From Under One Person: Sincere Journey Through the Heavens

How could there be anyone on the ground?

Sean, the hunter, frowned and spoke first, "You must have misheard me."

“Captain, according to previous reports from the Lighthouse, there are no human survivors on the ground. Let’s not cause any trouble and focus on the mission,” suggested Kado, one of the more capable members of the new hunters.

"That's not necessarily true. Aren't Captain Red and his group survivors from the ground? They're incredibly powerful, like monsters. We're the ones who brought them back!" someone objected.

"Captain, I think Kado..."

Afu was about to express his opinion, but before he could finish speaking, Rita, who was sitting in the driver's seat next to him, said, "If it were Captain Mark, he definitely wouldn't pretend he didn't hear that."

Afu opened his mouth slightly, but could no longer speak. He lowered his head, his face filled with disappointment and shame.

The last time he faced the Calyx Beast, he abandoned Rita and ran away. It was Captain Mark who saved Rita and his life... If it were Captain Mark, even if it was a trap, he would not have ignored it, but would have sent someone to check it out.

Suiying didn't want to get involved, but upon hearing Rita's words, his eyes were moved, and he realized that he had to investigate. Otherwise, let alone finding Mark, his "refusal to help" would be enough to make the group of hunters who had followed Mark distrust him even more.

So he ordered someone to investigate.

Just as three or five people stepped forward, they heard Kun Jie's voice coming through the communicator, saying, "Don't be careless. Advance in a triangular formation and always be vigilant about your surroundings."

The likelihood of living people existing in densely populated ecological areas is extremely low.

If you see something resembling a human hand, do not touch it rashly. First, dig through the surrounding building debris to assess the situation, and then try to find a way to rescue it.

After saying that, Kun Jie saw Wu Dongxi looking at him in surprise, hung up the call, and asked, "What kind of look is that?"

"Teacher, are you sure that the person calling for help might not be human?"

Wu Dongxi asked curiously.

“Look at the flesh and dirt outside.”

Kun Jie didn't answer directly, but gestured for him to observe the condition of the flesh and soil in the abandoned city.

Wu Dongxi looked out the car window and saw the corpses of beasts whose life essence had been drained by the Devouring Beasts, their backs shattered, some kneeling, some lying, and some half-buried in the ground. Their expressions were mostly terrified, not much different from the Devouring Beasts in other places.

But he still keenly noticed a common point.

Those fleshy figures have their hands placed a short distance from their necks and faces, as if something had covered their faces in life, making them want to pull it off but failing, so that the grasping and pulling motions are frozen into an eternal sculpture.

"Is it a Poison Beast?"

Wu Dongxi recalled all the information Kun Jie had given him about the Devouring Beasts. Among them was a type of Devouring Beast called the Necrobeast, whose back was covered with a cavity containing rare corrosive mucus for carrying offspring. It was a relatively rare symbiotic Devouring Beast that attacked by spitting out offspring through its mouth and also absorbed life essence through its offspring.

“This place is very likely a gathering place for the Bear-Beasts.” Kun Jie said with a serious expression.

"But the Beastman can't speak human language, can it?"

Wu Dongxi was somewhat uncertain.

"They can't speak human language, but living people... unless they have mastered Qi refining like us, they'll only become dust in this place."

Kun Jie has his reasons.

If they were living people, even if they possessed the same ability to use life essence as the others, they would have been severely injured and unable to stay in this area for long if they had called for help.

Even if he was wrong—

It's always better to be safe than sorry!

of course.

His sudden outburst also had another purpose: to gradually seize command and leadership from the current "Shadow Master" while minimizing losses to the team.

According to his usual thinking, even if he sensed something was wrong through the fleshy soil outside the carriage, he would keep quiet and let Suiying send people to test him.

If we really encounter a Poison Beast—

Firstly, the erroneous orders given by Suiying caused the team to suffer an undeserved disaster, which could weaken his prestige;

Secondly, he could also take the opportunity to question Suiying with Mochen, Feixue, and Erica to find out the truth about Mark's neck being slashed.

After serving in the Lighthouse City Defense Reserve for six months, his thinking changed.

one.

Although he couldn't find an opportunity to interrogate Suiying at the lighthouse, he could still meet with him from time to time. He had witnessed Suiying transform from a timid and somewhat impulsive commoner named Dustman 4068 into the capable commander he was in front of him today.

The abilities of the common people are not necessarily inferior to those of the upper class, but 4068 is different from other common people who joined the city defense army reserve. He can be described as having risen to the top in one step!

To be able to grow under such pressure—

He was either exceptionally gifted or had a deep and unpredictable mind, and it's highly likely that he had already mentally rehearsed the process of them interrogating him for the truth thousands of times.

Secondly.

Having followed Captain Red for half a year, Kun Jie had come to understand their thoughts. Like Mark, he wanted to change the system of the Lighthouse, but his methods were quite "gentle." He took advantage of Charles's weakness—Scarlet Syndrome—and used it to launch his own unique operation.

