Chapter 78: 78, Cannot retreat

There is no retreat, only advance.

Ren Xiaosu, Xu Xiance, and Yang Xiaojin seemed equally intrigued by the secrets of Jing Shan itself, while Luo Xinyu, Liu Bu, and Wang Lei were different—they longed to reunite with the Qingshi Consortium as soon as possible!

As for the secrets, we’ll leave them for later—there’s hope wherever there are people!

The Qingshi Consortium’s combat unit in the 113th Bastion had already demonstrated their prowess; they were no match for the amateurish private armies. Thus, Liu Bu and his companions believed that finding the Qingshi Consortium would ensure their safety.

Moreover, both Luo Xinyu and Liu Bu had some ties to the Qingshi Consortium—not particularly close, but they had crossed paths with Boss Luo from the 113th Bastion a few times.

So, when the time came, they could simply report Boss Luo’s name and their identities, and they’d be back in the realm of human civilization in no time.

This wilderness, in their eyes, was the world of beasts.

Moreover, they had nearly encountered a mysterious monster in the woods the night before, so they were eager to leave this place during the day.

Out of concern for the beast, Ren Xiaosu chose to traverse barren mountain ridges and valleys rather than dense forests.

Who knew if that thing was active during the day? It had never told them it only came out at night! What if it was nocturnal out of habit, not fear? What if its schedule had flipped today?

Who could say for sure?

The cave they occupied was still dozens of kilometers away from the site of the explosion in Jing Shan, and at their current pace, they could reach it by evening.

Of course, Ren Xiaosu feared unforeseen complications. He discussed with Xu Xiance and Yang Xiaojin: “Mountain paths aren’t just about straight-line distance—the trails are winding, and what we estimate as dozens of kilometers might take days to traverse.”

“What do you mean?” Xu Xiance asked curiously.

“If we can’t reach it today, we absolutely must not risk traveling overnight,” Ren Xiaosu said firmly. “Even if you insist on pushing forward, I’ll find a place to wait until dawn.”

Xu Xiance pondered and replied, “I agree—no overnight travel.”

Xu Xiance and Ren Xiaosu turned to Yang Xiaojin, who said, “I agree.”

“Let’s hope the road isn’t too treacherous,” Ren Xiaosu said.

Today, as they advanced, Luo Xinyu and Liu Bu seemed to draw strength from nowhere. They had only just popped the blisters on their feet yesterday, and walking at this intensity today might leave their soles in tatters.

Seeing this, Ren Xiaosu teased them into resting for the day, but Liu Bu insisted he was fine.

It was clear that, driven by survival instinct, the three ordinary people had unleashed their maximum potential.

Suddenly, Xu Xiance said, “There’s a human corpse ahead.”

Ren Xiaosu looked up and saw a human body lying motionless at the bottom of the valley. But what startled him was that the corpse’s clothes were scattered and torn, and the blood on the rocky ground had dried into a deep purple.

“It’s got flesh and blood, but no signs of decay—this is a recent corpse!” Ren Xiaosu exclaimed in disbelief.

Wait, how could a freshly dead human body suddenly appear here? Could it be someone from the Qingshi Consortium?

“No,” Xu Xiance shook his head. “Look at the uniform—it’s a private army’s combat suit. Private armies wear dark blue, while the Qingshi Consortium’s are black.”

“Private army? Which one? Do the private armies of the 112th Bastion dress like this too?” Ren Xiaosu frowned.

They approached cautiously, a sense of foreboding creeping in. This time, Xu Xiance spotted a small plaque, meant to identify the corpse. But when he picked it up, he froze: “Xu Xia? How could this be Xu Xia?”

Ren Xiaosu’s heart turned to ice: “Is it really Xu Xia?”

“Look, the plaque can’t be wrong,” Xu Xiance said, his assault rifle still raised, wary of something lurking nearby.

Ren Xiaosu peered at the plaque: “It really is Xu Xia. How did his corpse end up here?”

Xu Xia’s body had been lost before they entered the canyon. They had walked nearly a hundred kilometers in the past two days—how could his corpse have moved here on its own?

What had brought Xu Xia’s corpse here?!

When Yang Xiaojin and Xu Xiance raised their guns in alert, Ren Xiaosu crouched to examine the body. Luo Xinyu and Liu Bu had already vomited. After retching for a while, Luo Xinyu asked, “Aren’t you afraid?”

Ren Xiaosu’s expression didn’t change: “I’ve seen worse… Wait, the wounds on this corpse are odd. The monster devoured his organs, but look at the edges of the abdominal wound—how could any beast bite such clean, precise gashes? I’ve never seen such teeth.”

Hearing this, even Yang Xiaojin and Xu Xiance couldn’t help but glance over. They knew how well-versed Ren Xiaosu was in the wilderness—if he said he’d never seen such a beast, it wasn’t ordinary.

But upon closer inspection, Xu Xiance frowned immediately: “Damn it, those are human bite marks!”

Perhaps due to some deep-seated fear, Xu Xiance cursed outright. Not only him, but even Ren Xiaosu and Yang Xiaojin felt a chill. Ren Xiaosu looked up and asked, “Are you sure?”

“Absolutely,” Xu Xiance said. “When I was in school, my first love bit me on the arm after we broke up.”

“I’m about to die of fright, and you’re telling us this?” Ren Xiaosu snapped.

Honestly, Ren Xiaosu was terrified now!

Xu Xiance, too, felt a shiver: “Why would there be human bite marks on a corpse?”

“You tell me,” Ren Xiaosu said. “Could it be that the thing dragging the chain last night… was a person?”

“Let’s get out of here,” Yang Xiaojin said. “Three-person tactical formation—we can’t let anything sneak up on us! If it could take the corpse silently, it could approach us the same way!”

Ren Xiaosu’s voice tightened: “…What’s a tactical formation?”

He wasn’t joking—he genuinely didn’t know!

“You take the left flank!” Yang Xiaojin didn’t elaborate much. “Each of us covers our own sector. If anything strange comes near, shoot immediately.”

Suddenly, Yang Xiaojin seemed to take command without question, and neither Ren Xiaosu nor Xu Xiance objected.

In that moment, everyone understood—they were walking a tightrope. One misstep, and there’d be no return.

Everyone wanted to survive, and Ren Xiaosu especially did.

…

Starting tomorrow, updates will resume at 6:00 sharp. Confirmed for release on June 1st—expect a burst of activity!