After everyone had entered the tent, Shen Da zipped up the entrance to seal it, then proceeded to remove the gas mask from his face and stripped off the cumbersome protective suit he was wearing.
"Phew, back to life. This godforsaken place, the environment is really too harsh."
He let out a light breath and wiped the sweat from his forehead.
It was only then that Xue Jing got a good look at his face: a man around twenty-five or twenty-six years old, with a receding hairline, thick eyebrows, and a somewhat plump face.
The Xuren Mountain Demon and Jing also took off their masks one after another, and seeing this, Xue Jing did the same.
This time, the sensation of smooth breathing was just as usual within his nose.
"This tent is equipped with simple air conditioning and a simple air purifier."
Mountain Demon explained from the side.
"It's sort of the little black tech specially supplied within The Sixth Agency. Don't look down on it; it's actually military-grade, works extremely well, and you can't buy it in the Inner Ring."
Xue Jing nodded, "I can feel it."
Inside the tent was virtually a different world from the outside; to put it dramatically, it was like heaven and hell.
Just two portable machines were enough to provide a comfortable environment akin to normalcy in such an adverse place, which was indeed quite impressive.
Shen Da walked to a corner of the tent, lifted a tarp that covered something, revealing a large box.
He opened the box and took out a black cylinder the size of a mineral water bottle.
The material of the cylinder looked quite high-end and techie, with very regular patterns and indentations on it, making it seem as if it could transform into a robot at any moment.
Shen Da carried the cylinder over to Xue Jing, showed it to him, and said, "Xue, this is the 'Intersecting Boundaries Real-Time Monitoring Scanner'. Its scanning limit radius is six kilometers, which amounts to an area of about 110 square kilometers. It can monitor changes within the Intersecting Boundaries in real time."
"Your primary task is to find a concealed spot every six-kilometer radius inside the 'Roaring Waterfall' and install this device until it approximately covers the whole Intersecting Boundaries."
As Shen Da spoke, he pressed something on the 'scanner', and it suddenly transformed.
Eight small panels on one end of the cylinder flipped open, and eight alloy mechanical legs stretched out, making it look like a mechanical spider.
"After finding a suitable spot, just place it on the ground, and it will automatically dig a hole to bury itself."
"I'll give you a tablet, which will display a real-time map based on the GPS mounted on the 'scanner'. The map will mark the scanning range of the scanner, making it easy for you to grasp the distance for placing the next one."
Shen Da added many more caveats, and Xue Jing listened attentively, nodding from time to time to show he understood.
"...The toughest step is to place a monitor around the habitat of that Pureblood Dragon Species, near the large waterfall."
Shen Da cautioned solemnly.
"The physical capabilities of the Pureblood Dragon are incredibly strong, and its Perception Ability is also exceptionally outstanding. With a sniff of its nose and a flick of its ears, it can detect movements within a dozen kilometers."
"To place a monitor in its territory without being detected is impossible, so it's a matter of luck. Good luck, and it might leave you be, but bad luck and you'll need to run as fast as you can. Don't even think about confronting it directly."
"Xue, I've read your profile and know you're an extremely outstanding martial arts genius, but trust me, you absolutely cannot face off against such a beast right now. Not even one in a hundred thousand chance of winning — do not entertain any odd ideas."
Xue Jing nodded sincerely, "Don't worry, my motto is to be prudent. I will definitely keep a low profile in the Intersecting Boundaries and not do anything unnecessary outside of the mission."
Shen Da heard this and felt the sincerity in Xue Jing's words, nodding with satisfaction.
The members of the Xuren Squad beside him scratched their heads, feeling something was a bit off.
Shen Da took a black wristband from the pocket of his coat and handed it to Xue Jing.
"This is a recording wristband; it will record what you see and hear in the Intersecting Boundaries in real time."
"There are indigenous humans in this Intersecting Boundaries. Your second task is to make contact with the natives as much as possible... Of course, this mission is secondary, and it's okay if it's not completed."
Xue Jing took the black wristband and put it on his wrist.
"I'll do my best," he said, nodding.
