They were either devoured by the insectoid swarm or scared witless, now trembling in so unknown corner, barely clinging to life.
This insectoid swarm had brought about a devastating reset to Linchuan’s ecosystem.
「An hour later.」
Everyone fell silent when the familiar outline of the temporary camp ca into view.
The once bustling marketplace was now a complete wreck.
The tents and hovels, built from steel fras and thick canvas, had all vanished. Only the bare ground and so mangled, gnawed-on tal supports remained.
Many of the surviving Hunters were numbly clearing the rubble, their faces a mixture of dazed confusion and lingering fear from having escaped death.
Lin Ye’s gaze swept over the crowd and landed on a familiar figure.
Zhang Fu was sitting dejectedly beside a pile of scrap tal, clutching a warped tal box to his chest—it was everything he owned.
His face was a mask of endless despair.
’Ho... gone again.’
Just then, an anxious, hoarse roar erupted from nearby!
"Jiale!!!"
Everyone turned toward the sound.
A tall, resolute-looking young man burst out from the crowd.
He rushed to Chan Jiale and embraced him tightly, the veins on his arms bulging from the force of the hug.
Chan Jiale’s eyes instantly reddened, his voice choked with emotion.
"Brother!"
"You’re alive! That’s all that matters! You’re alive!"
The young man’s voice trembled with emotion, his eyes a mix of worry and ecstatic joy.
This was Chan Tianhao.
The president of the Cyan Blade Association and the backbone of all the Hunters in these Linchuan Ruins.
After confirming his brother was unhard, Chan Tianhao’s gaze shifted to Zhou Tong and the others. Seeing their battered and wounded state, his brow furrowed.
"Where are the others?"
Zhou Tong’s expression darkened, and he painfully shook his head.
Chan Tianhao’s eyes instantly grew somber, but he quickly suppressed his grief and turned to the only unfamiliar face in the group.
Chan Jiale imdiately grabbed his arm and said excitedly, "Brother! This is Xiaoye! He’s the one who saved us!"
"If it weren’t for him, all of us would have been buried in the insectoid swarm by now!"
Chan Tianhao froze.
His gaze fell on Lin Ye again, this ti filled with scrutiny and solemnity.
He strode forward and gave Lin Ye a deep bow.
"My na is Chan Tianhao. I’m Jiale’s older brother and the administrator of this camp."
"Thank you for saving my brother’s life!"
His voice was sincere and powerful.
Lin Ye could tell that the two brothers had a strong sense of responsibility and were very humane.
When the insectoid swarm hit, their status would have allowed them to take shelter in the safest place imdiately.
But Chan Tianhao still sent his own brother into the city to warn the other Hunters to take cover.
This was the fundantal reason Lin Ye had chosen to intervene back then.
He admired people who, even in the midst of disaster, still retained the light of humanity.
"You must be here for the military selection, right?"
Chan Tianhao straightened up, his gaze fixed intently on Lin Ye.
His expression was complicated—a mix of gratitude, awe, and a hint of helplessness.
"You’re not like us Hunters who scrape by in the ruins. I’m at a loss for how to repay such a great kindness."
Lin Ye replied calmly, "I didn’t save him for a reward."
"But I do need a few things."
"I want a detailed map of the entire fallen zone. The more detailed, the better."
"And intelligence on all key areas. For instance, where the largest and strongest mutated beast colonies are."
"As well as which areas the Celestial Abyss Race primarily occupies."
Hearing Lin Ye’s requests, a troubled look flashed across Chan Tianhao’s face.
He fell silent for a mont before finally shaking his head.
"Sorry, brother. The fallen zone is vast and boundless. We Hunters have a limited range of activity; we simply don’t have the ability to create a complete map."
"As for the Celestial Abyss Race... those things are elusive and unpredictable. We do everything we can to avoid them, let alone track their movents."
Lin Ye looked at him without saying a word.
Chan Tianhao’s answer was seamless, but Lin Ye could clearly sense that he was telling a blatant lie.
Just then, out of the corner of his eye, he caught Chan Jiale, who was behind Chan Tianhao, giving him a subtle wink.
...
「Ten minutes or so later.」
As the camp leader, Chan Tianhao threw himself back into the tense reconstruction efforts, directing people to clear the rubble and set up temporary defensive fortifications.
anwhile, Chan Jiale found an opportunity to sidle up to Lin Ye.
He led Lin Ye to a relatively secluded corner. Pretending to make small talk, he silently slipped sothing into the pocket of Lin Ye’s combat suit.
"Xiaoye, my brother asked to give this to you."
Chan Jiale kept his voice extrely low, almost inaudible.
"There were too many people around earlier, so it wasn’t convenient for my brother to give it to you directly."
"According to the rules of your selection, we locals are strictly forbidden from providing this kind of strategic intelligence to any participant."
"It’s not that he’s afraid of getting us in trouble; he’s mainly worried that if the military’s supervisors find out, it would affect your selection results, or even get you disqualified for cheating."
’Lin Ye no longer had any doubts.’
The Cyan Blade Association, on the surface, appeared to be just a civilian organization spontaneously ford by local Hunters.
But Lin Ye was now one hundred percent certain that the Ninghai Military was behind it.
Chan Tianhao himself was very likely a pawn planted here by the military, used to control and guide the vast number of unaffiliated Martial Artists in the fallen zone and maintain a delicate order.
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