Veteran

The large bird in the sky circled once before descending as well, landing straight amid the crowd opposite. Someone immediately took out something to feed it while speaking in low murmurs. The man clad in the weathered pioneer team uniform studied Chen Chuan for a few moments, glanced at the gear he carried, and motioned for the people behind him to hold their ground. He then stepped forward alone, carrying only a longsword that appeared to be carved and polished from bone. Seeing this, Chen Chuan nudged his horse with his heels and rode slowly forward to meet him. Once the man reached him, he pulled down his mask, revealing half of a face deeply etched with wrinkles beneath hair that had turned grizzled white. The other half was bound in cloth wrappings, from the edges of which flesh-toned scars and wrinkled skin were visible, hinting at severe past injuries. Yet his exposed eye was exceptionally sharp. He looked to be in his sixties or seventies, though one could sense his actual age was not quite that advanced. Once the distance between them closed to within thirty meters, the man spoke in the language of Great Shun. "Judging by your weapons and attire, did you come from the Great Shun military garrison? How should I address you?" Chen Chuan dismounted and stood holding the reins. "Yes. My surname is Chen. May I ask your name?" Hearing him speak the language of Great Shun, a look of nostalgia suddenly crossed the man's face, and his expression softened slightly. "My surname is Yang," he said. He turned his head and spoke a few words to the people behind him in the indigenous tongue. They immediately lowered the weapons and firearms in their hands. He glanced again at the hooves of the dragon-nosed horse beside Chen Chuan. "It looks like you've traveled a long way. It isn't safe here. An insect swarm is coming soon, and it might rain before long. We need to leave this place quickly. Why don't you come with us?" "An insect swarm?" Chen Chuan nodded. Insect swarms were a frequent hazard in the Confluence; in Chen Bitong's remembered experiences, they were among the most common occurrences. When they came, they blotted out sky and earth, relentlessly biting down on their targets. Without a good countermeasure, avoiding them was best. Yet that was not the worst of it. The real issue was rain. In the unknown sectors of the Confluence, rain and snow possessed a mild corrosive quality, and they would also bring down certain organisms that normally drifted only in the upper atmosphere. Such creatures were fiercely parasitic and aggressive. Standing firm against them was a poor choice; taking shelter from the rain was far wiser. If that was the case, traveling was indeed out of the question; he needed to find somewhere to wait it out first. Although he did not know the exact identity of this man surnamed Yang, their conversation showed he was a native of Great Shun and reasonably friendly. Chen Chuan did not mind traveling alongside them; whatever happened, he had the capability to handle it. Seeing him agree, the man surnamed Yang turned back immediately to summon his group. Moving with quick efficiency, they released the large bird into the air once more. Everyone then hastened their pace, every nerve taut with tension. Chen Chuan remounted his horse and followed beside them. He noted that their movements were methodical and disciplined, with scouting ahead and mutual cover front and rear all organized as they marched. The clothing they wore was fairly uniform, and every one of them wore a specialized mask. Coupled with their measured, synchronized stride, it indicated fairly rigorous training; their background very likely stemmed from some military organization. Within the ranks were several individuals dressed in rags, along with a few carried on stretchers. These people clearly did not belong with the rest and appeared to have just been rescued from somewhere. After an hour or so of brisk trekking, a makeshift camp appeared ahead. The group had personnel stationed here in advance, who immediately cleared away the barricades before the perimeter upon seeing their return. The two sides exchanged only a few brief words before, under the direction of the man surnamed Yang, they lit all the bonfires piled around the camp's perimeter. As raging flames flared up, billowing plumes of dense smoke rose and blotted out the sky above. Only then did everyone seem to relax slightly. Yet after entering the camp, everyone gazed up into the sky as though awaiting something. About ten minutes later, a loud, chaotic buzzing rolled in from the distance, looking like a massive bank of dark storm clouds. Moreover, it moved at terrifying speed, arriving over the camp within just a few minutes. By now, one could clearly make out that it was a cloud of insects composed of countless black, mosquito- and fly-like bugs. Most of them steered clear of the churning smoke over the camp. The stray insects that did stray into it tumbled down one after another, only to be swiftly stomped to death by the waiting men below, then shoveled up and tossed into the fires. This swarm lasted for more than an hour before gradually thinning out. At this point, Mr. Yang's face relaxed slightly. "Fortunately, no swarm king showed up." Chen Chuan looked in the direction from which the swarm had come. After a moment of thought, he said, "Not necessarily. It might just be that something more formidable than a swarm king was there." According to Chen Bitong's memories, an insect swarm of this scale looked very much like something that had emerged from the unknown sectors. Out there, creatures capable of preying on swarm kings were everywhere, not to mention that many powerful fighters and armed personnel were present