The Record of Unusual Creatures - Chapter 704

Chapter 704: Across the World

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

 

As Hao Ren predicted, it was not only demon hunters, whose hunting instincts were devolving. The natural hostility between the unusual creatures were also fading away. Even before that, the younger generations had already displayed a remarkable lack of hostility towards each other. But even that was a moot point now as the sense of hostility did not just reduce, but completely dissipated away.

Based on what Hessiana said, there were quite a number of youngsters within the Athens sanctuary who exhibited such a change and the most obvious signs appeared among those who were below 200 years old. For races that lived for a very long time, 200-year-olds were still looked upon as children. Even then, those who were above 200 years old showed a reduce sense of hostility too, but their numbers were still low and not fully accounted for yet. This phenomenon seemed to have transcended racial lines; vampire, or werewolf; halfling or shadeling, every race in the sanctuary encountered this and their numbers were roughly equal.

“The way Hessiana put it as though it was a plague or something.” Vivian muttered as she fiddled with her phone. “Things are getting rather chaotic there and a few of the big families have stopped their younglings from heading out. Hesperides and a few other Ancients are trying to bring things under control.

“A plague? Isn’t this a good thing?” Hao Ren could not comprehend. “They had buried the hatchet to co-exist before right? Now that the natural hostility had gone, shouldn’t things turn for the better? Why are they having a lockdown?”

Vivian took a glance at Hao Ren, “If the hostility had dissipated from everyone, then sure why not. The key issue is that this had only happened to a part of the otherworldlings. This is similar to how the Demon Hunters losing their Hunters Instinct, and it will lessen their sense towards other creatures and awareness towards hostilities. The sanctuary is not some child’s playground, and having youngsters who has no sense of danger walking about is no laughing matter.”

Lily shook her head as she took a stab. “Then I’m even more confused now, the fall of the Mythological Age was so long ago and each and every otherworldling’s power and influence had receded to this stage and yet they are still at each other’s throat… Is self-control such a foreign concept to them?”

Hao Ren glared at the dumb husky. “That’s easy for you to say. You still bristle when you see a demon hunter. And if you are that able, control your appetite for pork ribs would you?”

Lily immediately decided to shut up.

“Seems like this phenomenon is happening to everyone but the humans.” Vivian wore a serious expression as she stroke her chin. “Based on that Hessiana said, they had also received reports from other sanctuaries through secure communication channels and it seems like it is happening world wide, and at a very alarming pace. She is worried that not only the younglings will be lose their natural sense of hostility, even the elders and Ancients will suffer the same fate… and in a few years time, no otherworldlings will have any hostilities with each other.”

“Aside from the Sirens.” Ayesha interjected. “We never had this natural ‘sense of hostility’, and our relations with almost everyone is cordial.”

Something suddenly sparked in Nangong Sanba’s mind. “Oh right. That’s this one thing that I’ve never understood, why does only the Sirens are an exception?”

Hao Ren had some guesses on the matter. “The only difference between the Sirens and the other otherworldlings on Earth is that the Sirens have nothing to do with the Goddess. They are a being formed naturally… The cause is probably that. The ‘natural hostility’ is something that comes with the Goddess’ creation and almost everything we encountered have something to do with her, most of the time.”

Vivian was almost impressed by Hao Ren’s theory that was based on sound logic, before kicking him in the rear.

Nangong Wuyue looked around before tapping the table happily. “Doesn’t matter. It’s good news after all. So by this, peace will come after a few years? The ten thousand year long inter-otherworldlings war can finally come to an end?”

“Perhaps it will be marginally peaceful, but things won’t be as smooth as you imagine.” Vivian shook her head. “The origin of the conflict was perhaps the ‘natural hostility’ but from then until now, the war is no longer about natural instincts. A conflict of ten thousand years would have all parties nursing grudges and blood debts, and even without the natural hostility urging them on the battles will still last for many more years.”

“Hatred is not something you can end in a day, especially the one between the Demon Hunters and the otherworldlings.” Hao Ren nodded in agreement, before turning his gaze on Liu Sheng and Zhao Xi. “But coming back to that, we got to thank the Demon Hunters for their brutal efforts in forcing the otherworldling’s into hiding in the sanctuaries. And if the interracial hostilities were to end, the otherworldlings will probably be the most united of factionsin the world.”

It was apparent that this never crossed Liu Sheng and Zhao Xi’s mind before and as they reacted slightly belatedly to Hao Ren, uneasiness was apparent in their eyes. They now realise the outcome if things were to go on as it is:

The splintered otherworldlings would reunite as a singular force and the demon hunters’ previous efforts in maintaining this disunity will unravel. This will certainly put them in a numerical disadvantage and if the otherworldlings were to counterattack from all of their hidden sanctuaries, the Mythological Age will surely return!

And this time around, there will be no one to end it.

