C16

"Looking for me?" Luo Yan intercepted Wu Renfan.

Startled, Wu Renfan jumped but quickly regained his composure.

"Yes, Captain."

"I wanted to know if we have any specific plans for tomorrow?"

"I have a feeling that tomorrow's collection task might be another form of assessment from the academy."

"That's why I was hoping to discuss it with you."

"Unexpectedly, you weren't around."

"I waited a bit for you, and when you didn't return, I was about to leave."

"Coincidentally, just as I decided to leave, you came back."

"Shall we discuss it now, Captain?"

Luo Yan, growing impatient with his rambling, shook his head. "No need for discussion. Just follow my lead tomorrow."

Wu Renfan tried to interject.

But Luo Yan's glare silenced him.

He could only offer a forced chuckle, "Okay then, I'll follow your lead tomorrow, Captain."

After Wu Renfan departed,

Luo Yan entered the tent.

He inspected it thoroughly, finding nothing amiss.

Then, he settled into his sleeping bag.

The following day,

"These are the herbs you need to collect."

"Cloud Grass, Moonlight Flower, and Water Leaf."

"They are the raw materials for the 'Tranquilizer' and 'Cloud Water Serum'."

"The primary locations are marked on your group computer."

"Now, the collection mission begins!"

At Wai Fenghua's command,

the new recruits, including Luo Yan, dispersed to their designated mission sites.

Luo Yan activated the group computer and delved into the jungle, guided by its prompts.

Wu Renfan and Zeng Shan trailed behind him.

Initially, the sounds of others were frequent.

But as time went on, the only company was the rustling tree shadows and the occasional small animal darting through the underbrush.

Every so often,

the distant roars of large beasts echoed.

Thankfully, they were on the outskirts of the Forbidden Ground, with the Surface Corps patrolling nearby, minimizing any real threat.

While traversing,

Luo Yan would occasionally pause,

scrutinizing the ground, looking for signs of crushed leaves or disturbed soil,

sometimes uncovering suspicious mounds of dirt that revealed animal droppings.

Wu Renfan couldn't help but grimace in disgust when he noticed Luo Yan sniffing the feces to identify them. Zeng Shan, on the other hand, seemed unfazed. They had been taught in their Giant Beasts Knowledge class how to distinguish between the droppings of giant beasts and those of other animals. The blood of giant beasts contained 'Scarlet Poison,' which gave their feces a distinctive, sulfur-like stench. It was a simple matter to tell them apart. Recognizing the feces of giant beasts could indicate whether they were near a habitat of such creatures, allowing them to avoid potential dangers. And that was exactly what Luo Yan was doing now.

"He's being superfluous," Wu Renfan muttered to Zeng Shan. "This area is relatively safe. We cleared out two giant beasts just yesterday. What danger could there possibly be?"

Zeng Shan, gripping the rifle provided by the academy, surveyed their surroundings and replied in a hushed tone, "I still think it's best to stay vigilant."

Ahead of them, Luo Yan came to a halt and cast a glance back at them, prompting Wu Renfan to quickly fall silent.

As the day turned to evening, Luo Yan and his companions had gathered enough medicinal herbs and were ready to head back. But as they made their way, Luo Yan signaled for them to stop.

"Captain, we've been out all day," Wu Renfan complained. "I've seen other teams head back to camp already. We're the last ones out here. Let's just get back; my feet are killing me."

Luo Yan turned, pointing his gun at Wu Renfan, and uttered sternly, "Be quiet." He then scanned the area and added, "Look, the fog is rolling in."

Only after Luo Yan's prompt did Wu Renfan and Zeng Shan notice the subtle mist creeping in, rendering the nearby flora shadowy and the distant landscape barely visible.

"This is Misty Canyon," Wu Renfan said under his breath. "So what if it's a bit foggy? No need to overreact."

Zeng Shan, however, shook his head in disagreement. "Something's not right. We're on the outskirts; fog shouldn't be forming here. Keep quiet."

"Move quickly."

Luo Yan had a foreboding feeling. Having lived on the surface for three years, he had developed instincts as sharp as a wild animal's. When a thick fog suddenly rolled in from the edge of the area, it was highly unusual. When things are out of the ordinary, there's usually trouble afoot. Luo Yan hoped against hope that they wouldn't encounter the worst possible scenario.

Which was that? Naturally, it was the Hegemony Level behemoth, whose characteristics included creating wind and fog. The fog was getting denser by the minute. Even Wu Renfan, who initially hadn't been concerned, was now on edge. Their visibility had shrunk to a mere three to five meters. Beyond that, everything was a blur. Moreover, Luo Yan couldn't shake the feeling that they were going in circles in the woods. He decided to mark the trees as they passed.

A few minutes later, his suspicions were confirmed. "This is bad, we're trapped by the fog," Wu Renfan exclaimed, panicking like an ant on a hot pan. Luo Yan remained composed and instructed, "Contact the camp, rest here, and wait for rescue." Zeng Shan quickly grabbed the walkie-talkie and called out to the camp. "Camp, camp, if you can hear me, please respond." After three attempts, there was no reply. Luo Yan felt a sinking feeling in his chest.

Just then, they heard someone calling out ahead, "Classmate, which group are you with?" "We've come to rescue you." At the sound of this voice, Luo Yan finally relaxed a little. Li Xiao and the others were visibly relieved. Moments later, they saw lights and several vague figures emerging through the dense fog. "Classmate, where are you?" "Just respond if you hear us."

Wu Renfan was about to answer when Luo Yan, struck by a sudden thought, covered his mouth swiftly. If it were a search and rescue team, why didn't they know their identities or which group they belonged to? He shook his head at Wu Renfan. Luo Yan's crimson eyes gleamed with specks of silver as he activated his Illusion Breaking Eye. The fog before his eyes vanished instantly. Trees and plants lost their texture, reduced to mere lines, and numbers appeared in groups, but Luo Yan paid them no mind.

Luo Yan shifted his gaze toward the direction where the light had flared up moments ago.

In the distance, there was indeed a cluster of biological ashen light.

But this luminescence was massive.

Its silhouette resembled a cat squatting on the ground, except this 'cat' had three tails flicking behind it.

'Boom!'

There was no question about it.

They had drawn the short straw.

The gray light before them belonged to the Hegemony Level beast of Misty Canyon.

It was the origin of the Giant Beast ecology within the Forbidden Ground!

Luo Yan quickly reviewed the beast's characteristics in his mind.

Beyond its ability to whip up winds and conjure fog,

it was also known for creating illusions.

In other words,

the lights and figures they had just witnessed were nothing but illusions,

a deceptive tactic employed by the giant beast!

Luo Yan scanned the surroundings and noticed a colossal tree that had died, its trunk hollowed out.

He firmly grasped Zeng Shan and Wu Renfan by the shoulders.

"Quiet."

"Follow me."

Moments later, they squeezed into the hollow of the tree.

It was then that Wu Renfan finally asked, "What's going on?"

"It's here," Luo Yan stated succinctly. "The lights and sounds we experienced were illusions."

"To the giant beast, we're too insignificant."

"It's like trying to spot a few ants amidst a bed of flowers."

"It hasn't detected us, so it used illusions to bait us."

"However, there must be something on us that it finds enticing."

"Otherwise, it wouldn't have emerged from the depths of the Forbidden Ground."

With that, Luo Yan turned to Zeng Shan and Wu Renfan.

"Open your backpacks!"