The day breaks.
In the forest, the leaves rustle, accompanied by the hurried sounds of heavy breathing and chaotic footsteps.
The howling of wolves faintly echoes through the woods.
Three men, clad in protective suits and helmets, glance back anxiously, firing shots into the void, then quickly turning to run, fleeing towards the foot of the mountain.
The open area there provides a better chance of survival.
One of the young men had injured his arm and was very pale, most likely due to his excessive bleeding. He desperately clutched at his wound, attempting to prevent the scent of blood from attracting more mutants.
However, this seemed to be in vain.
His companion supported him as they retreated, trying to monitor his condition while whispering encouragement, “Hold on a bit more. Once we get down, we’ll have a signal, and we can call for backup—”
Before he could finish, the snap of a dead branch sounded out.
The wolf’s body, nearly half the height of a human, cast a massive shadow in the moonlight, like an overwhelming boulder.
The three of them rolled away in a panic.
The wolf’s long, sharp fangs pierced into a nearby tree trunk—less than twenty centimetres away.
The massive wolf opened its mouth, jerked its head, and snapped the thick branch effortlessly. The wolf crunched down, wood splinters flying, as the branch was broken into several pieces.
A few more bites and it was reduced to wooden fragments.
The wolf chewed a few times, then swallowed a mouthful. Finding it unpalatable, it spat out the rest in distaste.
The three narrowly escaped death, faces pale, legs trembling, but they didn’t miss a beat. They immediately scrambled to their feet and continued their desperate run down the mountain.
However, the one with the injured arm finally couldn’t keep up. He stumbled and fell to the ground.
“Xiao Zheng!” His companion cried out in alarm.
The giant wolf abruptly lifted its head, zeroing in on the direction of the sound.
It crouched, emitting a rough growl, ready to spring.
Suddenly, another shadow darts out, directly pouncing on the “corpse” on the ground.
The companions were horrified, frozen in place, staring in disbelief.
One was too shocked to react, while the other was already in tears, already foreseeing the grisly death of their comrade—
The grey wolf reached Xiao Zheng’s side, its paw smashing the nearby tree trunk to pieces. The wolf opened its bloodstained jaws, lowered its head, and…
—Where’s the wolf’s head?
The crying companion was momentarily stunned.
In the next second, through his tear-blurred vision, he saw several ball-sized masses dropping from the sky. With a dull thud, it landed on the head of the larger wolf behind.
The two wolf heads stared at each other in astonishment.
One was on top, the other on the ground.
One was terrified, the other dead with its eyes wide open.
A few seconds later, the surviving wolf turned abruptly, tucking its tail in and fleeing deep into the forest.
A human figure seemed to follow it.
Moments later, a faint tremor could be felt in the distance.
“…It should be fine.”
“As long as it’s not dead.”
The unfamiliar voices brought the two remaining companions back to reality. They finally noticed two people standing beside Xiao Zheng’s “corpse”, looking down at him with the curiosity of someone examining a novel creature.
They had no idea when these people arrived, but they hadn’t sensed their presence at all!
The two companions’ faces paled. They wanted to rush forward and ask these strangers not to harm their comrade, but upon seeing the bloody corpse of the giant wolf next to Xiao Zheng, they were speechless.
It seemed like these people had saved them.
Although the method was a bit…bloody and violent.
“You two…” The oldest of the three, Tong Yiming, swallowed nervously before he spoke, “Did you two save us?”
Hua Jin was busy tending to Xiao Zheng’s wound, so He Ziyue glanced at them and said, “Not exactly, it was Ah Li.”
She pointed in the direction where the wolf had fled, “Look, your saviour is coming back.”
Tong Yiming instinctively turned around and saw a slender figure slowly approaching.
The sun rising above the horizon was just bright enough to illuminate his face.
A gorgeous youth.
That was Tong Yiming’s first impression.
His first reaction, however, was doubt—could such a frail-looking youth be that formidable?
But in the next second, he saw the youth casually tossing aside a blood-stained machete.
The surface of the iron machete seemed to be littered with a few traces of rust, and was now covered with web-like cracks.
They weren’t decorative.
Upon hitting the ground, there was a loud bang—
It shattered into pieces.
The boy nonchalantly remarked, “There was one that got away. This thing’s way too brittle, tsk.”
As if the machete being less brittle would have allowed him to easily eliminate the last wolf-like mutant.
In retrospect, he probably could have done just that.
—The evidence was right there.