“Oh don’t you worry too much.” Vivian noticed the change in Liu Sheng’s expression and smiled as she gently shook her head. “Those old coots aren’t stupid for one. They will soon realise that their time has passed, and that humans today are no longer the obedient thralls of yore. If the otherworldlings is bend on reconquest… the only thing they’ll get is scorched earth. A barren, desolate Earth.”

Humans had the weakest constitution amongst all intelligent races on Earth, but they are the most fanatical and the most dangerous of the lot. Even Y’zaks was impressed by them. He had never met any other lifeform that was so desperately looking for more ways to expand their strength and to blow their home to kingdom come many times over even after they had already found a way to do so. Facing the humans today, neither the otherworldlings nor the demon hunters could say with confidence that they could reign over the world again. It’s not that they do not have the capability to annihilate humanity, it’s more to the fact that no one can be sure someone somewhere going trigger happy and taking the whole ecosystem with him to the grave.

Y’zaks then grinned widely. “They are like those lunatics with forbidden spells. Even if you have confidence to overcome them in any circumstances, they too have confidence to take you down with them in any circumstances.”

“But even if those old coots could figure this out, there’s no guarantee the elders of other families would be that wise,” Vivian’s turned deep and serious. “How about this, I’ll contact the Ancients that I know and to let them in on this information. We’ll start monitoring the movements of all the otherworldling families in the world. I believe that those families that still pay any attention to bloodlines and seniority would listen when those old bastards speak.”

Lily took a sideway glance at Vivian. “You sound just like an old coot yourself in these mom…. AHHH Don’t pull my ear!”

“Controlling and monitoring the families is simply an appeal to authority, and it is not possible to keep every faction under tabs. Confusion and disturbance is bound to happen.” Nangong Sanba said. “Most importantly, this is just band aid measure and ignores the cause. We are on the back foot before we understand the cause of the natural hostility and its disappearance.”

“We also don’t know how long can this delicate balance hold.” Liu Sheng had many questions about what Hao Ren and his crew had talked about, but he too has his own thoughts. “There’s many unknown factors in the world, and the current stalemate is all smoke and mirrors with maximum pressure. This…”

“This is not something for the long run. It will unravel someday sooner or later.” Hao Ren looked back at Liu Sheng. “But it is not now.”

Everyone present discussed the matter for a good while. After reaching an impasse Liu Sheng and Zhao Xi bade their farewells. Before they left however, they had agreed to a few of Hao Ren’s request. Basically to be his eyes and ears, and to let him know when there is a significant movement in the inner circle of the Demon Hunters. For Liu Sheng and Zhao Xi, as long as what they do did not endanger their brethren, they had no objections working with Hao Ren.

“If there’s a chance to contact Hasse, that will be better.” Vivian said as she clutched her arm looking into the sky in the distance. “Honestly, this is a good time for an ‘upheaval’… But I don’t fancy the thought of worldwide chaos. If the Demon Hunters could cooperate… this would probably be a little bit easier.”

Hao Ren kept quiet as he stood beside Vivian pondering the same matter.

The disappearance of the natural hostilities between otherworldlings… Does it have something to do with his more frequent activities in the Plane of Dreams?

---

Chapter 705: Dream

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

 

Regardless of what was happening to the unusual creatures on Earth, the days still had to go on.

The Nangongs’ little restaurant had started operating and the two seemed to learned much from the ensuing chaos during their first two days of business. They were beginning to get a hang of things. Silly mistakes, which came with the chaotic launch had gradually lessened and even if the number of helpers were reduced, they could still manage somehow. Rhe Nangong siblings were practically reporting for work everyday now and everyone else at home would just pop by if they were free. At least, all of them found something to do during their free time.

Vivian went about her ways (basically getting Hessiana to do the legwork) and managed to get in touch with a few old friends. As more information came in, it was safe to surmise that the “natural hostility” was fading away all across the world. It transcended race, distance and environment almost as if it was an automated process; a programme that kicked in automatically into the psyche of each and every feuding unusual creature after 10,000 years of conflict. Vivian gathered the thoughts of the surviving Ancients and as she predicted, the old coots who survived the fall of the Mythological Era were a smart and cautious bunch. They had already started monitoring the movement of hidden families all across the world to prevent events from spiralling out of control. With Vivian, the most venerable of Ancients leading, her fellow Ancients agreed to keep in touch, and face the upcoming changes that this phenomenon may bring.

Truthfully, the disappearance of the natural hostility was even more worrying than the ‘Day of Return’ prophecy as the latter was simply just soothsaying without much credence, and it did not change the two most teething issues the otherworldling face: Interfactional fracture and attrition. But now, a phenomenon that could be seen is happening before them, without any recourse or control over the speed it was spreading. Any being would be very pressured by this sudden change.

