What typically happens to people who boast and brag before a battle?
Zheng Yichen didn’t want to contemplate the unpleasant outcos, opting instead for a couple of simple sentences, being careful not to utter ominous phrases suggesting that he would marry and return ho upon the completion of his mission or that soone was waiting for his return. He wanted to declare, "My adventure has just begun," but after so thought, he decided it didn’t bode well either; fearing that he might not make it halfway, so he kept silent and simply made sure to pack more provisions. If not for the deep allure of the Dusk Cathedral, he wouldn’t have even brought along his untouched compressed rations.
Upon seeing the compressed rations Zheng Yichen took out, Raymond’s eyes lit up while John and the others, unfamiliar with them, rely found the packaging quite unique.
They had never seen transparent sealed bags before.
"This is a kind of compressed food that can sustain a person for a long ti in an environnt where food is scarce, and they can be stored for a very long ti," Zheng Yichen explained briefly. Raymond obviously recognized the item, but John and the others did not.
"Oh, what a great thing!" John unceremoniously accepted the piece of compressed ration handed over by Zheng Yichen. They had been fighting as a team for several months now, there was no need for formalities over such trivial matters.
"This is what we are supposed to escort." Raymond produced a tal box just big enough to fit a head inside, with chains as thick as a thumb wrapped around it, threading through the box’s iron rings and firmly securing it.
The rusty condition of the box and chains suggested it had considerable age, weighing perhaps more than twenty pounds—considered to be lightweight.
"Very sturdy, indeed. So axes wouldn’t easily cut through it," John stated with certainty after inspecting the box. The rust was only a superficial layer, and both the sound from clashing the box and chains and the texture felt by hand confird the box and chains were very hard.
The lock wasn’t standard but an elaborate puzzle lock. Without the matching key and knowledge of how to unlock it, one shouldn’t even think about opening it, as the gaps in the box were very tight, not even a hair could slip through.
"I’ll hold onto this for now. If everyone’s ready, let’s go," Raymond said, after securing the box, and they set off without further hesitation.
"Go back ho. Just wait for his return," the Forest Witch Eileena told Katrina.
Katrina nodded and went back ho with Eileena. They had secretly co to watch Zheng Yichen’s departure.
Back at ho, Katrina looked over the items left in the room, including the video cara Zheng Yichen had previously used. She had already learned how to use it and it could serve as a scouting tool when necessary.
There were also firearms and other items—Zheng Yichen could be said to have left behind most of the things he brought from Hazy City.
She picked up the shotgun. As a witch wielding a shotgun seed a bit off, but Zheng Yichen had shown her how to use it. Being accurate wasn’t necessary; as long as she aid at the general vicinity of the target, so pellets would surely hit the enemy.
Zheng Yichen’s current assignnt would take a long ti, yet he still left the weapon behind...
"Giddy up, giddy up," the deserted road echoed with the sound of galloping horses. Speeding through the hazardous zones was a waste of ti, so they accelerated on the safe roads to make up so ti. This way, they could afford to be more relaxed when traversing more dangerous areas.
After months, Zheng Yichen had beco proficient at riding at full speed. Even so, he found riding a bike to be more comfortable than a horse. At least a bike’s suspension spared him so soreness, while horseback riding was quite tiring.
At night, they made camp in a forest. The evening woods were serene, and although there were wild beasts, they wouldn’t dare trouble them. As for other Black Darkness creatures, they were even less likely to appear, since most nearby had already been taken care of either by the team or other Hunter-Demons.
Many hunters had left the area, complaining about the lack of formidable Black Darkness creatures.
Zheng Yichen wondered: in a world where creatures such as werewolves and vampires were deed Black Darkness creatures, where might the light beings make their presence known?
Unicorns could be considered such beings, but in this world, they were not protected animals. If soone eager for fa encountered one, the unicorn’s fate would be sealed regardless of its status.
But the proportion of light to darkness creatures was not on the sa scale at all. Zheng Yichen suspected that perhaps the light beings were smarter, choosing to seek good fortune and avoid disaster by finding sanctuary or becoming the pets of powerful individuals before trouble could find them.
The forest was now incredibly safe, so after setting up basic safety warnings, they gathered around the campfire to play cards.
The team had recruited new mbers, now counting five Hunter-Demons. Four would play cards in turns, and the one who lost would stand guard.
Everyone unspokenly agreed to avoid discussing a certain box. Their experience as Hunter-Demons taught them that curiosity could be dangerous. Better to forget about whatever was tightly sealed inside the box than to wager on its mysterious contents.
To chat about the box could only intensify their curiosity. They opted instead to enjoy their card ga and after, get a good night’s rest for the journey ahead.
The first two days of travel had been light work, but by the third day, they were all too tired to think about playing cards. Off the beaten path, they had entered a perilous territory—a region rarely ventured by people but fraught with dangerous beasts, difficult terrain, and Black Darkness creatures.
Venomous insects were just one of many dangers, along with fog in certain areas that was toxic.
Deep into the night, a howl pierced the silence, but John, asleep, rely turned over, undisturbed by the sound. The howls were too distant to disrupt their slumber.
Co morning, Zheng Yichen, who had been on the first watch of the night, yawned as he greeted the sunrise. Over by the fire, John was skillfully skinning a rabbit and removing its organs. "Awake? There’ll be at ready to eat in a bit."
"Hmm," Zheng Yichen nodded, rinsing his mouth with a water skin before swallowing the water. These escort missions were rather dull. Few knew about their task of conveying the Subduing Item; it wasn’t as if they had to fend off robbers as one might on a treasure convoy.
The path chosen was riddled with hazards—any bandit with a hint of sense wouldn’t stake out such places, for they’d likely starve to death.
The real threats on their journey were not humans, but the perilous Black Darkness creatures. Zheng Yichen was torn between wanting to encounter so formidable Extraordinary creatures and wishing to complete their mission safely and efficiently...
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