"Stop, crouch down with your head held, and cooperate with the inspection!"

From a distance, a soldier harshly shouted, and all the soldiers immediately stood on guard with their guns at the ready. Even the machine gun on the watchtower began to slowly adjust its aim toward their group.

The atmosphere was tense and oppressive!

However, it wasn't surprising given that Dongning had completely fallen; this was now the actual frontline.

Facing the dark muzzles, Qin Shufen and Chen Yuwei were so frightened their legs felt weak. They quickly crouched down to await the inspection.

Chen Shouyi also made no unnecessary conflict, complying with the soldiers' demands and crouching down.

Soon, two soldiers trotted over, gripping their rifles tightly and looking highly vigilant.

The two women could be ignored; at a glance, they were ordinary people with not even the fighting strength of a goose. The main focus was on the young man, who was bare-chested, his exposed muscles tight and exquisite as if woven from steel wire. His pants were tattered and stained with blood.

In addition, he carried a bow and sword, marking him unmistakably as a dangerous person.

"To prevent cultists from sneaking in, we hope everyone will cooperate with our inspection. During this period, there should be no misunderstandable actions. I'll repeat once more..." a soldier shouted strenuously.

Qin Shufen hurriedly said, "Comrade, we really aren't cultists of the Barbarian God!"

"Whether you are or aren't is not for you to decide," the soldier interrupted sternly, yet their expressions relaxed slightly upon hearing the derogatory term "Barbarian God."

"I am a martial artist from Hedong, and I have my ID and yesterday's train ticket!" Chen Shouyi explained, "These two are my relatives; I'm here to take them back to Hedong!"

With the soldiers' approval, Chen Shouyi took out his ID and train ticket from his wallet.

One of the soldiers checked them carefully, especially examining the ink-printed train ticket from Hedong to Dongxing, and the tense atmosphere immediately eased.

After further anti-cult investigation and simple inquiries about the situation in Dongning, the group smoothly passed through the checkpoint.

Speaking of anti-cult investigation, Chen Shouyi had to admit that the method was simple yet effective.

It involved uttering blasphemous remarks against the God of Hunting.

Whether one was a cultist or not was immediately apparent under such examination.

...

The area bordering Ningzhou and Dongning had almost become a military camp, filled with the aura of war.

Numerous steam trucks loaded with heavy artillery, rocket launchers, or soldiers continuously rolled down the highway, with airships buzzing above.

This area seemed to be ceaselessly mobilizing forces nearby, preparing for the next conflict.

Particularly noteworthy were the three gigantic blue-painted airships floating high in the sky.

These were nuclear-powered strategic armored airships!

Chen Shouyi had seen such war beasts once in Hedong City, and he was surprised to see them here again, their gigantic nuclear warning symbols daunting to behold.

Perhaps it was this deterrence that kept the God of Hunting from rashly making a move, maintaining a fragile balance, which clearly was now about to shatter.

The nearby villages and towns had been evacuated, leaving them deserted. The group couldn't even find a place to rest and eat until they passed by a mulberry garden, where they picked some ripe mulberries to barely fill their stomachs.

They walked and stopped intermittently until they finally reached the outskirts of Ningzhou by evening.

Although the wartime atmosphere was growing stronger at the front, it hadn't yet affected this area, except for an increased solemnity. He occasionally saw small restaurants open by the roadside, and there were quite a few pedestrians on the road.

"Let's have a meal first, then find a hotel to stay and rest well. We'll leave Ningzhou by noon tomorrow," Chen Shouyi said.

"Find a nicer one," Qin Shufen weakly requested.

She looked pale and was so exhausted that she could barely stand, and Chen Yuwei wasn't much better off.

Even a strong man would probably be spent after walking for a day and night, let alone two women who seldom exercise; making it this far was already an effort sustained by sheer will.

After the meal, Aunt insisted on paying the bill.

This time, she hadn't brought any luggage, just cash.

Before Dongning fell, both Uncle and Aunt had stable jobs in public institutions. Although they didn't have much money, they had some savings, which was a hundred times better than being unemployed and needing aid.

Chen Shouyi couldn't argue, so he complied.

Fortunately, the area was near rural parts, and the food was cheap; even with his big appetite, it only cost a little over two hundred, much less than before the mutation.

...

Next, the group searched for a long time before finally finding a family-run inn that was open to stay in.

Entering the room, Chen Shouyi plopped down on the bed and exhaled a long breath; even he was quite worn out from all the commotion along the way.

He regained his composure, stood up, drew the curtains, and released the Shell Lady, who had been kept confined for two days and nights.

"You finally remembered me, huh?" the Shell Lady turned her head with a face of anger, no longer calling him her "good giant" as she usually did.

"With two hungry troublesome giants following me, it wasn't safe, so I didn't let you out," Chen Shouyi replied unperturbed.

The Shell Lady's angry expression changed at his words, and she quickly asked, "Was it a female giant? I kept hearing you talking to them."

Chen Shouyi immediately nodded.

"Good giant, you were right," the Shell Lady said seriously, "Hungry giants are the fiercest."

"Are you hungry?" Chen Shouyi asked.

"I've been hungry for a long time!"

Chen Shouyi took out a small bottle of honey and a metal spoon from his backpack, noticing the bottle was dented, likely squished during a fight. Luckily, it was a plastic bottle; had it been glass, it probably would have shattered.

He unscrewed it and gave her a spoonful, then mixed it with warm water, "Hurry and eat."

The Shell Lady grabbed the spoon, gulping it down in one go, licked it clean meticulously, and returned the spoon to Chen Shouyi, curiously looking around, "Good giant, where is this place? It's not pretty at all."

Chen Shouyi, long understanding her little schemes, knew she was just thinking about the crystal balls and pretty clothes back home.

"A faraway place; sleep one night, and we'll go back tomorrow!"

"Oh"

...

In the bathroom, Chen Shouyi bathed while reminiscing about last night's battle.

He noticed that the barbarians he encountered this time were drastically different from ones he had faced before; not only were they far stronger in combat, each bore various mysterious beast tattoos on their bodies.

Of course, if they were regular tattoos, Chen Shouyi wouldn't care. The key was these tattoos emitted varied faint glows during combat, appearing very mysterious.

It was clear that these were not mere simple tattoos but more like some kind of empowerment.

"If this is true, then this God of Hunting may be much stronger than the God of Courage, and the barbarian tribe's power is accordingly more formidable," Chen Shouyi contemplated silently, for it was the first time he saw something beyond innate supernatural abilities, with an artificial application of mysterious power.

"Who knows what secrets these tattoos hold?"

His interest piqued, he recalled one of the barbarian's tattoos, moistened his fingers with water, and slowly drew it on the tiles from memory.

His 14.3 intelligence had already granted him eidetic memory.

Shortly, an image of a ferocious beast with scales and armor appeared, but Chen Shouyi looked at it and shook his head in disappointment.

Although it seemed similar, one was a roughly sketched pattern of simple lines, while the other seemed to possess a soul, resembling a real living creature.

"These tattoos are obviously not that simple; they must involve some unknown secret!" Chen Shouyi wiped off the pattern, deep in thought.

PS: I hit a writing block today; this is all I have.