Chapter 14: District Fourteen (Part 3)
“Chi’an, are you all right?”
Jin Chi’an raised his hand and rubbed his temples, trying to ease the dizziness from having his consciousness forcibly dragged into the illusion.
“I’m fine.”
The vivid scene from just now was still clear in his mind, making him feel as if he had been there in person. Even the conversations between the people in the illusion still lingered in his ears with startling realism.
Having learned his lesson, Jin Chi’an warily built a barrier around his consciousness cloud and poked his head out toward the river valley.
A thin layer of mist filled the valley. Continuous mountains rose on both sides, and thriving life covered the entire area. It was one of the few oasis zones in District Fourteen.
If not for that sorrowful whistle, the beauty of this place would seem like a fairyland, tempting people deeper inside.
Jin Chi’an slowly withdrew his gaze. After several more whistles, he confirmed the thought in his heart.
“The bone flutes here all retain the mental power of the dead. Combined with the unique terrain and environment here, they form a mental illusion that invades consciousness.”
As a whistle resembling a wolf’s howl rang out, Qin Hua instantly understood what Jin Chi’an meant.
“So the soldiers of District Fourteen are unwilling to come here because they’ll be pulled into mental illusions by the whistle sounds.”
“Mm. The bone whistles here contain burning mental energy. As long as the whistles sound, they drag people into scenes from the dead person’s life. The effect is most obvious on close people with high mental compatibility.”
While the two of them were talking, the beastmen had already blocked their ears. Xi Lian even transformed into his beast form, preparing to fly toward the burial ground in the river valley.
Without anyone noticing, Qin Hua pulled Jin Chi’an up onto the broad back of the harpy eagle.
“Bird feathers really are average. They feel far inferior to felines.”
Jin Chi’an slid his hand over Xi Lian’s folded wings and made the comment with a serious expression.
Hearing this, Qin Hua also raised his hand and grabbed a handful of feathers on the harpy eagle’s back, nodding in agreement.
“Yeah, what a pity. This is my first time riding on a beastman’s back, and I didn’t expect it to be a harpy eagle that isn’t cute at all. It would be great if I could ride Adjutant Edwin’s beast form.”
Listening to their extremely rude conversation, Xi Lian felt his eyelid twitch. Irritated, he flapped his wings, trying to throw the two of them off.
“Both of you, get down.”
Qin Hua sighed with a hint of complaint.
“Don’t be so stingy. Aren’t we all teammates?”
Seeing this, a member of Team Two hurriedly laughed awkwardly and tried to smooth things over.
“Sorry. We have a custom in Iskan. Aside from the elderly, weak, sick, disabled, and bonded beastmen, our beast forms can only carry our chosen partners.”
Hearing this, Jin Chi’an was still recalling the memories that had flashed through his mind. Qin Hua, who was also on the harpy eagle’s back, simply went along with it and lay down, burying his face in the other party’s thick feathers.
“Brother Lian, I’m sick.”
Xi Lian impatiently turned his head and used his sharp beak to pick Qin Hua up and drop him down.
Just as his gaze shifted to another target, Jin Chi’an raised his hands in surrender.
“I’m married. You don’t have to worry about gossip.”
Seeing his sincere expression, Xi Lian sniffed the scent on him and tentatively sensed the mental energy belonging to a beastman’s brand.
But Jin Chi’an’s rich mental power completely covered the fluctuations of the beastman brand. Xi Lian could only detect a faint trace of beastman scent from him. In the end, half-believing and half-doubting, he continued allowing Jin Chi’an to sit on his back.
The giant harpy eagle’s wings scattered the mist in the valley. The scene at the bottom of the valley, originally hidden from sight, became visible to the naked eye. Xi Lian flapped his wings and flew toward the source of the whistling. A river formed from white bone whistles gradually cut through the mist and appeared before everyone’s eyes.
At this moment, the bharal beastman in the team had also reached the rock wall above the burial ground.
The sight of bones visible to the naked eye struck everyone’s vision. Even though he had already mentally prepared himself, Jin Chi’an could not help feeling his heart tremble.
Several hundred years of racial conflict had already caused whistles made from the finger bones of District Fourteen’s beastmen to gather into a river. The souls trapped in the burial ground let out mournful cries from the bottom of the valley every day, allowing the mental power filled with despair to cover the whole of District Fourteen.
“Couldn’t you guys wait for me?”
Without the harpy eagle’s wings or the bharal’s agility in walking across rocks, Qin Hua could only ride the motorcycle, weaving through the mountain forest beneath their feet.
Before he could catch up, the sound of an energy gun firing echoed through the valley and reached everyone’s ears.
Xi Lian immediately hid on a tree trunk by the cliff and quietly observed the situation below the valley.
“What’s going on?” Qin Hua’s startled voice came through the communicator.
“Shh. There’s a special situation below. Don’t make any noise yet.”
Jin Chi’an jumped from the harpy eagle’s back onto a nearby branch, found a spot with a good view, and investigated the situation below.
At this moment, two outsiders emitting a special mental power stood atop the pile of bone whistles. The black robes they wore concealed most of their faces.
One of them impatiently kicked away the bone whistles underfoot and spat at them.
“Damn it. These beastmen’s sticky mental power and those disgusting illusions are nauseating.”
“003, mind your words.”
A deep voice came from beneath 002’s black robe, as if it had been deliberately disguised.
“Find that bone whistle and destroy the mental power left on it.”
“Damn 001. He left this mess for us to clean up. Not only did we lose a hound, but we also suffered backlash from the remaining mental brand.”
