The Desert Captain spoke: "...A month ago, your country made a deal with me. I sold crude oil at nearly half the market price and even spent my own money to hire vehicles and personnel to deliver it to Daxia. That business was a complete loss for me. I did it because I believe you and General Wei are allies, and our bond is unbreakable. I convinced my family members to do this specifically to maintain a closer partnership with Daxia.
Recently, I ordered 30,000 hovercars with Challenge technology from Daxia and invested heavily in your space program. I don't mention the cost to boast, but to show you that aside from that oil field, I have nothing else of value. It is my backbone, my everything. Bringing it out now isn't an insult; it's because it's the only way I can prove my sincerity.
Major General Mu, I swear by the name of the Divine, I will live and die with the Alliance Army, and I will stand or fall with you and Commander Wei. My sincerity is as clear as the sun and the moon."
Mu Zhong sighed and asked only one question: "Why did you intentionally slow down your advance?"
"I was in combat! A monster was tailing me. My crew and I were fighting it. If you don't believe me, you can pull the logs from my vehicle."
"Why didn't you say anything?"
"The monster's level wasn't high enough to justify calling Commander Wei for help, and I didn't want him to miss the rescue window because of me. But I wanted you to know that I never intended to provoke or hold a grudge against him. This was my choice. I will try to find you; if it proves impossible, I will contact you before retreating into the void. Please remember, my family and I will always be loyal to Commander Wei."
"..." Mu Zhong nodded. "I understand. I will relay your stance to Commander Wei. I hope you arrive safely."
"May the Divine protect you."
After closing the transmission, Mu Zhong looked at the three captains who had vanished into the void without a word. The gap between them was glaring. Whether the Desert Captain was telling the whole truth remained to be seen, but compared to the three who had abandoned the mission, he had made a decision that—while risky—was far more strategically sound for his future.
Sometimes, opportunity only knocks once.
---
After the call, Mu Zhong focused on the environment. Thanks to the Level 8 headlights, the seabed was no longer dark; they could see as far as they could on land. However, the deep sea remained distinct from the surface. While the surface felt like being in a well-lit glass tank, the seabed felt like a predator. Even with the lights, the darkness in the cracks seemed to swallow the beams, as if a leviathan were hiding there.
Mu Zhong checked the time. Two hours had passed, and they were still a long way from General Meyer's last known coordinates. Suddenly, he felt an odd heaviness in his body—a strange fatigue. 'Have I been standing too long?'
He looked at the video feeds of the other captains, including the Desert Captain. Looking at the man's sincere eyes, Mu Zhong felt an unnatural thirst. For a Challenger of his level, such a reaction after so little time was impossible.
He blinked and looked at the Desert Captain again. The man seemed to sense his gaze. "Major General Mu, is something wrong?"
"No." Mu Zhong clenched his fists, green light flowing from his grip. He squeezed his eyes shut. When he opened them, he looked at the persistent video link of Wei Huan in the corner of his eye. "Moji isn't here. How are we going to find an anchor?"
Wei Huan answered immediately: "Didn't you already arrange for the Criminal Sequence? Xu Qingqiang is the best anchor; isn't he outside leading the way?"
"What? When did he go outside?" Mu Zhong asked, startled.
Wei Huan's gaze sharpened instantly. His expression became terrifying.
Mu Zhong was still looking at Wei Huan, seemingly oblivious to the change in his expression. He was still smiling. "Then you should summon 'Dot Mom' first. Our vehicle's level is high enough to roam freely, but Brother Qiang is in danger out there alone. We need the air bubble to support him..."
As Mu Zhong spoke, the doors to the Deputy Captain's bridge slid open. Wei Huan charged in, shouting, "Can't you judge if a situation is urgent?! If you keep the door locked, he's going to die! Open the door!!"
Mu Zhong looked at the approaching Wei Huan. For a moment, he thought Wei Huan looked incredibly handsome, like a character stepping out of a drawing. But as Wei Huan grabbed his face and shook him, the "drawing" shattered. Mu Zhong felt as if he were being pulled out of a thick, suffocating mist.
"Hah! Hah!"
The moment his consciousness returned, Mu Zhong's face went pale, and he gasped for air. He realized he had just survived a massive crisis.
Clutched in Wei Huan's arms, he asked shakily, "How long? How long since we left the rendezvous point?"
Wei Huan's voice came from above: "Four hours."
"Four hours?! In my mind, it's only been twenty minutes. When did I fall for it?"
"I'm not sure. It seems you need a Demon Apostle by your side at all times. I thought having Xu Qingqiang outside would act as an anchor, but the illusion compressed the distance to that extent. Now I see why Meyer and the others fell for it despite being alert."
"These monsters are strong."
"Yes. The closer we get to the seabed, the stronger they are. There is a great horror hidden in the depths."
Mu Zhong rubbed his forehead and looked at the map. They were close to the coordinates where General Meyer vanished, but the radar showed no signal. It was likely Meyer's team was trapped in a similar loop, thinking they were safe while driving deeper into the Remnants' nest.
"This is the nest," Mu Zhong analyzed. "Their power is beyond expectations, and this illusion can even confuse time. Without Moji, we can't go in the same way. We must ensure we aren't swallowed by the illusion again."
Wei Huan nodded. They lacked Moji's specialized help, but they still had the Criminal Sequence. "I have a plan," Wei Huan said. "But first, I need to be sure we've actually escaped the illusion."
"How?"
"One: the Criminal Sequence. Two: external contact."
Mu Zhong agreed. He ordered all crew members with Criminal Sequence partners to contact the outside world—friends, family, anyone. A "scattergun" approach to signaling would surely get a response.
