136: Chapter 136 Signs of Inhabitation?

Early the next morning, Lu Cheng woke up. At his current realm, he no longer needed much sleep. Ensuring his mind was well-rested each day was enough.

At the same time, his terminal chimed with a message from Instructor Qin Feng. "Six-thirty, gather at the South Gate."

Lu Cheng rolled out of bed, rubbed his face, and casually pulled on his Navigator Academy uniform.

When he pushed the door open to leave, Chu Mu was already in the kitchen.

"Mom, I'm leaving."

Chu Mu didn't even turn her head, flipping the spatula in the pan twice. "Are you coming back for dinner tonight?"

"It depends. If the mission finishes early, I'll be back."

"Mm."

Lu Cheng kicked on his boots at the doorway and pulled the door open.

The voice-activated light in the hallway flickered on and then went out.

The sky outside was just beginning to turn greyish-white, and the streetlights were still on.

Rong City South Gate.

Instructor Qin Feng's off-road vehicle was already parked at the gathering point.

The car door was open, and he was leaning against the front hood, holding a cup of steaming soy milk.

Seeing Lu Cheng turn the corner, he lifted his chin. "First one here, not bad."

Lu Cheng walked over and glanced at the backseat of his car. "They aren't here yet?"

"You're the earliest." Instructor Qin Feng took a sip of soy milk. "Xia Xi just messaged to say she's almost here, and Su Wan and Qian Shuying are close too."

"I'm not late, am I!" Xia Xi arrived shortly after. Lu Cheng said, "Su Wan and the others haven't arrived yet..."

Before long, Su Wan and Qian Shuying also arrived one after another.

"Everyone's here." Instructor Qin Feng tossed the empty soy milk cup into a trash can nearby and turned to open the driver's side door. "Get in, we'll talk on the way."

The off-road vehicle started, its engine's dull hum echoing through the morning streets.

Instructor Qin Feng turned the steering wheel onto the main road, and the streetscape of Rong City began to recede outside the car window.

"Today's target is the Abandoned City near the Southern Ruins." Instructor Qin Feng held the steering wheel with one hand and swiped on the center console screen with the other, bringing up the mission map. "After the incident at the Northern Ruins and Southern Ruins a while back, Mayor Xia led the support army to conduct a blanket cleanup of the pollution. Theoretically, that area should have been cleared out."

He paused. "But for some reason, Pollution Beasts have appeared again."

Lu Cheng sat in the passenger seat, looking out the window, mentally checking his Seeking Good Fortune and Avoiding Bad Luck status. This ability currently didn't have any major reaction, meaning at least for the moment, nothing major would happen.

"The support army has been recalled to the higher-level city." Instructor Qin Feng's tone was matter-of-fact. "The higher-level city is also short on manpower, so they can't spare any teams to clean up other places for the time being."

He tilted his head to glance at the rearview mirror. "Normally, it would take at least a five-to-six-person team at the Meridian Opening Realm to clear this scale of pollution residue without injuries. When the Defense Bureau posted the mission, they were hoping for academy students at the Meridian Opening Realm level to accept it."

Instructor Qin Feng couldn't help but chuckle at this point. "I didn't expect Navigator Academy to only send the four of you at the Source Gathering Realm."

"You don't trust us?" Lu Cheng smiled. He swept his gaze toward the passenger seat. "With you here, there shouldn't be any problems."

Lu Cheng scratched his chin. "Instructor Qin, if you praise me like that, I'll get arrogant."

"Arrogant my ass." Instructor Qin Feng laughed and cursed, pulling his gaze back to the road ahead. "I really didn't expect you kid to progress so fast... you're much fiercer than I am now."

The off-road vehicle left the main urban area of Rong City, and the buildings on both sides of the road began to get shorter and sparser. They changed from three- or four-story old-fashioned buildings to scattered bungalows, dilapidated factories, and fenced-off construction areas. The road surface was no longer smooth asphalt, and potholes and cracks began to appear; the car body would jolt slightly as the wheels rolled over them.

On the edge of the Abandoned City was a forest. Lu Cheng recognized this forest. Back then, he and that group of students had cleared a batch of peripheral Polluted Exotic Beasts here. Thinking about it now, it brought back memories.

Instructor Qin Feng parked the car on the dirt road outside the forest. The five of them got out of the car, and the morning breeze blew through the forest, carrying a damp, cold smell of soil and the fishy, sweet scent of rotting leaves.

The sky was mostly bright, with greyish-white clouds pressing down low, and the light in the forest was still a bit dim.

Instructor Qin Feng drew a short blade from his lower back; the blade was engraved with a few simple Source Power runes. He squatted down to look at the soil at the edge of the forest and pressed his finger into it. "Traces of Polluted Exotic Beasts, fresh."

He stood up and pointed the tip of the blade toward the depths of the forest. "This way. Watch your step; the ground will turn black in areas with pollution residue."