Vivian had spoken to Hessiana again today and as she put down the phone, Hao Ren started mumbling. “It’s sort of funny you know. When we first started off we were wondering how awesome it would be if all the otherworldlings stop being at each other’s throat and usher world peace, but now that it is happening, everyone is acting like world war three is upon us.”

“Because that was no world peace to begin with.” Vivian had a complicated sigh. “I wanted to end the interracial conflicts, but not like this…. If things goes out of control, the balance will be destroyed and there will be nothing but chaos.”

Lily was clutching her notebook as she was checking for information. Upon hearing the two speaking she quipped. “Things have already went that way and if the otherworldlings wants to usher a new Mythological Age then world war three is inevitable. Say… Won’t the setting of modern firearms against magic for World War Three cool? Doesn’t it, doesn’t it?”

Vivian glared at the werehusky. “Can you just keep your imagination from running wild at inopportune moments? This is not a joking matter.”

Lily bore her fangs. “It’s just my writer’s imagination being agile. Is that wrong?”

“I’ve already submitted the report.” Hao Ren said as he ruffled Lily’s hair to get the husky to pipe down. “Raven said she’s not interfering in this… I have full authority.”

“Already knew she’d say that.” Vivian shrugged. “Her job is to maintain the balance of the universe after all… Local issues is up to us then.”

Y’zaks put down his papers, his face bore a deep in thought expression. “I’ve been wondering. What is this natural hostility?”

“Every otherworldling have that natural hostility against each other while the demon hunters have their Hunter’s instinct. These phenomenon are technically the same thing. And for the natural life on Earth this is mostly formed by the living being’s own pheromones.” Lily looked up as she explained with a serious look. “But I don’t think it’s that simple with the otherworldlings… many races came from the Plane of Dreams, and from different planets to boot. Lets not even start the talk about pheromones, most of them can’t even use their five senses properly.”

Hao Ren was pleasently surprised. “You seem to know a lot?”

“Nonsense, I’m just too lazy think and open my mouth most of the time.” Lily rolled her eyes at Hao Ren. “If you want to be serious, I’m the most educated amongst all of us. I had graduated from the University of Beijing a couple of times already!”

Hao Ren was brought to his knees by the revelation. “F*ck me! Graduated a few times? What were you doing there?”

“It was a chaotic time there, so I just found a safe haven.” Lily pursed her lips. “Don’t look at me like that. I was brimming with energy back then.”

Hao Ren gave Lily a unbelieving look. His gut instinct tells him that the husky was blowing her own trumpet, but he did not dare to verbalise it. Despite how unreliable she may be, Lily had survived for a few hundred years and she had made a name for herself in those chaotic days. Even her abilities, if she had the heart for it, her being one of the prominent persons in the society or the underworld is not too far-fetched an idea…

Even more so, Lily had lived under the impression that she was a werewolf, and now that she found that she was a husky instead her worldview had never been the same.

Hao Ren dare not venture any further with this train of thought and stiffly tried to change the topic. “Why do you think that the natural hostility would suddenly disappear?”

“Maybe it has something to do with our activities in the Plane of Dreans… or….” Y’zaks frowned. “Not sure if I’m thinking too much into this… I suspect this is a countdown timer.”

“A countdown timer?” Everyone exclaimed.

“The otherworldlings only developed this natural hostility against each other after coming to Earth. Didn’t we agreed in our last discussion that there was ‘someone’ messing with their blood?” Y’zaks nodded. “If this is manmade, then this phenomenon is probably part of a ‘plan’. This could be a countdown timer that lasted for ten thousand years, or perhaps a prerequisite has been met and had triggered a switch in the blood of the otherworldlings… Regardless, this doesn’t sound natural at all.”

Vivian nodded softly. “I will contact my friends. Will get them to gather more information on the movements of the supernaturals and demon hunters aside from monitoring the big families. We’ll see if this was caused by some ancient relic or something, else our only explaination would be that it is a countdown timer.”

Hao Ren gave an emphatic ‘Oh’ before looking up at the clock. It was half past two in the afternoon, and he was suddenly assailed by drowsiness. “Haaaaa…. You guys go busy yourself with whatever. I’ll take a nap until dinner time. Need to catch up on my sleep.”

Vivian looked at him. “What’s with sleeping at this hour?”

“Have insomnia lately, and I didn’t really sleep last night.” Hao Ren waved his hand as he walked to his room. “Might as well try to get a snooze while I’m sleepy.”

After Hao Ren went to bed, Lily mumbled to herself. “Mr Landlord seems to have insomnia for the last two days eh?”

“Perhaps it is stress. And he has been at the forefront of things alone everytime something happens.” Vivian looked at Hao Ren’s room. “A shame that my calming spells has no effect on him… I’ll go get some herbs later then.”

