Chapter 733: Traces
Chapter 733: Traces
Xu Chan's team had encountered indigenous settlements before, but the danger level in this Unknown Region was evidently several degrees higher than outside. How could there still be a settlement here?
He immediately realized that this was no ordinary settlement.
He asked, "Did the camp people notice us?"
"Yes, and it was their people who initiated contact with us."
Xu Chan spoke gravely, "Tell me the details."
The scout explained that through the recent contact, they learned that the settlement was not a simple indigenous one. The people inside came from various places, and the main group was fugitives from the Old Imperial Court who were wanted and escaped, along with some deserters from the Great Unity Army, and the rest were the natives of this region.
These people claimed to be familiar with the surrounding geography and were willing to provide whatever the team needed or offer other assistance. However, they also required some tools and supplies carried by the team.
Xu Chan considered for a moment and decisively said, "Give them what they want if we can provide it."
He instinctively felt that these people were not as simple as they claimed, but as long as they didn't show hostility, there was no need to interfere, even if there might be wanted fugitives from the Great Unity Army among them.
After all, these people had been here for a long time, and if they could get guidance from them, it would be much more convenient to operate in this area. Perhaps they could find a way to shake off their pursuers.
In any case, the priority was to obtain the relic, and everything else was insignificant.
However, whether it was the other party or themselves, the premise of the trade was to possess a certain level of force to ensure safety. Without it, they would be putting themselves at risk.
At the same time, on the other side, the Thunder Twins, brother and sister, returned to their starting point with Blood Diamond. Unlike when they left, the surrounding trees seemed flattened, and a large number of Union personnel were searching and inspecting the area. Upon seeing their return, the security personnel stood at attention.
Svaya ignored the other personnel and questioned a young man sitting there, "Mr. Heros, why didn't you appear as agreed?"
Upon hearing her question, the young man slowly stood up from the ground. He was over three meters tall, with thick, black hair like seaweed. His features were chiseled, and beneath his thick eyebrows were a pair of extremely sharp eyes. His face was resolute, and his entire body was sculpted with muscles like stone.
Despite his height, which far exceeded others, his well-proportioned limbs gave an impression of a perfectly evolved human.
His voice was magnetic and likable, "My apologies, ma'am. We encountered an enemy, which delayed our arrival."
"An enemy?"
"Yes," Heros replied, "It's right beneath your feet."
Svaya looked down and was startled. A massive creature lay on the ground, and they were standing on its body! However, the creature seemed to have no thickness or distinct contours, almost covering the entire area, and as it had no signs of life, they hadn't noticed it earlier.
Sigvard jumped a couple of times and felt the ground. It indeed felt different, but since the Convergence Zone had all sorts of peculiarities, he didn't think much of it. At that moment, he exclaimed in surprise, "What is this thing?"
Heros said, "I don't know either. We ran into it on the road. It tried to wrap us all up. There's no record of it in the data. I think it's a new species. We were delayed here for a while trying to break free from its grasp, but that's not the main reason."
He spoke seriously, "I felt someone watching us from a distance, and he's dangerous."
"Who?"
"I don't know," Heros said, "But I know he's dangerous. If he shows up again, I'll find him."
Svaya looked up and asked, "Is it someone from the Linax Federation? Is it Wilhelm?"
Heros shook his head, "Not a blue-blood. It's not him."
Svaya and Sigvard exchanged glances. Even Heros felt threatened, but it wasn't Wilhelm, who they had heard was coming soon. Who could it be?
At that moment, about a dozen miles away, Qi Qianyang approached a treehouse woven from vines. As he neared, the branches parted slowly, revealing a man in his thirties with a parted hairstyle. He greeted Qi Qianyang, "Instructor Qi, you're back. How's the situation?"
Qi Qianyang said, "Heros' senses are quite sharp. I almost got discovered just now. He's indeed worthy of his world ranking."
"So what?" The man said, "Can he be your match?"
Qi Qianyang touched his chin, "That's hard to say. At our level, we never know until we fight."
The man affirmed, "That's only because Instructor Qi didn't use his full strength."
