142: Rift Valley

Chen Wang's hand rested on the control panel, the kindling system still lit.

The data on the screen was normal, the remote test was complete, and the vehicle model was ready.

He didn't press the navigation key.

The vehicle was very quiet.

Su Ling stood on the roof of the vehicle, her hand resting on her weapon.

Lin Wei looked at the computer, frowning.

Amy Chen looked down at the growth rate of the SP, tapping the screen lightly.

Su Wan came out of the medical pod and turned off the dust removal equipment she had just started.

Chen Wang withdrew his hand and tapped the steering wheel three times with his fingers.

The sound wasn't loud, but everyone heard it.

Everyone looked up at him.

"The Shield can block the black tide, and the gun can pierce iron walls," he said, "but we aren't here just to live by hiding in the rift."

He turned around and glanced at everyone.

"Next stop, the Stasis Zone pyramid."

After speaking, Su Ling immediately stood straight and checked the mounting bracket for her sniper position.

Lin Wei opened the spatial anchor self-test program to confirm that the structure was fine.

Su Wan opened the prayer room door, took out the scalpel from the corner of the table, and tucked it back into her waist.

Amy Chen opened the energy model and began to calculate long-distance consumption.

Chen Wang watched them prepare, saying nothing more.

He turned off the test mode, and the map popped up.

In front was an open space, with several red dots marking high-risk areas.

The engine was still on standby.

Amy Chen suddenly looked up: "I've looked at the holographic map."

She swiped, and a projection appeared in the air.

Three red dots were moving deep in the ice field, far apart, but in the same direction, all converging toward a center.

"This is not a coincidence," she said, "The three Stasis Zones are approaching, and the rhythm is the same as the black tide. If we don't get in before they converge, we'll have to wait three years for the next time."

Lin Wei leaned in to look at the data: "The ore coordinates also point there. Maybe we can find technology to counter the black tide."

Su Wan looked at the wind and snow outside and whispered: "I hope there is medicine for frostbite there."

No one answered, and the atmosphere changed.

Chen Wang nodded: "We aren't going to our deaths; we are going to take back what belongs to humanity."

After speaking, he pressed the start button.

The engine roared, and the vehicle body vibrated.

The Shield was normal, and the energy was full.

The system completed its final check, and all modules were green.

The vehicle name slowly moved forward.

The tires crushed the ice, making a muffled sound.

The exit passage was narrow, flanked by high ice walls covered in snow.

The convoy moved forward along the route, with radar constantly scanning the surroundings.

After ten minutes, Lin Wei said: "Structure is stable, the Shield has no fluctuations, radiation shielding is normal."

Amy said: "SP recovery is at the baseline, adding five points per kilometer, normal."

Su Ling stared ahead, her left hand touching her left shoulder.

Her old injury hurt a little, but she didn't say anything.

There were no heat source signals in the scope.

The vehicle entered the final stretch of the ice road.

Chen Wang suddenly stepped on the brake.

The vehicle stopped steadily.

He unbuckled his seatbelt, took the welding torch, and got out of the vehicle.

It was still snowing outside, and the temperature was minus eighty degrees.

He walked to the rock wall on the right, connected the power, and ignited the welding torch.

Flames sprayed out, burning a deep mark on the ice.

He carved the characters stroke by stroke.

"vehicle model, 2124, Rift Battle, all members survived."

The characters were deep, and blue light seeped into the ice along the traces, like frozen energy lines.

After finishing this, he put away the welding torch and returned to the driver's seat.

Su Ling saw from the roof of the vehicle that the reflections of the six people and that line of text overlapped on the ice wall.

"If someone comes here in the future, they will know..." she whispered, "that it wasn't just the Empire that left a name behind."

Lin Wei took out the recorder to capture the image.

She named the file "First Civilian Monument" and saved it in the encrypted area of the engineering log.

Amy updated the file, writing in the itinerary: "Stasis Zone Expedition No. 1, officially started."

The vehicle name started again.

The taillights lit up, pulling out two red rays that extended into the snow.

The wheels rolled over the ice, and the speed gradually picked up.

The Shield shimmered, blocking the flying snow particles.

Everyone on the vehicle returned to their posts.

Su Ling checked the ammunition: thirty electromagnetic rounds, twenty armor-piercing rounds, five interference rounds.

She put the spare battery into the external bag and tested the grappling hook launcher once; it was normal.

Lin Wei monitored the Shield parameters while running a low-frequency scan to see if there were any hidden mechanical units ahead.

She discovered a void underground, but the structure was stable and would not affect passage.

Su Wan returned to the medical pod and started the preheating of the shielding pod.

She pulled up everyone's body data; body temperature, heartbeat, and brain waves were all normal.

She set a health check reminder every two hours.

Amy continued to watch the SP and energy consumption.

She set a three-level alert: if energy was below 30%, she would turn off non-essential functions; if SP reached five thousand, she could unlock new programs; if they encountered a major battle, she would reserve two thousand for emergencies.

Chen Wang gripped the steering wheel, his eyes on the navigation.

There were no major obstacles for the next three hundred kilometers, and the black tide was heading south, so they wouldn't run into it.

The radar found no active heat sources, and the communication channel was clean.

The convoy drove out of the final passage.

The view opened up.

Ahead was a vast ice field, flat, with non-stop wind and snow.

The terrain in the distance was unclear.

There was a blue dot moving on the navigation, which was the approximate location of the Stasis Zone pyramid.

The vehicle continued to move.

Su Ling suddenly asked: "The place where we carved the words just now... will anyone see it?"

Chen Wang looked ahead: "Not necessarily."

"But the road we are taking now," he said, "someone will always follow."

Lin Wei pressed save on the terminal: "I have recorded the coordinates. In the future, when we rebuild the communication network, we can make it a marker point."

Amy flipped a page of the report: "This counts as our first operation code name. There can be No. II and No. III in the future."

Su Wan adjusted the temperature of the medical pod: "If we can find a way to treat frostbite, we can help more people."

Chen Wang didn't look back: "What we are doing now is leaving a path for people."

The vehicle entered the deep snow area and automatically switched to crawler mode.

The chassis was raised by two levels to prevent snow from blocking the cooling vents.

The Shield flickered once, then quickly returned to normal.

Lin Wei reported: "There is a shallow ice crack ahead, less than half a meter wide, we can pass."

Amy adjusted the route by fifteen degrees to avoid the most fragile areas.

Su Ling raised her binoculars to look into the distance: "The wind direction has changed."

Just as she finished speaking, a strong wind blew, and ripples appeared on the surface of the Shield.

Chen Wang gripped the steering wheel tightly and stepped on the accelerator.

The vehicle moved forward steadily.

The light from the taillights trailed long, like a red line.

In the wind and snow, the line of text carved on the ice wall was slowly covered by snow, but the blue light inside was still flashing.

The convoy disappeared on the horizon.

The Shield was normal.

Weapons were on standby.

Navigation showed that they were eight hundred and twenty-three kilometers away from the Stasis Zone.

Su Ling put down her binoculars, her right hand resting on the trigger guard.

Her left shoulder hurt again.