Hao Ren had no idea that he had a herbal concoction waiting for him as he was already on his bed trying to sleep. Perhaps it was stress, or that his body was out of whack, his sleep had been very disturbed for the past three days.

His slumber for the past three days was a dreamless, light sleep and everytime he was just about to get cosy his brain was being covered by a dense and ceaseless fog. Broken transmission ran wild in his head and he was in the state of half-asleep half-awake without him being able to do anything about it. Given now that he was feeling sleepy enough, Hao Ren was hopeful that he could finally rid himself of the insomnia.

As he lay on his bed, he looked up at the MDT which was laying on the top of his bedframe. “I’m gonna sleep. Get the protection up and running.”

“Up your a*s.”

Seems like the MDT was at least in a good shape. This was what Hao Ren thought before he slept.

The next moment he was awakened by a large explosion and raking gunfire.

Hao Ren opened his eyes and found himself not in his room, but a unfamiliar, bullet riddled street. Everywhere was fallen buildings and the carnage wrought by destruction. The streetside was literred with ammo casings and corpses. It was like a battlefield.

A series of explowsion and gunfire rang from a far.

The scene before him shocked Hao Ren, but he did not stand there like an idiot. His experience for the past year had thought him something at least and he immediately found cover to hide and tried to determine wherether whatever he is seeing was a dream, or reality.

Chapter 706: Something’s Awry

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

 

Hao Ren looked out for any movement as he stayed undercover. While he had not seen any hostiles yet, he was sure that this was not some peaceful utopia based on the gunfire in the distance. Staying incognito while he tried to get his bearings was essential for survival.

The streets around him were ruined and the buildings were mostly piles of collapsed wreckage. Bullet holes were clearly visible on the walls and street surface as well. Some corners of the street were piled up with twisted metal. It was a carnage all over the place. The dark grey sky hinted that it was about to rain, but the dry, cold air reminded Hao Ren that those were not rain clouds, but clouds of dust high above. A soft breeze blew and with it came the smell of gunsmoke, alongside a horrible chemical whiff.

“The f*ck is going on? Did World War Three actually start?” Hao Ren mumbled as he tried to refocus himself. Going deep into his own thoughts, he checked his status and realised that he was not dreaming.

“…This cannot be a dream…” he mumbled yet again. “The details are too perfect… Am I transported to somewhere in the Plane of Dreams again?”

Most people would be hard pressed to tell where they are once they fall asleep as the brain would naturally reconstruct the details of the dream to be as close to reality, but Hao Ren had already undergone reconstruction of his body, and he had also undergone mental training which allows him to stay awake even in his dream, and he could easily tell a dream from reality plus his brain too was reinforced against many illusion spells. But even as he had managed to ascertain his status, something still plagued Hao Ren. He felt that he had entered the Plane of Dreams, but this time around there was unusual dissonance that he just could not put his fingers on.

“MDT, can you hear me?” Hao Ren activated his mental link as he called the MDT. He knew that the MDT was connected to him twenty four seven, even when Hao Ren was asleep. “Things are rather strange here…”

The MDT’s voice came after a few seconds delay. “Roger. You’re loud and clear, But things are also rather strange on my end here…”

“You’re inside as well?” Hao Ren spoke in his mind as he moved carefully towards the nearest building. He was hoping to get on high ground to have a better view. “Is this the Plane of Dreams.”

The MDT’s voice was distant yet near. “Probably. But this translocation is just too sudden. I was ‘pulled in’ by your mental powers. Did not have enough time to record the ‘diving’. Besides, the area here is just weird that I can’t even describe…”

“Ah… so I’ve entered the Plane of Dreams while asleep again.” Hao Ren pursed his lips. He turn towards a high tower building and while it was damaged, the structure was still sound. He decided to go up the tower for a look. “I thought I would never need to get into the Plane of Dreams this way again…It’s a been about a year since.”

“Technically speaking this should not have happened. Your mental strength is already very strong and controllable. Unchecked dives into the dream should not happen anymore. Besides, I’m connected with you and that is as good a firewall you can have… there should at least been some warning.”

“Shit happens I guess. Say, don’t you think this place is just weird? Maybe its because we entered the Plane of Dream in spiritual form again?” Hao Ren theorised. “Ever since we had found a stable entryway in Tannagost we had been going into the Plane of Dream physically. I almost forgot how it was like to go in as a spiritual body.”

The MDT’s voice was delayed by a few seconds. “Insufficient data, unable to confirm.”

Hao Ren had gotten up to the third floor by then as he took a peek down the streets below. “Why are you so serious? And… this place sure isn’t… welcoming.”

As he stood on the balcony facing the city, everything in sight was riddled by bullets and seemingly every street bore marks of destruction. The city had either being hit by a massive bomb, or undergone a long gruelling urban warfare to be rendered to this sorry state.

The MDT’s voice was still coming in, albeit delayed. “I need to focus some computing powers to analyse the situation here.”

