"The Endpoint" 037. (Shou Ri Forest Chapter) Escape

“What's going on?”
Qingyan gazed out through the small hole in the tent and saw that all the soldiers had stopped training and were rapidly running toward a large open area in the center, forming their ranks.

“If I'm guessing correctly, this should be their emergency assembly call, but I don't know what it's for this time.”
Uncle Tian listened carefully and speculated, though since it didn't directly concern him, his tone showed little interest.

“Again? Something like this happened before?”
Qingyan's eyelid twitched inexplicably as he asked in confusion.

“Yes, it happened once before. That time, it seemed that a soldier had made some mistake and was punished according to military law. Speaking of that punishment, it was truly terrifying; it seems that the soldier who made the mistake is still bedridden and cannot get up. Oh, I think that time a person in black clothes also appeared, probably a spy, seemingly to deliver some information…”

Military punishment? Could it have something to do with that fiery leopard?

Qingyan suddenly thought of this question, but at that moment, outside the tent, the sight of a person appearing on the assembly ground made his pupils shrink abruptly!

It was the black-clothed spy Uncle Tian had mentioned! On that open ground, a completely unfamiliar person in black had appeared. Judging by the figure, it should be a man. He was standing at the front of the troops, giving instructions with a very serious expression.

Although Qinyan could hear nothing of what the spy was actually saying due to the distance, what shocked him was that among the three people standing next to the spy, one was the woman known as “Big Sister.” At this moment, she had completely shed her commanding aura, bowing her head slightly and listening intently to the spy. It was as if she were a subordinate following the orders of a superior!

Who exactly is this black-clothed spy? Obviously, the woman is one of the three squad leaders of the current army. And this spy seems to have a status even higher than hers? Or perhaps the information the spy is delivering comes from the commander of this entire small special forces unit?

Qingyan quietly watched the scene outside, his mind swiftly working through the questions.A few minutes later, the black-haired scout finished reporting all the information. After he nodded to him and the three squad leaders, he leapt off toward a direction in the forest, moving with ghost-like speed, disappearing before Qingyan's eyes.

Immediately after, the three squad leaders began quickly assigning tasks to the soldiers. Their expressions were full of seriousness, completely lacking the rough and cheerful demeanor from last night, as if they were worried about something.

The progress was lightning-fast! In less than half an hour, the soldiers had been fully organized. Except for a few left to guard the camp, everyone else had lined up, each carrying a huge military pack on their back. It was unclear what was inside. Under the leadership of the three squad leaders, they started marching toward the nearby Tianxing Mountain range.

At this moment, Uncle Tian and the other three men finally realized the seriousness of the situation. They glanced outside and quietly pondered the reason for the army's urgent march.

At that moment, a clear, young female voice suddenly rang in Qingyan's mind!

Turning around, he saw the four men also suddenly looking in his direction. Obviously, they had all heard the voice at the same time. They then looked outside; the soldiers showed no unusual signs. The five of them nodded seriously.

The female voice said, “Uncles, after being trapped for so long, do you want to take this chance to escape from their captivity?”

Qingyan frowned slightly, sensing in an instant that the voice was somewhat familiar, though he couldn't remember where he had heard it before. Judging from the girl's tone, she seemed aware of the four men but did not know of Qingyan's presence.

Qingyan did not directly answer the girl's question but carefully transmitted his voice in his mind, asking:

“Who are you? What does it matter to us whether we want to or not?”

The female voice clearly paused, perhaps surprised by Qingyan's presence or not expecting him to respond this way. Then she replied somewhat angrily:

“Why is there another rude guy!”

“Can courtesy fill your stomach? If you have something to say, just say it. Don't tell me you created a high-level secret voice just to chat with someone!”

Qingyan showed no courtesy at all.Moreover, escaping from here seems even more dangerous than staying, and although there is no freedom, life is ultimately more important.

"You! Huh… fine, because… because I have something to do, I must escape from here! But I can't do it alone…"

The girl finally conceded, exhaling a long breath, and said somewhat helplessly.

Qing Yan quietly inquired with the four men and then learned that aside from them, another girl had also been captured later. However, since it was inconvenient for her to live with the men, she had always stayed with that female team leader. It was clear that the soft voice conveying the message came from that girl.

Peering through the small hole of the tent toward the female team leader's tent, although Qing Yan was not a cold-blooded person, he was extremely rational in his actions. Qing Yan sighed and transmitted his voice:

"Although I don't know how important what you need to do is, I think, with our strength, we won't be able to survive inside the Shou Ri Forest. So, what is the point of doing all this?"

"Hehe, I didn't expect that you, an impolite guy, would also care about people. But I do have a way to ensure everyone can definitely survive here. Moreover, I also know that nearby, there is a Fire Spirit Crystal vein…"

At this point, the girl spoke with pride, and especially upon hearing Qing Yan's cold intake of breath at the end, she laughed gleefully.

The Fire Spirit Crystal is a rare earthly crystal rich in fire elements. Its value is several times higher than that of volcanic molten stone. Moreover, it is a crystal vein; the dense fire elemental energy there would be an incredibly rare and excellent place for cultivating the "Flame Technique."

"Alright, if you are sure that you can protect us…"

Although the four men were not fire element cultivators, they understood the value of the Fire Spirit Crystal. Even a small piece of it represented wealth that could last them decades! After only a brief hesitation, the four decided to take the gamble, to which Qing Yan nodded in agreement.\ ......\ After a few minutes, Qingyan suddenly started pounding hard on the iron frame, loudly shouting outside: "Uncle Soldier, what exactly is going on out there?"\ The soldier outside the tent was clearly not in a good mood and had no intention of joking around like before. One man coldly replied:\ "Kid, these things are none of your business. If my grandpa is not happy, you better be quiet! Or I'll kill you!"\ "But you all have left, what should we do? This is the inner area of the Forest of the Day, what if monsters..."\ "Damn, are you done yet? I told you to shut up, you... ah..."\ The man angrily approached the tent, shouting, but suddenly, after a sound of surprise, fell flat on the ground with a 'thud', and no more sound came from him!\ At this moment, inside the female captain's tent, a clear female voice was heard: "Uncle, I... I need to go to the bathroom, can... can I go out for a moment? Please..."\ ......\ A few minutes later, outside Qingyan's tent, a mischievous female voice rang out:\ "All done! You can come out now."