Forbidden Zone of the Human Race - Chapter 481: Will

Dong Qianyi was taken aback. “You know him?”

“Yes. How could I not?” Bo Yan flashed a bitter smile. He had forgotten that Xiang Ning was Dong Qianyi’s disciple. If Dong Qianyi was there, that meant something had happened to Xiang Ning. He had thought that Dong Qianyi was here to research the ruins and see his disciple at the same time, but to think that Xiang Ning was in danger!

He’d already received news of how many people had died inside the ruins. Xiang Ning was strong, but now that he had lost all communication with him, it was likely that his life was in danger.

Bo Yan explained a little about his history with Xiang Ning, and Dong Qianyi nodded. “As much as I want to ask where his parents are, we need to rescue him first.”

“I understand. Please rest assured that we will find him. Xiang Ning is like a child of mine, too.” As he said that, Bo Yan called for ten more tier seven sect masters to assist him. He explained the situation to them as Dong Qianyi gave them some equipment for their search and rescue operation.

When Bo Yan and his team arrived at the entrance, everyone else was surprised to see them. Some of them were happy, because they knew their comrades would be saved! Some of them had entered the ruins before this and lost all communication. They wanted to go in and find out themselves, but they were too weak.

But on the other hand, some of them were worried. Once a sect master appeared, everything in the ruins would most likely be distributed to them. None of them said a word, but just quietly observed the situation.

Bo Yan didn’t interact with them too much and only asked for some information before diving into the ruins.

If such a team was placed at Hang City the stampede would have been completely stamped flat in a matter of days. This was the strength of Kunlun City, one of the strongest cities in China. They were ranked within the top five strongest in China.

……

As for Xiang Ning, he had never expected that someone would come to rescue him.

Three days had passed and he was left with a single mouthful of water. He had rationed it as best he could, but the desert was endless. He wanted to swear, but his tongue was already cracking. How was this a space of a few thousand square meters?! Don’t tell me that damned AI really sent me to a desert?!

He thought about that possibility. He had walked at least three or four hundred kilometers in the past three days. He couldn’t even find the exit of the desert, much less an oasis!

Five more days passed and he drank the final sip of water as he trudged on in the desert like a robot.

Ten more days passed and he was so tired that he lay flat on the sand, his lips cracking and his skin peeling off his face. Everyone would have thought that he was a beggar.

“Hehe… sorry, little sister. Looks like I can’t return home anymore.” Xiang Ning smashed his fist on the sand, but all he heard was a soft thud as he couldn’t muster any strength. He crawled up and was about to continue his journey when he saw… an oasis.

He couldn’t believe his eyes! He had to rub them just to confirm what he saw. Sand blew into them, but he couldn’t care less.

It was an oasis! He cried in delight as he ran toward it. But… the oasis was getting further and further away. It was initially very close, so why couldn’t he reach it?

Soon, the oasis disappeared. It was a mirage! Xiang Ning’s deepest fear had manifested and he collapsed to the ground and passed out, his strength completely gone.

Soon, night arrived and the temperature plummeted. He shivered and sneezed before he fully woke up. He was in a very dangerous state, his eyes hollow and lips cracked. His skin started flaking as it was subjected to heavy exposure to sunlight every day. He hadn’t eaten anything. If it weren’t for his strength as a tier five, nine-star martial artist, he might have already died of starvation. A sudden breeze blew past and he smelled something. It was the scent of water! He couldn’t believe it—he smelled the air and could even smell the scent of vegetation!

He worked himself up and struggled to stand. This can’t be a mistake! It must be an oasis!

Even though there was no moon, he navigated the darkness of the desert using his sense of smell. Ten minutes later, he finally stepped into an oasis. The moon then revealed itself and he saw the scene around him. Xiang Ning cried with relief and had no hesitation as he threw himself into the oasis.

The moment he jumped into the water, he felt weird. It wasn’t as cooling as he had thought. He took a few gulps and confirmed that it was indeed water. He poked his head out of the water and was stunned by what he saw.

What?!

“Congratulations on clearing the first stage.” An electronic voice sounded from beside him as he was woken up.

“Wha… what just happened?” Xiang Ning was now looking at the same room, unchanging as ever. Where was the water? The oasis? He saw a soft tube connected directly to his vein as some kind of fluid was being fed into his body.

“Based on your understanding, it was a mental simulation to control your thoughts after you fell into a deep sleep.”

Xiang Ning felt his scalp go numb.

“Please rest assured that I can only train your will with it and cannot control your body.”

Xiang Ning sighed in relief, but what the AI said afterward almost caused him to faint.

“But if you’d failed, your consciousness would’ve been eradicated. Based on your understanding, it would be equivalent to… brain death.”

Xiang Ning leaped up in shock as he heard that. He almost collapsed as his leg folded beneath him; his physical body hadn’t moved for more than ten days, after all.

“Time for the next training session.”

Xiang Ning was speechless.

……

Half a month passed just like that.

The ruins were still buzzing with activity outside.

“I am sorry. I failed to find him.” Bo Yan was standing in front of Dong Qianyi, his body covered in wounds. His eyes were filled with sadness. The ruins were much more dangerous than he had ever expected. He had even suffered a lot of wounds. If it weren’t for the equipment Dong Qianyi had given them, it was very likely that at least one of the tier seven sect masters would have died inside.

Dong Qianyi slumped onto the ground as he heard Bo Yan and sat there motionlessly.

“No. You have said it too. You can’t find his corpse, so there’s still a chance he’s still alive! How could he have died here? You must continue the search!” Dong Qianyi was desperate.

Doge & Chacha’s Thoughts

Willpower training! Now this is interesting