CH 56.1

The adventure area of Planet D28 covered almost half of the planet’s land area. Even if they use mechas to travel around, it would take three or four days to go back and forth between area A and area D. That is, under the premise that they wouldn’t be delayed by a beast attack or other danger.

“It’s best to use mechas to travel, but here…” Chu Yan tapped on the map, and then drew a big circle on it that almost covered the entire area. His tone was filled with resignation. “This area is filled with dangerous bird beasts. They all can fly, so if we use our mecha to fly, we’re just food delivering ourselves to their mouths. But if we walk from below, there is a cliff and a rapid river at the junction of area B and area D respectively. In other words, we need to fly over, because detouring around it is too time-consuming. Even if we are lucky enough to pass the border without attracting the birds, and walk on the ground immediately after arriving in the area, the travel time is still very long. It’s not as efficient as flying directly there.”

In short, there’s a lot of trade-off between travel efficiency and safety.

Lin Zhen frowned. He took out his own map and asked, “I have studied the map before I came here. I found that there is a passage here, why is there no indication of such a route?”

Chu Yan leaned over and glanced at his map. The corner of his mouth twitched, and he replied, “Your map is wrong. It was created by the guide to deceive newcomers. I didn’t expect you to fall into this trap.”

“…” Lin Zhen stared blankly at Chu Yan.

Pushing the map back into the space button, he explained, “I received this order from Sir rather abruptly. I came here from another planet and I was not prepared enough.”

“Don’t worry, I understand,” Chu Yan nodded quickly. He then brought back his map, and changed the topic back to the original. “Then what should we do now? If we fly hard directly, our strength may not be enough.”

Because their team wanted to act secretly, they only brought over a few people. After all, if there were too many people, it would be easier for the beasts to detect them.

Lin Zhen also thought about this question. He deeply thought about it with a frown. “It’s too dangerous to fly over, it’s safer to take a detour. A strong mercenary team will have a secret route that they have researched. We can think about it from this aspect.”

“I thought so too, but…”

Qiao Zhiya, who was standing quietly at the side, finally interrupted. He hesitated for a moment, then took out a small bottle with a simple and quaint shape from his storage bracelet. He held it in front of them, explaining, “Maybe we can fly over directly… This is a kind of animal repellent that is often used in my hometown. It is only used during sacrifices to prevent beasts from entering by mistake. We can try this.”

This successfully grabbed everyone’s attention and curiosity.

Qiao Zhiya felt uncomfortable being the center of attention like this, his ears fluttering shyly. He opened the small bottle, trying to suppress the blush that crept from his ears.  “But this potion is made of a magic plant with a special smell, so the scent may be …”

An extremely pungent smell wafted out, making Chu Yan shake wildly. He reflexively covered his nose and coughing, staring at the bottle with visible horror reflected on his eyes. He looked as if he was looking at a biochemical weapon.

Lin Zhen resolutely did not retreat, but looked around, listening to the sounds of the small critters retreating in panic. He praised the concoction despite his discomfort. “The effect of this animal repellent… is truly excellent.”

Another member directly retched, while another tried his best to hold his breath.

This effect was not only “excellent” – it was so good that it also drove them like the critters!

Seeing their reaction, Qiao Zhiya hurriedly capped the bottle and added, “The smell of this animal repellant can only last for half a day. If we really use it, we may have to stop once in the middle to reapply it. Is this okay…?”

“Let’s use this!” Chu Yan came to his side after recovering. He patted Qiao Zhiya’s shoulder in praise, his mood improved rapidly. “You still have this kind of thing! Qiao, you are the best!”

Lin Zhen also nodded in agreement. “Landing in the middle is safer than walking close to the ground.”

Seeing that he was helpful, Qiao Zhiya’s ears fluttered happily, lips stretched in a beautiful smile.

Although this would irritate their nose temporarily, the effect was too good to pass up. Their dilemma was solved, so Lin Zhen and his crew immediately planned the finalized route. They then brought their mecha and set off.

Qiao Zhiya was finally stuffed in Lin Zhen’s cockpit, leading the flight.

It took a day to pass through Area B. On the next day, everyone arrived at the junction of the two areas, a steep cliff.

“Let’s start again at night. There are less nocturnal beasts here, so it will much safer to travel on foot by then. We should rest now, and reapply it when we set off.” Lin Zhen gave his order, and his team members immediately dispersed to prepare for the resting area set-up.

Qiao Zhiya, who had been protected by Lin Zhen in the cockpit, also spread out and did stretching exercises. His limbs were stiff after sitting for a long time. When he walked to the edge of the cliff, his ears trembled suddenly. He turned his head and looked down, a deep frown adorning his face.

“What’s the matter?” Chu Yan happened to come over. Following Qiao Zhiya’s gaze, he also looked down the cliff.

Qiao Zhiya shook his head, felt it carefully again, and said hesitantly, “Maybe I felt wrong… Did the guide say that there is anything under this cliff?”

“They said that this cliff is very deep, but there are no valuable materials underneath. Instead, it’s full of venomous insects and beasts, so few people go down,” Chu Yan repeated what the guide said. Recalling his treasure hunting skills, his eyes lit up, and he asked expectantly, “Is there any undiscovered treasure here?”

“I… don’t think so,” Qiao Zhiya shook his head and asked again: “Did the guide say why there are venomous insects and beasts all over here?”

–He didn’t know if it was an illusion, but Qiao Zhiya seemed to have heard a cry of help from a beast just now. The voice was very weak and thin, as if it rang directly in his head. Regardless, he could understand the meaning clearly, and it came from the bottom of this cliff. Judging from other’s behavior, they didn’t hear  anything at all.