“What a pity. That hound was quite useful, at least. It helped us get the heartwood.”
002 picked up a bone whistle, turned it in his hand, and crushed it. The remaining mental power on it instantly dispersed.
“But now we have to find a new hound again.”
There was a hint of regret in 002’s voice as he walked toward a cave not far away.
Immediately afterward, several energy gunshots mixed with an animal’s roar came through. Jin Chi’an instantly recognized it as a voice unique to a tiger cub.
“That’s Xiao Yi’s voice.”
At this moment, inside the cave, a pitch-black zerg covered in sharp feelers nodded at the two people who had entered. It used its blade-like arm to pierce the young white tiger’s shoulder and pin him to the wall.
003 took the energy gun handed over by the zerg and fired several shots at the white tiger’s limbs in succession.
The young white tiger instantly howled in pain. Under those miserable screams, the wounds on his limbs slowly recovered, and in the blink of an eye, they had already scabbed over.
003 said with interest, “A white tiger beastman. Those aren’t common. Since we just lost a hound, let him fill the spot.”
“He’s this small. He probably doesn’t have a mental brand yet. If we can’t find a scapegoat, that’ll be troublesome.”
002 pinched the young white tiger’s cheeks and looked him in the eye.
“The previous one was also in his youth, wasn’t he? If it really won’t work, let me play with him.”
003 pried open the young white tiger’s mouth, exposing the fangs wrapped inside.
“Ah!”
003 cried out in shock. The white tiger’s sharp teeth pierced his palm, and blood seeped from several small holes.
The culprit, the young white tiger, transformed into a human child and tried to pull out the zerg arm that had pierced through his shoulder. He bared his teeth at 003 and snarled, “If you have the guts, let me go. I’ll chop all of you disgusting aliens into pieces.”
003 licked the wound on his hand and let out a mocking laugh.
“How reckless, little kid. Your senior was much smarter than you.”
Under the white tiger beastman’s furious glare, 003 aimed the gun at the position of his heart and spat on his face.
“So weak.”
Along with the pull of the trigger, a beam of energy shot out. The white tiger beastman closed his eyes as if resigned to his fate.
But the expected pain in his chest did not come. Stones from the rock wall fell and hit his head.
The little white tiger beastman was forced to open his eyes. He saw that the energy gun’s bullet had shattered the rock wall above his head, while 003 in front of him was clutching the wound on his face and falling to the ground in pain.
Qin Hua swung out a particle sword and cut off the zerg arm restraining the white tiger beastman’s body. He immediately took a defensive stance and stood in front of him.
“Can you still move, Xiao Yi?”
“You…”
Xiao Yi looked at the human in front of him in shock, seemingly wondering why the other party could call out his name.
“Looks like you can move.”
Qin Hua turned his head and smiled at him.
“I’ll hold them back. Run toward the outside of the cave. There will be a brother there to pick you up.”
Before Xiao Yi could react, Qin Hua shoved him out through a gap with one palm. Xiao Yi transformed into beast form and sprinted madly toward the cave entrance.
“Damn it, don’t let that brat run!”
003 supported himself against a rock wall and stood up, about to chase after him.
Seeing this, Qin Hua immediately fired bullets at him, blocking his path.
Thoroughly enraged, 003 let out a cold snort. The body under his black robe surged continuously. Immediately afterward, a tendril covered in sharp spikes pierced through the robe, and 003’s body swelled along with it.
The black robe draped over him was completely torn apart, revealing the hidden bladed tendrils and a giant, insect-egg-like head on his body.
“What the hell is that disgusting thing?”
Qin Hua pinched his nose, trying to block the foul stench coming from him.
003 controlled the tendrils on his back and attacked Qin Hua.
The instant Qin Hua dodged, 002 let out a low, cold snort and walked toward the cave entrance.
“I’ll leave this place to you, 003.”
At this moment, outside the cave, Xiao Yi looked back every few steps as he sprinted over the pile of bone whistles, trying to completely shake off the people pursuing him. Only when he saw no one emerge from the cave did he slow down and begin panting lightly.
Just as he raised his head again, 002, dressed in a black robe, stood before him.
“Where do you think you’re going, little white tiger?”
Xiao Yi collapsed to the ground in disbelief. Just as 002’s hand reached toward his neck, a harpy eagle sprang out from behind and knocked him several meters away.
Jin Chi’an, standing on the harpy eagle’s back, jumped down and landed steadily in front of Xiao Yi. With trembling hands, he gently picked him up and said softly, “Are you all right, little baby?”
The gentle warmth on Jin Chi’an made the young white tiger unable to stop himself from moving closer.
Xiao Yi unconsciously burrowed further into his arms and rubbed against his arm dependently, using his wet nose to sniff the scent on him.
The warm scene did not last long. A giant elephant’s roar echoed through the valley.
Jin Chi’an covered his aching ear with one hand and looked at the giant elephant slowly standing up not far away.
Under his incredulous gaze, the giant elephant swung its long trunk and flung away the harpy eagle fighting with 002, then raised its head and let out a long roar.
“How troublesome.”
002 brushed off the dirt that had gotten on him during the fight and slowly walked toward Jin Chi’an and Xiao Yi.
The moment he saw Jin Chi’an’s face clearly, 002 laughed softly and removed his black robe, revealing the handsome face that had been hidden beneath it.
“Oh, looks like it’s an old acquaintance.”
Jin Chi’an’s pupils shrank slightly. He warily held the white tiger and retreated a few steps, then spoke the other person’s name.
“Brayden Charlemagne.”
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