Xu Ze’s heart was filled with tension and worry. He called out Xiao Dao’s name several times in panic, his face pale with alarm—but there was no response whatsoever.
By now, the blaring alarms, which had been growing ever more urgent, gradually faded away. All that remained in his mind was a faint, intermittent buzz, like the static of mechanical interference. Then, at last, the familiar icy voice of the automatic response system came through, as if fighting through severe disruption to leave one final message: “Zzz… logic… crack… error… err… creak… system… crashed…”
Hearing that, Xu Ze was instantly dumbfounded.
It was painfully obvious—something had truly gone wrong, and it was no small matter. Xu Ze knew very well that with Xiao Dao’s capabilities, no matter what danger arose, he would have warned him in advance and made all the necessary preparations. But this time, there had been no warning at all—only that fragmented final message from the automatic response system at the very last moment.
In the nearly two years they had been together, nothing like this had ever happened. Xu Ze had long since come to regard Xiao Dao as his most cherished family member. He had grown used to his presence—to the playful grin on that handsome face, to his unpredictable, boisterous appearances in his mind, to his daily stern encouragement, and to the ever-present, watchful protection he provided.
It was only after Xiao Dao came into his life that Xu Ze had found confidence in himself—confidence to hold his head high and look down upon the entire world. And now, Xiao Dao was truly in trouble. And this time, it was probably no minor issue. Xu Ze was terrified of losing him.
As a system from future technology, experiencing such a severe failure probably wouldn’t be like a modern computer crash—something that could be fixed by simply cutting the power or rebooting. If a full system reinstall turned out to be necessary… that would be the end of it.
The gravity of the situation hit him hard. Xu Ze sat dumbly on the ground, his mind a whirlwind of panic and helplessness. Damn you, Xiao Dao… you called yourself a futuristic tech system, and yet you still crashed…
His thoughts scattered in all directions as he desperately tried to figure out how to help Xiao Dao, how to restore the system’s functions. With an ordinary computer, you could try cutting the power and restarting—but how did you cut Xiao Dao’s power? How did you reboot him?
There were no switches or controls of any kind. And in theory, Xiao Dao’s energy came entirely from the energy cycle of Xu Ze’s own body—Xu Ze himself was essentially the power source. But there was no way to completely stop his body’s energy cycle. While he could halt the circulation in his Ren and Du meridians, his bodily functions would never cease. As long as he was alive, bio-energy would continue to be generated.
It was simply impossible.
At this moment, Xu Ze felt as though his heart had died. Xiao Dao had helped him so much, taught him so many things—and yet, at the critical moment, he could do absolutely nothing to help him in return.
Outside, the Black African guide on night watch, along with Bai Qi, Jida, and the others in the adjacent tents, were all startled awake by Xu Ze’s frantic shouts. Thinking something had happened to him, they grabbed their weapons and rushed in anxiously.
But when they entered, they found only Xu Ze sitting on the ground, his eyes vacant and hollow, his expression one of utter dejection.
Seeing him like this, Hu Qiang and Bai Qi were truly alarmed. Neither of them had ever seen Xu Ze—whom everyone relied on as their pillar of strength—in such a state.
Hu Qiang forced himself to stay calm, crouched down beside Xu Ze, and called out softly: “Commander… Commander…”
But Xu Ze was lost in a sea of self-reproach, his mind suspended in a state of extreme tension and emptiness. He couldn’t even hear Hu Qiang’s voice.
However, as his mental tension and focus reached their peak, his psychic perception expanded dramatically—and he suddenly sensed a faint, residual energy fluctuation lingering in the air.
He detected that wisp of residual energy coming from a certain direction, gradually dissipating. Xu Ze’s eyes suddenly lit up. Aside from this one trace of energy, he sensed nothing else unusual. Perhaps this was what had caused Xiao Dao’s crash.
Just as Hu Qiang noticed Xu Ze’s previously lifeless eyes suddenly gleam with life—and felt a surge of relief—Xu Ze abruptly stood up, his spirits revived, and strode purposefully out of the tent.
The others exchanged glances, all sensing that Xu Ze was clearly acting strangely. Without daring to hesitate, they quickly followed him out, worried that something might be wrong with him.
It was past four in the morning, and the surroundings were still pitch dark. Only the campfire at the center of the campsite continued to blaze brightly. Xu Ze narrowed his eyes slightly, lifted his head, and focused his senses on tracing the direction of that fading energy fluctuation. Then, he slowly began walking out of the camp, following that direction.
Watching his bizarre behavior, Hu Qiang, Bai Qi, and the Wolf Fang team all wore expressions of bewilderment. But none of them dared to stop him. They could only follow behind, weapons in hand, moving cautiously.
