Fried sensitively perceived the unfriendly attitude of the other three and hurriedly denied, "No, no, I really love adventure."
As he said this, Fried felt a bit guilty. His real goal was to gain more approval and become a social butterfly. When he heard that the popular YouTuber Bernice would be joining this trip, and that they would be filming content about the Meng Ya monster that the whole world was focused on, he volunteered to join.
The other three didn't believe his words, but to avoid affecting the exploration, they didn't say more.
"Don't talk later, we'll start filming once we get past the blockade," Blaine instructed, his gaze fixed on Fried, clearly directing this mainly at him.
Fried nodded repeatedly.
Saying the wrong thing had already displeased his companions. If he caused any more trouble, they might abandon him.
Things went more smoothly than imagined. Although Fried made quite a commotion due to nervousness, perhaps the sounds of gambling were louder, or the alcohol-numbed nerves of the soldiers made them pay no attention.
They successfully passed through the blockade, heading towards Meng Ya.
As the four figures gradually moved further away, the shadows in an unnoticed corner faded slightly.
The blockade was quite a distance from Meng Ya, after all, the Meng Ya monster constantly expanded its territory, and for the army to establish outposts, frequent moves were time-consuming and labor-intensive, not to mention costly in terms of manpower.
No one wanted to wake up and find themselves in the monster's new territory - this was no joke.
Of course, it was more likely they would die in their sleep.
After walking on foot for over half an hour, Blaine's group looked back towards the outpost position, confirming they were a good distance away. Bernice and the other two began pulling equipment out of their backpacks.
"How's the filming quality? The light isn't good at night," Bernice, more concerned with the visuals, took out a mirror to check her makeup.
Blaine replied, "No problem, we've filmed night footage before."
The drone traced a graceful arc at low altitude. Mellen nodded to them, "The equipment is fine, hasn't been affected so far."
So, Bernice rattled off an opening spiel in front of the equipment. For some reason, she felt a sense of urgency, driving her to quickly head towards Meng Ya.
She didn't bother to carefully examine the reason, assuming it was just excitement from the prospect of going viral on YouTube.
The other three were also extremely excited. After all, having successfully passed the blockade, filming Meng Ya seemed within their grasp.
They moved quickly, carrying the not-so-light equipment, with hardly anyone speaking except for Bernice's occasional comments.
Unknowingly, they drew closer and closer to Meng Ya.
When the drone illuminated the distant area, they squinted to make out the situation in Meng Ya. In that instant, it was as if a giant hammer had struck their foreheads, leaving them dazed.
A scene like hell on earth appeared before their eyes. They were too shocked to speak, their teeth chattering, legs trembling.
Fear and an intangible sense of pressure gripped their hearts. It felt as if all the blood in their bodies was flowing backwards, an icy chill running from their feet to their heads.
This was different from the powerful monster they had imagined. They thought they would see a huge, terrifying creature, but the reality was that they hadn't even seen the monster yet. Just seeing how the entire space had been altered, their bodies instinctively told them to run!
Dust floating in the air like it was weightless, upright ground, buildings scattered haphazardly, and "humans" pieced together from body parts...
Everything was too bizarre!
They almost decided to abandon their filming equipment and flee in panic.
But suddenly a thought popped into their minds: how despicable the higher-ups of the great nations were, concealing such a massive event!
More people needed to know about this!
"Bernice, the chance to go viral is right in front of us!"
"That's exactly what I was thinking, Blaine."
Having said it out loud, they still couldn't take a step forward when faced with the bizarre space again.
"Watch this, guys!" Mellen took control of the drone, fighting against his fear to guide it further forward.
The drone once again illuminated the area ahead. Even seeing it a second time, they were still shocked that superpowers could achieve such a thing.
They felt like tiny ants, standing at the edge of Meng Ya, no longer admiring nature's craftsmanship, but the "miracle" created by a monster.
The next second, something utterly unexpected happened.
Such a vast space, just a moment ago... the entire area twisted and shook for an instant...
An invisible force collided and swept through. As far as the eye could see, spider web-like cracks appeared on the buildings in the space, spreading inch by inch to the surroundings...
A wailing roar echoed throughout the entire area...
The beastly roar, even though everyone could hear it was at a disadvantage, did nothing to diminish its imposing presence. Buildings in the space teetering on the edge of danger crumbled at its roar. The overwhelming force destroyed the surroundings, sending concrete debris, flesh and limb fragments, branches and wood splinters flying.
Fear, trembling, excitement, disbelief, and other complex emotions swirled in their hearts, but in that short moment, they couldn't taste the flavor of these emotions.
This sound carried supernatural power!
Chaos crawled up the limbs of these eavesdroppers. Their thoughts were like a tangled ball of yarn, completely unable to think normally.
Without realizing it, they began walking towards Meng Ya using strange methods - hands, backs, or heads. These unnatural ways of walking tore their flesh, leaving trails of blood.
When they finally awoke from the intense pain, their faces were filled with disbelief and fear.
Just a bit of aftershock and sound had affected them with supernatural power, making them completely lose their minds. And during this time, they hadn't noticed anything amiss. Blaine, who was holding the camera, had even been filming with his foot holding the equipment until now.
Meng Ya was within reach, but they were weak in the knees, unable to move, incapable of leaving this dangerous place.
They had criticized the government's secrecy more than once before, considering it a foolish decision, believing that only by knowing about dangers in advance could one guard against them. Now they finally understood what an irresistible force meant.
The one fortunate thing in their misfortune was that the monster seemed to be fighting with some people, leaving it no time to care about these insignificant ants.
"This is erroneous, stop!"
The old voice wasn't loud, but it was full of vigor, like a thunderbolt striking everyone's hearts.
It was only then that Bernice snapped out of her panic and noticed quite a few people dressed and equipped similarly to them, apparently also YouTubers who had come to explore and film...
These people were more unfortunate than them. If not for the old man's shout, this group would have stepped right into the Meng Ya monster's space.
Awakening from their chaotic state, this group ignored their wounds, crawling and rolling on the ground, using all their strength to try to escape from Meng Ya.
Blaine and the others could see clearly that they were like possessed people, writhing in place, only moving an imperceptible distance.
Seeing this, Bernice couldn't help but swallow hard.