CHAPTER 331: CHAPTER 9: ROUTE 4218 (PART 2)

A yellowed old photograph is also tucked into the ledger, depicting a family of five—a man, a woman, and three children.

However, the woman and the three children’s faces are blurred, leaving only the man’s face barely discernible.

The man appears to be honest and simple, with his hands resting on the children’s shoulders, a slightly awkward smile on his face... For some reason, Sun Hang seems to see something called "hope" in his eyes.

Was this picture taken during the happiest time of his life?

Sun Hang carried the photo downstairs, glancing at the eerie remains fallen in the corner, then at the photo in his hand.

He didn’t say much but instead tucked the photo into the remains’ chest.

For a moment, he seemed to see the remains smile... but he quickly realized that the entity barely resembling a "head" couldn’t make a smile.

Even if it could smile, that horrifying appearance wouldn’t make anyone feel like it was smiling.

"Maybe it’s just a mental effect?" Sun Hang muttered, straightening up and turning to look at the Buddha statue he shattered with a shot—or rather, at the shattered remains.

The remnants of memetic residue in the fragments had completely disappeared. They no longer writhed, lying still on the table and floor.

Only the candles stuck into the table’s corners were still burning, with the flames flickering slightly.

Sun Hang recalled what the "shopkeeper" said to him before perishing—"They’re the town mayor’s livestock."

So, those two chubby little girls... were the Maoyun Town mayor’s "reserves"?

Then who on earth is this town mayor?

Ah, oops, what I meant was what kind of strange creature.

The lower-level townspeople were fighting to the death over a piece of rotten meat, while the mayor could enjoy such "meat"... Moreover, just because Sun Hang mentioned it, the store owner encountered unexpected disaster... It seems the mayor holds absolute control over Maoyun Town.

Yet Sun Hang couldn’t figure out one thing—why didn’t the mayor act against him?

Unlike his initial caution, since entering the town, Sun Hang had become increasingly bold, not sparing any "offensive" actions—though the mayor neither restrained nor punished him, instead venting anger on the "innocent" "shopkeeper."

"Could it be... they fear me?" Sun Hang muttered.

Although he had lost all his abilities, perhaps he still retained some remnants of the three yuan aura... Sun Hang couldn’t feel it, but that doesn’t mean the mayor couldn’t... Maybe, the mayor was intimidated by those lingering traces?

"Like a fox borrowing a tiger’s might..."

...

...

Shuzhou, southwestern border, Hengduan Mountain Range.

Highway 4218 is a thoroughfare traversing the Hengduan Mountain Range, connecting Shuzhou and Yundian; its full length measures 135 kilometers and took four years to complete, with eighty-two percent composed of viaducts and tunnels... At that time, the Xiazhou Federation invested massive resources to build this highway, disrupting the transportation lifeline between Yun Shu. However, following the Yundian Region’s surrender, the road was permanently closed, prohibiting any civilian vehicles from entering.

Border Post 198 is situated at the entrance to this highway.

Currently, the entire outpost looked scorched by flames, the originally white lime-painted walls blackened with soot, wooden beams cracked, the entire roof collapsed, and the facilities inside the outpost were burned beyond recognition.

According to the first arriving troops’ report, no soldiers stationed at the outpost survived; all monitoring equipment and drones had been completely destroyed, leaving no footage of the attackers.

Wang Xiyi and Yang Qi stood amid the ruins, surveying the devastation.

The fallen soldiers’ bodies had been transported away, leaving only several outlines marked with white chalk—these indicated that most soldiers were killed before they could even react when the outpost was attacked... This aligns with one point mentioned in the field report: experts examined the wreckage of the alarm devices, finding they had never been activated.

"Withering devastation." Yang Qi murmured, "Fortunately, because of the crypt incident, it hasn’t been reported that Sun Hang acquired your dragon flame ability... Otherwise, it would be a detrimental piece of evidence against him."

"Sun Hang couldn’t have done this." Wang Xiyi asserted.

"Why?"

"If he had used my dragon flame, these ruins wouldn’t even be here." Wang Xiyi stated, "The flames attacking this outpost are far inferior to my dragon flame."

"What if Sun Hang intentionally controlled the dragon flame’s intensity?"

"You don’t trust him either?" Wang Xiyi asked, staring into Yang Qi’s eyes earnestly.

"I trust him, but I can’t make others trust him as I do." Yang Qi replied, "The most urgent priority is to find him and bring him back."

"The convoy is ready to go at anytime." Wang Xiyi looked toward the highway.

...

This operation comprised a total of eleven participants, divided into three armored off-road vehicles and one multifunctional engineering vehicle—the convoy was led by Wang Xiyi, with Candle Dragon and Ye Jiu as deputy leaders. Additionally, Zhong Ling, Ling Xiao, and Jiang Yu volunteered for the mission, while the remaining members were elite agents handpicked by Ye Jiu from the Field Operations Department.

Yin Xiang initially intended to join, but was kicked out of the vehicle by Wang Xiyi.

"Why won’t you let me go? I’m not the same as before. I’m not afraid of dying! I’m really not!" Yin Xiang shouted at Wang Xiyi in the driver’s seat from where he lay on the ground.

Wang Xiyi rolled down the window, adjusted the goggles on his nose, and said, "Do you want to hear the good news or the bad news?"

"Wha—what do you mean?" Yin Xiang was stunned and asked.

"The good news is that I don’t want you to die in vain; the harsh truth... is that you’re a burden, and if you come along, you’ll only hold us back."

"Then what about him? Why rather take a kid than me?" Yin Xiang pointed to Ling Xiao in the backseat.

"He’s an eligible user for supernatural equipment, what about you?" Wang Xiyi bluntly asked.

"I... I..." Yin Xiang was at a loss for words.

He suddenly realized that when he jumped off the institute’s rooftop, allowing his courage to be crushed by fear and regret, he probably would never become someone who could stand on the same front as Sun Hang and the rest in his lifetime.

"You’re right." Yin Xiang acknowledged the truth with a nod, "I’m a burden, and coming with you would only hold you back... By the time the car reaches the Surrendered Area, I might regret acting impulsively..."

"As long as you understand." Wang Xiyi nodded, "Though the words are harsh, there’s no need to be upset... I think, in this world, there’s probably no greater happiness than living well."

"Got it. I’ll do what I can." Yin Xiang stood up, clenching his fist tightly, "I’ll wait for you here, hoping you’ll bring Sun Hang back in one piece!"

The Border Post 198 also required personnel to stay behind, as being adjacent to the Surrendered Area made it one of the most perilous locations in all Shuzhou. No one could be sure whether those staying would ultimately welcome the triumphant return of the convoy or a horde of terrifying otherworldly creatures emerging from the Surrendered Area.

A temporary forward base was being constructed on both sides of the highway—this marked the first formal human investigative action into the Surrendered Area since the end of the supernatural war... Despite the operation being hastily arranged, its significance was extraordinary.