Wu Youren was alone again. He was not particularly wary of the female Knight's team, either, and ate and drank without minding them.
Mainly, being wary would do him no good, so why seek out trouble for himself?
To the youth, the food Knight Luo Xi had left behind was of genuinely good quality. There was even a small piece of compressed blood food among it.
It did not taste very good, but it would definitely help with cultivation.
For a Knight, it was only enough to replenish everyday blood and qi expenditure, but for a Knight Apprentice, it was an enormous help.
The female Knight did not pester him again, partly because the youth was too cold, and partly because her wristwatch kept vibrating. She had plenty to do.
Just before darkness fell completely, Luo Xi returned on his motorcycle and called for Wu Youren to pack up and leave.
The female Knight snapped her fingers as well. The five of them boarded their motorcycle and off-road vehicle, following behind the motorcycle with the sidecar.
The two sides did not even speak.
She clearly intended to stick with the pair, and Luo Xi knew he could not refuse, so he might as well not ask.
Half an hour later, it was completely dark, and they had reached the depths of the Rust Zone.
"Here will do," Wu Youren decided, turning to glance behind them.
Luo Xi also glanced back, then drove the motorcycle off the main road and straight toward a cluster of abandoned factory buildings.
There were abandoned homes in the Rust District, too, but most were low and cramped, making them unsuitable for keeping watch or fighting with broad, sweeping movements.
The motorcycle drove into a large factory building. The two dismounted, and Wu Youren began setting up traps again.
The female Knight's team drove their motorcycle and off-road vehicle inside as well.
As soon as she got out, she asked, "Did you find something?"
"No." Wu Youren shook his head. "I haven't sensed any danger. I just want to stake this place out for a couple of days."
Luo Xi countered with a question of his own. "Aren't you going to keep investigating the Suotu Town incident?"
"Someone else is worrying about that," the female Knight answered casually. "We suffered heavy losses. We only need to cooperate a little."
After a pause, she asked, "Would this young friend be willing to accept a requisition?"
It was clear that her interest in Wu Youren was exceptionally strong.
"Discuss it with the martial academy," Luo Xi replied offhandedly. "Red Pine isn't a lower-tier martial academy. It trains mid- and high-level talent!"
The Intelligence Agency did not have much authority to requisition people in the first place. That was determined by the nature of the department.
Martial artists from mid-tier martial academies truly counted as talent. Even the military had to follow the proper procedures to requisition them.
"No fun," the female Knight drawled, then instructed her people to set up traps.
In the blink of an eye, the first half of the night passed. During the latter half, a faint metallic sound suddenly rang out.
Luo Xi was on watch, lightly dozing. At the sound, his eyes snapped open, and he silently gave a light kick.
Wu Youren, lying by his feet, stirred and slowly opened his eyes.
Among the five nearby, someone was likewise taking a turn on watch. They also heard the sound and began discreetly alerting their companions.
The female Knight, who had been lying quietly at rest, opened her eyes instantly as well. She quietly curled up and slowly sat upright.
Both Luo Xi's pair and the other five had left their vehicles' small lights on while resting.
In the dim light, the factory building looked empty. They could not see what had touched the trap.
The alarm bell had been triggered, yet they could not find a target. All seven were puzzled.
No one spoke, however. Instead, they slowly gathered up the weapons beside them and quietly adjusted their positions.
Time ticked by, second by second, and the vast factory building was frighteningly silent.
A dozen or so minutes later, someone on the female Knight's side gave a small yawn, then let out a soft nasal grunt. "Hmm?"
He was a little unconvinced, because the trap that had sounded the alarm had been set by the youth from the martial academy.
That soft grunt was a veiled question: could the other party's young age mean his trap-setting skills were lacking, and the alarm had gone off by mistake?
Strictly speaking, such mistakes were not uncommon, even on the battlefield-a gust of wind could set off an alarm by accident.
But being jolted awake in the middle of the night like this still left people a little unhappy.
Yet with his soft grunt, a black shadow flashed, attacking him with incredible speed.
Although he was only a Knight Apprentice, he was still a seasoned martial artist. Without thinking, he slashed out with his saber!
With a soft clang, his slash drove the shadow back, and it let out a muffled growl. "Grrr..."
"A leopard cat," someone said, recognizing the shadow. "They really did follow us here!"
A Monkey Tiger was a large leopard cat that had become a spirit, and it held considerable power over leopard cats of different species.
With a Chang Ghost's assistance, it could control them even more effectively.
The next instant, several more black shadows flashed forward, lunging at them.
Dozens more leopard cats appeared nearby, their shadowy forms making up a sizable pack.
These leopard cats had limited strength. Even the strongest fell short of Knight level.
But these creatures were born hunters, light and swift in their movements, skilled at ambushes, and exceptionally patient.
The key was that, despite their focus on agility, they were far from weak. Their attacking power was anything but ordinary.
These leopard cats had clearly appeared for Luo Xi and Wu Youren.
The two had not only killed the Monkey Tiger but taken its head, too. They had forged no small grudge.
The Intelligence Agency's people naturally felt a little wronged-we hadn't gained the slightest benefit, yet we were being dragged into this too?
Where could they possibly go to seek justice for that?
But immediately afterward, the female Knight gave a light cough. "Enough. Stop grumbling indiscriminately. Most of these leopard cats have weird qi inside them!"
"At least someone understands what's going on," Luo Xi snorted disdainfully. "These are clearly the Weird Race's vanguard!"
These leopard cats had not attacked while he was in the mountains. Now that they had followed him here, could they possibly have come of their own accord?
Then he asked lightly, "You or me?"
There were quite a few leopard cats, but their strength was limited. They could not inflict much harm on the group.
Still, it would be very difficult for a few Knight Apprentices to kill so many agile leopard cats.
The key was that weird qi might enter their bodies, too. That was the biggest headache of all!
So the wisest choice was for a Knight to act and eliminate the future trouble swiftly and cleanly!
"Your problem. Solve it yourself!" the female Knight answered without hesitation.
"I'll cover you. We caused the trouble with that weird qi, so we'll handle it!"
"Fair enough!" Luo Xi saw no problem with that division of responsibility. "That was exactly what I had in mind!"
The next instant, he drew the broadsword from his back. His figure flashed, leaving trails of afterimages through the factory building.
A series of clangs rang out as the leopard cats' claws met the broadsword head-on.
But how could a Knight Apprentice's attacks possibly compare to a Knight's?
In just half a minute, dozens of leopard cat corpses lay scattered across the vast factory building.
Luo Xi did not dare let his guard down. He cautiously retreated, only to discover that a leopard cat's corpse was also lying right beside Wu Youren.