“Right. Do your thing.” Hao Ren replied. “But before that, can you confirm the location of this place? How far is this from Holetta? Can we contact CARS or our base at Alamanda?

“Insufficient data, but I can confirm that we are in the Plane of Dreams. Unable to confirm current location. The signal from CARS and Alamanda is working fine but unable to decipher the physical address. Maybe there is some unexpected intereference or data chain error.”

“Or we are really just too far away.” Hao Ren looked up at the dark and dreary sky, trying to see the stars that was beyond the cloud of dust. “Or maybe this place is in some special galactic zone.”

In a universe where a real God went kaboom, a few zone with an anomolous spatial flux is not something out of the realm of possibility and Hao Ren was thankful that he entered the place in a spiritual body and could extricate himself at any time should there be danger.

Yet something had now started bugging him. Why and how on earth did he ended up here?

His first foray into the Plane of Dream was through this sort of ‘diving’ and this was not new to him. But as he had tested, diving into the Plane of Dream from the Surface World will never fail to place him back on Holetta as it seems that Holetta and the Surface World has some sort of reflective connection, or that one of the tear on the Wall of Reality was projected on Holetta.

But this time around, he came to a totally foreign planet, and it seems like it was light years away from Holetta.

Having no idea how that happened, Hao Ren threw the question to the MDT. “MDT, what do you think?”

The MDT pondered for a bit. “… If pessimistically, this phenomenon would mean that the rift in the Wall of Reality is widening. Initially you were only able to enter Holetta from the Surface World when you dream but now…. seems like many other places are now connected to the Surface World.”

A chill ran down Hao Ren’s gut. “Then what’s on the bright side?”

“Optimisically, it’s you going bonkers and thus ejected yourself randomly.”

“Your mum!”

“I’m from a production line, and my mother is a massive circuit board detector. Please mind your orientation. My mother is leagues tougher than you have any right to be.”

After seeing the MDT retorting so energetically, Hao Ren heaved a sigh of relief. Seems like that tool had also recovered from the post-teleportation stupor.

“We are not out of the woods yet.” The MDT sensed Hao Ren’s thoughts and let out a seemingly defeated message. “There was a data conversion error when I entered the Plane of Dream. I am now immobile. Please come and pick me up.”

Hao Ren was stunned. “What’s wrong with you?”

“How do I know? You’re the one that dived in.”

“Right, right. Where should I pick you up?”

The MDT transferred the navigation details into Hao Ren’s head and the latter used his telepathic senses to head to the direction. As he looked, he saw greens smoke coming from the street with gunfire rining about.

That tool really chose a ‘nice’ place to land.

Hao Ren sighed while he shook his head and leapt three stories down as he ran towards the street.

As he approached the firefight zone, he saw a few bodies: Their uniform was irregular, with a mix of male and female, all of them were equipped with small calibre weapons, and based on their wounds, they were the recent dead.

By the time he reached the street where the MDT had beaconed, the fighting was over.

The stentch of gunpowder mixed with blood was permeating in the air. The soldiers had all either retreated or lay dead. He only saw a few destroyed equipment and a few corpses behind some cover. Seems like they did not have time to clear the corpses, and this was quite obvious the losing party.

Hao Ren looked left and right and did not see any living being. There was a couple of bodies behind a cement block not too far from him. Hao Ren walked towards the bodies and bend down to check things out.

“Gunpowder weapons but much much more advanced than Earth.” Hao Ren looked at the equipment as he mumbled to himself. “Oh, the gun has some electronic support devices attached to it… probably aim asisstance…. Ohhh…. it’s linked to the combat gear…”

Hao Ren picked up on of the rifle and a projection immediately appeared. Invalid user. Weapon locked.

“…And it actually has user recognition.”

At the very moment, a bright voice from behind had Hao Ren freeze. “Don’t move! You, there! Put your hands behind your head. And turn towards me slowly!”

Chapter 707: Mercenary Group: Grey Fox ##

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

 

As he heard the voice behind him, Hao Ren could only shake his head as he stood up. He saw a small group of soldiers standing about 10 m away from him; half a dozen rifles were pointed at him.

There were seven of them, and all were clad in uniformed, greyish black combat gear. They had all sorts of equipment, but it was clear that they were armed to the teeth. However, the surprising thing was the leader of the group who stood ahead of the rest. She looked 16 or 17 years old based on his first glance. Hao Ren was not sure if it was her extremely fine features, or she was really just a girl scout. She was holding a rifle, which was aimed at Hao Ren. Her grey hair was tied into a ponytail and her facial expression was stiff. Aside from the typical caution a soldier would have, Hao Ren could not read her expression at all.

Needless to say, Hao Ren was surprised that this was a place where children were also combatants, but after some thought, this was probably nothing to be surprised about. He spread his hands open to indiciate that he was not a threat. “Finally, the living… Don’t be so tensed.. I’m just a passerby.”

