Chapter 144 Wealth (First Update)
Although the mission of exploring is dangerous, the explorers also have a lot of say.
A single sentence from a young man in the Jin could essentially determine the fate of the person crying for help.
Namuzha quickly echoed, "I have no objection!"
He had no idea what the other person was doing, so he naturally supported his teammate unconditionally.
Our own safety is the most important thing; what does it matter whether the other party is a human or a cunning villain?
Instructor Hong nodded. "Good. Don't reach out unless you're absolutely certain they're human!"
There was no controversy over the order, but upon hearing it, Namuzha glanced at the boy beside him, seemingly unintentionally.
No wonder Hong Da didn't want this person's identity revealed; otherwise, this scene alone might have sparked speculation.
So, would the hostage prince of Jin seize these opportunities to deliberately harm the warriors of Liang?
I'll think about it and not think about it too much. If I get scammed, so be it. It's better than being the one who gets scammed.
It took them two days to finally reach the vicinity of the main camp they had visited before.
Even though I knew the way well, it still took twice as long.
Along the way, they killed eight Weird Transformation creatures, and that was without taking the initiative to attack.
The only thing they got from the strange creature was a piece of elemental material, which is relatively common.
This income-expense ratio basically guarantees that there will be no loss, but it is still far from making a huge profit.
The cave they dug last time is still there, but the Weird Transformation vines around it seem to have grown much stronger.
"Dig a hole and bury some supplies," Instructor Hong said again, "This place isn't suitable as our main camp."
In her plan, this place could only be one of the secret hideouts, for unforeseen circumstances.
Hong Da didn't even plan to set up a main camp. "----This thing isn't very useful. Where is the Weird Qi you investigated last time?"
With Great Knight in charge, the team has a different kind of confidence. What she meant was that wherever the team went, a temporary camp would be set up.
In addition, bury a few more supplies as temporary resupply points in case of emergency.
This was a last-minute decision, but no one questioned it.
There are no fixed rules in the battles between humans and Weird Race; anything that works is acceptable.
Wu Youren led the way, bringing everyone to a pillar of Weird Qi. He had led the way last time as well, so he was already quite familiar with the place.
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He added, "There are more Weird Transformation birds here, making them easier to hunt than outside. It's a rare opportunity—hmm?"
The Weird Qi he saw this time was two centimeters thicker than the one before, and more importantly, it was still rising!
The number of strange creatures in the surrounding area has also increased significantly.
About seven or eight kilometers from the Weird Qi, Instructor Hong chose a spot. "Let's build the camp here."
This time, she finally didn't ask the young man from Jin to help her investigate; she made the decision herself.
The senior instructor's reputation still needs to be maintained.
Wu Youren remained silent, only nodding slightly. After all, he was Great Knight; once he got serious—the location was indeed excellent.
With seven Knight in the team, setting up the camp was a breeze; three people were enough to ensure speed and secrecy.
Other duties include guarding and maintaining order—someone is responsible for everything.
Wu Youren finally understood what it meant to say, "I've never fought such a rich battle in my entire life."
Unfortunately, he couldn't just be a spectator after all; once the civil engineering was completed, it was his turn to set up the mechanisms.
The good thing is that one of the Knight who came this time is also skilled in mechanical arts.
This is also a woman Daiqisi; judging from her appearance, she's not much older Ailin.
Wu Youren was somewhat curious: how much did the Liang look down on mechanical arts, that it was mostly women who studied them?
Of course, he wouldn't ask that question aloud. Instructor Hong was also a woman, and he absolutely didn't want to experience that kind of punch.
However, it must be acknowledged that Daiqisi is truly highly skilled in the field of mechanical contraptions.
She's not only better than Ailin, but also a bit better than him.
They have very solid and comprehensive systematic knowledge.
Fortunately, Wu Youren wasn't inferior to his opponent in every way; he was slightly better at setting up traps for actual combat.
It feels like the difference between a sect and Rogue Cultivator.
