Chapter 734: The Journey
Chapter 734: The Journey
A swarm of creatures rapidly approached Chen Chuan, but just as they were about to enter his attack range, they suddenly buzzed and flew away in another direction.
They circled around him from a distance, sometimes getting closer and then retreating, as if tempting him to strike.
Chen Chuan observed that these creatures were small birds with sharp beaks and teeth, adorned with a ring of flamboyant feathers around their necks, giving them a fierce appearance. Each bird was slightly larger than a fingertip, and at first glance, one might mistake them for insects.
These birds were incredibly agile, and surprisingly, they moved as a unified group, flying, turning, and maneuvering in perfect harmony without a single one falling behind during their rapid rotations.
Chen Chuan had attempted to hit them with a psychic assault, but it had little effect, as if these creatures possessed an extraordinary ability to resist psychic attacks.
After circling him for a while, the birds seemed to sense his inaction and tried to approach again. However, once they reached a certain distance, they seemed to sense danger and buzzed away to a safer distance.
Although they retreated, they didn't fly too far away, seemingly searching for an opportunity to attack.
Chen Chuan looked up and saw a massive flock of birds, almost forming a dark cloud. There were at least tens of thousands of them, and using brute force or melee weapons to deal with them would be futile, even if he managed to take down a few.
He signaled Chao Ming, who was circling above, to stay back and keep a safe distance. Then, he walked over to the two-wheeled motor vehicle, opened his bag, and took out the Thunder Cannon produced by Dragon Roar Corporation.
This weapon was a semi-organic firearm that attached itself to his arm as soon as he clasped it. The biological parts wriggled and quickly adhered to his arm, climbing onto his shoulder and locking the tail end in place.
His hand gripped the Thunder Cannon's trigger, which was designed to be pulled with the palm rather than the fingertips. Pulling the trigger required a coordinated effort from the elbow as well.
Since the ammunition was already loaded, Chen Chuan stood still after setting up the weapon. The swarm of birds rushed towards him once again, but just like before, they retreated when they reached a certain distance, flapping their wings to escape.
Chen Chuan, as if anticipating their movement, turned his arm holding the Thunder Cannon in the direction the birds were evading and then pulled the trigger.
A loud boom erupted from the gun's muzzle, releasing a flash of fire.
Countless pellets sprayed out, forming two conical patterns within a range of fifty to sixty meters. Every strange bird within this area instantly vanished, leaving behind only scattered fragments that were blown away.
Chen Chuan didn't stop there; he turned and fired again at the remaining birds, then spun and fired once more. In a moment, he had fired four shots in different directions, covering all the birds' flight paths.
When he stopped, the dancing birds had disappeared from sight. The air was thick with the smell of gunpowder, and when the muzzle flash and sound faded, the ground was littered with blood and flesh, with only a few scattered feathers sticking to the mangled remains, trembling in the airflow.
Suddenly, the ground beneath became softer, and tiny creatures, like ants, emerged from underground. They gathered and devoured the remains, then burrowed back into the earth, even collecting the soil stained with blood.
Within a short time, all traces of the birds' existence were gone.
Chen Chuan glanced at the creatures but didn't pay them much attention. These small creatures usually posed no threat to living beings, and they seemed unaffected by psychic assaults.
Most of the creatures he had encountered on his journey feared psychic attacks, and he wondered what made these birds different. Was it their unique structure or something else? It was worth investigating.
However, he didn't have the time for that now.
He looked down at the Thunder Cannon in his hand—it was labeled as a gun but was more like a small cannon. It was indeed very effective at close range, and it had twenty-four rounds of ammunition, allowing for twelve shots if loaded with two rounds at a time.
With the right speed and proximity, a few close-range shots could severely injure anyone without adequate protection, even a Third Limit Fighter without trained Heart Force.
However, it was challenging to maintain control of this weapon during combat, especially against opponents of equal skill. There was hardly any opportunity to adjust, and it was quite vulnerable to damage. Despite its formidable firepower, it was not always practical.
In certain situations, though, it was incredibly useful.
Chen Chuan tapped his shoulder, and the weapon detached, retracting back into its original form. He put it away in his bag and began to walk again.
suspected that this encounter was deliberately arranged by the Union and their associates.
