218: Chapter 218: New Clues to the Mythical Beast

The wind and snow stopped, and the sky was a dull grey.

Shen Xiaochuan walked at the very front, his feet crunching on the hard snow. He didn't look back, but he knew the people behind him were moving slowly. The Azure Dragon Legion soldiers, bundled in thick cotton coats and carrying long spears, followed silently. Behind them were twelve black Evil God Guards, their eyes glowing red, each step they took causing fine cracks to appear in the ground.

They had traveled three miles from the camp, and the NATO group hadn't caught up.

Shen Xiaochuan leaned on his halberd with his right hand, his left arm in a splint, his steps slightly unsteady. When he reached a small, sheltered slope, he raised his hand to signal: "Stop and rest."

"Rest in place, drink water, and eat some dry rations," he said.

No one responded, but everyone quickly got to work. Some took out heating packs and poured water into compressed biscuits; some checked their shoe soles for cracks; a few others surrounded the Evil God Guards, wrapping their joints tightly with felt – these guards wouldn't cry cold, but metal couldn't withstand the bitter cold.

Shen Xiaochuan sat down against a rock, closing his eyes.

He wasn't sleeping; he was waiting.

A few seconds later, a chill surged into his mind, like a fine needle pricking the back of his neck. He frowned, his consciousness sinking deep.

A hoarse voice spoke: "Shen... Xiao... Chuan..."

It was the Evil Sheep Priest.

The voice was intermittent, mixed with strange scraping sounds.

"East... valley..." he said, "large shadows of beasts... extremely strong energy... more than one perfect grade..."

Immediately, a scene appeared: a valley shrouded in thick fog, with steep mountains on both sides and dark red snow at the bottom. Giant footprints, larger than car wheels, were left on the ground. Several dark figures swept through the air at extreme speed; with each pass, the air trembled.

"Numerous... worth your trip..." The voice faded, "I... can only transmit this far..."

Before he finished speaking, the connection was cut.

Shen Xiaochuan opened his eyes, exhaling a puff of white air. He looked down at his palm; the lines seemed to flicker slightly – a sign of increasing faith points, three points per second, steady and clear.

He stood up, brushed the snow from his shoulders, and called his adjutant.

"Go find the NATO people," he said. "I have something to tell them face-to-face."

The adjutant was startled: "They didn't follow."

"I know," Shen Xiaochuan looked back the way they came, "but they must know about this."

The adjutant nodded and took two men to turn back.

Shen Xiaochuan didn't wait idly. He walked to a patch of ice and drew a simple map with a pen: Skydome City marked to the west, their current position in the middle, and a circle drawn to the east representing the valley.

He tore off another piece of paper and wrote a few lines: [Target Area] Eastern Valley; [Intelligence Source] Evil Sheep Priest (confirmed by psychic perception); [Situation Found] Multiple perfect grade aberrant beasts active, abnormal energy; [Suggested Action] Organize a reconnaissance team for preliminary scouting.

After writing, he placed the paper under a piece of ice, waiting for someone to see it.

Half an hour later, five NATO deities arrived. Their leader, Ryan, wore a gray cloak, his face frosted, his eyes stern.

"You said you had something important?" Ryan stood two meters away. "We were just discussing whether to continue our cooperation, and you send someone to find us?"

Shen Xiaochuan didn't look at him, only pointed to the map and note on the ground: "See for yourselves."

Ryan hesitated for a moment, bent down to pick up the note, and quickly scanned it. A Woman with Goggles next to him also leaned in to look.

"Eastern Valley?" The woman frowned. "Where did this information come from? That priest? The one you traded a yeti for equipment with last time?"

"Yes," Shen Xiaochuan nodded, "he just transmitted the images; I saw them with my own eyes."

"Can you guarantee this isn't false intelligence?" Ryan stared at him. "Or are you trying to shake us off and hog the benefits?"

Shen Xiaochuan finally looked up, meeting his gaze: "If you don't believe it, you don't have to look or listen. But since I've said it, it's true."

He paused, his tone calm: "I know you're afraid. Afraid of danger, afraid I'll steal your glory, afraid you won't come back if you go. I understand all of that. But this time is different."

He pointed to the red circle on the map: "There's a problem there. More than one perfect grade aberrant beast. If left unchecked, they will eventually move west, and our supply line will be the first to suffer. Skydome City can hold out for a while, but not for three months."

Ryan sneered: "Yesterday you said 'come or don't come,' and today you run to inform us, like a savior descending?"

"I'm not informing you," Shen Xiaochuan shook his head, "I'm telling you. This intelligence is now public; whether you believe it or not is up to you, whether you go or not is also up to you. I won't pull anyone in, nor will I stop anyone."

