The lake marked in the location is not far from Ting City, and Xu Huo decided to visit the lake before Nie Xuan contacted him.

He informed Chief Wu about it, and although Chief Wu did not know the details, he followed the standard procedure and filed a report. In the end, the Special Defense Department approved it, informing Xu Huo that he could go, but he could only enter from the position designated by the Special Defense Department.

Rather than the Special Defense Department intentionally imposing limitations, soon afterward, a player brought over some simple encrypted materials.

"Hidden Immortal Lake" was locked down as early as half a year ago due to the sudden eruption of massive energy from Under the Lake. To detect possible instance entrances, the Special Defense Department has set up detectors in many places. Generally, in places where there is energy fluctuation, regardless of the type of energy, some peculiar phenomena always appear, such as random instances, strange plants and animals, and ancient relics turning into living creatures. In short, there must be a reason for energy changes, and compared to those densely populated urban areas where fixed instances might appear in the future, the energy at Hidden Immortal Lake is on a completely different level.

Dedicated personnel have been investigating Hidden Immortal Lake for half a year, and thanks to the equipment procured in the game, diving Under the Lake is not difficult. The presence of an ancient civilization relic Under the Lake has been verified, and players have retrieved some artifacts, some of which contain special energy. The exact function of this energy is still unclear to the Special Defense Department, but as the department attempted to relocate the relic in batches, another round of energy eruptions occurred Under the Lake.

It seemed as if some energy vortexes mysteriously appeared deep within the relic, and at that time, more than half the players working inside were injured or killed, with even the bodies being untraceable.

When the Special Defense Department gathered manpower to dive and explore again, changes occurred within the internal structures of the ancient civilization relic; the buildings formerly photographed and documented showed significant discrepancies, as if the entire relic had expanded considerably.

However, from the outer measurements, the size of the relic hadn’t changed.

The Special Defense Department speculates that folded space has emerged inside, and such spaces are extremely prone to spawning instances. Even if it hasn’t fully evolved into an instance yet, it may undergo qualitative changes once integrated with the game. Gaining control over such instances in advance would provide significant advantages to the Special Defense Department, the nation, and Zone 014.

By dusk, Xu Huo had arrived on the periphery of Hidden Immortal Lake.

The perimeter of the lake was entirely enveloped by barriers, preventing entry by ordinary people and regular players. Most stationed here were military players, with the Special Defense Department taking a secondary position.

Xu Huo was received by Jiang Qiao, acting as the representative of the Special Defense Department with full authority.

"A player came to attack just now." She pointed to the screen that was still undergoing repairs nearby, "It’s the third attack incident recently, all carried out by outer zone players."

Xu Huo glanced at the busy military players and said, "I thought it might spawn Primeval Stones here, but it turned out to be an instance."

"There’s no confirmation yet if it’s an instance." Jiang Qiao already appeared weary, "I’ve been here for three months with little progress, uncertain if any substantial results will manifest only once integrated with the game."

"Is the energy disparity between Under the Lake and other cities that large?" Xu Huo turned to gaze at the mirror-like blue lake surface, where the absence of wind brought an exceptional beauty.

"Very large." Jiang Qiao replied, "According to the data we obtained from the game, areas likely to spawn instances, especially densely populated regions, exhibit irregular energy fluctuations even before integrating with the game. However, the peaks and troughs of these fluctuations aren’t vastly different. Generally, these are quite stable fixed instances."

"The greater the energy fluctuation, the more irregular, indicating the coming instance will be higher-level and riskier. Currently, Hidden Immortal Lake has the largest energy fluctuation domestically, followed by the Black Desert."

At this point, she relaxed her expression slightly, "Honestly, before coming, I thought that even if we can’t acquire the instance in advance, picking up a few props would be good. Props created in naturally spawned advanced instances are undoubtedly of high quality, perhaps..."

Perhaps she didn’t finish the sentence, but Xu Huo understood, the higher the risk, the greater the reward. Hidden Immortal Lake is so extraordinary; what if it spawned Super Props like in Zone 017?

Whether seeking Super Props or preventing situation changes, the military and Special Defense Department can’t let it go unchecked.

Xu Huo’s Super Prop, "Three Seconds of a Lifetime," didn’t originate from Zone 014 but was acquired using Zone 014’s channels in Fenbei Town, which is another space. Thus, it doesn’t count as a Super Prop birthed in Zone 014; only the acquirer hails from Zone 014.

"Reviewing the data from the E27 Wormhole Point, among the current twenty or so districts, only two have birthed Super Props. It’s uncertain whether there’ll be one here."

"That’s one way to put it, but the development trajectory of Zone 014 has been too smooth." Jiang Qiao revealed a bit about Zone 014’s overall forecast, "Although I’m not superstitious, examining the evolution process of Zone 014, it seems every Super Props event serves to facilitate the complete evolution of the entire zone. Together with the later wave of nationwide players, the birth of players and elite strong players in Zone 014 has surpassed many districts’ normal evolution rates." 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

"Is that unusual?" Xu Huo raised an eyebrow.

"It’s indeed unusual." Jiang Qiao said, "The bigger the pie falling from the sky, the heavier it is. We don’t know if we’ll eat the pie first or be crushed by it."

"Nevertheless, it also signifies that Zone 014 harbors unique potential. Given that, whether it’s me or the Special Defense Department, we hope for Zone 014 to become a standout in the E27 Wormhole Point."

This candid conversation clearly wasn’t just for venting emotions; she gravely looked at Xu Huo, "Your strength securely ranks in the top ten in the current Zone 014. If indeed someone brings more valuable items from Under the Lake, aside from you, I can’t think of anyone else."

"That’s an overly high hat to wear." Xu Huo said, "I’m merely interested; I may not necessarily take risks."

The last time in the ocean’s Chaotic Space, he obtained a piece suspected to be the Primeval Stone of "Time Origin." He has yet to extract or hand it over for any research. That time he got lucky, and besides, it was just a chaotic space, unstable and not enclosed.

However, Hidden Immortal Lake here seems to have already formed a sealed site, with complete differences between inside and outside. Assuming it’s about to become a high-level instance, entering it before it’s fully shaped might yield certain benefits, but the risks would also be multiplied.

Jiang Qiao chuckled, "If that’s the case, why bother making the trip? From my standpoint, whether what you bring out is sold, loaned to the Special Defense Department, or kept for personal use, it’d be advantageous for Zone 014."

While saying this, the two had already arrived at the command center, "You can first view the detailed data obtained by the military."