The heavy alloy hatch of the transport vessel slid open with a loud creak. A distinct airflow swept in—a mixture of the earthy, musty scent of damp soil; the faintly sweet odor of some decaying plant; and a subtle hint of metallic rust.
Shen Kai was the last to descend the cold metal gangplank.
His military boots sank into the soft, dark brown soil, which was damp and saturated—a stark contrast to the hard, cold synthetic surfaces inside Rocky City. A slight, unsteady sensation of floating washed over him from the soles of his feet.
The exposed skin on his body tingled faintly, as if tiny static charges were flickering.
This was the "contact zone."
Looking up, he saw that the sky bore an eternal, oppressive grayish hue. A faint, purplish-red mist swirled near the ground, reducing visibility to less than fifty meters. The trees in the distance were grotesquely twisted, their branches bent at unnatural angles and their leaves a dark purple or metallic gray.
"All units, maintain Level 1 combat alert! Form a standard diamond formation!"
Captain Gestalt's voice, processed through his tactical helmet, came through the squad's encrypted communication channel. He turned to Nadeshiko.
"Nadeshiko, activate your 'Whisper Detector' and monitor the surrounding environmental energy readings. Report any anomalies immediately."
"Roger that, Captain!" Nadeshiko immediately began operating the multifunctional scanner on her wrist.
Ryan, on the other hand, seemed eager to act. He tightened his grip on the AR-18 assault rifle, lowered his body, and swiftly darted into the knee-high, dark green grass with sharp leaf edges alongside the road.
He began a fan-shaped search advance according to standard tactical procedures. The "fiery red" energy emanating from his body burned brighter than usual due to his excitement over his first battle.
Shen Kai followed Gestalt at a distance of about five meters, providing fire support while maintaining the ability to receive orders promptly.
He didn't need any external detectors. Through his heightened senses, which were unlike those of ordinary people, the "differences" here were clear to him.
The concentration of energy particles left behind by the "alien" corruption in the air was far denser than in Rocky City. It felt as if countless tiny, icy needles were constantly pricking his senses, causing a dull ache in his temples.
Even worse, the "core whispers" that the Gestalt captain had mentioned were now incredibly clear and chaotic here.
They were not specific sounds heard through his ears, but rather a chaotic stream of consciousness echoing endlessly in the depths of his mind—fragmented mutterings filled with despair, hatred, and rage. It was as if countless tormented souls were trapped in this land, crying, cursing, and howling endlessly.
This nearly shattered his already strained mental defenses.
"Shen Kai, focus your mind!" Gestalt's voice was as cold and hard as an ice spike. Without turning his head, he barked into the communicator by Shen Kai's ear, "In this environment, even a half-second of distraction could turn you into fertilizer for those twisted plants!"
Shen Kai snapped back to reality, realizing he had unconsciously slowed his pace. He murmured, "Yes, Captain," forcing himself to refocus on the task at hand.
However, the area around his chest, where the "colorless core" was located, began to emit faint, yet persistent and uneasy vibrations. It was as if it were resonating with the massive negative energy lingering in this cursed land.
Suddenly, Ryan's voice rang out over the squad's internal communication channel. Tinged with the tension of a first discovery and even more excitement, he said,
"Captain! Nine o'clock, left front. Something's there!"
"It's a living creature—at least four of them! At least four of them!"
"They're all grayish...giant scorpions!"
Gestalt's brows furrowed beneath his thick tactical helmet. He quickly retrieved data from the Federation Central Monster Database.
"Ash Giant Scorpion, Mutant. Federation Biological Threat Level Assessment: C+."
In a cold tone, he issued the order through the communication channel:
"For a rookie squad lacking heavy firepower support, this is a threat capable of annihilation."
"Those guys in Intelligence are using outdated maps to command the front lines again."
"All squad members, take note! We've encountered an unexpected threat! No one is to fire without my explicit orders!"