Hiding

Su Ming tore his clothes into strips and handed them to Yise. Then he rolled up his sleeves, revealing a deep, bone-revealing wound, and presented it to Yise.

Could you please bandage this for me?

Yise reached out and helped Su Ming wrap the cloth strips around his neck.

Jinxiu flew to the side, stretched out her small hand, and cast a healing spell, with white light spots landing near the wound.

"Do you have any wounds that need treatment?" Su Ming asked Yise.

"Yes," Yise replied, "I can bandage it myself, and then we can proceed with further treatment in a safer place."

Don't force yourself.

"Um."

On my phone, the number of satellites providing location services suddenly increased by one.

The communication signal also began to fluctuate.

Su Ming breathed a sigh of relief.

His companions had indeed begun their operation!

With the satellite making an emergency orbit change, a communications satellite finally brought Water Chestnut Island into the medium-intensity service area.

One signal bar jump, connection established!

Is it easy to communicate?

Katharine sent a message immediately.

"Safe for now."

Su Ming answered.

"Your daughter too."

Katharine breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank God!"

"How is Zijin doing?" Su Ming asked.

"Unconscious, but not in danger," Katharine said. This result was actually consistent with Su Ming's judgment based on the feedback from the White Bone Mark.

Knowing what Su Ming was worried about, Katharine explained further:

"Her external injuries were quite severe, but she was treated by water sprites."

"And it has already been taken over by the medical technology team."

The Magic Mechanical Hound, equipped with a machine gun, can be deployed for combat.

With the addition of a robotic arm, it transforms into a surgical instrument, allowing for remote medical procedures to be performed by experts on the technology side.

Su Ming nodded and casually sent a message in the group chat to let everyone know he was safe.

"You must stay away from the palace!" Katharine said.

A thirty-minute walk for an orc is about four kilometers.

"The path that will guide me away from Cloud Fang City," Su Ming said.

"Okay, just a few minutes!"

A recent near-Earth reconnaissance satellite has entered the edge of the operational area, and various scanning methods are rapidly unfolding. Detailed images of urban building distribution and real-time thermal activity are being sent back to the technology side for continuous processing by supercomputers.

Based on the results, the analyst team quickly devised a route that would be as undetectable as possible.

Su Ming tossed the half-tiger man on the ground back onto the bed.

Jinxiu placed her small hand on his, erasing his memories of the recent period, and cast a Sleep Spell, causing him to "fall asleep" again.

Yise also got up and cleaned up the traces left by the people in the room, especially the dripping blood.

"Orcs have a very keen sense of smell!" Katharine reminded her daughter.

Yise used Qingfeng Spell to erase the scent left by the group.

The room was instantly filled with a refreshing coolness.

Jinxiu quickly corrected her.

"Too clean isn't good either!"

"The orcs' houses still need to smell."

She showed her Small Animal Affinity. Soon, several rats scurried in, carrying a foul odor that seemed to have come from some stinking ditch.

And there are more and more of them.

"Perfect!"

Su Ming offered a word of praise.

****

Soon, the staff team's calculations were pushed to Su Ming's phone.

"Navigation has started. Turn left after exiting the gate, go straight for 300 meters, then turn right!"

"Data is being updated in real time."

This was the moment Su Ming had been waiting for.

"Walk!"

He pulled out another cloak, wrapped it around himself, and the Jinxiu returned to his forehead.

The two filed out.

As dawn broke, more people began searching for the spatial passage in the distant sky.

Some orcs had already landed and were searching the surrounding area along the street.

Su Ming and Yise left in opposite directions.

They followed the satellite-guided path, moving along the route with the fewest orcs.

"Don't go too fast."

Katharine reminded her.

"Don't attract attention."

"Um."

The two slowed their pace, moving at the speed of a "normal orc jog".

Occasionally, orcs would push open doors and yawn from either side of the street.

Su Ming and Yise, cloaked, emerged from the shadows. "A breakfast stall a hundred meters ahead, avoid it."

"Five orc pedestrians 150 meters to the left, go around them."

A sudden alarm was broadcast:

"An aerial target is approaching!"

Su Ming and Yise stopped at the same time and quickly scurried into a nearby house, shrinking into the shadows in the corner.

A minute later, a mage rode by on a wyvern.

The monk looked down and scanned the street, clearly searching.

Su Ming and Yise held their breath, suppressing even the flow of Magic Power within their bodies to a minimum.

The monk found nothing and turned to go to another neighborhood.

Su Ming and Yise exchanged a glance.

"It feels just like when I killed that lecherous old man in the town of Shafenger in the Northern Lands back then," Su Ming said.

Yise shook his head. "No."

"It wasn't this exciting back then."

****

The two made the most of their time, squeezing through any gaps in the path when no one was watching.

Fifteen minutes later, the two, slightly out of breath, arrived near the city wall.

The walls of Cloud Fang City were built of large stones, which were not finely polished and filled with all sorts of messy things.

