The next day, Lian Qiguang set out together with Xiahou Hetian and the others. Along the way, they constantly saw battles and students who had lost their ability to fight due to serious injuries being carried away by aircraft.
Very few people came looking for trouble with Lian Qiguang’s group. After all, putting aside their combat strength, just the identities of Xiahou Hetian and Shentu Sihao were enough to make others hesitant. Although there was no mercy on the battlefield, this was ultimately only a competition. If they offended these young masters from powerful families, no one could guarantee whether they would be secretly targeted afterward.
There were also some bold ones who tried to rob Lian Qiguang’s group, but before Lian Qiguang even had to act, Xiahou Hetian had already taken care of them.
“What the hell is this thing!”
Xiahou Hetian turned the map around for a long time without understanding it and angrily threw it onto the ground.
“It’s so hot!”
Shentu Sihao complained miserably and sat down weakly on the ground, fanning himself with his hand. He squinted at the scorching sun overhead.
“Don’t be anxious.”
Xuanyuan Zhe stepped forward and picked up the map Xiahou Hetian had thrown down, comforting him gently.
“It’s already noon, and we only have tomorrow left. But look around you now. Everywhere we look, it all looks the same. We can’t even figure out the direction anymore! We might have already gone the wrong way and be getting farther and farther from our destination.”
Xuanyuan Zhe looked at the map in his hand. After remaining silent for a long while, he shifted his gaze toward Lian Qiguang, who was sitting cross-legged not far away with his eyes closed, resting.
“Idol, is it really okay for you to keep releasing your ability like this?”
Shentu Sihao moved over to Lian Qiguang. The coolness washing over him made him comfortably let out a sigh.
Lian Qiguang opened his eyes and glanced indifferently at Shentu Sihao, ignoring him.
Xuanyuan Zhe held the map as though considering something. After a long while, he nodded, apparently making up his mind. He turned around, walked over to Lian Qiguang, and unfolded the map in front of him.
“Young Master Lian, can you understand this map?”
Lian Qiguang lowered his head and looked at the map in Xuanyuan Zhe’s hands. After thinking for a moment, he reached out, took the map, and turned it around.
“You were holding it upside down.”
“……” Xuanyuan Zhe.
Lian Qiguang stood up, holding the map in his hand, and slowly paced while looking at the sun overhead.
Xiahou Hetian watched Lian Qiguang’s strange actions with confusion. He wanted to go over and ask, but Xuanyuan Zhe stopped him.
Before long, Lian Qiguang withdrew his gaze and pointed in one direction.
“That is east.”
“How do you know?”
This time, Xiahou Hetian and Shentu Sihao were the ones who asked.
Looking at the two men’s foolish expressions, Lian Qiguang couldn’t be bothered to explain. He crouched down on one knee, placed the map on the ground, and Xuanyuan Zhe quickly gathered around him.
“Here.”
Lian Qiguang pointed at a spot.
“This is our current position. The destination is here. There are no directions in the desert, but that also has its advantages. We don’t need to take unnecessary detours. Eliminate the unnecessary and remote markers, and we have two routes now.”
“This one is a straight line. We can walk straight without turning and reach the destination tomorrow afternoon.”
“The other route is somewhat farther. We need to make a detour, but at our current speed, we’ll pass through an oasis tomorrow morning. There should be water and food there.”
Xuanyuan Zhe was silent for a moment before asking, “If we take the other route, how much farther will it be?”
“Not much. Fifty li. We can reach the destination tomorrow night.”
The group fell silent together.
After a moment, Mu Anqi spoke.
“I personally recommend taking the second route. Although we have enough nutrient agents right now, we’re lacking water.”
“That’s true, but…” Xiahou Hetian hesitated. “There isn’t even a single coordinate in this desert. What if we take the wrong route and end up going far out of our way?”
“We won’t.”
Lian Qiguang suddenly spoke.
“I know the direction.”
“Idol, you seem to really want to choose this route?”
They were accustomed to Lian Qiguang’s silence and coldness. Now that he had suddenly offered to help, all of them felt somewhat uncomfortable.
