Chapter 326: Wind and Rain in the Mountains

Shennongjia.

Boom——!

Low rumbles of thunder echoed through the clouds. Several military off-road vehicles charged along the muddy mountain road. In the blinding, brilliant beams of the headlights, raindrops fell like fine steel needles, creating a rhythmic pattering sound against the windows.

"This is Vehicle One. We are seven hundred meters from the temporary base. The weather is severe; keep a sharp eye on the surrounding environment."

In the lead vehicle, a figure in the passenger seat picked up the radio and spoke in a deep voice.

"Vehicle Two, received."

"Vehicle Three, received."

"Vehicle Four..."

In the back seat of the vehicle, a figure wearing a white lab coat was frowning as he stared at the pitch-black mountain road outside the window.

"Yang Xiao, what are you thinking about?" a voice asked from beside him.

"...No, nothing."

Yang Xiao snapped back to reality and subconsciously shook his head.

His hands, resting on his knees, were unconsciously rubbing his knuckles. He wasn't leaning against the back of the seat, but rather sitting up somewhat stiffly.

The man beside him sighed, "Yang Xiao, there's no need to be so nervous... It's just a meteorite exploration. I've participated in this kind of operation many times; there won't be any danger."

"Dr. Lu, I understand what you mean... but, but this time is different."

Yang Xiao turned his head. In the flickering light from the vehicles behind, his face was cast in shifting light and shadow. "When that meteor approached Earth, all the magnetic field indicators went haywire. There are twelve laboratories worldwide involved in magnetic field research, and every single one of them detected different data..."

"I know. Some meteors have unique structures that can disrupt the geomagnetic field at close range. That’s nothing unusual."

"No! Even if the Earth's magnetic field is disrupted, logically, the data detected by each laboratory shouldn't be that different—at most, there might be a time lag based on the meteor's trajectory... But this time is different. The data detected by every laboratory is abnormally outrageous! That was definitely not a fluctuation of Earth's own magnetic field!"

Yang Xiao’s Adam’s apple bobbed. He paused for a moment, then stared into Dr. Lu’s eyes and said earnestly,

"At that... whatever that thing was, the moment it streaked past... Earth's own magnetic field overlapped with at least twelve other things... No, even far more than that. We only detected twelve because we only have twelve such laboratories..."

"What things?"

"Parallel dimensions? Parallel universes? Dark matter organisms? Or some other world we can't see? In any case, something must have brushed past our world when it streaked over our heads."

Dr. Lu was stunned. He seemed to recall something and silently looked away.

"Dr. Lu, you are an expert in astrophysics. You must have noticed the anomaly too, right?" Yang Xiao stared at him intently. "That was definitely not just a simple 'meteor.' Otherwise, you wouldn't have gathered all of us together..."

Just as Lu Xun was about to speak, the vehicle slowed to a stop. Beams of flashlight light flashed outside the window, as if someone were approaching.

A tall figure wearing a black raincoat with a gun slung across his chest walked out of the rain and knocked on the car door.

"Dr. Lu, Dr. Yang, it’s time to get out."

"...Let's go." Lu Xun pulled out an umbrella from under his seat and opened the door.

The place where the vehicles stopped was a forest area. The outlines of the rolling mountains in the distance were hidden in the darkness, looking like countless giant beasts crouching on the earth in the rain, coldly watching these outsiders who had intruded upon nature.

Yang Xiao opened his umbrella and waded through the mud, moving quickly toward the distance. People were also getting out of the off-road vehicles behind him one after another.

The wind and rain in the mountains were intense, and the umbrella provided no real cover. Within a few steps, Yang Xiao’s face and hair were soaked by the rain. As he wiped the water from his eyes, the shout of an officer beside him rang out over the roaring thunder:

"Put the umbrellas away!! The wind in the mountains at night is very strong! Holding an umbrella will blow you away! The deep forest in the dark is dangerous! Once you get lost, it will be very hard for us to find you!!"

Hearing this, everyone had no choice but to put their umbrellas away, letting the cold, icy rain beat down on them, soaking their clothes and shoes.

Fortunately, they hadn't walked long before points of light appeared in the distance. These were a dozen camouflage tents pitched in the forest area, clustered together. The tent fabric fluttered in the wind, making a rustling sound.

The group walked straight into one of the tents, finally finding temporary shelter from the wind and rain, but they were already soaked to the bone.

"Everyone, thank you for your hard work on the journey." A figure walked up and handed out dry towels.

"I am the person in charge of this exploration, Wang Xinye."

"Old Wang, we meet again." Lu Xun wiped his face with a dry towel and let out a long breath. "What is the situation now?"

"The first team that went to explore is still out of contact. It’s been eight hours... The second team has been gone for two hours, and there hasn't been any response from them either."

Out of contact?

Hearing these two words, someone behind Lu Xun turned pale.

"Dr. Lu, wasn't it said that this was just to explore meteorite fragments? How... how could they lose contact?" a researcher with slightly curly hair couldn't help but ask.

"Perhaps some component within the meteorite is causing electromagnetic interference. This is normal," a female doctor replied calmly before Lu Xun could speak. "Dr. Wu, there's no need to make a fuss."

"I'm making a fuss? Dr. Su, didn't you see that everyone here is carrying guns?" Dr. Wu’s eyes widened.

"Since when does exploring a meteorite require the military to be involved??"

"Alright, alright, this isn't Dr. Wu's fault... It's my fault for not explaining it clearly to him." Lu Xun sighed. "Old Wu, let's talk privately in a bit."

"You... sigh, fine."

Dr. Wu wanted to say more but stopped himself.

Wang Xinye scanned the crowd, checked the time, and said to Lu Xun:

"Dr. Lu, the weather is too severe right now. This round of exploration needs to be postponed... You all should rest in the tent area and recharge your energy. I will handle the rest."

"Alright."

As Wang Xinye left in a hurry with his men, the tent was left with only the nine researchers and a few soldiers on guard. Lu Xun gave Dr. Wu a look, and the two walked out of the tent alone.

The others dried off; some began to talk to each other, while others walked toward other tents, seemingly out of curiosity.

Meanwhile.

On the outskirts of the rain-drenched tent area, a figure soaked to the skin slowly emerged from the darkness.

He stood on a hill, watching the figures in white lab coats moving through the tent area, and let out a long breath.

"Did I make it in time..."