Chapter 104 First Entry into City 25, The Lost Badge

Chapter 104: The Lost Badge Upon Entering City 25

That tree was… colossal!

Yu Xing’s entire attention was fixated on the tree. It took her a long moment to notice the high wall, a fist’s width, encircling its base. Only then did the realization hit her: they had arrived at City 25.

No ordinary city would permit such an enormous tree within its confines, so this could only be City 25.

City 25 actually harbored a tree of such immense height, towering far above the wall. She hadn't even realized last night how close they already were.

"Surprising, isn't it?" Di Shensi had appeared beside Yu Xing at some point, also gazing up at the distant City 25. "When I first learned of City 25's fall and rushed back, I was even more astonished than you. This tree grew to such a height in just one day."

"One day?" Yu Xing recalled Di Shensi mentioning that City 25's collapse was due to a plant-type contaminant in Zone B. Was it this tree?

"We're about to depart," Di Shensi observed Yu Xing's condition. "How are you feeling? Have you fully recovered?"

Yu Xing hadn't been injured to begin with, whereas Di Shensi appeared completely restored, even having donned a new protective suit.

Yu Xing stared at Di Shensi, who stood still, allowing her to observe him. After a moment, Di Shensi asked, "What are you looking at?"

"I just find your contrast striking," Yu Xing mused. "Looking at you now, I can barely recall what you were like last night when you were crying for your mom."

Di Shensi's previously calm expression abruptly shifted. His face darkened as he said, "We're entering City 25 today, and you've slept in this late? Do you really think it's acceptable to make everyone wait for you alone? Go put on your protective suit immediately!"

With that, Di Shensi strode away. Yu Xing felt utterly bewildered. *I saved your life yesterday, and this is the attitude you take with your savior?*

Yu Xing looked around and quickly spotted her companions.

To her left, behind a vehicle, a localized dark cloud was raining. Such isolated precipitation could only be the work of Da Ya.

She walked over and, sure enough, all three of her companions were there.

They had already put on their protective suits. Zhao Lan and Miao Yuanjin stood by, observing, while Da Ya was conjuring rain into a large barrel.

"What's going on here?" Yu Xing slowly approached.

"Yu Xing!" Miao Yuanjin waved at her. "You're awake? Have you eaten? I have mango-flavored nutrient liquid here."

Yu Xing walked over, took the nutrient liquid, and asked, "What's this for?"

"The convoy's water tank broke, and all the water leaked out. Commander Di asked Da Ya to fill the tank with rain," Zhao Lan explained.

Watching Da Ya diligently making it rain, Yu Xing remarked, "This proves that Rain God Chosen are very suitable for military service. In times of need, they're walking water sources."

Da Ya, in the midst of raining, nearly choked with laughter at that.

"Exactly," she agreed wholeheartedly with Yu Xing. "We Rain God Chosen are useful everywhere."

Yu Xing drank the mango-flavored nutrient liquid. This flavor was far superior to the lemon one; she really liked it.

"Xingxing," Zhao Lan suddenly leaned in. "What happened after you led the giant earthworm away yesterday?"

Yu Xing blinked. "Didn't Commander Di tell you?"

"He was too brief," Miao Yuanjin said. "We want the details."

*Oh, those details are definitely not for sharing...*

Yu Xing immediately changed the subject. "We're about to leave. I need to put on my protective suit—oh, where is my protective suit?"

With that, she quickly walked back to the center of the camp, where she saw two soldiers tidying up the tent she had slept in. Seeing Yu Xing, the two soldiers smiled and said, "You're up! How are you feeling?"

"Quite good," Yu Xing nodded politely and continued walking.

She encountered a few more soldiers.

"How are you feeling today? Have your injuries recovered? Have you eaten?"

"Yes, yes," Yu Xing replied, walking along, feeling puzzled. *What's going on today? Why is everyone so concerned about me? Have our relationships become this close already?*

Soon, she understood. It was all thanks to her accursed charm. In just a single day, the entire exploration team had been captivated by her charisma. Sometimes, she truly wished she were more ordinary, less charming. She genuinely wanted to interact with everyone normally.

Although they had encountered many dangers along the way, fortunately, the losses were minimal. For an exploration army, losing only one person after traveling for so long was already a remarkably smooth start.

Thanks to Di Shensi's return and Da Ya's presence, their exploration team would not be recalled and could continue forward.

The closer they got to City 25, the more luxuriant the vegetation became. To prevent any unforeseen incidents, Di Shensi ordered the **interference** devices to be re-mounted on the lead vehicle.

The convoy continued forward until they reached the entrance of City 25.

This was once the entrance and exit of the former City 25 military zone; the massive gate had been destroyed. Looking out from the vehicle, the impossibly tall walls were covered in various plants, adorned with colorful small flowers, giving off a strangely vibrant impression.

However, in areas not covered by plants, massive cracks caused by plant roots could be seen on the wall.

To ensure safety within the walls, the materials used for their construction were the strongest available to humanity at the time, and the walls themselves were astonishingly thick. Every time Yu Xing had left the city by car, passing through the walls felt like going through a tunnel.

Such a wall, in less than ten years, had been reduced to this state. The soldiers who witnessed this scene were speechless, their hearts heavy as if pressed by a weighty stone.

