As the scenery around him changed, Ji Xun found himself out of the eerie chamber from earlier.
It was a magical experience, like time-space teleportation—stepping through the twisted light gate led to another world.
He was about to observe his surroundings when he noticed that everything was shrouded in thick fog, greatly reducing visibility.
The air was filled with a strong sulfur smell.
As Ji Xun was speculating about where he might be, he heard a familiar and urgent voice nearby: "Come with me quickly!"
It was Chujio, who had exited the dimensional space earlier.
What Ji Xun didn't know was that while he was receiving an S-rank evaluation, a major change was occurring outside the dimensional space.
…
Every dimensional space was a treasure trove for treasure hunters. The [407 Containment Facility] discovered in the Demon Cross Ruins was particularly known for its high yield.
Naturally, it attracted explorers.
Not far from the dimensional space, there was a temporary camp with a roaring bonfire.
Here, dozens of members of the Blackwater Mercenary Group were stationed, along with a hundred or so treasure hunters preparing for their next entry into the space.
In a corner of the camp, in a shed, the leader of the Blackwater Mercenary Group was respectfully guarding a young man in a suit. The bald team leader who had survived was reporting to this man, the fourth young master of the Cao family, Cao Yu.
Since leaving the dimensional space, Cao Yu had been frowning, deep in thought.
He had received a B-rank evaluation, which was far below his expectations.
He was constantly thinking about the final clown game in the space, wondering if there was a better solution.
Although he had lost a loyal servant, it wasn't a total waste—at least he had obtained valuable information.
It was now confirmed that the "T-class Catastrophic Object" was inside the space, and he was determined to get it by any means necessary.
The bald team leader was narrating his experience of leading two mercenary squads from the first floor of the bunker to the end: "Young Master, those monsters were incredibly ferocious. If it weren't for our firepower…"
From his perspective, Ji Xun and his companion had only survived by sheer luck, hiding far away while the Blackwater Mercenary Group drew the monsters' attention.
In his view, if they hadn't attracted the monsters' aggro, those two couldn't have survived until the end.
Of course, even if he had some vague suspicions, he couldn't voice them now.
He exaggerated the bravery of the Blackwater Mercenary Group, detailing their encounters with various terrifying calamities, all thanks to his strategic leadership and his teammates' courage.
He ended with a lament: "It's a pity about our brothers."
…
Listening to the bald leader's account, Cao Yu's confusion only deepened.
He had personally triggered the hidden main quest of the space, so he knew how dangerous it was.
Logically, no one apart from his group should have survived.
But surprisingly, a few had made it through this seemingly impossible challenge.
The bald leader's detailed recount of encountering the A-class [Cursed Gambler] and the mysterious A-class calamity on the fourth floor, which had killed many, was all within Cao Yu's expectations.
However, when he heard about breaking through the wall in Room 2012, he felt something was off.
The walls could be broken?
He had used a secret method recorded in his family's archives to find the laboratory's passage, entering the central control room directly.
He hadn't known that breaking walls was an option.
His mind opened up to new possibilities.
He asked, "So, the room's wall was already broken when you entered?"
"Yes," the bald leader replied, still puzzled by why Room 2013 had a hole in the wall.
Everyone had tried, and the walls were unbreakable.
But that room had a broken wall.
Cleverly, he didn't dwell on things unrelated to his own achievements.
But the more Cao Yu thought about it, the more it seemed off.
If there was a hole in Room 2013's wall, they should have encountered the [Fallen Witch] in Room 2012.
"Did you not encounter the [Fallen Witch] on the second floor?" Cao Yu asked.
"No… no," the bald leader replied, now finding it odd himself.
Could it have been killed?
A thought crossed Cao Yu's mind but he quickly dismissed it.
If it wasn't the mercenaries, how could those two drifters have the ability to kill the Fallen Witch?
It was more likely that they had just been lucky to avoid it.
After all, the dimensional space restricted entry to apprentice card users only, and the Fallen Witch's strength was beyond what these undercity hunters could handle.
The most reasonable explanation was that the two drifters had somehow stumbled upon the broken wall and survived by sheer luck.
But something still felt wrong to Cao Yu.
He recalled the final moments in the space, where the two had remained calm even without drawing their guns. Such composure wasn't mere luck.
Or maybe he had misjudged them—they were just a pair of ill-fated lovers?
Cao Yu couldn't figure it out for now. He glanced at the bald leader again and coldly commanded, "Kill him."
The bald leader's expression changed drastically, realizing what was happening.
This young master wasn't killing him for any other reason than he had heard a secret.
That mechanical clown had revealed that the dimensional space contained an ancient artifact.
The object of catastrophic power was an epic source card!
"Young master..."
The bald leader tried to beg for his life, but before he could utter another word, a thin line of blood appeared on his neck.
In an instant, his head fell to the ground, blood spraying three feet high.
As the blood mist erupted, a faint, transparent figure flashed and disappeared in the air.
It was a shadow guard from the governor's office.
…
The nearby Blackwater Mercenary Group leader, Yu, swallowed hard and cold sweat instantly drenched his back as he watched the human fountain before him.
At this moment, he dared not say a word to defend his subordinate, praying he hadn't overheard any secrets he shouldn't have.
Despite the Blackwater Mercenary Group boasting over a thousand members, ranking as a prominent mercenary group in Sin City, they were nothing before this young master. A single word from him could wipe them out.
Cao Yu ordered the bald leader's execution without even a glance, muttering to himself, "Strange, where did it go wrong?"
The bald leader was the only survivor from the space apart from himself, so he had to die to prevent the secret of the epic source card from being exposed.
…
Having received the bald leader's report, Cao Yu now had a comprehensive understanding of the entire dimensional space's layout.
He speculated that perhaps by taking a shortcut, he had missed some crucial hints, causing him to be stuck at the final stage.
He considered re-entering next time, sending people to try breaking through the wall in Room 2013 to see if it led to any key clues.
Extra guards, including several card master captains, were already stationed near the 407 space exit. Given that no one had exited for so long, he was convinced the two drifters had died inside.
Cao Yu couldn't think of any other possibilities.
What if...
There were no "what ifs."
No matter what, they were just two card apprentice students.
With this in mind, he waited in the camp for the dimensional space to reset in a few hours when the portal would reappear.
But he never expected that one of the drifters inside was no ordinary person.
This oversight led to a major incident!
As time passed, the fog outside the Devil's Cross camp thickened, reducing visibility to just a few meters around the campfire.
Although the ruins were always shrouded in fog, today's mist seemed even denser.
This made Cao Yu feel restless.
He couldn't tell if it was the damp air and acrid volcanic ash irritating him or something else.
If it weren't for the T-class catastrophic object, he wouldn't have come to this godforsaken place where only the lower city folk would venture.
At that moment, a voice suddenly shouted from afar.
"Hey... leader, something's wrong! The 407 dimensional space portal has disappeared!"
"Impossible! How could it disappear?"
…
The entire camp erupted into chaos.
Hearing this, the fourth young master of the Cao family slammed his chair and stood up, his face turning ashen.
Though hard to believe, he couldn't deny that those two had cleared the dimensional space.
He roared, "Find them immediately!"