Blue Star had vast territories, with five major mountain ranges and seven great oceans since ancient times, along with countless small mountains and lakes.
As time progressed, humans abandoned the flat Earth theory and recognized the entirety of the planet and even the universe. This planet was then divided into five major regions based on the distribution of mountains and seas.
The Yao Country was located in the largest central region of Blue Star.
Kun Mountain belonged to the foremost of the five mountain ranges. The highest peak of the Kun Mountain range was situated at the border intersection of Yao Country and several small nations, geographically at the heart of the central region.
If carefully divided according to national boundaries, more than half of the Kun Mountain range belonged to Yao Country, with a small portion outside its borders.
This world’s highest treacherous peak stretched across Yao Country’s border like a wall reaching the sky, extending between clouds and heaven. The ancients mistakenly believed this place to be the boundary between heaven and earth, exclaiming “this mountain is as high as the sky” when standing before it.
At this moment, this sky-reaching wall had “disappeared”.
In its place was a pillar of air shooting towards the sky.
White mist soared skyward like a jade Milky Way. Rolling thick fog obscured the sky and sun, almost condensing into raindrops, showering the world below.
The former location of Kun Mountain was entirely shrouded in white mist. Wisps of white fog were still imperceptibly drifting to the surrounding areas.A hundred meters beyond the white mist, the local military had drawn a long cordon. Everyone looking towards the mist had extremely vigilant expressions, continuously persuading the curious onlookers to leave.
Hum…
In the distant sky, the sound of an aircraft vibrating the air could be heard. On a pre-prepared open space, a latest model of a high-speed aircraft descended from above, with several people hurriedly disembarking.
The young man in the lead showed his credentials. “We are from the Special Case Investigation Team, ordered to come to Kun Mountain to investigate the incident.”
The person speaking was Chu Xingrui, followed by Li Fufeng, Liu Ningshuang, Yin Xubai, and several other members of the Special Case Investigation Team.
As soon as news of the Kun Mountain live broadcast interruption, earthquake occurrence, and strange mist spreading reached them, the Special Case Investigation Team took action — other departments continued with normal earthquake relief work, for which Yao Country already had a set of well-practiced operational mechanisms. The Special Case Investigation Team’s task was to investigate the truth behind this incident.
After all, this incident was clearly different from ordinary earthquakes. At that time, many people saw the sword shadow from the sky and white mist soaring upwards, followed by snow covering the globe — it was strange no matter how one looked at it.
On their way here, they had received news that not only had Kun Mountain experienced changes, but the other four mountain ranges belonging to the five major mountain systems had also simultaneously undergone strange transformations — mountain ranges shaking, white mist soaring into the sky, and fog spreading endlessly.
Such bizarre changes that exceeded common sense clearly fell within the jurisdiction of the Special Case Investigation Team to investigate. Even if the Special Case Investigation Team had no clues about this and not the slightest confidence.
They were prepared to set up camp on-site for a long-term investigation.
Having shown their credentials, someone immediately led them to find the person in charge here, who would arrange for them.
As they walked, Chu Xingrui looked at the scattered onlookers gathered outside the cordon and couldn’t help but frown. “Why are there still so many civilians gathered here? How’s the disaster relief situation here? How wide is the earthquake’s affected area? Are there any aftershocks? What’s the casualty situation?”
He fired off a series of questions in succession.
Mainly because they had rushed over as soon as they received the news, and hadn’t had time to understand many situations.
The two people leading the way showed expressions of being at a loss for words. “It’s both big and small.”
“What does that mean?”
“The intensity of this earthquake was very high, measured at over 7 on the scale,” explained Xiao Wang, one of the two. “Logically, the earthquake’s aftershocks should have affected many surrounding areas. But the strange thing is, this earthquake was confined to the Kun Mountain area, without transmitting vibrations outward. Yet the shaking in Kun Mountain lasted for a full minute!” He helplessly pointed at the onlookers still lingering nearby, “These people gathered here are villagers from the foothills of Kun Mountain. They heard about the earthquake and initially ran out of their homes in fear, but then found they weren’t affected at all. Now they’re all squatting here to watch the commotion! We’ve barely managed to persuade some to leave!”
“How bizarre,” the team remarked.
Even though many in the Special Case Investigation Team only had a superficial understanding of earthquakes, they knew that major earthquakes would inevitably have aftershocks spreading out, just like ripples from a stone thrown into a lake. The situation described by this person seemed to defy common sense. For someone like Yin Xubai who knew more, it was simply unbelievable.
