Transfer

Captain Hu spoke up immediately. "We have to split up. Have our fastest runner escort the relic back to camp, while the rest of us stay behind to intercept the pursuers." Captain Lü seemed to agree with the suggestion. Captain Hai, however, cut in at once. "No, we cannot split up." Captain Hu said with growing agitation, "Captain Hai, have you lost your mind? If we stay together now, not one of us will make it out!" Captain Hai looked at the two of them. "No, I have a better idea." With that, he waved to one of the guides standing off to the side, motioning for him to come over. The guide glanced at him, then at the casket in his hands, and walked up with utmost caution. Once the man drew close, Captain Hai shoved the casket straight into his arms. Staring intently into his eyes, he said, "I'm making one last deal with you. You know the trails around here best. As long as you deliver this to the camp, Great Shun will trade you anything you want in the future." The guide froze. His eyes flickered with calculation, and he gripped the casket tightly. "Hai Gao, what the hell are you doing?" Captain Hu roared in fury. Captain Lü looked at him with an exceptionally grim expression. "Captain Hai, do you really believe this guide will honor the agreement and take it to the camp?" "I trust them," Captain Hai said. "If it doesn't make it back, I'll take full responsibility for losing the relic." Captain Hu snapped, "I'm afraid that's a responsibility you can't bear! Old Xu didn't buy us this chance just for you to squander it like this! Give it back to me!" Shouting, he lunged toward the guide. Captain Hai stepped directly in front of him and barked at the guide, "I'll hold him off—go!" "Don't you dare move!" "Get out of my way!" Captain Hu tried to circle around to seize the man, but Captain Hai blocked him once more. Furious, Hu shoved hard with one arm, but Hai raised his forearm and parried the strike. At that moment, a figure flashed past as Captain Lü charged forward. Yet after merely a few strides, Captain Hai shifted his stance and snapped an empty-handed claw at Lü's back from a distance. A sudden wave of numbness surged across Captain Lü's back. Knowing Captain Hai excelled in seizing jin, Lü realized that leaving his back turned meant he would inevitably be caught and immobilized. Forced to turn, he used his own Mind Jin to deflect the incoming force, dispersing the strike with a muffled pop. Seizing the opportunity, the guide sprinted away, vanishing into the forest moments later, leaving only the pillar of rosy haze lingering above him. As for the other guides, they had already fled into the woods the instant their comrade took hold of the casket. "Hai Gao! I suspect you of colluding with the enemy!" Captain Hu bellowed furiously, his strikes growing increasingly fierce. Captain Lü wore a grim expression, attempting to break away several times only to be intercepted by Captain Hai. Even so, none of them called for the team members behind them to intervene. Once the rosy haze drifted far into the distance, Captain Hai blocked another combined assault from the two captains. Suddenly, Hu and Lü broke off their attacks. The anxious, furious expressions on their faces vanished entirely, replaced by cool composure. Captain Lü gazed into the distance. "Captain Hai, you were right. There really was something wrong with those guides. Otherwise, they would never have taken on such a dangerous task." Captain Hai shook his head. "Captain Xu saw through them long ago." Captain Hu remarked, "If we hadn't handed it over today, they probably would have made a move against us anyway, wouldn't they?" "They might not have acted directly—they're not qualified," Captain Lü said, shaking his head. "Someone else would have struck on their behalf." He turned to Captain Hai. "Captain Hai, I hope you made the right call." Captain Hai said, "I don't know if it was right or wrong, but holding onto that thing would have been absolute suicide. We couldn't possibly carry it out of here anyway. Better to let those other factions tear into each other first. Even if we can't be the hunters, we must avoid being the most conspicuous prey. That would be the worst outcome. "Besides, we need to fire a signal flare for Captain Xu. If he sees it, he should understand what we've done." "Right!" Captain Lü caught on. "We must do it quickly. Leave it to me!" He immediately hurried over to a patch of higher ground, raised a flare gun toward the sky, and pulled the trigger. With a loud crack, a massive flare shot into the air, hanging high overhead and radiating brilliant light. Still, if Xu Chan was too far away, he might not be able to spot it. In that case, they could only leave markings at prearranged spots along the path. Indeed, Xu Chan failed to see it. Aside from the considerable distance between them, it was broad daylight, and the blinding rosy haze dominated the sky, drastically reducing the visibility of the flare. As for the secret markings, he had no time to pause and look for them. He had to maintain his forward pace. Moreover, he noticed that even now, the Consortium had never lowered its guard against him, keeping an entire squad positioned between them. Viewed from high above, several factions were carving four distinct paths through the dense forest. In the center was the Consortium party, flanked by personnel from the Linakes Federation guarding their sides, while Xu Chan ran along the outermost edge. Almost neck and neck, they surged toward the location of the relic. Navigating this uncharted territory was far from easy. All manner of strange, bizarre creatures constantly harassed them, yet they managed to maintain a rapid pace despite the interference. Although the relic's bearer was moving quickly, the