Chapter 246: What Is That? That

The twenty-four-hour preparation time vanished in an instant.

Xia Wan's equipment list submitted to Su Wenqian was startlingly simple—a custom-fitted suit with basic Environmental Adaptation and life-support functions, a multi-functional data collection and analysis wristband, and… some seemingly ordinary fluorescent markers and sampling tools. No heavy weapons or complex detection equipment were requested.

Though puzzled, Su Wenqian swiftly assembled all items to the highest standard.

At departure time, on a hidden landing platform within the New Era. No grand send-off ceremony; only Qin Feng, Su Wenqian, and Lei Dong, the transport officer, were present.

The sky had not yet brightened; morning mist hung thick.

Lei Dong directed several core Security Personnel as they performed the final checks on the transport aircraft about to take off. It was an advanced vehicle used internally by the New Era, combining vertical takeoff and high-speed cruise capabilities, its streamlined fuselage gleaming with a cold metallic sheen.

Yet Qin Feng's gaze did not rest on the aircraft. He stood alone at the platform's edge, facing the open ground, his mind sinking into the System Star Swirl within his Consciousness Deep.

【Confirming execution of special field mission: Kunlun Mountain "Shenhua Tianfu" anomaly investigation.】【Environmental assessment: high altitude, extreme climate, unknown rule interference.】【Conventional vehicle adaptability: low.】【Recommended vehicle solution: activate prototype 'Low-Altitude Skimmer'.】

As his will confirmed, the space before the platform began to warp with extreme subtlety. Light bent like waves through trembling water; airborne dust seemed drawn by invisible force, slowly converging.

Before the stunned gaze of Su Wenqian, Lei Dong, and several Security Personnel, a vehicle unlike any existing aircraft materialized as if condensing from nothingness—fading from blur to clarity, finally settling stably before them.

Its entire body was a deep matte black, as if absorbing all light. Its shape bore no resemblance to conventional planes or helicopters; it resembled a stretched water droplet or a willow leaf with razor-sharp edges, its lines flowing to perfection, with no visible seams or hatch structures. It was small—about ten meters long, under three meters tall—hovering silently half a meter above the ground, without sound or jet exhaust, as if gravity had no hold upon it.

"...!" Lei Dong sucked in a sharp breath. As an experienced Security Chief, he had seen countless cutting-edge vehicles—but this one utterly exceeded his comprehension! This was not something human technology could possibly produce!

Several Security Personnel stared, dumbfounded, instinctively gripping their weapons as if facing not a vehicle but some alien artifact.

Su Wenqian was equally stunned. She looked at Qin Feng, her eyes filled with disbelief. Sir… he had concealed such technology?!

At that moment, Xia Wan arrived at the platform, her simple pack on her back. She too saw the hovering black "droplet," paused slightly, and a flicker of surprise passed through her clear eyes—but she quickly regained composure, as if this was not entirely unexpected.

Qin Feng turned and gestured toward the black vehicle: "It will take you to the outskirts of Kunlun Mountain and remain on standby at a safe distance."

Xia Wan nodded without question and walked straight toward the "Low-Altitude Skimmer." As she approached within range, the mirror-smooth black hull silently parted open, revealing a softly glowing blue cockpit inside—just large enough for one person.

She stepped in sideways; the hatch sealed soundlessly behind her. From outside, it remained a flawless, seamless black droplet.

"R… mission instructions transmitted," Lei Dong said through encrypted comms to Xia Wan's cockpit, his voice still trembling faintly despite his effort to suppress his shock.

"Received," came Xia Wan's calm reply.

The next instant, under the fixed gaze of everyone present, the black "Low-Altitude Skimmer" vanished without warning—like a ghost, silently, from its exact location!

Not a visual afterimage from high-speed movement—but true, instantaneous disappearance, as if it had never existed!

The platform fell into absolute silence.

After several seconds, a young Security Cadet suddenly rubbed his eyes, pointing at the spot where the vehicle had hovered, stammering in a voice as if he'd seen a ghost:

"Chief… Chief! W-what the hell is that? That's not a vehicle!!"

His cry voiced the thoughts of everyone present.

It was indeed not a vehicle, nor any aircraft within their understanding.

It was more like… something from myth or science fiction.

Lei Dong took a deep breath and looked at Qin Feng's calm face; his awe reached its peak. He finally understood why someone like Han Lao would lower himself before the Sir.

Su Wenqian remained speechless for a long while, gazing at Qin Feng's unfathomable back, once again realizing deeply that the power and knowledge he wielded far surpassed even her wildest imagination.

Qin Feng paid no heed to the shock around him. His gaze turned westward, as if piercing through time and space, landing upon the mist-shrouded Kunlun Mountains.

The "Low-Altitude Skimmer" was not merely a vehicle—it was a probe extension he had "created" by leveraging System power and his preliminary understanding of spatial rules. It possessed exceptional stealth, Environmental Adaptation, and rule resistance—perfect for this mission.

Now, the piece had been placed.

Let us see what answers Xia Wan brings back from the so-called "Shenhua Tianfu."

He too wanted to know what secrets the girl who called him "brother" truly held.