In the end, Red Hare gave in.
The donkey sat down facing Chen Mo, looking utterly dejected.
Opening wide, Red Hare retched and spat out a little booklet soaked in saliva.
Chen Mo got a faceful of spit.
Revenge. Blatant revenge.
With disgust, Chen Mo pinched the booklet between his fingers.
It was thin, only a dozen pages or so.
A few youngsters wearing red scarves were drawn on its paper cover.
Several large red characters were scrawled crookedly across it.
"Eighth Set of Radio Calisthenics."
Chen Mo: ...
The donkey coughed a few times and pointed at the booklet.
"Kid, this... is a treasure."
"It's... a cultivation method for the transcendent power inside your body..."
"Follow the exercises... and you can slowly improve..."
Chen Mo took the saliva-covered booklet and wiped it a few times on the fur on Red Hare's rump in disgust.
He pointed at the other stolen goods on the ground.
"Let's divide these first."
"The First-Tier Energy Core is mine. The second-tier vengeful soul is yours."
The donkey pawed disgustedly at the saliva smeared across the fur, but raised no objection.
That went without saying, given how they had agreed to divide the main spoils of this operation.
A hoof pointed at the Hairy Savage's hand and the canine skull.
"What about these? You take the bone. There's still some meat on that claw, so let me suck it clean!"
With that, the donkey opened that enormous mouth and went to bite the claw.
Chen Mo hurriedly pushed the donkey aside.
This donkey usually seems pretty smart. How does that IQ drop so low at the sight of food?
Forget Red Hare. Greedy Old Donkey would be a better name.
Red Hare bit empty air and was just about to lash out.
Chen Mo put the items away and explained.
"These two go into the Starfire Council's communal supplies later."
"First, people who hog everything never end well."
"Second, we drag them into this too. If Old Zhang catches up with us, they'll have a share in it."
Red Hare flicked those ears in tacit agreement.
"You're a crafty little bastard."
"Fine. We'll do it your way."
With a little more patience now, the donkey pointed at the pale blue potion on the ground and asked, "What about this potion?"
Chen Mo clearly had no intention of dividing that up yet. He took the little booklet in hand.
"No rush. Let's talk about these radio calisthenics first."
"You're an uncanny creature. You just need to devour things, right? You can't practice this, can you? How about I keep it?"
The donkey rolled those eyes at Chen Mo, as though looking at a kid who had never seen the world.
"Don't think you can hog it all, kid. I'm telling you, I can learn it too."
"I'm a Variant among Variants. You wouldn't understand even if I explained."
"The two of us can learn this in secret. Just don't spread it around."
The donkey blurted it all out without thinking.
The moment the words left that mouth, Red Hare realized the slip and immediately clapped a hoof over it.
The corners of Chen Mo's mouth lifted into a faint smile.
So this donkey really was hiding something.
Let that slip yourself, didn't you?
Chen Mo flexed his knuckles, making them crack.
"If we can both learn it, why were you hiding it all this time?"
"Could it be... you have something else?"
The donkey looked a little guilty under his stare and waved a hoof at Chen Mo.
"All right, all right. The potion's yours."
"Kid, everything I can hand over is right here! Push me any further and I'll fight you to the death today!"
"Stop getting ideas about things you shouldn't."
With that, the donkey hastily pushed Chen Mo out of the truck.
Red Hare turned and grabbed the chain tethering the Lion-Headed Vengeful Soul nearby.
Humming a little tune with a sleazy look, the donkey ducked into the passage behind the driver's seat.
With a bang, Red Hare kicked the passage door shut.
"Little lion, don't be scared. Grandpa Donkey's about to show you what real pleasure feels like..."
Chen Mo withdrew his contemptuous gaze. This old donkey never behaved properly.
Right now, getting stronger was the only thing that mattered.
Booklet in hand, Chen Mo sat beside the campfire in front of the truck.
By the faint firelight, he opened the "Eighth Set of Radio Calisthenics."
The booklet contained illustrations of standard radio calisthenics movements.
The difference was that dense annotations in red ink filled the spaces beside the drawings.
