The New Instance Area and the Dead Man's Bubble

"According to the intelligence provided by the Jinling Deadman Elimination Special Operations Team, the General Staff, after further analysis, has discovered that in several areas where the dead have been cleared within the city, there have appeared mysterious phenomena known as the 'Dead Man's Bubble.'"

"This phenomenon presents itself in the shape of a 'bubble,' a rather large one at that. Within the bubble, there are numerous smaller dead man-like shadows. However, this mysterious entity has not shown any active intent to harm so far."

"Expert teams have already arrived on-site and conducted preliminary studies, confirming that this phenomenon seems to be a 'Special Instance' within the apocalypse mechanics. Its characteristics closely match, and the command center has raised the alert level, sending out exploration teams to continue their research."

Mike read through the file in his hands. The document detailed some recent strange phenomena that had occurred in Jinling.

"A new instance, a new opportunity," Mike thought, feeling a sense of satisfaction. He was certain that the 'bubble' mentioned in the report referred to a new doomsday instance.

As Wang Peibo had said, Mike was still desperate for more power. Although his strength was already formidable—strong enough to withstand the time clones and manipulation from Wang Peibo—he still fell short in Peibo's eyes.

The future held unknown terrors, and Mike knew he needed to seize this precious time to grow stronger.

After some contemplation, Mike picked up his communication device and made a direct order to the Jinling command center: "Don't waste time on unnecessary research. Immediately dispatch teams to explore the bubble areas and designate all these areas as restricted zones."

"Understood, sir," replied the staff member from the Jinling command center, but quickly added, "Sir, according to the Disaster Relief Agreement, we are required to allocate at least two-thirds of the doomsday resources for the city's residents to freely explore."

"If the exploration areas are too difficult or the residents are unwilling or unable to explore, we can independently conduct large-scale exploration, but we still need to allocate half of the resources for the work contribution system."

The staff member responded skillfully, without questioning Mike's motives but subtly reminding him about the internal impact that would result from establishing restricted areas within the city.

"After the Dan Tu battle, our forces are still lacking in several areas. In order to better safeguard the lives of our citizens, the official military must grow quickly," Mike responded, his tone cool. "Also, since this new instance area has appeared, its safety and threat level are still unknown. It should be the official military forces that take the first strike."

"Relay my instructions to Dong Fang Zhiyuan, the commander. He'll know how to draft the announcement."

"Yes, sir."

The staff member did not press further. A gentle reminder was his job, but interfering with Mike's commands would be a breach of protocol.

Soon, an official document was distributed throughout the city, and copies were sent to the other three cities for reference. The contents of the document aligned completely with Mike's instructions, tightening some details, and essentially removing the civilians' first dibs on exploring the new resource area.

Dong Fang Zhiyuan, understanding Mike's intention, had no objections. He knew that Mike wanted to secure more resources to strengthen himself. At his age, he didn't care much about the grand strategy anymore unless Mike specifically asked for his input.

Internally in Jinling, there was no backlash. Most of the city's residents were loyal to Mike, having followed him since the first apocalypse. They trusted him fully and, given that many did not want to face the dangers of the apocalypse firsthand, were more than happy to let the official forces take charge of the new instance.

Some of the talent users, eager to improve their own strength, had joined the official military after several reorganizations of the combat units. They would also contribute as part of the exploration force.

"We'll see what resources this new instance yields, and then decide whether we need to incorporate some of them into the work contribution system," Mike gave the order, already shifting his focus to the actions of the exploration teams within the city.

As for the resources yielded by this new instance, Mike wasn't set on hoarding everything for himself. If the instance's rewards were too low-level and didn't meet his growth requirements, he'd gladly funnel some of those resources into the work contribution pool.

The exploration teams moved out quickly, with ten teams being dispatched in total.

The first batch was led by people like Qin Dashan and Wang Shi, talents under Mike's command, with no talent users included.

Another five batches included Chen Dafeng, Wang Daniu, and other combat talent users from Jinling, alongside some of Mike's combat personnel to assist.

The combination of talent users and personnel units would allow the exploration teams to more effectively assess the new instance's features and threats, gathering more intelligence to refine the formation of future teams.

Interestingly, Chen Dafeng didn't need to personally join the exploration team. Having recently earned the Hero of Disaster medal, his popularity had skyrocketed, and his status far exceeded that of the typical talent exploration teams. However, Chen Dafeng was the type who couldn't stand being idle. After the Dan Tu battle, with no other wars on the horizon and the four cities accelerating their development, he decided to pass the time by exploring the new instances.

As the ten teams headed toward the restricted areas, Mike focused on the perspectives of Chen Dafeng and Wang Shi. They represented both the talent users and the personnel units, each heading toward different restricted areas. They quickly discovered the new "Dead Man's Bubble."

The "Dead Man's Bubble" wasn't the official term given by the system—it was simply a temporary name given by the Jinling authorities based on its appearance. Unlike previous instances like the Puzzle Door or Ghost Mist, which had distinct names, this one had been dubbed the "Dead Man's Bubble."

As the name suggested, it was a huge, irregular bubble that floated above areas once heavily populated by the dead. The bubble was about two meters high, with a translucent, soapy appearance that shimmered with a rainbow of colors under the sunlight. It was quite beautiful, almost mesmerizing.

But as one got closer, the illusion shattered. Inside the bubble, one could see hundreds of dead man-like figures, stacked together in a chaotic mass. They resembled small figurines from a movie or miniature models, their faces twisted in rage, most of them making clawing or attacking gestures.

"The more I look at it, the more it feels like some kind of cheap scare tactic—these things are dead, yet they leave their souls behind to try and frighten people."

Chen Dafeng, leading his team to one of the bubbles, scoffed, clearly unimpressed. Since the Dan Tu battle, his confidence had only grown, and now he felt like nothing could challenge him. He had even once experienced the ultimate power of controlling time and reaching a state of perfect invulnerability. That peak of strength was something that still lingered in his memory.

"Of course. This is just a new doomsday instance. How could it possibly be a match for our Captain Chen?" someone from the back of the team laughed.

"Captain Chen, what do you think? Should we try to set a record for the fastest clear in the city?"

"Ha! No, no. When Captain Chen steps in, it's not just about city records. It's about setting the world record for the fastest clear!" another joked.

Chen Dafeng, enjoying the flattery, didn't say much. He simply waved his hand. "Alright, get closer. Let's get to work."