Chapter 24: Setting Up Camp And Assassination
The City Patrol Guards’ techniques were very proficient. In just over ten minutes, the Giant Wolf corpse was skinned and dismembered, and they methodically took out the prepared black bags.
The surface was hooked with blue patterns. When the bag mouth was opened, strands of cold mist emerged.
The students around them were whispering complaints.
“The first layer of defense fortress guards is ten kilometers outside the city, with City Patrol Guards patrolling in between. This Tie Lang is just a First Order Mutant; it’s impossible for it to break through the multiple layers of defense.”
“This must have been deliberate to scare us.”
The guy who spoke pushed up his glasses, which had a clear crack on them. His analysis was well-reasoned, yet it drew a wave of mockery.
“Who can’t kiss ass after the fact? I don’t know who was just burying their head in the ground like it was going to swallow them.”
The glasses guy’s face flushed red as he explained, “What do you know? Tie Lang relies mainly on scent. I was covering my smell.”
The crowd burst into laughter. After this sudden incident, the relationships among the group had become much more harmonious, mainly because they realized everyone was pretty much the same—no one was stronger than anyone else.
“Before, we didn’t hear those who went out of the city say anything about mutants suddenly jumping out to scare people. Is it kept so secret?”
After packing up, the team reorganized and set off again, with no further incidents.
Time passed, and the gray-white mist gradually turned black, visibility getting lower and lower, to the point where they could barely see the two or three people in front and behind.
“Stop!”
Hu Xiang’s deep voice still penetrated the mist, accurately reaching everyone’s ears.
“Prepare to set up camp.” He bellowed in a deep voice. The students, who had been holding their breath in concentration, couldn’t help but relax.
The City Patrol Guards had already gotten to work, pulling out white crystal pillars from the backpacks behind them, first arranging them in a hexagonal shape to surround the entire team.
Then, with a command, they twisted the knobs at the bottom.
Buzz–
White light wove through the crystal pillars like tassels, then interconnected to form a milky-white energy shield covering the entire team, with the mist inside the energy shield gradually dissipating.
“These are camp pillars. It’s my first time seeing them deployed like this…”
The students discussed in low voices, feeling like the knowledge from books had come to life.
The energy shield’s range gradually expanded, eventually forming a fairly spacious area where small tents were quickly set up one by one.
In the central area, the City Patrol Guards in charge of logistics had set up metal stoves, taking out small red crystal blocks from which they drew flames to roast the beast meat they had skinned earlier, the fat sizzling.
Having walked half the day with high mental concentration and great stamina consumption, everyone was starving. Now smelling the aroma, their eyes lit up one by one.
“This stuff is quite nourishing for you.” Hu Xiang drew a black iron dagger, cut off a piece of roasted meat, and casually tossed it to Zhou Zong.
“Thanks, Captain…” Zhou Zong felt secretly pleased but appeared humble on the surface.
The others pursed their lips enviously, full of jealousy.
Hu Xiang acted as if he hadn’t heard, cut another piece, pondered briefly, and under everyone’s eager gazes, tossed it casually.
Su Chen unexpectedly caught a large piece of roasted meat. The others exchanged glances, quite stunned.
Hu Xiang giving special treatment to Zhou Zong was no surprise to anyone—after all, his father was a big shot in the city.
But what did this Su Chen have that made Hu Xiang treat him differently?
During the earlier Tie Lang attack, this guy had blatantly hidden behind Bai Fengxi—a pretty cowardly fellow.
Hu Xiang took in the exchanged looks from the crowd and sighed inwardly. This kid’s last meal—let him eat comfortably to ease the guilt in his heart.
He cut another piece and stuffed it into his own mouth. The others also took meat handed over by the City Patrol Guards and shoved it into their mouths.
“Tastes pretty good…” Su Chen had just taken a bite; the meat was tender. Not only that, his body gradually warmed up.
“Feels almost like drinking Blood Activating Potion…”
After two more bites, Su Chen noticed the changes in his body and thought to himself.
“Could it be that the materials for Blood Activating Potion are these mutants? No wonder these City Patrol Guards didn’t leave even the bones—probably valuable too…”
Realizing the benefit, Su Chen naturally wouldn’t miss it. He started eating heartily, stuffing it nonstop into his mouth, hands greasy, his wild eating manner drawing some sideways glances.
“This brother is really… unrestrained…” someone remarked with emotion.
“Liu Liang, we’re all classmates—watch how you talk,” Zhou Zong feigned displeasure. “Although classmate Su Chen is a refugee, everyone eats differently. No need to mock.”
The guy named Liu Liang looked bewildered. Who was mocking? I was just commenting.
Wait… refugee?
“Refugee?” Shen Yinger nearby looked over in surprise. “He’s a refugee? How could Teacher Jiang He take a liking to…”
“You didn’t know?” Zhou Zong looked surprised, as if he hadn’t expected it.
Su Chen glanced up at him. A student dying outside the city seemed to require an extremely detailed investigation report.
He kept stuffing food into his mouth, seemingly focused only on eating, making the atmosphere a bit awkward for a moment.
The crowd noticed Zhou Zong targeting Su Chen but said nothing. Most of the students present had no particular feelings about Su Chen’s refugee status.
They weren’t from wealthy city families—their own circumstances were neither rich nor poor—so they didn’t look down on refugees, just felt more surprised.
Only a few looked at Su Chen with alienation in their eyes.
Zhou Zong felt annoyed that Su Chen ignored him. Due to his father’s instructions, he had held back since leaving the city. Now he took the chance to suppress him a bit, but it was like punching cotton.
“Alright, now assigning night watch.” Hu Xiang interrupted any potential argument, standing up. “The City Patrol Guards are mainly responsible for night watch, paired with one student each, in three rotations.”
