Chapter 117 – The Threshold Gate Opens
The next morning at eight o’clock.
The Pioneer Team issued a notice for all pioneers to gather outside the Threshold.
The Threshold had opened.
Tu Ran was brushing her teeth when she saw the message.
She was momentarily stunned.
Had the Threshold opened so quickly?
Was she going to enter the Threshold today?
Enter that unknown world?
She wasn’t prepared yet.
Spitting out the foam in her mouth, Tu Ran splashed her face with cold water to quickly wake herself up.
She looked at herself in the mirror.
Water droplets rolled down her cheeks, dripping to the ground.
Her eyelashes were wet, but they couldn’t hide the determination in her eyes.
She had signed the contract; there was no way to escape.
She had the original owner’s memories, and she had received training from Xie Xu, so she had the ability to stay alive.
She would come back alive.
Tu Ran cheered herself up, quickly put on her clothes, and headed towards the administration building.
An entire floor of the administration building was designated as an equipment room specifically for the pioneers.
The equipment for entering the Threshold was different from the equipment used for regular patrol tasks.
The equipment for entering the Threshold was more expensive and sophisticated, custom-made for the Pioneer Team, and could operate without an internet connection.
By the time she arrived at the equipment room, many people were already there, each wearing their own gear, and no one was speaking.
Everyone’s mood was very heavy.
Unknown dangers awaited them, and no one could be happy.
Tu Ran first put on the basic combat suit, then stepped onto the assembly platform.
The assembly platform was an automated platform used to equip pioneers with exoskeleton armor.
In front of the platform was an electronic screen for pioneers to select the armor they wanted to wear.
Tu Ran looked at the various exoskeleton armors and chose an exoskeleton arm and an exoskeleton leg.
After clicking the corresponding images, the screen in front of her disappeared.
Tu Ran spread her legs and arms, standing in the center of the assembly platform.
Then, a mechanical arm took the corresponding exoskeleton from the rack behind and handed it to Tu Ran.
Tu Ran cooperated and put it on.
Assembly completed.
Tu Ran experienced the feeling of wearing exoskeleton armor for the first time.
It was very light, much lighter than she had imagined.
She controlled the mechanical arm to make a fist and jumped down from the assembly platform.
Very agile. Tu Ran’s last bit of worry disappeared.
This set of exoskeleton armor increased her destructive power without reducing her original agility.
Tu Ran then took a machine gun from the weapons rack, enough bullets, two pistols with matching ammunition, a standard-issue dagger, and some miscellaneous small items like a mirror and a laser pointer.
Lastly, Tu Ran selected a sharp sword.
Once fully equipped, a small robot slid in from outside.
It carried a tray of holographic recording bracelets on its head.
Everyone stepped forward to retrieve their bracelets.
Tu Ran found hers and put it on her wrist.
In fact, there was a hidden camera on the chest of each person’s combat suit.
However, the chance of this camera being brought back intact was very low.
So the Federal Government invented a holographic recording bracelet.
This bracelet could only be removed when connected to the internet.
But there was no internet within the Threshold.
Therefore, unless a pioneer left their hand inside, the bracelet could definitely be brought back.
Like last time, her suit had been almost completely chewed up by a chicken monster, but the bracelet remained.
Once everyone was fully equipped, an army of steel and iron emerged from the administration building.
They were so conspicuous that passersby frequently turned their heads.
This army, at present, was the most costly and resource-consuming team among all federal forces.
Because automation was not feasible, they were not the most advanced team.
There were still 20 kilometers from the administration building to the Threshold gate.
They did not need to take the suspended train.
A special vehicle was designated to transport them.
Everyone got into the vehicle, which then headed toward the Threshold.
Half an hour later, they arrived at the Threshold.
A wall, so tall it seemed to reach the sky, stretched up endlessly. The black and red wall, like a bridge between life and death, loomed over them, making it hard for anyone to breathe.
Tu Ran got out of the vehicle and saw a huge transparent glass dome.
Inside, there was a bustling crowd.
These were people from the previous group who had entered the Threshold and were now coming out.
Every face bore the joy of surviving a disaster.
They were on the front side of the wall.
But Tu Ran and her team, who were about to enter the Threshold, stood on the backside of the wall.
The backside also had a glass dome, though it was significantly smaller than the front.
Inside the glass dome, staff members were distributing food for the pioneers entering the Threshold.