“What are you doing?” the MDT’s voice rang in Hao Ren’s head. “I sense that you are close by. Why aren’t you helping me?”

“Can’t you sense the movement around me?” Hao Ren kept an eye on the soldiers as he answerewd the MDT.

“I don’t know what when wrong, but my senses are very sluggish.” the MDT sounded very defeated. “I think something went wrong with the teleportation. It feels like only half of my conciousness was transferred over. I’m trying to reboot some of my systems.”

Hao Ren gave a mental ‘Oh’ before noticing the ‘girl scout’ was pointing towards him with her rifle. Her fellow soldiers fanned out towards him from both sides. With a stiff look, she asked. “Name yourself. Are you a mercenary or a scavenger? Are you a natural or an evolved?”

Hao Ren had no idea what she was talking about, but in order to learn more of the place, he tried to talk with the soldiers before him. “I have no idea what are you talking, I’m just passing through. Would’ve stayed away if I knew there was fighting here.”

“Good luck finding someplace without any fighting.” A soldier in a full helmet laughed. A slight echo followed his voice. He then used a device attached to his rifle to give Hao Ren a scan before turning back towards the girl. “Nolan, seems like a civilian.”

“A civilian?” the girl named Nolan finally had some form of expression on her face. She frowned as she came to check things out. Hao Ren noticed that her gloves have some micro-device that was glittering. Nolan swiped the device two meters away from him: seems like it was a high-grade scanner. “No signs of combat nerve, there’s not even the most basic of microchips?” Nolan gave Hao Ren a shocked look, her grip on her rifle tightened. “Are you a hardline natural?”

Hao Ren was trying to process what the mercenaries were on about on the fly as he tried to lower their guard against him. “I’m probably what you call a natural, but I don’t think I’m a hardliner…”

No matter which world it is, hardliners are not welcomed. This Hao Ren could at least be very sure of.

“Hardline or not.” Nolan glanced at Hao Ren. “Civilians should not be here. But us mercs don’t care too much, just that you are not a combantant is fine. It’s dangerous here, leave. If you can make your way in here, you can get out too.”

Nolan said as she turned towards her squad to leave. Seeing so, Hao Ren called out to them. “Eh, wait up! Can I come along?”

A soldier lifted his rifle slowly as he gave Hao Ren a suspicious look.

Seems like all of them are rather twitchy. How long has this battle has been going on?

Hao Ren immediately gestured that he meant no hostility as he tried to cook up some stories to approach the mercenaries (based on what Nolan said, these group are one of the mercs). “Those that came with me are all dead, I won’t be able to get out of here alive.”

“Our service is not free.” Nolan said as she pointed towards the logo on her chest. “The Righteous Grey Fox’ company. If your price is right, we can do business. Since you actually dare to show up here, you probably know how we operate.”

Hao Ren heaved a sigh of relief. His instincts have been right. Mercenaries are one of the easiest group to approach, if your price is right.

This was what he learned from Becky.

And Becky even specifically mentioned this to him: If you ever end up in a foreign world, as long as your actions are not too suspicious, getting a mercenary band as your entry point is possibily the smartest move. As long as the price is right, or not meeting anything that would lead them to turn on you, mercenaries are the best bodyguards and guides. They won’t ask too many questions, and as long as the employer is not a bumbling halfwit, they would be glad to entertain their employer’s whims, as long as the price is right.

Of course, this is incumbent on the mercenaries having some work ethics.

Hao Ren spread his hand open. “I don’t have cash with me, but does other things work?”

“Jewellery? Gold?” Nolan gave Hao Ren a distrusting look. “An escapee with money? Alright, that’s fine. But those things are harder to get rid off, so give me a price that works.”

Hao Ren immediately pretend to fumble in his pocket before pulling out a piece of gold and throwing it towards Nolan. It was a piece he took from Tannagost.

Nolan and her men were all stunned. All of them eyed Hao Ren as the solder in the full face helmet spoke. “You… You are out and about with this nugget of gold?”

Only after the question was popped did Hao Ren belatedly realise that his actions were not normal. A person who had not bring anything with him but having half a catty of gold with him? That’s not something a normal person would do…

But he had no way to weasel himself out this time around. He nodded stiffly. “Things are a bit complicated, and there’s no easy way to explain this. So… does this suffice?”

Nolan nodded as she lifted her rifle. “I’m not sure if you are plain naive or what… What makes you think that it would not be easier just to shoot you dead and take your gold?”

The soldiers all started chuckling, a few of them had lifted their rifles.

Hao Ren had thought of this happening when he pulled the gold nugget out, but he never thought things would actually progress the old fashioned way. “Well, if that’s the case, feel free to shoot. But I think that after the first shot you’d find the gate to a new world opening, but I must add, you guys sure have no creativity.”

