Chapter 434: Chapter 355: Awakening (1)
The three of them stopped atop an ochre hill, their gazes fixed on the distance.
The sky was a dim, murky yellow, blurring the line between heaven and earth.
The farther they looked, the weaker the sun’s light became, as if it were being devoured by the oppressive atmosphere.
Before them lay a vast, ochre basin.
As far as the eye could see, only a few scattered specks of green struggled to survive. They were tenacious plants, fighting for their lives in this barren land.
Occasionally, they could spot a few bizarrely shaped Wild Beasts roaming among the sparse vegetation.
"This place is a real desolate wasteland!"
The trio took off their menacing black helmets, revealing three young faces.
Two men and one woman.
The first to speak was the one on the far left.
He was a man with red hair and pale skin, possessing an effeminate air.
His gaze swept over their surroundings, his tone filled with disgust.
"Coming here is a complete waste of my time."
"Miao Xu, can you stop being such a sissy? We’re not here on a sightseeing trip.
"But then again, that guy sure can run, hiding in a godforsaken hole like this."
The person on the right spoke up.
It was the woman. She held her helmet in one hand and shook out her hair.
She was beautiful, with a fair and clean complexion, completely unlike an ordinary survivor.
Her eyes scanned the area, and though she was the one talking, they held the same look of disdain.
The red-haired, effeminate man called Miao Xu just sneered.
"Heh! So I’m a sissy. That’s still better than you. What would you be without that lover boy of yours?"
Xu Qing’s expression instantly darkened.
"I dare you to say that again."
"So what if I do? Others might be afraid of you, but I’m not."
Miao Xu chuckled, not backing down an inch.
Just as the two were about to continue arguing, a voice cut in from the side.
"That’s enough!"
Hearing this, the two looked toward the man in the lead.
"Captain, it’s not my fault! This bitch started it!"
Miao Xu spread his hands.
"You..."
"Alright, that’s the end of it!"
The man they called Captain was plain-featured, with a cold and stern expression.
He didn’t interfere much with his two teammates’ bickering.
Although he was stronger than both of them, their backgrounds were complicated. They were far beyond his control, so he could only step in to stop them at the right moments.
’Right now, the best solution is to not offend either of them.’
’If it were possible, he would rather have two different teammates. In his eyes, these two were nothing but a burden.’
’Unfortunately, there was nothing he could do about it now. He’d have to wait until they completed the mission and returned to the gathering place.’
At the moment, he was frowning, his eyes fixed on the map in his hands.
"We have about fifty kilometers to go. Our destination this time is the Thorn Gathering Place."
He paused.
Thinking of his two companions’ personalities,
he decided to explain.
"The locations of these small gathering places change frequently, so what’s on the map isn’t set in stone."
"We need to head to the Thorn Gathering Place first and have them lead the way for us."
With that said,
the man put his helmet back on and twisted the throttle.
The black motorcycle shot forward like a sharp sword.
Seeing this,
the other two exchanged a look and snorted coldly.
They also put on their helmets and followed.
Although they looked down on this place, they knew the dangers of the wilderness.
Naturally, they didn’t dare linger.
Soon, the three figures disappeared over the hill.
...
TICK! TOCK!
The clock on the wall ticked on.
Consciousness began to return, awakening from a dark abyss.
Lu Hong opened his eyes.
His blurry vision started to clear.
He moved slightly, and a sharp, stabbing pain shot through his chest.
At the same time, memories flooded back like a tidal wave.
He remembered what had happened before.
’Am I still alive?’
Just as the thought crossed his mind,
a calm voice suddenly sounded from the side.
"You’re awake. How do you feel?"
To the side, Hu Qi stood with his hands in his pockets, dressed in white.
He watched him quietly.
"Reporting to you, sir, I feel fine. It’s just that the wound hurts a bit!"
Lu Hong tried to get up but pulled at his wound, grimacing in pain.
Seeing this,
Hu Qi told him not to move.
His gaze fell upon the other man’s chest.
There was a hideous scar there, right where the bone fragment had been transplanted.
It had only been a little over ten minutes since the wound was stitched up, yet it had already healed for the most part.
’This rate of recovery... Even if I had stimulated Lu Hong’s Essence and Qi, it couldn’t possibly be this fast.’
Thinking of this, he asked,
"Close your eyes and carefully feel what’s going on inside your body. See if you notice any special changes."
Hearing this,
Lu Hong closed his eyes.
He calmed his mind and focused on the state of his body.
In an instant, he discovered something was different.
He could vaguely sense a twisted Rune squirming inside him.
At the same time, some kind of granular substance from the air was being drawn into his body through his mouth, nose, and pores.
As time passed, the pain from his wound was rapidly fading.
On top of that, there was one more thing. He felt a small, pitch-black shadow in his chest.
He recalled what Lu Shan had told him—that Hu Qi had left some kind of mark on him when he saved him. A chill ran down his spine.
Afterward,
Lu Hong described everything he was feeling.
However, he didn’t mention being able to feel the abnormality in his chest.