The five of them walked into the forest in a single file. Instructor Qin Feng and Lu Cheng took the lead, while Xia Xi, Su Wan, and Qian Shuying behind them spread out in a triangular formation, each holding their weapons.

The forest was very quiet. There wasn't even the sound of insects. Lu Cheng stepped on the fallen leaves, and the withered leaves under his feet made a faint crunching sound.

Instructor Qin Feng stopped in front, raising his left fist to shoulder height, fingers clenched, signaling to stop.

About thirty meters ahead was a small clearing in the forest. The ground in the center of the clearing had obvious signs of digging; the soil was overturned, and gravel was scattered everywhere. Several tree trunks as thick as a bowl had been clawed to shreds, and the claw marks on the cross-sections of the trunks still had light grey pollution fluid remaining, which was dripping down.

A gathering place for Pollution Beasts. Lu Cheng scanned it and roughly estimated the number in his mind. Thirty.

"Ready to move?" Xia Xi took her great hammer off her shoulder, gripped the handle with both hands, and flicked her fingertips against it. The five of them exchanged glances and nodded.

Qian Shuying moved first. She stepped with the force of a falling tiger, her whole body like a passing shadow, crashing directly into the densest area of the Pollution Beasts. The moment her foot hit the ground, the Geng Metal Tiger Pattern on her body lit up, and Source Power bloomed from the surface of her skin like golden electric light, her speed more than doubling.

A Source Gathering Realm Pollution Beast in front hadn't even had time to lift its head before Qian Shuying's palm slashed across its neck. Drifting Dragon Rending Shadow! Her palm swept past, bringing out a golden-white arc of light. The Pollution Beast's head flew off with a bang.

Xia Xi immediately pressed forward, the force of her great hammer swinging pulling a dull thud from the air. She smashed down with one hammer, exploding a pit in the ground, and the impact sent all the surrounding withered branches and gravel flying. Two Pollution Beasts were knocked over by the shockwave, and before they could climb back up, Xia Xi had already swept out with a backhanded hammer strike. Bang! The hammerhead smashed into the side of a Pollution Beast's ribs; the sound of the ribs breaking was similar to stepping on withered branches.

The moment Su Wan's blade was unsheathed, the cold air froze the air around her into white mist. Her Treading Snow movement technique unfolded across the forest clearing; with every step she took, a thin layer of ice would form under her feet. The ice surface extended over the grey-white moss, and the Pollution Beasts slipped when they stepped on it, their claws scraping against the ground with a harsh sound.

A cold light flashed. Su Wan passed between two Source Gathering Realm Pollution Beasts, the tip of her sword tapping each of their necks. The Cold Soul Sword Cloak wrapped around the blade, and the cold air poured into the wounds, freezing the blood and stiffening their bodies. The two Pollution Beasts fell down while maintaining their pouncing posture, hitting the ground like two frozen chunks of meat.

Lu Cheng moved, Drifting Dragon Rending Shadow. His fist wind exploded against several Pollution Beasts; in less than a minute, more than half of the Polluted Exotic Beasts were dead.

Instructor Qin Feng stood at the edge of the forest, holding a tactical dagger, originally intending to lend a hand. After watching for a few seconds, he put the dagger away. No need. These four guys fighting thirty Pollution Beasts didn't seem to be under any pressure at all... Especially that kid Lu Cheng; the blood and qi vibration on his fists smashed the Pollution Beasts' protective Source Power as if it were made of paper.

The battle didn't last long; from start to finish, it was only about two minutes. The depression was filled with the corpses of Pollution Beasts lying in disarray. Black pollution blood seeped into the soil, dyeing the grey-white moss a deep purple. Severed limbs, broken bones, and smashed skulls were scattered everywhere, and the strange smell in the air became stronger, mixed with a rotting, cloying scent.

Xia Xi slammed her great hammer onto the ground, the pollution blood on the hammerhead still dripping down. She raised her hand to wipe the sweat from her forehead and exhaled a puff of white breath. "Whew~ Job done."

Qian Shuying shook off the pollution blood staining her hands, and with a surge of Source Power, the blood droplets were shaken into a fine mist. Su Wan wiped her blade twice on the withered grass on the ground; the frost on the sword hadn't faded yet, and the withered grass she wiped it on was frozen into ice strips.

Thirty [War Treasure] only triggered once... Instructor Qin Feng's expression was a bit off. He didn't look at the corpses of the Pollution Beasts on the ground but looked at the surrounding forest. He frowned slightly. "Something's wrong."

Lu Cheng turned his head to look at him. "What is it?" Instructor Qin Feng didn't answer immediately. He walked to the edge of the depression, squatted down, and pushed aside a cluster of half-withered shrubs with his fingers. Underneath the shrubs was a small flattened grass nest, and in the nest were a few chewed-up wild fruit pits; the pits were still stained with fresh saliva, not yet dry. Beside it were the remnants of a small campfire, a simple stove built from a few stones, and the charcoal ash was still fresh.

