65: Chapter 65... No way, don't set a flag!

The terrain here is relatively open, and there are a few half-collapsed walls behind to block the wind, making it suitable for camping.

In the human ruins, one really never knows when something might jump out from somewhere; of course, not everyone thinks like Lu Cheng.

The vast majority of teams still stayed in the human ruins, as the environment there was indeed better than elsewhere.

The four of them quickly set up a simple campsite, lit a campfire, and took turns keeping watch.

Once the fire lit up, the tension weighing on their hearts finally dissipated a little.

Lu Cheng opened the locator, which displayed his team's score and the top ten teams.

The team's points for the afternoon reached 160, of which 100 points were given by that resource point, currently ranking third.

First place was Lin Tianjian's team, and second place was the team from Yangrong Girls High School.

Ma Dachun squatted by the fire roasting compressed meat jerky, still sighing in his mouth:

"I felt this place was scary during the day, and at night... you guys listen to the forest over there, is something calling?"

From the depths of the dark forest in the distance, low, strange noises could indeed be heard from time to time, sounding like heavy breathing or grinding teeth.

Xia Xi sat next to Lu Cheng, hugging her knees, and asked in a low voice:

"Do you think something will really sneak over tonight?"

Su Wan sat on the other side, polishing her sword. Upon hearing this, she looked up at the edge of the darkened forest, her eyes slightly darkened:

"It's possible."

The campfire crackled and popped.

They chatted in low voices, and the atmosphere was uncharacteristically relaxed.

Just then, Lu Cheng suddenly raised his head, his gaze directed straight at a tall tree outside the campsite.

The tree was very tall, with sparse branches and leaves, its top almost blending into the night.

He stared for two seconds, then suddenly spoke.

"The person in the tree, come down once you've seen enough."

As soon as the words were spoken, the surroundings fell silent instantly.

Ma Dachun's scalp tingled, and he almost threw his meat jerky into the fire: "Holy crap? Where is there someone?!"

The tree was silent for a moment.

The next second, a figure landed lightly from the heights.

There was almost no sound when landing.

It was a man in his thirties, wearing grey-green camouflage, his face painted with camouflage grease, his aura hidden extremely deeply. When he stood there, his whole person almost blended into the night.

If he hadn't jumped down himself, the others wouldn't have discovered him at all.

Xia Xi was startled; Lu Cheng actually sensed someone she hadn't even discovered.

When did this person hide up there?

And how long had he been watching them?

The man glanced at Lu Cheng first, a flash of surprise clearly in his eyes, then smiled:

"Good perception."

Lu Cheng chuckled: "Guessed it, didn't expect to trick you out."

The man looked at Lu Cheng and couldn't help but smile.

"You brat... how could you be so certain I was in that tree just by guessing?"

He didn't believe Lu Cheng's nonsense... but... a Body Refining Realm being able to discover him... interesting.

As for the truthfulness of Lu Cheng's words, it was fifty-fifty... Seeking Good Fortune and Avoiding Bad Luck had been indicating there was something good in the tree, which should be the same as the first operation, someone was watching them.

"Military personnel?"

"A lurking observer?"

Ma Dachun immediately guessed the person's identity.

The man walked to the fire, found a rock to sit on, and reached out to warm himself by the fire: "You could say that. You guys continue, I'm just passing by and taking a look."

Ma Dachun sat back down, but his eyes remained on the other person: "The instructors are indeed hiding."

The man smiled: "If we let you run naked into the Wasteland Zone for training, the city would be in an uproar later."

Ma Dachun looked at the instructor and asked: "Will you guys intervene?"

"Yes." The man poked at the fire, "When you are truly about to die."

The man took a deep breath of the smoky air and continued:

"This area is relatively stable during the day, but not peaceful at night. You'd better not run around tonight. The depths of the forest, dense areas of abandoned buildings, sewer tunnels—don't go in if you can avoid it."

Lu Cheng looked up: "Why?"

The smile on the man's face faded slightly.

"This area has existed for too long. Although it has been scanned and there are no exotic beasts above Tier 3, however... instruments are not omnipotent."

The firelight flickered.

The atmosphere around them immediately chilled.

