CHAPTER 59: CHAPTER 59: UNDERCOVER

Qu Jianlei asked around about Sha Qu, naturally with a purpose.

Flower Scorpion, being an experienced hand, guessed his intentions and straightforwardly stated.

"Most people have gone into the mountains to find you, and a few are waiting at the foot of the mountain, with only a handful seeking clues about Sha Qu."

Qu Jianlei listened and felt slightly relieved, which meant... perhaps the Mecha hadn’t been discovered yet?

Flower Scorpion had been observing him closely, and even though Black Heaven’s eyelids tended to droop habitually, she still sensed his relaxation.

So she cautiously asked, "Are you planning to make another trip out of the mountains?"

Qu Jianlei lifted his eyelids and glanced at her, "The question you’re asking now is a bit inappropriate."

"I’m mainly trying to help you," Flower Scorpion was keen not to be misunderstood by him.

"For instance, they’ve at least collected a dozen night vision binoculars, which makes it tough for you to go out at night."

Night vision binoculars in the Wasteland were scarce, and Qu Jianlei had only managed to get hold of one by chance.

A typical Adventurer team would do with just one or two.

As long as there’s no large-scale conflict between Adventurers, these things are just for night watch — few people hunt at midnight.

A dozen night vision binoculars... clearly, the convoy had also looted plenty from the Hongyi Settlement.

Qu Jianlei couldn’t help but mutter, "Who did I provoke this time?"

Then he glanced at Flower Scorpion again, sincerely saying, "Thanks a lot."

Although he was accustomed to being cautious, without her warning, he might still fall into trouble.

"I just hope to help you," Flower Scorpion answered seriously, "I can assist you in finding a passage."

Qu Jianlei said nothing, just looked at her indifferently—do you think I’d believe your empty words?

Flower Scorpion also realized the other party couldn’t be so rash, instinctively defending herself, "Helping you is helping myself."

However, this still wasn’t convincing. From her standpoint, harming the other might also benefit herself.

So she added, "Your supplies might not be enough to cross the Endless Mountain Range; you need to go back and gather more."

Qu Jianlei’s eyes still showed no emotion—sorry, but I’m not really lacking supplies.

Flower Scorpion thought for a moment, "I can also gather some supplies, and when crossing the mountains, we can support each other."

Qu Jianlei finally spoke, "Would you leave your companions behind and go with me?"

Impossible! Flower Scorpion understood this well, as both her attendants were battle partners she had worked within tandem for many years.

Only then did she belatedly look at Qu Jianlei, "So, you’re worried we’d turn the tables?"

"What’s the difference between host and guest?" Qu Jianlei replied calmly, indeed wary of what the other said.

But this was easily solved, "If you truly want to cross the mountains, you can choose your own path; there’s no need to travel with me."

Flower Scorpion stared at him in astonishment—without you, such a skilled hand, how could we dare to think about crossing the mountains?

"Alright, anyway, thanks for the notice," Qu Jianlei took out two units of Energy Blocks and placed them on the ground.

Then he slowly took two steps back, "You can leave, I’ll protect myself."

Flower Scorpion stared at him blankly for almost five seconds before stepping forward to pick up the Energy Blocks and then turned and left.

About a kilometer away, she turned to look back, but the silhouette from earlier was nowhere to be seen.

Qu Jianlei felt really oppressed, but the more it was like this, the more he needed to remain calm.

With a dozen night vision binoculars watching the exit from the mountains, he wouldn’t gamble on which exit might lack binoculars.

So his choice was... to lie low for now.

But he wouldn’t trust Flower Scorpion unreservedly, so after nightfall, he continued deeper into the mountains.

The Endless Mountain Range at night was definitely not peaceful, especially as he was already deep in the danger zone and had to venture further.

However, he had no choice; no beast was fiercer than human malice, and Qu Jianlei had no other option.

Fortunately, since cultivating, his hearing and sight had become sharp, and he carried a night vision binocular.

Every time he visited, he’d stay in the mountains for several days, and even if he wasn’t hunting at night, self-defense was essential.

Some animals are cold-blooded, invisible to night vision binoculars, and at such times, his eyesight and hearing would be tested.

Apart from his hearing and eyesight, he also had an excellent Saber Technique, which emboldened him to venture deeper.

The process of going deeper was filled with peril. The first half of the night was relatively smooth, but the latter half saw him battling a snake swarm, narrowly escaping.

By dawn, he found himself attacked by two Mutant Mountain Giant Lizards.

After another grueling fight, he managed to kill one of the lizards.

The other lizard, sensing the tide had turned, tried to escape, but was shot seven or eight times with his Laser Rifle, killing it.

