Zachary nodded to the staff. "Give us a practice room to test these."
It was a special feature of the weapon shop—after all, with how expensive these weapons were, they needed to make sure they worked before taking them home.
The staff quickly led them into an empty room.
As soon as Danielle stepped inside, she noticed something felt different. This didn't look like a normal room.
In the center was the massive corpse of a fierce beast. Even though it was dead, it still gave off a strong sense of pressure.
Danielle looked at Zachary in confusion.
Zachary explained, "According to the internet, this is a Xuan-rank beast. Our weapons are now upgraded to the highest level—they should be able to hurt a beast of this level."
As he spoke, he raised his black blade and slashed the beast's corpse.
A visible cut appeared on the beast's bones. Zachary lifted his sword and showed the others—there wasn't a single scratch on it.
"If this had been one of the old basic black blades, it would've snapped by now."
Danielle nodded. So, the change wasn't in the appearance—it was in the inside.
Next, all three of them took turns testing their weapons, each leaving more marks on the beast's remains.
Fei Yang looked at Danielle and Zachary with a grateful expression. "Danielle… Zachary… I…"
Around strangers, Zachary had gone back to his quiet mode—only speaking when necessary.
So Danielle spoke up instead.
"Don't be like that. We did this for ourselves too. Only when our whole team's combat strength improves can we all stay safe."
She winked playfully. "And that five million? I'm not giving it away—you'll have to pay me back."
"Ah! No, I don't want to!"
Fei Yang yelled jokingly.
Leng blushed a little and gripped her sword tightly. "Thank you, Danielle."
Danielle waved it off just as the door opened.
The shop assistant called out, "Are you all finished testing?"
Danielle held her sword tightly. "Is everyone ready? If so, let's go."
After leaving the weapon shop, Fei Yang looked uneasy.
"Danielle, we're going to the lower zones… what about Qingqing and the others?"
He really didn't feel good leaving Fei Qingqing alone.
Danielle thought for a moment. Her space had been upgraded, but she hadn't had a chance to check it yet.
She wasn't sure it was safe to just toss two kids in there without looking first.
But just as she had the thought, she realized her space had changed.
What used to be a lush courtyard had twisted and turned into a small villa.
It looked exactly like her current house. But Danielle could clearly feel it was the same space as before—just disguised differently.
This space was really strange.
Still, now wasn't the time to worry about it. With it looking like a normal house, it wouldn't reveal any secrets if the kids went inside.
"They can stay in my space. I'll leave them enough nutrient fluid. As long as I'm alive, nothing will happen to them."
The others nodded in agreement. If things got so bad that even Danielle died, they'd all be doomed anyway.
Danielle nodded and pulled Rain aside, saying she wanted to talk.
He was still small, but he understood everything.
He nodded and zipped his lips shut with a finger. "Don't worry, Mom."
The vibration from the wristbands grew stronger and stronger. Danielle knew that if they didn't leave now, it'd be too late.
She gave Rain a tight hug and stored both children in her space.
"Alright. Let's go."
"Danielle, look—what is that?"
Leng looked terrified, her whole body shaking as she pointed to the sky.
Fei Yang and Zachary were also completely shocked.
Danielle looked up, confused, and saw a huge, long shadow in the sky.
It was something shaped like a worm, twisting and moving wildly in the air with sharp limbs.
Every time it moved, the air seemed to tremble.
Then, Danielle heard that eerie voice again.
"Danielle, save us. Please, save us."
"Danielle, it hurts… it hurts so much…"
"Who are you? Are… are you the Mother Tree?"
The voice seemed to echo inside Danielle's mind. She grabbed her head in pain.
"Answer me! Are you the Mother Tree?"
"Danielle! Are you okay?" Zachary's voice brought her back.
Danielle clutched the front of his shirt tightly.
"I… I…"
She wanted to say something badly, but when she noticed Leng and Fei Yang beside her, she swallowed the words.
She decided to explain later.
She bit her lip. "I just felt a little unwell. I think it's because of the shock in my space."
Leng's face was pale too. "That shadow… what was that? I couldn't control myself. I nearly passed out."
Other than Zachary, no one doubted Danielle's words. They just thought her reaction was stronger than theirs.
Danielle looked at the sky again, but the worm-like shadow had already disappeared.
"What was that?"
Zachary looked worried. "Just now, the barrier lit up. It must've been those legendary people taking action."
Thinking of that worm shadow, Zachary still felt cold inside. Its pressure was worse than a sacred beast.
He felt like in front of it, they were nothing, not even an insect trying to stop a cart.
People on the street were whispering and panicking. Suddenly, someone shouted.
"Check the news! A bunch of beasts have broken into the Lower District!"
Danielle and the others quickly opened their wristbands. Someone had already uploaded a video.
It showed the beasts raging in the Lower District. Many people were trying to use the teleportation array to escape to the Middle District.
But they were all killed. Luckily, in the video, some Gifted Teams could be seen rushing toward the rift.
Then, a calm and commanding voice echoed from the sky, "All Gifted Teams, go to the Lower District immediately. If you're not there within half an hour, you will be erased by the Proxy."
Danielle frowned. "Erased? What does that mean?"
Zachary had already started running and pulled her along. "You don't know?"
Danielle shook her head. She truly didn't.
As they ran, Zachary explained, "This wristband not only tracks where we are, but also monitors whether we're alive or dead.
They say there's something inside that can control life and death, though no one has ever seen it. I didn't think it was real until now."
Danielle was shocked. "Did the Eight Families invent it?"
She searched her original memories and found nothing about this.
Zachary pressed his lips together. "I don't know."
By the time they reached the teleportation array to the Lower District, the place was packed.
No one was checking IDs anymore. As soon as the array was full, people were being sent out quickly.
When Danielle and the others arrived in the Lower District, they were almost swarmed by desperate citizens.
"Please, help me! Save me!"
A hand reached toward Danielle, but Zachary stepped in front and blocked it with his long knife.