Jida and the four Black guides, however, watched Xu Ze’s movements with growing unease and suspicion. Still, they said nothing and joined the others as they walked out of the camp.
Xu Ze stopped just outside the camp, gently lifted his head again, and took a soft breath—as if tasting the faint moisture in the air. A look of certainty flashed in his eyes. He turned to Jida and pointed into the darkness ahead. “What’s over there?”
Jida followed his gesture, then glanced back at the camp’s position. A flicker of surprise crossed his face. He turned and exchanged a few low words with one of the guides, who nodded in confirmation. When Jida looked back at Xu Ze, his eyes held even more astonishment. After a brief hesitation, he said: “Xu… that’s the direction of… the Sacred Mountain.”
“The Sacred Mountain?” Xu Ze frowned, looking at Jida for an explanation.
Jida nodded gravely. “That’s the location of the Sacred Mountain. It’s believed by many of Lima’s tribes to be the dwelling place of the gods. That’s why we call it the Sacred Mountain.”
Hearing this, Xu Ze felt certain that the strange, dissipating energy fluctuation had indeed come from there.
“I’m going there.” Xu Ze raised his hand and pointed into the darkness. Then he turned to Jida. “I need to go there now.”
“You want to go to the Sacred Mountain?” Seeing his determination, Jida and the Black guides all showed signs of unease. Jida quickly spoke a few words to the guides, but all four of them shook their heads vehemently, gesturing wildly toward the mountain.
Seeing their refusal, Jida’s expression grew troubled. He turned back to Xu Ze. “Xu… there are several primitive tribes stationed over there. They don’t allow outsiders to set foot on the Sacred Mountain.”
“No—I have to go.” Xu Ze’s eyes were resolute. He looked at Jida and said firmly: “Jida… I must go.”
Seeing the weight and determination in Xu Ze’s expression, Jida hesitated. His thick lips pressed tightly together. Then he said: “Xu… those tribes are very fierce. If we intrude upon the Sacred Mountain, they’ll likely attack us.”
“I have to go and see for myself. If you can make the arrangements, I’ll go up alone, stealthily. I don’t think they’ll spot me.” Seeing the reluctance on Jida’s face, Xu Ze took a deep breath, but still insisted: “I have to leave immediately.”
Finding Xu Ze still so adamant, Jida’s thick brows knitted together tightly. He knew very well how ferocious those tribes were. Even General Zuma had never tried to conquer them—he had simply left them alone in those deep mountains.
Still, since Xu Ze was insistent—and since Xu Ze was the general’s best friend—Jida naturally couldn’t let him sneak up there alone. He could only sigh and say: “Xu… going up there is truly dangerous. Since you’re determined to go, I’ll need to consult the general first. If he agrees, then I must ensure your safety before I can take you up there.”
Seeing how seriously Jida took this, Xu Ze realized that reaching the Sacred Mountain would not be easy. And now, without Xiao Dao by his side, he didn’t dare take reckless risks. He could only nod in agreement and wait for Jida to make the arrangements.
Jida walked back into the tent to contact General Zuma, while Bai Qi and the others stood guard around Xu Ze. Hu Qiang glanced at him and finally said hesitantly: “Commander… since Jida is so opposed to you going up there, that Sacred Mountain must be extremely dangerous. I really think you shouldn’t go. We can look elsewhere.”
“That’s right, Commander. Even Jida doesn’t want you to go—maybe we should skip it. If something happened to you, how would I ever explain it to our superiors?” Bai Qi chimed in, trying to persuade him to abandon the idea.
But Xu Ze remained unmoved. Gazing at the sky, which was just beginning to lighten, he said firmly: “Don’t try to talk me out of it. That place is very important to me—I have to go. Even if Zuma disagrees, I’m still going up.”
Hearing his resolute words, Hu Qiang and Bai Qi had nothing more to say. Bai Qi took a quiet breath. After all, his Wolf Fang team had completed their mission safely and come back with their lives—all thanks to this commander. If there was real danger ahead, then they would just have to walk through it with him.
“All personnel, prepare for combat. We move out at any moment.” Bai Qi gave the order to his seven team members.
“Yes, sir!” The seven didn’t hesitate for a second. They each ran back to their tents to gear up.
Hearing Bai Qi’s command, Xu Ze let out a soft sigh. Though he didn’t want Bai Qi and his men to take risks with him, he ultimately said nothing. He knew that if he was determined to go up, Bai Qi and the others would certainly insist on coming along. There was no point in trying to stop them.
After a while, Jida strode out of the tent. He looked at Xu Ze and nodded, then said: “The general says—you are his friend, and on Lima’s land, there is no place you cannot go. Please wait a moment; the escort troops will arrive shortly.”