He really couldn’t let the creature escape since a wounded lizard being discovered by others would lead to encirclement.

Frustratingly, this creature’s meat wasn’t edible and none of its body parts were valuable.

The eight snakes he killed during the night were the same.

Not only did Qu Jianlei have to eliminate these creatures, but he also had to find a place to dispose of the bodies to avoid detection.

On ordinary days, he would avoid these creatures, but traveling at midnight made it defenselessly unavoidable.

After two battles, he felt truly pained... purely losing propositions.

That night, he advanced nearly seventy kilometers. In a straight line, it’s probably less than thirty kilometers.

After daybreak, he found a place to rest and just meditated for cultivation.

When night fell, he shielded the fire and stewed a pot of meat. Whether it tasted good or not, at least it was cooked.

The journey that night was a bit smoother, but on the third night, he encountered some minor obstacles.

However, by this time, his straight-line penetration exceeded seventy kilometers, experiencing countless dangers.

He believed that a small team of three or four adventurers could hardly reach this place.

The ones tracking him must be elite, but even an elite team can’t quietly go deep here.

Encountering wildlife or mutant beasts would inevitably lead to combat, which would certainly alert him.

That day, it rained again in the mountains, and Qu Jianlei chose to stop and rest.

The next day, he did not proceed but instead dug out a temporary shelter.

He stayed there for more than twenty days, during which he surprisingly killed two Golden Patterned Bears.

With meat and firewood, he focused entirely on cultivation, discarding all distracting thoughts.

Until the weather showed signs of cooling, he cautiously began the return journey.

Previously, his longest stay in the mountains was thirteen or fourteen days, this time it lasted for a month and a half.

No matter how patient the other party might be, they couldn’t sustain a large-scale search for that long, right?

The way back was also not peaceful, especially since he didn’t follow the old route and deviated a bit.

When he reached the safe zone, it was another eight days later, with more than a hundred kilograms of mutant beast meat on his shoulder.

No choice, there were no conditions for making jerky in the mountains, so he just sprinkled some salt to preserve it.

Upon reaching the safe zone, he wrapped the meat in felt cloth, picked a spot, and buried it.

By this time, his journey into the mountains had lasted nearly two months.

However, during the day, Qu Jianlei still spotted some suspicious people looking around.

He wasn’t surprised that they wouldn’t give up so easily...

Yet, as long as there weren’t too many searchers, it was good news for him.

There aren’t many exits in the vicinity, and the number wouldn’t exceed five, be they easy or difficult paths.

But Qu Jianlei didn’t choose those places. He opted for a spot that was seemingly impassable.

It was a series of steep slopes, over three kilometers away from the nearest mountain pass.

During the day, he observed the surroundings and saw no one.

And at night, it was the same—just as expected!

When the mountains were being searched extensively, there must have been someone guarding here, but with fewer people, less probable areas might be abandoned.

Under the cover of night, relying on his agile skills, he quietly slipped down the mountain.

During this process, he unexpectedly discovered that some areas had alarm systems and traps in place.

Fortunately, he was careful enough and moved slowly, managing to evade them without mishap.

From this, it was evident that the other party was determined to capture him.

By the time he left the mountain base, dawn was breaking.

Qu Jianlei didn’t overextend himself. He dug a pit in a hollow area and lay down, covering himself with camouflaged felt cloth.

The day passed quickly, and by evening, he uncovered the felt and sat up.

Next was the night journey. In the wasteland, few dare to travel at night, unless they’re large teams.

But large teams traveling at night would surely have their headlights on, visible from afar.

Rushing along, Qu Jianlei finally reached the abandoned warehouse just past midnight.

He examined the surroundings with night vision goggles and found no one there, cautiously sneaking in—just in case there were alarms.

As it turned out, he was overthinking it; there was nothing inside.

As he crossed the piles of broken bricks, he checked the markers he set up—no one had touched them.

After climbing over the rubble, he finally saw the mecha he longed for, unchanged.

It seemed unbelievable that such a large mecha, not well hidden, had evaded extensive search.

But indeed, it was true, and Qu Jianlei couldn’t explain this scene.

In his mind, the focus was likely on "Black Heaven."

Black Heaven’s whereabouts were trackable, and few paid attention to matters outside the mountains, even Sha Qu’s news would only be inquired at the settlement.

Maybe someone did search the abandoned warehouse, but with night vision goggles, a glance or two would suffice.

At this moment, Qu Jianlei was extremely grateful to the ones he had traded with.

If the mecha transaction wasn’t overly sensitive, the information might have been out by now?

Even now, he’s not sure if the other party had leaked his information.

Anyway, the fact that the mecha wasn’t discovered was a good thing.