After settling into camp, the team began hunting the Weird Transformation creatures. No one dared to touch the ever-changing Weird Qi.
Everyone chose a direction that was away from the Weird Qi.
The hunt was very methodical, with the teams divided into two groups.
Before setting out, Instructor Hong would have Wu Youren sense which areas were relatively safe.
No one else had any objections.
It seems that, without anyone realizing it, everyone has come to believe that the boy's soon-to-awaken superpower is of the sensory type.
Both teams were highly efficient at hunting down the monsters. With the Great Knight protecting them, they didn't need to worry too much even if they got close to the Weird Qi.
Among the six new Knight, two were archers, one of whom was a female archer with exceptional archery skills.
Instructor Hong clearly had some ideas, but she didn't explain them too clearly; she just made some arrangements.
She advised her Knight that, when the situation was similar, they should prioritize hunting down the Weird Transformation birds.
The Knight had guessed some of it, but no one said anything; they just followed orders and everyone could learn something new.
However, hunting birds is significantly more difficult, and occasionally, birds will fall towards the pillar of Weird Qi before they die.
Fortunately, with Instructor Hong, the Great Knight, there was timely support to finish off the enemy at crucial moments, preventing any major mishaps.
The young man from Jin did not participate in the hunt; he had another important task: to observe the unusual movements of the Weird Qi!
In Instructor Hong's words. "With me here, you just need to focus on sensing danger."
Wu Youren didn't care about this. The hunts were all conducted in the surrounding area, and he could always gain some experience points.
The strange items that everyone collects will be converted into wealth in the future, and he will also have a share.
Although he received the lowest share and didn't get any kill rewards for looting equipment, he wasn't short of money anymore, so getting a share was fine.
During the lulls in his vigilance, he had plenty of free time to carefully analyze the changes in his experience points.
With so many teammates around, he had to be careful and cautious during his training, and it was impossible for him to openly display his fighting style.
Often he would rather endure it than rush to absorb the heat within his body, lest someone notice something amiss—too many eyes would notice.
Not long after, he unexpectedly discovered that if the experience points in his body were not absorbed quickly, they would naturally dissipate over time.
If we explain it in terms of luck, it makes sense – young man, the opportunity was given to you, but you failed!
Fortunately, his experience points are being gained intermittently and in small amounts, so the loss isn't too painful.
In the blink of an eye, five days had passed, and the group had actually obtained eleven strange items.
This efficiency is extraordinary; it's as if they entered the Weird Domain not to annihilate the Weird Race, but specifically to loot equipment.
Starting on the sixth day, efficiency began to decline because someone was injured, and then someone else was attacked by the Weird Qi.
Fortunately, none of them were very serious; they should recover after a day or two of rest.
On the eleventh day, the female archer was staking out a Weird Transformation flying bird when she suddenly noticed some unusual movement in the white mist above. The next moment, Wu Youren's voice came from her wristwatch.
He was using the walkie-talkie. "Be careful, there may be unknown dangers approaching from above. We recommend returning to camp!"
"Retreat!" Instructor Hong declared without hesitation, "Abandon the prey we're chasing!"
Namuzha's group retreated slowly because they were surrounding and killing a horned lizard!
They decisively gave up, but the horned lizard was already envious and chased after them relentlessly.
They couldn't retreat straight back to their camp, as that would likely attract even more Weird Transformation creatures and Weird Race.
It was two hours later when they finally managed to retreat, and it was only thanks to Instructor Hong that they arrived.
As they entered the camp, they were followed by dozens of fist-sized hornets, which were also Weird Transformation.
Most of these creatures are at the level of Knight Apprentice, with only two reaching the level of Knight.
Killing them isn't difficult, but it takes time and could potentially attract a greater threat.
They rushed into the camp, and the Weird-Dispelling Powder atmosphere there immediately halted the pursuit of the hornets.
But these creatures were unwilling to leave, and kept circling around them.