Chu Chenli noticed the man’s strange gaze and looked down, realising that the wolf’s head was still staring at him.
It wasn’t a good look to leave that lying around.
Chu Chenli thought for a moment, grabbed it by one ear, and tossed it aside casually, down the slope.
As it fell, a soft explosive sound suddenly erupted, and the wolf’s head ignited.
By the time it reached the bottom, it would be reduced to nothing but ashes.
Tong Yiming, who had been watching the entire process: “……”
On the other side, Xiao Zheng, who had just opened his eyes to see the headless giant wolf’s corpse: “……”
He nearly passed out again.
He Ziyue waved Chu Chenli over and pointed at the nearby mutant corpse in disdain, “This one too. I’m begging you to get rid of it. It’s giving me the creeps.”
Chu Chenli replied with an “En,” and dragged the wolf by its tail, repeating the process, quickly clearing the scene.
During this time, Hua Jin treated Xiao Zheng’s wound silently.
To avoid attracting too much attention, he deliberately slowed down the progress of healing.
However, for him, this injury wasn’t severe at all, at least much milder than he initially expected.
There were no other significant external injuries.
The most serious was the wound on his upper arm, which looked more like a gunshot wound than one inflicted by a mutant, causing heavy bleeding.
“It’s best to rest for a few days after you go back, and eat foods rich in blood replenishing nutrients,” Hua Jin stood up, dusted off his clothes, and gave a reminder.
Turning his head and not seeing the horrifying mutant corpse, he couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief.
While the trio felt more relaxed than before, Tong Yiming and his companion, Zou He, were still in shock for a while, only recovering after Xiao Zheng sat up.
“You okay?” Tong Yiming and Zou He rushed over, examining their youngest teammate from head to toe. Only after confirming he was unharmed did they finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Zou He and Xiao Zheng hugged each other, letting out a tear or two with their lingering fear.
Tong Yiming was the first to realise something, looked up at Hua Jin, his eyes bright with hope and a hint of earnesty, “Are you a healing ability user?”
He Ziyue quickly nudged Hua Jin with her elbow—hurry up and nod.
Hua Jin reluctantly nodded, “Yeah.”
Tong Yiming’s eyes lit up even more, “Then, could you help us save another person? We’ll pay you, and as long as it’s within our capabilities, we’ll agree to any request, even—”
He Ziyue interrupted, “Do you have a car? A four-seater will do.”
Tong Yiming paused for a moment, then filled with joy.
This meant they were willing to make a deal!
“We do! We have several cars, you can take them all, and we’ll provide as much fuel as you need! We also have a few trucks…”
Before he could empty their entire base inventory, Hua Jin quickly nodded, “One is enough. Who else needs saving? We’re in a hurry.”
Tong Yiming hesitated.
The two still sobbing hugging men also paused, their faces showing bitter expressions.
“…He might have already returned to the base,” they said hopefully.
In the end, Hua Jin, He Ziyue, and Chu Chenli followed Tong Yiming and his companions back to their base.
LuNan Base.
It was the small-to-medium-sized base that He Ziyue had researched about.
They had just arrived in this area when they noticed the unusual movement in the forest and heard a call for help.
With the cries for help so close, even He Ziyue couldn’t justify ignoring them due to their lack of time, so they got out of the car and quickly dealt with the situation.
Unexpectedly, the people they saved turned out to be from the very base they were heading to.
Their previous vehicle was barely enough for four people and definitely couldn’t hold an additional three, but Tong Yiming and his companions were well-equipped. Once they descended the mountain, they could receive signals from the base and immediately made contact.
In less than half an hour, the base sent two vehicles to pick them up.
Tong Yiming, the team leader of the trio, was very efficient in his communication with the base, briefly explaining the situation with Chu Chenli’s group.
So when the base’s vehicles arrived, the drivers were very polite and accommodating towards them.
At least on the surface, there was no fault to be found.
Not only did they promptly match names to faces, but they also remembered the excuse He Ziyue had casually made up—that their team was looking for a missing child who had wandered off at night but ended up saving the base’s members instead.
The driver expressed concern, “Don’t worry, our base will do everything we can to help you find your child. But Mr. Hua, please take care of our injured.”
Hua Jin nodded, “I’ll do my best.”
He Ziyue and Chu Chenli sat in another vehicle, accompanied by Tong Yiming, while Hua Jin was with Xiao Zheng, whose full name was Zheng Huaizhi, and Zou He.
