Carrying the precious materials cut from the Double-Headed Black-Line Snake,
which still gave off a faint fishy smell,
the members of the Fire Hammer Squad returned to their suite on the twelfth floor of a residential building in the complex.
They silently sorted and packed the materials.
Their movements were practiced, but they were much quieter than usual.
The elation of having taken their revenge gradually settled.
In its place came a faint premonition of their impending parting.
A complex mood hung in the air.
Luo Feng neatly folded a piece of processed snakeskin and placed it in a special sealed bag.
His movements were noticeably sluggish, and his gaze drifted into the distance from time to time. He seemed preoccupied.
Gao Feng, Chen Gu and the others noticed.
They assumed he was reluctant to part with the squad and his brothers.
They were moved as well, but said nothing to disturb him.
While Luo Feng was distracted, Lin Mo's calm voice sounded once again from the depths of his sea of consciousness.
It was like a clear spring flowing through his heart, yet it carried the composure of someone who had seen through the ways of the world.
"Luo Feng."
Lin Mo's voice was serene and unruffled.
"Are you troubled because you're about to part with these comrades of yours?"
Luo Feng answered in his consciousness, with a trace of sorrow that was hard to detect.
"Teacher, it just feels a little sudden. We've been through so much together."
"Such are the turns of life."
At that moment, Lin Mo's voice carried a faraway quality.
"No one can stay by your side forever as you travel every road that lies ahead."
"The path of a warrior is lonelier still."
"You must understand that the road you will walk in the future is already different from theirs."
"Even if you seldom see each other again, or never meet again at all, that is only natural."
Lin Mo paused, his tone seeming to grow more profound.
"If you succeed in your cultivation one day, reach a higher realm, and even live as long as the universe itself,"
"then the only ones who can walk shoulder to shoulder with you will be powerhouses who have likewise climbed to the summit."
"Family and old friends will ultimately vanish in the long river of time."
"This is the loneliness a powerhouse must face."
Hearing Lin Mo's nearly coldhearted words of counsel, Luo Feng felt a surge of complex emotions.
There was helplessness, and bewilderment at the distant future.
He could not help but argue back in his consciousness, with the stubbornness peculiar to youth.
"Teacher, I'm only eighteen. What you're talking about is too far away. All I know right now is that they're my brothers."
"Heh."
Lin Mo seemed to chuckle. Rather than continue the subject, he changed tack.
He made a suggestion that lifted Luo Feng's spirits.
"If you don't want to face parting for now, there's no need to hurry back."
"Luo Feng, there are more than beast general-level monsters in the depths of City 003."
"Would you like to train on your own and make a big score?"
Luo Feng's heart stirred at the suggestion, and he quickly answered in his consciousness.
"Teacher, do you mean I should hunt Lord-level Monsters single-handedly?"
The idea was bold and thrilling.
His earlier gloom was instantly replaced by a desire for a challenge.
"Mm."
"With your current physique at the Advanced Warlord level, combined with your Spiritual Force,"
"facing a so-called Lord-level Monster is no difficult task."
"For you, it would be both training and a chance to build up your resources."
Lin Mo's words were like a fire.
They ignited the desire to grow stronger that already burned in Luo Feng's heart.
He hesitated for only a moment before a surge of heroic ambition rose within him.
That was right. Since he was destined to step onto a broader stage,
why not start getting used to the lonely path of a powerhouse now?
"All right!"
Luo Feng answered emphatically in his consciousness, his gaze turning sharp and resolute once more.
His consciousness returning to reality, Luo Feng stopped what he was doing.
He took a deep breath and looked at Gao Feng.
"Captain."
Luo Feng's voice broke the silence, drawing everyone's attention.
"I'd like to stay in City 003 for a few more days and train on my own."
"You can take these spoils back first."
As soon as he finished speaking, the other four members of the Fire Hammer Squad stopped what they were doing almost at the same time and looked at him in surprise.
Chen Gu opened his mouth, while Wei Tie and Wei Qing also looked puzzled.
Staying alone in the depths of City 003, where danger lurked on all sides? That was far too risky!
Gao Feng frowned slightly and looked at Luo Feng, his gaze thoughtful.
He saw the unquestionable resolve in Luo Feng's eyes, and many thoughts flashed through his mind.
Luo Feng was a spirit reader who could fly. Even if he couldn't win a fight, he could escape.
Besides, he was already an Advanced Warlord and did indeed need stronger opponents to hone himself against.
After a few seconds of silence, Gao Feng slowly nodded.
"All right."
Gao Feng asked no further questions. He simply stepped forward
and gave Luo Feng's shoulder a firm pat, just as he did before every departure.
"Stay safe. Remember, staying alive is what matters most."
"If you run into a Horde Leader Level monster you can't handle, or something even more troublesome, don't push yourself. Retreat immediately."
Meanwhile, Chen Gu, Wei Tie and Wei Qing gathered around him as well.
Chen Gu gave Luo Feng a punch in the chest.
"Luo Feng, don't die! When you come back, we'll have a good drink together!"
"Be careful!"
The Wei Brothers spoke in unison.
There was no drawn-out sentimentality; farewells between warriors were often simple and direct.
Soon, the members of the Fire Hammer Squad packed their gear.
They left the remaining supplies for Luo Feng.
They shouldered their heavy packs.
Gao Feng glanced back one last time at Luo Feng, who stood alone inside the building.
He waved, then turned and led Chen Gu and the other two away.
They quickly departed, heading toward the Supply Base.
Luo Feng watched their retreating figures until they vanished completely and he could no longer hear any footsteps.
Loneliness quietly crept over him.
But it was soon replaced by an even stronger desire for challenges and power.
Luo Feng's gaze turned sharp as an eagle's once more.
He checked his equipment.
His Blood Shadow Battle Blade, Hexagonal Shield and throwing knives.
And plenty of food.
Without hesitation, Luo Feng moved.
He silently left the Vanke Dream City residential complex.
Using the information he had gathered while operating in City 003 over the past few days,
he settled on his next target.
It was a large Carrefour supermarket less than ten kilometers away in a straight line.
The information indicated that a sizable monster pack had made its lair there.
And among them was a Lord-level Monster!
Ten kilometers was no easy journey through a wilderness city fraught with danger.
Luo Feng cautiously spread out his Spiritual Force like a spiderweb.
He sensed every rustle and stir within several hundred meters.
Moving swiftly and stealthily through the ruined walls and rubble, he avoided unnecessary fights.
When a fight was truly unavoidable, he swiftly dealt with the monsters using his throwing knives or battle blade.
With excitement and nervousness intertwined in his heart,
Luo Feng reached the vicinity of his target about an hour later.
He hid at the edge of the roof of a relatively intact six-story apartment building.
Using his eyesight, which far surpassed that of ordinary people, he carefully observed the large, distinctive building ahead.
The once magnificent Carrefour supermarket had long since fallen into disrepair.
Its enormous sign was crooked and broken, and its walls were covered in cracks and moss.
But it was not the ruined building that made Luo Feng's pupils contract slightly.
It was the group of monsters gathered in the open space in front of the supermarket!