"Around here..." Instructor Qin Feng stood up and scanned the edge of the forest. "There are traces of human habitation."

Lu Cheng looked in the direction of Instructor Qin Feng's gaze. Behind the shrubbery, there was another clearing that had been cleared by hand. Several rags were spread on the ground, and a small bundle of dry firewood was piled in the corner, tied neatly with vines. There was even a piece of wood that had been whittled flat, with a cracked ceramic bowl placed on top of it. These things couldn't have been left by Pollution Beasts. Someone had lived in this polluted area. And judging by the freshness of these traces, this person, or these people, hadn't left long ago.

Lu Cheng immediately focused his attention on Seeking Good Fortune and Avoiding Bad Luck. Fortune and disaster were both relative; he only needed to change his current purpose, and the feedback would change accordingly. Lu Cheng's goal now was to find the direction of the creature living here... The talent quickly gave the fortune/disaster feedback: that thing was about to leave.

Lu Cheng's pupils contracted. "Chase!" He gave a low shout, and a golden-white light exploded from his body. The Holy Dragon Armament went directly into full release state, and the Dragon Scale Holy Armor emerged from his skin!

Then he charged out at full speed, chasing toward the east side of the forest, behind that densest patch of shrubbery. With Gale Step combined with the explosive power of the Holy Dragon Armament, Lu Cheng transformed into a golden-white bolt of lightning. Afterimages trailed for dozens of meters, the phantom of the dragon wings carved trails of light through the forest, and the withered branches on the ground were swept up by the strong wind, flipping several times behind him.

Faster. A little faster. Lu Cheng pushed his blood, qi, and Source Power to the limit, weaving through the dense forest, his gaze locked tightly ahead. Then he saw a thin, small figure running almost against the shrubbery. Facing away from him, he couldn't see the face, only a piece of clothing that was worn out beyond recognition; the color was washed to a pale white, and the hem was shredded by branches. The figure's movements were extremely fast, so fast it didn't seem like human speed.

Lu Cheng accelerated. The explosive power of the Holy Dragon Armament was enough for him to catch up to the vast majority of enemies in a short time. But not only was that figure not caught, it was actually speeding up. Lu Cheng could only watch helplessly as that thin, small figure dove into an even denser thicket of trees; the branches and leaves closed with a rustle, and then... it was gone. Just like that, it was gone.

Lu Cheng stopped at the edge of the thicket and reached out to push aside the branches. Behind the thicket was a dried-up river gully, filled with gravel and dead wood; there wasn't even a rabbit, let alone a human figure. He had lost the trail. At his current speed, let alone the Source Gathering Realm, even a peak Hua Hai Realm expert might not be able to shake him off. What exactly was that thing?

"Lu Cheng!" Xia Xi's shout came from behind. She, along with Su Wan, Qian Shuying, and Instructor Qin Feng, chased over, stepped over broken branches, and stopped at the edge of the river gully. "What's the situation?"

Instructor Qin Feng's voice was very low, his gaze quickly scanning the area around the river gully. Lu Cheng turned around. "I'm not sure, I only saw a figure... it disappeared in an instant."

Xia Xi was stunned. "Disappeared in an instant? At your current speed?"

Su Wan didn't speak; she sheathed her sword and squatted down to examine the gravel on the edge of the river gully. There were no footprints on the gravel, no signs of trampling, not even a trace of friction.

Instructor Qin Feng frowned slightly. He walked to the edge of the river gully, looked down for a while, then turned around, his expression returning to the composure of his mission state, and said, "Understood. You've all worked hard today. We'll go back and submit the mission, and then you can go back."

The four of them followed Instructor Qin Feng back. As they walked out of the forest, Lu Cheng looked back at the depths of the dense woods. Rong City... has a problem...

The off-road vehicle started and turned back toward Rong City. Instructor Qin Feng uploaded the mission kill data using his wrist terminal in the car. When they returned to the urban area of Rong City, the sun had already risen quite high.

Instructor Qin Feng led them to the Defense Bureau to submit the mission. The procedure was very simple: scan the kill record and confirm the integrity of the pollution core. After the procedures were completed, the four of them were just about to separate when Instructor Qin Feng suddenly received some news, looked down at his terminal, and frowned.

Lu Cheng, having sharp eyes, leaned over to take a look. A new Defense Bureau mission push had popped up on Instructor Qin Feng's terminal screen. [Emergency Mission] Wasteland Zone near the Northern Ruins of Rong City, unknown number of Pollution Beasts discovered, level unconfirmed.

"Pollution Beasts again?" Lu Cheng pulled his head back.

Instructor Qin Feng put away the terminal and looked at the four of them. "Something happened near the Northern Ruins too. The quantity hasn't been determined yet, and the Defense Bureau here..." The four of them exchanged glances and nodded. Lu Cheng spoke directly. "We happen to have time right now, we'll take this mission together."