Bringing Back the Remains

Rustle, rustle.

In the silent jungle, there was only the sound of Chen Xuan's footsteps. The entire forest felt so empty that it made people intensely uncomfortable.

"It's getting quieter and quieter!"

Chen Xuan murmured softly, his eyes narrowing in concentration. As someone who often went into the mountains, he had naturally noticed that the mountain had grown increasingly silent over this period of time.

He was no fool. Silence did not mean safety—quite the opposite. Even without using the system to investigate, he knew that the mountain forest was probably becoming more dangerous by the day.

And that kind of danger was no good thing for him.

The Conceptual Ability was indeed powerful. As long as he set it, even if he went up the mountain, he could ensure everything went without a hitch. Yet because of the world's compatibility level, as the danger level rose, the requirements for him to achieve safety would rise even further.

In that case, there was no need for him to keep lingering here.

His thoughts churned, but his steps did not slow. Instead, he quickened his pace even more.

By the time sunlight could filter through the towering trees and reach the ground, Chen Xuan had finally arrived at the three-thousand-step mark.

Yet the moment he arrived—

His expression froze.

The chaotic scene he had imagined did not appear.

The surroundings were quiet. There was not even any sign of fighting or of vicious beasts passing through. Everything was deathly still.

There had been fourteen people, after all.

In Chen Xuan's view, the only things capable of wiping out all fourteen of them were large ferocious beasts, or terrifying monsters like the Giant Python. And whether it was a large predator or the Giant Python, feeding would inevitably leave behind considerable changes to the area.

Yet there was nothing at all. That left him stunned and filled with doubt.

Still, doubt was doubt. With a thought from Chen Xuan, the Conceptual Ability immediately stirred.

Target: Search for the remains of Zhang Shan and the other fourteen people who went up the mountain to hunt (pending confirmation)

Setting complete

"Loading!"

"Loading successful!"

"Route one: Depart from here and proceed one hundred steps. Reach the large tree ahead to obtain the remains of Zhang Shan and the other fourteen people!"

As the words appeared, Chen Xuan looked ahead, then stepped forward once more.

It had to be said that with this Conceptual Ability, he was practically omniscient.

Many things that were exceedingly difficult for others were not difficult for him at all. After all, as long as he altered the setting, he could obtain the information he wanted.

Just like now.

As his thoughts turned, he swiftly crossed a hundred steps and arrived beneath that large tree.

With a single sweep of his gaze, Chen Xuan immediately spotted the scattered fragments of bone.

Seeing those pale bones still clinging with flesh, Chen Xuan's scalp instantly went numb.

Beneath the great tree lay hundreds of bones in a chaotic mess, along with torn clothing, shattered short spears, and bows and arrows scattered across the ground. There were also plenty of traces of animal activity nearby.

Clearly, Zhang Shan and the others had been gnawed apart by prey.

Chen Xuan let out a sigh.

He forcibly suppressed the discomfort in his heart.

Taking a deep breath, Chen Xuan pulled out the sack he had prepared long ago from his cart.

Using the sack to cover his hands, he slowly gathered up the remains.

They were from the same village, and Zhang Shan had even taught him for a time. So long as there was no danger, Chen Xuan naturally did not mind gathering their remains and taking them back to the village.

Half an hour later.

He had placed the bones around him into the sack one by one, then put in whatever items he could collect.

As for which bones belonged to which person, Chen Xuan naturally did not bother distinguishing them.

Even though he had the ability to do so, and could easily identify them with the Conceptual Ability, he did not want to go through that much trouble. Bringing them back was already the utmost of his benevolence and righteousness.

After collecting the remains, he continued onward.

Today's wild boar was still about a thousand steps farther ahead. It was already getting late, so he had to act quickly.

Fortunately, the road ahead was much easier to travel.

About fifteen minutes later, he arrived at the valley described by the Conceptual Ability.

Because he had been delayed at the site of Zhang Shan and the others' remains, the three wild boar had already appeared in the valley.

There were even more than three. Several piglets were there as well, and the boars were constantly rooting through the ground for food.

Chen Xuan did not hesitate in the slightest. He quickly found his position, then drew his bow and nocked an arrow.

Whoosh!

The bowstring thrummed. The stronger bowstring unleashed even greater force, and the distance of over a hundred steps vanished in an instant.

One wild boar had only just instinctively raised its head when it felt a sharp pain in its rear.

"Awooo!"

A shrill cry rang out. The wild boar bolted in pain, but after only an instant, the arrow protruding from its rear tripped it and sent it crashing to the ground.

The tremendous commotion alerted the other two wild boar. They instantly raised their heads, but at the very moment they did—

Whoosh!

Two arrows tore through the air once more. One of the other wild boar had its ear and upper skull pierced through in an instant, while the other had its eye pierced.

But they were clearly not fatal wounds.

"Awooo!"

Another shrill cry rang out, and that wild boar also began running wildly.

In an instant, the entire valley descended into chaos.

Chen Xuan did not hesitate. He drew his bow and nocked another arrow.

Another arrow flew forth.

Pfft!

The head of the wild boar lying on the ground was pierced clean through, killing it on the spot.

But at that moment, the other wild boar had no mind to care about any of this. The intense pain had driven them into a frenzy. They charged about wildly, and soon rushed out of the valley.

Once they had left the valley, Chen Xuan entered it with his cart.

After hunting wild boar time and again, he was now highly experienced.

Even without the Conceptual Ability, he could now be considered a qualified hunter.

When he reached the wild boar, its body was still twitching instinctively. Chen Xuan paid it no mind. With its head pierced through, there was no other possibility for it.

He picked up the hemp rope and tied up the wild boar.

Chen Xuan dragged the wild boar and the remains of Zhang Shan and the others down the mountain.

With the addition of the remains, this load was undoubtedly much heavier.

But that was not a problem for Chen Xuan.

Dragging the wild boar along, he was not exactly at ease, but it did not greatly hinder his movements.

The evening glow gradually spilled across the land.

At the foot of the mountain behind Small River Village.

At this moment, a large group of villagers had gathered here for nearly half a day.

Everyone was nervous, expectant, and uneasy.

They hoped to see familiar figures emerge from that deep, shadowy forest.

Yet as time slowly passed, the forest remained unchanged. The figures they had imagined did not appear, and they had not even seen that slender figure.