–Well…-
Everyone looked at each other, and finally the members of the Snake Row Group stepped forward reluctantly and said:
–We took out a small earthbound spirit in that direction, and there are no other earthbound spirits nearby.-
–We also took one out, but it ended up attracting a few bigger ones. They’ve been hanging around nearby over the past couple of days, over there.-
One after another, the crowd reported their achievements and findings. The gist was that at least from these entry points into the island, the first few hundred meters were safe.
Jiang Junyi, wearing chainmail, stepped forward.
–Captain Yunze, for this operation into City 11, could you let two of our members go in with you? I, Old Jiang, can stay nearby to draw the attention of those monsters, making it easier for you to get in and out.-
–We can do that too.- A member from another team also stepped forward and said.
Chen Bin of the Snake Form Group didn’t want to be left behind: –Captain Yunze, our team’s Yang Qi is pretty good at hand-to-hand combat. If he goes with you, he’ll definitely pull his weight.-
Zhang Zhiquan, standing beside Cheng Yunze, grinned as he watched these people pleading with their captain.
This was the Four Phases Heavenly Group, the strongest team in the entire city.
Cheng Yunze said, –We must enter City 11 this time. So, if you are willing to help lure away all the large earthbound spirits along the way, I can give each group one spot.-
–One spot?-
–I’ll repeat myself: help lure away all the earthbound spirits along the entire route, including that special one deep inside. So, any team that knows it’s not up to the task should back out on its own.-
They suddenly realized—could it be that the entire main force of the Four Phases Team was going in? Otherwise, why would they need us to do the luring?
One person asked, –Why do we have to lure them all away? What’s happening in City 11?-
Cheng Yunze didn’t even spare him a glance.
Bai Xiaoshou looked up and gave him a cold stare, and the man quickly shut his mouth.
The team leaders exchanged glances, guessing…
Something must be going on in City 11.
……
–There’ve been too many people around lately.-
A campfire crackled in the dim room.
Feeling the faint spiritual pressure from afar, Hong Haocheng craned his neck and said between bites of grilled fish.
The three people across the fire were shaking as they stared at the flames. Cui Rong pressed a finger to his lips and whispered, trembling:
–Bro, please, keep your voice down.-
Seeing their sneaky behavior—even more pathetic than when he’d salvaged that boat—
Hong Haocheng pursed his lips.
–Look at you three, acting like you’ve never seen the world.-
Li Yongqin was both amused and exasperated.
He glanced at Cui Rong, who was biting his lip, and at Zhang Miao, who was hunched over the grill—his hands trembling like a sieve, no better off.
Because within a radius of four to five hundred meters around this house lurked several large earthbound spirits that could pop up at any moment!
Good heavens!
This spot was only about two hundred meters from the monsters on both sides!
Being so deep into the island, it was impossible for the three not to be nervous and terrified.
The aroma wafted through the air. After finally grilling another fish, Cui Rong quickly opened his small seasoning pouch, dressed it to perfection, and handed it to Hong Haocheng with an eagerness bordering on sycophancy.
–Chairman, try this fresh one.–
–You guys eat too—I haven’t even cleaned this one yet. Here, give it to Zhang Miao.–
Zhang Miao flashed a grimace of a smile. He pulled the fish off the branch stuck in front of Cui Rong and muttered softly, –Brother Hong eats first. This half-raw one’s mine.–
Cui Rong hurriedly cut in, –Hey, no, no—Vice Chairman, you eat first. I’ll grill this one.–
He shoved the seasoned fish into Zhang Miao’s hand and snatched back the undercooked one.
–Drop the ‘Vice Chairman’ crap. Just call me Brother Zhang.–
–Yes, yes—Brother Zhang. I know I’m not as good a griller as you, but I have to learn, right? Otherwise, when you’re not around, and Brother Hong craves roast fish, I won’t be able to deliver that top-tier taste.–
Li Yongqin shook his head and flipped the fish in front of him.
That kid’s skill at trimming his sails came with a thousand-horsepower engine. Two out of every three sentences were slathered on Hong Haocheng’s ass—so blatant it made your skin crawl and your stomach churn.
–By the way, Brother Hong—have you settled on a name for our society?–
–Hmm…– Hong Haocheng’s brow furrowed, then slowly eased.
–Of course, as the leader, how could I not come up with a gang name? You weren’t satisfied with ‘Feixue Gang’ last time. So, what do you think of ‘Xuming Hui’?-
He wrote the name on the ground with a wooden stick.
The three people by the small bonfire exchanged glances. Cui Rong’s mouth twitched, but in the end, he held back the compliment he wanted to say.
–Actually, there’s no rush on this,- Cui Rong said, trying to calm himself down.
Hong Haocheng’s brows knitted together, and the three instantly dared not say a word.
–Just a lousy gang name—do you think it can stump me? It’s gotta be settled today!-
The youth, with half an inch of hair now grown back, suddenly spread his hand, and a red broken line quickly manifested a topographic map of the surrounding area, making the three tremble inside. This ability to –automatically- acquire terrain—in a world without navigation—was truly –badass.-
They already knew this was Hong Haocheng’s ability, but what was truly terrifying was that even now, they still had no clue where this kid’s Enightmare was.
