Chapter 128

Half a year had passed, and this was the first time Shan Ming had left the base. As he took another breath of fresh air, he felt a sense of being transported to a different world.

They first flew to Aksu Military Airport, enduring a flight of over six hours in a military transport plane. Each person sat on a small, magazine-sized hard stool, and after landing, they all felt sore and achy in their backs and waists. Lily hung on Oriole’s neck, coquettishly complaining about various aches and pains, making Oriole feel completely helpless. His face turned as red as a tomato, desperately trying to pull her arm away. He first called her “Lily”, then “Comrade” next, and finally called her “Honey” before Lily finally let him go.

Yang Guan, who was accompanying them, said with a mixture of envy and jealousy, “Where did this fool’s luck come from? Huh? Where?”

Oriole could only giggle in response.

Ayer glanced at them with a hint of envy, then turned his gaze to Tang Tingzhi, who still had an expressionless face. He couldn’t help but sigh.

Seeing Ayer looking uncomfortable, Tang Tingzhi thought it might be due to the high altitude here and that he wasn’t accustomed to it. He asked, “If you’re feeling unwell, shall I prescribe some medication for you? You’ll get used to it in a few hours.”

Ayer furrowed his brow and glanced at Tang Tingzhi. “No need.”

Tang Tingzhi said earnestly, “This is your first encounter with high-altitude climate after becoming a Dragon Blood Kin. If you experience any reactions, make sure to inform me promptly. How about this? Report to me every hour.”

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Gula takvvle bkp vllvb yde pyke, “Ps usw sdzu byhl Paytsd Jzsse Ikdp sd uswa xkde yzz vbl vkxl? Tyhl usw lhla vbswtbv ycswv yduvbkdt lzpl? Wsa lmyxrzl, xl?”

Mydt Mkdtgbk ypjle kd nsdqwpksd, “Gald’v usw yzps y Paytsd Jzsse Ikd?”

“Ebyv kq R oypd’v?”

“Gula, uswa yppwxrvksd kpd’v hyzke. Wkapvzu, kv’p y olzz-lpvyczkpble qynv vbyv usw byhl clnsxl y Paytsd Jzsse Ikd…”

“Fbwv wr,” Gula takvvle bkp vllvb, tyhl bkx y tzyal, yde vwadle vs oyzj yoyu.

Mydt Mkdtgbk pvsse pvkzz qsa y xsxldv, vbld vssj swv bkp dsvlrye yde rld, qzkrrle vs y dlo czydj rytl yde pvyavle oakvkdt cakpjzu, fsvvkdt esod psxlvbkdt.

Ekvb pbyar lulpktbv, Fbyd Ykdt tzydnle nypwyzzu yde nywtbv pktbv sq Mydt Mkdtgbk esnwxldvkdt Gula’p xsse yde vblka nsdhlapyvksd vseyu.

Fbyd Ykdt oyp vyjld ycynj yde nswzed’v blzr cwv ypj, “Ebu yal usw alnsaekdt vbkp esod?”

While continuing to write, Tang Tingzhi explained, “After humans evolve into Dragon Blood Kins, they often struggle to adapt to their new character in the first few years. Emotions become more sensitive, and they may develop a sense of exclusion among humans due to being different. I need to understand Ayer better.”

“Do you track and record every Dragon Blood Kin?”

Tang Tingzhi shook his head, “He became a Dragon Blood Kin because of me and didn’t get a choice. I feel responsible for him.” He showed Shan Ming the front page of the small notebook, where the name Ayer Mauri was elegantly written. Tang Tingzhi flipped through the notebook with a somewhat proud tone, “I’ve been keeping records for half a year now, but please don’t tell him. He’ll get angry.”

Shan Ming gave him a look as if he was looking at a monster. From Tang Tingzhi, he saw a glimpse of a teenager secretly writing a diary about their crush’s daily activities. It was somewhat unsettling because Tang Tingzhi approached it with such a studious attitude.

Tang Tingzhi tucked the notebook into the inner pocket of his coat and calmly proceeded to organize everyone’s rest and the meeting.

After dinner, the local officer provided them with a detailed briefing about the mission and the targets they were tasked to eliminate. Additionally, they were assigned two local Uyghur guides to assist them.

After a night of rest, they boarded a Liberation truck and set off towards the mountainous area the next day. The first few kilometers had paved roads, but as they went further, the terrain turned into rough dirt roads. The surroundings became increasingly desolate, with uneven ground that caused the vehicle to jolt violently. Several people on the truck ended up vomiting due to the bumpy ride. However, the two local guides seemed unperturbed by the conditions and maintained a cheerful demeanor, even engaging in lighthearted conversation.

After a grueling journey of seventeen hours, the truck finally arrived at their destination.

This area they had reached was already a border zone, known for being the most rampant stronghold of the East X separatist forces. With a sparse population and harsh environment, countless soldiers sacrificed their lives every year to defend the peace and unity of their motherland. Within a radius of over 300 kilometers, there were hundreds of villages, big and small, scattered around. The East X bandits specifically targeted these smaller villages, often resorting to inhumane acts such as massacring everyone just to steal a few sheep.

After resting for a few hours at the People’s Liberation Army camp, they took the opportunity to observe the recent activities of those bandits and eventually devised a route for pursuit, planning to track along this route.

After resting, they divided into three groups and embarked on the mountainous off-road journey, following the designated route.

On the first day, they made no significant progress. The off-road fuel consumption was too strong, and by the second day, they had depleted their reserves of fuel. They had no choice but to take a detour to the nearest location where they could refuel. The majority of the space inside the vehicle was occupied by barrels of gasoline.

