253: She always had to go and see.

Ai Yue nodded, feeling that what Gong Qiuqiu said made sense.

She said, "Since we've found its trail, do we really need to wait that long? Can we deal with it now?"

"Preparations are almost complete. In half a month, we'll meet in Ji County. You should head there as soon as possible too," Gong Qiuqiu said.

"I'm already in Ji County. You guys should hurry over. I'm afraid that if too much time passes, we'll lose its trail again," Ai Yue said.

Gong Qiuqiu paused, saying in surprise, "You're in Ji County? What a coincidence."

"Yeah, it really is that coincidental. My hometown is Ji County, and my parents wanted to come back and visit, so we did." Ai Yue shrugged, speaking innocently to show it truly was just a coincidence.

Gong Qiuqiu chuckled helplessly on the other end of the line. "Alright, since you're there, and your abilities are much stronger than the people we sent out—if you're free, you can track the Nameless Monster to see where it's going. But don't get close; wait until we arrive."

Ai Yue thought for a moment and said, "Okay, leave it to me."

After saying that, Ai Yue was about to hang up when Gong Qiuqiu called out to her, "Ai Yue, wait a second."

Ai Yue paused. "What is it?"

Gong Qiuqiu laughed. His voice was deep, resonant, and magnetic. "Oh, it's nothing. Just... don't be so reckless just because you're capable. You must... stay safe."

Ai Yue's grip on the phone tightened, her expression becoming slightly unnatural.

"Got it," she said, her voice flat.

Then she hung up the phone.

On the other end, Gong Qiuqiu looked at the satellite phone emitting a busy signal and smiled slightly. He had still managed to catch a hint of the awkwardness in Ai Yue's tone.

Ai Yue calmly hung up. Seeing the three people staring straight at her, looking like they wanted to know what was said on the other side.

She said succinctly, "It was Gong Qiuqiu. He said the Nameless Monster has appeared in Ji County, and we've agreed to hunt the monster together in half a month."

The three were all shocked to hear this and said in unison, "It appeared in Ji County?"

They looked at each other, brows furrowed. "Doesn't that mean there are two monsters in Ji County now? One was already so powerful; how can we possibly fight two?"

Seeing their misunderstanding, Ai Yue quickly said, "There aren't two, only one. That giant monster I saw just now is the Nameless Monster."

"Huh? But, but didn't you say the Nameless Monster wasn't that massive?" Ye Rui suddenly had an epiphany and continued, "Could it be..."

Seeing that she understood, Ai Yue nodded. "Exactly. In just a few short months, it has nearly doubled in height."

"Did it take hormones? Even with hormones, it wouldn't take effect that fast!" Ye Rui blurted out in surprise.

Ai Yue let out a chuckle, but then her expression turned cold and serious as she said, "It should be related to Jing Xi."

Ye Rui was even more confused. "Who is Jing Xi?"

Ai Yue didn't explain. Instead, she said, "There's still some time before dawn. Let's sleep a bit longer. There probably won't be any more trouble tonight."

Seeing that Ai Yue was unwilling to elaborate, Ye Rui tactfully lay down at the edge of the tent and closed her eyes.

She was indeed sleepy. Since Ai Yue told them to sleep, she understood that Ai Yue was taking over the night watch, so she could sleep peacefully.

Soon it was dawn, and the heavy rain had stopped. Fortunately, they were staying on high ground, so no water had accumulated, allowing them to have a dry and comfortable sleep.

After it was fully light, Ai Yue headed southeast.

Ai Yue soon arrived at the place where she had discovered the Nameless Monster yesterday.

However, there wasn't a single trace of the Nameless Monster to be found in the vicinity.

"That's not right; it should definitely be here."

Such a large monster couldn't just vanish into thin air. It must have walked through here; she wondered if its tracks had been washed away by the rain.

Ai Yue carefully observed the terrain.

Sure enough, she made a discovery.

Under the standing water were giant footprints, as deep as a person's calf, three meters long, and two meters wide. Ai Yue clicked her tongue in amazement at the sight.

It seemed this monster was even taller and larger than what she had seen last night.

Having identified the direction the monster had taken, Ai Yue didn't hesitate and followed the footprints in pursuit.

Ai Yue gave chase for a long time. The terrain gradually rose, and the standing water on the ground slowly diminished, revealing one large footprint after another.

Ai Yue continued to pursue in the direction of the footprints.

Further ahead, she left Ji County and reached a range of rolling mountains covered in dense jungle.

Following the footprints, Ai Yue came to the shaded side of the mountain range.

She found that the giant footprints led straight up the mountain, with the dense jungle trampled and flattened where it had passed.

There was doubt in Ai Yue's eyes. What was that monster doing here? Was it returning underground to hibernate?

If that were the case, they wouldn't need to go to such great lengths to eliminate it.

As long as it went underground and the gases it exhaled were sealed off, there really would be no need for them to go through so much trouble to kill it.

As Ai Yue advanced, her previous speculation was gradually overturned.

The further in she went, the trees on the mountain range all became withered wood that crumbled at a touch.

Ai Yue's expression turned grim. She hadn't expected this monster to have such a Superpower—it could actually absorb the life force of plants to enhance its own strength.

If it were allowed to continue absorbing like this, sooner or later, there would be no place left for humans or animals.

From a distance, Ai Yue finally spotted the monster. To her surprise, there were also thousands upon thousands of zombies around it.

They were all quietly surrounding it, and she had no idea where they had come from.

In the area where it stayed, all the trees had turned into a pile of charcoal, revealing a large open space. It lay right in the middle, eyes closed in a light sleep.

For now, Ai Yue noticed that the monster's nose and mouth were not emitting that white mist.

Ai Yue watched from afar, scanning every inch of the Nameless Monster's body, not missing a single spot.

After watching for a while, the Nameless Monster and the zombies around it seemed like they were part of a painting, completely motionless.

Moreover, after watching for a long time, she hadn't found that familiar figure on the Nameless Monster's body.

Had Jing Xi left?

Was Jing Xi not here at all?

Ai Yue couldn't figure it out, so she could only keep watching and wait to see.

With so many zombies there, she couldn't act rashly. Otherwise, no matter how capable she was, there was a high possibility she would fall here.

Ai Yue was very patient, staying quietly in the distance, keeping her eyes fixed on the Nameless Monster and the zombies.

Two days passed, and the group of zombies and the monster still showed no movement. Additionally, her family kept asking where she had gone and telling her to come back quickly.

They were afraid she would rashly charge in on her own.

After watching for two days and finding nothing, Ai Yue knew there was no point in staying any longer. It was better to go back, rest up, and return later.

Regardless of whether Jing Xi was with the Nameless Monster or not, she had to go and see for herself.