The man continued: "At night, some things move, some paths change, and after entering some places, communication and positioning will become chaotic. It is far more dangerous than you imagine."

After saying this, Ma Dachun looked into the depths of the forest, which was pitch black. The wind blew, and the treetops swayed gently, as if something was slowly moving inside.

The man probably felt the atmosphere was too heavy, so he added with a smile: "You don't need to worry about those places. Just farm points during the day, survive these few days, go back to the city, and you can still eat and drink as usual."

He looked at Lu Cheng: "You kid... I've been following you all day today, you performed well. Do you have any thoughts about joining the Military District?"

Lu Cheng shook his head.

"I'm used to freedom... the Military District isn't really suitable for me."

"That's true. Several martial arts universities should be fighting to get a genius of your level."

As he spoke, he took out a photo from his pocket. The edges of the photo were worn, and it was a bit wrinkled.

The firelight shone on it, and one could see a seventeen or eighteen-year-old girl in the photo, wearing a ponytail, smiling brightly, truly beautiful.

The man shook the photo, his tone half-joking, half-serious: "My daughter, just a year younger than you guys. Pretty, right?"

The people around were stunned for a moment.

Ma Dachun was very honest: "Uncle, she is really pretty."

The man laughed: "Of course. After this mission ends, I'll go back to accompany her. I've been busy lately, and I almost missed her birthday that I promised her."

When he said this, his fingers gently rubbed the edge of the photo, and the sharpness in his eyes faded a lot.

The firelight reflected on the slightly wrinkled photo and also on the smile on his face.

The campsite was silent for a few seconds.

F*ck! Uncle, do you know that setting a flag like this is really dangerous!

"Pfft pfft pfft!" Lu Cheng immediately interrupted the uncle's chanting.

"Uncle, look at it after you go back. Don't say such scary things while in the Wasteland Zone now."

The uncle also realized something and chuckled. He waved his hand and put his daughter's photo back.

"You young people, I don't know what you're thinking about all day. But I think you're right; these kinds of things should be said after going back..."

The uncle's voice had just fallen.

The next second.

"Roar!"

A beast's roar, extremely close, suddenly exploded from the depths of the dark forest, shaking the campfire.

Immediately after, sounds came from all directions. There was something hitting trees in the forest on the left, the sound of dense claws scraping the ground came from behind the wall on the right, and pairs of scarlet eyes lit up one after another in the darkness ahead, the number was enough to make one's scalp numb.

Lu Cheng's eyes instantly narrowed, and he stood up directly.

The firelight shone over, and the first batch of fierce beasts rushing out had already reached the edge of the campsite.

Wolf-shaped, dog-shaped, and several larger feline fierce beasts, all covered in blood, black and sticky, mixed with a layer of blue-purple stains.

Their fur was matted in large patches, their flesh was curled, and their eyes were terrifyingly cloudy.

As they ran, black-red saliva flowed from the corners of their mouths, their aura was extremely manic, completely different from the state of the fierce beasts seen during the day.

Ma Dachun's scalp exploded on the spot.

"Holy crap! So many?!"

Lu Cheng looked at that group of things, the corners of his mouth twitching, and he cursed directly:

"Damn uncle, you jinx!"

He turned his head and looked next to the campfire. As a result, the uncle who had just been sitting on the rock was already gone.

The tree shadows swayed, and only a light sentence drifted down in the night.

"Good luck, you guys..."

Lu Cheng: "..."

Ma Dachun was stunned.

"Uncle?! You're just running away like this?!"

The group of blood-stained fierce beasts in front had already completely pressed up, and there was no time to continue complaining.

Su Wan drew her sword immediately, the chill spreading along the blade, and her feet had already cut to the left.

Xia Xi didn't rush to attack; she stared at the wolf-shaped fierce beast in the front, her brows furrowing tighter and tighter.

When that thing pounced over, the flesh on its shoulders and back was still gently bulging, as if something was wriggling inside. The edges of its claws were dark purple, and after it landed, the weeds on the ground quickly turned black.

Xia Xi's voice sank.

"These guys... are polluted!"

The military had said before that the most troublesome thing in the Wasteland Zone was never just the exotic beasts; pollution was the true source that would completely ruin an area.

