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Chapter 207: Chapter 207: Man-Eating Plant
"Hmm, we need to alleviate Zhang Zhuo’s suspicions so they don’t spread rumors once they get back. If other bases find out the armaments are in our possession, it would be quite troublesome."
Han Jiaojiao’s heart skipped a beat as she widened her eyes, "Brother, are you saying they might spread lies after returning? Claiming the armaments were taken by us? ...What should we do?" If Zhang Zhuo and the others spread the word, the armaments would certainly attract many covetous eyes... I’m afraid our days ahead will be anything but peaceful, to say the least. There will undoubtedly be numerous attempted robberies.
"Don’t worry," Han Yi said gently, taking her hand and squeezing it reassuringly, "this is just a possibility, not a certainty that it will happen." Furthermore, it’s uncertain whether they will be able to return to their base alive.
Han Yi did not voice the latter half, not wanting to scare his sister.
He observed that Zhang Zhuo’s troops’ movements were primarily focused on speed, avoiding the dangerous beasts and birds of prey in the woods. This clearly was the work of the superpower user with psychic abilities. Avoiding danger through mental search was customary, but it wasn’t suited for this place, as they seemed to forget about the mutant plants.
Or maybe, they did consider the mutant plants but did not take them seriously. After all, the mutant plants back in the city weren’t particularly intimidating; they were just foolishly growing in fixed places, dying instantly when set on fire.
But in this unspoiled mountain range, there were ancient trees that had grown for hundreds, if not thousands of years. Their canopy diameters could reach forty to fifty meters, making humans standing beneath them seem as insignificant as ants. If one of these trees mutated, even setting it on fire might take seven days and nights to burn completely!
Han Yi watched coldly from the sidelines, with no intention of warning them.
The two walked hand in hand back to the camp, just as Xiao Jian and Tian Xinyue happened to be looking for them.
Probably because it had eaten its fill, the Pepper in Han Jiaojiao’s backpack showed no reaction to Tian Xinyue’s presence.
"Brother Han, Xinyue overheard some things they said," Xiao Jian said gravely.
Han Yi glanced at Tian Xinyue and said, "Let’s talk inside the tent."
The group lifted the curtain and stepped in — the tents supplied to the military were large, made of dark green canvas with plenty of room inside to accommodate seven or eight soldiers for rest.
The tent might have appeared ordinary from the outside, but inside, Han Jiaojiao had made it quite comfortable. There was a moisture-proof mat on the ground, a few casually placed straw mats, a large double bed mattress in the middle, with a mushroom-shaped tap-light beside the mattress. Han Jiaojiao walked over and tapped it, instantly brightening the inside of the tent.
Xiao Jian and Tian Xinyue each sat down on a straw mat while Han Jiaojiao and Han Yi sat on the bed mattress.
"Go ahead, what’s the matter?" Han Yi asked.
Tian Xinyue was still somewhat afraid of Han Yi, but she endeavored to appear composed.
"I saw Han Rui whispering to Zhang Zhuo and wanted to listen in on their conversation. And then I overheard... well, I heard Han Rui tell Zhang Zhuo to find a way to detain us so we could be taken back to Beicheng Base to answer to the old general. He said we must know where the armaments are and that if they handed us over, the old general wouldn’t blame them."
Han Yi remained calm, as if he had anticipated Han Rui’s actions, and replied indifferently, "That’s consistent with his character."
Tian Xinyue pursed her lips and continued, "Zhang Zhuo didn’t agree, saying that meeting up with Captain Wu was the most pressing issue right now. Oh right, they seem to have lost contact with someone named Captain Wu. Reportedly, their satellite phones aren’t working, and Zhang Zhuo is quite frustrated about it. So, after Han Rui spoke to him, he got extremely angry."
Xiao Jian added, "That man’s name is Wu Qian, and he’s with the ability team of Beicheng Base. He was leading nearly three hundred men to split up and search for a way up the mountain separately from Zhang Zhuo. They’ve been out of contact for an entire day now, and I reckon something has probably happened to them."
