Wilderness.
103rd Division, former wartime logistics warehouse point.
Chu You, carrying a tactical backpack, slowly leaned over.
From a corner of the messy warehouse, she picked up a small black instrument.
“What is this…?”
Chu You’s brow furrowed slightly as she stared at the device in her hand, which was blinking with a green light, and muttered to herself.
The object had a smooth surface and was about the size of a palm.
It was entirely black, and the material felt like some kind of high-strength synthetic plastic with a cold, industrial texture.
After checking it over several times, Chu You found that the device had only a single green indicator light flashing.
On the side, she could faintly feel a nearly imperceptible seam, but other than that, she couldn’t find any information labels or even buttons.
From its appearance and the regular blinking of the light, the instrument most likely belonged to communication or signal-receiving equipment, or it might even be some kind of positioning beacon.
However, what made Chu You’s heart race slightly was not its function, but a sudden, strong sense of déjà vu.
She felt like she had seen this thing somewhere before.
It wasn’t the exact same model, but that design language—so simple it was almost cold—that style of pursuing extreme functionality while discarding all redundancy, and that familiar green indicator light that blinked steadily in standby or low-power mode… all of it gave her a lingering sense of familiarity.
It was as if a similar image was buried in a corner of her memory, covered in dust.
‘Where have I seen this before…?’
Chu You murmured to herself, her frown deepening.
She tried hard to search through her cluttered thoughts.
Setting aside the massive amount of memories from before her transmigration, even in the 20-plus years since then, she had read far too many books and materials.
For a moment, Chu You really couldn’t determine where she had seen something similar.
After thinking for a while, she securely tucked the black instrument—which had an unknown purpose but made her inexplicably uneasy—into a tactical storage pouch with a Velcro seal on her waist.
This pouch was originally meant for an emergency medical kit or small tools, but it happened to be useful now.
The cold touch of the instrument was still vaguely discernible through the fabric, like a silent question—set aside for now, but not forgotten.
It had been exactly 1 day since she had racked her brain to convince Doctor Chen to give her permission to scout alone, using the excuse of “familiarizing herself with the nearby terrain and searching for potentially abandoned medical supplies.”
In reality, her progress had only just reached this logistics warehouse point, which had recently suffered a tragic attack.
There was still a long and inevitably peril-filled road ahead before she reached the true front line and the core area where a major upheaval might occur.
At the moment, obsessing over the origin of this instrument was not the primary task.
She needed to maintain clear priorities: gather any valuable information left in this area as quickly as possible—perhaps surviving combat orders or communication records that hadn’t been completely destroyed.
She couldn’t let any clues slip by.
At the same time, she had to search for any usable supplies: ammunition, medicine, food, and drinking water—anything that could increase her chances of survival and advancement in the Wilderness.
She was certain that the company commander mentioned by that veteran in the hospital was Lin Mo.
That unique way of tying the bandage knots could never be wrong!
At the same time, Chu You also believed 100% that a guy like Lin Mo would never die here so easily.
There was a saying… vile people live for a thousand years.
Time was pressing—so pressing that Chu You didn’t dare waste a single second here.
…
The edge of the Dead Realm was unstable.
In the cracks between history and reality, in the turbulence of memory and existence, no one knew if this eerie domain would continue to silently swallow everything outside or if a more violent, unpredictable mutation would occur at some critical point.
She had to reunite with Lin Mo as soon as possible.
This thought was like a red-hot branding iron, seared into the depths of her consciousness.
Thinking of this, Chu You gave the storage pouch one last press to ensure the instrument wouldn’t slide out or make any noise during her movements.
She took a deep breath, suppressed all her scattered thoughts and the exhaustion coming from deep within her body, and her gaze became sharp and focused once more.
She no longer lingered at the warehouse entrance.
Instead, she stepped forward, walking cautiously but firmly into the deeper parts of the warehouse.
The light grew dimmer as she went deeper, and the smell in the air—a mixture of rust, old dust, and a faint, lingering sweet-metallic scent—became even heavier.
Amidst the mess on the floor, the tragic traces left by yesterday’s fierce battle were vaguely visible: overturned shelves, boxes and containers scattered everywhere, large patches of blood that had long since dried and turned black, forming eerie patterns in the dust, and… some remains of the fallen that hadn’t been moved or buried in time.
Chu You forced herself to look away from those bodies.
She couldn’t give them a peaceful resting place, and at this moment, any unnecessary emotion could become a fatal weakness.
She merely pursed her lips, pressed that heaviness into the bottom of her heart, and began searching with almost cold efficiency.
Her movements were light and professional, as she tried her best to avoid making unnecessary noise.
She rummaged through desk drawers that might hold documents, checked damaged supply crates, and looked for any scraps of paper or labels with writing or symbols.
On a soldier who had died a tragic death, Chu You found several rifle magazines and two defensive grenades.
In a corner in front of him, there were also two bottles of water, perfectly sealed and undamaged.
Her goal was always to head to the front line, which meant the probability of encountering danger along the way would increase significantly, and there would be no reliable supplies.
Therefore, these were precious survival materials for Chu You.
With a tactical flashlight in one hand and a rifle in the other, Chu You cautiously explored the silent warehouse.
Luck was fleeting.
After spending nearly 10 minutes searching almost every inch of the warehouse, the supplies she could find were pitifully few.