Hong Haocheng growled fiercely, –How about ‘Hongtu Hui’? But… it doesn’t have my wife’s name in it.-
Cui Rong instantly looked up at Hong Haocheng. Zhang Miao and Li Yongqin exchanged a glance and silently muttered the characters –Xu- and –Fei- in their minds. Damn, so those were his girlfriend’s names—no wonder they were so weird.
–Hmm, ‘Princess Consort Gang’ doesn’t sound bad either,– Hong Haocheng said abruptly, still studying the map. –But I still think ‘Consort Snow Society’ has both more power and artistic conception.–
–Hong Tu!– Cui Rong dropped to one knee with a swift rustle, staring earnestly at the disheveled-haired Hong Haocheng, and cupped his hands:
–This is the name, President. Our name is excellent! Damn good! Good… what’s good is that it foretells our Hong Tu Gang will surely spread out our grand plans in the future! As the saying goes—‘Hongtao white waves dam the river’s rhythm, Pengcheng and Hengyan share the long journey, vertical sword reaches vast and hao spirit, dragon holds jeweled canopy bearing the celestial pivot!’ President, I’m sure your esteemed wife will love this name too.–
Pat.
The fish in Li Yongqin’s hand dropped into the ash beside the fire.
The three stared at Cui Rong, who was kneeling on one knee with cupped hands, as if their jaws had unhinged. In the span of just a few breaths, fine beads of sweat had already seeped out on his forehead—clearly he’d squeezed quite a bit of brain juice in those seconds.
–Then…– Hong Haocheng’s throat hitched slightly. –Let’s go with this name. Xufei should like it too.–
From a hundred meters away came several slow, heavy tremors.
–Those two things have finally had enough rest,– Hong Haocheng said quickly. –Stop roasting. Take these two fish. We only have ten minutes to get through the territory of the two Earthbound Spirits ahead. Move.–
Puff, puff, puff. Several feet unhesitatingly stamped out the flames, swiftly gathered the supplies around them, jumped down from the crumbling second floor, and quickly moved through the densely overgrown ruins.
From hesitation, doubt, and sluggish movements before, to now reacting instantly upon hearing a command—it had taken the three less than two days.
Having safely traversed a kilometer of rugged terrain, Hong Haocheng suddenly halted, dropped to a crouch, and raised his hand, clenching and opening his fist.
The three behind immediately crouched down and held their breath.
A four-meter-tall energy being stood with its head drooped about a hundred meters ahead, but it had its back to them.
Cold sweat streamed down the three as they stared at the massive creature.
If it turned its head and took a sweeping look, it would spot them. On the back of that earthbound spirit’s head, concentric ripples slowly revolved, like a vortex.
It stayed motionless for three or four minutes before finally walking away in the opposite direction.
Only then did the three who had ventured in with Hong Haocheng let out a collective sigh of relief.
About twenty minutes later, there were fewer earthbound spirits in this area, but the buildings were even more fragmented, scattered among the vegetation in no intact shape at all.
Suddenly, Hong Haocheng heard a faint roar.
His face changed slightly.
It was the monster that had been chasing him before!
Beneath a thick tree trunk, Li Yongqin gazed at the surrounding scenery, took a deep breath, and said hesitantly:
–I’m afraid this is already deep into the island.-
Zhang Miao and Cui Rong nodded with mixed expressions of joy and worry. But Hong Haocheng’s next line nearly broke them.
–Close enough. The real center is three hundred meters away.-
–Center?-
–Three hundred meters!-
They exclaimed in low voices, and Zhang Miao almost fainted, staggering backward.
Hong Haocheng planted his hands on his hips, looked into the distance, and said rather regretfully:
–But there’s a special bound spirit over there. Last time it chased me all over the place. Hmph, this time there are four of us—we’ll definitely get something good off it.-
–Last… last time?-
–Us!-
Cui Rong stared in shock at the young man before him, stammering:
–Hong, bro, that monster you mentioned—is it, like, not very tall? And there are flickering Moxel lines on its body.-
–Eh, you’ve seen it? Good lad, not bad! Did your team fight it before?-
The three of them looked at him as if he were the monster.
Li Yongqin whispered in dread: –That monster can summon all the monsters on the island to protect it. We all suspect it used to be a quadrilateral master from City 11. Even after turning into a monster, it still has great skills and the power to rally others.-
–Right! That trick of throwing iron lumps—dead accurate. It can hit me from hundreds of meters away.-
Hong Hao admitted the same point.
How could it be inaccurate? So many teams that barely made it into the island’s depths were buried by its hands. The three of them looked at Hong Hao Cheng, trying to judge if he was joking, but they only saw him shake the completely renewed meteor hammer in his hand.
–This thing was thrown by it. There are definitely similar things over there.-
The words –iron lumps- from the previous sentence suddenly popped into the minds of the three.
–Hiss——-
–Thrown?-
–You all have fought it! Ah, you’re still alive?-
–What’s with the shock? Don’t you see who I am?- said the fluffy-haired Hong Hao Cheng, quite arrogantly with hands on hips. –I’m the president of the Hongtu Association, Hong Hao Cheng!-
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