225: Chapter 225 Finding Me

(Six Months Later)

China, Northwest, a top-secret underground research base.

The atmosphere was as oppressive as a block of solidified lead.

Lin Tianyi, Fatty, Wang Xianzhi, and Song Yiqing sat around a massive tactical projection table. Their bodies had basically recovered, but the heavy weight of experiencing life and death could no longer be erased from their brows.

Fatty, in particular, had lost a lot of weight, and his playful grin had been replaced by a deep-seated determination. He rarely spoke, spending day after day polishing a rusty entrenching tool he had brought back from "Guixu."

"...The above is the latest intelligence on the 'Sahara Gate.'"

In the center of the projection table, the image of an elderly man in a general's uniform appeared. He was the top official in charge of this incident. "Since it rose from the center of the desert six months ago, it has reached a height of three thousand meters and continues to 'grow' at a rate of three meters per day. Its material is identical to the Bronze Gate in 'Guixu,' and we are unable to perform any form of analysis or destruction on it."

The old man's voice was filled with exhaustion and worry.

"More critically, with it as the center, within a radius of five hundred kilometers, physical rules are undergoing... 'alienation.' Sand dunes vitrify without warning, ancient city phantoms occasionally appear like mirages, and even... our drones captured these things."

The image switched.

On the screen were some twisted creatures moving at high speed across the yellow sands.

They had humanoid outlines, but their skin was like cracked bark, and their limbs were as long and thin as a spider's, chasing a mutated sand lizard.

"The ecology of 'Guixu'... is infecting the real world." Lin Tianyi looked at those monsters and coldly spat out his conclusion.

"Yes." The old man nodded. "That gate is like a 'wound,' and the 'virus' of that Guixu world is infecting our world through it. We don't know if Zhang Qilin's final self-detonation destroyed 'Zhulong' or... shattered the 'wall' between the two worlds."

"So, you want us to... go in again?" Wang Xianzhi's voice was as cold as ice.

"It's not that we want to." The old man gave a bitter smile. "It's just that... we have no choice."

He paused and played an audio clip.

It was a recording filled with chaotic electromagnetic noise, but if one listened closely, they could distinguish some... faint, intermittent... information.

It wasn't any known language.

It was a kind of... tapping sound.

A highly rhythmic tapping sound... transmitted through Morse code.

"This is the signal we received from inside the 'gate.'"

When the technicians present slowly translated that tapping sound into text and projected it onto the screen—

Everyone's breathing stopped at that moment.

There were only two words on the screen.

[Seek... Me.]

"Li-Little Brother?!"

Fatty suddenly bolted up from his seat, staring fixedly at those two words, his blood rushing to his head in an instant!

In this world, who else could it be but that amnesiac Muffled Oil Jar, who was used to asking for help in the most concise way, sending this kind of information in this kind of place?!

He wasn't dead!

He was trapped on the... other side of that gate!

"This is impossible!" Song Yiqing was the first to raise a doubt; his reason told him this might be a trap. "The power of the 'Xirang' self-detonation was enough to annihilate everything. How could he have survived? And even if he did, why would he appear behind a brand-new Bronze Gate?"

"Because the essence of 'Xirang' is not 'destruction,' but 'creation' and 'reshaping.'"

An unfamiliar voice suddenly came from the doorway of the meeting room.

Everyone looked back.

They saw an old professor wearing a Mao suit, with gray hair and gold-rimmed glasses, walking in accompanied by several guards.

A work badge hung on his chest: [Kyushu Ancient History Research Institute - Special Consultant - Professor Li].

It was that very same... Professor Li, who had explained countless mysteries to the global audience during the live broadcast!

"Professor Li?" Lin Tianyi recognized him.

Professor Li nodded, walked to the projection table, and pulled up a complex data model that looked like a star map.

"After the incident, we conducted millions of supercomputer simulations on the energy model of the 'Xirang' self-detonation."

His finger tapped a point at the core of the model.

"We found that at the singularity of the explosion, the energy did not completely annihilate. A small portion of the core creation power, under the protection of the Kylin Bloodline, formed a... miniature 'space-time bubble.' This 'space-time bubble' enveloped Zhang Qilin's soul and life essence, randomly... 'anchoring' to a certain space-time coordinate."

Professor Li pushed up his glasses and delivered an even more shocking conclusion:

"And that coordinate is what we see now... the 'Sahara Gate.'"

"In other words, it's not that Zhang Qilin appeared behind the gate. It's that... the gate was 'born' because of his existence."

"He is like a 'seed.' And that continuously 'growing' Bronze Gate is the... 'fruit' enveloping him."