After several days of continuous modifications, the camp retained firing ports and also had netting mechanisms.
"Get rid of them!" Namuzha shouted angrily, the retreat was quite a mess.
At the same time, several people looked up and peered into the sky through the hole.
The sky was originally shrouded in mist, but now it has darkened somewhat.
But this darkness also carries a hint of subtle transparency, unlike the kind of darkness found in dark clouds.
It was as if the other side of the sky was black.
In this overwhelming darkness, there were some distinct, distorted ripples, still flowing or—wriggling?
The entire sky was writhing, vaguely converging towards the northwest.
The top of the Weird Qi not far away also seemed to drift little by little, swaying and extending in the northwest direction.
The group observed the area above from the camp, but their view was somewhat limited.
However, everyone could still see that the sky in the northwest was violently vibrating and distorting, emitting a strange rhythm.
It gives people a subtle sense of pressure, as well as a very eerie and sinister feeling.
It was as if some terrifying being was about to descend from the sky.
"Do you want to grow up?" the Instructor Hong muttered softly, seemingly referring to nothing in particular.
The next moment, a strange sound came, vast and omnipresent, with syllables in a certain pattern, like chanting a spell.
As the sound appeared, the distortion in the northwest gradually began to converge into a large mass of fluctuations, which trembled slightly incessantly.
The most violent tremor occurred in the center of this wave, where a crack was faintly visible.
It was as if an enormous eye was trying desperately to open.
At the same time, countless Weird Qi and Weird Transformation creatures in the surrounding area became restless.
The hornets outside the camp stopped circling and flew around erratically, as if they had drunk too much.
It wasn't just them; among the nine people in Red Pine, two had already begun to look lost.
Chapter 145 is here (Second Update)
Hong Yan noticed the two Knight ' condition in time and shouted, "Wake up!"
His hoarse, smoky voice surprisingly had a deep, resonant quality; even though he was straining his breath to make a sound, it still produced a powerful echo.
Fortunately, at this moment, the Weird Domain is experiencing widespread abnormal turmoil, and even the recently Weird Transformation Tiger-headed Bees have not been affected in any way.
The two Knight trembled slightly, their eyes immediately regaining their clarity.
The next moment, another mighty voice boomed, reaching far and wide, " Great Knight of all factions, follow my Hall of Extraordinary Masters to slay the Great Demon!"
Immediately afterwards, several beams of light shone, striking the massive fluctuation in the northwest.
The light travels faster than lightning, and comes in various colors and thicknesses.
The nine of them are too far apart to make a precise judgment, but we can still make a rough estimate.
The thickest one is probably over a meter long, and the thinnest one is at least as thick as a calf.
What's remarkable is that it can be seen from this distance amidst the overcast skies and fog.
Wu Youren was also dumbfounded. This Liang actually had laser weapons?
However, it shouldn't be a laser, right? This kind of rainy and foggy weather is the worst for lasers to perform.
But judging from the speed of the beam, it does seem to have that potential.
" The Hall of Extraordinary Masters!" The female archer looked at the Instructor Hong, her eyes wide with barely concealed excitement. "They're gathering—"
"What's it to us?" Hong Yan snorted coldly, her face expressionless. "Whoever wants to go can go by themselves."
Upon hearing this, the entire camp fell silent. Several Knight turned their heads and looked at the chief instructor in astonishment.
That's the Hall of Extraordinary Masters! What's with your reaction?
However, no one dared to ask a question; everyone just glanced at it and then looked away.
Wu Youren didn't even turn his head; he stood there motionless, carefully observing the attack effect of the beam.
Seven or eight beams of light, almost simultaneously, struck the large, distorted wave.
A massive, indistinct wave has begun to take shape, and vaguely, it does resemble an eyeball.
Several beams of light struck the wave, causing the enormous eyeball to tremble violently.
There was no instantaneous puncture, only a violent tremor, followed by even more intense twisting and fluctuations.
The entire space seemed to begin to distort.