“Exactly! When we first received news of the Kun Mountain earthquake, nearby towns and villages immediately organized evacuations. We didn’t expect there to be no aftershocks at all. We almost thought we’d received false information. But because the situation is so strange, we still can’t let those evacuated civilians return home. It’s better to wait and observe, in case something happens after they go back. After all, the situation in Kun Mountain is very abnormal now.”
As he spoke, Xiao Wang turned to look at the fog-shrouded Kun Mountain inside the cordon, his face showing a hint of fear, as if he had encountered something terrifyingly beyond comprehension.
“What happened?” Li Fufeng suddenly asked, pointing inside the cordon. “I see you seem very wary of the mist over there. Is there something wrong with it?”
However, seeing that these people weren’t wearing protective gear, it probably wasn’t poisonous. Could it be that the mist eats people… An absurd thought flashed through Li Fufeng’s mind, just as the older, more composed-looking young man who had been silent beside Wang took a deep breath.
He warned with a serious expression, “This white mist is indeed very strange and dangerous. You must not approach it carelessly.”
“Oh?” Now everyone was curious. Wasn’t their purpose for coming here to investigate this strange incident?
The man who introduced himself as Li said,
“When the earthquake occurred, a large amount of white mist gushed out from underground, instantly enveloping the entire Kun Mountain. Because it happened so suddenly, the competition teams, including the photography crew at the mountain’s foot, and the friends and family who came to witness the competition, were all within the mist’s coverage area. Not one of them escaped, and their whereabouts are unknown — about 103 people in total. They are the only victims of this earthquake.”
“Are they lost in the mist? What about their phones…”
“It’s useless. We’ve tried calling, but couldn’t get through. GPS positioning doesn’t work either. We’ve tried almost every method possible, but all their communication devices are unreachable. It’s as if this white mist is a black hole, or there’s some kind of magnetic field blocking signals. Satellite maps only show a blur, and there’s no way to detect the situation inside…”
“Because rescuing people was urgent, we immediately arranged for rescue teams to go in and search, but the rescue teams also disappeared after entering. Even military communication equipment couldn’t receive signals.”
“…In the last second before the signal disappeared, their message was that everything was normal, and they hadn’t encountered any danger. At that moment, we felt as if we had seen a ghost.”
The ground was still covered with a thick layer of snow, and the chill permeating the air seemed to suddenly penetrate into everyone’s bones.
Li’s voice wasn’t as lively as Wang’s, nor did he have a talent for storytelling. He spoke plainly, but somehow the atmosphere around them grew increasingly silent and heavy with his narration.
Perhaps to dispel the overly heavy atmosphere, Wang beside him laughed, “Don’t listen to this guy’s nonsense. Where are there ghosts in this world? Maybe there’s some special mineral under Kun Mountain that was affected by the earthquake, just happening to change the magnetic field. I’m just saying, if there are any common sense issues, just take it as me talking nonsense. After all, Blue Star is so vast, and our human exploration of it is far from sufficient.”
But his words had no effect.
Liu Ningshuang had already hugged her arms, her face pale.
She prided herself on fearing nothing in heaven or earth, except ghosts. Before meeting Adam, she could deceive herself that the world was scientific and ghosts were fake, but now…
“Could it really be ghosts? Isn’t there something similar in novels, like a ghost wall…” She tugged at Li Fufeng’s sleeve, lowering her voice to whisper.
Li Fufeng looked at her helplessly, shaking his head slightly, and answered quietly so others couldn’t hear. “It should be fine.”
His gaze unconsciously drifted towards the thick white mist, his voice sounding almost like sleep-talking…
“…I feel it’s not a bad thing.”
That white mist seemed to instinctively attract him…
Like a sudden spring in the desert, making one unconsciously want to approach and nourish their parched body.
The group quickly settled down, but the investigation made no progress. Only Yin Xubai seemed to have discovered something, wandering around the area daily with a group of people before diving into his temporary laboratory, doing who knows what.
Come to think of it, this seemed to be the daily routine of the Special Case Investigation Team.
Ever since recruiting Adams as an external member, apart from Yin Xubai’s research group being immersed in otherworldly material research, most others were often in a state of having nothing to do.
