In the Mist Forest, Chen Fan and Chen Ke faced off.
Chen Ke set down the map in his hand, his gaze sweeping over Chen Fan's tense shoulders and the hand trembling faintly within his sleeve. A barely perceptible smile curled at the corner of his lips.
He reached up and tugged at his backpack strap. The metal buckle clinked crisply, sounding especially abrupt in the silent forest.
"Rookie?" Chen Ke broke the silence first, his voice carrying a hint of casual indifference.
He drew his long blade halfway from its sheath, its surface reflecting Chen Fan's wary face. "Judging by the way you look, you don't seem like someone who spends much time out in the wild."
Chen Fan did not answer. His eyes remained fixed on the long blade at Chen Ke's waist and the firearm attached to his backpack.
He could sense an ease about the man that seemed utterly out of place in the Mist Forest, as though he had long grown accustomed to such dangerous environments.
"Who are you? What are you doing here?" Chen Fan shot back, his voice unconsciously rising a little.
At that, Chen Ke chuckled and sheathed his blade. "My name is Chen Ke. As for why I'm here..."
He deliberately paused, a sly glint flashing through his eyes. "Same as you. Looking for something."
As he spoke, he pulled a compact device from his backpack. A ghostly blue light flickered across its screen. "But I have this. It's much safer than blundering around blindly like you."
Chen Fan frowned. He did not know what the device did, but his instincts told him that it might prove tremendously useful in the Mist Forest.
"You're not afraid of the dangers in this forest?" Chen Fan asked. "Those wild gods..."
"Wild gods?" Chen