"You mean..." Lin Tianyi's throat felt a bit dry, "Little Brother... himself, has become a gate?"

"You can understand it that way. He has merged with the 'gate,' or rather, with some higher-dimensional 'rule.'" Professor Li's expression was incredibly solemn. "He is trapped inside and cannot escape. He sent us a distress signal, which is both a call for help and a... warning."

"A warning?"

"Yes, a warning." Professor Li pointed to the monsters that were infecting the real world. "His existence 'anchored' that gate, but it also became a 'bridge' connecting the two worlds. Over time, the infection from 'Guixu' will become more and more severe. If we don't go in, find him, and cut off or 'heal' this connection, then eventually... the entire world will become 'Guixu.'"

Everything was now clear.

This was no longer a personal choice.

Saving Zhang Qilin was equivalent to... saving the world.

"I'm in!"

Fatty was the first to state his position, thumping his entrenching tool heavily on the ground, a fire burning in his eyes like never before. "Never mind some damn broken gate, even if it's a mountain of blades or a sea of fire, Lord Pang is going in to fish Little Brother out!"

"Count me in." Wang Xianzhi slowly drew her longsword, the blade ringing clearly.

Song Yiqing took a deep breath. "The karma of the Tomb Guardians must be settled by a Tomb Guardian."

Everyone's gaze focused on Lin Tianyi.

Lin Tianyi was silent for a moment, then he stepped forward, reached out, and gently touched the two cold Chinese characters on the screen—[Seek Me].

He seemed to be able to see that man in the endless darkness and loneliness, using his last shred of will to tap on the cold wall, calling out to them... the only partners he could trust.

"Prepare the equipment."

Lin Tianyi turned around, his voice calm but containing an unquestionable determination.

"Formulate the plan."

"This time..."

A flash of icy resolve crossed his eyes.

"We are bringing him home."

(One Month Later)

Deep in the Sahara Desert, the Restricted Zone.

A massive Bronze Gate, as grand as a mountain range, stood quietly between heaven and earth. The ancient patterns on the gate emitted a heart-palpitating eerie light under the scorching sun.

Beneath the giant gate, a massive military base had already been established.

Lin Tianyi, Fatty, Wang Xianzhi, and Song Yiqing, the four of them wearing brand-new combat suits specially made for the "Guixu" environment, stood in the shadow of the giant gate.

Behind them was Professor Li, along with the "Dragon Seekers" task force composed of the world's top soldiers and scientists.

This time, they were no longer fighting alone.

"According to the signal source analysis, Comrade Qilin's life signal is behind the gate... at a depth of about three kilometers." Professor Li handed Lin Tianyi a tablet computer, which showed a faint but steadily flashing point of light.

"However, the world behind the gate is unknown. We don't know what we will encounter. As the vanguard, your mission is to... find him, establish a stable frontline base, and assess the risks. Remember, your safety is the top priority."

Lin Tianyi nodded and glanced at his partners beside him.

Fatty was carrying a specially modified "Entrenching Tool Pro Max" that could fire high-explosive rounds.

In addition to the longsword on her back, Wang Xianzhi also had a compact electromagnetic pulse gun.

Song Yiqing wore tactical goggles that could assist him with energy perception.

They were fully prepared.

Rumble—

Amidst the sound of a massive winch, that dust-laden, incredibly heavy bronze giant gate was slowly... pulled open a crack by the power of modern industry.

What seeped out from the crack was no longer the dark purple air of "Guixu" filled with the smell of sulfur and rust.

It was a... deathly, cold, profound darkness that seemed capable of freezing even light.

And...

A faint, indistinct... singing.

The singing was ethereal, misty, not sounding like a human voice, as if coming from ancient sacrifices, or perhaps from the calls of the abyss.

The moment they heard that singing, a vision appeared in everyone's minds—

In the endless darkness, countless twisted, indescribable shadows were surrounding a blurry figure bound to a throne by countless chains, performing a... frenzied, devout... worship!

"Wh-What kind of hellhole is this?!" Fatty felt his teeth chattering.

"The energy index... is off the charts!" Song Yiqing cried out in horror as he looked at the alarm instantly turning red in his goggles.

This was not the "Guixu" they were familiar with.

This was... the other side of the gate.

A... brand-new world that was even more ancient, more terrifying, and more unknown!

"Move out."

Lin Tianyi did not hesitate for a second and was the first to step into that profound darkness.

The new journey had begun.

This time, what they had to face might no longer be the mechanical "Purifiers," nor the assimilated "Zhulong."

But... the source of myths, the... indescribable... horror itself.