But before the leader could speak, his younger brother, who was also the team’s second-in-command, suddenly said, "If I remember correctly, the courtyard was full of weeds a moment ago.

But now, look at the entrance of the courtyard. After the wind has blown, what’s revealed is a clean and tidy bluestone pavement. If there was bluestone under the weeds all along, then what were the weeds in the yard growing on?

Or is there something on the bluestone that the weeds were growing on?

Did the fire just now turn that into ashes along with the weeds, or did it take advantage of the wind stirring up the ashes to block our view, and while we weren’t paying attention, it quietly hid away?"

After hearing the analysis from the leader’s brother, everyone felt a chill down their spine. The situation that seemed somewhat clear had once again become complicated.

While the people on the ground were silent, Zachary, floating in the air, noticed that although not a single speck of ash had tainted the buildings in the courtyard, the ground was covered in it.

However, the ash that had been flat on the ground inexplicably developed a number of fine lines, which moved erratically across the surface.

As more lines appeared, Zachary observed that Watson was connected by several thin, ashy threads.

By now, although he hadn’t found the source of the threads, Zachary understood that the Watson standing in the courtyard must be under something’s control.

Even though he didn’t know what was controlling him, those transparent lines connected to Watson would have been imperceptible to Zachary had they not been coated with the vegetation ash.

It was at that moment that Zachary finally understood the situation in the courtyard.

There must be something in the courtyard that could control living beings through transparent threads, and it was very likely constrained within the yard, unable to leave.

The wild weeds in the yard had perfectly hidden the transparent threads created by that thing.

Now, Watson in the courtyard was like bait used by a fisherman, constantly calling out to others, trying to lure them into the courtyard’s massive trap.

Although Zachary now understood the situation in the yard, without finding the puppet master behind the transparent threads, the situation was still very dangerous for him.

However, Zachary, currently floating in the air, was like watching a play from the second floor of a theater, safe as long as he didn’t intentionally put himself in harm’s way, so the danger wouldn’t affect him.

Zachary in the sky had grasped the situation in the courtyard, but the members of the Adventure Team on the ground were still oblivious.

"Regardless, we need to enter the courtyard to take a look. Zayne has been busy for so long; this time, Wendi, you take the lead," the leader said.

Upon hearing the leader’s words, although Wendi looked somewhat pale, she didn’t object.

Just as Wendi was about to enter the courtyard through the main gate, the leader suddenly spoke up, "Number Four, take out Protective Suit No. 6 for Wendi to wear."

He then turned to Wendi and said, "You’re going in to scout, not to die. Wait until you’ve put on the protective suit. We’ll then tie a rope around your waist. In case of any problem, we can pull you out of the courtyard immediately."

Hearing this, Wendi didn’t say anything and silently put on the protective suit that Number Four had brought out.

At this time, due to frequent natural disasters, hardly anyone planted silk, cotton, or flax anymore.

Thus, the majority of the clothes worn by the survivors were made before the disasters and had been worn for many years, often showing signs of wear and tear.

Because the production of fabric hadn’t resumed, most survivors’ clothes were patched up in various places.

The full-body protective suit that Fourth brought over this time was the same as those used during the virus rampage, a closed type of protective suit.

The snow-white suit was spotless, and when Wendi unfolded the protective suit to put it on, she saw a look of envy on everyone’s faces.

The snow-white protective suit was not only spotless but also lacked any patches.

After Wendi put on the protective suit, Zayne took out a bottle of an unknown substance from the toolbox and used a brush to evenly apply the liquid from the bottle onto the protective suit Wendi was wearing.

Unlike Watson who had carelessly entered the courtyard to weed earlier, this time Wendi had made thorough preparations before stepping into the yard.

After triple-checking the protective suit for any issues, the leader patted Wendi on the shoulder, signaling that she could now enter the yard.

As Wendi set foot through the courtyard gate, everyone held their breath, focusing intently on whether she would be attacked by something.

Although Zayne had desperately waved the fan to blow away the dirt at the entrance, some grass ash inevitably stuck to Wendi’s protective suit, though the ash only clung to the area below her calves.

It’s normal for some grass ash to stick to a white suit when entering the yard, a situation that wasn’t given much thought by the others who noticed it.

But when a team member spotted many mysterious purple lines on Wendi’s legs, which seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, the purple lines on her protective suit continued to creep up, and had already silently reached Wendi’s waist.

As soon as the leader saw the purple marks on Wendi, he immediately commanded the person holding the other end of the rope to pull together with force, dragging Wendi straight out of the yard.

Unexpectedly, upon hearing the leader’s shout, Wendi instinctively looked back and then tried to follow the rope back the way she came.

Just as Wendi was about to say something, countless fine lines appeared behind her and wrapped around her like a cocoon.

Seeing the originally white suit change in this way in such a short time made every official member’s face turn rather unsightly.

They now understood that the special paint Zayne had applied to the pristine white protective suit was colorless and odorless in its liquid form, but if one wore glasses, they could see the special glow the paint emitted.

This liquid, while seemingly simple, could not be handmade—it was a laboratory product with not only scarce stock but also the people capable of making such a substance were generally not inclined to produce it.

The raw materials were diverse, and, with a few of them not just being scarce but also shockingly expensive,

Besides the difficulty of collecting the raw materials, successful production required the use of several costly instruments.

These instruments, having survived intact to the present day, required a hefty usage fee and a security deposit every time they were rented, as well as waiting in line. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Thus, few were willing to buy meat buns for the sake of a little vinegar.

Once the liquid dried on the surface and there was a problem, the clothes would exhibit some special effects—that is to say, upon contact with the substance, one could use sunglasses to capture light rays that couldn’t be directly observed by the naked eye.

Watching the purple lines gradually envelop Wendi, the leader shouted urgently, "What are you all waiting for? Hurry up and pull the rope, yank Wendi straight out for me."

Hearing the leader’s shout, the team members holding the rope end immediately pulled hard, trying to drag Wendi out of the yard.

During this tense moment, no one noticed that Wendi, who should have reacted most violently, was now standing motionless like a person in a vegetative state, simply being tugged at by both sides.

Just as Wendi’s body was slowly pulled toward the gate by the long rope around her, she suddenly untied the rope around her waist and then took off the hood of the protective suit, smiling at the others and saying, "There’s no danger in the yard, you can all come in."