Those who achieve great things are never pedantic.

just now.

4068 is no longer a commoner, but the new commander of the hunters, who is high and mighty. What is the leverage he has over them?

Show off your power!

This was Kunjie's judgment.

and so.

He wanted to thwart Suiying's arrogance, gradually breaking down his psychological defenses until the very last moment, at which point they would interrogate him...

Chapter 1203 One Day Ago - A New Three-Dimensional Attack

After receiving Kunjie's reminder, the members of the Wilderness Hunters who went to investigate nodded to each other and responded with "Understood." They then followed his instructions, forming a triangular formation and slowly advancing towards the direction of the cries for help while keeping a watchful eye on their surroundings to prevent the Devouring Beasts hiding among them.

Sui Ying frowned, already prepared for the possibility that the exploration team might encounter danger, and that Kun Jie and the others might take the opportunity to question him about the truth behind Mark's accident.

Not only Mark's trusted team members, but many of the residents of the Lighthouse were secretly speculating that Captain Mark's eventual downfall was because this mortal had slit Mark's throat.

But Kunjie's reminder left him somewhat at a loss for what to do.

Perhaps, deep down, finding Mark is more important than uncovering the truth, and their goal is... to kill Mark!

Suiying thought of another possibility!

The loyalty shown by Mark's trusted subordinates is evident in the fact that they chose to follow Mark, who had become a monster, to survive on the ground rather than stay in the lighthouse and serve Charles.

What were the consequences of Mark being captured and taken back to the lighthouse?

Suiying didn't understand how Dr. Carrie and the other researchers studied the ecology of mana, but Mark was sure he would be put on the experimental table for inhumane research.

Would Kun Jie and his team allow their former captain to be subjected to such humiliation?

Absolutely not!

Rather than live such a humiliating life, death is the only relief...

[They probably don't care about the truth right now; they're just thinking about how to get Mark out of trouble... We need to be careful later to prevent them from "accidentally" killing Mark!]

The shadow suddenly seemed thorny.

Just as he was pondering this, 8925, who was sitting in the same car as him, looked at the location of the remote control for the exploding collar and slowly stretched out a hand.

"What?"

Noticing the other person's subtle movements, Suiying shifted the remote control to the other side and shouted loudly—

This is not the set he made, and the explosive collars do not have any number markings. Pressing the button may cause a random explosion, or all the collars may explode at the same time.

Kun Jie and the others fastened collars to their arms and legs, so even if it exploded, they would only lose an arm or a leg...

But 4079 and 4277 simply put the collars around their necks!

Even if they continue to misunderstand him, he will never let anything happen to them!

"I'm just curious."

8925 pursed his lips, offered an explanation, and then brought up Mark again, his eyes filled with hostility, "Commander Shadow, what do you think the City Lord wants Mark alive for?"

"Who knows?"

Suiying realized she shouldn't have scolded 8925 earlier, so she let the matter of the remote control go and said, "Just focus on completing the task."

"Hmph! If it weren't for the city lord's wish for me to live, I would have killed Mark with my own hands!"

When 8925 said this, his eyes were filled with murderous intent.

This startled Suiying, a chill running through her heart. She couldn't believe that a child like 8925 could utter such resolute words.

He brought 8925 along simply because he felt the boy resembled his younger self, also yearning to become a hunter, and he also intended to use him to keep Kun Jie and the others in check. However, he never expected the boy to try and kill Mark…

···

“Look, there’s an arm above the ruins ahead.”

The hunters' reconnaissance team bypassed the gruesome mound of flesh and dirt ahead and confirmed that an arm was sticking out from the collapsed building, accompanied by weak cries for help—

"help me!"

His voice was hoarse, as if he hadn't drunk water for many days.

"Don't approach immediately."

With the communicator still on, Kun Jie realized that the reconnaissance team had reached the location from which the distress call came. He reminded them, "Two people stay where they are and keep watch. One person goes forward to check, but don't grab that arm directly. If it is a person, pulling it rashly may cause him to be more seriously injured under the rubble. First, describe what the arm looks like and the terrain around the rubble."

"Yes."

The lead hunter responded, exchanged a glance with the two beside him, then stepped forward, observed left and right, and described, "Kunjie is like a human arm, with the wrist dangling and the five fingers trembling slightly; as for the terrain, the collapsed building is buried very tightly, but there are no gaps around it, so you can't see the scene below, but judging from the cries for help coming from below, there should be a hollow area inside."

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's get to the rescue!"

Suiying, unwilling to waste too much time on such a trivial matter, gave the order.

"and many more!"

But Kun Jie's voice rang out again in the communication, "Describe the condition of that hand to me in detail. Are there any wounds? Is there any bleeding? Especially the part that came into contact with the rubble."

The hunter examined it closely and exclaimed in surprise, "Not a single scratch! The skin is completely intact! Kunjie, if you hadn't reminded me, I wouldn't have noticed that at all!"

"Get out of here!"

Kunjie's anxious voice came through the communicator.

"Get in the car!"