Chapter 464: Chapter 337: A True Expert Hides His Talents
The Ancient City completely disappeared from our sight, replaced by an endless desert. Ou Chen and Wuyong never appeared again. While resting at the edge of the collapsed and filled area, I specially observed the sand to see if there were any changes, but there were none.
When the Ancient City collapsed, flocks of birds shot up into the sky, a dense dark mass, but not a single Two-headed Wolf was seen. This made me suspect even more that something happened to Wuyong.
Huang Zaijiang and Mr. Tang were jolted quite a bit on the cart, with Huang Zaijiang even breaking out in a cold sweat on his forehead.
But at least their lives were saved. Doctor Du observed the surrounding environment and said that although the Ancient City was gone, the transformation and influence the core had on the flora and fauna had not disappeared.
Now she’s certain that the root cause of the material changes in this area is the core. This type of influence and transformation is different from the black handprints created by the Evil Spirit; it is more like radiation and will not disappear with the core’s vanishing.
But whether the transformation will stop without the core’s continuous radiation is something that requires long-term observation to determine.
At least for now, walking within this area remains dangerous. After a short rest, Chen Qinghan called everyone to get up and continue moving.
Whether it’s day or night, lingering too long in the open area without cover is unsafe.
The entrance to the underground transportation line has already been buried by sand, and we can’t take the small train. We can only walk back.
Chen Qinghan discovered six tracks left by a vehicle, likely by the team led by Bi Shi. They could drive directly in, clearly showing the disparity in strength between the two sides.
It just proves that I wasn’t lying. At the time, I was alone and definitely couldn’t have taken on an entire team.
It’s not just me; even with the current elderly, weak, and wounded we have, it would be no use.
Once back, it’s not only Chen Qinghan who will be filing a report; Doctor Du and the others will also need to report. They can vouch for me that abandoning the core was a last resort.
As for whether Chen Qinghan will hand over the crystal, that’s up to him to consider. In any case, we can’t let Bi Shi take both the core and the light sphere. Those crazy women hold too many means to cause disasters; one day they might make a big mess that can’t be resolved.
After the Big Head died, the illusions it created disappeared. The hallucinations that Mike worried about didn’t appear. Without the crisis of hallucinations, we only need to face the natural environment.
The dark clouds in the sky cleared away, and the scorching sun baked the vast desert. We found a patch of rocks to shield us from the intense heat.
The communication signal has been restored. However, we only have two walkie-talkies left whereas Mike’s satellite phone was lost in the underground drainage channel.
Chen Qinghan’s satellite watch is still functional, but since the main crisis has passed and we are on our way back without losing direction, we don’t need satellite positioning.
Gu asked Miss Tang about that expert. Miss Tang said that before they discovered the light sphere, the expert had left the team, saying he would divert the beast that was constantly following them.
Miss Tang and the others hid in a building, and later the others were successively marked with black handprints. Miss Tang sneaked into the drainage ditch and got trapped there, but ended up finding her father.
Were they all in the drainage ditch? Isn’t that the Evil Spirit’s domain?
Chen Qinghan and the others fell into the drainage channel, and then the Evil Spirit buried the channel entrance, preventing me from going down. This indicates that the drainage ditch is also unsafe.
Gu has seen manhole covers swallow people, so he has the same question as me and asked it directly.
Miss Tang said there are extensive branchings in the underground passage, and there’s one very safe place where she found Mr. Tang. She stayed there hiding for these days.
Gu then asked how Mr. Tang discovered that safe room. When he asked, he seemed purely curious.
But knowing he has another identity, I feel he’s probing for information.
Mr. Tang wasn’t injured, but he was trapped underground for so long, deprived of sunlight, and lacking food, resulting in malnutrition. He was like a wilting plant, yet his mental state remained pretty normal, and he hadn’t lost the ability to communicate with others.
As for his experience, that’s a ’long story,’ but the parts he can tell are few due to confidentiality agreements. He can’t tell us what he was there for.
He only mentioned that someone told him where it was safe and that he found an underground space as per their direction. The place he referred to was the museum that Chen Qinghan mentioned.
No need to ask, it must have been Ou Chen who told him the location. It struck me only after we came out that he still had something with us—an old letter.
