115: Chapter 115 The Cute Little Girl
The trio walked for a while longer when Little Rabbit suddenly stopped ahead, its ears standing straight up and its fur bristling all over.
It stared at a clump of ferns ahead, backed up two steps, and let out a low whimper.
Lin Fan picked up Little Rabbit, his left eye growing slightly warm.
Behind the ferns, a grey lizard the size of a calf was sprawled on a rock sunbathing, its body covered in coarse scales and its tail as thick as a whip.
Its eyes were closed, its breathing slow, and several blue crystals were scattered around it.
[Race]: Rock-Armored Giant Lizard
[Rank]: Level 42
[Aptitude]: Mid-Tier Earth Spirit
[Attribute]: Earth
[Status]: Resting after a full meal, low alertness
Lin Fan lowered his voice.
“Level 42 Rock-Armored Giant Lizard, blue crystals, at least three of them.”
He pointed to the ferns behind the lizard.
“Go around. It's asleep; just don't wake it.”
The feelers on Ye Qing's right leg twitched as she used Spatial Jump to reach the ferns beside the lizard, landing without a sound.
Immediately after, she held out her left hand, and moss-like pale green vines shot from her fingertips.
They spread silently along the ground, precisely wrapping around the blue crystals scattered near the rock.
Holding her breath, she watched the Rock-Armored Giant Lizard's every move. The lizard remained with its eyes closed, its coarse scales rising and falling slightly with its slow breathing.
The pale green vines slowly tightened, securing the three blue crystals. Ye Qing lifted her wrist slightly, pulling the crystals toward her without a sound.
Her other hand darted out quickly, firmly grasping the crystals in her palm.
Without the slightest pause, the feelers on her right leg trembled again as she performed another Spatial Jump, silently retreating to Lin Fan's side without causing the slightest disturbance throughout the process.
“60 points. Done!”
Ye Qing waved the blue crystals in her hand, then glanced back at the dense forest behind them, her tone turning a bit colder.
“Those people are still following us.”
Without looking back, Lin Fan gently smoothed the bristled fur of Little Rabbit in his arms with his fingertips.
“Let them follow. It's fine if they help us clear out the small mobs; saves us the effort.”
The three then continued heading north.
About two or three hundred meters behind them, Liu Ming led his teammates, trailing from a distance.
He gripped a communicator in his hand, sending out a message every so often.
On the other side of the Secret Realm, Zhou Yuan stood on a boulder with a map spread out before him.
Standing behind him were over a dozen people—his own teammates as well as the teams of Zhao Tianyu, Sun Hao, and Chen Yu.
“Liu Ming sent word that Lin Fan and the others are heading north.”
Zhou Yuan drew a line on the map.
“We'll set an ambush here.”
He pointed to a location on the map marked as 'Rift Valley'.
“It's canyon terrain with cliff walls on both sides and only north and south exits. The north exit is narrow; three people can hold it. The south is where they're coming from; if we block it, they won't be able to escape.”
Zhao Tianyu nodded.
“How many people do we need?”
Zhou Yuan folded the map.
“I'll personally lead men to block the south. You take two people to hold the north. The rest will lie in ambush at the bottom of the valley and strike as soon as they enter.”
He glanced at the dozen or so people before him.
“Counting Liu Ming's team, we have fifteen people in total. More than enough to handle the three of them.”
Sun Hao hesitated for a moment.
“Young Master Zhou, Ye Qing is the Chairman's daughter, and Ye Wushuang is also a direct descendant of the Ye family. For people like us...”
Zhou Yuan glanced at him. “Are you afraid?”
Sun Hao shook his head.
“It's not fear... I just feel...”
Zhou Yuan interrupted him.
“Sun Hao, your father has been in that Deputy Director position for several years now, hasn't he?”
Sun Hao's expression changed. Zhou Yuan patted him on the shoulder.
“Do a good job. When we get back, I'll put in a word with my father. Turning a Deputy Director of the Health Bureau into a full Director is just a matter of a single sentence.”
He scanned the others.
“The same goes for you all. Help me this time, and if you ever need anything in Dongyun City in the future, just come find me.”
The group exchanged glances; no one spoke further.
Zhou Yuan put away the map.
“Alright, everyone go get ready. Liu Ming will keep an eye on Lin Fan. Once they enter the Rift Valley, we'll close the net.”
...
Deep within the Secret Realm, a spatial rift split open silently.
Several grey shadows stepped out from the rift, led by a small girl.
She looked only twelve or thirteen, with twin ponytails, wearing a pink-and-white dress and small red leather shoes.
Her face was round, her eyes large and circular with pale amber pupils and long lashes, and she had two dimples when she smiled.
If she hadn't appeared in a place like this, anyone seeing her would have thought she was some family's lost little girl.
“My Lady, the vanguard has already dispersed to various locations.”
A grey-robed man knelt before her, his voice respectful.
“The capture operation is being carried out according to plan.”
The little girl, however, seemed to ignore his report entirely. She irritably kicked a small pebble by her foot, which landed in the ferns.
She curled her lip and muttered in a childish voice.
“So annoying. They just had to make me lead a team to this dump to catch people. Humans aren't nearly as cute as fluffy little bunnies. This is so boring.”
The grey-robed man kneeling on the ground trembled slightly, his forehead pressed against the earth, not daring to look up.
“What are you dazed for? Get moving with the plan already!”
The little girl crouched down, her fair, tender fingers carelessly fiddling with the fern leaves on the ground, her tone airy.
“Ancestor Xu said we need to catch more humans this time, especially those young and vigorous Beast Armor Masters.”
She suddenly looked up, a glint of playfulness flashing in her eyes.
“I heard that the contestants for Dongyun City's Youth Tournament are all in this Secret Realm. We can catch them all in one go. The sooner we finish catching them, the sooner I can go back and play with my bunnies.”
The little girl stood up and patted the dust off her dress.
“Hurry up and go. Don't make too much noise.”
“Yes, your subordinate obeys!”
Several grey-robed men responded in unison. After rising, they instantly vanished into the nearby dense forest.
The little girl stood in place, pulled a candy from her sleeve, unwrapped it, and popped it into her mouth. Her cheeks puffed out, making her look incredibly cute.