On this day, the fog sea besides the pier at Yalong Bay churned and revealed a broad grey back.

"The ship has arrived."

Duke Destructive said, "Everyone take your tickets and board the ship."

Zhou Yi took out the ticket from his pocket.

The ticket was made of some kind of pale red carapace, looking like a doughnut pieced together from shrimp shells.

The ferry for the Forbidden Continent is the Gray Whale.

The whale in front of them was undeniably an adult, over fifty meters in length.

The Gray Whale's gaping maw opened, extending a pale red, wide tongue, with pitch darkness beyond.

Zhou Yi and his companions, holding their tickets, entered within.

As the whale's jaws closed, their surroundings became so dark they couldn't see their own hands.

"Just a moment, we'll soon arrive at the destination," Duke Destructive said.

Everyone waited quietly.

Zhou Yi experienced some tinnitus, as if the Gray Whale was diving into a high-pressure area. Then, a gurgling sound emerged from around them—unclear whether it was the whale's stomach growling or something from the outside.

He also smelled a strange rot, presumably from inside the whale, as if this creature had a poor digestive system.

The whale's tongue was very stable, with many longitudinal and transverse folds. Standing on it was not wobbly at all.

It's unclear how this Gray Whale came to obey the Forbidden Continent.

As Zhou Yi was lost in thought, suddenly everything became brightly lit and he was abruptly pulled from darkness, causing him to squint.

The whale had opened its mouth.

"We've arrived."

Duke Destructive stated.

Zhou Yi glanced at the Black Water Ghost on his left wrist; the entire journey took only 5 minutes.

Just 5 minutes to the Forbidden Continent?

This was indeed somewhat inconceivable.

Zhou Yi stepped off the Gray Whale ferry and discovered they were already on another piece of land.

In the sky was a giant pitch-black hole, as though something had hollowed it out, completely covering this land. Its edges were swirling with masses of gas being sucked inside.

But the sunlight wasn't hindered.

The ground was quite normal.

Soft and clean sandy beaches, birds flying overhead, the whale docked next to a simple pier constructed from slabs of stone.

The pier was populated with variously dressed men and women, Guangna Species, and electromechanical beings.

Many were playing wind instruments, harps, and guitars, bustling around, not much different from most mundane cities.

Several Gray Whales were docked here, with passengers gradually emerging from the whale's mouths.

Zhou Yi was among them.

Duke Destructive warned everyone, "There are many con artists and thieves on the Forbidden Continent, it's best not to talk to strangers, especially here—it's a hotbed for such activities. A significant number of people are first-timers and can easily fall into their verbal traps."

"I knew a sea lord who was swindled out of all his money here and racked up a huge debt. In the end, he had no choice but to become an assassin to pay off his debts so he could leave."

Zhou Yi was astonished, "Even sea lords can be easily deceived?"

"If it were ordinary tricks, of course sea lords wouldn't fall for them. But what if these people's abilities centered on scams, delusions, and warping perceptions?"

Duke Destructive's words instantly put Zhou Yi on alert.

It was indeed difficult to guard against.

He must be cautious.

Zhou Yi noticed that as soon as they stepped onto the pier, there were brightly colored, wide green arrows on the ground pointing the way.

These green arrows were peculiar—they remained clear despite the damage on the ground, whether it was sand, soil, stone slabs, or wooden planks, as if they were affixed to the space itself.

There was also a green boundary line in the distance, clearly visible. Nearly everyone was moving within this boundary, with hardly any people or creatures seen beyond it.

Duke Destructive explained, "A distinctive feature of the Forbidden Continent: green signifies safety. Areas enclosed by the boundary line are safe zones, free from radiation. Beyond the green line lies the danger zone, where no rules apply for protection."

"The arrows guide the entire safe zone's paths, so even if it's your first time here, as long as you follow these indicators, your life is somewhat guaranteed."

Zhou Yi asked, "Were these planned by Zone 7, Segment 16?"

"No. It was like this because of some people before."

