Chapter 143 – The Rescue

Chapter 143 – The Rescue

Cheng Yang retrieved two sets of clothes from his storage ring and handed them to Chu Qiang and his daughter. After more than twenty days, their clothes had developed a foul stench, especially Chu Qiang’s, which was stained with corpse fluids. They didn’t hesitate to accept Cheng Yang’s offer and quickly changed into the fresh garments.

Next, Cheng Yang carried them down from the stone platform one by one and placed them on Xiao Bai’s back. This required some explanation, as Xiao Bai’s massive form was quite intimidating. It would have been strange if Chu Qiang and his daughter hadn’t been apprehensive about riding such a creature.

Xiao Bai was visibly displeased at having these ordinary humans on its back, but under Cheng Yang’s stern command, it had no choice but to comply.

With Xiao Bai leading the way at breakneck speed and Cheng Yang following closely behind, the return journey was much easier since they had already traversed the path once. Despite carrying two passengers, Chu Lingling’s weight was negligible, and they reached Luofeng Village in about half an hour.

Upon entering the village, Chu Qiang visibly relaxed, and Chu Lingling became much more animated. For days, Chu Qiang had feared that humanity might have been completely wiped out. Seeing the bustling village filled him with renewed hope and determination to survive. At least humanity hadn’t been completely eradicated, and civilization hadn’t been entirely destroyed.

During their hurried journey, Cheng Yang hadn’t had time to explain the current state of the world. Now that they were in the village, he took the opportunity to give them a brief overview.

Chu Lingling, being young, didn’t fully grasp the implications of Cheng Yang’s words, but Chu Qiang was deeply shaken when he learned that the world had been completely gamified.

“Uncle, if we become the combatants you mentioned, can we fight monsters?” Chu Lingling asked innocently as they walked.

Cheng Yang was momentarily taken aback. He had only thought about rescuing them and hadn’t considered their class change. Currently, all class change slots in Luofeng Village were occupied, and most class changes were handled by others, so Cheng Yang hadn’t been involved in the process.

However, faced with Chu Lingling’s question, Cheng Yang found himself unable to refuse. “Don’t worry, once you change classes, you’ll be able to fight those monsters soon,” he assured her.

Chu Lingling clapped her hands excitedly on Xiao Bai’s back. Cheng Yang decided to take them to the class statues to check for any available slots and to test their aptitude for different classes.

Upon arrival, Cheng Yang discovered that all class change slots were indeed occupied. This was inevitable since the casualty rate among Luofeng Village’s combatants was low. New slots would only become available when the statues leveled up again or when Li Wanshan’s class level increased. Statue leveling was the more feasible option.

Alternatively, Cheng Yang could take them to one of the affiliated settlements for their class change, but those settlements lacked territory attributes, making them less ideal for combatants. For some reason, Cheng Yang felt it was best to have them change classes in the central village.

After testing their aptitudes, Cheng Yang was relieved to find that Chu Lingling was suited to become a Mage, while Chu Qiang was suited to become a Warrior. This meant they might not have to wait for the statues to level up.

After explaining the situation to Chu Qiang, Cheng Yang had someone take them to get settled. He didn’t need to worry about their treatment; anything arranged by Cheng Yang himself would be handled with utmost care.

It was just past 8 PM, and Cheng Yang planned to tackle the Nightmare difficulty of the abandoned castle in Xianghe Village for the first clear. After that, he would wait a couple of hours until after midnight to clear it again. Then he would return to Luofeng Village to cultivate for the night, making perfect use of his time.

Xiao Bai’s speed surpassed Cheng Yang’s full sprint, covering the twenty kilometers in less than ten minutes—far faster than any pre-apocalypse sports car. The wide, smooth official road contributed to their swift progress.

The road led directly to Xianghe Village’s southern gate. Upon entering, Cheng Yang noticed many people coming and going, which was normal during dinner time.

Recently, both Yu Kai’s Fox Hunting Battalion and Liu Hao’s Wind Chasing Battalion had been stationed in their respective villages. Their sole mission was to mobilize their eight hundred combatants to sweep the surrounding areas of demonic beasts, preventing them from forming large groups.

