Chapter 35: Airship
Chapter 35: Airship
Ji Xinghuo woke up early in the morning, just as the sky was brightening.
Jiang Nan Caiyi, however, was an early riser and had already prepared breakfast for everyone.
After breakfast, each of them shouldered their packs, which they had prepared the night before, and set out from the villa.
Chi Zhonglin led the way, clad in a flexible, elastic fiber battle suit. His lava gun was slung over his shoulder, and he carried a large backpack that seemed to weigh him down.
This pack contained the team's tents, sleeping bags, an inflatable raft for river crossings, several coils of nanometer-thin rope totaling over a kilometer in length, five hundred arrows that Ji Xinghuo had recently purchased, and various other supplies and tools. The pack weighed over 60 kilograms, almost as much as his long gun.
As the only power-type mutant in the team, Chi Zhonglin had no choice but to bear the burden.
But he was used to it.
Ji Xinghuo and Ren Mian walked in the middle of the group.
Ren Mian had donned her conical hat again, her face concealed by a scarf. She wore a female battle skirt and a multi-functional belt around her waist, which had a row of square pockets. Each pocket held a plant sample, ready to be used in battle to unleash her mutant abilities.
Every plant witch had one of these belts, essential for their craft.
Ji Xinghuo, too, was fully armed.
He wore a composite ceramic-steel armor, his feet encased in gale boots. The Lei Chi hung at his waist, and he carried a compound hunting bow and a quiver of arrows on his back, clearly marking him as a ranger.
Bringing up the rear was Jiang Nan Caiyi, a few steps behind Ji Xinghuo and Ren Mian.
Her face was also concealed by a black scarf, revealing only her eyes. Black body armor hugged her frame, and at her waist hung a long and short dagger. Gone was the gentle and sweet demeanor she had at home; now, she exuded an aura that warned others to keep their distance.
The four companions walked in silence.
Leaving the villa district, they boarded a steam bus.
The passengers on the bus could tell at a glance that they were a hunting party about to leave the city, and they moved away, giving them some space.
Soon, the quartet disembarked at the airship landing field in the east of the city.
"We're taking an airship?" Ji Xinghuo asked, a bit surprised, as he gazed up at a slowly ascending steam airship overhead.
"Yes," Ren Mian nodded gently. "The area around Olympia has been mostly cleared. There aren't many valuable prey left, so we need to venture beyond the boundaries of human exploration."
"Where are we going?" Ji Xinghuo asked.
"To Freedom City," Ren Mian replied. "Then we'll head further west."
A few minutes later, the team boarded the airship.
This passenger airship was over 200 meters in length, with the largest part being the huge gasbag overhead. Suspended beneath it was a cabin barely 30 meters long, constructed of the lightest materials, resembling a thin-skinned bus. Inside, over a hundred passengers were seated.
"This doesn't seem very safe," Ji Xinghuo muttered to himself, despite the luxurious decor of the airship's cabin. He couldn't shake the feeling that they were vulnerable.
The biggest concern was the gasbag overhead.
Although the interior of the gasbag was designed with compartmentalization in mind, preventing a complete explosion in the event of a puncture, the sheer size of the target made it a tempting target for any flying creatures or powerful monsters on the ground. A single well-placed shot could bring the airship crashing down.
Seeming to sense his worry, Ren Mian, seated beside him, smiled and said, "Within the boundaries of human control, airships are generally safe."
Ji Xinghuo nodded.
"I still think trains are a safer option, even if they are slower," Chi Zhonglin, in the front row, turned and said.
Ren Mian didn't heed his suggestion. "We'll discuss it next time."
Ji Xinghuo guessed that she probably had a way to ensure the team's safety even if the airship crashed.
Soon, the airship took off, propelled by steam-powered screws, and headed west.
From high above, Ji Xinghuo beheld Olympia in its entirety for the first time, marveling at its vastness. The airship cruised at a speed of about 100 kilometers per hour, and it took a full half-hour to fly from east to west before soaring over the city walls and leaving civilization behind.
Beyond Olympia lay a boundless forest, where two winding rivers converged, providing ample water resources for the city.
Humans had carved out several roads through the forest, leading to other cities.
Towering trees lined these roads, with heights of several dozen meters and even over a hundred meters, though their species differed from those on Earth.
The farther they ventured from Olympia, the rarer human presence became.
With his enhanced vision, Ji Xinghuo could make out details several kilometers away, revealing a richer picture of their surroundings than his companions.
In just a few minutes, he spotted at least twenty different species of wild beasts and birds in the forest, a far more complex and diverse ecosystem than Earth's.
Ahead, a rift valley appeared on the ground, splitting the forest in two.
As the airship flew over the rift, Ji Xinghuo leaned forward to peer into its depths, but he could not see the bottom. It was shrouded in darkness and mist, resembling a labyrinth.
A majestic arch bridge spanned the rift, and at that moment, a train was crossing it, seemingly flying over an abyss.
"Taking the train doesn't seem very safe either," Ji Xinghuo muttered.
After all, Star Realm was not Earth. Natural disasters were more frequent, but the biggest threat came from the native lifeforms. Their destructive capabilities were no less than natural disasters, and it wouldn't be difficult for them to destroy an arch bridge or train tracks if they wanted to.
He gazed into the distance, but the end of the rift was nowhere in sight, stretching for an estimated hundred kilometers or more.
There was no way the train tracks could bypass it.