In the late afternoon of the second day, just after they had finished their lunch, they received a message from the camp that the group of bandits had recently been spotted approximately sixty kilometers away from their current location. They were instructed to immediately rush to the reported area.

They drove at the fastest possible speed towards the designated area, and upon arrival, they met with the village policeman. The policeman informed them that the group of bandits had indeed been seen in the vicinity. However, due to the large number of dogs and villagers in their village, they didn’t dare to approach. They had originally planned to fight to the death, but the elders in the village advised them to release the sheep. In the end, a dozen or so sheep were set free and that group of bandits left chasing after the sheep.

Right now, the village was brightly lit, filled with cries, curses, and people kneeling on the ground repeatedly kowtowing to the heavens. Although they couldn’t understand the language being spoken, they could imagine the profound fear in the hearts of these simple folk.

They borrowed several dogs from the village and set off in pursuit of the group of bandits, following the direction they had taken.

They carefully examined the sheep manure along the way, allowing the dogs to continuously track the scent and determine the direction. Finally, in the early hours of the morning, around five o’clock, they caught up with the group of bandits who were eyeing another village.

Tang Tingzhi instructed everyone to take cover and continue waiting.

Yang Guan asked, “What are we waiting for?”

“For them to launch an attack on that village.”

“The higher-ups instructed us to eliminate them completely, didn’t they? Why do we need to catch them in the act for evidence?”

“No, we don’t need evidence. What we need is to find a way to intimidate other members of the East X organization who are still planning to commit robberies and home invasions.”

“How?”

“After they enter the village, you guys transform into Dragon Blood Kins and go in without weapons. Keep a few of them alive. It’s fine if people see you. These individuals and the local villagers are uneducated and highly superstitious. They will interpret you as the retribution of those criminals. This kind of ‘legend’ will spread quickly.” Tang Tingzhi outlined the plan.

Crow chuckled and said, “So, we’re supposed to play the role of demon spirits sent to deal with these wicked people?”

Tang Tingzhi nodded. “Yes, make sure you act convincing.”

Yang Guan glanced at the two local guides with a skeptical look. “What about them?”

“Knock them unconscious and keep them inside the vehicle.”

Crow turned around and headed toward those two individuals.

They waited for nearly an hour, and as dawn was about to approach in another ten to twenty minutes, the group of bandits finally made their move. Armed with AK47 rifles, they stormed into the village.

“Let’s go.”

All four Dragon Blood Kins rushed out, heading straight toward the group of bandits.

Tang Tingzhi, Shan Ming, and Lily chose to hide in the distance and watched the show.

Each of the four individuals had scales of different colors. Ayer’s scales were the lightest, a pale purple color, while Crow’s were the darkest, a grayish-black hue. However, in terms of mobility, Yang Guan was the most experienced and adept at unleashing the potential of his Dragon Blood genes. The four Dragon Blood Kins all had wings spanning half a meter in length and thick tails, they suddenly descended from the sky during the transition from night to day. From a distance, they really do look like messengers from hell.

The village erupted into long and mournful screams that pierced the dawn sky, sounding particularly horrifying.

The battle lasted for less than ten minutes, with most of the time dedicated to their performance. They intentionally let three of the bandits escape before returning, covered in blood.

All the lights in the village were lit as the villagers came pouring out, creating a scene of utter chaos.

Tang Tingzhi made a phone call to report the incident, and then the group quickly evacuated. However, they didn’t go far, they set up camp and rested in a mountainous area about twenty kilometers away.

Yang Guan asked Tang Tingzhi why they didn’t immediately return, but Tang Tingzhi simply replied that there were other instructions from the higher-ups.

During the night watch, Shan Ming asked Tang Tingzhi in a low voice, “Can this really lure out Zhao Qingling?”

“Let’s just give it a try. I left plenty of traces along the way. She is an exceptional special forces soldier, as long as she wants to find us, she will definitely be able to.”

Despite the others’ confusion about their prolonged stay, they trusted Tang Tingzhi’s command and obediently followed it. The provisions of food and water they brought were sufficient for several days, eliminating the immediate need for resupply.

On the third day, in the early hours of the morning, a little after 2 o’clock at night, Shan Ming and Ayer were sitting by the bonfire. They were engaged in casual conversation, talking about various things. Suddenly, Ayer stood up, alert and cautious.

Shan Ming also stood up and asked, “What’s wrong?”

“The scent, there’s a different scent.”

“What different scent?”

Ayer lowered his voice and said, “The scent of the Dragon Blood Kins. It’s not coming from them three. It’s nearby.”

Shan Ming’s eyes scanned the surroundings, and at that moment, the other three Dragon Blood Kins crawled out of their tents. They looked nervous and exclaimed, “What’s going on? This scent is too unusual. How could there be a Dragon Blood Kin here?”

Upon hearing the commotion, Tang Tingzhi emerged from his tent as well. He commanded, “Everyone stay put. Ayer, Shan Ming, and I will go have a look.”

Yang Guan spoke up, “Colonel, let us accompany you. We don’t know the intentions of the other party. What if they are after you?”

Ayer said, “I’ll protect him.”

Before Yang Guan could say anything else, Tang Tingzhi interrupted him, saying, “Yang Guan and Oriole, stay on watch. The rest of you, remain here. The three of us will go, and if we need backup, we will notify you immediately.”

After finishing his words, Ayer immediately began chasing after the faint scent. Shan Ming and Tang Tingzhi followed closely behind.

They understood that the other party was intentionally luring them. The scent of the Dragon Blood Kin couldn’t be completely masked, but it could be obscured by a stronger scent. Since the other party showed no intention of concealing it, they were clearly waiting for them to approach.

As Shan Ming thought about the possibility of meeting Shen Changze’s mother, a strange feeling welled up inside him.