Chapter 1667: An Estimated Distance of Five Hundred Meters
Yu Qingqing played a trick. She changed her mind midway, sending the four members of Da Xue, who were supposed to rendezvous with her, to the spatial entrance first. This was to test once more whether the space would undergo any changes, and secondly, to try and see if they could enter.
If an accident occurred, that went without saying. But if nothing happened and they all got in, Xu Huo couldn't very well kick them out.
So when they arrived, only three people were standing at the spatial entrance.
Xu Huo raised an eyebrow slightly. "The one codenamed Bao Yu went in?"
Da Xue nodded. "Bao Yu is the most talented among us. He had already touched the threshold of Super Evolution before."
This statement was certainly exaggerated, but as long as the person successfully entered, there was no problem.
"What threshold? In what aspect?" Nie Xuan quickly pressed.
"Physical fitness..." Da Xue deliberately made it vague.
Nie Xuan glanced at Xu Huo. The two stood outside this so-called "entrance," their expressions gradually turning solemn.
This location was in a primeval forest near Nan City. The "entrance" was actually a grayish, hazy slit opened in the center of a tree over three meters in diameter.
From the slit, one could see a little of the situation inside the space. By comparison, it was clear that this "entrance" was not even a proper door relative to the entire space, but merely a small crack.
Of course, that was relative to the space. For a person, it was still quite spacious—two people could walk in side by side without issue.
But standing outside, Xu Huo and Nie Xuan could already feel the Space Power being released from within. This was indeed a chaotic space, and extremely unstable. The last time Xu Huo had encountered so many chaotic Space Rays was in the "Cube Space."
However, the "Cube Space" had a small range, and he had a relatively comprehensive grasp of it. The chaotic rays revealed through this opening crack were only a tiny fraction, making it impossible to fully discern the distribution and approximate range of the chaotic rays from the outside.
Xu Huo handed the video Yu Qingqing and the others had taken to Nie Xuan and his team.
After watching it, Nie Xuan asked, "How do you think the surveillance device was destroyed?"
"It might have been shredded by the chaotic Space Power," Xu Huo said. "Or it could have been destroyed by some other force existing within."
With deeper control over Space Power, Space Rays could be solidified into barriers, briefly reshaped into sharp blades, or, like Xue Lang, used directly as weapons. In this chaotic space, the Space Rays might simultaneously exist in all three states without any human control.
However, the difference between these three states being controlled by a person versus forming naturally was enormous.
"With bad luck, you might take a few steps inside and run into a meat grinder," Nie Xuan naturally understood.
Although Yu Qingqing and the others didn't understand temporal and spatial forces, they had witnessed the destruction of the surveillance device and understood Nie Xuan's metaphor. Da Xue and the other two changed color immediately and quickly said, "Until he disappeared from our sight, Bao Yu was safe."
"That means he's lucky," Nie Xuan offered a half-hearted consolation. "Maybe his luck will hold out."
Realizing that things were far from as simple as they had imagined, Yu Qingqing and the others also lost their desire for the opportunity. However, they couldn't bring themselves to ask the Special Defense Department for help. Finally, Yu Qingqing said to Xu Huo, "Cousin, if you can bring Bao Yu out, try your best. If you can't... prioritize your own safety first."
After speaking, she gritted her teeth and added, "I'll definitely listen to you next time and won't play any more clever tricks."
Xu Huo didn't say anything. Instead, he walked over to Nie Xuan and glanced at the instrument in his hand. "Going to send it in to take a look?"
"I tied a Space Jamming Device to it," Nie Xuan said. "Let's clear a path for it and see how far it can go."
Xu Huo nodded. The two stood on either side of the crack and began to manipulate the rays from the relatively less dense areas.
"Beyond five hundred meters, the force I can exert on the rays is very limited," he added.
The range of rays that could be gently nudged was completely different from the range of rays that could be practically manipulated. He might be able to brush a ray to touch a leaf a thousand meters away, but that was all—he couldn't pluck or damage the leaf. The range for manipulating small objects was even smaller.
Moreover, with the chaotic Space Rays here, it might be even less effective than usual.
"I'm about the same," Nie Xuan said. "We'll go as far as we can. If the instrument can reach five hundred meters, we can risk trying."
He didn't finish his sentence. If the jamming device, combined with their joint efforts, couldn't even cover a short five hundred meters, it meant the situation for a person inside would only be worse.
The two of them represented the peak of Spatial Super Evolution in District 014. If even they couldn't enter, it meant no one could enter this place for the time being.
A small drone-style surveillance device emitted a low hum as it slowly passed through the crack. It had barely flown a short distance when it seemed to hit something, stuttering in mid-air. But as Xu Huo and Nie Xuan pulled apart the surging rays as much as possible, it shuddered and continued forward.
Limited by the mist, the area further ahead was already hard to see clearly. Amidst the mixed Space Rays, the two couldn't accurately judge what each ray corresponded to. There might be something there, or it might just be a chaotically formed Space Barrier. They could only rely on experience to judge.
After the drone flew two hundred meters, Xu Huo and Nie Xuan could no longer control its position. Fortunately, the modified instrument could still transmit signals, albeit intermittently, allowing them to see some of the situation inside.
"Why can't we see Bao Yu?" Da Xue asked in confusion. "He also went in this direction. He shouldn't have gotten that far."
No one answered his question.
The atmosphere grew tense. Especially as the distance increased, the drone's camera began to jolt, and no one knew if it would crash the next second. Everyone present couldn't help but hold their breath.
At around four hundred meters, Xu Huo and Nie Xuan withdrew their hands one after another.
At this point, they could no longer pull the Space Rays. However, the two exchanged a glance, feeling somewhat relieved.
Although they hadn't reached their estimated distance, these Space Rays could still be manipulated. Having some room to maneuver meant they could still try to walk in.
The drone advanced another few dozen meters before the video feed went completely black.
"Four hundred and fifty-nine meters," Nie Xuan's team member Weng Qing looked up and said, then couldn't help adding, "That's shorter than estimated. Will there be problems going in?"
"One meter more or one meter less will both cause problems." Nie Xuan flexed his fingers and began to select his team. "Sha Chuan, Wei Xiaoyi, Tian Zhengjiang, you're coming in with me."
Weng Qing quickly said, "It's so dangerous inside. How can you only go in with three people..."
Nie Xuan interrupted him. "It has nothing to do with the number of people. We're just the vanguard. Once the Special Defense Department transports the equipment here, you try to contact us."
As he spoke, he handed Xu Huo a specially made communicator.
(Chapter End)