Wasteland Echoer.

Chapter 658 Reunion
"Monsters? There are alien monsters here too?" Darke held up his "Imitation-Mad Bear" pistol with both hands, loaded the bullets, and slowly moved toward the gradually expanding black shadow at the door.

At the same time, he gestured for the children behind him to be quiet and whispered a reminder to Hefeng Yiwa:

"Tell the children to keep quiet as much as possible; the noise they made just now has frightened that monster. A creature with tentacles can't possibly be human; it must at least be a Lost One in a mutated state."

Furthermore, most of these strange monsters are very sensitive to the sound of blood. If anyone is injured, the wound must be bandaged tightly. Otherwise, the smell of blood will attract not only the monster in front of you, but also the wandering 'heartless people' nearby.

"Then, may I leave with the children?" The woman who had just been wearing the pale blue-white Khitan Lis "Flame Robe" walked up to He Feng Yiwa with a slightly anxious expression, the soft "clack-clack" of her high heels making a sound.

"What you're doing is incredibly stupid." Darke watched as the shadow before him swelled to its maximum size under the dim light of the outdoor lamps, only to vanish just as quickly. He breathed a slight sigh of relief, lowered his pistol, pointed it at the ground, and held the gun at a ninety-degree angle before speaking his criticism:

"Why would you think of leaving the children here? It's obviously safer in the town below. The houses here are all individually designed, so even if there's a wave of 'heartless people,' the children can hide in their own basements or bunkers and survive for a few days."

"Moreover, your fortifications were clearly designed by someone. Unless you encounter a troublesome lost soul or a bastard officer who forcibly breaks in to requisition food, who could easily break in? It's foolish not to take advantage of such good terrain and instead put the children on the mountain where they are more easily exposed to the sight of 'unintentional people'."

"I know I was wrong... Are you... are you an official from one of the surrounding cities?" The woman in the white and blue "fire suit" bowed slightly in apology.

“He’s an officer from Nebusk, and he’s only staying here temporarily because the war in the west has ended. He not only gave us money, but he also helped us when we needed it. He would never do what those scoundrel officers did,” Hefengyeva explained to Dak.
"Originally, I wanted to invite them to come up the mountain to the temple to pray for them and the Federation. Since they have encountered this situation, they are definitely willing to help."

“Of course, Ms. Hefeng Eva.” A hint of displeasure flashed across Dark’s face. “I am a soldier of the Federation. According to military regulations, we have an obligation to rescue the people of Crusde if they are in danger. You don’t need to ‘motivate’ me with this kind of flattery. By the way…” Dark looked at Adaloni, who was comforting and playing with the children, and asked:

"Adaroni, do you still have enough magical energy to use 'Dragon Spirit's Scent'?"

"Of course it's enough," Adaloni patted his chest confidently.

"My dragon bloodline has decreased, not my magical energy. With 20% of my dragon bloodline awakened, I can now use ordinary skills."

"That's good. Help me find out the location of that 'monster,' and also, are there any other monsters around? If it's just one, I'd really like to go and meet it." Dark tried his best to demonstrate his responsibility as a Federation soldier and his nascent leadership qualities to the surrounding Torii Town residents.

“Okay!” Adaloni agreed.

Soon, a few thin strands of blood began to seep from the tip of his right finger. When this thin strand of blood was less than 5cm away from his right eye, it suddenly turned into a cloud of blood mist.

Immediately afterward, Adaloni's right eye suddenly opened, gleaming with a terrifying crimson light. Fortunately, the magical power he unleashed while his back was to the children did not frighten them.

Unlike when he used dragon powers in the dungeon and Belogersk, this time when he used "Dragon Spirit Scent" in a more human-like manner, a small, fiery red magic circle appeared around his right eye, reflecting constantly rotating Khitan Lis script. However, a faint red dot was slowly moving before stopping.

Soon, Adaloni deliberately shut down "Dragon Spirit Scent," and his right eye emitted a few faint wisps of black smoke, like a reaction to mechanical overload or overheating.