He scanned the group: "I'm taking the Azure Dragon Legion and the Evil God Guards to Scout the path now. Those who want to follow can catch up at any time. Those who don't want to can stay. But remember one thing—"

His tone suddenly deepened: "Once I set off, I won't wait for anyone. If something happens on the way, I won't care about anyone else's life or death. This is the last warning."

With that, he turned and walked towards his team.

"Fall in," he told the adjutant, "prepare to depart."

The soldiers quickly packed their gear and checked their weapons. The Evil God Guards lined up in two rows, standing still. The entire process was quiet and orderly, with no one speaking unnecessarily.

Ryan remained still, while the others whispered amongst themselves.

"Is he really going?" the Woman with Goggles asked.

"It doesn't look like a bluff," a short deity said. "And he has no reason to trick us into dying."

"But is that priest reliable?" another person shook their head. "Last time he sacrificed a yeti, we all thought he was crazy, but he actually got good stuff."

"The problem is, we're not on the same side as him anymore," Ryan looked at Shen Xiaochuan's back. "He's long since treated us as outsiders."

"That's why he specifically came to report," the Woman with Goggles suddenly said. "If he really wanted to shake us off, he wouldn't have come back at all."

Ryan fell silent.

Over there, Shen Xiaochuan had already mounted a modified snowmobile. The engine roared, and the ground trembled slightly. He wore goggles, and half of a copper gear pendant was visible between his collar, glinting in the sunlight.

"Let's go," he said.

The convoy slowly started, tracks crushing the snow and leaving deep furrows. The twelve Evil God Guards followed on foot, their steps synchronized, like an iron army marching out of Hell.

They headed east.

After traveling fifty meters, Shen Xiaochuan looked back.

The five people still stood there, unmoving, and without calling out.

He withdrew his gaze, gripped the handlebars, and accelerated.

The cold wind whistled past his ears, and the edges of his goggles began to frost over. He didn't wipe them, only stared at the gradually clearer mountain silhouette ahead – the eastern mountain range appeared, with a long, narrow dark opening across it, which was the entrance to the valley on the map.

Three more hours until arrival.

The team maintained its speed. The communication channel was silent, with only sporadic reports coming through.

"Vehicle One normal."

"Vehicle Three fuel 76%."

"Evil God Guards Seven to Twelve, operating normally."

Shen Xiaochuan listened, occasionally replying with "Received."

He knew that the group behind wouldn't decide immediately. They needed to discuss, weigh their options, and wait for others to make the first move. He couldn't wait.

The reasoning had been made clear, the boundaries drawn, and the opportunity given. Everything that needed to be done was done; the rest of the path, he had to walk alone.

He touched the splint on his left arm; the bone still ached, but it didn't affect his movement. The repair agent was still working, and his body temperature was normal. As long as he didn't fight, reaching the valley wouldn't be a problem.

The crucial thing was that this intelligence was too important.

More than one perfect grade aberrant beast meant there might be a nest, a breeding ground, or even a critical migration point. If he could control it, he could not only complete the mission but also eliminate the threat in advance.

More importantly, such locations often harbored rare Materials and could even yield new genetic samples. These items could be exchanged for a large amount of resources in the Faith Mall.

He was already calculating in his mind how much he could exchange for.

As he was thinking, a Scout ahead reported: "Captain, abnormal tracks found."

Shen Xiaochuan raised his hand, signaling to stop.

He walked over and squatted down to examine them. A series of giant claw prints extended down from the hillside, leading to the valley. The claw prints were more than two meters apart, the snow where they stepped had collapsed, and ice shards were scattered at the edges.

"Not a Mammoth," the Scout said. "Lighter, but stronger."

Shen Xiaochuan reached out to touch the edge of a claw print; his fingertips felt slightly warm – not body heat, but residual energy.

He immediately took out a detector and scanned it.

The screen displayed: [Energy Residue: Highly Active Bioelectric Field, Intensity Rating: perfect grade Lower Limit]

He narrowed his eyes.

It's real.

There really was something here.

"Continue forward," he stood up. "Be careful, don't spread out."

The convoy started again.

This time, the speed was faster.

The sun rose higher, and the snow reflected a dazzling glare. Shen Xiaochuan sat at the front of the vehicle, his gaze fixed on the valley ahead. He knew that every step from now on had to be precise.

He also knew that some people couldn't keep up anymore.

Far behind, the camp remained silent. No one pursued them.

The wind whipped up snow spray, landing on the map paper, gradually covering the words "Suggested Action."