The beam of light did not last long, but just as it was beginning to dissipate, several more beams of light approached from afar and struck instantly.
The eyeballs trembled more and more violently, and began to swell as they distorted, seemingly on the verge of dissipating.
And then—that was it!
Intense spatial fluctuations led to a thick fog and haze, severely obstructing visibility.
Their campsite also offered poor vantage points.
"Tsk," the Namuzha finally spoke, breaking the silence, " Little Wu, can you still sense it?"
Ever since Instructor Hong declared that he had no interest in cooperating with the Hall of Extraordinary Masters ' actions, no one has dared to speak.
He spoke, but the boy stood there motionless, as if he hadn't heard him.
"Don't disturb him," the hoarse, smoky voice rose again, "Pack your valuables and be prepared to evacuate at any time."
"Those hornets have all flown away," said Daiqisi, who was skilled in mechanisms. "There are no Weird Transformation nearby."
"Silence," Instructor Hong waved his hand, his face ashen.
After a pause of twenty or thirty seconds, she spoke again, "Did you hear that?"
No one answered her. After a while, it was the Namuzha that spoke up, "No, what was that sound?"
The Chief Instructor Hong frowned slightly, remained silent for a few moments before slowly speaking, "It's hard to describe—it's almost imperceptible."
Upon hearing this, everyone couldn't help but look at the boy who stood motionless, but no one dared to speak.
Wu Youren was stunned for more than a minute before he came to his senses.
He glanced at Instructor Hong, his clear eyes still holding a hint of confusion. "What was that sound?"
Hong Yan's lips moved as if he wanted to speak, but then he raised an eyebrow and said, "Watch out!"
A strange fluctuation emanated from the camp, silent and invisible, sweeping across the camp and even reaching its interior.
Everyone present felt a sudden chill run down their spines.
Daiqisi frowned, "Spatial tremor?"
"We can't stay here any longer," Instructor Hong couldn't help but glance at the boy again, and decisively said, "We need to leave as soon as possible."
"I feel... it's not the right time," Wu Youren said hesitantly, his gaze clearing. "Maybe we should wait a little longer?"
"Why?" Instructor Hong asked bluntly.
It was intuition, Wu Youren was very certain of this, but he couldn't say it.
Otherwise, even if he escapes with his life, his inexplicable supernatural abilities will bring him endless trouble.
He spoke in a deep voice, "The attack is probably not over yet. It doesn't feel safe to flee now!"
He had already used as tactful a word as possible when speaking to the senior instructor.
The two disagreed, and the other seven remained silent, none daring to interrupt.
Instructor Hong hesitated for two or three seconds, then nodded decisively.
In crucial moments, she doesn't hesitate; even the worst decision is better than indecisiveness.
"Okay, if we go out now, it'll be easy for others to spot us."
She didn't say it explicitly, but it was obvious that she was referring to the people from the Hall of Extraordinary Masters.
Over the past ten days, everyone has been hunting down the Weird Transformation creatures in this area, and three teams have taken notice of them.
However, Hong Da revealed his identity and chased them all away: Red Pine was here to observe the changes in the Weird Qi and to be ready to deal with any anomalies at any time.
This is the deterrent power of a high-level martial artist. Even if she is just a Great Knight, the difference between having her and not having her is significant.
Other teams wanted to team up, but she rejected them without hesitation, not caring what their names were.
But now that she's worried about being discovered, the subtext is no longer worth pondering.
The female archer hesitated for a moment before speaking, " Hong Da, if it fully erupts and the Weird Domain descends into chaos, won't that increase the danger?"
She wasn't questioning the decision, but rather reminding the other party to take that into account.
"Great chaos can actually create opportunities," Namuzha said, indicating that he had seen this episode.
"If the Weird Race falls into chaos, they might not even be inclined to attack humans—we had a similar result when we detonated Weird-Exterminating Grenade at night."
The new Knight had all heard about their crazy rampage.
