Evolution - Chapter 55
Chapter 55
After lying sprawled out for a good while, Ji Changqing slowly, very slowly, climbed to her feet. First, she carefully felt the area around her ribs, which were aching from the impact.
She hadn’t been able to stop her momentum when she fell in and had been struck hard in the ribs by her spear. Fortunately, it was just a severe blow; her ribs weren’t broken.
She was relieved they weren’t broken. Her other injuries were just scrapes and bruises. They hurt, but they weren’t a major problem. Aside from ruining her looks, there was nothing to worry about.
Gu Changge couldn’t help but want to laugh as he watched her stiff, zombie-like movements. But the moment he did, the motion pulled at the cuts and bruises on his face, and his smile instantly turned into a grimace of pain.
Ji Changqing shot him a look, feeling like she’d gotten the short end of the stick this time. A teammate who brought his own bad luck was truly more than she could handle.
It was a case of the pot calling the kettle black; they were both in similar shape. As Alphas, their stunningly handsome faces were temporarily ruined. The two of them shared a tacit understanding and refrained from mocking each other, instead putting on an air of being dedicated to the task at hand as they carefully examined the cavern.
This kind of cavern was clearly not natural. The signs of artificial construction were obvious. From where they stood, there seemed to be three passages. The place they had crashed into was so well-hidden that it must have been one of the sealed-off exits.
Thinking back to that spot on the cliff face, it had a wide, open view, making it easy to monitor movement in all directions, yet it was sufficiently concealed.
The two exchanged a glance.
“Looks like that place was a lookout post.”
“And this is where the sentries on rotation rested.”
Gu Changge tried to dredge up the planet’s history from his memory. It had once gone through a particularly chaotic and dark period, after which its development had plummeted. A spark of investigative curiosity ignited within him. Could this be a former armed base? And a base for some less-than-reputable armed force, at that.
“This place has been one of the Fourth Military’s training grounds for nearly three hundred years.” Gu Changge stroked his chin, wincing as he touched a wound. A bruised and swollen face wasn’t suited for posturing. He sheepishly lowered his hand. “Not to mention it would have been searched and cleared before, but with so many cadets training here every year, it was never discovered. That shows how well-hidden it is.”
“Wake up. With your kind of luck, there’s no way this place has any hidden treasures or secret manuals. It’s probably just a trap!” Ji Changqing retorted mercilessly, successfully drawing his ire.
Gu Changge was indignant. “My luck is my own, but you’re different!”
Ji Changqing’s eyes widened as she pointed at herself in disbelief. “Me?”
As someone whose reincarnation skills hadn’t been quite up to par, leading to an ordinary life for the better part of her years on Blue Star, she was long past the cringey phase of thinking she was the chosen one. And now someone had the inexplicable confidence to think she had phenomenal luck?
He had to be blind.
Of course, Gu Changge didn’t think he was blind at all! In fact, he thought his reasoning was perfectly sound.
“Think about it. You’re from Blue Star. By the average lifespan there, you’re already middle-aged, but now you’ve been rejuvenated, haven’t you? How is that not good luck?”
“Oh, then everyone on Blue Star is just as lucky,” Ji Changqing replied, her interest waning. She had no desire to discuss such a foolish topic with a teenager still in his ‘chosen one’ phase. She cut straight to the point. “Can you move? Shall we go explore?”
Since they were already here, it would be a shame not to take a look around.
Gu Changge, his mind filled with some unknown fantasy, gave her a look that said, “I’m betting on you,” and scrambled to his feet. “Let’s go! It’s time to test our luck!”
That annoying group was probably busy fighting those cute little beasties right now. The low-level creatures would cause them some trouble but wouldn’t hold them up for long. If they went back the way they came, the chances of running into them were far too high. Only a fool would retrace their steps.
You couldn’t mess with a man whose rage meter was maxed out after being screwed over! Especially when he was an omega!
He understood that much.
Ji Changqing first retrieved her spear from the passage they had fallen down. The impact had slammed it into her ribs, and the pain had been so intense that she’d feared being killed by her own weapon in the subsequent tumble. She had decisively jammed the spear into the cavern wall.
With her weapon recovered, the two of them, one in front of the other, randomly chose a passage and headed inside.
The passage looked like it had been abandoned for many years. There weren’t many items left behind, and most of what remained had weathered away.
The two of them walked slowly; minor injuries were still injuries, and they were feeling the effects for the time being.
This passage was much more accommodating than the one they had fallen into. It wasn’t as narrow or winding, with a height of nearly 2.5 meters and a width of almost 2 meters. Symmetrically spaced rooms lined both sides. Judging from the remaining traces, it was highly likely that this area had been an office block.
“For the office area to be cleared out so thoroughly, they must have left in a rather unhurried manner,” Gu Changge’s chatterbox nature was impossible to suppress.
Ji Changqing pressed her forehead and replied coolly, “If they left so calmly, they definitely didn’t leave behind the treasure you’re looking for.”
Gu Changge pretended not to hear the disdain in her voice. As long as she was willing to talk, that was good enough for him.
Although they both said there was no treasure, they still harbored a tiny, secret sliver of hope. They occasionally tapped and felt the walls. The interior was a maze of branching paths, so they left a mark every so often to avoid getting lost.
It took them about two hours to finish exploring the area.
Then, as expected, they found a passage leading to another section.
