The White Mist Forbidden Zone: I Have the X-ray vision

Back where Anthony stood, he watched the Pickup truck until it disappeared from view, still smiling.

Seven years ago, he had watched the convoy leave with a trace of despair in his eyes.

But today, his eyes held only relief.

The burden he had carried for seven years finally lifted in that moment.

Smiling, Anthony felt a tear slip down the corner of his eye.

Back when he was in the White Mist Zone, he didn't cry, nor did he cry when he was abandoned. But now, he did.

After some time, Anthony's tears had frozen at the corners of his eyes. Only then did he turn his gaze away.

Then, Anthony turned to look at the towering White Mist Zone behind him.

A resolute glint flashed in his once-harmless eyes.

The White Mist Zone, also known as the Forbidden Land of Life, had a recorded mortality rate of 99.96%, according to Normandy Kingdom's statistics seven years ago.

On average, only four out of ten thousand people came out alive.

However, Anthony didn't feel anything. Seven years ago, he had come out alive, and now, he wanted to try again.

This time, upon entering, he either had to find a way to break through the cage or find a way to cure his eyes. If not, then he would stay there for good.

After packing his belongings, Anthony set off for the White Mist Zone.

In his backpack, he had placed the remaining stew, along with some miscellaneous items.

To be honest, Anthony didn't really know what he needed to prepare. He didn't think these things would be of much use, but since this might be his last adventure, he wanted it to have some sense of ceremony.

From a distance, the White Mist Zone looked like a giant semi-spherical eggshell, blocking out the sky.

Before the White Mist Zone appeared, the Himalayas was the highest peak in the world.

But when the White Mist Zone emerged, that record was shattered.

According to data from seven years ago, the smallest White Mist Zone had a radius of sixty kilometers, while the largest was three hundred kilometers.

The height of any White Mist Zone was several times greater than that of the Himalayas.

The height was almost at the edge of the atmosphere.

The mist within the zone wasn't solid; it resembled fog, obstructing visibility and light to some extent.

But later, it was proven to be a form of energy, capable of disrupting signals. Any electronic device that entered the mist would completely fail.

This was a barrier—a barrier that separated two worlds.

Of course, the White Mist barrier was one thing; the most dangerous part was the rules contained within.

There were special rules within the White Mist Zone that differed from those of Blue Star, and once violated, an ordinary person would undoubtedly die.

In the past two hundred years, nearly two hundred White Mist Zones had appeared on Blue Star, averaging one per year.

Moreover, each zone had different rules, and not just one set of rules.

After paying a heavy price, the pioneers had only discovered a fraction of the information.

For instance, in some White Mist Zones, speaking was forbidden—just opening your mouth would result in instant death.

In others, getting injured was fatal—once you bled, your blood would be instantly drained.

Some zones allowed entry during the day but staying overnight would be deadly.

There were even zones where men would die upon entering, while women remained unharmed.

...

In short, the rules of these White Mist Zones were bizarre and had no apparent logic.

Anthony had learned this information from books he read when he was bored.

In this cage, there was little entertainment, and Anthony had spent most of the past seven years lost in books.

At noon, a thin young man arrived outside the White Mist Zone.

Standing at the edge, Anthony felt the mist's presence, his mind replaying the memories of how he had exited the zone seven years ago.

However, after thinking for a long time, Anthony still had no clue.

Such speculation was simply too difficult.

So, Anthony decided to stop thinking about it. Just like the first time, he walked into the mist, somewhat dazed and confused.

One step, two steps, three steps...

After crossing a hundred meters, Anthony suddenly felt the ground give way beneath his foot.

The thick snow on the ground ahead suddenly vanished, and at the same time, the surrounding mist disappeared as well.

The scene before him opened up.

Seeing what lay ahead, Anthony was stunned.

...

At the same time, several dozen kilometers west of White Mist Zone No. 22, there was a temporary military camp.

Soldiers, teams of espers, and other personnel were busily moving in and out.

Though the White Mist Zone and the surrounding danger zone were perilous, they also represented immense wealth.

Whether it was the abundance of monsters or the zone itself, both were valuable treasures.

In the center of the camp, inside a room, an espers wearing a black cloak was resting.

The espers had a square face, a burly build, and deep-set eyes, exuding a powerful aura. Embroidered on his black cloak was a large, dark red character: "Demon" .

However, Irvin's left arm was wrapped in a thick plaster cast, and his face was somewhat pale, indicating that he had recently suffered a serious injury. There was also a faint red mark on his forehead, resembling a skull, though it was too blurry to see clearly.

Irvin could sense its presence, but he still couldn't clearly make it out.

At that moment, Irvin was resting in bed when suddenly, an urgent alarm sounded throughout the camp. Irvin's eyes snapped open, and at the same time, his phone buzzed with a message. Upon reading it, his expression changed.

He abruptly stood up, applying slight force, and the plaster on his arm shattered, revealing a scar-covered yet powerful arm.

Irvin shouted, "Assemble!"

Whoosh—

Before his voice even faded, the door burst open, and a swift figure in black and yellow appeared first in the room.

"Reporting, Bob is ready. What's the situation, Captain?"

"Hold on, wait until everyone is here," Irvin said. Soon, two more figures arrived.

"Reporting, George is ready."

"Reporting, Iris is ready."

The newcomers were a man and a woman. The man was tall with sharp, piercing eyes, but his face bore a cold, unapproachable expression. He carried a massive black case on his back, as tall as a person.

The other was a petite and cute girl. Upon seeing the shattered plaster on Irvin's arm, she pouted and said, "Captain, this is the fourth time. Your injury hasn't healed yet, and you've broken the cast again."

Irvin, however, remained serious. "We'll discuss this later. This alarm isn't about a monster attack. I just received information that an energy fluctuation from an espers crystal has been detected within White Mist Zone No. 22. We need to enter and investigate immediately!"

The three of them showed a slight change in expression at the mention of entering the White Mist Zone.

For ordinary people, the White Mist Zone was a land of death, where breaking the rules meant instant annihilation. But for espers, it was different.

espers not only possessed various strange attributes, but their abilities also had different levels. The internationally recognized classification system includes six levels: E, D, C, B, A, and S.

Once an espers reached level C, they could create an espers barrier, which could barely resist the rule-based annihilation within the White Mist Zone.

This was a secret discovered at the cost of countless lives and had not been made public.

Of course, this resistance only applied to certain aspects. If they violated the rules, they would still be targeted by the monsters within the White Mist Zone.

The captain's injury was from a battle within the White Mist Zone a few days ago.

The skull mark on his forehead was a cursed mark from the zone's rules.

But compared to the dangers of the White Mist Zone, the importance of the espers crystal was greater.

Moreover, they had a special role to play.

Moments later, an old off-road vehicle roared out of the military base, heading toward the White Mist Zone. Inside were four figures cloaked in black robes.

On their black robes fluttered the dark red character: "Demon".

...