Lu Lin was pushed down by Ren Tian, then turned to look back.
In the crowd, Liu Weiran's gaze happened to meet his.
Lu Lin smiled at her and waved.
"Wait for me to come back."
Liu Weiran smiled too, her pearly white teeth shining in the sunlight. She looked just like love itself.
"Okay."
Lu Lin climbed into the vehicle. Ren Tian hadn't expected the kid to be so quick, but this time, he didn't push Lu Lin back out.
"Brother Ren, let's go!"
Lu Lin shouted. He was fired up now, like an eighteen-year-old boy.
"Let's go!"
"Your big bro's taking you to brave the Wilderness!"
He floored the gas. The Tiger off-road pickup charged forward like a real tiger, merging into the endless stream of traffic.
From the back seat, Lu Lin turned to look behind them.
In the sunlight, Liu Weiran was still standing there, watching him leave.
Lu Lin felt he would never forget that sight for the rest of his life.
The city gates stood wide open.
Vehicles streamed out of the city one after another.
After Zhou Shenming's and Ren Tian's vehicles disappeared through the gates, a scruffy, bearded man stepped out of a corner. He took a slip of paper from his pocket, with two license plate numbers written on it.
After checking them against the plates he'd just seen, the man pulled out his phone and typed a message: "They've set out. They're headed for Forward Base 301."
Without waiting for a reply, the man cautiously looked around. His figure soon vanished.
As the stream of vehicles leaving the city gates began to thin, a Wu'an Bureau car pulled up.
A female inspector with snow-white hair and skin climbed out of the driver's seat.
"Have they all left?"
"Of course they have, Chief. I told you yesterday we should investigate Lu Lin's home as soon as possible, but you said we didn't have enough key evidence. Now we've finally found some, but he's already gone."
The speaker was also an inspector, but his shoulders bore only the two stars of an intermediate inspector, unlike Bai Wei, who had three.
"It's fine. If he's gone, he's gone. It's not as if Lu Lin won't come back."
Bai Wei swept up her snow-white hair, revealing a lovely face as captivating as an Elf's.
Even though they'd worked with Bai Wei for a long time, the two male inspectors behind her couldn't help looking entranced.
But they quickly stiffened and looked away.
Compared with Bai Wei's lovely face, her temper and her fists were what truly terrified them.
"Come on, get in. We'll go talk to Lu Lin's parents again. He failed the Martial Arts Examination, yet he managed to advance to Martial Artist in just a few days. He must be hiding a secret."
"Maybe he gained something from those five men after he killed Scarface and the others."
Bai Wei murmured to herself, then quickly shook her head. "No, he must have gotten that opportunity before he ran into Scarface and the others. Otherwise, he couldn't have killed Scarface, a Mid-level Martial Artist, with a single slash to the neck. It's been a long time since I've seen a young man so seasoned and ruthless."
"Chief, your phone's ringing."
The two subordinates pointed to Bai Wei's waist. Her phone had rung over and over, but she'd been lost in thought and hadn't noticed.
"Oh, right. Thanks."
Bai Wei thanked them and quickly answered. "Commander, this is Bai Wei."
"Yes, that's right. I'm following up on Scarface's death. What do you mean, put it aside? Commander, let me tell you—what?"
"A large number of Martial Artists have died near Baiyin Mountain? More than fifty dead, including a Martial Master?"
"Understood. I'll head over as soon as I can. No problem, I'll be careful. Yes, Commander. You'll hear good news from me."
Bai Wei hung up, her voice grave. "You two, I just got a mission from the Commander. A large number of Martial Artists have died unnatural deaths near Baiyin Mountain. The cause is unknown, but it may be a Monster Beast clearing the area before advancing. This mission is dangerous. You're both only Mid-level Martial Artists, so get back to the bureau. I can handle this alone."
The moment Bai Wei said that, her two subordinates grew anxious. "Chief, you can't do that! How can you leave your brothers behind the moment you get a chance to earn merit?"
The other man chimed in. "Exactly, Chief Bai! We've worked together for more than three years. You can't try to leave us out and handle such a good opportunity alone. I'm definitely going."
Bai Wei looked at them. She wanted to try persuading them again, but she knew what they were like. They joked around all the time, but when it came to work, they never cut corners.
"Fine, we'll go together. The Commander has already contacted Forward Base 301. We can collect supplies as soon as we get there."
"Let's go!"
"Yes, Chief Bai!"
The three quickly got in the car, drove through the city gates, and headed for Baiyin Mountain to carry out their mission.
As the vehicle passed through the city gates, Lu Lin saw the world beyond the city for the first time in his life.
The Wilderness simply meant the vast region outside the city. It wasn't really a barren wasteland.
After driving through a three-kilometer buffer zone with nothing in it, Ren Tian steered onto a smooth asphalt road.
"Lu Lin, how's it feel? Is the Wilderness a little different from what you imagined?"
Ren Tian turned on the car stereo and swayed along to the beat, looking as though he were dancing in a nightclub.
"It's a little different."
Outside the city, there were no Monster Beasts darting about and no bloody, brutal battles. As far as the eye could see, the surroundings were covered in low woodland. The Satellite City Troops had deliberately created this environment so that nothing would block their view and they could spot approaching Monster Beasts right away.
"Haha, don't be impatient. Everything between here and Forward Base 301 is within Dongshan City's territory. Even if a Monster Beast wanders in, patrolling soldiers will kill it."
"You won't see the real Wilderness until we get to the forward base."
"Brother Da Wei, Brother Xiao Wei, Lu Lin uses a blade too. Give him some pointers when you get the chance."
"Sure, no problem."
Lu Lin still couldn't tell which twin was Da Wei and which was Xiao Wei. They dressed alike and had no obvious differences.
"Dapao, turn the music up. Lu Lin looks a little nervous."
"Sure thing."
Ren Tian turned up the volume, and the Yang brothers swayed along to the rhythm with him.
To Lu Lin, the mood and atmosphere felt nothing like heading out to hunt Monster Beasts. It was more like a camping trip.
After they'd been driving for a while, Lu Lin had gotten used to the scenery on both sides of the road and started to feel bored.
"Pull over, pull over!"
The person in the passenger seat—Lu Lin couldn't tell whether it was Da Wei or Xiao Wei—suddenly called out.
Ren Tian slammed on the brakes, making the cars behind them blare their horns in protest. He ignored them, leisurely pulled over, and only then asked, "Brother Da Wei, what's up?"
"Found something good. No time to explain—get out, quick!"
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