Just as Chu You was about to turn and leave, a glimpse from the corner of her eye caught something seemingly pressed under the arm of an officer’s corpse in the corner.
…
…
“Hmm?”
Chu You stopped in her tracks.
She turned and quickly walked back to the corner, bending down to pull out the object pressed under the officer’s arm—a notebook covered in dust and dried bloodstains.
Someone was actually using such a primitive recording method on the battlefield?
Chu You held the flashlight in her mouth while she slapped the dust off the notebook, her brow furrowing.
Opening the notebook, she saw that the handwriting was somewhat sloppy, but fortunately, the records were fairly organized.
The bottom-right corner of the pages was soaked in blood, but overall, the information was quite complete.
[The political commissar is usually so kind; how could he get so angry?]
[I was sent to logistics to do chores just because of an insignificant clerical error. Why?]
[Is it because of the argument with the Division Commander yesterday?]
[Forget it. Since I’m already here, I should just focus on doing my job well.]
The content of the first page basically ended there.
Through these entries, Chu You got a general idea of the identity of the notebook’s owner—the dead officer on the floor—and what he had experienced.
Chu You didn’t hesitate and flipped to the next page to continue reading…
[Lost contact with Headquarters? How could it be such a coincidence!]
[Defense Line One has collapsed. That’s impossible! How could this happen? Clearly, the Shi Bian Ti offensive had been blocked…]
[Who sent me that encrypted communication? ‘Watch the situation carefully; electronic communications may no longer be safe’? What does that mean?]
[Could there be… a traitor?!]
[The political commissar sending me to logistics wasn’t for no reason(?), but had some deeper meaning?]
[Now that I think about it, the argument between him and the Division Commander that night was indeed too intense. It didn’t fit their personalities at all.]
[I must prepare for the worst… Could the traitor be…]
[The Division Commander?!]
The handwriting for those three words was very deep.
Chu You’s pupils constricted slightly.
She calmly flipped to the next page.
[Impossible! Absolutely impossible!!]
[Defense Line Two is still holding. How could the Shi Bian Ti penetrate to Defense Line Three? Even if they did, how could they silently take out so many outposts?!]
[It was too precise, too fast… There must be a traitor. Someone must have betrayed us!]
[The traitor showed the way to the Shi Bian Ti. Their actions are definitely more than just destroying a few outposts.]
…
[I know now!]
[I must report to the staff department immediately. The Shi Bian Ti’s goal…]
[Is here! It’s our rear!]
[I just went to find Director Wang(?), who’s in charge of logistics coordination. His reaction was very wrong… When I mentioned that the Shi Bian Ti might raid this place, he was too calm.]
[And…]
[What did he put into his drawer when I entered his office?]
[Have I seen it somewhere? Such a familiar feeling…]
Chu You carefully identified the handwriting, which was becoming increasingly blurry.
The speed at which she flipped the pages slowed down.
She turned to the next page.
The officer’s handwriting was visibly sloppier, every line exuding a sense of urgency that was practically overflowing.
[The Shi Bian Ti are really here!!]
[There are so many of them. We must organize troops for a local defense and cover the hospital’s evacuation!]
[Director Wang is missing. He’s not in the camp!!!]
[As expected, there’s something wrong with him! That bastard Wang Heng definitely has a problem. He’s also a traitor!!]
[Su Xiche!!!]
These three characters took up almost half the page.
[Wang Heng is that guy Su Xiji’s direct subordinate; he was promoted by him personally!]
[The 103rd Division is in danger! It’s basically confirmed that Division Commander Su Xiji has defected!]
[Who can deliver this message to the outside?]
[We can’t break out. The warehouse is surrounded… No matter who it is, if someone can see this notebook, please make sure to get the message out!]
[Electronic communications are no longer safe. Su Xiji will likely use them to carry out precision strikes.]
[Gather the remaining troops and return to Beihai for local defense!]
[Must…]
[Kill Su Xiji. Kill that bastard! Traitor! Shameless coward!!]
The handwriting ended abruptly there.
The last few words almost pierced through the paper, carrying a complex mix of emotions—despair, anger, loss, and sadness.
Chu You slowly closed the notebook, a chill quietly crawling up her spine.
The 103rd Division’s Commander, Su Xiji, had defected… was it true?!
No wonder the losses in this interception battle were so heavy that an elite regular division was completely wiped out.
No wonder even the records at the Swordbearer Headquarters regarding this battle were so vague.
A high-ranking general with heavy troops under his command defecting on the eve of battle, leading to the total annihilation of his elite division and the deaths of thousands of soldiers in the Wilderness… how could such a scandal, which could crush the morale of those in Huafu, be made public?!
Thinking of this, Chu You’s expression changed again.
Based on her understanding of Lin Mo, that guy would definitely head straight for the truth of the Dead Realm and the cause of its formation—which meant he was heading toward Su Xiji!
But Su Xiji was a traitor!
It was a trap!
Lin Mo was in danger!!
Chu You snapped her head up.
Without a second thought, she turned and marched out of the warehouse without looking back.
Her figure quickly vanished into the vast and silent Wilderness outside the warehouse, which was dyed blood-red by the setting sun.
Ahead, night was about to fall.
In the Wilderness under the cover of night—especially during wartime—the danger factor surged almost linearly.
But she had no choice…
She had to find Lin Mo before tragedy struck!