Seeing their strange expressions, Lian Qiguang pressed his lips together slightly and said quietly,
“I need the food there.”
Thinking about Lian Qiguang’s aversion to nutrient agents, everyone immediately understood.
“Idol, how are you so certain about the direction?”
Shentu Sihao was puzzled. Then, as though he suddenly thought of something, his eyes widened.
“Idol, you… you didn’t secretly hide an intelligent detection map, did you?”
“What are you thinking!”
Xiahou Hetian slapped the back of Shentu Sihao’s head.
“I didn’t mean anything by it.” Shentu Sihao covered his head, grimacing in pain, but surprisingly did not argue with Xiahou Hetian. “I just think it’s amazing. It feels like you’re very familiar with this ancient map and with determining directions.”
“This is an essential ability for a mercenary.”
Lian Qiguang put down the map, stood up, and walked away.
“Prepare yourselves. We’re leaving soon.”
Mercenary?
Xiahou Hetian and the others froze.
What did he mean?
Lian Qiguang did not actually tell them that when he had once been ordered to assassinate the highest authority of a certain base, he had accidentally gotten lost. As a result, he had wandered around inside the base for an entire night and nearly been caught.
Because of that, the Little Crown Prince had forced him to learn how to read maps.
Xiahou Hetian and the others quickly used their nutrient agents and packed up before getting to their feet.
However, before they could leave, they suddenly heard dense rustling sounds coming from all around them, as though some kind of insects were crawling across the ground.
Insects?
Listening to the densely packed sound that resembled an ocean tide, Xiahou Hetian and the others felt their scalps go numb.
Even Lian Qiguang frowned.
The sound grew closer and closer.
Two young men and a young woman gradually appeared in their line of sight.
However, the terrifying part was not the three people.
It was the spider and scorpion swarm following behind them like a surging sea.
The insects had mutated. Every single one was as large as an adult cat. Their pitch-black shells were like indestructible armor, while their horrifying teeth and poisonous stingers looked sinister beneath the sunlight, making one’s back turn cold.
When they saw Lian Qiguang and the others, the three people immediately seemed to see their saviors. They waved their hands and shouted,
“Help!! Save us!!”
“These idiots!”
Xiahou Hetian cursed angrily as flames gathered in his hand.
Lian Qiguang reached out and pressed down on Xiahou Hetian’s wrist, looking at the three people expressionlessly.
“What’s wrong?” Xiahou Hetian asked in confusion.
Lian Qiguang turned around.
“Come closer to me.”
Xiahou Hetian and the others exchanged glances. Although they were confused, they still followed Lian Qiguang’s instructions and moved close to him.
Lian Qiguang looked at the insect tide approaching from only a short distance away. The pressure belonging to an Earth-rank peak ability user spread outward, enveloping all of them.
The swarm gradually approached.
Xiahou Hetian and the others swallowed nervously, their fists slowly tightening.
The three people being chased soon reached Lian Qiguang.
As for their cries for help, Lian Qiguang ignored them.
Seeing that the insect tide was about to reach their feet, the three cursed inwardly and hurriedly continued running forward.
The swarm arrived.
Xiahou Hetian almost cried out. He stiffened his neck, clenched his teeth tightly, and did not dare make a sound.
But at that moment, something unexpected happened.
When the swarm reached Lian Qiguang and the others, the insects automatically parted, continuing to surge forward.
With Lian Qiguang and the others at the center, a vacuum zone spread out around them.
“This is…”
Xiahou Hetian and the others were dumbfounded.
The soldiers sitting in the monitoring room were dumbfounded as well.
What the hell was going on?
The three people fleeing ahead also stared blankly at the scene, their faces filled with disbelief.
They tried to turn around and run toward Lian Qiguang, but the insect swarm had already caught up. Not only that, the path ahead was blocked as well.
The black mass of insects closed in on the three people, trapping them in a circle.
“Please! Please save us!”
Driven into a desperate situation, the girl burst into tears. Looking at the overwhelming black tide of insects, she was almost on the verge of collapse.
Xiahou Hetian looked at the three trapped people. He opened his mouth but hesitated.
