And fifty miles north of Lucky Town, Hangu Pass was generated out of thin air.

This was an independent military fortress, ten miles deep from north to south and ten miles wide from east to west, with walls forty meters high, the same height as the main wall of the Great Wall.

The northern wall was completely exposed to the wilderness. In front was a giant purple city gate with the three characters "Hangu Pass" carved on the lintel in vigorous and powerful calligraphy.

On each side of the city gate stood an arrow tower sixty meters high.

Outside the north gate was the barbican, with the walls on both sides extending forward, surrounding the gate into a semi-enclosed killing zone.

The gate of the barbican was also of purple quality, with the same specifications as the main city gate.

The interior of Hangu Pass was like a miniature city.

The southeast was the warehouse area, storing /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ grain, fodder, arrows, and siege defense equipment.

The southwest was the workshop area, complete with blacksmith shops, carpentry workshops, and equipment repair shops.

The northwest was the military camp and drill grounds, with barracks, stables, and training fields neatly arranged.

The northeast was the residential area, for the families of the garrison and logistics personnel to live.

In the center was a two-story Council Hall with gray walls and black tiles, and a wooden plaque hanging over the lintel—"Hangu Pass Council Chamber."

Lin Feng stood before the stone gate of the Rui Shi Camp, looking at the scene before him, a surge of indescribable pride welling up in his chest.

With a thought, he deactivated the cloaking function of the Great Qin Elite Camp.

The gray wall that had been disguised as an ordinary warehouse wall gradually became transparent and then disappeared in a golden light.

The dark cyan form of the 【Great Qin Elite Camp】 emerged; it was a massive stone hall nearly twice as high as an ordinary building.

The roof of the hall was covered with deep black glazed tiles, and bronze bells hung from the eaves, emitting a low hum in the night wind.

The heavy stone doors were tightly shut, and the ancient character for "Qin" on the lintel seemed to contain the murderous aura of a thousand armies and ten thousand horses under the golden light.

Far away in Qingmu County, the Beacon Guards all felt a surge of scorching power from the military marks on their chests.

Looking down, they saw their leather armor turning black, with dark silver metal trim being inlaid along the edges.

Dense runes appeared on the blades of their bronze ge, and several dark gold patterns appeared on the stocks of their Qin Crossbows.

Black armor, Qin Crossbows, bronze ge, and bronze halberds—exactly like the army of that distant, unified dynasty.

Lin Feng took a deep breath, kicked off the ground, and flew toward Qingmu County.

He couldn't wait to see Hangu Pass with his own eyes.

...

Fenghuo County, middle section of the Commercial Street.

The lights were still on in the windows of the Rongcheng Nightmare Affairs Bureau's Fenghuo County office; orange light spilled out, casting a dim yellow glow over the stone steps at the entrance.

Liu Zhaowan sat behind her desk, with a thick stack of documents spread out before her: Awakened registries, Adventurer mission records, alien intelligence summaries, and resource allocation forms.

She rubbed her sore eyes and took a sip from her teacup; the tea was already cold.

Lately, the changes in the Nightmare World had been too great; every day, territories were being overrun by alien armies, and every day, nations were falling.

The territory she was responsible for had grown from just Fenghuo County to the entire Beacon Fire Territory: Qingmu County, Fenghuo County, Lucky Town, and Heiyan Town. There was more work than she could ever finish.

She had pulled several all-nighters in a row, and the dark circles under her eyes looked like she'd been punched twice.

Golden light suddenly shimmered outside the window.

The light grew brighter and brighter, dyeing the night sky a dark gold, making even the moon lose its luster.

Liu Zhaowan froze for a moment, put down her teacup, and stood up to walk to the window.

She saw a golden pillar of light piercing the northern horizon, shooting straight from the ground into the clouds and lingering there.

A commotion broke out outside, growing louder and more frequent, as if everyone on the street had rushed out.

She pushed open the office door and stepped outside.

At 12:30 AM, the flagstone road of the Commercial Street was packed with people.

Awakened, Adventurers, vendors, men, women, young and old—all were looking up at the golden-tinted sky to the north.

Some ran out in their pajamas, some still clutched wine glasses, and some held children over their heads.

"What is that?" a young Adventurer pointed at the sky, his voice trembling.

"Is the Orc Army attacking?" A young girl in leather armor nervously gripped the hilt of the blade at her waist.

"Orc Army? Would an Orc Army have such a grand display? Look at that light—golden, erupting from the ground to the sky. Is that something orcs could pull off?"

A middle-aged man with a longbow on his back narrowed his eyes and slowly shook his head.

The discussion among the crowd grew more heated; some thought it was an alien invasion, some thought something had gone wrong with the Dungeon, and others said a new rule had triggered some hidden event.

Liu Zhaowan said nothing; she just stood on the steps, head tilted back, watching the slowly receding golden light.

The light lasted for about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, then began to fade, turning from a surge into a flow, then into a flicker, before finally receding below the horizon like a falling tide.

The crowd hadn't dispersed yet when an Awakened in a half-plate cuirass squeezed through from the back, panting, face flushed, and voice shaking.

"I just got back from Blue Star! I saw a forty-meter-high wall around Lucky Town! From east to west, I couldn't see the end of it!"

"The Beacon Guards in Qingmu County have all changed into black armor. The style is exactly the same as the Terracotta Army of Qin Shi Huang! That aura—I didn't even dare get within ten meters of them!" 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

"Forty meters? You're bragging, right? Even Zhenyue City is only forty meters high!" someone questioned.

The Awakened stamped his feet in frustration: "Every word I said is true! If you don't believe me, go see for yourself!"

Liu Zhaowan stood at the office door, her mind a blank.

Qin military attire, Great Qin Elite Soldiers, the Great Wall... all the clues were held in her hand like individual threads, and then she gave them a sudden tug, weaving them into a complete picture.

Fenghuo County wasn't built with an ordinary Village Establishment Order—it was a Special Village Establishment Order!

Liu Zhaowan muttered to herself, her voice so low only she could hear: "advanced wonder... Great Wall... Special Village Establishment Order... Lin Feng, just how much more are you hiding?"

The crowd was still noisy, but her thoughts had already drifted much further away.

...

Qingmu County, North Gate.

Jiang Yelan stood on the gate tower, watching with her own eyes as the attire of the Beacon Guards around her changed from dull gray leather armor to heavy black iron armor.

The armor plates glinted coldly in the moonlight, the dark silver metal trim reflecting tiny fragments of light.

Dense runes appeared on the blades of their bronze ge, and several dark gold patterns appeared on the stocks of their Qin Crossbows.

News spread quickly.

In less than ten minutes, the open ground outside the North Gate of Qingmu County was packed with people.