Polluted creatures lose normal judgment, their strength surges, their pain sensitivity drops, and they may even carry corrosiveness.

Fortunately... Lu Cheng happened to have the right thing on him. His body surface glowed slightly, and the purification aura of the Dragon Scale Holy Armor hidden under his training suit circulated.

"Fine, pollution, right."

"Then consider yourselves unlucky tonight."

As the words fell, he stepped, and Wandering Step was instantly activated. He crashed directly into the herd of beasts.

Bang! The first punch slammed fiercely into the skull of the wolf-shaped fierce beast in the front, the sound of bone cracking exploded on the spot, its head tilted, and its body flew out sideways, knocking over two more behind it.

But strangely, it was still twitching after landing, its limbs frantically digging the ground, and a hoarse, low roar issued from its mouth.

"Such tenacious vitality?"

Lu Cheng's eyes darkened, and his second step already closed in, the overlapping force of the Three Styles of Crushing Fist erupting.

Boom! With this punch, the skull completely exploded, and black-red foul blood splattered all over the ground.

Meanwhile, sword light flashed on Su Wan's side.

Swish! A fierce beast pouncing toward Ma Dachun from the right was slashed in the neck by her sword, the cold air freezing the wound and suppressing the spraying foul blood.

"Don't touch the blood!" Su Wan warned coldly.

Xia Xi also moved. She was fast, her figure flashing across the edge of the firelight, her short blade accurately cutting into the eye socket of a small fierce beast, then she backhanded an elbow, smashing it into the shoulder and neck of another, slamming that thing fiercely into the ground.

Although Ma Dachun was yelling, his hands weren't slow. He picked up his long staff and guarded the rear, specifically finishing off those that leaked through.

"Come on! Come and find your Grandpa Charles!"

"Holy crap, you're really coming?!"

Bang! He slammed his staff fiercely onto the face of a dog-beast, his own arm was shaken numb, and he retreated two steps, grimacing.

The battle instantly escalated to the max. This group of polluted fierce beasts didn't dodge or retreat, and instead became even crazier after being injured!

A bloody and foul smell soon filled the air, making one's chest feel stuffy when smelling it.

A leopard-shaped fierce beast, half a person tall, suddenly pounced on Xia Xi from the side and rear. Extremely fast!

Lu Cheng caught it in his peripheral vision, his whole body instantly cut across, Hardening Pulse fully activated, and he raised his arm to take it head-on.

Bang!

That claw slapped his arm, the impact spread throughout his body, and Lu Cheng's figure only swayed once.

The next second, his five fingers hooked, directly grabbing the leopard-shaped fierce beast's forelimb, he exerted force from his waist and back, and flung it out!

Boom! That thing smashed half a wall, and rubble flew everywhere.

"Thanks!"

Xia Xi turned back and shouted, her eyes shining, and she turned her head to smash another hammer into the lower jaw of another fierce beast.

A few minutes later.

The last blood-stained fierce beast was stepped on the spine by Lu Cheng, his fist smashing into the ground.

Bang!

The ground shook, and that thing finally stopped moving completely.

The area around the campsite was a mess.

The campfire was knocked over on one side, the ground was covered with corpses and foul blood, and the stench in the air made people frown.

Ma Dachun held his knees and panted.

"Damn... the gold content of this night training is too high."

Xia Xi shook the blood off her blade, her expression not looking very good.

"Where did these things pop out from? There weren't this many during the day at all."

Su Wan squatted down to check two corpses, her fingertips condensing a layer of cold air to prevent direct contact with the pollution. She looked up, her voice very low.

"There are residual erosion sources in their bodies... it's like they just ran out from some pollution zone."

Lu Cheng was just about to respond.

Suddenly, a more chaotic sound came from the distance.

Footsteps, panting, shouting, mixed together, crazily approaching from the ruins side.

The four of them turned their heads at the same time.

They saw several teams that were originally stationed in the city ruins, running frantically toward the edge of the forest with terrified faces.

Some people's clothes were torn, some had blood all over their arms, running staggeringly, their formations long gone.

And behind them... was a large group of exotic beasts.

Dense and numerous.