Lian Qiguang had both hands in his pockets, expressionlessly watching the insects beneath his feet.
“Don’t go.”
“How can you do this! We’re all students from the same planet, future soldiers of the planet! How can you just stand by and watch us die?!”
Looking at the insect swarm, one of the young men was already close to going insane. He immediately began spouting threats without thinking.
“I’ll report you! I’ll make sure you’re expelled from the academy and kicked off Blue Star!”
“Ah. Wait until you survive first.”
Lian Qiguang was unmoved by the man’s threats and responded casually.
“You…”
“Please save me!”
Compared with that young man, the other man still retained some rationality.
“I’m from the Xu family of District One. As long as you save me, my father will definitely reward you handsomely.”
The insects had already crawled onto the girl’s feet.
The girl screamed, kicked one away, and began wailing loudly.
“Idol, wh-what exactly is going on?”
Shentu Sihao swallowed nervously and asked stiffly.
“These insects all possess Human-rank abilities. Although they have no intelligence, they possess an innate, keen instinct. When faced with a power stronger than themselves, as long as you don’t actively provoke them, they won’t make you their enemy.”
Lian Qiguang withdrew his gaze and looked toward the three people, who had already begun fighting the insects.
“What did you take from them?”
“Nonsense!”
The young man split an insect apart with one palm and shouted angrily.
“We didn’t take anything.”
The young man’s refusal to admit anything left Lian Qiguang helpless. Lian Qiguang turned around and walked away.
“Follow me.”
“Stop! Come back!!”
Lian Qiguang’s departure made the man roar furiously.
A spider was thrown by the man toward Lian Qiguang.
Xiahou Hetian reacted by sending a ball of fire at it.
Xuanyuan Zhe’s heart sank.
Before he could speak to stop him, the spider had already been burned to ashes.
Xiahou Hetian’s attack enraged the surrounding insect swarm. The insects immediately began crawling toward them.
Xiahou Hetian swallowed nervously and said awkwardly,
“I… I didn’t do it on purpose.”
“Hahaha! You refuse to save us, so let’s all die together!!”
The young man laughed crazily, completely ignoring the insects already biting into his arm.
Lian Qiguang expressionlessly looked at the insect tide surging toward them from all directions. A coldness flashed through his eyes.
Amid the man’s crazed laughter, frost spread outward.
Within three meters around Lian Qiguang and the others, any insect that approached was instantly frozen into ice.
Watching Lian Qiguang and the others calmly walk away, the laughing man suddenly fell silent.
His bloodshot eyes were filled with astonishment.
“Idol, you said they took something. What did they take?” Shentu Sihao followed beside Lian Qiguang and asked suspiciously.
“Probably insect eggs.”
Lian Qiguang replied indifferently.
“Insect eggs?”
“The eggs of mutated insects. They contain fifty percent of the insect’s power and can rapidly increase an ability user’s strength.”
“They stole someone’s children. No wonder they’re being chased!”
Xiahou Hetian sneered, withdrawing that trace of sympathy in his heart.
“You seem to know quite a lot about this,” Mu Anqi teased.
“I’ve done the same thing before.”
Lian Qiguang said calmly.
“……” Mu Anqi.
“……” Everyone else.
“Then… what happened to you?” Xiahou Hetian asked cautiously.
“……”
Lian Qiguang tilted his head and thought for a moment.
“I tore apart their nest, crippled the insects, and burned them all to death.”
“……”
How brutal!!
The wind howled.
Two aircraft slowly descended from the sky toward the location of the insect swarm.
Lian Qiguang looked back, his brows slightly furrowing.
“After all, this is only a competition. We can’t really let anyone die.”
Seeing Lian Qiguang’s displeasure, Xuanyuan Zhe explained.
Lian Qiguang’s lips moved slightly, but he still turned around and continued walking forward.
But then…
Looking at that black figure in the distance, Lian Qiguang’s brows furrowed again.
Qiu Limo slowly approached and stopped five meters away from Lian Qiguang. His cool, clear eyes gazed indifferently at Lian Qiguang.
“I came to find you.”