“Wew, you’re actually not afraid?” Nolan stared back at Hao Ren before pursing her lips and putting the gun down. “Meh, there’s no fun teasing you then. Right, lets go. I’ve said, we are the righteous ‘Grey Fox’. You and your gold nugget is in good hands. If you ran into others, you might not be as lucky- Mr Naive Riche.”

This time around, it was Hao Ren’s turn to be surprised. But seeing how this group of mercs keeping to their creed was indeed a fortunate thing, for Hao Ren and them.

Nolan only then started inspecting the gold nugget. Normal person would not have brought such an item to pay for anything hence her first impression that it was a fake. But after some checks, she found that it was the real deal, yet she was perplexed. “Why is there so many tooth marks on this?”

Hao Ren thought for a bit and realised he could not tell Nolan that it was the work of the husky back home…

The mercenaries prepared to leave and Nolan gave her new employer a hand signal for him to follow. Hao Ren suddenyl remembered something as he called out. “A mooment, I’ve dropped something, it’s just close by.”

Nolan gave a slightly disgruntled look. “Quickly! Don’t tarry!”

Hao Ren waved back as he ran towards the rubble about ten odd meters away based on the signal that the MDT was broadcasting. The soldiers too followed out of curiosity.

Before him was a series of collapsed buildings and the carters nearby was still warm. It seems like they were only destroyed not too long ago. Hao Ren could feel that the signal came from within. That brick sure had chosen a nice place to land.

Hao Ren bent down to move the shattered cement blocks away. “That thing you’re looking for, it’s underneath there?” Nolan asked.

Hao Ren gave a silent nod as he tried to dig through the rubble as humanly as possible. Two of the mercenaries were kind souls and went ahead to help him. It didn’t take long for a big enough hole to be cleared and the MDT’s signal was before him.

But yet, Hao Ren was stunned by the sight within the ruins.

It was not his flying brick.

It was a person.

Chapter 708: Life’s First Gossip ##

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

 

When the two mercenaries removed the last piece of broken cement board, they saw something underneath.

The tall mercenary standing in front looked down and patted Hao Ren on the shoulder as he sighed. “It’s such a ridiculous era, isn’t it?”

A blonde girl had been crushed under the rubble; she was long dead. She had suffered from blood clots and penetrating trauma in her chest as well as abdomen. One could see through her wound to the other side of the ground. Flesh and blood surrounded the wound. There were also some cable-like objects, and upon closer look, the cables were actually growing together with her flesh. The maiden lay under the rubble, and her hollow eyes were wide open. It seemed that she was still looking up at the sky before she died. Her long hair, which was soaked in blood stuck to her face, adding to the bleakness of her death.

Hao Ren was speechless.

He found that the MDT’s navigation signal came from the corpse. It was clear and accurate.

“MDT, do you know what you’ve become?”

“How the hell would I know?” the MDT still sounded b*tchy. “Dang it. All services have been rebooted, but I’m still unable to connect to the sensors. How did you come in this time? Why is it different from the previous teleportation?”

“…I guess this has to do with the changes in your sensory model. You’re now a… dead body.”

The MDT’s scream cut through his brain. “What are you talking about?”

Hao Ren did not know how to explain it. He could only shake his head and sigh. He bent down, trying to get the body of the human or maybe cyborg, out of the rubble. He beckoned to a soldier next to him. “Can you help lift the steel beam up…”

“You…” Nolan looked at the scene, her face somber. Her fingers were pale because she clutched the rifle with too much force. “You got it. Ulyanov, Carl, help him.” She then turned to Hao Ren and said, “My condolences.”

Hao Ren did not catch what she said as he was too focused on shifting the body below without causing more damage. After much effort, they finally pulled the blonde girl’s body out together. Hao Ren took off his coat and covered the wound on the body. Then, he carried her on his back before he looked up at Nolan and smiled slightly. “Let’s go. I don’t know the way.”

Hao Ren’s face was stained with blood, and his smile looked extremely bizarre—at least, that was how Nolan felt. She had seen many hysterical expressions on the battlefield, of those who lost their loved ones, those of anger, craziness, or desperation; but, no one looked like this guy, whose face was stained with blood. He still smiled like the dead body did not concern him. She felt a certain madness in him.

In fact, Hao Ren really wanted to laugh…

The mercenary wearing a full-faced helmet could not help but speak. His name was Ulyanov. “You want to take her away?”

“Yeah,” Hao Ren nodded bluntly. “It took me a while to find this fellow.”

“I understand your feelings, but you need to bury her,” Nolan said. She looked calm. “She is dead. Can’t you see it?”

Hao Ren froze for a moment, then realized they had a misunderstanding. However, he could not explain the situation at all. He could only smile. “I have to carry this body for some special reasons. And to be honest, she’s not dead yet. Believe it or not, I’m still chatting with her.”