There were also medical personnel distributing essential medications.
Tu Ran stood there and received a pack of compressed biscuits, a packet of syrup, and a bottle of high-concentration nutrient solution.
To facilitate carrying, the volume of these foods was minimized as much as possible.
This food met the nutritional requirements for a pioneer for twenty days.
Previously, some pioneers had brought back fruits from the Threshold, but research by the institute had shown that these fruits contained too many toxins and were not edible.
To date, the only confirmed edible fruit in the Threshold was one that resembled cherries.
However, there were many fruits in the Threshold that looked similar to cherries, and almost no one could distinguish them.
Therefore, pioneers would not consume any food within the Threshold and only ate the food they brought from outside.
Fortunately, some of the spring water within the Threshold was drinkable.
Pioneers only needed to bring a large-capacity portable water bottle when entering.
The Federal Government provided each person with a water mineral content tester. If the mineral content exceeded the limit, the device would alert them, and the pioneer could then look for another spring.
Finding water sources in the Threshold was not difficult.
Next was the distribution of medicines.
This time, the medicines were distributed by medical department interns.
Tu Ran saw Meng Fancheng and his companion carrying a huge medicine box.
He was wearing the white uniform of the medical department, still had curly blond hair, but was not wearing his gold-framed glasses.
He distributed medical kits until he reached Tu Ran.
For a moment, Meng Fancheng did not recognize her.
Her head was covered by a helmet, with only her eyes visible from the outside.
It wasn’t until he handed the medical kit to Tu Ran and glanced at the name tag on her chest.
“Sister Tu Ran!” he exclaimed excitedly.
Tu Ran gave a slight nod in response.
“Be sure to stay safe.”
He handed the medical kit to Tu Ran.
She nodded again.
Since there were other pioneers waiting for their medical kits, Meng Fancheng couldn’t linger and hurried to the next person.
Putting the medical kit into her backpack, Tu Ran walked to the front of the wall.
She wanted to see if Xi Chunzhi had come out.
“Zero,” she called.
“Any instructions?”
“Has Pioneer Xi Chunzhi come out?”
Zero searched and said, “Not yet.”
The Threshold had only been open for two hours, so it was normal that he hadn’t come out yet.
Tu Ran reassured herself and kept her eyes fixed on the entrance of the glass dome.
Pioneers continued to pass through the entrance. Some were unscathed, while others were severely injured and carried in. Some seemed unharmed, but their equipment was missing, just like Tu Ran’s experience.
But there was no sign of Xi Chunzhi.
Zero’s voice sounded in her ear.
“Pioneer Tu Ran, please set your return question and answer.”
“What is my favorite food?” Tu Ran said casually.
“Sorry, it cannot be the same as the previous question,” Zero responded mechanically.
Tu Ran thought for a moment, “What is my wish?”
“Question set. Please provide the answer,” Zero said.
“To stay alive and get rich.”
That was her current life goal.
“Question and answer set complete.”
“Pioneer Tu Ran, please return to your team promptly. The 36th exploration mission into the Threshold is about to begin. Please line up to enter.”
“Pioneer Tu Ran, please return to your team promptly. The 36th exploration mission into the threshold is about to begin. Please line up to enter.”
Zero’s voice repeated twice.
There was still no sign of Xi Chunzhi.
Tu Ran had no choice but to leave and walk to the back of the line.
The long line slowly moved forward, one person after another stepping into the wall and disappearing.
As her turn approached, Tu Ran asked through her communicator, “Zero, has Xi Chunzhi returned yet?”
“No.”
Tu Ran’s already uneasy mood grew heavier.
The Threshold had been open for nearly three hours. Normally, Xi Chunzhi would be waiting near the gate, ready to leave as soon as it opened.
But she hadn’t come out yet, which meant she hadn’t found the gate in advance…
The line had dwindled down, and finally, it was Tu Ran’s turn.
In front of her stood the seemingly impenetrable wall.
Tu Ran calmed her thoughts.
She couldn’t let her mind wander. Xi Chunzhi would be fine. Her primary concern now was her own uncertain path.
She lifted her leg and stepped into the wall.
A familiar sensation enveloped her, like entering the interior of a springy gelatin.
Bright white light surrounded her, and after three seconds, the light receded rapidly, revealing a strange new landscape before her eyes.
Chunzhi, come out!