Chapter 762 - 113: The Veteran

The large bird in the sky circled once, then descended into the group of people on the opposite side. Someone immediately took out something to feed it, speaking in a low voice.

The man dressed in an old Pioneer Team uniform glanced at Chen Chuan a few times, then at the items he was carrying. He signaled for the people behind him to stay put and walked forward alone. He carried only a Long Sword that looked like it had been polished from bone.

Seeing this, Chen Chuan gently squeezed his legs, urging his horse into a slow walk to meet the man.

When the man was close, he removed his mask, revealing a face. One half was covered in wrinkles, and his hair was completely streaked with white.

The other half of his face was wrapped in cloth. At the edges, fleshy scars and wrinkled skin were visible, suggesting a severe injury. His exposed eye was extremely sharp.

The man looked to be in his sixties or seventies, yet there was a sense that his actual age was younger.

When they were about thirty meters apart, the man spoke in the Dashun tongue. "Judging by your weapon and attire, are you from a Dashun Military station? May I have your name?"

Chen Chuan dismounted, holding his horse’s reins. "Yes," he said, standing his ground. "My surname is Chen. And you are?"

Hearing him speak the Dashun tongue, the man’s expression softened, a nostalgic look appearing on his face. "My surname is Yang," he said.

He turned back and said a few words to the people behind him in a native language. They immediately lowered their weapons and firearms.

He glanced at the hooves of Chen Chuan’s Dragon-nosed Horse. "It looks like you’ve traveled a long way. It’s not safe here. An insect swarm is about to arrive, and it might rain soon. We need to leave quickly. Why don’t you come with us?"

’An insect swarm?’

Chen Chuan nodded. Insect swarms were a common occurrence in the Merging Land. In Chen Bitong’s memories, they were the most frequently encountered danger.

They arrived like a plague, covering the sky and earth, and latched onto their enemies relentlessly. When there was no good way to deal with them, it was best to avoid them entirely.

But that wasn’t all. The most important thing was the rain. In the uncharted regions of the Merging Land, both rain and snow were slightly corrosive. They also brought down certain organisms that normally floated high in the atmosphere. These lifeforms were highly parasitic and aggressive. Facing them head-on was not a good option; it was best to find shelter from the rain.

If that was the case, then it was indeed unsuitable for travel. He needed to find a place to take shelter first.

Although he didn’t know the identity of this Mr. Yang, he could tell from their conversation that he was from Dashun and seemed friendly enough. Chen Chuan didn’t mind going along with them for a while. He was confident he could handle whatever situation might arise.

Seeing Chen Chuan agree, Mr. Yang immediately went back to his people. They moved quickly, releasing the large bird once again. Then, they all picked up the pace, every one of them on high alert.

Chen Chuan remounted his horse and followed alongside them. He observed that their movements were methodical. They had arranged for scouting and cover for their front and rear as they marched.

Their clothing was also relatively uniform, and they all wore special masks. Combined with their synchronized pace, it indicated they had undergone rigorous training. Their background was likely a military organization.

Within the group were a few people in tattered clothes, and several others being carried on stretchers. They didn’t seem to belong with the main group; it looked like they had just been rescued from somewhere.

After more than an Hour of fast walking, a makeshift camp appeared ahead. People from their group, who had been arranged there in advance, were waiting. Seeing them return, they immediately moved the barricades at the camp’s entrance.

The two groups exchanged a few brief words. Then, under Mr. Yang’s command, they lit all the pre-stacked bonfires around the camp. As the fires blazed, thick smoke billowed upwards, obscuring the sky.

Only then did everyone seem to relax a little.

After entering the camp, however, everyone looked up at the sky as if waiting for something. About ten minutes passed before a loud, chaotic buzzing sound approached from the distance. It looked like a large, dark cloud.

It moved incredibly fast, reaching the sky above the camp in just a few minutes. By now, it was clear that the cloud was composed of countless black, mosquito-like insects.

Most of them avoided the roiling smoke above the camp. The few that did enter would fall to the ground, where people waiting below would quickly stomp them to death before shoveling the remains into the fire.

The insect swarm lasted for more than an Hour before it began to thin out.

Mr. Yang’s expression relaxed slightly. "Thankfully, no Insect King appeared," he said.

Chen Chuan stared in the direction the swarm had come from. After a moment of thought, he said, "Not necessarily. There might be something even more formidable than an Insect King."

An insect swarm of this scale, according to Chen Bitong’s memories, likely originated from an uncharted region. In those places, predators that could hunt Insect Kings were numerous. Moreover, many powerful Fighters and armed personnel were currently there.

Swarms were difficult to deal with, but that was mainly for individuals or small groups. A large number of Fighters with the right equipment and special items could still handle them.