Compared to the imposing defenses of a human royal city, it resembled a crude animal pen.

The city walls weren't very high either.

Let alone Flight Spell, even combat professionals with decent physical abilities can overcome it.

but--

"So many totems!" Yise exclaimed.

Along the city wall, at intervals, stood a totem. These totems were carved from wooden pillars, pieced together from animal bones, and covered with strips of cloth, feathers, and dried claws.

The strips of cloth fluttered in the wind, and the symbols on the totem gleamed with a dim light.

Su Ming expanded his field of vision and discovered that the energy fields of these totems were interconnected, covering a considerable area around the city wall.

He also recognized the characters on it.

"The warning totem has a very large range!" Su Ming told Katharine.

"Should we force our way through?" Jinxiu suggested.

There were sentries on the city wall, but not many, and their combat strength was limited; at most, a few of the officers were somewhat capable.

"It's not a matter of taking risks."

Su Ming replied.

"We absolutely cannot expose our presence."

Jinxiu paused for a moment before realizing what was happening.

They could easily scale the city's defenses. Even if a few stronger fighters suddenly appeared, they could easily kill them and leave.

But the question is, what happens next?

Strange humans suddenly appeared in Cloud Fang City.

Combined with the inexplicable appearance of the seventh spatial reaction, the Plundering Clock will launch a high-intensity pursuit no matter what, relentlessly searching for this "transmigrator".

If, during this process, a clever person were to arrive at the correct conclusion, the entire Plundering Clock would likely explode.

Therefore, remaining unknown is the safest path.

****

"Plan B," Katharine said.

Her voice was not surprising, clearly indicating that she had anticipated the security system near the city walls.

After all, this is the royal city of the orcs.

"There's a slum 400 meters to the left."

"Where are you hiding?" Su Ming asked. "Of course," Katharine replied.

"This is the safest hiding place we've identified."

In ordinary residential areas, where residents know each other and interact with one another, it is easy for mistakes to occur.

There are no sparsely populated places in the city; they are simply hidden among the trees.

"The orcs living there are the lowest class; even the most basic combatants are extremely rare."

"It's very difficult for you to be discovered no matter what you do."

"Understood."

Su Ming and Yise immediately headed towards the target area.

They arrived at their location quickly.

This is a shantytown, with houses built of stones, all sorts of things, like scraps pieced together in a corner of the city.

The residents inside are all migrant workers from other parts of Water Chestnut Island.

People were already getting up at this hour, getting ready to go to work or looking for odd jobs. "Go into the alley on the left."

Su Ming, with Yise invisibility, quickly passed through the narrow alley.

The deeper you go, the worse the environment becomes.

The ground was covered in sewage, mixed with an unknown viscous substance, and the pungent smell was layered on top of each other, making one's eyes sting.

Su Ming even began to miss the orc's home from earlier.

"I was narrow-minded to think your house smelled bad before!" Su Ming thought to himself.

Yise broke out in a cold sweat.

Having endured his injuries the whole way, he was clearly starting to feel the strain.

****

Fortunately, the two soon arrived deep in the slums.

"Turn left and go around to the back of the house."

Katharine continued to guide him. Su Ming couldn't see a path he could "walk" down.

He simply picked up Yise, leaped lightly, and flew onto the roof—it was just another way to circle around from there anyway.

Only then did Su Ming spot a small shed nestled between several buildings behind the house.

He landed, pushed open the dilapidated wooden door, and went inside.

The shed isn't wide, but it's a decent length.

The roof was made of several old wooden planks pieced together, with the gaps filled with scraps of cloth and mud.

The ground was paved with several fairly flat stone slabs.

In the corner of the room was an old shelf with some earthenware pots and porcelain bowls, and a few simple household items.

It may be old and worn, but it's been tidied up fairly well.

The environment is just extremely poor.

It's dark and damp here, attracting mosquitoes and a thick musty smell in the air.

Clearly, it was a dwelling place that even the poorest half-orcs would avoid. Plus, it was hidden in a corner, making it difficult to notice.

Even many residents of the slum itself might not know that such a place exists.

"You guys have a good eye for choosing," Su Ming said.

"It's because this Sky Eye System is so powerful," said Katharine.

****

Two half-cats lived in the shed.

One of them was a small child who was startled awake and was about to speak when the older child next to him covered his mouth.

It was actually a girl who was about half a year old. She was physically weak, and her dark yellowish fur was clearly due to malnutrition.

The larger half-cat beings heard the commotion earlier and knew that the two had descended from the sky and were absolutely invincible.

"My lords!"

The half-cat woman quickly knelt down, pressing the small head down with her.

Su Ming found a relatively flat stone slab, placed the cloak on it, and laid Yise down. Without the cloak's cover, and with this movement, their scents were released.

The half-cat woman took a gentle sniff and immediately realized it was a human scent.

