As he crossed the open expanse of the "Ancient Riverbed," he chose the dimmest part of the day, when the sandstorm was relatively strong, and dashed through at top speed.
He pushed his speed to the limit, leaving behind a faint afterimage that was nearly impossible to catch while suppressing his aura to its lowest point.
Along the way, he sensed more than one greedy consciousness sweeping across the area from behind distant dunes. But perhaps because he was too fast, or perhaps because he concealed himself well enough, none of them gave chase.
The real challenge appeared in the final stretch—the "Highlands."
The terrain here was indeed higher than the surrounding area, pieced together from massive slabs that seemed to be foundations of high-strength alloy. Though covered in rust and cracks, the overall structure remained relatively intact.
The gaps between the slabs were bottomless, with dark purple energy occasionally flickering within them like breathing.
There were no longer merely scattered aberrants on the highlands. Signs of something stranger and more organized had begun to appear.
Ming Xin lay prone at the edge of a slanted metal plate, shadows perfectly concealing his figure.
About three hundred meters ahead of him, more than a dozen "aberrants" had gathered in a relatively flat area.
Unlike the loose predators he had encountered before, however, these aberrants had more uniform forms, as if they were all the same "model."
Their main bodies resembled enlarged spiders made from a blend of metal and carapace, but on their backs sat dark-red flesh tumors covered in nerve-like synapses, constantly writhing.
They were not wandering aimlessly. They seemed to be patrolling.
They followed a fixed route, maintaining specific distances from one another. The synapses on their tumors trembled faintly, as if receiving or transmitting some sort of signal.