The Wind and Clouds Rise

I have to admit, the battle with the Lizard Hunters made me truly appreciate how powerful my teammates are. Back then, after defeating Rui Feng, I subconsciously categorized them as "early-game cannon fodder for the protagonist." Thinking about it now, that was incredibly rude. Sonic waves and electric discharges are both difficult abilities to deal with, and Lin Bing's freezing force field is a complete counter to my Supernatural Ability. Although Captain Rui Feng's Supernatural Ability is weaker, his combat skills are astonishing and he's incredibly experienced. I absolutely cannot underestimate him just because of our previous victory.

We quickly reformed our ranks and accelerated towards our destination. The commotion from the recent battle was significant and could attract other Demonic Beasts. Among the numerous Lizard Hunter corpses scattered on the ground were quite a few Core Essences. While a single Core Essence isn't worth much, so many combined would be quite valuable. Yet, not a single person in the team coveted these Core Essences, none of us wanting to slow down our progress for them. As expected of those from prominent families, their upbringing is truly remarkable.

"Hey, hey Liu Ye, I secretly picked up a few Core Essences. Let's trade them for some snacks when we get back~" Just as I was lost in thought, Rui Xin transmitted to me via sonic waves.

...Retracting my previous statement.

Along the way, we encountered several more Demonic Beasts. These beasts almost always appeared in groups, and each time they were annihilated without suspense. I don't know if they were too weak or if we were too strong (I suspect the latter is more likely). Gradually, I also discovered a pattern: the weaker the Demonic Beast, the more likely they are to move in groups, using sheer numbers to achieve a qualitative change. Truly powerful Demonic Beasts, however, are solitary. Moving in groups would actually hinder their abilities. According to Rui Xin, the lairs of powerful Demonic Beasts are located in the deepest parts, and we haven't encountered any yet.

In the evening, we set up camp on a relatively dry patch of grassland. Si Nanlong took out his compass. While it wasn't as beautiful as Si Nan Ying's, it was definitely superior to those used by lower-ranking personnel. First, he used the compass's power to project a detection field that wasn't large in area but was highly precise. After confirming there were no poisonous insects or snakes hidden underground, he... opened the base of the compass.

"Hey... what are you doing?"

"This compass has many functions, you know. It's very practical."

He then took out several Spirit Stones, each only the size of a marble, and inserted them before reattaching the base. I felt an extremely faint fluctuation spread out from the compass. As the fluctuation passed over me, my body felt slightly numb, like a static shock.

"It doesn't necessarily require someone to be present to drive this thing. Once the Spirit Stones are installed, it can operate automatically. It's currently in an alert network state; it will notify us as soon as something approaches." he explained.

What a convenient function. This would greatly reduce the burden on the night watch. Just as I was thinking this, I suddenly felt a tingling sensation all over my body, as if a strong static current had passed through me. Si Nanlong, standing beside me, also changed his expression. "It's the alarm! It really came as soon as you said it!"

We hurried to the edge of the camp. Quite a few people were already gathered there, holding their weapons, but everyone looked relaxed, with no tension in the air. I squeezed my way to the front and finally saw the true form of the intruders... But what is this?

A pile of colorful, fluffy things were crammed together on the ground. Each one only reached my ankles. They looked like a combination of an Angora rabbit and a squirrel, with short limbs. They rolled around, making squeaking noises, not inspiring any sense of danger at all, but rather... a bit of cuteness?

Si Nanlong burst out laughing, "So it's Ramon Rabbits. What an unnecessary scare. They're one of the few herbivorous Demonic Beasts here and usually hide in burrows. It seems we've set up camp next to their den."

Demonic Beasts are herbivores? The more I looked at these rabbits, the more I liked them. Small, fluffy, harmless to humans, a stark contrast to the fanged monsters we encountered before. They were a perfect balm for my soul.

They're so cute! I want to catch one and raise it~~

Crack! Brains splattered—Li Cha, standing next to me, kicked out and directly blew up a Ramon Rabbit's head.

"Waaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh my pettttttttttttt!!!!!!!!!"

"Miss Liu, what are you so excited about?" Si Nanlong looked at me in surprise. "Ramon Rabbit meat is famously delicious, didn't you know?"

I neither knew nor wanted to know! And you guys were happy because you could eat rabbit meat!?

...And so, for dinner, we had roasted rabbit meat. I said I didn't want it, but my body was honest, eating skewer after skewer. Damn it... it's really delicious...