"I support waiting," Daiqisi said. "If the attack causes serious consequences, at least we can take refuge here."
She is an expert in mechanical design and can understand this line of thinking.
Instructor Hong nodded. "Be prepared to depart at any time—hmm?"
Another strange wave swept over, stronger than the last one, and I could feel the ground beneath my feet trembling slightly.
The same thought simultaneously popped into everyone's minds: Is this spatial tremor not over yet?
Namuzha spoke again, "Don't panic, we're quite far from there."
"That's certainly something to be thankful for," someone finally dared to speak up, "Even if we wanted to participate, we wouldn't have made it in time."
Actually, everyone still has many questions they want to ask, such as: what problems exist with the Hall of Extraordinary Masters?
But Hong Da doesn't say anything, who would dare to ask? Now is not the time to be curious; let's get through this first.
A short while later, another wave of energy rippled through the air. This time, everyone had assumed their stances and released their Battle Qi to protect themselves.
Subsequently, the fluctuations became more frequent and larger in magnitude.
More than an hour later, after more than thirty fluctuations, a faint shriek finally came.
It didn't come from humans or the Weird Race, but from the air or even—perhaps from space!
"They're here!" Instructor Hong announced, uttering only two short words.
The next moment, the ground beneath everyone's feet trembled violently, and a violent shockwave swept through, bringing countless sounds.
There were sounds of howling winds, snapping branches, clashing sand and gravel, and faint wails.
The camp was a cave-like structure, located underground. A powerful shockwave swept through, blowing away the outer protective layer.
Like peeling a bamboo shoot, waves swept by rapidly, blowing away layers of the camp's buildings.
After more than twenty minutes, the new fluctuations stopped increasing, and more than half of the spacious camp had been emptied.
All that remained were the stone caves that everyone painstakingly carved out of the rocks on the mountainside; these were completed gradually in the later stages.
Even the massive rocks were shaken by the earth, and several faint cracks appeared.
"Even the door is gone," the female archer muttered, referring to the large stone slab used to block the entrance to the cave.
"Should we observe him further?" the disciplinary inspector asked cautiously, looking at Instructor Hong. "Is there a risk of relapse?"
Hong Yan had just turned his gaze away from the hostage prince of Jin when he heard this, and shook his head. "Listen to my command, prepare to depart— Little Wu!"
Seeing that the boy didn't react, she knew what she had to do.
Wu Youren wiped the blood from his mouth and nose. "Okay, everyone stay close."
The continuous fluctuations had a huge impact on him, mainly because he dared not release his inner energy to protect himself!
However, in reality, he wasn't as miserable as he appeared.
It's nothing more than shedding a little blood. As male martial artists, what month doesn't we all have a few days of fighting and brawling?
Seeing him rush out without hesitation, the disciplinary inspector's lips twitched almost imperceptibly.
It seems I've unknowingly provoked a formidable opponent?
"Hurry up and keep up!" Hong Da pushed Daiqisi, who was still looking at the Weird Qi. " Namuzha, you cover the rear!"
"Hurry up!" the Namuzha declared decisively. "Don't pick up any strange objects you encounter, or I won't wait for you!"
"Don't be stingy with these Weird-Dispelling Powder, everyone!" the female archer shouted. "Otherwise, all the monsters we've fought these past few days will have been for nothing!"
Now everyone has nothing to worry about the Weird Qi; with the earth shaking so violently, how could the Weird Race possibly pay attention to them?
According to statistics from Great Liang, the entire Suspended Bell Mountain Weird Domain covers an area of over 1,000 square kilometers.
However, the area of mountainous regions is not calculated that way. When people are running up and down mountain roads, no one calculates the distance as a straight line.
Moreover, the Liang government unanimously believes that after the formation of the Weird Domain, it became an independent space, which is far different from the outside world's estimates.
To human warriors, this Weird Domain should be about 20,000 to 30,000 square kilometers in terms of perceived size.
Getting out of here as quickly as possible is going to be quite difficult!