The convoy stopped at the entrance. Di Shensi led a few people inside first to scout whether the conditions were suitable for vehicles.

The moment Di Shensi and his team entered, a flurry of flapping sounds erupted from within. Immediately after, a flock of strange-looking birds flew out, swiftly soaring over the convoy.

"I heard that ever since City 25 fell, the Federation has been trying to figure out the cause," Miao Yuanjin said, her face pale as she stared out the window. "But no one has ever reached the core of City 25."

After she spoke, Shen Tanrong, in the driver's seat, interjected, "That's not true. Some people have gone in."

All four looked at him. Shen Tanrong added, "But no one has ever come out."

For Da Ya, her first exploration mission outside the walls was to City 25, and her feelings were complex. "I don't think we'll be able to reach the core this time, and... I feel this mission is a bit too advanced for us interns."

"Don't worry," Zhao Lan reassured her. "Commander Di wouldn't gamble with soldiers' lives. If we can't get in, we'll turn back."

Di Shensi was indeed not one to gamble with soldiers' lives. After all, when he had sacrificed two soldiers to save Yu Xing and the other passengers, Di Shensi had been filled with resentment, speaking with sarcasm and bitterness.

Soon, Di Shensi and his team emerged from inside, looking relatively unharmed.

Di Shensi got into the vehicle and immediately ordered the convoy to form a single line, and the **interference** devices on the vehicles to be reoriented.

Then, their vehicle was the first to enter.

Yu Xing pressed her face to the window, looking out. Perhaps due to the interference waves, she didn't see any animals. But plants were everywhere—large trees, shrubs, weeds, vines, everything. This suggested a low probability of contaminants.

Many plants in nature possess territorial instincts. If a certain plant becomes a contaminant, it will inevitably repel other plants in its vicinity. Just like the yellow bamboo and tumbleweed Yu Xing had seen, both wanted to monopolize the soil's nutrients.

The diverse array of plants here indicated a low likelihood of contaminants.

Sure enough, under the spray of flames, the surrounding plants didn't last long before being incinerated.

The convoy drove deeper for a while when Da Ya suddenly exclaimed, "Hey, there are fruit trees ahead!"

Yu Xing looked forward and indeed saw a patch of lush green plants with plump, round fruits hanging among the leaves. The fruits were quite large, as big as grapefruits from Earth. Some were green, while others were golden-orange. The yellow ones appeared ripe, and at the sight of them, Yu Xing was instantly reminded of the taste of grapefruits.

Since arriving in this world, she hadn't eaten a grapefruit even once. She swallowed, suddenly craving one.

Upon closer inspection, however, those weren't fruit trees at all, but rather vines wrapped around dead tree trunks, with the fruits growing directly from the vines. Yu Xing thought to herself that these didn't look like fruits, but rather some kind of melon.

Di Shensi called for a halt. "There's only this one type of plant ahead. Something's not right. I'll go check. Everyone, back up a little."

With that, he got out of the vehicle and walked alone to the front.

Shen Tanrong slowly reversed the vehicle while Di Shensi stood ahead, observing the vines.

Di Shensi was very close to the vines, but they showed no unusual movement. Suddenly, Di Shensi raised his hand, and a bolt of lightning struck a very thick vine. The vine was instantly charred black and fell to the ground, along with the green melon it bore, which shattered upon impact, spilling its contents. The air was filled with the sweet, fresh scent unique to melons.

Di Shensi took a step back and struck another vine with lightning. After repeating this a few times and confirming there was no danger, he turned and returned to the vehicle. "Continue forward," he said.

The convoy continued onward. As they passed the fruit-bearing vines, Miao Yuanjin remarked, "Do you think this might be a fruit people often ate in the Old Era?"

"Not sure," Da Ya replied, greedily eyeing the juicy fruits. "If it's edible, people back then were truly fortunate."

Flames sprayed onto the vines, and as the convoy passed, the vines turned to ash.

Suddenly, the vehicle's wheels seemed to roll over something unusual, emitting a crisp sound.

"Stop," Di Shensi immediately ordered.

Shen Tanrong instantly halted the vehicle, and Di Shensi opened the window to look out. Yu Xing also looked out; the ground was covered in the ashes of burned plants.

Amidst the ashes, something seemed to be glowing.

"What's that?" Yu Xing pointed ahead.

Di Shensi looked for a moment, then jumped out of the vehicle and waved Yu Xing over.

Zhao Lan and the other two also got out of the vehicle.

"Did we discover a new species?" Miao Yuanjin said excitedly. "I'll name it this time!"

They arrived at the spot where something was glowing. Di Shensi crouched down and brushed aside the ashes on the ground. Then they saw a piece of silvery-white metal. This object had been covered by thick vegetation; had the convoy not burned the vines, they would never have discovered it.

"This looks familiar," Miao Yuanjin said.

Di Shensi picked up the small piece of metal. It was, in fact, a piece of artificially synthesized metal, with numbers engraved on it.

"2422319," Zhao Lan squinted as she read the numbers. "This is... this is an Exploration Army badge. We all have them, and this one belongs to the 24th Army."

Di Shensi said nothing. Instead, he simply raised his hand and swept away more ashes around them.

Ten minutes later, they found a dozen more identical badges on the ground.