This was an important part of the experience. The students weren’t surprised this time—they had heard about it before.
It was quickly arranged: three rotations, fifteen people per rotation, patrolling and watching out for each other within fifty to one hundred meters outside the camp.
Su Chen was in the first rotation.
“…Your top priority is danger prevention. Even if your companion dies right in front of you, don’t bother with it…”
Paired with Su Chen was a veteran named Zhao Lei.
He had Su Chen call him “Old Zhao.” His temples were already graying white, and he unhurriedly instructed on precautions.
Everyone else had gone back to rest, while they walked out of the barrier, split up, and headed to their watch points.
The mist’s flow speed increased, wind howling mournfully.
In the night fog, the glow lamp on Old Zhao’s back only illuminated one or two meters, beyond which was pitch black.
“About here…” Old Zhao used the positioning instrument in his hand, which showed a string of numbers, to anchor the position. He glanced at Su Chen and asked curiously, “You’re really a refugee?”
“Yeah.” Su Chen admitted frankly.
“Impressive…” Old Zhao sighed with emotion, developing some admiration. Recalling the daytime events, he couldn’t help saying, “That Zhou Zong seems to be targeting you because of that Jiang He. It’s not easy for you to get into the academy—just endure it and it’ll pass.”
“Jiang He?” Su Chen was slightly stunned. “You mean Bai Fengxi, right?”
These City Patrol Guards had good discipline; they hadn’t pried into their affairs on the road. It was only during the afternoon meat distribution that he overheard some.
Probably they heard the unfinished half-sentence from Shen Yinger and mistook Bai Fengxi for Jiang He.
“That girl is named Bai Fengxi?” Old Zhao was puzzled. “Then the other girl with the obvious features said how could Jiang He take a liking to you…”
“Jiang He is a teacher at the academy,” Su Chen explained.
“Teacher?” Old Zhao froze, as if realizing something, his gaze toward Su Chen shifting several times.
“Yes, she’s the one who brought me into the academy.” Su Chen saw the old guy hesitating and explained helplessly.
Old Zhao held back for a long time, then thought of his earlier instructions before spitting out two words, “Impressive…”
Su Chen smiled without saying anything.
Night watch was quite boring, but the two had opened up and chatted idly.
……
Meanwhile, another glow was advancing through the darkness.
“…The City Patrol Guards’ camp should be not far ahead…” One of them, skinny, also held a positioning instrument, checking the direction. “According to the news, that guy will be assigned to night watch at the southeast corner of the camp.”
“At ten o’clock, there’ll only be him there. We need to grab him and leave within three minutes.”
“Damn, it’s really scary at night…” The other’s features were bunched up, quite fat, complaining, “A refugee, and we have to handle it ourselves, suffer this crap.”
The guy with the locator frowned and scolded, “Enough. This guy is involved in Old Ghost and Big Zhuang’s deaths. We need to ensure it’s foolproof.”
“It’s eight now, two hours left. Don’t get too close, or we’ll alert those City Patrol Guards.”
……
“…You mean the ruins…” Old Zhao looked rueful. “Those things seem to have been left behind a very, very long time ago. There are plenty of good things inside—weapons, materials, technology, profession information. Almost all dug up from ruins…”
“But it’s also very dangerous inside. Six or seven years ago, I was temporarily drafted to a newly excavated ruin. You wouldn’t believe it—it was the corpse of a giant beast bigger than a mountain, and the mutants inside each had the strength of a professional…”
Su Chen listened carefully, learning more information.
Suddenly, the positioning instrument in Old Zhao’s hand vibrated incessantly in a special pattern.
His expression shifted slightly, brows furrowed tight. He fell silent, then after a moment said, “Su Chen, seems like something’s up. I’ll go check…”
“If I’m not back in three minutes, go report it.”
“Shouldn’t I come with you?” Su Chen couldn’t help asking.
“Follow orders.” Old Zhao said gravely, without much explanation. He left the lamp with Su Chen and cautiously slipped into the darkness.
……
Not long after.
“Old Zhao…” A voice suddenly sounded in front of him. Old Zhao jumped, then after checking the signal carefully, he relaxed. “Captain, why are you here?”
Hu Xiang’s expression was complicated, and he didn’t respond. Old Zhao didn’t think much of it and turned to head back. “I’ll go back first, so that kid Su Chen doesn’t alert the camp later.”
“Su Chen is already dead…” Hu Xiang said helplessly.
“Dead… dead?” Old Zhao paused, turning back in shock, asking tensely, “What happened? What thing?”
He had thought it was something in the darkness, but seeing Hu Xiang silent for a long time, he reacted and exclaimed in shock, “Captain, you?”
Hu Xiang took a deep breath and shook his head. “It was a Mist Nightmare. You resisted with all your might but were helpless. I arrived a step late and could only save you. Got it?”
“Captain… how could you…” Old Zhao’s expression shifted, eyes showing unspeakable disappointment, but in the end he could only say dejectedly, “I understand.”
……
Su Chen looked into the distant darkness, hesitating slightly. This was his first time out—he should follow the rules. He was only a First Order Professional anyway.
But moments later, Su Chen suddenly turned his gaze in a certain direction, his eyes becoming shocked and suspicious.
In his vague mental perception, two people were sneaking toward his position.
His perception range was suppressed to three or four meters, which nearly meant they were right in front of him.
“How could two people suddenly appear?” Su Chen’s heart tightened, vigilance at its peak.
In his perception, the two split left and right, approaching in a pincer formation.
“Coming for me?” Cold intent flashed in Su Chen’s eyes.
Who sent them? Zhou Zong? Qi Chuan? Or… Jiang He?