Qianyang Qi smiled and didn't deny it, saying, "It's not time yet. Let them search first, and once they've found the items, I'll go and receive them."
Beneath the former Union Compound, Chen Chuan drew the Snow Lady Sword and instantly sealed the rift in front of him.
He had cultivated here overnight, and there was plenty of underground space, saving him the trouble of digging.
After stepping out, he sensed his second self and felt that its power was even closer to his current self.
In yesterday's battle, he had relied solely on his own strength to defeat his opponent in a single encounter, which greatly enhanced his second self.
He still didn't know the opponent's name, and there was no identification found during the search. Judging by their strength, they were likely a renowned practitioner, and he could expect to encounter more such fighters in the future.
Chen Chuan sheathed the Snow Lady Sword and stood up from the underground space. Chaoming, who had just woken up, followed him.
He pushed open the deformed metal gate and stepped outside. The area was completely charred, with thick black ash drifting down from above, and a layer of it had already accumulated on the ground.
Yang Yongcheng seemed to have already risen, and he approached from a short distance away. The night before, he had cleared all the outlying guard posts, and now he asked, "Supervisor Chen, are you about to depart?"
Chen Chuan nodded and said, "I'm ready to leave, but the road ahead is challenging. I'd like you to take care of the three horses that were brought."
"I'll make sure they're well taken care of," Yang Yongcheng assured him.
Chen Chuan glanced at the sky and said, "There might be airships coming to check on the situation today, so it's best if you keep a safe distance."
Yang Yongcheng acknowledged with a nod.
Chen Chuan, holding his sword, walked to the side where a two-wheeled motor vehicle, the "Rakshasa," produced by Fendai Corporation, was parked. It was found near a guard post the day before and was likely used by patrol officers to commute between the camp and the guard posts.
Under normal circumstances, it would be nearly impossible to borrow such a vehicle to venture into a convergence zone due to the unknown dangers on the road and the potential lack of time to react at high speeds.
However, Chen Chuan found it to be just right for his needs. With sufficient psychic power, one didn't need to be overly cautious, as projecting one's spirit along the way was often deter most creatures. Of course, it could also be seen as a provocation, but with sufficient speed, one could usually avoid trouble.
Using this method might consume a significant amount of psychic power, but Chen Chuan had his second self and a relic that could restore his spiritual body, so he didn't need to worry too much.
The two-wheeled motor vehicle was spacious enough, and Chen Chuan hung the items he needed to carry on the metal racks on both sides. He slung the Snow Lady Sword diagonally across his back and then straddled the vehicle. Turning to Yang Yongcheng, he said, "Old Yang, I'm off. Take care."
Yang Yongcheng solemnly replied, "Supervisor Chen, I wish you a successful mission!" He then took a few steps back.
Chen Chuan nodded and put on his protective visor, straightening the red scarf around his neck. He nodded to Yang Yongcheng once more before starting the vehicle, which roared to life and sped off, leaving a trail of dust and smoke behind.
Chaoming let out a shrill whistle and followed close behind.
Yang Yongcheng took a few steps, watching Chen Chuan leave, and raised his hand in a salute until the figure disappeared into the depths of the forest.
After leaving the camp, Chen Chuan examined the traces on the ground, clearly left by a large group heading into the unknown territory.
This made things easier for him; by following these traces and using his psychic power, he could move much faster than he had in the previous two days.
Many of the formidable creatures that should have been on the road had been eliminated, and he even saw a massive, unidentified creature lying on its side, most of its body reduced to a skeleton crawling with countless insects. It seemed that the skeleton would soon disappear entirely.
After driving for about half a day, Chen Chuan discovered a large abandoned camp with at least a hundred people having stayed there, as evidenced by the campfire remains.
He stopped the vehicle, stepped out, and examined the layout and the metal cans left behind. It was clear that the Union members had been here but made no effort to conceal their traces.
Looking ahead, he realized that by following this camp's trail, he might find other camps where they had stayed, and by doing so, he might catch up with them sooner than expected.
Just as he was thinking this, a part of the camp was suddenly disturbed by his psychic power. A covering was forcefully pushed open, and a swarm of creatures flew out, heading straight for him.
...
...
(End of Chapter)
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