NOVEL NEXT Chapter 336: Chapter 336: Cheer Yourself Up
In the instant the Portal collapsed, Jeremy suddenly felt an unusual shift in the space around him. This sensation was entirely different from what he had experienced in The Lost Realm instance before. At that moment, a very unsettling thought crossed his mind.
"Something seems off. The situation inside the instance appears to have changed significantly! We need to get everyone transported into the instance as quickly as possible!" Jeremy muttered to himself, then closed his eyes and sat down on the ground.
At this time, Jeremy was concentrating on recovering his state as quickly as he could. Only when he returned to his optimal condition would he be able to reopen the Portal.
Liam and General Howard, who were beside Jeremy, naturally heard what he had said. The expressions on their faces showed that they were both slightly worried.
"What exactly has changed? From Jeremy's expression, it's clear that he is under much more pressure than before. Does this mean that the situation inside the instance has become even more dangerous?" Liam whispered to General Howard, lowering his voice.
General Howard shook his head. It was evident that he was also in the dark about what was happening.
"Regardless of what changes have occurred inside the instance, we cannot halt the ongoing operation. Jeremy hasn't indicated any intention to stop the plan, so we can only trust Jeremy and the members of the Special Team who have already entered the instance," Howard replied, his tone firm yet laced with concern.
General Howard spoke with a calm demeanor, even though he felt a slight sense of panic bubbling beneath the surface. He was not the kind of person to reveal his true thoughts through his expressions. After hearing his words, Liam could only nod silently in agreement.
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While those outside the instance worried about the overall plan, the members of the Special Team who had entered the instance encountered an immediate and formidable challenge. As Ritchie stepped into the instance, he found himself in an area flooded with an overwhelming brightness.
Even when he tried to shield himself from the light with an object, it cast no shadow. The light coming from the opposite direction completely negated any potential shadow that could have formed. In this situation, Ritchie felt an immense pressure weighing down on him. Without any shadows to manipulate, his talents, skills, and weapons would be rendered nearly useless.
As Ritchie stood there, stunned by the environment around him, more members of the Special Team began to come through the Portal. When the last member finally crossed over, the Portal collapsed behind them with a sudden finality.
In that moment, Ritchie kept encouraging himself internally. He hoped that by doing so, he could calm his racing thoughts and focus on the task at hand.
He was the strongest among them, and if he couldn't calm himself down, the others would undoubtedly become even more anxious. This meant that their mission was destined to fail.
"Everyone, please don't panic! The space around us is extremely bright, which means any monsters that appear will be easily spotted right away. We don't need to linger here; we must move deeper into the instance as quickly as possible. Only then can we open a channel to connect the instance with the outside world."
After saying this, Ritchie made his way deeper into the instance. The members of the Special Team followed closely behind him.
It wasn't long before they encountered their first monster: a gigantic mechanical Puppet. The Puppet was under level 50, so Ritchie and the others didn't feel overly tense facing it.
Although Ritchie couldn't use his shadow-related skills, he still managed to rely on his fundamental skills and coordinated effectively with his team members to successfully take down the mechanical Puppet.
Once the mechanical Puppet was defeated, all the High-Dimensional Data it possessed was stored in a Data Storage Device. Ritchie immediately brought the Data Storage Device up to his eyes.
He hoped to take a closer look at the High-Dimensional Data contained within the Data Storage Device. Before this mission, Jeremy had specifically explained to Ritchie the differences between the various types of High-Dimensional Data.
Each type possessed distinct characteristics: some could enhance a monster's vitality, others allowed monsters to convert into data, and some could even enable monsters to control other machines.
After carefully examining the data for a while, Ritchie ultimately confirmed that the High-Dimensional Data from the mechanical Puppet they had just defeated only served to enhance the creature's vitality. This meant that the mechanical Puppet they had just killed was not significant at all.
"We need to delve deeper into the instance! We still haven't found any useful clues!"
After saying this, Ritchie once again took the lead, pressing forward into the depths of the instance. However, this time, the members of the Special Team found themselves unable to keep pace with him.
A transparent barrier suddenly appeared between Ritchie and the members of the Special Team. Ritchie moved deeper into the instance, while the others were trapped in a strange space.
One of the Special Team members who had been closely following Ritchie shouted at the top of his lungs, "Wait! A barrier has suddenly appeared in front of us! We can't continue following you!"
Despite pouring all his strength into his voice, the member's shout was drowned out. Ritchie didn't hear him at all. The special barrier that had formed between Ritchie and the Special Team members blocked all sound.
After about fifteen minutes of advancing deeper into the instance, Ritchie suddenly realized that there was no one behind him anymore.
At that moment, a chill ran down Ritchie's spine. He felt he was in a very precarious situation.
"God damn! What on earth is happening? Why hasn't anyone followed me? Did the monster in the instance manage to eliminate everyone while I was moving forward?"
Ritchie pondered the situation in his mind, trying to figure out why this had occurred. Meanwhile, he remained vigilant, carefully observing his surroundings. He believed that being alone in this environment was the most likely time for a powerful monster to appear.
Ritchie's instincts were indeed correct.
He didn't observe his surroundings for long before spotting a powerful mechanical monster. This mechanical creature was actually a hybrid of machine and organic life. Its main body was a gigantic tiger, with its two front paws and eyes replaced by mechanical components.
The moment Ritchie laid eyes on this half-mechanical tiger, he immediately realized that he was no match for it. Without hesitation, he chose to flee in the opposite direction of the half-mechanical tiger. Ironically, the direction he was running was deeper into The Lost Realm instance.
The half-mechanical tiger hadn't appeared to eliminate Ritchie; it simply wanted to exert immense pressure on him, forcing him to delve further into the instance. As Ritchie sprinted deeper into the instance, the half-mechanical tiger watched him go and, not long after, transformed into a stream of information and vanished quickly.
Meanwhile, outside the instance, Jeremy had recovered to his optimal state. He reactivated his talent, The King of Time and Space, and summoned a very stable portal. Once the portal was fully formed, Jeremy called out to Liam and General Howard, "The portal I've constructed this time is extremely stable! It will allow everyone to pass through quickly!
Hurry and get your subordinates into the instance!"
Upon hearing Jeremy's words, Liam and General Howard immediately sprang into action.
They led their subordinates directly into the instance, moving with urgency and purpose. Bonnie's eyes were fixed intently on Jeremy as she hesitated for a moment, weighing her words carefully before speaking. "I will take Emma and Claire into the instance! Once we pass through the portal, you can enter as well! Until you arrive, I will make sure Emma and Claire are safe!"
Jeremy felt a swell of gratitude for Bonnie's commitment. He nodded earnestly, appreciating her courage and resolve. "I believe you can absolutely ensure their safety! So let's not waste any more time! Go ahead and enter the instance!"
At Jeremy's urging, Bonnie, along with Emma and Claire, stepped through the portal. As soon as they passed through, the portal began to shimmer and flicker, becoming increasingly unstable.
In that moment, Jeremy realized he had already exhausted most of his energy. He faced a critical decision with two distinct options before him. The first option was to remain outside the instance and focus on recovering his strength, a decision that was undoubtedly the safest.
However, it would also mean that those inside the instance would be left at greater risk, vulnerable to whatever threats loomed within.
The second option was more perilous: Jeremy could choose to pass through the unstable portal. This course of action presented a significant danger to him, as the instability of the portal could lead to unforeseen consequences. Yet, the advantage was clear—by choosing to enter immediately, he wouldn't waste a single precious moment.