Duke Destructive led the way at a leisurely pace, "There are obvious man-made plans here, but the creators and masters of the Forbidden Continent have never appeared. So many believe they must exist in Meat Mountain, Golden Elephant Valley, and Spark Plain."

The group followed the green arrows and arrived at a platform where another dozen humans and Guangna Species were present.

Zhou Yi glanced over.

With his [Alert] ability, he could identify that most were B-rank, three were A-rank lifeforms, and two were C-rank. There were a few he couldn't identify; they seemed to possess the ability or items to hide or shield perceptions.

Here, Zhou Yi truly felt the presence of numerous formidable characters.

Whether in conversation or solitude, these people maintained a certain distance from others.

Everyone was on guard, and they all knew that those who came here were no ordinary figures; they held an unspoken restraint.

Zhou Yi, however, spotted a discordant member.

That was a B-rank human enhancer, in his thirties, who would be considered a master in the outside world.

He slapped a companion across the face, causing their mouth to bleed but not daring to evade.

The one slapped was an ordinary person, a teenager of about fifteen or sixteen.

"Trash, you even forget things you were told to bring. What's the use of taking you with me!"

The enhancer cursed.

People around looked at him, faces showing schadenfreude.

A wave of green light sprouted from the ground, immobilizing the enhancer in place, making it impossible for him to move left or right.

The enhancer cursed, "I'm disciplining my son, it's perfectly justified!"

"This place is way too nosy!"

His son panicked as well, quickly kneeling on the ground and kowtowing in all directions.

"It's all my fault. I forgot to bring the essential items my father told me to remember. Please don't make it hard for my father. It's all because I have a bad memory, I'm so useless..."

"It's no use."

Duke Destructive watched with a cold gaze, "You can't engage in violence in safe zones, even mutual cursing can lead to punishment if the situation is serious. You must first challenge the other party and get permission before starting a fight."

"What will happen to him?" Zhou Yi asked.

"He'll be stuck there for 24 hours."

Duke Destructive said, "Time is money, and he just lost a day's worth of time. Here, getting angry is useless; you must stay rational and calm."

Zhou Yi saw that the enhancer had now quieted down. He sat cross-legged on the ground, stopped his son's kneeling and kowtowing, and began to meditate.

At this moment, a prolonged whistle came from the distance.

"Wu —— wu ——"

A long shadow passed by and stopped beside the train station.

It was an old-fashioned green train, with steam puffing out from its locomotive chimney.

"Get on board, the trains here are free."

Duke Destructive was the first to step onto the metal staircase.

Zhou Yi and Yuan Xiao sat on one side, while Duke Destructive and Qin Xie sat facing them on the other.

"This train is not originally from here; it was introduced by a joint investment from Zone 7, Segment 16 to bring in the Track Knights, and they built this exclusive railway."

"It's too slow to move, and not convenient for carrying goods, so that's why this railway was built."

Duke Destructive continued, "Going forward, the first district you enter will be Zone 7, with the terminus in Zone 1."

"At first, each district chose a direction, but eventually, we discovered that just a few industries were profitable, so the operated businesses are more or less the same."

The mountains on both sides of the window kept receding into the distance.

The train clattered forward.

Zhou Yi looked at Qin Xie: "You haven't said much on this trip. What's the matter, something on your mind?"

Qin Xie sucked his teeth: "I... don't feel too good."

His voice was hoarse, and his complexion extremely tired.

Zhou Yi asked, "Is it serious? Then let's go to the nearest hospital in Zone 7 for treatment. There should be doctors here, right?"

"It shouldn't be a big problem..."

As Qin Xie was speaking, he suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood.

"..."

Zhou Yi frowned: "Hold on for a while, and we can see a doctor in Zone 7. What's going on with you?"

Qin Xie pointed to his chest: "My enhanced organ is the heart. For some reason, being inside the whale triggered heart stress and exacerbated the process. The Suppressant Pills I took before aren't working anymore."

"So I've been conserving energy to reduce the stimulation and avoid an accelerated heartbeat."

"Don't talk anymore, rest for a bit."

