bdsm-fiction Chapter 24 Ancient Castle Ruins
Chapter 24 Ancient Castle Ruins
After a brief moment of disorientation, consciousness returned.
Upon regaining consciousness, Yu Jing immediately raised his shotgun and positioned himself guarding both sides.
The other three also quickly got into position, taking their places according to the formation they had agreed upon beforehand.
Having gained experience from his previous adventure in a foreign land, coupled with nearly a week of intensive training, Yu Jing felt much more at ease with the confidence that came with his newfound strength.
Even so, when they could see the surrounding situation clearly, they couldn't help but widen their eyes.
Unlike the dark, dense forest of the previous expedition, the Explorers' Headquarters has chosen a different kind of environment for this assessment, just as its code name suggests.
Ancient castle ruins!
Dim moonlight streamed through the cracks in the dome, barely illuminating a portion of the surrounding area.
Looking around, the broken stone pillars stand crookedly, rubble is scattered all over the ground, and various debris and corpses are piled up into ruins like small mountains. The mottled stone walls on both sides are covered with dark green moss and dried black stains.
The murals are faded and distorted, and the damaged figures on them silently watch the intruders, harboring malice.
Occasionally, a gust of wind would blow in through the gaps, making a sharp whistling sound, carrying the stench of decaying corpses and the metallic smell of rust, making one feel as if each breath was swallowing tiny shards of ice, making one feel increasingly uncomfortable.
Taking advantage of the fact that everyone else's attention was not on him, Yu Jing quickly glanced at the Torch Watch.
The detector's pointer is in the safe zone, proving that there are no monsters lurking nearby. Then, turn the knob to open the map page.
As expected, a new map of the alien realm has been generated:
B (Castle) - Q (Fantasy) - 037 (Otherworld Number) - 1 (Otherworld Block Number)
Recalling the last magical scene in the teleportation room at the border.
Yu Jing gained a new understanding of the Explorers' Headquarters' capabilities.
He used the Torch Watch to travel to other lands, believing it to be a unique ability of his own.
Who would have thought that the Explorers Headquarters could do something similar?
Based on the information revealed in Yao Feng's words, this foreign land has been anchored at the border.
Although he didn't know what "anchoring" meant, Yu Jing suspected that as long as the Explorers Headquarters was willing, they could arrange for people to enter this alien land again at any time, and then use it as a place to obtain resources and train newcomers.
"I'm safe here."
The mercenary's oval metal shield on his left arm was already deployed. After assessing the surrounding environment, he holstered his gun, turned around, and signaled for the squad to assemble.
Although the Explorers' Headquarters did not set a time limit for the assessment mission, this godforsaken place was clearly not a place to stay for long.
They need to formulate their next course of action as soon as possible.
The four gathered in the center of the ruins, each already in battle mode.
"Look over there."
The mercenary turned on the light on top of his helmet and pointed to a certain spot.
Looking in the direction he was pointing, you could see the castle gate, which was mostly buried under the ruins.
"Yao Feng once said that the code name of this alien place is the ancient castle ruins. Now that the gate is blocked and we can't withdraw, it proves that our mission target is deep inside this ancient castle. This is good news, at least it narrows down our search area."
Yu Jing now roughly understood the difference between fortress-type alien realms and wilderness-type alien realms.
The former is a single, enclosed building that is difficult to evacuate before the exploration is complete, while the latter has no clear boundaries and can be explored in various places.
"A lot of people must have died here; the smell is truly disgusting."
Black Hand, carrying a submachine gun, sniffed, muttering "disgusting" but with a hint of excitement in his expression.
"We are currently in the castle's main hall, and the door leading deeper into the castle is most likely directly opposite that main door."
The Green Demon held a bow in his left hand and two specially treated arrows in his right, and said in a deep voice.
"I'll lead the way, you guys follow."
The team's location had been determined before they entered, so the mercenary didn't waste any words, picked up his shotgun, and strode forward.
Yu Jing and Black Hand occupied the left and right flanks, protecting the flanks while forming a triangular formation with the mercenaries, protecting the ranged attacker, Green Ghost, in the middle to prevent the archer from being ambushed and attacked by monsters.
Although it was a temporary team, they were still able to coordinate basic tasks.
Thanks to his enhanced eyesight from the [Savage Physique] enhancement, Yu Jing quickly spotted the outline of a doorway located on the inner side of the hall and couldn't help but call out a reminder.
"Found it, it's on my side!"
After saying that, he aimed the searchlight hanging below the muzzle of the shotgun at the door so that others could also see it.
The squad quickly moved closer, and the mercenary at the front raised his hand to push the door open, only to discover the strange thing behind it.
The door, about two people tall and covered with iron plates, was half-open as the mercenaries pushed it. However, when the light shone on it, the room behind the door was not visible; only a large cloud of black mist swirled within, isolating the inside from the outside.
This scene stopped them in their tracks. The mercenary withdrew his hand somewhat stiffly, and the group looked at each other in bewilderment.
Just then, Qing Gui seemed to notice something, pushed past Yu Jing in front of him, and approached the door. He then half-squatted down, pulled a portable flashlight from his waist, and aimed the beam at the gray mist through the crack in the door, observing how the light penetrated it, while saying...
"I've heard that the environment in other realms is complex, often containing phenomena and rules that defy common sense. Only explorers can test these things out. And this fog that separates the two rooms..."
"If I remember correctly, the room behind the door is likely a separate, enclosed space, not necessarily a normal room in the castle. Once we go in, we'll have to meet certain conditions to leave. Perhaps we'll trigger a mechanism, or perhaps we'll defeat all the monsters in the room, to open the passage to the next room!"
Have you heard someone say that?
Having caught the key information in Qing Gui's words, Yu Jing couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.
It seems this female archer has met other wanderers from other worlds in the modern world, and is probably quite experienced in the field.
According to her, the black fog should act as a spatial barrier, not only preventing them from spying on the other side of the room from the outside, but also cutting off their escape route once they enter the room.
To be honest, this mechanism reminded Yu Jing of the roguelike games that were very popular in his previous life.
"There are no other doors nearby. Qinggui is right. This must be the special mechanism of the ancient castle ruins. Since the black mist itself is not dangerous, I will go first, with Blackhand and Ash following behind. Qinggui will stay behind and can go a little slower."
The mercenary looked around and quickly made arrangements, while Qinggui spoke up again at this moment to remind him.
"Be extra careful once you're inside. The chances of monsters appearing in enclosed rooms are very high, so be careful not to get ambushed."
"Understood, let's go!"
Holding a shotgun, the mercenary kicked open the door and plunged headlong into the black mist.
Yu Jing and the Black Hand did not hesitate and rushed in after them.
The green ghost nocked an arrow, glanced back at the hall, waited a few seconds, and then strode forward.
Although they were complete strangers before tonight, they are now a community of shared interests as they participate in the assessment together.
Sincere cooperation is the key to passing the assessment.