Really strange.

Chu Yan’s curiosity was aroused by him, and he continued to look down the cliff and replied, “It is said that the soil underneath is special and suitable for cultivating various toxins. So what is there on the bottom? It’s not a treasure, it’s a monster?”

Qiao Zhiya replied honestly, “I don’t know, I just heard someone, no, a beast crying for help. It is very painful and weak. It should be under the cliff.”

“Ah?” Chu Yan was confused by his answer.

After a moment of daze, Chu Yan followed Qiao Zhiya in sharpening his ears, hoping to catch a sound of something. However, he didn’t hear anything.

Chill spreading to his back, he hurriedly stepped back, away from the edge of the cliff. He rubbed the goosebumps on his arms. “Why didn’t I hear anything, while you did? It might be a lure or something, and it’s searching for prey. You shouldn’t listen, there’s many dangerous beasts lurking here. Don’t you trust it, okay? Let’s get ready to rest, we have to rush to our destination through the night.” As he spoke, he led him in the direction of the camp.

Qiao Zhiya let himself be led by Chu Yan, but his ears still pricked up, trying to hear the cry. He didn’t answer verbally to Chu Yan.

His intuition told him that the animal that was asking for help was not in the situation Chu Yan said, but what Chu Yan said was also reasonable. The situation in the adventure area was complicated, and they had a task ahead of them, so it was better to pay attention to other things.

After drinking nutrient solution for lunch and applying the animal repellant, everyone went into the tent to rest in shifts.

Qiao Zhiya tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep. He no longer could bear ignoring it – the shrill cry for help had been ringing inside his ears for hours now, and the cry suddenly weakened just now.

Then, the call for help paused for a few seconds, and suddenly became more obvious. As if answering his call.

Qiao Zhiya was taken aback, and hurriedly threw off the quilt and ran out of the tent — it was a baby animal calling for help!

Lin Zhen, who came over to check the situation after hearing the soft cry, bumped into him, hurriedly pressed his shoulder, and asked with a frown, “What’s the matter?

Lin Zhen and the others were asked to accompany him on this trip. He didn’t know how to explain this matter, especially because this was a cry for help from an unknown source.

Qiao Zhiya was entangled for a moment, but he chose to confess frankly. He told Lin Zhen about the matter, and then looked at the older man with a begging look.

Lin Zhen frowned after hearing this. He asked for confirmation, “You mean, there is a baby animal under the cliff calling for you to save it?”

“Yes, it’s not aggressive; it’s very weak, I’m sure,” Qiao Zhiya looked a little anxious.

Lin Zhen hung his eyes in thought for a while, turned his head and looked down the edge of the cliff. He opened the map copied from Chu Yan and looked carefully, but did not speak.

Qiao Zhiya watched him, impatiently waiting for approval.

“I can go with you,” Lin Zhen decided. He glanced at the spiritual power simulator on his ear, and added, “But you can’t get close to the bottom of the cliff. If there is danger near the target position, retreat immediately. Everything is for your own safety. Do you agree?”

“Yes! I have a lot of antidotes here! I also have a self-defense weapon, so I will be extra careful!” Qiao Zhiya nodded quickly. He actually did not expect that Lin Zhen would really agree to his slightly capricious request. He’s a little excited now.

Lin Zhen patted him on the shoulder reassuringly, motioned him to go back to the tent and put on his coat. He then called several team members, and glanced at the sleeping Chu Yan. He took out his mecha and carried Qiao Zhiya, who had just come out of the tent bundled up in a thick coat. Together, they went down the cliff.

Compared with the cliffs encountered on the primitive planet, the cliffs this time were deeper and steeper, and the mountain walls were more irregular. From time to time, there would be some strange rocks or plants extending obliquely, and if they were not careful, they could crash into them. Further down, the darker the light, accompanied by floating dark mist. The atmosphere was quiet and scary.

“It’s poisonous fog.”

Lin Zhen glanced at the warning light on the side of the mecha, and asked, “Where is that distress call?

The mecha’s external communication system was activated, and it received the weak wail. The cub might have fainted or died, because there was no response for a long time.

At this time, the mecha has almost reached the bottom of the cliff, and they could finally vaguely discern the scenery.

“Hurry up, we can’t stay too long, we will attract the beasts here.” Lin Zhen hovered the mecha in the air. His urging was soft, whispered carefully to Qiao Zhiya.

Qiao Zhiya became more anxious. He still couldn’t get a response after returning the call, so he simply exposed his wood-elemental magic power as an extension of his senses.

Finally, the magic power protruding sensed a weak fluctuation that was completely different from the atmosphere at the bottom of the cliff. His eyes lit up, and he hurriedly confirmed the location of the fluctuation. He pointed to the top with a little surprise, and said, “On top, the cub should be hanging on the mountain wall.”

“…”

Lin Zhen drove the mecha up silently, following the direction he pointed. There, he found a malnourished tree growing on the mountain wall… And a small black snake with the thickness of a finger wrapped around it.

Sensing the approach of warm power, the little snake subconsciously poked its head out, and stuck out its tongue. After searching for a while, it headed straight towards Qiao Zhiya, hissing weakly in relief. After confirming its savior, it directly passed out.

‘Nature is amazing…’ Lin Zhen thought.

Qiao Zhiya also felt a little embarrassed. He asked Lin Zhen to catch the little snake together with the branch.

The little snake was really small, and it can be held with only one palm when coiled up. The scales on its body were a bit dull, and it looked very listless. Qiao Zhiya healed it, fed it some nourishment, and slipped it carefully into his coat pocket.

Seeing this, Lin Zhen withdrew his gaze and drove the mecha up.