Neither of them had any intention of turning back. This was clearly a relatively large underground base. Since it was all connected, who knew? Maybe they would wander their way back to where they started.
Of course, they still had to leave marks, just in case.
The two injured individuals wandered until they felt hungry, then finally stopped. They roasted what was left of their beef and made some soup, enjoying a delicious dinner.
Perhaps being carefree was contagious. Ji Changqing yawned and had a sudden thought. “This is a really great place to lie low. No matter which direction you go, it should be more than three kilometers to the edge, right?”
Gu Changge’s eyes lit up for a moment, then gradually dimmed. “It’s no use. From here to the finish line would take about two days.”
He turned his head and saw Ji Changqing looking at him with shining eyes. He had seen that look before—it was the same deeply infatuated obsession she had when looking at items redeemable with points.
He shivered. “Hey, don’t get any ideas about your teammate! Are you thinking of hiding here for three days and then spending the last two rushing to deliver points to someone else?”
Points you couldn’t steal weren’t really points. Ji Changqing’s excitement instantly turned to disdain. “I may be a country bumpkin, but I can still figure things out. The first four or five days are for everyone to find trustworthy teammates, a test of character judgment, team building, and trust. The last two or three days are for a massive free-for-all. Those with teams and good cooperation have the best chance of winning.”
A corner of Gu Changge’s mouth lifted. “So teaming up with me was a huge win for you!”
“It’s alright, I guess.” Ji Changqing’s tone was lukewarm. She remained completely unmoved by Gu Changge’s indignant, accusing gaze. “Not to mention your terrible luck, you also have enemies. That basically cancels out your advantage in finding points.”
The two chatted idly, and a heavy drowsiness gradually set in. They soon fell into a deep sleep.
When they woke up, the leaderboard had refreshed. Ji Changqing, who had been languishing beyond the 300,000th rank the day before, and Gu Changge, who was basically at the bottom, had each earned nearly ten thousand points from taking out three point locations. They had both shot into the top thirty thousand.
It wasn’t time to lie low yet. The two unanimously decided to search the mountain labyrinth for another half-day. If they found nothing, they would leave.
It was around four in the morning. As they walked casually, they gradually passed through the living quarters. Just ahead, the sharp-eared Gu Changge suddenly let out a “shh.”
Ji Changqing stopped reflexively and strained her ears.
A faint, blurry sound came from ahead, carrying the characteristic echo of a cavern, making it sound slightly muffled.
The two tiptoed closer. After fumbling around for a while, they discovered the sound was coming from a ventilation shaft in the cavern. Someone must be talking on the level above, the voices drifting down faintly.
The voices rose and fell in volume. The two pressed close to the vent, held their breath, and pricked up their ears, trying desperately to listen. They could only make out a few words: “military cadets,” “doesn’t count,” “what’s to fear,” “won’t find out,” “keep it safe,” “in a few days”…
They were completely bewildered and had to let their imaginations run wild.
Could it be that the instructors, fearing that a non-team-based assessment wasn’t twisted enough, had added an even more exciting element—for instance, inviting current military cadets or active soldiers to form teams and randomly ambush examinees to steal points, thereby intensifying the brutal elimination process?
Although this idea was a bit unconventional, military academy assessments had always been unconventional.
So, was it a reasonable guess?
Ji Changqing frowned deeply. She had a nagging feeling that something was wrong, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it.
Gu Changge silently mouthed a question: should they try to get a look at them? That way, they could steer clear if they saw them later and avoid getting themselves into trouble.
Ji Changqing nodded.
Using the layout of the cavern they had figured out the day before, the two studied it for a long time and deduced that this group was likely in what used to be the abandoned base’s armory.
Neither of them dared to be careless. They moved stealthily, using the terrain for cover as they snuck a peek from a distance.
Because they were on high alert and extremely cautious, while the other party was overconfident in the secrecy of the location and very lax, they actually managed to get close without a hitch.
There were quite a few people hiding here, around five or six hundred of them.
The more the two looked, the more alarmed they became. This group of people appeared well-trained, but they didn’t really look like soldiers. Even if they were, they would be the thuggish type. It was normal for a team to have a few army ruffians, but it was basically impossible for an entire unit to be composed of them.
Just as they were about to retreat, they suddenly heard a clattering sound. A crushed can was kicked out from another direction.
The two of them instantly broke out in a cold sweat.
They had thought that direction was empty.
Following the noise, someone whispered harshly, “What are you doing? The boss told us to guard this thing and watch out for those guys over there. Are you trying to attract them by making noise?”
“Aren’t those guys all busy repairing the warship? What time do they have to come over?” another voice retorted dismissively. “Besides, to get here from the warship, they’d have to pass so many of our brothers. Who could they possibly sneak past? There’s no need to be so careful.”
“Better safe than sorry. If something really happens, you think the boss will let you off?”
Gu Changge’s expression changed. He gestured to Ji Changqing, signaling that they should find a place to talk.
Ji Changqing understood and quietly moved over.
The two of them moved far away from the area and huddled together, speaking in low whispers.
“They might be mercenaries,” Gu Changge said first. The composition of mercenary groups was extremely complex; they included self-taught fighters, former soldiers, and could even have spies from the Empire mixed in.
Of course, there was another possibility that was very likely in the current situation.
Gu Changge’s expression was grave, his heart pounding with alarm, and his voice trembled slightly. “Mercenaries are a motley crew. Most of them don’t mind moonlighting as space pirates.”
This situation was tricky.
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