My Talent Skill Mutated

Everyone received a set of equipment.

The equipment was simple: combat blades, firearms, a few signal flares, and protective wristbands.

These protective wristbands were made from a special material.

They could block the cosmic radiation within the Abyssal Realm.

It was much more convenient than wearing a full protective suit.

In addition to these, there was a protective backpack containing water and food.

After all, they would be in the Anomaly Realm for twenty-four hours, so maintaining ample stamina was crucial.

Of course, communication devices were also essential.

There would be no network service inside the Space-Time Anomaly, so everyone was issued a radio communication wristband.

Communication range: ten kilometers!

It was basically sufficient.

Fully geared up, the group boarded a special-issue black military bus and left the Mercenary headquarters.

...

Driving out of the Qing City Safety Zone, the black bus sped toward the Crane Ridge Anomaly.

Sitting in his seat, Chen Yu gazed out the window.

He hadn’t been to the wilderness in a few days and actually missed it.

Mainly, his Source of Life hadn’t increased at all recently. He had just over five hundred points; with a little more, he could undergo another physical Evolution.

’I hope I can get it done in the Crane Ridge Anomaly.’

Chen Yu thought to himself as he looked out the window.

Five hundred points wasn’t a huge amount. A single Level 3 Mutant Beast would be enough.

His physical Evolution had reached Tier Two. If he broke through to Tier Three, his power would increase dramatically.

Of course, besides that, Chen Yu was even more excited to see what kind of Skill would appear after his next physical Evolution.

The first time was Spirit Devour, the second was Frost Breath. He couldn’t predict what Skill would appear next.

Skills were also crucial.

Different abilities could mean a world of difference in one’s overall power.

...

Time passed quickly.

Around 12:30 PM, the group’s vehicle arrived in the mountains where the Crane Ridge Anomaly was located.

Crane Ridge Mountain!

A thousand-meter-high mountain, with dense forests and steep slopes.

This was also the border between Qing City and Crane City.

SCREECH—

At the foot of Crane Ridge Mountain, the black bus screeched to a halt, and its doors opened automatically.

On the bus, the deputy captain stood up and looked at the crowd. "Everyone, disembark! Stay alert!"

The group responded and filed off the black bus one by one.

The sun blazed high in the sky!

The scent of blood filled the air between the mountains and forests.

It was a smell the group was long accustomed to.

In the wilderness, slaughter and blood were practically constant companions.

Chen Yu looked at the thousand-meter mountain before him.

The forest was dense and quiet, but danger could be lurking beneath the silence.

After they got off, the deputy captain scanned the group, then waved his hand. The black bus turned around and drove away.

"Follow me up the mountain. Don’t fall behind."

With that, the deputy captain took the lead, heading up a rugged mountain path, with everyone following closely behind.

The large group entered the mountain forest.

On Crane Ridge Mountain in the summer, the forest was so dense that the twenty-person team left almost no trace as they entered.

On the way up the mountain, aside from the smell of blood, there were no mutant beasts to be seen.

Chen Yu figured that the nearby mutant beasts had probably been cleared out after the Crane Ridge Anomaly was discovered.

Of course, there was no absolute guarantee.

Everyone was equipped with a Life Fluctuation Detector. Chen Yu glanced at his; there were no signs of mutant beasts within at least five hundred meters.

—

The mountain path was rugged and grew steeper the higher they climbed. It must have rained yesterday, as the path was muddy, but this posed no difficulty for them.

With their physical conditioning, they could scale sheer cliffs.

The stronger a Martial Artist, the greater the improvement in all aspects of their physical fitness.

A challenge of this level wasn’t enough to stop them.

They pressed onward, soon finding themselves deep within the mountains.

The group came to a halt in a hollow on Crane Ridge Mountain.

Everyone’s gaze turned to a point a hundred meters ahead.

A hundred meters away, a distorted purple fissure, shimmering with a faint glow, stood between the mountain slopes. It was seven or eight meters high.

Though called a fissure, it looked more like a purple space gate.

Seven or eight meters high and four to five meters wide.

"Abyssal Space-Time Gate!"

Chen Yu’s eyes narrowed as he looked at the distorted space-time gate.

This was an Anomaly Realm’s space-time gate.

Passing through the space-time gate would lead to the Abyssal Realm.

Even from a hundred meters away, Chen Yu could feel a sense of pressure.

This was due to the Space-Time Force Field.