distance between them steadily narrowed. After half a day of relentless pursuit, everyone could feel that they were closing in. By this point, the elite fighters among the various factions could no longer bother looking after the rest of their teams. They unleashed their full speed. If this dragged on for another few hours, night would fall. By then, they would be forced to wait until dawn to resume the chase, and who knew what new variables might arise in the dark? Under this imperative, the gaps between members of the various teams widened. Heros was undeniably at the absolute front. Major General Therbil, the Thunder Twins, Gray Whale, Skinner, and Army Ant trailed slightly behind, staggered at different distances. Farther back came the wounded Blood Diamond and the remaining fighters. As time passed, the distance between these echelons stretched further and further apart. Far behind them on another path, Chen Chuan suddenly halted, pressing down on the brim of his peaked cap. As his duster billowed in the wind, a rolling roar echoed from behind, followed by a long plume of swirling dust and scattered leaves. He had been sprinting at high speed for two hours, significantly closing the gap between himself and the radiant haze. By his estimate, if the target maintained its current speed, he would catch up in about two or three hours. Though his body showed no signs of fatigue, continuously projecting mental power over such a long period took a heavy toll. Considering that he was very likely to encounter enemies soon, he needed to replenish himself. He drew his blade, slashing open a fissure in front of him with a single stroke. Reaching out, he cradled the shell-like relic in his palm. Under the fissure's glow, wisps of mist curled from its surface. With just a single breath of the vapor, he felt his depleted reserves rapidly restoring. At that moment, the civet stone plaque began to tremble with eager impatience. Ever since Chen Chuan had acquired this relic, it tried to freeload every time the object took effect. Chen Chuan did not stop it, allowing it to feed on the mist, as he might need the civet's abilities shortly. Nor did he play favorites, letting Chaoming lean in for a whiff as well. Over the past few days, he had made Chaoming fly through the sky as much as possible during the day, only allowing it to descend once its energy was completely spent. This stimulated the growth of its mutated tissue, though it was equally draining. With these restorative vapors, the bird was able to maintain peak condition. Once his vitality was fully replenished, he adjusted the brim of his cap, fixed his eyes on the distant glow, and took a stride forward, rocketing back along the trail amid a booming shockwave of displaced air. More than an hour later, Heros burst out of the dense forest into a flat, open clearing. The trees here were much sparser, and a winding river flowed less than a kilometer away. On the opposite bank, an apparently injured man was leaning back against a weathered lake stone, resting. Several carcasses of unidentified beasts lay strewn across the ground a short distance before him. The man held a black casket from which brilliant light spilled out. The moment Heros looked his way, the man sensed his gaze. Sheer terror crossed his face, and he scrambled to his feet, stumbling frantically in an attempt to flee. Yet before he could cover much ground, his entire body burst apart with a loud bang, flesh and bone violently spraying in all directions, splattering across the soft earth. The black casket dropped to the ground, tumbling several times before striking a rock and coming to a halt, spilling its contents out onto the soil. Heros drew back his fist. He took several strides forward, extended a sinewy arm, and picked up the glowing object, holding it before his eyes to inspect it. The object was roughly spherical, resembling an egg that had been smashed yet had not completely broken apart. Fragmented shards seemed to barely hold its structural integrity together, riddled with natural gaps and fractures. Through these openings, one could peer straight into its interior, where a faint luster and organic, vein-like textures flickered between bright and dim, as though it were maintaining a steady breath. He reached out and wiped away the bloodstains clinging to its surface, then spoke aloud. "Now that this is in hand, I can head back. We only came for the item; I care little for the rest. However, I imagine that might conflict with your duty. So let us settle this before then." He turned around. Xu Chan stood only a short distance away, his enforcement captain greatcoat badly torn in numerous places, showing that he had endured considerable hardship along the journey. Heros showed a hint of surprise. "You know there is no such thing as a fair duel here. In a matter of minutes at most, my team will arrive. Or do you honestly believe you can defeat me and seize this item in that time?" "There's no need," Xu Chan replied. With a sudden spin, he hurled an object toward Heros. Heros was cautious and chose not to catch it, dodging to the side instead. Yet the object burst apart in midair with a loud bang, showering a mass of flesh and viscera, a few flecks splattering against his clothes and boots. Heros gave it a startled glance. He saw clearly that it was a small creature resembling a rodent or monkey, equipped with membranous wings. Wondering what his opponent intended by throwing such a thing, his eyes narrowed as realization struck. Right then, he spotted a dense, swirling cloud of flying creatures sweeping across the sky toward them. Xu Chan reached up, unbuttoned his greatcoat, and hurled it to the ground. "I alone might not be enough," he said calmly. "But what if we add them to the mix?"