165: A life-or-death mission

Hours later, amidst the roar of engines, three military transport planes landed at a makeshift desert base.

As soon as the hatch opened, Lin Qianqian rushed out impatiently.

The Commander-in-Chief of the Western Military Region, usually so decisive, completely disregarded the surprised looks of her adjutants behind her.

She jogged all the way, finally stopping abruptly three steps away from Su Lei, her lips trembling slightly as if to confirm the person in front of her was real.

The next second, she threw herself into Su Lei's arms.

Burying her face deep into his shoulder, her voice was muffled, carrying an almost imperceptible sob.

"It's alright," Su Lei gently ruffled her messy hair, "I'm back."

Lin Qianqian looked up, took a deep breath, quickly composed herself, then turned to look at the team of experts disembarking.

Her voice regained its usual sharpness.

"Everyone, assemble! Mission briefing!"

Su Lei scanned the crowd, his gaze lingering on each expert's face for a moment.

These top scientists of the Federation now had faces filled with tension and determination.

"The mission is simple."

Su Lei's voice was not loud, but it clearly reached everyone's ears.

"I will escort you to the core of the Demonic Beast Seal."

"Your task is to explore a thousand meters underground, establish a safe passage, and then I will reinforce the Demonic Beast Seal."

As his words fell, the scene instantly became so quiet that a pin drop could be heard.

Several old professors adjusted their glasses in unison, while the young researchers exchanged glances.

Arrive at the depths of the Death Desert and face that legendary Demonic Beast?

No one knew how much the Seal had weakened; what if they arrived just as it broke free? Not to mention anything else, just the monsters corrupted by the Demonic Beast's aura in the outer perimeter had caused the entire Western Military Region heavy losses.

Recalling the specimens of humanoid mutants and Demonic Beast offspring, a female researcher's body went limp, and she couldn't help but take two steps back; a colleague quickly supported her.

A white-haired geological expert asked tremblingly, "Su... Officer Su, the current situation of the Demonic Beast..."

"It's very bad," Su Lei said bluntly, "but it hasn't reached the worst point."

"If we don't act now, and it completely breaks free... the entire human civilization will perish."

His gaze, like a torch, swept over everyone, lingering for an extra second on a researcher who instinctively took half a step back.

"You should know better than anyone the situation and outcome of that ancient civilization thirty thousand years ago."

Among the crowd, several experts couldn't help but avert their gaze and lower their heads.

They indeed had thoughts of fleeing the west overnight, and some had even secretly contacted relatives in the south.

However, they all knew that Su Lei was speaking the truth.

Lin Qianqian suddenly stepped forward, her sharp gaze sweeping over everyone.

"This mission concerns the survival of humanity."

"I, in the name of the Commander-in-Chief of the Western Military Region, declare that everyone present is now forcibly conscripted!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the atmosphere instantly solidified.

Several rapid breaths were heard from the team, and someone instinctively took half a step back.

Lin Qianqian said expressionlessly, "Don't worry, I will also go with everyone."

Several young researchers' faces turned pale, their Adam's apples bobbing, but no sound came out.

An old professor wearing thick protective goggles had trembling fingers, almost unable to hold his detector steady.

Xiao Yuwei coldly swept her gaze over everyone, then suddenly sneered.

She slowly walked to the front of the team, "Haven't you realized yet? We have no retreat."

"Is it to flee far away and then die in the mouths of endless monsters in a few months... a year, or is it to assist Su Lei in completing the Seal, saving the entire Western Military Region, saving all of humanity?"

The scene was utterly silent.

The wind and sand swirled, and grey-black grains of sand hit their protective suits, making a rustling sound.

Everyone's expressions gradually changed from fear and struggle to determination.

Some clenched their fists, some took a deep breath and slowly straightened their backs.

Xiao Yuwei slowly nodded, a hint of sternness flashing in her eyes.

"I, in the name of the Western Executive Officer, declare—"

"The mission must be completed."

"Those who desert will be prosecuted for treason!"

"Move out!"

The team began to move deeper into the Death Desert.

As they went deeper, the surrounding landscape became increasingly bizarre—

The originally golden sand gradually turned grey-black, and the air was filled with a putrid smell.

Most horrifying of all, the sand grains were subtly wriggling, as if alive.

"Watch your step!" Xiao Yuwei suddenly shouted.

No sooner had she spoken than dozens of mutated sand scorpions burst out of the ground!

They were the size of hounds, their carapaces covered in eerie black patterns, and their tail stingers glowed with a faint blue venomous light.

Su Lei walked at the very front of the team, not even pausing his steps.

He merely casually pointed a few fingers in the air, each seemingly light and effortless, yet stirring up a storm around them.

Seven-colored lightning descended from the sky, precisely striking each monster, instantly vaporizing them.

Xiao Yuwei guarded the left side of the team, conjuring several ice spears with a flick of her hand.

She accurately pierced several stragglers, freezing them into ice sculptures.

On the right, Chen Xuan and Elder Ye cooperated with exceptional synergy.

One's long sword was like a rainbow, Sword Qi crisscrossing, while the other's palms flew, each strike carrying the power to split mountains and crack stones.

A giant monster resembling a pangolin had just poked its head out when it was jointly slain by the two.

"Maintain formation! Do not get bogged down in battle!"

As everyone delved deeper, the foul aura in the air grew heavier.

Black mist, like a living entity, wandered among the sand dunes, sometimes condensing into ferocious beast heads, sometimes dispersing into twisted human figures.

The black mist, obscuring the sky and sun, plunged the surroundings into an eerie gloom.

Demonic Beast offspring and human mutants also seemed endless, surging from all directions like a tide.

"Come here, stay close to me," Su Lei said in a deep voice.

Pale blue Mental Energy surged out, forming a hemispherical protective shield that enveloped the entire team.

The next moment,

The countless gazes cast from all directions shifted away, as if they could no longer perceive everyone's presence.

Based on Weber's teachings, Su Lei also began to imitate the body-protecting secret art that Hong Tian Venerable had cast on him at the altar.

Mysterious runes occasionally flashed across the surface of the Mental Energy membrane.

The moment the pervasive black mist touched it, it immediately made "hissing" sounds, dissolving completely like ice and snow meeting fire.

Everyone immediately felt lighter, and the suffocating oppressive feeling instantly vanished.

Several young researchers gasped for air, all looking at Su Lei with gratitude.

Xiao Yuwei and Lin Qianqian both instinctively moved closer to Su Lei, their soft bodies pressing tightly against him.

But Su Lei's entire mind was immersed in the changes within his Sea of Consciousness, not even noticing the soft touch on his arm or the subtle fragrance at his nose.

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