A black Porsche sped along the road.
The location where the Firmament Breath Beast was discovered is near the Longzhou Military District.
The Longzhou Military District is located in the mountains and forests more than 100 kilometers away from Longzhou.
Therefore, they still need to get to the vicinity of the Longzhou Military District.
In the car, Shen Heng glanced at Le Gu Nan and said:
"You can postpone your hotel check-in by talking to Uncle Zhang."
"We'll probably have to stay in the mountains for the next few days until we find the Firmament Breath Beast. We'll only be able to stay in a hotel for one night when we get back."
"In fact, if we finish killing the Firmament Breath Beast and still have time, we might not need to stay at the hotel."
"Okay, sure." Le Gu Nan nodded gently and picked up her phone to send a message.
Soon after sending the message, Le Gu Nan put his phone down.
She turned to look at the young man beside her who was focused on driving, hesitated for a moment, and then asked:
"Has someone come to steal the Firmament Breath Beast?"
Shen Heng glanced at the short-haired girl sitting in the passenger seat, and noticed that she seemed a little downcast.
"Hmm, what's wrong?"
"Then... aren't you worried?" Le Gu Nan asked Shen Heng.
"Worrying won't help. All we can do is find the Firmament Breath Beast as soon as possible," Shen Heng said calmly.
"However, unless you're extremely lucky or have some kind of navigation system, you won't be able to directly find the Firmament Breath Beast's abilities."
"When it comes to finding things, there are probably few who can beat me these days."
Le Gu Nan nodded slightly upon hearing this, but the expression on his face did not relax.
She turned her head to look at the straight road stretching out in front of her, and the surrounding spruce trees.
The scenery along the way changed as they traveled.
The vast Gobi Desert, sparse poplar forests, low drought-resistant shrubs, patches of sand willow and saxaul forests, and dark green spruce trees appeared one after another before their eyes.
Before hearing the news, she would have curiously observed this unprecedented change in the natural landscape, but now...
"They're also looking for the Firmament Breath Beast, which means someone in their family has contracted the Weak Breath Disease. So, if we kill the Firmament Breath Beast, it's like cutting off their family's hope, right?" Le Gu Nan said in a low voice, looking at the dark green spruce tree.
Silence fell over the car.
After a long silence, Shen Heng slowly said:
"If you don't want to do this, you can go down to the military region. I'll pick you up after everything is settled."
"No need." Le Gu Nan shook his head gently and said in a low voice, "I just feel a little unwell."
Shen Heng turned to look at Le Gu Nan.
A few rays of sunlight shone through the car window onto the girl's face, highlighting her slightly trembling eyelashes and somewhat dim expression.
"This, this is reality..."
Shen Heng slowly withdrew his gaze.
The two did not exchange any further words along the way.
The car drove onto a dirt road halfway through the journey, and after driving for a while longer, it arrived at the military region where Wang Hai's comrade-in-arms was stationed.
After identifying themselves and being relayed by the sentry, a dark green jeep drove out of the military area a few minutes later.
Shen Heng looked at the Jeep parked to the side and the rugged-looking middle-aged man inside.
" Shen Heng," he introduced himself.
"Yes, I know you. Wang Hai told me. My name is Zhao Ruifeng. You can just call me Old Zhao!" Zhao Ruifeng said with a smile, leaning against the car window with one hand.
" Brother Zhao!" Shen Heng smiled at Zhao Ruifeng, but didn't actually call him that as the other person had said.
"Alright, Brother Zhao Brother Zhao it is. I won't say any more. I'll lead the way, you guys follow!" Zhao Ruifeng said with a smile.
"Okay, sure." Shen Heng nodded.
The two set off again, with the black Porsche closely following behind the Jeep.
After driving for another twenty minutes or so, the car slowly came to a stop in the mountains where it was no longer considered a road.
Shen Heng slowly turned off the engine, then looked ahead.
What unfolded before them were vast stretches of mountains.
The azure peaks rise and fall like giant waves, stretching all the way to the horizon.
Several eagles circled nearby, emitting clear, sharp cries.
"This is where I took the photos earlier, which is also the eastern section of the Qi Mountains." Zhao Ruifeng sat in the driver's seat, a cigarette dangling from his lips, his gaze fixed on the distance. "Any further on, the car can't go any further; you'll have to find it yourselves."
Shen Heng did not respond immediately, but calmly gazed at the silent mountain range.
The wind blew in through the open car window, carrying a dry coolness and a hint of the dusty smell unique to the wilderness.
He recalled the information he had consulted before his departure— Qi Mountains, the "source of life" in the Northwest, where glacial meltwater flowing down from the mountain nourished the people along the way.
"Okay, I understand. Thank you, Brother Zhao!" Shen Heng got out of the car and looked at Zhao Ruifeng was still sitting in the car.
"Alright, I'll be going now. I'm different from you guys; if we encounter Calamity Beast later, I might be in some danger," Zhao Ruifeng said with a smile.
"Okay, be careful!" Shen Heng nodded with a smile.
With the roar of its engine, the dark green Jeep sped off into the distance.
Shen Heng glanced at the Jeep, which had already disappeared from sight, then opened the back door and took out a long knife and a backpack from the back seat.
The long sword was indispensable as Shen Heng's weapon;
The backpack contained emergency supplies prepared by the butler of the Mutual Le Gu Nan family, including food, water, and bandages.
On the other side, Le Gu Nan also took a bag from the car and carried it on his back.
As for weapons, she always carried them with her.
Shen Heng looked at Le Gu Nan and saw that her face had returned to its usual gentleness, and her previously troubled mind had gradually calmed down on the way.
Shen Heng turned his head again to look at the boundless forest in front of him, and his deep and firm voice rang out.
"Let's go!"
night.
A cave somewhere in the mountains.
The firelight cast two shadows on the rock face.
Shen Heng sat on a wooden stool.
In front of him was a fire pit surrounded by a semi-circle of earth and stones, and the thigh of a horned pig skewered on a stone cone.
The pig was slaughtered this afternoon, and the hole was just dug.
Shen Heng rotated the stone cone, adjusting the position of the pointed pig thigh on it to ensure the thigh received more even heating.
A moment later, the pig's leg was roasted. Shen Heng cut a piece off and stuck it into his knife, then handed the stone awl towards Le Gu Nan.
"Eat."
Le Gu Nan nodded, took the stone cone, and began to eat it in small bites.
Shen Heng also took a piece of pork leg from his knife and ate it.
"By the way, you should get some rest early later, I'll keep watch."
Upon hearing this, Le Gu Nan paused in her actions and looked at Shen Heng, saying:
"I can defend it too."
"Your skills are useless for night watch; let me do it." Shen Heng shook his head.
Le Gu Nan's brows furrowed slightly.
"Can you not sleep?"