While large groups of demonic beasts had a higher chance of establishing nests, they also posed greater dangers. Cheng Yang vividly remembered his death in his previous life and wondered if Luofeng Village could survive such an onslaught. The memory of the overwhelming horde of demonic beasts still sent chills down his spine.

However, the class statues in these two villages were about to reach level 4, allowing each village to have two thousand combatants. This would be sufficient to handle most threats in the affiliated territories.

In the future, as the affiliated settlements’ class statues leveled up, their combatants would supplement the main city’s forces. A territory needed to coordinate all its combatants to maintain sufficient strength; relying solely on the main city’s combatants wouldn’t be enough to ensure deterrence.

As Cheng Yang walked through the gate, most combatants recognized him and weren’t particularly surprised by his arrival. However, the massive white tiger following him caused quite a stir. Given the status difference, no one dared to approach and ask about it.

“Lord, what brings you here?” Liu Hao, who happened to be in the village, greeted Cheng Yang. He was unaware that Cheng Yang had already made a long journey today, or he would have been even more curious.

“Huh? Lord, what’s that behind you…” Liu Hao’s eyes widened in shock.

Cheng Yang explained, “That’s my new pet.”

Liu Hao was taken aback. “You mean it’s a mutated beast? I thought they were rare and usually found deep in the mountains. How did you come across this one?”

Cheng Yang chuckled. “I went to Yicheng today and encountered it on the way.”

“What? You went to Yicheng?” Liu Hao exclaimed in disbelief, then laughed. “You’re pulling my leg, right? It’s at least forty or fifty kilometers from here. A round trip of a hundred kilometers, and you’re back so soon?”

Cheng Yang smiled calmly. “Haven’t you been to the tavern recently?”

Liu Hao was puzzled. “Why would I go to the tavern? It costs at least five spirit energy points just to access the forum. Who would go there for no reason?”

Liu Hao’s words were true. Currently, Cheng Yang had imposed restrictions on Luofeng Village’s tavern to keep the secret of the wilderness settlements hidden longer. In the apocalypse, his enemies weren’t just demonic beasts but also ambitious combatant factions.

Although Yuan Jianze might have guessed some details, he didn’t know the full picture, so the secret could still be kept for a while.

At this stage, only Cheng Yang and the five battalion commanders could enter the tavern; others were strictly prohibited.

Hearing Liu Hao’s response, Cheng Yang realized he didn’t know about the Return Stones and proceeded to explain.

Before Cheng Yang could finish, Liu Hao’s eyes widened in astonishment. “Lord, does that mean we’re rich now? Well, rich in spirit energy points?”

Cheng Yang nodded. “You could say that, though we already had a decent amount before. It’s just incomparable to now. I came here partly to bring you some spirit energy points and also to attempt the Nightmare difficulty first clear of the abandoned castle tonight.”

Liu Hao was initially pleased but then remembered something. “Lord, don’t change the subject. You mentioned going to Yicheng earlier. Why didn’t you tell us about this before?”

Cheng Yang feigned ignorance of Liu Hao’s concern. “It was a last-minute decision this morning, so I only took Niu Bing and Liu Xiyue with me. In the afternoon, we found a territory altar there, occupied it, and then I returned.”

Liu Hao sighed, seeing through Cheng Yang’s act. “Lord, you’re responsible for the entire territory’s safety. Can you please stop taking such risks? Every time we hear about your adventures, our hearts skip a beat. If something were to happen to you, Luofeng Village would fall into chaos. Yuan Jianze might even annex us. Do you want to see that happen?”

Cheng Yang smiled reassuringly. “Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing. I brought three Return Stones with me in case of emergencies. Besides, the trip went smoothly. Not only did we secure a new settlement, but I also got this white tiger as a pet. Don’t let its docile appearance fool you; it’s a genuine early second-tier mutated beast. Without taking risks, how could we achieve such gains?”

PS: Seeking subscriptions and monthly tickets. (To be continued…)