Jiang Qiao pulled out another document, "In our country, there has long been a saying about snakes transforming into flood dragons and flood dragons transforming into dragons, which sounded like legends in the past, but now has become reality. So far, we have found different species and sizes of snake mutations in twenty-three places domestically. Their mutations tend to grow horns and claws, initially appearing as atavistic traits, but they still differ from similar lizard species. Among these mutant snakes, only one python has developed a temporary ability to lift off the ground."

She played the footage captured at that time. On the tumultuous water surface, heavy rain poured down, and several tornadoes connected the clouds with the water, making it hard to distinguish whether the lake water was rising or the rain was falling. But amidst the dark clouds, there was a not-very-thick shadow twisting. It lurked in the rain for a few seconds before suddenly falling, revealing its true form.

It was a black python, quite large in size, with protruding skull, two thin horns breaking through the skin, whiskers growing under its mouth, and scales glinting with a dark light. When it struggled, its roar was like a bell, quite resembling the legendary dragon’s appearance.

"Do you suspect that what’s under the Hidden Immortal Lake is a mutant snake?" Jiang Qiao pondered, "It’s not impossible. They say a flood dragon has appeared at sea, several times the size of this one in the lake. However, it appears and disappears unpredictably, mostly active in storm-prone areas. Our equipment has never truly captured it."

"Just a mutant snake is not much of a concern," Xu Huo said, "Even if its evolution is strong, it wouldn’t be hard to handle."

A species with higher intelligence, if smart enough, should know to hide and not harm people. If it acts purely on instinct, it can be killed without limit.

Xu Huo focused on the folded space.

Seeing him quietly examining the information, Jiang Qiao, to preempt any questions he might have, stayed nearby, poured him a glass of water, and sat back down to wait. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

The military’s investigation into the folded space left much to be desired. This can’t be blamed on them, though, as the information clearly stated that once inside, instruments were essentially disrupted and became defunct. Not even the props for illumination could penetrate more than three or five meters. It wasn’t just a matter of light not reaching far; it was as if the light was directly severed, as if there was a fracture in space.

With impaired vision and restricted senses, they could gather very little information.

The only certainty was that the folded space’s range was not small.

Thus, the originally limited ruins space almost became infinite.

Noticing that he put the documents back on the table, Jiang Qiao couldn’t help but ask, "Got any leads?"

"It’s good that this folded space appears under the lake," Xu Huo said, "If it were on the surface, who knows whether it would be a blessing or a curse."

Jiang Qiao sighed at these words, "The situation is quite similar over at the Black Desert."

"Have all the wounded been evacuated?" Xu Huo asked again.

"Not yet. They must undergo rigorous, closed inspection before leaving," Jiang Qiao got up to lead the way, "A batch today can already move freely."

Xu Huo followed Jiang Qiao into a nearby underground facility. Shangguan Jing also joined them. The injured were in fairly good spirits, having accepted the loss of arms or legs; some had even already fitted mechanical prosthetics.

As the three of them approached, everyone in the room stood up.

"Team 1A, step forward!" Shangguan Jing commanded.

Immediately, five people stepped out, quickly forming a line in front of them, and, at a signal, they removed their coats and mechanical arms.

Xu Huo examined their arms one by one. The ends had been treated, and the skin had well-covered the bones, but some dry, cracked fissures could still be seen.

"These can’t be healed?" he asked.

"It’s like calluses or dead skin growing on the surface," Shangguan Jing said, "Peeling it off poses no issue."

He then signaled the team members to do it themselves.

The leading player wasted no time and directly peeled off a piece of skin at the stump. However, that piece of flesh was like sun-dried soil, and when pulled, it started to crumble.

Too much time had passed for Xu Huo to notice anything unusual on it—just an ordinary wound.

"What did it feel like when you got injured?" he asked the first person, "Besides pain, the environment, air, airflow, light, scent, power fluctuations—any subtle detail."

"The pain wasn’t distinct. When I suddenly lost my arm, my focus was entirely on my hand. While feeling around, I only grabbed something like a pile of crushed stones. If the environment changed, I didn’t notice it. Even if it did, it must have been extremely subtle, so subtle that even with my level of evolution, I couldn’t detect it," the respondent answered.

Xu Huo was indifferent to his attitude, just pressing further, "Didn’t you smell anything distinctive? In some parts of the folded space, there was no water. You were equipped with props and instruments. Even with some protection, invasions during an attack would result in air interaction. Was there no change in scent between the folded space and the ruins inside?"

Even though players couldn’t breathe freely underwater, the instruments brought down could accurately analyze the components within the ruins. Instruments in the folded space failed, but human noses still worked.

"None!" the respondent said emphatically, "Neither I nor my teammates detected anything. I hope Mr. Xu can gather more findings!"

Xu Huo paused, ignored this man’s sarcastic tone, and instead turned to Shangguan Jing and Jiang Qiao, "It seems you haven’t reached a consensus yet. In that case, I’ll come back later."

He didn’t clarify what "come back later" meant, simply turned and walked out.

Jiang Qiao followed him for a few steps. Seeing he wouldn’t be persuaded to stay, she quickly arranged for her assistant to follow Xu Huo, then turned back to discuss with Shangguan Jing.

The room was made of special materials; once the door closed, no sound could be heard. Xu Huo didn’t have the desire to eavesdrop, so he really left after stepping out.

"Mr. Xu, Mr. Xu!" The assistant quickly caught up with him, "Please don’t be angry. The military folks took a significant loss, so they understandably have some emotions; it’s not directed at you. They act the same way with us at the Special Defense Department!"

The military indeed invested heavily and lost quite a number of people, setting the groundwork. Now someone is popping up to claim the fruits of their labor. Moreover, it’s quite possible these fruits won’t be shared with the military, so naturally, there’s some unwillingness.

This is human nature, after all, especially since Xu Huo is not a military man.

But what can be gleaned from further down is unpredictable, an enigma no one can foretell. Xu Huo largely came to join in on the excitement, and getting outsmarted or taken advantage of in unknown territories wasn’t new to him; no need to put on a brave front.

Of course, if there is something in the folded space that can trigger the Water Rubik’s Cube, he would be more than happy.