"Just that monster. There aren't any 'heartless people' around yet," Adaloni reported, relaying their findings.
"Let the children hide here for a while. If this monster can come here once, it will come back a second time. Most 'heartless people' and 'alien monsters' are bloodthirsty beasts that rely on instinct to survive, and the scent of the children here will easily attract them."

“Even I can smell a strong human scent. I really don’t know what they’re doing here. Dark, the monster is in front of this temple, about 100-150 meters away as the crow flies, not far. There seems to be some giant creature there that allows him to hide from view for a while.”

"That's the direction of the 'Spirit-Suppressing Tree,' and also the very center of this sacred mountain. Many festival celebrations and sacrificial ceremonies are held there. If you're going to fight monsters there, Commander Dark, please be sure not to harm that 'divine tree.' It's the spiritual anchor for us who have the blood of the Khitans," Hefeng Eva pleaded.

"Don't worry! I know what I'm doing," Dak nodded in agreement.

“By the way, Adaloni and Hoshino Shota, you two stay here and protect the children. I need to go and meet that monster alone. I have a feeling that the monster has a very familiar scent, but I can’t remember what it is.” Dark said, and before the two behind him could agree, he pushed open the narrow and tall temple door and walked towards the back of the temple.

The information provided by Hefeng Yiwa was accurate enough. In fact, all you need to do is walk down a set of steps, pass two stone lions, and then go through a gate in the style of a Khitan courtyard to see a giant tree growing in the center of the pond.

The sky appeared exceptionally gloomy and dim, blending with the surrounding environment to create an ominous, lifeless aura. The surrounding snow had not completely melted, and countless fragments of firecrackers set off during Christmas and New Year's Day mingled with the dust on the ground, forming puddles of filth and smelling of burnt garbage.

A massive bronze Khitan Ris Wind Pagoda, more than two people tall, stands as an exhibit next to a temporary bridge built on the land leading to the center of the pool. The surrounding walls are covered with many Khitan Ris script characters missing strokes, as well as paper replicas of the "Wind Dragon Clan of the Flame Empire" that are cut in two and hang limply from the top of a small building.

The enormous tree in front of them must be the "Spirit-Suppressing Tree." Under the faint clouds, countless azure sparks, like tiny souls, scattered outwards, spreading and drifting aimlessly and erratically. They eventually landed on the pool, turning into a wisp of blue flame before disappearing.

Dak raised his "Imitation-Mad Bear" pistol, maintaining the shooting posture etched in his memory as a federal soldier. With his high agility, he "floated" to the other side of the wooden bridge without causing even the slightest tremor, and arrived in front of the huge "Spirit-Suppressing Tree".

Immediately afterward, he heard a rustling sound, like wild beasts gnawing on bones and flesh, and the gurgling sounds of animals eating. "Come out!" Dark roared, and the "monster" behind the tree was clearly startled, dropping what appeared to be food to the ground with a dull thud.

“If you want to attack the children in the temple, then fight me head-on. If you don’t want trouble, leave now. I don’t have a habit of indiscriminate killing. As long as you still have a trace of human consciousness, we are not absolute enemies,” Dark said, half threatening and half advising.

He wasn't sure of the opponent's true strength, but Dark himself was already at Order 3: Combat Level, having reached the "Manifestation" stage of magical power. His Order 3 strength was among the top in the Federal Council, giving him an advantage against most of the Lost Ones.

However, the "monster" behind the tree exudes an inexplicable pressure and an inexplicable attraction, suggesting that it possesses strength comparable to his own or has "charm" or "seduction" skills that can alter human thoughts.

However, the next second, when a series of clanging sounds rang out and the "monster" appeared in front of Dark, he was surprised and dropped his pistol, his throat choked up, tears welled up in his eyes, and he was too excited to speak.