White Crow had already given him the reward for this mission in advance, upgrading his Meditative Visualization to Visualization True, which was of substantial help to him.
Even though the reward of Hundred Feet Pole's Top wasn't offered with pure intentions, Xue Jing still appreciated it and was determined to do his utmost in this mission.
This was also a kind of 'investment'... If he did well, White Crow might think of asking for his help again next time. With Hundred Feet Pole's Top as a precedent, the reward offered next time wouldn't be too shabby either.
The best possibility would be to let him into The Sixth Agency's collection of Divine Relics for a good 'browse'...
...
The next morning.
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A distant volcano suddenly erupted, and the ground trembled faintly.
In a solitary tent, Xue Jing opened his eyes and sat up from the sleeping bag.
After arriving at the camp by plane last night, he had a talk with Doctor Shen and got the necessary equipment for the mission, originally planning to immediately enter the 'Roaring Waterfall'.
But Doctor Shen said there was no rush since it was too late and many of the equipment operators had gone to sleep, suggesting they enter tomorrow morning instead.
So Xue Jing spent the night at the camp.
Inside the small tent, the air conditioner and air purifier emitted a nearly inaudible hum, and after a good night's sleep, Xue Jing stretched and stood up from the sleeping bag.
He picked up the black tactical suit that White Crow had custom-made for him, which was lying next to him, and put it on.
The tight tactical suit outlined his perfect physique as if sculpted by deities, defining every muscle attractively.
Donning the poison mask and carrying the Crouching Rabbit Sword, Xue Jing walked out of the tent.
Half an hour later, Xue Jing gazed curiously at the land shrouded in a faint layer of light screen in front of him.
Behind him, scores of agency personnel bustled back and forth, operating various devices.
"Record wristband testing complete."
"Cross-border vital signs sensing device testing complete."
"Native language simultaneous translation earphone testing complete."
The agency personnel continuously reported the testing results for the equipment on Xue Jing, ensuring nothing was amiss.
Next to him, Xuren looked a bit nervous as he stared at Xue Jing, fearing he would be repelled the moment he stepped into the Intersecting Boundaries.
The Divine Chosen didn't suffer from the troubles of pollution and mutation, but whether they qualified as a Natural Person was really uncertain.
If after all this effort, Xue Jing couldn't even enter... that would be quite the situation.
"... All testing complete, no anomalies."
Following the agency personnel's final words, everyone's gaze settled on Xue Jing.
"If you run out of the rations you carry and can't replenish inside, you can come out anytime. There's a GPS already set up at the exit; you won't get lost," said Doctor Shen while incessantly tapping on a tablet, further instructing Xue Jing.
"Remember, absolutely do not engage in direct conflict with that Pureblood Dragon Species..."
"Alright, you can go in now, be very careful!"
Dressed in the black tactical suit, wearing a Bluetooth earpiece on his left ear, and carrying a large backpack, Xue Jing nodded with a smile upon hearing the words.
"Then I'll be going."
"Go on, be careful, and we'll eat Flame Crab together after you come back," the Mountain Demon waved his hand dismissively.
"Be careful," nodded Xuren.
Xue Jing stepped into the light screen before him, and his entire body entered without any hindrance.
Seeing this, Xuren breathed a sigh of relief.
"Thank goodness..."
But before she could feel at ease, something unexpected happened.
"Buzz—"
Suddenly a ring-shaped light cascade fell from the sky, perfectly enveloping the whole area of the 'Roaring Waterfall' Intersecting Boundaries within it.
The next moment, the Intersecting Boundaries burst into brilliant light!
All the people at the scene instinctively raised their arms to shield their eyes.
As the light gradually faded, Doctor Shen's expression changed when he saw the completely distorted light screen at the Intersecting Boundaries.
"GOD-005 · Mirror World... "
"The 'Reflection Phenomenon'... Why, how could this happen so suddenly?"
Xuren frowned and asked, "Doctor Shen, what's happened?"
Doctor Shen's face was troubled: "This is bad... He didn't enter a pure Intersecting Boundaries, but an Intersecting Boundaries merged with the Mirror World by the Reflection Phenomenon."
"He... can't come out now."
...