It was better for him not to say it. All eyes were on him at that moment—things had gotten even more complicated. Several mercenaries who were accustomed to the sight of life and death could not help but look away. They had to be thinking that this man was very sad. He lost his loved one; he had probably gone crazy…

Ulyanov’s face was covered with his helmet, but he patted Hao Ren on the shoulder. His voice was low, “You need to accept reality, or you’re not going to hold on for long.”

Hao Ren thought for a long moment but could not come out with a way to explain why he was doing what he was doing. In the end, he could only speak with a sullen face, implying that he was determined, “No matter what you say, I need to take her with me. You don’t have to worry. I will carry her myself. I’ll definitely not slow you down.”

The mercenaries looked at him in sympathy. Hao Ren’s blood froze, and he could not think of anything else. He could only get into a shouting match with the culprit telepathically, “You retard! I’m now thrown into the character of the tragic man, and to my horror, my match is you—a freaking brick!”

The MDT could not see the scene, but it could gauge the situation from its mental connection with Hao Ren. It still sounded b*tchy, “Take it easy. Maybe this is still not the worst situation.”

“Could it be any worse?”

“Perhaps you could pass as a necrophile…”

Hao Ren was distraught, and he was tempted to throw the body off his back—just like how he would usually throw bricks. But he was wary that such an impulse would lead to an even greater misunderstanding, so he could only bite his tongue. “You can be b*tchy, but every time you swear, you’ll have to account for it when I get back!”

The MDT finally quieted down. Nonetheless, Hao Ren could only enjoy half a second of serenity in his mind because the mercenaries standing next to him had no idea why he was so adamant on carrying the female corpse with him. Based on their logic, it had to be something like a 200,000-word tragic love story.

Oh, of course, they could also interpret him as a necrophile…

The disgruntled look on the face of the tall mercenary, whose name was Carl, obviously indicated that it was not smart for him to bear the load on the move. However, Nolan waved her hand at the soldier. “Leave him alone! Let him carry her.”

Carl frowned. “If you meet rogues or rangers…”

Nolan glanced at Hao Ren and walked away. “The exfiltration vehicle will arrive soon. Don’t get into a fight before that. You two new recruits, check and see if there’s anything we can reuse. Others, come with me. Get ready to move.”

The mercenaries responded in a series of scattered voices. The two young men ran to the dead soldiers and retrieved a few pieces of equipment. The equipment showed “Access Denied” on their panels but Ulyanov took them and fiddled with them for a while. “Bring them back to the professor for a reset. Human stuff, easy peasy.”

It seemed that despite the weapons were identity-authentication-enabled it could not stop from being hacked. The mercenaries on the battlefield were good hackers.

Hao Ren carried the MDT that had turned into a girl’s corpse (how strange it is) on his back and followed the mercenaries embarking on a journey crossing the war-torn city. He was trying to understand the current situation of the planet and see whether there were signs of the First Born or other guardians. So he was listening to the conversation of the mercenaries and trying to piece the information together, at the same time preventing himself from reacting or saying something suspicious unwittingly.

But his silence backfired. People began to misinterpret his quietude with some imagination—especially the tear-jerking scene of him carrying the body of a blond girl who had died tragically. Ulyanov deliberately walked beside Hao Ren; the mercenary, who had never revealed his face, seemed to be the most warm-hearted of the seven-member team. He asked casually, “How did you two meet each other?”

Hao Ren was talking with the MDT in his mind, discussing why it had turned into a corpse. Hearing Ulyanov’s question, he said, “It’s part of the perks.”

Ulyanov was startled and then sighed unnaturally. “You guys truly came from the ultra-conservative jurisdiction of the Naturals… never did I expect the persecution of the second generation Evolved was so serious already…”

Then he looked at the corpse of the young girl on the back of Hao Ren. “But then you are willing to do so much for her… It seems that everything is possible in this world.”

Hao Ren could not bear to imagine how much imagination this soldier had in his mind. But he could not help it. He did not know how to explain his rational of doing what he was doing. He could only let their imagination ran wild and he could not have cared less.

Hao Ren’s silence deepened the mercenary’s misunderstandings. The mercenary smiled and his voice hoarse. “Everyone is struggling in this difficult time, isn’t it? Looks like you decided to flee your homeland because you couldn’t stand it anymore. Only then did you decide to flee… But unfortunately, Lawless District is more dangerous than you imagine. Life in the extremist city is hard but as long as you can obey them, you will live. But here, accident…”

Ulyanov glimpsed the bloodstained blonde hair on the shoulders of Hao Ren in his peripheral vision. He immediately held his tongue. “I’m sorry, I talk too much.”

Hao Ren: “…”

For the first time in his life, he became the subject of gossip.

And the object was a brick.

He felt like he would rather die.