She was terrified, but she still couldn't help but look up and examine the scene.

Sure enough, after taking off his cloak, Su Ming showed no signs of being a half-orc.

"My lord, please don't kill my brother and me!"

She immediately pleaded, tears streaming down her face.

"We're just lowly day laborers here, we would never betray you!"

Su Ming narrowed his eyes.

This half-cat was quick-witted and very intelligent.

Being smart isn't always a bad thing.

"We'll stay here for two days, we won't kill you."

Su Ming said calmly, "Sure, sure!"

The half-cat-man lay on the ground, hurriedly agreeing, his voice filled with trembling.

Su Ming, however, detected a hint of deliberate intent in his words.

The half-cat girl was desperately looking for a chance to escape; she simply didn't believe Su Ming would let her and her brother go.

Su Ming sighed softly, gesturing for the other person to look up.

"I will erase your memories, so there's no need to kill you."

A look of disbelief flashed in the half-cat woman's eyes.

"Two lowly, lowly orcs will go unnoticed by anyone."

Su Ming said.

"But the two corpses might attract additional scrutiny."

****

Su Ming's additional explanation gave the half-cat girl some confidence. She quietly stayed to the side with her younger brother, holding him tightly in her arms.

That child was also well-behaved, not making a fuss or causing any trouble.

Su Ming tossed them two strips of cloth.

The two half-cats obediently covered their eyes.

Then, Su Ming went to Yise's side.

The girl had many wounds; she had only received simple bandaging at the orc's house near the palace.

Su Ming lifted the girl's clothes and examined her briefly.

Three of the cuts were quite deep, not fatal, but she was still losing blood, which was causing her condition to worsen.

Jinxiu emerged from between Su Ming's eyebrows.

"I'm not an expert in healing."

"But if I clean the wound properly, I can slowly close it up."

She spoke. Su Ming searched around the house and brought back an earthenware jar filled with water.

The water inside was well water; it wasn't dirty, but it was definitely not clean enough to clean a wound.

Fortunately, everyone here is a spellcaster.

Jinxiu filtered out the impurities in the water, while Su Ming used dark energy to kill the bacteria in the water.

Then he took a bamboo cup and used it to scoop water to wash Yise's wounds.

Yise's face turned pale.

Su Ming carefully supported her and fed her a sip of water.

"The Bay Owl... will get jealous," Yise whispered.

Su Ming replied:

"Just comfort her if she's jealous."

"I'll be lucky if I can get back safely and make her jealous."

Katharine's communication was restored. "Satellite data indicates that the Plundering Clock has been detected, and a city-wide manhunt has been launched."

She told Su Ming, and at the same time gave him instructions:

"Stay here for now and don't make any rash moves."

This was expected. The extra seventh fluctuation could not be explained, so naturally, a city-wide investigation was launched.

When nothing can be found out, the heat will naturally die down.

"OK."

Su Ming responded, and then continued:

I need to summon something now.

"Could you keep an eye out for any high-profile targets in the vicinity?"

Katharine immediately went to look at the satellite map.

The actions of key figures in the Plundering Clock are often accompanied by kneeling and various elaborate displays, making them highly recognizable.

The Hairspring, the Death Knell, and the three bell-ringing priests had already been identified during the reconnaissance activities over the past period, and their spectral characteristics had been marked. However, this time, the mission suddenly added six more key targets.

Inside the dispatch center, everyone carefully analyzed the data returned by the reconnaissance satellite and confirmed that there were no key targets or suspicious combat personnel within two kilometers of Su Ming's hiding place.

Su Ming then unleashed the "Summoning of All Things" technique.

A flash of light appeared in the bamboo cup in his hand, and a large number of fine bubbles rose up and then quickly dissipated.

****

"What did you summon?" Yise asked, puzzled.

The water in the glass appeared unchanged, still clear and transparent, except that the water level had dropped considerably.

Su Ming did not answer immediately.

He was watching the satellite information being pushed to him in real time.

After a while, Katharine gave an accurate assessment:

"Not bad, it didn't elicit any special reaction from the enemy."

"Summoning of All Things" summons the order of matter from another dimension through tiny spatial rifts. The Plundering Clock has a deep understanding of space and may well be able to detect Su Ming's actions.

Although Su Ming had summoned enemies many times before, this was the first time he had done so right under the enemy's nose.

He had to be more cautious.

"That's good," Su Ming said.

"But I think whether we can detect it is still a matter of quantity."

Katharine chuckled softly.

"A man of Qi worrying about the sky falling."

"Where do you get the materials for a large-scale summoning right now?"

The voice call ended, Su Ming looked at Yise, swirled the glass in his hand, and then answered the girl's question.

"Hydrogen peroxide, ever heard of it?"

Yise shook his head.

Su Ming smiled slightly. He reached out and covered Yise's mouth.

Under the latter's puzzled gaze, Su Ming poured hydrogen peroxide onto the wound.