Chapter 739: Relocation
Chapter 739: Relocation
Captain Hu immediately spoke up, "We should split up. Let the fastest among us escort the relic to the camp, while the rest of us stay back to intercept any pursuers."
Captain Lu seemed to agree with this suggestion.
But Captain Hai quickly disagreed, "No, we can't split up."
Captain Hu, growing impatient, exclaimed, "Captain Hai, what are you thinking? If we stick together, none of us will make it out!"
Captain Hai glanced at the other two and then signaled to one of the guides, beckoning him over.
The guide cautiously approached, his eyes darting between Captain Hai and the chest in his hands.
As the guide drew near, Captain Hai thrust the chest into his arms and stared into his eyes, saying, "I'll make one last deal with you. You know these paths well. If you deliver this to the camp, Dashun will provide whatever you want in the future."
The guide hesitated, his eyes flickering with uncertainty, but he firmly held onto the chest.
"Hai Gao, what are you doing?" Captain Hu shouted in anger.
Captain Lu also glared at him with a stern expression, "Captain Hai, do you really think this guide will honor the agreement and take the item to the camp?"
Captain Hai replied, "I trust them. If they don't deliver it, I'll take responsibility for the loss of the relic."
"I fear you won't be able to bear that responsibility," Captain Hu retorted. "Old Xu fought for this opportunity, and you're squander it like this! Give it back to me!" As he spoke, he made a move towards the guide.
Captain Hai quickly blocked his path and whispered to the guide, "I'll hold him off. You go!"
"Don't move!"
"Get out of my way!"
Captain Hu attempted to bypass Captain Hai to reach the guide, but Captain Hai once again stood in his way, infuriating him. Captain Hu forcefully tried to push him aside, but Captain Hai raised his arm, blocking the attempt. In a flash, Captain Lu lunged forward, but just as he took a few steps, Captain Hai sidestepped and reached out to grab him from behind.
Captain Lu instantly felt a tingling sensation on his back, knowing that Captain Hai was skilled in grappling techniques. With his back turned, he had no choice but to dodge, or he would be caught and rendered helpless. Reluctantly, he turned back, using his heart power to divert the incoming force, and with a loud bang, the incoming energy was deflected.
Seizing the moment, the guide sprinted away, quickly disappearing into the forest. The radiant light above remained, but the other guides had already fled when their comrade obtained the chest.
"Hai Gao, I suspect you're a traitor!" Captain Hu's anger intensified with each accusation. His attacks became more ferocious, but Captain Lu's expression turned serious, and although he tried to leave several times, Captain Hai blocked his path. At this moment, neither wanted to involve their teammates in the fight.
As the radiant light gradually faded into the distance, Captain Hai once again blocked their attacks. Suddenly, Captains Hu and Lu halted their assault, their anxious and furious expressions vanishing, replaced by a calm demeanor.
Captain Lu glanced into the distance and said, "Captain Hai, I think you're right. These guides must have had their reasons for taking on such a dangerous task."
Captain Hai shook his head, "Captain Xu realized this long ago."
"If we hadn't given them the relic today, they might have attacked us, right?" Captain Hu asked.
"They might not have attacked us directly," Captain Lu replied, "because they aren't qualified. But I fear there's someone else who might." He turned to Captain Hai, "I hope your decision was the right one."
"I don't know if this decision is right or wrong," Captain Hai said, "but keeping the relic is definitely wrong. We can't carry it with us, so it's better to let these two groups fight over it. We may not become hunters, but we must avoid becoming the most obvious prey—that would be the worst outcome."
"We also need to signal Captain Xu. If he sees it, he'll understand our intentions," Captain Hai added.
"Yes!" Captain Lu realized the urgency, "We must act quickly. I'll take care of it!"
He quickly found a higher ground and fired a signal flare into the sky. With a loud bang, a massive signal flare soared upwards, its bright light hanging high in the sky.
However, if Captain Xu was too far away, he might not see it. They would have to leave markings at predetermined locations along the way.
Captain Xu couldn't see the flare due to the distance and the bright daylight, further obscured by the radiant light that filled everyone's vision, diminishing the flare's effectiveness.
As for the markings left behind, Captain Xu had no time to stop and examine them, even for a moment. He had to maintain a steady pace. Yet, he noticed that even at this critical juncture, the Coalition forces hadn't relaxed their vigilance, with a team blocking his path.
From above, one could see four paths carved through the forest by the different groups. The Coalition forces were in the center, flanked by Linax Federal personnel on both sides, while Captain Xu remained on the outer perimeter. They raced towards the relic's location, almost neck-and-neck.
