With Yang Qi, Jiang Kai, and Uncle Cai, the party of more than twenty people stepped into the forest park in the cool morning air.
Uncle Cai took the lead, walking at the very front with Dahuang and Big Black to lead the way.
The two experienced hunting dogs walked with a steady gait, stopping from time to time to sniff the ground and the air, their ears swiveling alertly.
Yang Qi, on the other hand, took Bai Wan and Leopard and intentionally fell to the rear of the group.
This was something he had specifically requested. For one, he could bring up the rear to prevent anyone from falling behind or getting into an accident.
For another, from this position, he could better observe the state of the entire group, as well as any subtle changes.
Jiang Kai accompanied several key experts in the middle of the group, occasionally pointing out plants and signs of animal life along the way.
At first, as they walked along the developed trails of the forest park, everything was normal.
Sunlight filtered through the branches and leaves, creating dappled patterns of light. Birds chirped crisply, and they could occasionally see a squirrel or two, unafraid of people, foraging by the side of the path.
The instruments in the experts’ hands were also working properly, recording basic environmental data.
The atmosphere within the group was fairly relaxed; a few of the younger graduate students and technicians even chatted and laughed in low voices.
But as the group approached the invisible line separating the forest park from the primitive zone, the atmosphere clearly shifted.
Uncle Cai stopped in his tracks and turned around. His tanned face was completely serious as he warned everyone in a loud, booming voice.
"The primitive zone is just ahead."
"From this point on, everyone must stick close to me. Don’t fall behind, and definitely don’t wander off on your own!"
Senior Engineer Li from the Provincial Institute of Geology adjusted his glasses. He looked at the seemingly ordinary dense woods ahead with great interest and suddenly spoke up. "Master Cai, Minister Jiang, I have a proposal."
All eyes turned to him.
"Since everyone says this area makes people ’automatically’ walk back out, I’d like to first take a few colleagues and some equipment—without the dogs or a guide—and go in to experience it firsthand."
A glint of scientific inquiry shone in Senior Engineer Li’s eyes. "Only by experiencing it ourselves can we more accurately describe the subjective feeling of this ’getting lost’ phenomenon. It might help in analyzing the cause."
As soon as he said this, Uncle Cai instinctively looked toward Jiang Kai.
Jiang Kai frowned slightly and tried to dissuade him. "Engineer Li, the situation inside is complex. For safety’s sake, perhaps it’s better to..."
"Minister Jiang, scientific expeditions sometimes require a bit of an ’adventurous’ spirit."
Senior Engineer Li insisted, his gaze turning to Professor Zhou. "Professor Zhou, what do you think?"
"Engineer Li has a point."
Professor Zhou pondered for a moment before nodding. "It’s true that without experiencing it yourself, it’s hard to understand that ’mysterious’ feeling. However, my students and I won’t be participating. We’ve already been through it last time."
Seeing that Professor Zhou also agreed, Jiang Kai couldn’t very well stop them, so he had to nod. "Alright, Engineer Li, you all must be careful. Don’t go too deep. If anything feels off, turn back the way you came immediately, or shout for us."
"Don’t worry, Minister Jiang. We know what we’re doing."
Senior Engineer Li smiled, then called over two other senior experts who were interested in geology and magnetic fields, along with a few eager young technicians and graduate students. The group of about seven or eight people, carrying several portable instruments, stepped directly into the primitive zone ahead without letting Uncle Cai or the dogs follow.
Yang Qi stood at the rear of the group, watching this scene quietly. His face was expressionless, but a thought stirred within him.
He made an imperceptible gesture to Uncle Cai across the distance, signaling him to remain calm and stay put.
Uncle Cai understood immediately. He stayed where he was, calming the somewhat agitated Dahuang and Big Black.
「A few minutes later.」
Senior Engineer Li’s group actually emerged from behind a patch of bushes a short distance ahead and to the side, looking slightly dazed!
The looks on their faces were priceless.
There was surprise, confusion, and most of all, a sense of utter disbelief.
"This is nuts! We were clearly walking in a straight line. How did we end up circling back out?"
A young technician stared at the compass in his hand, its needle twitching erratically.
"The GPS track shows us walking in circles, but we didn’t feel it at all!" another person said, looking at the screen of a handheld device.
Senior Engineer Li and the other two senior experts had their brows tightly furrowed, huddling together and discussing rapidly in low voices, spouting one technical term after another.
"Failure of the visual frame of reference?"
"A potential geomagnetic disturbance affecting the vestibular system?"
"Or maybe some kind of unknown infrasonic interference?"
"Let’s try again!" Refusing to accept it, Senior Engineer Li called to his companions and plunged back into the woods.
This time, they were inside for a little longer. After about seven or eight minutes, they emerged from a different direction, looking somewhat disheveled. The shocked disbelief on their faces had only intensified.
"Still no good! No matter which way we walk, we always end up back here!"
"This is too strange! It defies all logic!"
"..."
A third attempt yielded the same result.
Senior Engineer Li and the others finally gave up.
They had to admit that this area truly possessed a "getting lost" effect that they could neither currently understand nor resist through willpower alone.
"Master Cai, it looks like we really have to rely on you and your dogs," Senior Engineer Li sighed, his attitude toward Uncle Cai now clearly much more respectful.
Uncle Cai nodded without saying a word.
This time, led by Uncle Cai, Dahuang, and Big Black, the group officially stepped into the primitive zone covered by the Cloud Plate Enchanting Array.
Yang Qi also moved up with Bai Wan and Leopard, taking a position in the middle of the group, near the front.
He had Bai Wan and Leopard run back and forth in a small area around the front and back of the group. It looked like they were on guard, but they were also subtly serving to "corral" the group, preventing anyone from unintentionally falling behind or straying from the path.