"Dark, so you're here." A slightly hoarse, weathered voice, belonging to the youth, came from the throat of the clean-faced, black-haired, black-eyed young man.

The magical energy within Dark's body belongs to water and darkness, allowing him to see things clearly at medium range even in the darkest night without any light source.

The person in front of me was none other than Wright Socrates, whom I had lost contact with for a week!
"Wright!" Dark rushed forward, hugged the seemingly weak Wright tightly, wiped the blood from its mouth that wasn't his, and asked excitedly:

"Where have you been, kid? We deliberately went back to the scene three times after the last 'Heavenly Punishment Fire' exploded, including infiltrating the 'Former 08' military outpost once, but we couldn't find any trace of you. We plan to rest in Torii Town for a few days, while inquiring about your whereabouts and considering whether you have already arrived in Nebusk."

"How did you get back? When we left, we saw that the Federation army was in complete chaos. Did you steal supplies from Shaneva's men before you escaped here?"

“I… I wanted to rest for a bit. Just now… I sensed your presence, but I also saw the children inside through the door. I didn’t want to frighten them, so I ran here to wait for you to find me.” Wright said, pointing to the “Dark Touch” behind him, which had swelled to almost the size of a human, and explained:
“I escaped directly from Belogersk. I left without any documents or our money and supplies. The Federation’s order hasn’t started to fall apart yet, so I could only try to avoid the army’s pursuit and checks, taking back roads and mountain paths, and tracking your presence as much as possible before I found this place.”

"Don't say anything more. I'll take you to Hefeng Yiwa. She's the temporary person in charge here. Let's rest for a bit before we talk about other things."

……

"Up and down, left and right, time, space..."

"Up and down, left and right, time, space..."

The ethereal voice belonging to a woman once again came from the depths of Wright's brain and soul. However, this time, he was no longer in the "gray dream" covered in white snow and slowly reversing time, but had arrived in the dark, deep, yet profoundly mysterious universe.

Wright felt as if he were suspended in a vast, boundless, yet extremely confining dark space. In the distance, stars in the universe were constantly rotating, intersecting, colliding, and exploding, emitting terrifying rays that surpassed all other forces.

But soon, everything in the universe began to collapse rapidly as the black dot at the center spread, and countless streams of blood, along with crimson handprints, began to appear on his body. He felt a pair of calloused hands tightly constricting his throat, making him feel suffocated…

"Ah!" Wright roared, waking from his scream. He breathed heavily and rapidly, letting the sweat drip from his forehead onto the embroidered quilt covered with ant patterns.

However, the next second, with a click of the switch, the room instantly became bright, revealing the rustic feel unique to wooden buildings.

"Awake?" Darke's voice came from the glass table to the side.

Seeing that Wright had woken up, Dak got up from the long glass table and sat down in a chair next to an oak square table piled with various documents and Krusk German books, and handed Wright a glass of filtered water.

After drinking it all in one gulp, Wright did not ask about Dak's current situation or recent events, but instead inquired about the children's condition in the main hall of the temple.

"Have all the children... who were frightened by me gone home?" Wright's voice was still hoarse with a sickly quality, but it was much better than it had been a few hours earlier.

“They were all taken away by Hefeng Eva. I explained your situation to them in detail. Don’t worry, the Federation Council and Nebusk haven’t officially dismissed us. You are a military personnel personally appointed by Shaneva. Hoshino Shota, Adaroni, and I were all appointed by Nebrius. As long as we are in Federation-controlled areas, our identities are still valid. However…” Dark finished explaining and asked further:
"I'm curious, what exactly happened on Shaneva's side? You didn't even bring any food, nor did you steal a single mech, and you just... escaped like this?"

“Shaneva is dead,” Wright replied calmly, as if Shaneva were a completely unrelated person to him.

"Dead? How did he die? Is the source of this information reliable?" Darke pressed.

“Absolutely accurate, because I killed her with my own hands,” Wright replied, suddenly looking up, his black pupils meeting Dark’s gray eyes.