140: Explore the ruins! A chance encounter yields the Eye of Obsession!

"The bugs yesterday had already riddled this place with holes, and combined with the flooding, the ground is now full of pits—'traps' everywhere you step!"

Su Lie stood on the scooter, watching the ground around him continuously collapse as the scooter team drove past. He couldn't help but sigh softly: "Fortunately, this scooter has the special effect of moving over flat ground, allowing us to easily cross this terrain. Otherwise, it would be truly difficult to pass!"

Currently, the scooter team's speed was only 100 meters per second.

While driving.

The ground directly beneath the scooters was very stable, which was fine.

However, the ground in the surrounding areas kept collapsing into pits one or two meters, or even seven or eight meters deep, due to the force generated by the team's movement.

These holes also contained murky groundwater.

Before long.

Su Lie led the Exploration Team's Little Skeletons safely to the outside of the Gravity Oasis area.

Upon entering the ruined city, Su Lie felt his body lighten; his entire being seemed to ascend, becoming incredibly nimble. Even the air he breathed became unusually fresh, and his thoughts were exceedingly rapid.

Su Lie knew this was a perceptual illusion caused by leaving the heavy gravity zone and entering a normal area.

*Clatter!*

He stopped and put the scooter into his ruyi pouch.

The Exploration Team's Little Skeletons also put their scooters into their Backpacks. They took out machetes from their Backpacks and strapped them to their backs, and then took out Mist Pistols.

Su Lie, meanwhile, turned his head to look behind him.

He saw that the path they had traveled remained perfectly flat, with only the surrounding areas showing a stretch of uneven gullies.

Looking at the Gravity Oasis area from here.

The Shelter at the center could be clearly seen.

There was also a spatial barrier that appeared severely warped in the sunlight.

It was as if this place and the Gravity Oasis area belonged to two different worlds.

Su Lie took out the mountain-viewing jade mirror, inserted 12 level 1 monster crystals, and then looked into the mirror surface.

Through the mirror, he discovered.

A large number of life forms existed in the surrounding buildings.

These life forms were retreating deeper into the city due to Su Lie's arrival.

After seeing this, Su Lie instructed the Little Skeletons: "Be careful!"

With that said.

He took the lead and walked forward.

The Little Skeletons split into four squads, and each squad was further divided into two smaller teams.

Each squad had 6 Little Skeletons, and each smaller team had 3 Little Skeletons.

They formed a three-by-three formation around Su Lie, marching with the same pace as him as they explored the ruins.

One Little Skeleton was responsible for following behind Su Lie, acting as the message relay and temporary Commander.

*Clatter!*

Upon approaching the first partially collapsed three-story building.

The two squads to Su Lie's left and right quickly entered the building, while the two squads in front and back quickly detached a smaller team to cover the gaps on Su Lie's left and right sides.

This building contained no life forms, and everything inside had already decayed.

Soon.

The Little Skeletons walked out of the building, shaking their heads helplessly.

Su Lie chuckled and said to them: "Don't forget this mission! We have two objectives. First is the Exploration Team's exploration and combat training! The second is resource collection!"

Afterward.

The four squads went to different buildings to search.

Su Lie also examined the structure of these buildings.

He found that these structures were the same as the concrete buildings on Blue Star, all being monolithic poured concrete structures.

Due to prolonged weathering.

This concrete had become extremely fragile.

Su Lie could even punch open a large hole a meter in diameter.

At the same time, he also received an Exploration Hint via his Exploration Hint Talent that these buildings contained no resources.

But he still had the Little Skeletons enter the buildings, carefully exploring layer by layer according to his requirements and the cooperation methods he specified.

Of course, these cooperative tactics and methods were all learned from films and television.

Time passed slowly.

About an hour later.

Su Lie led the Exploration Squad 300 meters deeper into the ruined city along a road.

Here, there was a wide, transverse boulevard.

Most of the large buildings lining the boulevard had collapsed into ruins.

The roads leading forward and to the left and right were also cut off by collapsed debris.

A large number of vine plants grew in the ruins, and these plants emitted a faint green fluorescence.

Su Lie took out the identification crystal, and after a careful look, he shook his head.

[Ghost Vine: A common quality plant. Its sap contains Spirit-based Deadly Poison, and it actively releases Mist pollution into the air every night. It sleeps during the day.