But Mu Zhong had another worry. "Look at our position. We're so close to where Meyer sent the SOS. It feels like a loop. What if we're already deep in it and just don't know?"
Wei Huan said firmly, "Don't overthink it."
Mu Zhong gave a wry smile. "Right. These Remnants are vile; they're messing with my mental state."
To prove his clarity, Mu Zhong reached out to the one person he thought would be most useful as a "real-world" verifyer: the Desert Captain.
"General Muhammad, is everything going smoothly?" Mu Zhong asked, studying the face on the screen.
"Yes, quite smoothly. I haven't seen a monster since then. I've reached the rendezvous point, though I apologize my strength wasn't enough to join you."
"It's fine. It might be destiny. I have a mission for you. Once completed, you can retreat to the Mist Space and wait for our return."
"Name it."
"I need you to create a massive energy riot—something our radar can detect. You may have to risk moving closer to our direction."
This was Mu Zhong's ultimate test. The AI and the 'Heart of Steel' could be influenced by human perception, but an external energy impact was an AI's primal instinct—it would bypass human cognition.
Muhammad, whose real name was Faisal, hesitated. He was only there because of Wei Huan's protection. Moving deeper into the sea was a death wish. Yet, after weighing the pros and cons, Faisal ignored the alarms in his head. "Fine. I will move to the halfway point between us and trigger an energy riot."
---
For a long time, Wei Huan's vehicle remained stationary. He wouldn't risk moving until they were 100% certain of their reality. He watched the link as Faisal moved closer. Faisal was attacked by a monster but managed a narrow escape.
Finally, Faisal reached the destination. "I didn't run all this way because I'm a coward," Faisal said into the camera. "I was thinking about how to make a riot you could feel. Weapons aren't enough. I thought about self-destructing the vehicle, but I can't do that. So, I will use my shield's counter-attack ability combined with 'Vortex Scrolls.'
I am Faisal ibn Abdulaziz Muhammad. I am rich—or at least I was. My family had wealth that couldn't be spent in a thousand years, but the Challenge World made my money worthless. So, I used that depreciating wealth to buy as many points as possible. Today, I will use them to light the most brilliant fireworks! For faith, for humanity, I give my all!"
Then, the man who had seemed like a typical arrogant "oil prince" gave everything for that moment of light.
One Vortex Scroll. Two. Three. Five... Thirteen... Twenty-three...
When the priceless scrolls were tossed out like cheap firecrackers, even Wei Huan was moved. He was truly 'rich'. Points can't be traded, but Forbidden Curse Scrolls can. A single scroll costs a fortune in the Challenge Shop. Daxia used them sparingly. To see twenty-five tossed out for a "signal" was a level of extravagance even Wei Huan found staggering.
The 25 scrolls created a terrifying energy storm. The seawater within a hundred miles was twisted and shredded by the energy.
"Captain, detecting a massive energy surge from the rear. Seawater is flowing abnormally. It will reach us in thirty minutes," the AI reported.
Wei Huan looked at Faisal, whose image was flickering on the screen due to the energy interference. "You have performed a great service in this rescue. When we regroup, come to my vehicle."
Faisal might not have heard him, but every other captain did. No one objected. Money can't buy trust, but the price this man paid was high enough. He had just spent the equivalent of a small nation's entire high-level fleet budget just to make a "bang."
---
With the energy blast confirmed by the AI, Wei Huan knew they were currently in reality.
Mu Zhong breathed a sigh of relief. "Alright, your turn. How do we stay awake?"
Wei Huan looked slightly annoyed. Mu Zhong laughed. "What's wrong?"
"The 'oil prince' set the bar too high," Wei Huan grumbled. "My grand reveal feels a bit lackluster now."
"So what is it?"
"I think you've guessed it."
"Tell me anyway. Anything that gets the job done is a good plan."
Wei Huan cleared his throat and looked at Mu Zhong. "I have the same idea as Faisal. Force. If we destroy the environment thoroughly enough, the illusion can't take root."
"Of course!" Mu Zhong realized. "Our vehicle has Level 8 weapons. We don't need to burn scrolls like Faisal. We just need to fire continuously to disrupt the local magnetic field. With Faisal's energy wave arriving in thirty minutes to clear our rear, we can carve a path forward."
"..." Wei Huan sighed. "Stop pretending you didn't think of it."
Mu Zhong's smile widened. "It really is the only useful way. We have more than enough energy to bulldoze our way through."
The Level 8 sentry towers didn't look much different on the outside—Wei Huan's vehicle still looked like a basic starter vehicle. But the effect was anything but basic.
In the pitch-black deep sea, a horizontal ring of light suddenly sliced through the water. It was incredibly sharp, seemingly able to cut through darkness itself. It expanded fifty kilometers out from the vehicle before fading. Before the first ring vanished, a vertical ring sliced out. Then a diagonal one. Then another.
The vehicle became the center of a "No-Go Zone." Anything that entered was shredded. As the vehicle moved forward, the jelly-like seawater was sliced apart like hot knives through butter. The 100-mile diameter of destruction disrupted the Remnants' magnetic field, protecting the crew's minds.
The nine vehicles following Wei Huan huddled in the small safety zone behind him, terrified of being sliced in half by the rings of light. Level 8 weapons would shred Level 6 vehicles like paper.
Wei Huan felt a surge of satisfaction. Seeing the other captains on the screen—once again stunned by this "tycoon" level of firepower—his slightly bruised ego was mended.
'A man really does need to be 'rich,'' he thought.