Although they had received reports from certain places, facts ultimately proved they were just ordinary people playing tricks. When the Special Case Investigation Team was deployed, they didn’t encounter any supernatural events, but inadvertently eliminated several cult organizations and pyramid schemes. Among them were some charlatans, but some also had real skills in areas like feng shui, astronomy, and geography. After verification, the team also recruited them as special talents, perhaps useful in the future.
This Kun Mountain incident was clearly different from previous minor cases, but a world-shaking big event!
“No clues! No clues at all! Not a bit of progress. If we report back, will our Special Case Investigation Team, established for so long and enjoying so many special treatments and benefits, turn out to be just for show, exposed when facing a real test?”
As the leader of this mission, Chu Xingrui couldn’t sit still.
“Now is the time to truly test our Special Case Investigation Team!” He took a deep breath, his gaze quickly scanning the others. “Special Case Investigation Team – we’re meant to investigate abnormal affairs. If we can’t investigate anything this time, just like others, then this so-called Special Case Investigation Team is nothing but a joke. What’s the point of its existence?”
Everyone’s expressions were grim, not because Chu Xingrui’s words were too blunt, but because what he said was the truth.
Indeed, they hadn’t made any progress.
Even though they had almost combed through nearby villages, learned all the information about Kun Mountain from the villagers’ mouths, even knowing clearly the long-standing legends in some villages and everything that had happened nearby in the past three months, there seemed to be no clues they needed among all this.
“I heard villagers mention local legends about immortal swords on Kun Mountain, which might be related to the sword shadow that fell from the sky earlier…”
“That’s obviously fake. I’ve heard several different versions of similar stories. These people are just making far-fetched connections. Haven’t you seen the internal news? Five mountain ranges shook simultaneously, and people in those areas reportedly saw a sword shadow pass through the sky. It couldn’t be one sword splitting into five, or that all five places have stories about immortal swords, right?”
“We’re just brainstorming here, I’m just suggesting an idea…”
“I say—” Li Fufeng suddenly spoke up, “Why don’t I go into Kun Mountain for a look? Perhaps that’s the only way to uncover the truth.”
“Go to Kun Mountain? Kun Mountain can’t even be found…” The others quickly reacted, “You want to enter the tiger’s den, no, go into the depths of the white mist to investigate the truth of the anomaly? That’s too dangerous!”
Although the person in charge here had been extremely cooperative with them upon hearing they were a department specializing in handling special events, almost fulfilling their every request, seemingly treating them as “experts”, and some young people addicted to online novels were almost treating them as the legendary national supernatural organization, they themselves knew very well that they were just ordinary people.
Since its establishment, the Special Case Investigation Team had only encountered a few supernatural events, none of which were highly dangerous.
But this time was clearly different.
Not to mention the hundred or so people who initially disappeared, even the several rescue teams that went in afterward were still unaccounted for — that strange mist seemed to be able to devour life itself.
“We have to go despite the danger. I feel that place is the core of everything. Without venturing into danger and just circling in safe areas, we may never touch upon the real secrets. Besides, my intuition tells me that this white mist isn’t as dangerous as everyone imagines,” Li Fufeng said vaguely. “Perhaps our understanding is too limited, leading to some misunderstandings?”
The others didn’t quite believe his words, but no one opposed him either. Chu Xingrui pondered for a few seconds before nodding, “That makes sense. Our Special Case Investigation Team should be facing the most dangerous, strange, and bizarre things in the world. If we think we can easily solve all supernatural events while staying in safe areas, that’s simply wishful thinking!”
He made a decisive statement. “Let’s do this, I’ll go with Li Fufeng. The rest of you stay here to support and continue investigating. If we don’t return in three days, report to the director!”
“No, you’re from the action team, your identity is more suitable. As the team leader, you should stay here to oversee the overall situation. Let me go instead, I’m used to partnering with Old Li,” Liu Ningshuang immediately objected.
Chu Xingrui asked in surprise, “Aren’t you afraid of ghosts?”
The others also looked over in surprise.
Liu Ningshuang instinctively swallowed, then quickly snorted disdainfully after realizing, “Afraid of ghosts? What a joke! Big ghosts or small ghosts, I can take them all out with one punch!”
“Alright then, you two go. It’s good to have someone watching each other’s backs,” Chu Xingrui agreed after consideration.
“You’re going into the mist area?” At this moment, Yin Xubai came over. “I’ve made some progress on my end, which might be helpful.”
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