Mr. Yang seemed to have thought of something as well, and his face grew somber. At that moment, it began to rain. A strange smell filled the air. In the puddles forming on the ground, tiny things could be seen squirming. They either burrowed into the earth or crawled towards the nearest people.

Some people immediately started burning plant leaves to drive the creatures away, then retreated one by one into the tents inside the camp.

Mr. Yang beckoned for Chen Chuan to take shelter in a tent as well. Once they were seated, he handed Chen Chuan a water tube.

Chen Chuan took it and drank a mouthful without hesitation. According to Chen Bitong’s experience, this was a native custom: if a host offered you water, drinking it signified your trust in them, making you their guest.

Seeing him drink so readily, a flicker of approval appeared in Mr. Yang’s eyes. He then looked at Chen Chuan with a hint of expectation.

"Mr. Chen, you’re with the Dashun Military. I was wondering, have you received any telegraph signals on an old frequency recently?"

Chen Chuan looked at him. "I wouldn’t know. The intelligence department didn’t mention anything like that to me before I left."

Mr. Yang didn’t seem to have held out much hope. After a moment of silence, he said, "I suppose so. It’s such an old signal, no one would pay attention to it anymore."

Chen Chuan asked, "Were you part of a Pioneer Team before?"

Mr. Yang admitted, "Yes. A long time ago. Twenty-five years now." He paused briefly before adding.

"I’m not a deserter."

His voice was heavy. "Twenty-five years ago, I and several teammates ventured deep into this region. During our exploration, we discovered a Lost Object. But unfortunately, an elite squad dispatched by the Old Imperial Family also found the location. After a fight, we wiped out their squad, but our own team suffered heavy losses. Only myself and one other teammate were still combat-effective.

But just then, we were attacked by a giant serpent. I had the other teammate cover the rest of the team’s retreat while I stayed behind to hold the rear. In the end, I was too exhausted. I couldn’t dodge in time and was swallowed whole by the serpent.

But I didn’t give up. Even inside the serpent’s body, I did everything I could to destroy it from within.

I had planned to perish along with the beast, but I never expected it to thrash its way into a native village before finally dying. The local tribespeople later cut me out of the serpent’s belly.

They treated my wounds by wrapping me in herbal poultices. Back then, my whole body had been nearly digested. It took me over a year to recover."

He sighed softly. "I suspect that even if my teammates made it back, they would have assumed I died. And alone, without equipment or support, I had no way of returning.

Later, I sent a few telegraphs, but I never got a response. I have no family left back home, and since these tribespeople saved my life, I just settled down here. And I’ve been here ever since."

Just then, he picked up a bamboo tube with a strong medicinal smell, opened it, took a swig, and sprayed the liquid at the entrance of the tent.

A SIZZLE echoed from the entrance. Many of the small insects that had crawled into the tent suddenly curled up, and thin wisps of smoke rose from their bodies.

He wiped his mouth and said, "About three months ago, I saw a luminous cloud in the jungle that seemed to connect to the sky. I knew a Lost Object must have appeared, and a high-level one at that.

Every time a third-level Lost Object appears, it’s bound to trigger a conflict between the Old Imperial Family, Dashun, and the corporations. The nearby settlement was too close to it, so I kept trying to persuade them to migrate away from here, but they wouldn’t listen."

Chen Chuan knew this well. The appearance of a Lost Object was usually accompanied by a colorful, luminous mist in its initial stages. This anomaly could be observed from extremely far away, and the light itself could often be used to determine the object’s level.

This was also why all the different factions usually discovered a Lost Object at almost the same time.

He said, "Dashun’s camp isn’t here. The attack on the settlement was likely from the corporate Federation."

Mr. Yang’s expression turned grim. "I saw their insignia. And I also saw troops from the Lynx Federation. The settlement near the mountain gorge has been almost completely wiped out by them. We came here this time to try and bring back the survivors.

But it’s not easy. I discovered a Fighter from the Federation has been tailing us, apparently trying to follow us back to our main camp. I can’t let him succeed, so I’ve fought him twice, but his strength is incredible..."

As he spoke, he lifted his tunic. On his chest, which was covered in scars and wrinkled skin, was a gruesome puncture wound that went so deep you could almost see the fabric of the clothes on his back.

He said in a low voice, "Back in my day, this person would have been qualified to be a member of the Pioneer Team. No, a team captain."

With that, he looked at Chen Chuan with his one remaining eye. "Mr. Chen, you made it here alone, so I believe you must be very strong. As an old Dashun veteran, I’m asking for your help to stop this man. I promise I will give you a sufficient reward afterward."

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