He had felt earlier that the camp, left behind, had been there for some time. Given the conditions in the fusion zone, it was unlikely to be the same as when they had departed, even with the application of insect repellent and powder.
Unless some creature had claimed this place as its territory, maintaining this state would be impossible.
Those small birds were a nuisance; they were hard to get rid of and even harder to kill. If they were just a regular nuisance, it wouldn't be a problem for Fighters with their stamina. But if they were to interfere with the Fusion Zone at night, or damage the rest facilities and environment, that would be a different story. Almost no one could withstand that.
The fact that the Union could use these birds was no simple feat, but there must be limitations to their control.
As he pondered, Chen Chuan climbed into his vehicle and continued to follow the trail left by the Union members.
As evening approached, he spotted the second camp.
The very existence of the camp indicated that the Union members had left some sort of backup plan.
Chen Chuan checked the sky; before nightfall, he needed to find a place to stay. This place seemed suitable—spacious, with leftover firewood and fuel near the previously used campfire.
He parked his two-wheeled vehicle to the side, sent Chao Ming to keep watch from above, and approached the camp, Snow Queen Saber in hand.
He wondered what he didn't know what he would encounter this time.
The surrounding trees and streams were unusually quiet, unlike the bustling sounds of birds and insects he had heard along the way. It seemed that something powerful was hidden here.
In the center of the camp, there was a larger tent, but it had collapsed, as if covering something.
As Chen Chuan approached, the thing inside the tent stirred, causing the tent to rise and emit a low roar, making the stones on the ground jump.
Under the tent, six eyes glowed, and a strong bloody aura could be smelled from a distance.
Chen Chuan stood calmly, judging from the sound and the size, it was a very large beast. The creature stared at him for a moment, seemingly cautious, and instead of charging immediately, it lowered its body and slowly retreated.
Just as it began to move, its eyes seemed to flicker with confusion for a moment, then suddenly flashed with ferocity. It roared and charged towards Chen Chuan, its massive body creating a powerful airflow. But the tent seemed sewn onto its body, not flailing off despite the force.
Chen Chuan held the Snow Queen Saber steady. As the creature rushed forward, he leaped forward and, before landing, unsheathed the saber with a speed beyond the creature's perception, slashing down at its forehead.
The creature, due to its forward momentum, paused in mid-air for a moment, but its massive weight and force couldn't budge the saber even slightly. After a brief moment, it fell to the ground with a thud, its brain and body completely shattered by the force of the blow.
Chen Chuan sheathed his saber and bent down to pull open the tent, revealing intricate esoteric ritual patterns. To enhance the ritual's effect, they had skinned an unknown beast and sewn the tent onto its body.
This camp had a different style than the previous one.
Chen Chuan recognized the patterns; they resembled the First People's rituals, possibly from the Linaksis Federation.
After the First People were massacred and absorbed, many of their belongings fell into the hands of the Linaksis Federation.
Indeed, the Union and the Linaksis Federation were working together.
Chen Chuan knew he had to catch up with them soon. But as the day came to an end, the fuel for his vehicle was almost depleted. As he ventured deeper, the forest became denser, and the road more challenging. It seemed he would have to travel on foot from now on.
After some consideration, he dragged the corpse out of the camp, returned, and thoroughly inspected the camp again. Satisfied that there were no further anomalies, he tidied up, used the surrounding materials to relight the campfires, and sprinkled more powder. Then, he chose a dry spot to set up his tent.
Before the sky turned completely dark, Chen Chuan was ready to begin his meditation. He called Chao Ming back, zipped up the tent, and, with a slash of his saber, created a rift, sitting down to face it.
Meditating in the Fusion Zone accelerated his psychic power progress, partly due to the world ring's broken state. If it were sealed, even with the ability to slash rifts, there would likely be restrictions.
Chen Chuan couldn't help but think about the pure essence that had been leaking for months. It must have caused significant changes worldwide, perhaps opening doors for Fighters who had once been hopeless.
The world was changing, and more talented individuals were emerging. This was beneficial for the fight against the other world, but it would also intensify the resource struggles. The fight for relics could be seen as an extension of this conflict.
Chen Chuan stared at the rift, planted his saber in the ground, and, with his accumulated psychic power, prepared to welcome the essence and unknown from the other side.
...
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(End of Chapter)
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