Every Abyssal Space-Time Gate possessed a powerful Space-Time Force Field; the larger the gate, the stronger the field.

Looking at the Crane Ridge Anomaly’s space-time gate, everyone braced themselves.

Led by the deputy captain, the group quickly arrived in front of the Abyssal Space-Time Gate.

The seven-to-eight-meter-high, four-to-five-meter-wide space-time fissure was like an abyss, ready to devour everything.

Standing outside the gate, it was impossible to see what was inside; it was filled with a diffuse purple light.

The deputy captain stopped and turned to the group.

"Activate your Qi defenses. The gate has a powerful spatio-temporal pressure."

Hearing this, everyone activated the Qi in their bodies, which swirled around them to form a transparent defense.

Once everyone was fully prepared, the deputy captain gave the order to enter.

A thrill of excitement ran through Chen Yu.

This was the first Abyssal Realm he had ever entered. Following the others, the group soon stepped inside, their figures vanishing.

VMMMM—!

Upon entering the Space-Time Gate, just as the deputy captain had said, a powerful spatio-temporal pressure washed over them. Their Qi defenses vibrated; despite the protection, they could still feel the strain.

The Space-Time Gate contained a huge tunnel, with purple light flickering all around.

Beyond the purple light, nothing was visible.

But a white light flickered up ahead.

That was the exit of the tunnel.

Led by the deputy captain, the group proceeded cautiously. After advancing for about five hundred meters, they took a final step forward, and the feeling of solid ground returned.

The group emerged in a forest clearing.

Behind them stood the tall, conspicuous Space-Time Gate.

Chen Yu looked up at the sky. High above was a purple orb of light.

It radiated a warmth like the sun, but its color was a bit unnatural—it was purple.

Bathed in the violet light, the entire forest was covered in a purple sheen.

In the distance, mountains rose one after another, and the roars of mutant beasts echoed from time to time.

’So this is the Crane Ridge Anomaly...’

Chen Yu blinked. It felt like, other than the unnaturally colored sun, this place wasn’t much different from the Ancestor Star.

The deputy captain looked at the group and said, "Let me explain the situation. In the Crane Ridge Anomaly, the flow of time is the same as on the Ancestor Star. A day is still twenty-four hours. Our exploration time will be from now until noon tomorrow."

"So far, we’ve found traces of a civilization in the Crane Ridge Anomaly. However, besides mutant beasts, we haven’t discovered any highly intelligent life forms. Be careful."

"Traces of a civilization!"

The group was shocked to hear the deputy captain’s words.

The fact that the Crane Ridge Anomaly had traces of a civilization was not in the intel they had received.

"Captain Lin, why wasn’t this information in the previous briefing?" a deputy squad leader couldn’t help but ask.

Captain Lin glanced at him. "The traces of civilization discovered in the Crane Ridge Anomaly are just a stretch of ruins. The situation is unclear, so it wasn’t included in the intel. Besides, the ruins are dozens of kilometers from here. If you reach the ruined city, be careful. Although no highly intelligent life has been found, the danger from mutant beasts is significant."

The group nodded.

Captain Lin looked at the group and said, "Now, let’s assign teams. Moving as one large group will be inconvenient, so we’ll split into five squads. I’ll be in one of them."

’Five squads... that’s exactly four people per team.’

The thought flashed through Chen Yu’s mind.

Then, Captain Lin began calling out names.

"Lola, Duan Feng, Xu Hao, Zhuang Fan."

He called out four names, and the four stepped forward from the ranks. Captain Lin looked at them. "You four will be Squad One, with Lola in charge."

"Yes, sir!"

The four of them nodded.

’Looks like we’re being separated...’ Chen Yu sighed inwardly, looking at Duan Feng.

Among everyone here, the only one he knew well was Duan Feng, but it seemed they wouldn’t be in the same squad.

Next, Captain Lin called out more names. "Chen Shan, Liu Wei..."

Name after name was called until only four people were left.

Captain Lin had even assigned himself to a team. The four remaining included Chen Yu.

The other three were the students from the Superpower Academy.

’This has to be a deliberate arrangement...’ Chen Yu thought to himself.

Still, he had no choice but to follow orders.

It didn’t matter who he was teamed up with. His main goal was to get Source of Life.

Captain Lin looked at Chen Yu’s group of four and said, "You four will work together. Student Cai Kun will be in command."

The four of them nodded, having no objections.