sinovels Chapter 987 Return to the Arena
Chapter 987 Return to the Arena
She wanted to say something, but it was too late.
A huge shadow suddenly loomed over her head.
Ying suddenly turned her head—
The massive head of the mutated rock-armored rhinoceros emerged from the shadows of the beast path, its dark red eyes like two blood moons, gazing down at her from above. A wisp of undried blood and a small fragment of Cloud Shadow's clothing still clung to the corner of its mouth. It lowered its head slightly, exhaling a puff of hot white breath from its moist nostrils, ruffling the short hair stuck to Cloud Shadow's forehead by blood.
The giant maw, drawing ever closer, was reflected in the shadow's pupils.
panic.
despair.
unwilling.
All her emotions flashed in her eyes, finally settling into an extremely calm, as if she had finally accepted everything with a sense of relief.
She opened her mouth and silently uttered two words.
Then--
The giant mouth closed.
A short, abrupt crack of bone breaking echoed through the animal trail, only to be completely swallowed up. This was followed by a loud, muffled snapping and swallowing sound, which reverberated through the canyon before being dispersed by the wind.
Everything fell silent.
Lin Qiye did not turn around. When he heard the sound of bones cracking, he did not pause for a moment and continued to rush away at top speed.
He could feel the sounds of the two giant beasts fighting behind him growing louder and closer, and he could even feel the ground shaking more and more, as if the entire mountain range was trembling under their power.
But Lin Qiye did not panic.
He constantly adjusted his direction as he moved rapidly, using every undulation and turn in the terrain to block the two giant beasts' sight and aura. His Blood Demon Power circulated silently within his body, suppressing his aura to the extreme, while simultaneously creating subtle disturbances of Origin Qi behind him to interfere with any possible tracking.
He could feel the sense of danger from being locked on behind him gradually diminishing—not because the two giant beasts had given up the chase, but because his speed and stealth abilities were making it increasingly difficult for them to lock on. Furthermore, the two giant beasts were preoccupied with each other and couldn't possibly pursue a human who had already escaped their sight with all their might.
Lin Qiye's figure swept across the gray wasteland, his footsteps kicking up wisps of dust from the layer of ashes beneath his feet. He was already running at his maximum speed, the outline of the Canggu Mountains gradually shrinking behind him until it finally disappeared completely into the mist on the horizon.
Only after confirming that the resonance from the bone tower had weakened to the point of being almost imperceptible did he slow down and land in a natural shelter formed by several giant beast ribs, leaning against a thick bone pillar and panting heavily.
Sweat dripped from his chin, leaving small dents on the dried ash. His chest heaved violently, a normal reaction after a series of high-intensity bursts of energy. He closed his eyes and regulated his breathing for a moment, the power of the Blood Demon slowly circulating through his meridians, repairing the minor damage throughout his body.
After a while, he opened his eyes, his gaze calm.
survived.
His four temporary teammates were all dead. He couldn't say he was completely unmoved, but that unease quickly subsided. In a place like the arena, death was the norm, survival was the exception. All he could do was try to outlive his opponents in every life-or-death situation.
He stood up, stretched his limbs, and after confirming that his injuries were not serious, he re-oriented himself and steadily made his way towards the arena.
Soon after, Lin Qiye returned to the arena.
The guards at the North Gate were surprised to see him return alone—there were six of them when they set out, but only one returned, and although his clothes had been roughly cleaned, the signs of a battle were still visible. However, the guards didn't ask any further questions; the mission of the Overwatch Council was not something they could inquire about. They simply checked the jade token as a routine matter and let him pass.
Lin Qiye walked through the familiar passageway and headed straight for the council chamber of the Control Yuan.
Mo Yuan was flipping through a jade slip in the hall when he saw him push open the door and enter. He was slightly taken aback at first, then frowned: "Where are the others?"
"They're all dead." Lin Qiye's voice was as calm as if he were stating something that had nothing to do with him.
Mo Yuan's fingers tightened slightly as he held the jade slip. After a few moments of silence, he put the jade slip down, leaned back in his chair, and looked Lin Qiye up and down. "You're injured?"
"It's a superficial wound; it's already been treated."
Tell me more.
Lin Qiye briefly recounted his experiences after entering the Canggu Mountains—discovering the fluorescent crystal clusters, encountering the withered beings, his teammates retreating in batches, encountering the bone-armored giant insects and mutated rock-armored rhinoceroses, the four of them dying under the attack of the giant beasts, and his escape during a break in the fight between the two giant beasts. He omitted the call that resonated with him from the depths of the bone tower, and also omitted the abnormal reaction of the blood demon power when he faced the withered beings alone. It wasn't that he was deliberately hiding anything, but rather that he hadn't fully understood these things yet, and rashly revealing them would only attract unnecessary trouble.
After listening, Mo Yuan remained silent for a long time, his fingertips lightly tapping on the edge of the table, his gaze deep and complex. He didn't press for details, nor did he question Lin Qiye's statement; he simply nodded: "To be able to come back alive is a skill in itself."
He stood up, walked to the window, and gazed at the greyish-white sky outside. His voice lowered slightly: "Those four were among the more promising reservists. Their complete loss is a significant blow to the Oversight Council. However—this also proves that the Bone Tower is far more dangerous than anticipated. What about your mission data?"
Lin Qiye took out the jade slip from his pocket and placed it on the table.
Mo Yuan picked up the jade slip, probed it with his Origin Qi, and quickly scanned it. His brows furrowed deeper and deeper: "The harmonic concentration is more than three times higher than we expected, and the diffusion speed is also far beyond what the model predicted... It seems that the problem with that tower is more serious than we imagined."
He carefully put away the jade slip, then turned to Lin Qiye, his tone becoming more serious: "You did a very good job on this mission. Although you were a reserve officer, being able to bring back data alive under those circumstances proves your ability and adaptability. From today onwards, you are promoted to a formal deacon of the Oversight Council."
He took out a dark gold token from the drawer, larger than the previous jade talisman, with the words "Supervisor" engraved on it and a ring of fine runes inlaid around the edge. He pushed the token in front of Lin Qiye: "This is your new identity certificate. As a formal deacon, you will receive double the resources you need each month and will have the right to access the Supervisory Bureau's intelligence network and low-ranking combat personnel. In addition, your residential area will be moved from the reserve area to the formal deacon area, with better conditions and a higher level of security."
Lin Qiye took the token. As his fingertips touched its surface, a warm surge of Origin Qi seeped into his meridians once more, binding it to the jade talisman he had previously received. He put the token away and nodded, "Thank you."
Mo Yuan waved his hand: "Go back and rest well. The Supervisory Council will send someone else to handle the matter at the Bone Tower. You don't need to take on any other missions during this time; focus on recovering your strength."