First exercise: stretching.
Sink your qi into the dantian and focus your mind on the baihui point.
Guide the transcendent power within your body, sense the Tide Cry energy in the air, and resonate at the same frequency...
Second exercise: chest expansion.
Open and close both arms like bellows. With each breath in and out, draw the "cry" into your body...
Every set of movements came with these cryptic explanations.
Let's give it a try!
Chen Mo stood up and looked around. Most people were already fast asleep.
Only a few people from the Bus had been assigned to keep watch around the perimeter.
Chen Mo moved to another spot, using the Dump Truck to block himself from view.
He followed the booklet's illustrations and annotations.
He raised both arms and stretched his body.
The first attempt failed.
On the second attempt, there was still no response.
Did that donkey get a fake?
Try again.
His third attempt.
When he fully immersed his mind, a sensation unlike anything he had ever experienced emerged.
The transcendent power inside his body began to spread.
Gray-black particles flickered into view in the air.
Is this Tide Cry energy?
Chen Mo kept going and began the second exercise.
Relax the body, open the pores, and admit the energy.
A stabbing pain shot through his body, swiftly spreading into every limb and bone.
When it encountered the transcendent power inside him, it seemed to be soothed, and the pain quickly receded.
It works!
He opened and closed his arms, breathing in and out.
Faint chewing sounds came from the Dump Truck beside him.
The donkey had started eating.
Chen Mo ignored it and immersed himself in the pain and the exhilaration of growing stronger.
But there was something Chen Mo did not see.
Not far away, the narrow gap in the Hummer's window slowly closed.
A hand with bright red nail polish held a cigarette between its fingers.
It was Zhang Meili, Brother Dao's wife, who seemed to be nothing more than a pretty face.
Brother Dao turned to Zhang Meili and spoke first.
"Honey, do you think those movements could be why that kid Chen Mo awakened?"
Her red lips parted, slowly releasing a plume of smoke.
"Memorize them. Have Yellow-Hair secretly try them later."
"If there's something wrong with those movements, or if anyone finds out, throw him under the bus."
"You really do think of everything, honey."
The window rolled down. Zhang Meili tossed out her cigarette butt and glanced at the figure whose movements were growing increasingly practiced.
Her alluring face slowly disappeared as the window closed.
Chen Mo had no idea how long he had practiced.
By the time he finished the final cooldown exercise, the sky had begun to pale.
Chen Mo moved his arms, feeling no fatigue at all.
He could clearly feel that the transcendent power inside him had grown a little.
If he kept practicing like this, he would probably reach the next level in less than two months.
Pretending he had just finished his morning exercise, Chen Mo yawned and returned to the Dump Truck.
The donkey lay sprawled in the truck bed, drool soaking the box of instant noodles nearby.
The Lion-Headed Vengeful Soul was gone.
The only proof it had ever existed was a length of iron chain tossed carelessly into the truck bed...
Eighty kilometers from Spark Camp.
A red figure darted and dodged through a bank of white fog.
Old Zhang was covered in blood,
wearing a standard-issue red robe.
A blurred emblem of a city wall on his chest was obscured by blood.
He clutched an ancient-looking bronze mirror.
Light shimmered across its surface, and every time he activated it, a red curtain of light burst forth.
It scattered the white ghostly figures of all shapes and sizes.
But the dense fog seemed to be a breeding ground for ghosts.
For every one that fell, dozens more emerged from the depths of the mist.
"Useless fool. All you do is make trouble for the organization."
Another figure in a red robe had appeared beside Old Zhang at some point and impatiently waved a hand.
The uncanny creatures before them vanished instantly.
The newcomer shook out his hand and turned to Old Zhang, who was still panting heavily.
"Strange. These things are starting to find ways to move around in sunlight."
The man glanced at Old Zhang, who was coughing up blood, and tossed him a token burning with black flames. His voice was icy.
"You can look for that little shipment you lost later. This is an urgent Beacon Fire Token."
"The great tide may be coming."
"And those lunatics in the south are still plotting to return to the towns."
Before you continue