Night’s Nomenclature-Chapter 483: The 2 Qing Mu

The distorted cave echoed with the frantic barking of mechanical hounds.

They followed a familiar scent, winding their way through the labyrinthine cave, all the way to the bank of the underground river.

A drop of Qing Chen’s blood appeared every 1.2 kilometers along the way.

A total of 37 drops, stretching all the way to the deepest part of the cave.

The average scent tracking distance for an excellent hound is 0.5 kilometers, and the maximum scent tracking distance for a mechanical hound is 1.3 kilometers.

Therefore, the appearance of Qing Chen’s blood every 1.2 kilometers, with remarkable consistency, indicates that Qing Chen intentionally left these traces, hoping that reinforcements could follow this clue.

This discovery excited everyone, as it meant that Qing Chen remained conscious and, even when severely injured and exhausted, still managed to find opportunities to save himself.

Their biggest fear was that Qing Chen had collapsed.

If that were the case, Qing Chen would truly become a lamb to the slaughter.

Lao Shijiu hobbled ahead, fearing traps in the cave that might harm their boss.

Only after confirming it was safe did he run back to report: “Boss, there are bloodstains, but no signs of a fight. The trail ends at the underground river. Shendai’s people must have taken Qing Chen away via the underground river.”

Li Changqing frowned as she approached the riverbank. She looked at the severed arm Shendai Yunhe had discarded on the bank, and the corroded pits on the arm: “How did this happen? Whose arm is this?”

The riverbank was in disarray, with blood, watermarks, and scattered diving equipment.

Lao Shijiu knelt down to examine the scene: “Judging by the traces on the ground, there should have been eight sets of diving equipment, but three are missing. That’s strange. Some water-stained footprints on the path belonged to two people—one was Shendai’s mysterious expert, and the other matched Qing Chen’s characteristics. Why would they take three sets of diving equipment when they left? Was the distance too far, and one set wasn’t enough per person? They should have taken four then.”

Zheng Yuandong glanced at the clues on the ground: “It was two people. Someone left and then returned alone to retrieve a set of diving equipment.”

“Was it Qing Chen?” Lao Shijiu paused. “Could he have escaped and returned here on his own?”

“No,” Zheng Yuandong shook his head. “If he’d broken free from Shendai’s expert, he would have headed for the cave entrance, not continued into the water. So, the person who returned was Shendai’s expert, and this arm belongs to him.”

At these words, everyone looked at each other.

He Jinqiu, leaning on his black cane, stood by the river, smiling: “If I’m not mistaken, the person who made the move was Shendai Yunhe. According to the Hu Family Intelligence Agency’s records, seven people in the Shendai Consortium can control beasts, but only one has reached A-Class, while the rest are below C-Class. Only Shendai Yunhe has the ability to control so many wolves.”

“Shendai Yunhe,” Li Changqing continued to frown, her delicate willow eyebrows now as sharp as knives.

“A C-Class severing the arm of an A-Class underwater, who would believe that?” He Jinqiu laughed. “Normally, even one hundred C-Class wouldn't stand a chance against an A-Class without modern technology. Of course, Shendai Yunhe isn’t at the top of A-Class either.”

If He Jinqiu were Shendai Yunhe, his jade swords alone could easily dispatch countless C-Class opponents.

The gap between B-Class and A-Class is a chasm every Metahuman yearns to cross. Once crossed, it signifies true transcendence.

Even if Shendai Yunhe isn’t a combat-type A-Class expert, having his arm severed by a C-Class is still astonishing.

He Jinqiu tapped his black cane: “Actually, I’m not very surprised. Someone who, after being possessed by Neural Link three times, remained calm and guided us here—severing Shendai Yunhe’s arm seems reasonable.”

Zheng Yuandong examined the severed arm: “The arm wound has been corroded by an unknown liquid. One half of the cut is smooth, the other rough. Qing Chen probably cut off half, and Shendai Yunhe, to prevent necrosis, severed it completely. Qing Chen inflicted heavy injuries on Shendai Yunhe underwater, and he himself must be severely injured. But the good news is Qing Chen shouldn’t be dead.”

A few simple sentences paint the picture.

Li Changqing ordered someone to collect the severed arm for comparison.

Their gene bank didn’t have Shendai Yunhe’s profile, but they had some Shendai family gene sequence samples that could be used for comparison to determine the arm’s owner.

“The bad news is that Shendai Yunhe isn’t dead. The good news is that Qing Chen isn’t dead either,” He Jinqiu looked at the rushing dark underground river. “The crows weren’t here at all, not within dozens of kilometers.”

According to the Forbidden Artifact Tribunal’s habits, if there was Metahuman combat and casualties, the crows would definitely collect the bodies.

