LIGHTNOVELSTORY Chapter 368: Urgent Mission
After spending an entire evening in the bustling district of Capital, Jeremy finally decided to return to his residence in the poorer area just before dawn.
Bonnie, of course, wouldn't be staying with him. Her place was actually the White Family's villa in the prosperous district.
Jeremy slept for about four hours at his residence. Around noon, a loud knocking on the door abruptly woke him up.
"Who's knocking? I don't need room service! Don't disturb me unless it's important!" Jeremy said, slightly irritated. He hadn't managed to rest properly.
However, his words didn't seem to have any effect on the person outside the door.
The knocking continued with even more force.
Angrily, Jeremy got out of bed and hurried to the door, yanking it open with a scowl on his face.
To his surprise, the figure of the Colonel, who had escorted him and Bonnie to Capital, appeared before him.
Without a word, the Colonel handed him a folder.
"This is an urgent mission from military headquarters! You need to review the contents. The mission starts tonight," the Colonel said coldly, his tone devoid of warmth.
It was clear he harbored some faint animosity towards Jeremy.
Jeremy took the folder, still fuming with frustration.
"I understand! But next time, give me a heads-up before you show up at my doorstep like this. It's a bit much for me to handle."
Jeremy had come to Capital for the purpose of missions, so receiving an urgent task didn't seem all that strange. What bothered him was how the Apocalypse Game players were notified to take on missions in such a rudimentary way here.
Back in Moonlight City, Jeremy and his companions communicated easily through their phones.
The Colonel's expression remained unchanged as he said flatly, "You can check your phone. I've called you at least ten times!"
Jeremy picked up his phone and saw that he had missed 15 calls.
Feeling a bit embarrassed, he realized his mistake. However, the Colonel had no intention of mocking him.
"Since you've already grasped the general idea of the urgent mission, you should start preparing immediately! The military headquarters expects you to execute this task flawlessly!"
With that, the Colonel turned sharply on his heels and walked away without so much as a backward glance. He clearly had no intention of engaging Jeremy in any further conversation.
Once the Colonel was gone, Jeremy slammed the door shut with a loud thud.
"What kind of urgent mission could they possibly want me to undertake? Did the defense forces in Capital suddenly stumble upon an exceptionally challenging instance on the outskirts of the city?"
Jeremy muttered to himself, his curiosity piqued as he opened the folder.
As he read through the entire document, the reason for assigning him this particular urgent mission became crystal clear.
The mission he was tasked with was directly tied to an instance with a difficulty level of 70. Although the mission was technically just a reconnaissance operation, the fact remained that Jeremy himself had only recently reached level 60.
Sending someone at his level to investigate a 70-level instance was undoubtedly a high-risk endeavor.
"It seems the people targeting me can hardly wait to make their move. If I manage to complete this mission, they'll definitely assign me an even more impossible task next time," Jeremy thought, his anger simmering just beneath the surface.
Despite his irritation, Jeremy wasn't overly worried. He had anticipated such scenarios long before arriving in Capital.
Determined to stay one step ahead, Jeremy decided to scout the area surrounding the instance before the mission officially commenced.
This high-level instance, appropriately named "The Abyss", was located in a canyon on the outskirts of Capital. A river cut through the gorge, and the entrance to the instance was situated at a small, weathered dock.
From the name alone, it was easy to infer a connection to one of the Apocalypse Game planners: The Hanged Man.
The Hanged Man wielded powers of decay and corruption, manifesting in the creation of vast expanses of darkness and desolation—often taking the form of a dark lake. Naturally, such a lake could also be referred to as an abyss.
"My conflict with The Hanged Man hasn't reached the same level of intensity as with some of the other planners. So, I probably won't encounter too many dangers this time.
"At the very least, The Hanged Man himself isn't likely to attack me directly. Without the intervention of an Apocalypse Game planner, I should be able to rely on my gear and innate talents to make it out of The Abyss instance in one piece."
Jeremy muttered these words as he began to strategize, his mind already forming a plan to navigate the perilous depths of the ominous canyon.
After completing all the necessary preparations, Jeremy set off immediately.
An hour later, he arrived at the canyon where the "Abyss" instance was located.
Although the canyon wasn't far from Capital, it was completely covered in lush, dense forest. As Jeremy made his way through the area, he even spotted some creatures typically found only in tropical rainforests.
