Chapter 212: Black Box
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
So, is this the battle of the high tier Purple Moon Warriors? Tang Ling numbly stuffed vicious beast meat into his mouth as he watched and thought.
As he slowly recovered, a lingering sadness took over his heart and he had to think of other things to distract himself from dwelling too deep.
Su Siao’s greatsword slashed the mud ball in half. The mud scattered and revealed Qi Jun inside it. His body had been slashed diagonally into half, but due to the ridiculous vitality of a high tier Purple Moon Warrior, he was still alive.
With the cigarette in his mouth, Su Siao squinted and pressed the tip of his greatsword at Qi Jun’s neck.
“I…cough…never thought it was the Granule Matrix Serum.” The term came out from Qi Jun’s mouth strenuously.
“There are still many things that you will never think of. Now, go meet Tang Feng. You have some explaining to do.” Su Siao wanted to swing his greatsword down.
“Y-you will die.” Qi Jun hacked a mouthful of blood out.
“I’ll die on the right path.” Su Siao spat the cigarette out and brought the blade down, killing Qi Jun. Although he did not show any sadness or anger, he really looked like he had gone through a lot.
“Before the wall fades, whoever crosses the line, dies!” Su Siao bellowed at the mercenaries who had followed Qi Jun there. He then walked towards Tang Ling.
It was almost dawn, and the beautiful first rays were peeking from the horizon on the east. The night had been a little too long.
Su Siao looked at Tang Ling with a relieved smile. Maybe because Tang Ling was hallucinating due to exhaustion, Su Siao seemed like he got older with each step closer.
Stopping 2 meters away from Tang Ling, he asked, “How are you doing?”
“I haven’t fully recovered, but I can carry you and run.” Tang Ling stood up and moved the backpack to his front and Su Siao’s big black overcoat.
“You don’t have to carry me. I’ll count to three and you run.” Su Siao’s body started to tremble.
Tang Ling glanced over at the petrified mercenaries behind the wall. “I wonder how powerful these guys are.”
“You have no right to say anything now.”
After that, Tang Ling walked to Su Siao. Taking a deep breath, he picked the older man up on his back before sprinting towards the other direction.
Kakrooom! The wall collapsed.
When Tang Ling started running away with Su Siao on his shoulder, the hundred-over mercenaries finally responded and chased after them madly.
Tang Ling looked asquint at them. Thankfully, the mercenaries are no stronger than a rank 2 Purple Moon Warrior. Then, I guess they’ll all die together.
The settlement always had a familiar scent to it. The morning breeze that carried the smell of mud and gra.s.s reminded Tang Ling of the past.
Back then, the orphaned Tang Ling only had his grandmother and San San by his side, but he did not have as many troubles and problems. All he had to do was be with the people that he cherished and live a simple life even though he would still admire life in the safety sector from time to time.
Tang Ling missed his past. If he could, he would have wanted to know Su Siao earlier in his simple life and treat him as his father. He was really happy and willing to have a father like Su Siao even though he had never added another person to the list of people that he cherished the most.
However, at this very moment, he really wanted to and was happy to do so.
Su Siao did not have to be powerful. In fact, he could always beat Tang Ling, but he would still treat the kid like a son, hunting beasts for meals and boiling water for baths.
It was nothing stellar, but the simpler life was, the happier they would be.
Tang Ling had no idea what caused such thoughts to run in his mind. He was actually nervous about the fact that seconds were slipping by and about the thought that he should have done something to compensate.
It was because of his helplessness that such messy thoughts trespa.s.sed into his mind. He wanted to treat Su Siao as his father while he would be a filial son. He wanted to live a simple life.
Tang Ling was not almighty and he could not stop time. Neither could he stop Su Siao’s skin from changing by the second, nor could he stop looking at Su Siao in worry.
The skin on Su Siao’s face slowly darkened and wrinkled. He seemed to have failed the heavy responsibility while his running started to slow down.
The nervousness also seemed to get the best of him as he was actually running in the direction of Safety Sector No. 17. The mercenaries were getting closer to him.
Tang Ling then spotted a particular spot that had once been an exit. It was the same one that he came out from, and from that moment onwards, his life had changed drastically.
The exit is near!
Tang Ling made a hard turn in his sprint and headed towards the exit.
The hard turn did not draw distance from the mercenaries behind him though. Instead, they were closer than ever and the mercenary running in front was only an arm’s length away from catching Tang Ling.
Alarmed, Tang Ling ran as fast as he could even though there was a big hole in front of him. He jumped in without a second thought, dodging the mercenary’s grasp.
Was that it? No, Tang Ling was the target of the highest wanted warrant! The mercenaries would not let him go so easily.
Several other mercenaries, who were chasing Tang Ling at the front row and seemed to be the strongest of the bunch, jumped into the hole as well. They were followed by the next bunch, and the next, and a lot more of them jumped into the hole.
What ensued was a series of terrifying screams.
Tang Ling managed to latch on to the ladder when he jumped down. Stonily, he watched the mercenaries tussle with the whole den of snakes. He never thought that the giant snake that chased him out of the tunnel back then would become his support at this moment.