This was also why Li Changqing hadn’t completely lost her mind.

You might not trust a man’s promises, but you can trust the Forbidden Artifact Tribunal’s ability to collect bodies. They wouldn’t miss a single Metahuman body.

Qing Chen and Shendai Yunhe, one C-Class and one A-Class—both under the Forbidden Artifact Tribunal’s jurisdiction.

Li Changqing turned to Lao Shijiu: “Send professional divers to search. Also, have Qingshan Fortress expand the search area. Tonight is our best chance to find Qing Chen, before Shendai Yunhe catches up to him again!”

Then, she turned to He Jinqiu: “Thank you. I can continue to be your ally on the Hu family’s board of directors. I owe you one.”

He Jinqiu shook his head: “While I love business dealings, Qing Chen is also a member of Nine Provinces, so you don’t need to thank me.”

Li Changqing paused, looking at Zheng Yuandong and then He Jinqiu: “Which organization is Qing Chen from? How did he end up with the entire Outer World?”

Zheng Yuandong and He Jinqiu’s expressions became subtle…

...

...

He drifted in the darkness for an unknown length of time and distance.

It felt like a century.

In a daze, Qing Chen sensed fish in the underground river approaching and testing him.

He mustered his remaining strength, releasing golden electric arcs to repel them.

This worked, and the greedy shoal swam away, continuing to follow him from a distance, never giving up.

Is Shendai Yunhe dead?

Qing Chen wasn’t sure.

Will he die?

He wasn’t sure.

After some time, Qing Chen’s body began to overexert itself from maintaining the golden electric arcs.

The wounds Overlord Newt had inflicted were constantly aching. Old and new injuries flared up after the intense battle.

Fortunately, Metahumans have powerful self-healing abilities, and the bleeding had gradually stopped.

Suddenly, light appeared at the end of the river, faint, yet like a beacon in the darkness.

The rush of water pushed Qing Chen out of the river. fгeewёbnoѵel_cσm

It was a gray valley. The river split into four or five tributaries here, flowing in different directions.

Qing Chen was pushed to the bank of a pool.

He lay there helplessly, unable to even move a finger, his eyelids too heavy to lift. He could only hear beasts slowly approaching, their footsteps heavy and numerous.

“Damn it,” Qing Chen inwardly chuckled. Escaping the wolves only to fall into the tiger’s den?

He thought he had escaped death, but he was still doomed.

Oh well.

He was tired.

Let it end.

But before the beasts got close, human footsteps approached—the sound of stiff boots on the soft stones of the bank. The sound was characteristic of military boots with metal plates.

Qing Chen was too dazed to think much. He didn’t know who this person was, why they were here, or what they intended to do.

He only knew that Shendai Yunhe didn’t wear such boots.

Then, the sound of cutting meat and the roar of beasts echoed through the valley.

The slicing sound was like a tailor’s shears cutting through thick leather.

In a few breaths, the beasts were dead or dying.

The person crouched beside Qing Chen, chuckling lightly: “You’re really hurt. It’s good I was here, or you’d be dead. Remember who I am next time, and go easy on me.”

Then, the person blindfolded Qing Chen, preventing him from seeing their Face[-].

Although Qing Chen was dazed, he was sure he’d never heard this voice before.

It was a stranger.

But why would a stranger rescue him in this remote place and be wearing military boots?

Voices can be disguised. The words spoken were not necessarily true.

Moreover, the person’s footsteps gave Qing Chen a strange feeling.

Roughly estimating their strength, judging by the speed at which the person killed the beasts, this was definitely an expert. Qing Chen couldn't have done it that quickly.

The person took out an injection and jabbed it into Qing Chen’s neck, joking: “You definitely won’t die now. A life-saving serum diluted from divine blood. It’s a shame to use it on you. I wonder if I could secretly inject half a dose for myself without getting caught… Forget it, better not risk it. Rest for a while. There are no more beasts around. I need to track down that old fellow Shendai Yunhe and see if I can kill him.”

After saying this, the person left.

Left…

Qing Chen was even more puzzled. The person came, gave him a life-saving injection, and left?!

What was that?

Soon, many footsteps echoed through the valley, dense and hurried.

Qing Chen drifted off to sleep. Before falling into darkness, he heard someone say: “Report, sir. The target has been found, alive. But… no trace of Commander Shendai Yunhe.”

“Alright, we’ll take the target to the north to rendezvous. Arrive at the extraction point within 20 minutes…”

A calm voice came from the communication channel: “Rendezvous and depart immediately. The northern escape route has been opened. Take the target directly to the secret military base.”

“Understood.”

…

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