Night gradually settled over the land like a descending curtain, cloaking the entire grassland.
Though the sky had remained overcast all day, past midnight the moon unexpectedly emerged, casting a fairly bright glow.
Upon the ridge, the iron armor glinted faintly.
With this visibility, there was no fear of losing track of each other. Wu Xu trailed somewhat behind Rusty Sister to her flank. As he walked, he munched on a ration biscuit while scanning left and right.
Naturally, even at a walk, their pace was swift.
Ahead, the suit of iron armor abruptly halted, standing fixed with its gaze directed into the distance.
"What is it, Rusty Sister? Did you spot something?"
Wu Xu hurriedly stuffed the remaining half of his ration biscuit into his mouth, drew the Binggu spear from his back, and ran up with excitement.
Hearing his question, Rusty Sister turned to look at him, shook her head, and hesitated for a moment before speaking:
"Actually... Tangtang might already be gone, right? Wu Xu."
Beneath the iron armor, she suddenly began to sob. Perhaps she had been brooding over it throughout the journey, holding it back the entire way. Not knowing how to comfort people, Wu Xu pondered at a loss. "Qingzi said Tangtang is still alive."
Even Wu Xu himself did not truly believe those words.
To say nothing of He Tangtang facing the siege of so many foes alone—including a top combat power—Wu Xu was not even sure whether he could survive the aftermath once the Near-Death Surge subsided.
Back when he was with the Yu clan, Wu Xu had once been ordered to teach this technique to ten other war slaves. After those ten tried using it once, one died on the spot, and three were subsequently crippled. As for the remaining six, all fell immediately into a state of utter powerlessness where even an ordinary child could have killed them, lasting anywhere from two to five days.
Under such circumstances, and with the tracks of living enemies withdrawing from the scene afterward, how could He Tangtang possibly have survived?!
"I shouldn't have taught him." *"Not everyone is like me—'a worthless life that just won't die.'"*
Wu Xu recalled those words someone had once directed at him. Bowing his head in bitter regret and guilt, his right hand gripped the black Binggu spear with white-knuckled force.
Come to think of it, he had only taught the technique to He Tangtang because he let it slip and was subsequently badgered beyond all endurance.
Back then, He Tangtang had gone completely limp on the ground, hugging Wu Xu's leg.
For such a burly, rough-hewn man to pull that kind of stunt... Wu Xu was naturally shy and easily flustered, and he simply could not hold out.
Right after teaching it, seeing He Tangtang eager to give it a try, Wu Xu had already regretted his decision. He repeatedly emphasized the dire consequences, warning and pleading with He Tangtang a thousand times never to use it recklessly.
At the same time, Wu Xu had hoped for the best, thinking that perhaps it might serve as a lifesaving trump card for He Tangtang in some future critical moment. Who could have known that the very first time He Tangtang used it would be to throw himself into a near-certain suicide mission?
"I think Qingzi is right."
Unexpectedly, Rusty Sister corrected herself, her tone turning firm.
Wu Xu looked up. "Yeah."
"Let's go. We'll keep searching, and search thoroughly. After hearing what you said about the aftermath of the Near-Death Surge, I'm worried Tangtang might have collapsed in some patch of grass, unaware even as we walk right past him."
The two made their way down from the ridge. Ahead, dappled moonlight illuminated sparse woods and tall grass; aside from the whistling wind and the chirping of insects, absolute silence reigned.
Around the same time, elsewhere.
Han Qingyu suddenly dropped flat into the grass, turning his head to wave back. "Get down!"
Wen Jifei was already prone.
Wen Jifei placed absolute trust in Han Qingyu's subtle perception of ground tremors. At the same time, as a super sniper, his own ability to maintain concentration and instant reaction speed was beyond the reach of ordinary people.
In this world of source energy, Wen Jifei was not an elite fighter, and in all likelihood, he never would be. Therefore, these minor details and small tricks that most people easily overlooked had been rigorously honed, becoming his most vital skill.
Roughly two minutes passed before Wen Jifei finally heard the sound of approaching hooves echoing through the ground—more than one horse.
Were they runaway mounts? Such occurrences had not been rare on this plateau lately.
Wen Jifei raised his head, carefully peering through his sniper scope.
Under the moonlit night, twenty-three horses appeared in his field of view, galloping horizontally past a hundred meters away. Fourteen carried riders, each of whom kept their bodies warily crouched low over the saddles.
Such an occurrence was exceedingly rare. Did they not know about the monsters yet? But looking at how cautious they were, it seemed as if they did.
"Herders? Must be," he whispered.
"Yeah. Several of them are wounded." Han Qingyu nodded. With his keen eye, it was easy to distinguish whether they were genuine nomadic herders or disguised operatives from the source energy world.
"What should we do, then?"
Normally, they would have stayed hidden until the herders passed, but right now they were searching for people. Encountering anyone was a rare opportunity, so Han Qingyu stood up.
"Let's head over and ask around, and see if they need any help." In their current situation, heading in any direction was much the same. Han Qingyu stepped forward, saying, "Hopefully one of them understands Mandarin."
***
For the third time, Liu Shiheng passed by that same pile of cow dung. He could not resist stopping to look at it, feeling an amused helplessness like meeting an old friend.
"Just my rotten luck. How come I can't run into a single Azure squad in this whole area?"
"Did those impostors take over the whole place?! Very likely."
Passing the dung pile, he walked on until he reached the stream where he had bathed earlier. Liu Shiheng lay down and washed himself thoroughly clean.
He had been wearing that cow dung ghillie suit for well over two days and two nights.
The temperature swings on the plateau were drastic, and the water was quite cold. Worn out by exhaustion, Liu Shiheng fell asleep for a brief spell, only to wake shivering from the chill. He got to his feet and trudged reluctantly back toward the dilapidated shack.
"If only someone had already rescued them. Ah, I really don't have what it takes to get you out... I don't even know what's become of my own comrades right now."
"Han Qingyu, you idiot. Wu Xu, you idiot. Rusty Sister... you clueless girl. Wen Jifei, you idiot. Why the hell did you all run off like that?!"
Full of grievances, Liu Shiheng cursed the whole way, trying to ease the anxiety and fear gnawing at his heart.
He arrived. The broken shack was pitch-black and dead silent.
Liu Shiheng crept inside with extreme care, leaned against the corner by the door to listen intently for a moment, and then switched on his flashlight to illuminate the interior. There was no reaction from inside or out. "Did something happen to them?"
He edged over and pulled aside the dilapidated wooden boards and cabinet where Jiayina had been hiding.
There was no sign of the little girl beneath them.
His nerves tightened instantly.
"Psst, are you still there?"
"Where did you go?!"
He called out several times in succession. Finally, a faint rustle sounded from the inner room, followed by the light, tiptoeing footsteps of a child. Jiayina peeked her head out from behind the door. Her eyes blinked against the flashlight beam as she adjusted to the glare, and she whispered:
"Soldier Uncle, you didn't call for Jiayina."
Liu Shiheng stared blankly for a second, then chuckled. It was something he had explicitly instructed her about before leaving, yet he had forgotten it upon his return.
Seeing Soldier Uncle smile, Jiayina smiled too, her expression bright and warm.
Chapter 324