Fortunately, he was not as ignorant as before. Now, he knew that the giant snake was actually a Level 7 mutated beast. Where had he gotten the courage to even fight the snake back then?
Of course, the snakes were not enough to stop the mercenaries pursuing him, but the other lackeys were no match for their ferocity, so stalling and buying Tang Ling more time was entirely possible.
With that in mind, Tang Ling released the ladder and jumped down. He dodged all the snakes and mercenaries before going deeper into the tunnels.
The mercenaries were still relentlessly hot on his heels, but after entering the tunnels, he was not as anxious and worried.
The underground tunnel network was so complicated that those who were not a part of the settlement would not understand how crooked the routes could be. The maze-like path could trap one inside probably forever, and until then, no matter how powerful a person might be, it would be useless.
Tang Ling was not afraid that his footsteps would expose his location because a ton of mercenaries had jumped in and their own footsteps had overpowered his own.
Carrying Su Siao on his back, Tang Ling sprinted madly, having recovered to his usual speed.
Before the tunnels, he intentionally slowed down just to lure the mercenaries into the hole. Those who were able to run at the front were usually the strongest. When these strongest mercenaries were tangled up with the den of snakes, the others were not a problem even if they caught up with the fleeing duo.
Due to the familiarity of the tunnels, Tang Ling finally shook off the pursuers. On his back, Su Siao finally said something, his voice sounding like an old man’s, “You little b.a.s.t.a.r.d, I never knew you are this evil, tricking them into joining the snakes.”
“What? Do you think it’s a joke? I’ve lived in the settlement for more than a decade!” Tang Ling tried to sound normal.
“I never expect you to shake them off this easily.” Su Siao was a little relieved. Tang Ling was indeed a wonder kid.
“Or else what should I do? I’m just taking a gamble. If that giant snake was here, I’d have to carry you and fight then.” Tang Ling moved past a collapsed wall. He knew he would reach Quark’s old shop further ahead.
However, after making it this far, Tang Ling was a little afraid. Suddenly, he felt like he was afraid to go home. He had no idea what would the settlement look like after surviving the zombie onslaught.
“Uncle, is there anywhere else to go?” Tang Ling asked. As long as they remained underground, they would die regardless.
The settlement could not always protect them, so they had to find a way out!
Su Siao did not say anything. He fished a map out from his pocket and tapped it on Tang Ling’s shoulder. “I just wanted to give this to you, but you picked me up and ran without saying anything.”
Tang Ling took the map and asked, “Is it far?”
“Not really, it’s just in the area. It’s the underground hideout that I left behind.” Su Siao sounded quite proud.
“Is it safe?” Tang Ling asked.
“Of course, it is! Even if you aren’t bringing me along, you have to get there somehow. Otherwise, where would you go? The world is huge.” Su Siao finally caught a breath from the exhaustion and he was able to start a proper conversation with Tang Ling.
“What will happen if I reach your hideout? Will I be able to venture into the big world?” Tang Ling perked up when he heard the energy in Su Siao’s voice. He quickly fed him some vicious beast meat.
Su Siao ate it without a second thought and it put a smile on Tang Ling’s face, making him a happy kid.
“You will know when you get there,” Su Siao answered in a m.u.f.fled voice while munching on the vicious beast meat.
To begin with, The remaining path was not long, and the two of them reached the end after their short conversation. The exit was blocked by a little hill of rocks.
A few months had pa.s.sed and nothing had really changed.
“Hold on, Uncle.” Tang Ling put Su Siao down and started to clear the rocks.
A few months ago, when he left the settlement, clearing the rocks might have been a difficult task, but now, it was just some minor exercise. He could clear a path in less than five minutes.
Tang Ling was busy moving the rocks away, so he did not notice that Su Siao’s face had changed from the moment he put him down.
Su Siao looked a lot older, as old as Clyne. He no longer looked like a rigid hunk in his middle age.
Tang Ling moved a giant rock away, and when he tossed it aside, the dust that the action whipped up blurred his sight. He wiped his face nervously and kicked the little hill of rocks that was caused by the explosive.
Back then when he left the settlement, he did not even know what was an explosive material. And now, after a few months, he felt like he had been away from the world for a long time.
Tang Ling carried Su Siao on his back again and stepped into the shop that had once been Quark’s. Without anyone around, the place had remained dark for a long time. It was once Quark’s storeroom for his shop. It reeked of dried blood and a rotten stench that seemed to have lingered for quite a while.
Even with Tang Ling’s current eyesight, he could not see what was inside the storeroom. It was then that Su Siao reminded Tang Ling, “I have a torchlight in the backpack.”
Hesitating, Tang Ling did not have the heart to find out what had the settlement become, but to save time and get out from the underground, he searched for the torchlight in the backpack and switched it on.
As expected, the place was filled with broken limbs and rotten bodies. They were proof that the situation back then had been terrible.
Tang Ling did not have to worry about zombies lingering in the place though because the bodies in the place were all greedily devoured. Not a single one of them was intact. It was fortunate enough if a body had an intact torso, but how could a torso transform into a zombie?