Although they were in separate vehicles, the people from Lu Nan Base weren’t secretive at all and explained the situation in detail.
Recently, the signal station set up in the mountains had malfunctioned, and the base’s technical staff had to investigate the issue.
Initially, they had explored the path numerous times without encountering any medium or large-sized mutants. Thus, the base chose a day with good weather, dispatching a ten-person escort team to accompany the technical group into the mountains. The plan was to stay no longer than an hour, a quick in-and-out mission, prioritising safety.
However, while the initial journey went smoothly, they were ambushed by a wolf pack on the way back.
At first, they heard the howls and assumed it was a regular wolf pack. Even if it was a mutated wolf pack, they had ample experience and were well-armed, so they did not immediately call for backup.
It wasn’t until the two of their comrades in the rear guard were killed that they realised the severity of the situation.
However, the area surrounded by the wolf pack was precisely where the signal was weakest. They couldn’t contact the base for reinforcement.
Moreover, the situation with this wolf pack was bizarre.
Their size, speed, and strength were unlike ordinary wild wolves, yet their ammunition, which usually took down normal mutant wolves with ease, had almost no effect.
Not to mention their incredible agility, even if they were lucky enough to hit them, only a small injury would be left on then, and the wolves would howl in pain.
Following that were furious attacks by the wolves.
After exhausting themselves by nightfall, they still failed to escape with the technicians, and a moment of carelessness led to a serious injury to one of them.
Ultimately, they decided to split up into two, with Tong Yiming leading some to distract the wolves while the rest tried to get the injured technician down the mountain.
Since then, they have been separated.
Tong Yiming’s group had been chased in circles by the wolves, moving further into the mountains, unable to contact the base, unaware of what happened next.
In fact, around midnight, the other group managed to get the technician down the mountain and were promptly picked up by members of the base.
The base had been anxiously awaiting news from Tong Yiming’s group.
Fortunately, there were no additional casualties.
Unfortunately, the technician had been running a high fever for nearly ten hours, and his condition had not improved, leaving the base deeply concerned.
Before entering the infinite world, bases were rare. The only substantial reference they had after returning was the Southern Base, a large independent base.
Seeing the worried expressions of those in this medium-sized base, it indeed felt different.
He Ziyue couldn’t help but ask, “Do you only have this one technician?”
Tong Yiming shook his head but understood He Ziyue’s implication, his tone sombre, “Every technician is precious.”
He Ziyue nodded, agreeing, “In these times, training a technician or researcher is no easy task.”
Combat skills can be honed through encounters with mutants, but nurturing technical skills requires a stable environment.
The sudden catastrophe destroyed many scientific projects. Although the Central Base preserved a significant amount of data, they initially lacked the resources to fully support the cultivation of scientific personnel, struggling even to protect the lives of existing scientists.
This inevitably led to a stagnation, and some fields even completely disappeared.
Over the next decade, only the central base managed to re-establish research institutions, while most other bases found it nearly impossible to train their own experts.
This was due to one, a lack of resources and two, it wasn’t their top priority.
Apart from the Ying Chen Base, most bases’ cores were composed of combat personnel. Although non-awakened technicians were generally protected, they often didn’t receive the respect and attention they deserved.
However, this was understandable, given that many people were living in constant fear for their lives.
With lives at stake, few cared about the status or importance of technicians’ work.
Some even resented the protection these “useless” individuals received because they themselves could not enjoy similar protection.
But what will really influence the base’s overall morale is their leader’s attitudes.
So far, He Ziyue had a favourable impression of this base.
Tong Yiming was surprised by He Ziyue’s quick change of tone. Realising he might have misunderstood, he instinctively apologised.
To ease the atmosphere, Tong Yiming glanced at the silent Chu Chenli, recalling the earlier incident in the forest and was a little scared.
Despite his apprehension, the young man’s calm and gentle demeanour reassured him.
Chu Chenli noticed Tong Yiming’s gaze and met his eyes.
Tong Yiming instinctively looked away, feeling a bit awed. However, when he looked again, he saw only clear, bright eyes reflecting the surrounding nature and the people—eyes as clear as spring.
There was no coldness or bloodlust as he had imagined.
“What’s wrong?” Chu Chenli asked gently.
“No, it’s nothing,” Tong Yiming coughed lightly, glancing between Chu Chenli and He Ziyue, “Are you siblings?”
He Ziyue pulled Chu Chenli close, grinning, “Why, don’t we look alike?”
