CHAPTER 503: CHAPTER 218: COMPETING FOR MANPOWER IN THE MINING AREA

Swish! Swish! Swish!

The superpower users from each team quickly took action and simultaneously sprinted towards the terraces and the road.

Liang Yuan was the first to arrive near the terraces. The ground was muddy, and the rain created pools everywhere.

The footprints on the ground were too numerous to distinguish when they were left.

Liang Yuan wasn’t a professional; he had no skills to identify footprints, so he just followed the surrounding footprints hastily.

The heavy rain poured down, and the ground was wet. As long as someone passed by, there would definitely be footprints.

The explosion had just happened moments ago. No matter how heavy the rain was, it could not have washed away the footprints already.

Soon, several messy footprints were discovered.

These footprints stretched along the ridge of the fields, extending all the way into the forest.

Liang Yuan’s face darkened, and he said, "It really is a ruse. Someone used the explosion to divert us and seized the people from the ridge!"

Wu Ying immediately said, "Mr. Liang, I’ll go after them!"

Liang Yuan thought for a moment. Wu Ying had a special ability, being able to merge into shadows silently and secretly. He should be able to track them down without a problem.

He nodded, "Be careful. If you find the enemy, don’t act alone. Make sure to keep an eye on them."

"I understand." Wu Ying nodded solemnly, then turned to glance at Huang Han.

Huang Han met his gaze but quickly looked away.

Wu Ying smiled bitterly, and with a flash, he merged into the shadows and quickly disappeared from sight.

Liang Yuan didn’t have time to worry about the emotional issues between the two and asked, "Huang Han, did you notice anything during the explosion?"

"No, Mr. Liang. I was patrolling the whole time and didn’t see anything," Huang Han shook his head.

Liang Yuan frowned, intending to ask more, when he suddenly heard commotion coming from the mountain road.

Liang Yuan looked over and saw Elder Lin, Gu Feng, and others hastily running back.

They all seemed to be injured, and Elder Lin was shouting loudly.

"Help! Help!"

Before Liang Yuan could go over, Shi Haizhu had already rushed forward to support the two and asked, "What’s going on? What happened to you two?"

Gu Feng hurriedly said, "We were catching fish at the foot of the mountain, when suddenly a group of people came and seized us without saying a word."

"Uncle Ma and Brother Cai were both taken!"

Shi Haizhu, shocked and angry, immediately asked, "Which way did they go?"

"West, towards the forest."

At this moment, Liang Yuan also came over. Hearing this, he immediately asked, "Did they have superpower users?"

"Yes, several of them, and they all had Blast Talisman Stones. We barely escaped from getting blown up by those stones."

"If it weren’t for Daoist Lin’s superpower, we probably wouldn’t have made it back!"

"Blast Talisman Stones? Could they be from Phoenix Temple?" Yang Shenmin exclaimed and immediately asked.

Zhao Kai quickly said, "No, the people from Phoenix Temple are in the north. Why would they run to the west?"

Liang Yuan said in a deep voice, "Never mind that for now. Let’s go after them. They can’t have gone far with their captives."

"I’ll go with you!" Zhao Kai quickly said.

Liang Yuan immediately shook his head, "No, none of you are coming. All of you stay in the shelter."

Yang Shenmin quickly caught on, "Are you worried there might be an ambush nearby?"

"Yes, I can handle it alone. You all keep the shelter secure. No more mistakes," he said.

Ding Yan couldn’t help but say, "Liang Yuan, let me go with you."

Song Wen also urged, "I want to go too. I can control plants. Maybe I can be of help."

Liang Yuan thought for a moment but still refused, "You’re too slow. You won’t keep up with me. Don’t worry, you know my strength."

He didn’t say more and immediately turned to sprint towards the western forest.

The enemies who abducted Uncle Ma and Cai Zhi, and the ones who took Granny Li and the others, both fled west.

Is this a coincidence?

Or are they deliberately drawing us away?

Liang Yuan recalled that the western shelter was the mining area shelter that Wu Meng mentioned.

The leader of the shelter was a Fire Attribute Superpower User named Tian Wei!

He had no contact with them before. Would they really come after him without any reason?

Liang Yuan couldn’t figure it out, but now was not the time to ponder. He needed to rescue the captives quickly.

Boom!

In the mountain forest, Liang Yuan kicked off the ground, causing dirt to fly and grass to scatter.

He shot forward like an arrow off the string.

In the pouring rain, only a blurred shadow flashed through the rain curtain.

His leg muscles exploded with power, tendons tightened. With an Agility Attribute of 14.8, he moved effortlessly through the complex terrain of the forest.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh——

The wind whistled past his ears, and in the blink of an eye, Liang Yuan had run an unknown number of kilometers.

Within five minutes, he suddenly heard faint angry shouts.

Liang Yuan’s sprinting footsteps paused, and he quickly determined the direction before charging towards the northwest.

After passing through a thicket, he saw a dense forest ahead, with some remnants of colorful ribbons on the trees.

The ribbons were faded, vaguely marked with outdoor adventure slogans.

Clearly, this used to be a trail for outdoor exploration.

But now, vegetation had spread wildly, making the trail unrecognizable.

However, anyone familiar with the terrain could still find the original trail using the remnants of the ribbons.

"It seems there are outdoor enthusiasts in this group, who are very familiar with the terrain here," he thought.

Liang Yuan’s figure flickered, and after passing a few pine trees, he suddenly stopped.

He saw a group of people walking through the mountain forest ahead.

Cai Zhi, Old Ma, and others were among them, moving with vacant expressions.

Old Ma was clearly panting heavily, yet he showed no signs of stopping.