This unknown territory wasn't easy to navigate, filled with strange creatures that constantly hindered their progress. Despite the obstacles, they maintained a rapid pace.
The relic's holder, although not slow, gradually fell behind as the gap between them widened. After half a day of running, everyone felt they were getting close.
By this time, the powerful fighters among the various factions could no longer afford to pay attention to the rest. They all unleashed their speed without restraint.
Since they had been dragging this out for several hours, nightfall was approaching. If they waited until morning, they would have to wait until dawn to continue the pursuit, but who knew what new situation might arise by then?
Under this premise, the members of the various teams gradually spread out from each other. Heros, without a doubt, was at the forefront;
General Saber, the Thunder Twins, Gray Whale, Skinner, Soldier Ant, and others were a little further back, some ahead of others. Further behind them were the injured Blood Diamond and other fighters.
As time passed, the distance between the groups grew.
On the other end, Chen Chuan paused, coming to a complete stop. He held down his peaked cap, and behind him, amidst the fluttering of his cloak, a rolling thunderous roar emerged, along with a long trail of dust and scattered leaves swirling in the air.
He had been sprinting at high speed for two hours, greatly narrowing the distance to that radiant light. He thought to himself that if the speed ahead remained unchanged, he would be able to catch up in about two or three more hours.
Although his body wasn't tired, releasing his psychic power for such a long time had taken a toll. Considering the possibility of an encounter with the enemy ahead, he needed to recover.
He drew his sword, and with a single swing, he slashed open a rift in front of him. He casually lifted out the shell-like object, and under the illumination of the rift's light, wisps of smoke rose from it. He took a whiff and felt his previous exhaustion gradually replenished.
At this moment, the Lynx Talisman began to tremble impatiently. Ever since Chen Chuan obtained this relic, it would always try to get a bite whenever it was in use.
Chen Chuan didn't stop it. He allowed it to nibble on the smoke, as it might be useful later. He didn't play favorites, allowing Chao Ming to also take a sniff.
In the past few days, he had made Chao Ming fly in the sky during the day, only allowing him to land when he was exhausted. This promoted the growth of his altered organism, but it was also quite taxing. However, with these restorative substances, he could maintain his condition.
After recovering his strength, Chen Chuan adjusted his hat brim and gazed at the radiant light. With a single step, he continued to charge forward amidst the thunderous roar of the atmosphere.
More than an hour later, Heros burst out of a dense forest. Ahead of him was a vast expanse of open land, with sparse trees and a winding river flowing by less than a kilometer away.
On the opposite bank of the river, there seemed to be an injured man resting against a lake stone. In front of him, at a short distance, lay the corpses of several unidentified creatures.
The man held a black chest, from which the radiant light emanated. When he looked in the direction of the light, the man sensed it and his expression turned fearful. He scrambled to his feet and stumbled away.
But before he could get very far, his body exploded with a loud bang, splattering blood and flesh in all directions, staining the soft soil. The black chest fell to the ground, rolling a few times before stopping against a rock, and its contents spilled out.
Heros retracted his fist and took a few steps forward, extending his agile arm to pick up the glowing object and hold it in front of him.
The object was spherical, resembling a crushed but not entirely shattered egg. Scattered fragments of the shell seemed to barely maintain its structural integrity, with numerous natural gaps and damages.
Through these openings, one could see the faint glow and bioluminescent veins within, which brightened and dimmed as if breathing.
Heros wiped away the bloodstains on the object and said, "With this thing in hand, I can return. We came only for the object, and I don't care about the rest. But I think this might go against your duty, so let's settle this matter before then."
He turned around, and Xu Chan was already standing not far away. The execution squad leader's military overcoat was torn in many places, indicating the hardships he had endured on his journey.
Heros was surprised and said, "You know, there's no fair fight here. In a few minutes, at most, my team will arrive. Do you have the confidence to defeat me and take this thing within that time?"
Xu Chan said, "There's no need." He suddenly spun and threw something at Heros.
Heros was cautious and didn't catch it. Instead, he dodged to the side. The object exploded in the air with a bang, scattering blood and flesh, some of which landed on his clothes and shoes.
Heros glanced at it curiously. It was a small creature resembling both a mouse and a monkey, with membrane wings. He guessed the other party's intention in throwing it and quickly figured something out. His gaze intensified, and at that moment, he saw countless tiny objects flying towards them from the sky.
Xu Chan unbuttoned his military overcoat and threw it to the ground, saying, "One person might not be enough, but what if we add these?"
...
...
(End of Chapter)
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