That night, the zombies had been controlled by the silver-haired man, and when he left, the zombies followed. Hatred started to boil when he remembered the man. He took a deep breath and cleared his throat, trying his best to calm himself.
He kicked the obstacles along the way. When he wanted to carry Su Siao out of the storeroom, he then he suddenly noticed a set of broken arms in the corner. The set of arms had lost their palms and in front of the arms was a dark little hole.
It stopped Tang Ling for a while. He remembered that there were two rows of racks in this storeroom back then, but when he had brought his grandmother and sister here, the two rows of racks had disappeared.
Because of the broken arms, Tang Ling had figured out Quark’s little secret—the storeroom had a bas.e.m.e.nt.
The owner of the broken arms must have accidentally discovered the entrance to the bas.e.m.e.nt during the struggle or something. Subsequently, the owner must have tried to escape to the bas.e.m.e.nt, but…
Tang Ling shut his eyes to calm himself down once more because he did not want to remember the scene.
As a matter of fact, he was not interested in Quark’s collection, but he remembered the series of numbers that Quark had shouted to him when he was taken away that night. That was what stopped Tang Ling.
Nevertheless, less than a second later, he made up his mind and he wanted to bring Su Siao out of the place. However, the little pause piqued Su Siao’s interest, so he asked, “What did you find?”
Tang Ling continued kicking the obstacles away and said, “This place used to be a grocery shop in the settlement, the biggest, in fact. I always exchanged food with the owner when I lived here.”
“Then, what’s so special about this place?”
“This is the storeroom of the shop. I suspect that there is a bas.e.m.e.nt underneath.” Tang Ling did not keep it a secret from Su Siao, but then they had already gone out of the storeroom.
“Ooh, let’s go back! Come on, I want to have a look. Is there really a bas.e.m.e.nt?” Su Siao shrieked excitedly.
Tang Ling looked asquint at Su Siao. “Uncle, we are running for our lives now. Why are you thinking about what a grocery shop owner of the settlement has in his bas.e.m.e.nt?”
“Why not? I am dying anyway. Can’t we just go on one last adventure? Don’t worry. We’ll be safe for the time being,” Su Siao insisted, almost shouting into Tang Ling’s ears.
Although the word ‘dying’ came out so easily from Su Siao’s mouth, it squeezed Tang Ling’s heart tightly. Sadness coupled with nervousness gushed into his head as he shouted back, “Old man, what the h.e.l.l are you talking about?!”
“So, are we going or not?” Su Siao ignored Tang Ling. He was never someone that would run from certain things.
Tang Ling wanted to cry out loud in grief. What should he do? He could not reject Su Siao either as if going down the bas.e.m.e.nt became the only thing that could make the older man happy.
Withholding his mixed feelings, Tang Ling carried Su Siao back into the storeroom. He walked to the broken arms and stomped on the ground there. The ground cracked on impact.
To Su Siao’s excitement, the cracks stated that there was an empty s.p.a.ce under the tiles. Tang Ling put him down before picking a rather heavy object up and smas.h.i.+ng it against the cracks.
Bam!
With a loud thud and rising dust clouds, the torchlight revealed an average-sized bas.e.m.e.nt before the two of them.
“Carry me down,” Su Siao told Tang Ling.
Tang Ling just wanted to satisfy Su Siao and leave this place as soon as possible, so he carried him and jumped down without saying anything.
After a few months, even the bas.e.m.e.nt reeked of a rotten stench. The bas.e.m.e.nt had lots of dried meat, but since there was a hole from the surface, it was no longer a sealed s.p.a.ce, so the rotten stench came from the meat.
“Look what I found! The owner really has some good stuff down here.” Su Siao was very enthusiastic. He was unlike Tang Ling who only cared about the meat after he came in. With the light from the torchlight, Su Siao scanned over the racks on both sides and got even more excited.
There was nothing special on the racks. They were just some books from the old civilization. Even with Tang Ling’s current knowledge, they would be deemed strange, but Quark specifically kept them down here.
These things were some minerals, probably from the forest above them but what good minerals could the forest possibly produce?
Is Uncle Su Siao losing his mind? Is he attracted by all these things?
“Kid, keep this and this, and this, that and that…” Su Siao ordered Tang Ling around and started to bag the things from the racks, which were mostly some stones and bones.
Tang Ling did not argue just because he wanted to save time, so he quietly bagged all the rather heavy things up. After bagging seven to eight pieces, he felt that it was rather heavy. “Uncle, can we just get the good stuff? It’s heavy.”
“Didn’t your cultivation teach you anything or did you just go and waste time in the Tower? Do you know how sharp the owner of this shop is? All of these are great material. I thought after all the crystals you have collected, you would have learned how to forge in the future.” Su Siao rapped Tang Ling on the head.
The rap was not as strong as before, but it stimulated Tang Ling. He did not care about the forginge that Su Siao mentioned, but because of the tap, he started to bag even more things including items that Su Siao did not ask him to take.
All of a sudden, Tang Ling and Su Siao spotted a little black box.
“Is this really it?” Su Siao was a little moved as he pinched Tang Ling’s shoulders.