The night passed without incident. The next day, we set off early again. If everything goes as expected, we should reach our first survey point—Salt Crystal Lake—this afternoon.

I was surprised to find that the closer we got to our destination, the sparser the vegetation became, and the fewer Demonic Beasts there were. After noon, the surroundings were completely barren land, looking no different from the deserts on Earth. It did, however, resemble the kind of place where an inland saltwater lake might appear.

"We're here," Rui Feng, at the head of the team, pointed forward.

Ahead, a vast expanse of white turned out to be a large lake. Upon closer inspection, twenty centimeters below the water's surface was a thick layer of crystalline salt covering the entire lake, as if a partition had been inserted beneath the water. The crystalline salt was covered in intricate patterns carved by the flowing water, a natural ornamentation more beautiful than any man-made design, captivating the heart.

"I never expected such a beautiful lake in this desolate wilderness!" Rui Xin exclaimed. She turned to me and suddenly gasped, "Liu Ye, are you crying?"

Reminded by her, I realized that two streams of tears had already flowed down my cheeks and chin, unable to be hidden even by my hood. I quickly wiped away my tears, an indescribable sadness rising from my heart. This was the first time I had experienced such a feeling since coming to Spirit Star: homesickness.

That's right, homesickness! When I was a child, due to my father's work, I lived in a small town in Qinghai for a period. The scenery of the salt lake not far from the town is still vividly etched in my memory: the azure sky, the clear water, the beautiful salt formations, all identical to the beauty before me! In a daze, I seemed to have returned to my childhood, wearing sandals, laughing and jumping on the salt flats, my father chasing after me, telling me not to wander too far...

"...Ye, Liu Ye!"

"...Ah, sorry, I was spacing out." Hearing Rui Xin's voice, I finally snapped back to reality.

"You suddenly started crying, and then you were lost in thought. What's wrong?"

"It's nothing, just... I miss home a little."

Rui Xin's eyes narrowed. This was a good opportunity to probe the background of this mysterious woman. But in the end, she said nothing. Taking advantage of someone's sorrow was too much of a mood killer.

"Alright, everyone quiet down. I'm going to start now. I need to concentrate."

We immediately fell silent. Si Nanlong arranged a circle of Spirit Stones on the ground. He stood in the center of the circle, holding the compass to his chest, his eyes closed as if in meditation. After a moment, the air vibrated slightly, and the Spiritual Energy dispersed in the air converged towards him with astonishing speed. Streams of Spiritual Energy, thick as liquid, shot out from the Spirit Stones on the ground. Some entered his body, while the majority flowed into the compass. One by one, the Spirit Stones were depleted of their Spiritual Energy and lost their luster, but the compass continued to absorb.

"Buzz!"

Finally, as the last Spirit Stone lost its luster, the compass let out a low hum, and the strongest fluctuation I had ever felt spread out, covering the entire lake, the desert, and a third of the entire responsible area. Si Nanlong maintained his posture, frowning, his eyelids twitching slightly, appearing to be in great difficulty. We all stood at a distance, afraid to disturb him.

Time passed second by second. After half an hour, the compass finally stopped operating. Si Nanlong, somewhat drained, sat down on the ground and said with exhaustion but relief, "Detection complete. Preliminary analysis shows no anomalies. The main information has been stored in the compass. We'll conduct further analysis after returning..."

Just as we were about to help him up, his expression changed drastically.

"Careful of the ground!!!"

As soon as he spoke, the ground began to shake violently. A scar-like crack appeared on the barren land, and a large amount of soil and rocks caved in from beneath the crack. In just a few seconds, the crack expanded into a huge pit!

After the pit formed, the ground stopped shaking, but our sense of crisis grew stronger. We could feel that there must be something extremely dangerous lurking beneath this deep chasm! At some point, all surrounding sounds disappeared, leaving only a deathly silence before the impending battle.

"Hiss..."

A strange sound came from underground, hoarse and dry, reminiscent of a broken radio, sending shivers down my spine.

BOOM! The ground shook violently, and a large amount of sand and stones shot up into the sky. A colossal object soared out and landed heavily on the ground, filling the air with dust. As the smoke cleared, I stared dumbfounded at the bizarre creature before me. My teammates all wore expressions of disbelief. Rui Feng's face was more solemn than ever.

"It's actually a Desolate Beast..."