodies.

A Night Watcher kept asking about his sensations.

“What kind of cold is it? Is it the cold from the wind blowing on your face, or the bone-chilling cold?”

“When you touch my hand, do you feel any warmth?”

The individual, already trembling, still managed to answer.

“I… I feel like I’m soaked in ice water, every cell is freezing.”

“When touching something warm, I can sense a bit of temperature, but it quickly disappears… Hiss…”

“I… I seem to hear a kind of sound… a musical sound… a bit like the Buddhist chants in a temple…”

His gaze gradually revealed confusion.

Zhao Xiaokui sat on the side, staring at him closely from start to finish.

As he seemed about to fall asleep, she suddenly reached out and firmly slapped his forehead.

With a crisp sound that startled everyone, including the person slapped.

He shuddered, and his eyes suddenly regained clarity. He looked at everyone strangely and said, “What happened to me?”

Even the deputy team leader couldn’t make sense of it. Looking at Zhao Xiaokui, the only one who seemed to understand, he asked, “Captain Zhao, what’s going on?”

Zhao Xiaokui replied, “I’m not sure. It seems like he was tainted by some evil force, but it doesn’t quite add up. Just now, I felt something trying to come out of his body, and instinctively, I wanted to slap it back. Then it felt like something snapped.”

The person who had just recovered recalled the various events that had happened earlier. The sensation of the soul about to leave his body lingered in his mind. He couldn’t help rubbing the goosebumps on his arms. “Yes, just now I felt like something was pulling me. I felt light as if I was about to follow that thing. But when Captain Zhao slapped me, I felt my body become heavy again.”

A Night Watcher remarked, “Could it be something trying to lure our souls?”

“It’s hard to say. Everyone, pay attention. There must be some unknown changes in this space. Don’t completely trust the information provided by City Y. If anything unusual happens to your body, inform your teammates immediately. Also, pair up with another team member and observe each other’s physical characteristics and conditions.”

As Zhao Xiaokui issued the orders, the intercom in the vehicle suddenly crackled to life.

“Someone in the Thunder Sound Holy Land suddenly fainted, body freezing, as if frozen unconscious.”

“Over at the Alliance of Gods, two people suddenly feel cold, approaching unconsciousness.”

Zhao Xiaokui picked up the intercom, pressed the talk button, and amidst the continuous reports, she said, “Everyone, don’t panic. We might have encountered some evil spirits or ghosts. Try using methods to deal with evil spirits or ghosts. It might work.”

The deputy team leader asked, “Is it really evil spirits?”

“But we haven’t detected any excess spiritual fluctuations.”

“Adjusting spiritual fluctuations is not a difficult task.” In fact, Zhao Xiaokui hadn’t seen any evil spirits or ghosts, but the only things she could interrupt were on the level of the soul. “The enemies in the dark are very elusive and dangerous. Be careful in your actions.”

“Is what she said true?” someone in the Alliance of Gods’ convoy asked in confusion.

Arthur looked at Phyllis, the beautiful blonde, who shook her head. “I haven’t seen any traces of anything else existing, but I think her words are worth a try. This situation can’t only be happening to us. The Night Walkers must have encountered it too, and they must have solved it using similar methods, which is why she said so.”

“Then let’s try using holy water.”

Since Phyllis suggested it, Arthur quickly made a decision.

When it comes to something that can cure all kinds of ailments in the supernatural world, nothing beats holy water.

The strong exclusivity of the light element makes it almost unbeatable in healing.

Compared to the fear brought by the unknown, the potential side effects and consequences of holy water seem less conspicuous.

In fact, among the Night Walkers, if it weren’t for Zhao Xiaokui’s slap, they would probably have taken out the last resort of holy water.

The holy water, stored in a black glass jar, was quickly taken out of the specially designed safe.

Arthur held the chin of the affected person, opened the lid with one hand, and poured the holy water directly in.

He tried his best to prevent the holy water from coming into contact with the tongue, but there were still a couple of drops that didn’t directly enter the esophagus and fell onto the tongue. Suddenly, the reddish tongue surface made a sizzling sound, like the sensation of foie gras being grilled on a hot plate.

The affected supernormal, whose energy and light elements were in strong conflict, experienced particularly intense side effects.

Fortunately, the holy water took effect shortly after being ingested. The pale face and shivering body of the person quickly improved visibly.

In the convoy of the Thunder Sound Holy Land, solemn scriptures echoed, and faint golden light radiated from their vehicle. In an instant, it seemed to dispel the darkness created by the surrounding yellow sand. The large monk in a robe holding prayer beads, sitting across from the young monk, exhaled deeply after reciting the last scripture. Finally, the young monk, with hands folded in prayer, bowed to him.

With holy water for those who had it, and the Thunder Sound Holy Land chanting scriptures for those without it, everyone demonstrated their unique abilities after Zhao Xiaokui proposed a feasible solution.

Fortunately, regardless of the nature of their abilities, the problem was ultimately resolved.

Before reaching the first rest point, no one encountered any issues.

Parking was impossible outdoors, and even if they parked, there was a fear of being buried by the sand. Therefore, they opted to forcefully open the glass door of a supermarket, swaggering inside. With the protection of the surrounding walls, the sound of the sandstorm instantly diminished.

“This is the first collection point and resting place. The intensity of the sandstorm in Fula Town may exceed our imagination. We need to rest here for a while and then decide whether to continue or directly find a way to leave,” said the Y City representative through the intercom.

“It may not necessarily be a multiple-choice question. Perhaps the exit is right here in Fula Town,” Zhao Xiaokui joked before getting out of the car.

Their convoy was parked in the innermost position, sheltered from the sand blowing in from the entrance.

Zhao Xiaokui was the first to jump out of the car, suddenly stumbling.

She felt an unprecedented chill out of nowhere.

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