in that area now. Insect swarms were difficult to deal with, but only for individuals or small parties. If there were numerous fighters equipped with proper gear and special items, they could still contend with them. Mr. Yang seemed to think of something as well, a tinge of somberness creeping into his face. Just then, rain began falling from the sky, accompanied by a peculiar odor. In the rainwater hitting the ground, tiny things could be seen tumbling onto the soil, either boring beneath the surface or crawling toward the people nearby. Some people began lighting plant leaves, using the smoke to drive these things away, and then ducked one by one into the camp's tents. Mr. Yang likewise motioned for Chen Chuan to take shelter inside a tent. Once they sat down, he handed Chen Chuan a bamboo tube filled with water. Chen Chuan accepted it directly and took a sip. In Chen Bitong's experience, this was an indigenous custom: if a host offered you water and you drank it, you showed trust in your host and were accepted as their guest. Seeing him drink without hesitation, a hint of approval surfaced in Mr. Yang's eyes. Then, with a trace of hope, he looked at Chen Chuan. "Mr. Chen, you are with the Great Shun military. Do you know if you've received a telegraph signal on an old frequency lately?" Chen Chuan looked at him and said, "I wouldn't know. The intelligence department didn't mention anything like that to me before I set out." Mr. Yang had not pinned much hope on it anyway. After a pause, he murmured, "I suppose so. An old signal like that probably gets ignored now." Chen Chuan asked, "Were you once with the pioneer team, Senior?" Mr. Yang answered frankly, "Yes. A long time ago—twenty-five years now, I'd say." He paused briefly, then added, "I'm no deserter." In a heavy voice, he continued, "Twenty-five years ago, several teammates and I ventured deep into this region. While pioneering, we discovered a relic. Unfortunately, an elite squad sent by the former imperial house found their way here as well. After clashing with them, we wiped out their squad, but our own took heavy casualties. Only another teammate and I still had fighting capability left. "Just then, a giant python ambushed us. I had the other combat-ready teammate cover the remaining squad members' retreat while I stayed behind to hold the rear. In the end, my stamina was utterly depleted, and unable to dodge in time, I was swallowed whole by that giant serpent. "But I didn't give up. Once inside the python's belly, I did everything I could to tear it apart from the inside. "I originally intended to drag the beast down with me, but unexpectedly, the python thrashed and rolled straight into an indigenous settlement, where it finally collapsed dead. Later, the local tribespeople cut open the serpent's belly and pulled me out. "They treated my injuries with herbal wraps. Back then, my body was melted and festering all over; it took more than a year just to recover." He let out a quiet sigh. "I suppose that even if my teammates made it back safely, they must have believed I died. Alone, lacking gear and the support of teammates, I had no way to return either. "Later on, I sent out several telegraphs, but received no response. I had no family left back home anyway, and since these natives had saved my life, I simply settled down here. And here I've stayed ever since." At that moment, he picked up a bamboo tube exuding a pungent herbal scent, uncapped it, took a mouthful, and sprayed it across the tent entrance. A soft hiss sounded as several tiny insects crawling into the tent curled up abruptly, faint wisps of smoke rising from their bodies. Wiping his mouth, he said, "About three months ago, I saw luminous clouds rising from the jungle, stretching almost to the sky. I knew then that a relic must have surfaced, and one of no low tier either. "Whenever a tier-three relic appears, it inevitably sparks conflict among the former imperial house, Great Shun, and the corporations. The nearby settlements were too close to the site, so I kept urging them to migrate away, but they refused to listen." Chen Chuan was well aware that the emergence of a relic was typically accompanied by colored, radiant clouds in its initial stages. Such phenomena could be observed from tremendous distances, and the relic's tier could usually be deduced from the glow. It was precisely for this reason that all factions discovered its appearance almost simultaneously. He said, "Great Shun's encampment isn't around here. The attacks on the settlements most likely came from the Corporate Coalition." Mr. Yang's expression turned grim. "I saw their insignia, and I saw troops from the Linax Federation as well. The settlements near the mountain stream and river valley have almost entirely been wiped out by them. We came this time to try and bring back the survivors. "It hasn't been easy, though. I discovered that a fighter from the Combine has been dogging our trail, seemingly intending to track us down to find our remaining camps. I couldn't let him succeed, so I fought him twice, only to find him exceptionally strong..." With that, he pulled aside his outer tunic. On his chest, crosshatched with scars and wrinkles, was a gruesome puncture wound piercing straight through, deep enough that one could nearly glimpse the fabric at his back. In a solemn tone, he said, "Back in the day, this man would have been qualified enough to be a member of the pioneer team—no, a captain." With that, he fixed his remaining eye on Chen Chuan. "Mr. Chen, to reach this place on your own, I believe you must possess considerable strength. As an old soldier of Great Shun, I beg you to help me stop this man. I promise that when it's over, you will be rewarded handsomely."