West of Olympia lay six cities, most of which belonged to the various member states of the "Western Alliance." Four hours later, the airship passed over two cities and arrived at Freedom City, more than 300 kilometers away.
Ji Xinghuo and his companions disembarked from the airship, surrounded by foreigners, most of whom had blond hair and blue eyes, indicating they were citizens of the Western Alliance.
However, there were also many foreigners from other nations, so they didn't stand out.
Aside from Ji Xinghuo, the other three had visited Freedom City numerous times and didn't linger. They soon exited the city through the western gate and left Freedom City behind.
They headed west.
At first, they walked along the main road, increasing their pace, and by dusk, they had traveled over a hundred kilometers from Freedom City.
Along the way, they encountered numerous hunting parties, all of which kept their distance from one another to avoid any misunderstandings.
One by one, these hunting parties veered off the main road and ventured into the boundless primeval forest.
As they drew further from Freedom City, the road narrowed, signs of civilization diminished, and they encountered no other teams.
Night fell in the Star Realm.
The team took only a brief respite to eat before continuing on their journey.
A day in the Star Realm was too long to camp at night. Fortunately, the "Silver Saturn" and the Milky Way's reflection provided ample light, allowing the foreigners to continue their journey without hindrance.
Of course, the night in the Star Realm was inevitably more dangerous.
However, the foreigners had ventured out to hunt, and to some extent, they welcomed the danger that brought opportunities, luring their prey right to them.
After walking for over an hour under the starry night, the man-made road completely disappeared.
Ahead lay uncharted territory.
"Xinghuo."
Ren Mian reminded him, "From now on, you'll need to stay alert at all times."
"Understood," Ji Xinghuo nodded slightly.
A shooter's role in a team typically involves two main responsibilities: providing long-range attacks during battles and serving as the team's "eyes," scouting for dangers surrounding the team and alerting teammates in advance.
In many cases, scouting is even more crucial than long-range attacks.
While a team can compensate for a lack of long-range attacks with close-quarters combat, insufficient scouting abilities could result in constantly losing the initiative, passively enduring attacks, and sometimes being surrounded by formidable enemies without even realizing it. A single mistake could lead to the team's annihilation.
A team may forgo a shooter, but they can't afford to lack "eyes."
There are various scouting methods, usually involving different types of senses.
The Pursuer's Hawk Eye and Elephant Nose techniques, the Evil Wind User's air sensitivity, the Earth Walker's ability to sense ground vibrations, and other unique abilities of certain professions.
Some teams also employ additional unique methods.
For safety, many teams ensure they have at least two, if not three, of the following senses: visual, auditory, olfactory, and tactile, to cross-reference their surroundings and enhance security.
Ren Mian distributed a transparent juice to the team.
Following their lead, Ji Xinghuo applied the juice under his nose.
Instantly, a pungent, strange scent invaded his nostrils, seemingly extracted from a crushed plant.
After a few seconds, his sense of smell heightened significantly.
He could detect scents from several dozen meters away and roughly discern the direction and mobility of the source.
"In the past, we relied on this 'Stinkfly Grass' juice to locate our prey," Ren Mian explained, "But this olfactory juice needs to be reapplied every three hours, and the smell is quite unpleasant."
Chi Zhonglin muttered, "That smell is making me nauseous."
Jiang Nan Caiyi also covered her nose, her brow furrowed in discomfort.
"It's up to you now, Xinghuo," Ren Mian smiled faintly, "If your senses are strong enough, we won't need to use this awful stuff anymore."
"We're counting on you!" Chi Zhonglin added, his eyes full of expectation.
Ji Xinghuo glanced at his teammates and suddenly said, "This Stinkfly Grass juice is really inconvenient..."
"What's wrong?" Chi Zhonglin asked, puzzled.
But Ren Mian's expression changed.
Ji Xinghuo had already nocked an arrow to his composite hunting bow, holding several arrows in his palm. One arrow was drawn, aimed at the left overhead direction.
"There are monsters coming."
"Lots of them."
"It's a large group of spiders. 25, 28, 35... and their numbers are increasing..."
As he rapidly conveyed the information to his teammates through speech, Chi Zhonglin had already set down his backpack and stood at the front of the team, brandishing his long gun, his body expanding as he entered a combat-ready state.
Jiang Nan Caiyi drew her twin daggers, her figure turning translucent before vanishing from sight.
Ren Mian pressed her right hand to her chest, and her voice echoed in Ji Xinghuo's mind, "Xinghuo, no need to speak aloud. Just use the mental link to convey any information to us."
"Okay," Ji Xinghuo nodded. He quickly adapted to this mental communication, thinking, "They're Shadow-crawling Spiders."
He had seen these spider monsters in records before and recognized them instantly.
"Understood," Ren Mian replied immediately. She plucked a sapling from her waist and tossed it to the ground. The tiny sapling, barely finger-length, rapidly grew to a height of four to five meters within seconds. Its trunk thickened to the width of a thigh, and its entire body shone silver. Hundreds of leaves ignited like magnesium, dispelling the gloom of the forest and illuminating their surroundings as bright as day.
Ji Xinghuo remained focused.
Taking advantage of the brilliant light from the "Fire Tree Silver Flower," he spotted a massive spider exposing itself as it leaped from the shadows behind a large tree, silently leaping towards another tree.
Whoosh!
Ji Xinghuo's arrow shot forth.
(End of Chapter)
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