"Watch your step!" Wang Xiyi called out in warning.

The ground, which was originally a single piece, had now fragmented into many square meter-sized plots. These plots moved around like some form of flat building blocks, constantly shifting positions, with gaps and holes large enough to swallow a person whole appearing every now and then.

"I've never seen moving plots this small before," Yan Yu'an said. "The smallest moving plots in the Baikal Remains are at least the size of entire buildings..."

"Well, now you've seen them," Sun Hang said, lightly jumping backward to avoid a sudden gap that appeared underfoot. Wang Xiyi simply spread her wings and hovered in mid-air, grabbing Zhong Ling and Yan Yu'an with ease.

One of Zhong Ling's eerie constructs failed to dodge in time and fell into the abyss below when the plot it stood on was pulled away. Before the other constructs could come to its aid, several other plots moved in to seal off the gap.

"I've lost my connection to that construct," Zhong Ling said.

"Was it destroyed?" Sun Hang asked.

"Uncertain," Zhong Ling shook her head. "It's possible there's something in the abyss that can block my senses."

"We can't save it," Yan Yu'an said. "There were soldiers who fell into the abyss due to moving plots before. Others used explosives and engineering equipment to dig a nearly thirty-meter deep shaft just to break through a plot."

"And then? What's beneath the plots?" Sun Hang asked, while playing a game of "hopscotch" with the moving plots, his interest piqued.

"Just the abyss," Yan Yu'an said. "They lowered recorders tied to cables and waited until all the cables everyone had were exhausted, but they never reached the bottom. According to the action report from that team, the total length of all the cables they used was over six hundred meters."

"Six hundred meters doesn't seem that deep," Sun Hang said. "Considering the underground space of the Baikal Remains can accommodate the Siberian TV Tower, over five hundred meters high, its depth must exceed several hundred meters... Speaking of which, I'm pretty curious about this underground space; did the recorder capture anything?"

"Yes, beneath the Baikal Remains, there is a city in an 'upside-down' state," Yan Yu'an replied. "Right beneath our feet."

"Has anyone gone in to investigate?"

"..." Yan Yu'an gave Sun Hang a look as if he were joking and shook his head, "Anyone who has fallen into the abyss has never come back... So, the known information about the underground portion of the Baikal Remains is almost nil."

"Isn't there a way in without falling? Aren't there some 'reverse growth' eerie buildings? For instance, the Siberian TV Tower—maybe these reverse growth buildings are the 'official entrance' to this underground city," Sun Hang retorted.

"That's what the experts at the Dubhe Tower initially thought too, but unfortunately, none of the reconnaissance teams that entered these 'reverse buildings' have returned to the surface," Yan Yu'an said.

"Besides the Siberian TV Tower, are there other 'reverse growth' buildings?"

"Yes, any building in the original Lake Baikal City over one hundred fifty meters high is presented in a 'reverse growth' manner within the Baikal Remains," Yan Yu'an replied. "If you can find the area in the Baikal Remains that corresponds to the CBD of Lake Baikal City, you'll see many 'tunnels' leading underground... However, considering the danger involved, these areas have been designated 'prohibited zones' by the Disaster Response Committee, so even if reconnaissance teams stray into these areas, they'll find ways to detour or turn back."

"Is the place we're standing on now considered a prohibited zone?" Sun Hang asked as he jumped over three gaps over a meter wide, then turned and shot a strand of mycelium, pulling himself onto the chimney of an "old-style bakery" that was already a third sunken into the ground. He took this moment to continue his inquiry with Yan Yu'an.

"Originally, it's not," Yan Yu'an said, slightly frowning. "Based on the features of the surrounding buildings, this should be in the Volgask District of the original Lake Baikal City. This district, near the central area, concentrated more than half of the breweries and bakeries in the middle of Lake Baikal City. It's one of the oldest districts in Lake Baikal City. According to the reconnaissance teams' action reports, they've reached this area more than once without any anomalies occurring..."

"But now it seems this could also be considered a 'prohibited zone'?" Wang Xiyi interjected while holding Yan Yu'an. "If an ordinary reconnaissance team encountered a situation like this, they'd be completely wiped out by now, wouldn't they?"

"Hmm... I've already reported the situation back to camp, but they don't have any viable solutions either," Yan Yu'an said. "Their only suggestion is for us to leave this area as soon as possible."

"Leave? Go where?" Wang Xiyi looked around. "Liu Li's dynamic model has failed. I think we might as well charge directly towards Victory Avenue—"

Wang Xiyi looked towards the direction of Victory Avenue. Across two districts, the distant Victory Avenue was shrouded in darkness. The slowly moving buildings appeared shadowy and indistinct, as if a group of giant beasts were gathered, conducting some mysterious ritual.

"I think it's feasible," Ganna's voice unexpectedly came over the communication channel. "Since Volgask has mutated, it means the Baikal Remains realized we've somehow grasped its pattern of changes. In facing this situation, Ms. Night Slayer's approach might just have a miraculous effect."