167: Chapter 168 Howling Mountains, a Perilous Ruins Mission

The engine of the dark iron heavy armored vehicle roared, speeding along the road.

The dense forests on both sides of the road were quickly left behind and disappeared.

The sky gradually darkened, and so did the earth.

Although the black iron chariot had been galloping along the stone road the entire way, the land on both sides of the road had changed.

Somewhere along the way, the stone forests of the crystal mining area began to dissipate.

The grayish-brown earth gradually faded, and the ground began to be dominated by a dull, dark color.

The soil and vegetation that were once faintly visible had completely disappeared, and the ground had turned entirely into rock.

If the uneven ground didn't affect their speed, Su Yang could even have General Meng Tian stop laying the road.

The troops were advancing in the direction where the sun died, and lightning constantly flashed atop the mountains within the dark clouds.

The Wailing Mountains, the edge to the northwest of the Heart of the Hive, the junction of the landing zone.

According to the data transmitted by the higher-ups, the conditions at the junctions were generally extreme.

Either it was extremely calm, without any obstacles or boundaries, allowing for free passage.

Or it was filled with thunder and lightning, with the earth collapsing, making the difficulty of passage as hard as ascending to heaven.

The current situation was naturally the second one, as hard as ascending to heaven.

The closer they got to the Wailing Mountains, the faster the wind speed became.

Now the troops had reached the foot of the mountain, and the raging storm made it impossible for the soldiers to communicate verbally.

Su Yang was responsible for conveying the messages between units through his thoughts.

The gale howled in their ears, and gravel and sand scraped against their steel Imperial Armor as they passed.

One hour after entering the Wailing Mountains area, except for General Meng Tian who had a shield.

General Li Xin and all vehicle units exposed to the storm had their armor worn down.

One thousand Tyranid crystal mining bugs had not worn down the troops' Imperial Armor, yet this naturally occurring storm had managed to do so.

If someone without Imperial Armor were exposed to this gale mixed with countless gravel, they would be ground into blood and foam in just a few minutes.

Even through his perspective, Su Yang could feel the oppressive and terrifying atmosphere of the mountain range.

It was truly a natural barrier; for any other nation, it would be an impassable natural barrier!

If the Heart of the Hive were surrounded by the Wailing Mountains, absolutely no one would be able to attack, and their troops would be worn down before even crossing the border.

But Great Qin was different; a nation capable of building the Great Wall and the Lingqu Canal did not fear natural barriers.

They would not only climb the Wailing Mountains but also cross them.

They would even build wind power stations on the Wailing Mountains to tame this raging storm!

Hum---

Deepening into the heart of the Wailing Mountains, a stronger storm surged forward.

The Scout team, the black iron chariot, and the wolf smoke were running at full power.

General Meng Tian and General Li Xin led the team, diving headlong into the center of the storm.

Whoosh---

A more powerful gale surged, and Su Yang felt as if ten thousand savage wolves were roaring in his ears.

"You have trespassed into the Forbidden Ground of Mortals, the Birthplace of Gods, leave immediately."

"You have trespassed into the Forbidden Ground of Mortals, the Birthplace of Gods, leave immediately."

...

As soon as the troops entered the storm, Su Yang heard a series of ancient mechanical sounds ringing in his mind.

The sound was unaffected by the storm and could pass directly into Su Yang's ears.

Birthplace of Gods?

Thoughts surged in Su Yang's mind; for a moment, he could not guess what was happening.

The intelligent brain panel popped up.

"Troops have entered the relic area; continuing to deepen will trigger a Relic Quest."

Relic Quest?

Su Yang's eyes flickered; he still remembered the rewards from the first Relic Quest.

The Alien Research Station, which was the building that later upgraded into the Shennong Creation Institute.

That was a relic that had brought great help to the development of the territory.

But Relic Quests were erratic, and difficulty was not related to the rewards.

Furthermore, not all Relic Quests yielded good rewards.

The last time the rewards were generous did not mean this time would be the same.

And this time, there was no decryption card for the quest, so he could not know the specific quest details and rewards.

No!

Su Yang suddenly remembered something; he was not completely ignorant of this relic!

He still had the Astrology Tower!

Su Yang quickly switched back to the panel.

Once he left the storm area, the surroundings immediately quieted down, and his thoughts gradually regained composure.

The Astrology Tower could divine good and bad fortune and predict gains; it was simply a perfect substitute for a decryption card.

He quickly opened the Astrology Tower panel and invested command points.

"command points - 5000"

"Battle prediction activated, star chart deduction in progress..."

After the command points were invested, the hemisphere at the top of the Astrology Tower began to rotate, and the orbits surrounding it also began to operate in an intersecting manner.

This time, with the addition of light blue electric currents, the scene became even more sci-fi.

With the humming of the electric currents and the operation of the mechanical sounds, the deduction progress increased step by step.

"Battle deduction complete; this battle's deduction is: Regret."

"Deduction suggestion: Light is born from darkness, survival is born from death; only those who approach the truth can turn danger into safety, and those who cross the tribulation will obtain great treasures."

"Providing disaster-relief buff, Emptiness and Stillness: Providing 20% mental resistance for the entire army."

Regret?

A deduction result that was one tier worse than the last city defense battle!

Su Yang could hear his heart trembling.

The last city defense battle, which had a deduction of 'Severe', almost caused the entire territory to be overturned.

Should he still fight this battle with a deduction of 'Regret'?

Thoughts surged in Su Yang's mind, and countless ideas leaped through his mind in an instant.

If he fought, the survival of the main force and the two generals, General Li Xin and General Meng Tian, would be tested.

If he didn't fight, both the wind power station and the opportunity to walk out of the Heart of the Hive would be lost.

How exactly should he choose?

While he was thinking, the ancient and heavy mechanical sound rang out again.

"You have angered the ancient god; His wrath will swallow the intruders."

"Sink into the great psionic power and become a vassal of demons."

Well, there was no need to consider it anymore.

Su Yang's eyes flickered, and a murderous intent surged.

Since ancient times, there has never been a saying that those who achieve great things have a smooth journey.

To achieve success, one must pay a price!

This is true even for ordinary undertakings, and even more so for the path to hegemony!

If the journey were always 'Fortunate', it would lack the fun of twists and turns.

Su Yang switched back to the frontline perspective, and the howling of the storm immediately poured into his ears.

The earth was stained by darkness, and lightning moved through the air like silver snakes.

They had stepped into a territory of no return!

Since they couldn't turn back, they would keep moving forward!

Wherever the sun and moon shine, it is all the territory of Great Qin.

He wanted to see today what place dared to forbid the iron hooves of Great Qin!

"Generals, obey the order: full speed ahead!"