Tong Yiming shook his head honestly, “Not really.”
He Ziyue: “…”
Tong Yiming quickly added, “But your auras are very similar.”
He Ziyue asked, “How so?”
Tong Yiming replied, “You have the aura of siblings.”
He Ziyue: “…”
Fair enough.
Chu Chenli chuckled beside her, earning a playful pinch from He Ziyue, though she didn’t actually apply any pressure. In the end, she just gave his face a gentle squeeze.
Tong Yiming continued, “The other child…is he also a brother?”
He Ziyue nodded enthusiastically, “Yes, he’s our youngest brother!”
Mu Yanshen was the youngest in their group.
…If you went by their biological age.
Originally, Chu Chenli was the youngest. Later, Mu Yanshen, through some bug-exploiting maneuvers, transitioned from being an NPC to a permanent player, joining their team and lowering the age bracket.
For Chu Chenli, the only perk at that time was finally having someone to call him “Ge.”
Plus, Mu Yanshen had a knack for understanding people, which meant he was also very good at flattering and pleasing others.
To ensure his precarious survival in front of Chu Chenli, he had paid considerable dues.
For example, upon joining the team, he became universally recognized as the youngest of the young.
Note: This is an adjective used to describe his rank amongst them.
It’s very different from the “Brother” when addressing Chu Chenli as “Brother Ah Li.”
In other words, being called the youngest meant that he had the least authority in the team.
However, as an outsider, Tong Yiming was unaware of this distinction. Hearing this, he couldn’t help but show a hint of admiration. “In this day and age, taking care of a younger brother while trying to survive is not easy.”
Fortunately, one of the younger brothers was quite capable.
The other was mischievous.
No matter how old he was, he shouldn’t be wandering around at such a critical time.
In front of the sister, Tong Yiming couldn’t criticise him openly. He could only shake his head, sigh, and offer some comfort. “When we return to the base, I’ll arrange for someone to help look for your brother as soon as possible. Oh right, what’s his name?”
He Ziyue replied, “Xiao Mu.”
Tong Yiming noted it down carefully and was about to ask for the characters when Chu Chenli suddenly sighed.
“Sorry,” Chu Chenli massaged his temples, “But I think that won’t be necessary. I see him.”
He raised his chin slightly, signalling for them to look outside.
On the right, at the crossroads, a tall young man set up a small table, his long legs awkwardly positioned on the sides, looking like an adult forced to sit at a kindergarten desk.
Despite the awkward posture, the man seemed unperturbed, wearing sunglasses with a little flag displayed beside him, looking very much like a hermit sage from the mountains.
—Considering the fact that most charlatans would have perished in the mutant horde by now.
There was a crowd of people surrounding him who seemed convinced, faces filled with hope and belief.
Some even clasped their hands together, eyes closed in prayer.
As the two vehicles approached, the ones in the cars could hear what the “sage”’s words clearly.
“…I guarantee he won’t die today, tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, or the day after that. “
Someone asked, “May I ask for the sage’s insights?”
“There will be someone who will come to save him.”
“When?”
“Soon.”
“Soon? Right now? But there’s no one…”
“Aren’t they here now?”
The “sage” raised a hand, pointing directly at Hua Jin, who had just gotten out of the car.
Hua Jin: “…”
What the hell is that ‘Mu’ guy up to this time?
Tong Yiming behind him: “…”
He Ziyue: “…”
Tong Yiming was silent for a moment. He glanced at Chu Chenli, feeling confident in his deduction, then turned to He Ziyue, cautiously asking, “Is that the youngest brother you mentioned?”
He Ziyue, with a cold face, replied, “No, you’ve mistaken him for someone else.”
Tong Yiming: “…”
He turned back to Chu Chenli.
Chu Chenli nodded, “If she says no, then it’s not.”
However, as they passed the small table, Chu Chenli casually knocked on it, “Let’s go.”
Mu Yanshen immediately abandoned his new “believers”, leaping over the pitiful tiny table and catching up to Chu Chenli with just one step.
—The first words out of his mouth were, “Li ge”.
Tong Yiming, initially puzzled, suddenly understood—
So he indeed was that younger brother.
The author has something to say:
Brushing up on the side quests—this segment shouldn’t be too long.
And although Xiao Mu acts crazy (crossed out) and does nonsensical things daily, he usually has a purpose behind his actions, so don’t actually think he’s crazy, hahaha.