Qin Xie nodded, leaned his head against the carriage wall, closed his eyes to rest, and occasionally coughed.

"I know a doctor in Zone 7."

At this time, Duke Destructive said: "He was once a Deputy Chief Physician at the Imperial First Hospital, but later left Heavenly Kingdom for personal reasons and came over here."

Half an hour later, the train whistle sounded again, slowing down and coming to a stop at the station.

Zhou Yi helped Qin Xie off the train.

Duke Destructive led the way, stepping down from the platform into a main street and then turning into a small street lined with various shops.

He stopped at a small shop named "Little Black Clinic" — now that Zhou Yi had time to learn some East Continent common language, he could recognize these characters.

Soon, Duke Destructive came out again.

"They are performing emergency surgery, stitching someone's head up, and it can't wrap up shortly."

"But he recommended another doctor."

The four of them then went to a small, narrow shop at the end of the street. Only enough space for one person to pass, inside was a window with a female doctor in a white coat sitting behind it.

Zhou Yi noticed she had two short antlers on her head.

"Doctor Lu, we were referred here by Doctor Black."

"Oh, it's Doctor Black, I'll give you a discount then."

Duke Destructive said, "Our friend here is having a bit of trouble."

Doctor Antlers came out, took a look at the sickly Qin Xie, pressed her head against his chest and back, and listened carefully.

Doctor Lu's expression was somewhat surprised: "Oh, it's actually the secondary development of the enhanced organ."

"Don't worry, it's nothing serious, just that the patient's heart — the enhanced organ, is undergoing a rather rare re-development."

She spoke quickly: "This process will cause a certain degree of discomfort, and coughing up blood is expected, leading to fatigue, weakness, and reduced resistance. But as long as you rest a lot, pay attention to energy and water intake, the symptoms will disappear after the second development of the enhanced organ stabilizes."

"Most enhanced organs that are transplanted into the body only maintain their original function, and conditions for re-development are very stringent, requiring many special substances to stimulate activation."

"What did you ingest? Or were any special drugs injected? I need to be sure."

Qin Xie struggled to speak: "I was injected with [Miris] given by Madame Mei."

"No wonder."

The doctor realized: "Madame Mei, quite the big shot... that stuff is hard to come by and is probably the best evolutionary medicine for enhanced organs currently, with very few side effects. So there should be no problem."

"I'll prescribe some medicine to ease the discomfort."

She went inside and handed over a few small paper packets: "Since it's Doctor Black who referred you, 2 Light Seeds will do the job. Remember, take it three times a day, you might feel drowsy, so talk less and rest more."

Zhou Yi paid for the medicine.

"I have other business to attend to, I must be going now."

After speaking, Doctor Lu took off her white coat, put on a black jacket, and hurried out.

Zhou Yi immediately followed.

"Doctor Lu, I have something else I want to discuss with you."

"Let's walk and talk."

Duke Destructive gestured reassuringly, indicating he would stay here with Qin Xie.

Zhou Yi caught up with Doctor Lu.

"What do you want to ask me?"

Doctor Lu spoke as they walked.

"You're about to die."

The doctor turned her face sideways: "You can tell?"

Zhou Yi nodded.

Yuan Xiao's "Deadly Annotation" could see the other party's health bar; it was her intelligence.

Initially, Zhou Yi didn't want to meddle.

But Yuan Xiao communicated through a shared consciousness: "Chairman, she's a mixed-blood Blood Doctor."

"Blood Doctors use their own blood to make various medicines and treat patients specifically. They constantly infect themselves with various diseases to put themselves at risk, then develop corresponding Blood Medicine."

"The advantage is that if they can undergo enough trial and error, they can theoretically cure most flesh-based diseases."

"The downside is that self-experimentation often leads to near-death states, and they need a lot of Light Seeds to maintain life."

"If we can recruit her to the company, relying on the company's Dead Sea Fruits, her life could be maintained safely. She could also fill the manpower gap at Maria Hospital."

So Zhou Yi decided to give it a try.

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