"It was reported, but no specific information was found. It seems like a monster that ran over from Snow Province, and it’s hard quite a few people recently."
Saying this, he pulled a rusted badge from his pocket, with a twisted "Thorn" character on it, "We are from the Thorn Ghost Gang, just trying to make a living here, we wouldn’t dare deceive you."
"Oh, thanks." Jiang Chuan nodded, took out a Happiness Coin from his pocket, and tossed it over.
The man caught it and saw it was a 10-value coin. His eyes imdiately lit up, and the smile on his face beca more ingratiating as he repeatedly bowed, "Safe travels, sir!"
Jiang Chuan didn’t say more and turned back to the vehicle.
As the vehicle started again, he smiled and said, "Many tis, the Blood Dragon Corps can’t completely sweep the surrounding threats. We rely on these local figures for warnings. They also look forward to eting us to earn a little cash."
"It seems you don’t want much contact with them?"
"The main task is important; there’ll be ti to understand later."
Cheng Ye remained expressionless.
Even though he could act calm and knowledgeable inside Happiness City,
out in the Wilderness, he knew he was a complete rookie, found everything novel, and held a reverence for everything.
"A good mindset." Jiang Chuan nodded, his tone more serious, "Many newcors die from their curiosity."
The vehicle continued forward, but they didn’t encounter the so-called white Mutant Beast.
Cheng Ye kept his eyes on the vast prairie outside, silently matching the information in his mind.
It seems he wrongly blad the scavengers infected by the Green Giant.
In this environnt, walking through such lush grass, it’s inevitable to co into contact with deeply hidden sources of infection.
To avoid these risks, you must have enough equipnt or choose a safe route.
"Up ahead is the county road. Even though they send people to maintain it every few years, it’s mostly abandoned because so few people use it."
Jiang Chuan didn’t even need to remind him; Cheng Ye had already seen the so-called county road.
It’s more like tracks repeatedly worn out by wheels rather than a proper road.
Potholes like craters were everywhere, and more troubleso were the vines growing wildly from the roadside, so as thick as an arm, blocking the road with sharp thorns hanging from them.
Jiang Chuan had to slow down again, carefully navigating between the vines and potholes.
The pickup’s chassis frequently made clanging noises, making it seem like it would fall apart at any mont.
"Can this road really be traversed?"
Cheng Ye looked at a section almost entirely blocked by vines, feeling doubtful.
"You can pass, but it’s tough on the vehicle." Jiang Chuan turned the steering wheel, avoiding a protruding piece of rebar, "Happiness City once considered refurbishing this road, but the supercomputer’s assessnt said the investnt far outweighed the return, so it was shelved."
He paused and looked at Cheng Ye, "But this ti, there should be a chance. Wenlu County is a top priority. Once the Satellite City’s construction starts, the road repair budget will be approved imdiately. Transporting various supplies can’t always rely on a road like this."
"I’ll get out to clear the vines; you wait in the car."
Jiang Chuan pulled a Mountain-Cracking Saber from the backseat, swiftly chopping through several thick vines blocking the road with smooth and decisive movents.
Suddenly.
A dark shadow sprang up from behind, but it was as if he had eyes on the back of his head. Without turning, he swung his saber backward.
Bang.
The dark shadow was slashed with a massive wound by the blade, letting out a sharp screech as it crashed heavily to the ground, convulsing endlessly.
Hey, sothing new!
Cheng Ye’s eyes shifted. Seeing Jiang Chuan handling it with ease, he decided to open the car door and step out, treading cautiously towards the dark shadow.
Only upon closer inspection did he realize that writhing shadow wasn’t a beast, but a... mosquito?
Holy shit!
Cheng Ye gasped in shock; this mosquito was as large as a small calf!
Its gray-brown shell glead with an oily shine, one of its pair of transparent wings had been slashed off and was flapping uselessly, its long proboscis resembling a rusty steel needle, still dripping sticky green liquid.
Suddenly, goosebumps erupted all over his arms.
"A Mutated Malaria Mosquito, not highly venomous, but its bloodsucking capability is terrifying; one can drain a person into a desiccated corpse."
Jiang Chuan walked over, tapping the mosquito’s corpse with the back of his blade, "It’s the most common Mutant Beast in Sea Province. How did it end up here? And these things usually move in swarms; how co it’s alone?"
Just as he finished speaking, a dense "sizzling" sound suddenly ca from a nearby thicket, like countless fine needles scraping against glass, making their scalps tingle.
Both of them paled, turned, and sprinted towards the pickup truck without a word.
Jiang Chuan yanked the door open and jumped in, not fully inserting the key before twisting it fiercely. The engine roared, and the vehicle nearly drifted as it turned around on the spot, racing back the way they ca.
This was the standard procedure for an attack in the Wilderness: don’t charge in recklessly; retreat to a relatively safe location first.
Cheng Ye glanced back through the rearview mirror and imdiately took a sharp intake of breath.
Good heavens! A sky-covering swarm of Mutated Malaria Mosquitoes surged from the thicket, at least thirty or forty of them.
Each one was as big as the previous one, their wings’ buzzing sounding like helicopters skimming the low sky, and the oppressive swath of blackness they ford was terrifying.
But having encountered more terrifying Infected Bodies before, Cheng Ye quickly adjusted.
The horror of this situation lay in turning sothing familiar into sothing terrifying.
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