Warning: This plant is extremely fragile. If the vine is injured, it will die instantly, releasing all the Spirit-based Deadly Poison it contains, and rapidly decompose into a pool of corrosive, foul-smelling water.]

Another reason Su Lie gave up on collecting this vine was the prompt issued by the Exploration Hint.

[Ghost Vine cannot be acquired!]

Su Lie sighed and turned his head to look around.

Suddenly.

His eyes narrowed: "What is that?"

As he spoke.

He cautiously led the Little Skeletons toward the edge of the ruins on his left.

Dozens of Vengeful Spirits inhabited the ruined buildings nearby.

They were hiding in the shadows inside the buildings because they feared the sunlight.

Su Lie did not slaughter them.

First, Vengeful Spirits could pass through walls, making finding them individually too troublesome, a waste of time, and the reward was small.

Second, the buildings were too fragile, and Su Lie worried about causing a collapse.

Soon.

Su Lie stopped in front of the massive debris blocking the road.

He saw a Dried Corpse whose body was buried under the rubble, with only its head remaining exposed.

This person's head was shriveled, but in its eye sockets were a pair of eyeballs radiating a captivating light.

It was as if these eyes were not dead.

This made his heart pound unusually hard.

Just then, his Exploration Hint Talent gave another hint.

[Exploration Hint: After gouging out the eyes, you will be able to converse with the Departed Soul hidden within the distorted eyes and receive an Opportunity Mission!]

[Exploration Hint: This type of Opportunity Mission carries significant danger, but the rewards are substantial upon completion.]

Seeing this, Su Lie's eyes flashed, and he took out the Eye of Identification, aiming it at the eyes in the dry sockets.

At this very moment.

*Howl! Howl! Howl!*

Dull wails erupted from the surrounding buildings.

The massive sounds echoed throughout the ruins.

This caused dust and a large number of bricks to stream down from the surrounding high-rise buildings.

*Rumble!*

Some fragile staircases collapsed directly under the effect of the Vengeful Spirits' sound waves.

Fortunately, the buildings immediately surrounding Su Lie's position remained unaffected.

Seeing this, the Little Skeletons quickly raised their guns and aimed at the surroundings.

Due to the obstruction of obstacles, they could not aim at the soul-type life forms hidden behind the buildings.

At this moment.

*Bang! Bang! Bang!*

Gunshots arrived instantly.

The wailing in the surrounding buildings gradually ceased.

Su Lie paused slightly and looked up at the surroundings.

He realized this was likely the Black Tortoise Army, who guarded the Shelter, opening fire.

Because only the Little Skeletons seated within the mist firearm amplification pedestal could see the Vengeful Spirits hidden inside the buildings, thanks to the pedestal's wall-penetrating effect.

Only they could observe the encounter involving Su Lie and the Exploration Team's Little Skeletons.

He smiled faintly and seriously looked at the content displayed by the Eye of Identification.

[eye of obsession: Green Fine Quality item. It hosts a Departed Soul with a powerful obsession.

Cause of Formation: When this life form died, its soul did not dissipate due to intense obsession. Due to Mist pollution, its eyes mutated, forming the eye of obsession.

Warning: This eye of obsession often contains extremely high-risk crises or missions that are destined to be impossible to complete.

Warning: If the obsessed Departed Soul within the eye of obsession fulfills its obsession, it will be reincarnated immediately, and the eye of obsession will turn into quicksand due to the loss of obsession.

Warning: The eye of obsession and the obsessed Departed Soul within it can be refined into tools for controlling evil ghosts or into evil ghosts themselves.]

"I don't need the eye of obsession, because I already have the Yin-Yang Eyes and the Soul Dissolving Bullet Skill! I need the Opportunity Mission!"

Su Lie no longer hesitated. He reached out, shattered the skull, and retrieved the pair of eyes that had fused together, resembling a fossil.

At this time.

A hoarse voice appeared at Su Lie's ear: "Help me go to Underground Station No. 4 and eliminate the Level 20 Evil Spirit Ghost King You Tong residing there! After completing this mission, I will give you the resources I have hidden!"

Also at this moment.

A notification from the mist rule jumped into Su Lie's line of sight.

[Buzz!]

[Congratulations, you have successfully obtained an Opportunity Mission!]

...