"What's going on? How could there be a tropical rainforest climate near Capital? That's absolutely impossible!"
Jeremy's initial surprise quickly turned into a firm conclusion.
He was certain that the climate around Capital had been distorted by the powers of one of the Apocalypse Game planners.
"It seems The Person in the Mirror really has an incredibly strong presence in the Capital region. They've even managed to use the powers of 'The Sun' to create a rainforest around Capital," Jeremy thought, immediately heightening his vigilance.
From Jeremy's perspective, any area influenced by the power of The Sun was bound to be fraught with immense danger.
He began to suspect that the name of the "Abyss" instance might have been deliberately misleading. There was a strong possibility that most of the forces present in the instance were related to The Sun rather than any abyss-like features.
After roughly half an hour of navigating through the rainforest, Jeremy finally arrived in the heart of the canyon. The climate here seemed far more normal.
Apart from the river that flowed through the middle of the canyon, the surrounding area was relatively dry.
Following the river downstream, Jeremy eventually spotted a small dock about 10 kilometers away.
The moment he laid eyes on the dock, he sensed something profoundly unusual about the space surrounding it.
The space around the dock had undergone severe distortion and folding.
The few remaining dilapidated boats at the dock were, in reality, not part of the physical world. Those old, worn-out boats were already within the spatial domain of the "Abyss" instance.
"It seems the difficulty of the 'Abyss' instance is even greater than I anticipated! If someone came here to scout the instance without the 'King of Time and Space' ability, they wouldn't even notice the anomalies. They'd most likely choose to board one of those broken boats straight away!"
On the surface, boarding the dilapidated boats appeared to be a way to avoid the most dangerous areas. This seemingly safer route might trick Apocalypse Game players into thinking they could start exploring the instance without immediately encountering danger.
But in reality, it was a cunningly designed trap.
If anyone were to board those old boats before officially entering the "Abyss" instance, they would be swiftly killed by the instance's overwhelming power.
Jeremy's expression darkened as he contemplated this revelation. It was clear that this mission wasn't just about reconnaissance—it was a battle against the unseen dangers lurking in every shadow.
After observing the area around the instance for a while, Jeremy finally discovered a safe method to enter the instance.
On the dock's wooden bridge, he created a unique space—a dimensional construct that allowed him to directly access the entrance to the Abyss instance.
The moment this unique space was completed, the entrance to the Abyss instance revealed itself.
At first glance, the entrance seemed to be located at the end of the dock's bridge. However, in reality, the true entrance was beneath the dock, hidden underwater.
To safely enter the Abyss instance, Jeremy realized he would have to dive into the river.
But he didn't rush into the water immediately.
Jeremy had a lingering feeling that the river surrounding the instance was not as tranquil as it appeared. He suspected there might be creatures lurking within its depths, and he was certain the river had some connection to the Abyss itself.
It wouldn't be surprising if stepping into the river triggered some force that would drag him directly into the Abyss.
Jeremy meticulously examined his surroundings one more time. After ensuring there were no visible monsters or immediate threats, he tightened his grip on Mortal Combat, his trusted weapon, and cautiously stepped into the river.
The moment his body entered the water, he felt an intense cold seep into his bones. His body heat was being drained at an alarming rate.
Jeremy quickly realized he had no time to waste. He needed to find the entrance to the Abyss instance as fast as possible. If he lingered in the icy river too long, he would likely freeze to death before even reaching the entrance.
After searching underwater for what felt like an eternity, Jeremy finally located the entrance. It was concealed in an unremarkable and easily overlooked spot.
If it weren't for Jeremy's extraordinary spatial awareness, finding this hidden entrance would have been nearly impossible.
Reaching out, Jeremy pressed his hand against the entrance.
In that instant, an overwhelming force pulled him into the Abyss instance.
As Jeremy disappeared from the river, a shadowy figure emerged at the spot where he had just been.
This shadow bore an uncanny resemblance to Jeremy, mirroring his appearance perfectly.
But the shadow lingered for only a brief moment before vanishing entirely.
Jeremy, meanwhile, found himself traversing an extraordinarily cold and utterly dark region.
Even with his King of Time and Space ability, he was unable to construct a portal in this pitch-black void.
His only option was to endure the numbing cold and oppressive darkness, pressing forward as quickly as possible.