After a moment of silence, Han Yi said, "You two go back and rest now. We’ll see how things unfold tomorrow."
The two left the tent, one after the other.
Han Jiaojiao watched Xiao Jian and Tian Xinyue leave, then turned to see Han Yi with a hint of a cold smile on his lips. She couldn’t help but ask, "...Brother, you don’t think those people could be dead, do you?"
Han Yi wrapped his arms around her, comforting her softly, "Sweetheart, you’re kind-hearted. You shouldn’t listen to such things in the future; it’ll only upset you."
"I’m not exactly kind-hearted..." Han Jiaojiao said somewhat despondently, murmuring, "After all, they were three hundred lives. To be gone just like that, it’s somewhat unsettling to the heart."
If it were the her of the past, she could cry for many days over the death of a small cat or dog, but now, having lived through two lifetimes, she had long grown accustomed to life and death, so... when she learned that those three hundred people might already be dead, she merely felt a bit uncomfortable, not even truly sad.
I wonder, does this make me cold-blooded?
"There, there, stop thinking, go to sleep."
"Mhm."
......
On the second day, the military’s marching route underwent some changes. Zhang Zhuo seemed to want to find Wu Qian’s team but did not wish to shake the morale of his men, so the direction they took at first glance appeared to head downhill, but in reality, it was a bit of a detour.
Han Yi and the others pretended to be unaware and followed at a leisurely pace at the back of the column.
Eager to find Wu Qian as quickly as possible, Zhang Zhuo had become less attentive to Han Yi and the others. The outcome of this trip was doomed to be fruitless, and what he could do now was to try to minimize the losses. However, the mere thought of losing three hundred men outright... just thinking about it made Zhang Zhuo break out in a cold sweat. The more he thought about it, the more he detested Han Rui!
If it had not been for Han Rui claiming to have a stash of weaponry and insisting on leading the team to the Armory, how could things have come to this point?!
Han Yi and his group leisurely followed behind the unit, with Han Rui occasionally looking back, worried that Han Yi and his group might suddenly take off. Facing Han Rui’s behavior, everyone scoffed, not bothering to argue with this pathetic clown.
The rugged mountain road gradually transformed, the path beneath their feet became smoother, and the scenery around them started to brighten. The obstructing branches became fewer and fewer, and suddenly, the path ahead opened up—
Han Jiaojiao instinctively stopped in her tracks. n𝚘𝚟𝚙𝚞𝚋.𝚌o𝚖
What entered her sight was a vast expanse of grassland, green as jade! The grassland sprawled in a mountain hollow, occupying the slopes on both sides, neat and pretty as if it were artificial turf.
Having traveled through the damp and stifling jungle, the sudden view of this scene made everyone feel refreshed, and they instinctively quickened their pace.
Relieved at not having to navigate the rough mountain path anymore, Han Jiaojiao felt a sense of lightness within her. Just as she was about to step forward, something suddenly tightened around her neck!—
It was Pepper using its vines to constrict her!
"Hiss... Do you want to strangle me?!" Han Jiaojiao reached back to pat her backpack.
Pepper loosened its vines and let out a series of urgent "coo coo coo" sounds from the backpack.
Han Jiaojiao slightly furrowed her brow... Something was off with Pepper; was it trying to warn her about something?
But what could be dangerous here? There was nothing around.
Han Jiaojiao gazed into the distance; the grassland was low, not even reaching halfway up her calf, so from this vantage, it was impossible for a large Mutant Beast to hide within the grass.
At this moment, Han Yi also stopped and examined the open grassland with a stern face.
When Han Yi and Han Jiaojiao both halted, Yan Xiao, Xiao Jian, Tian Xinyue, and the others also stopped in their tracks.
"Han, what’s the matter?"
Han Yi looked towards Yan Xiao and others in the front, some of whom had already entered the range of the grassland, leaving a faint trace on the surface. The grass that had been trampled scattered in disarray, looking as normal as could be.
"Retreat, something’s not right here," Han Yi said coolly.
