Chapter 280 - 267: Gained Sentience
After a moment’s hesitation, Qi Xiang and the others all turned to look at the Mutated Rat King.
Although the creature looked shifty and unlikable, it had become remarkably perceptive since it started following Gu Xi and never made a sound without reason.
"Gu Xi..."
Gu Xi suddenly stood up and walked outside.
Stunned, the others quickly got up and followed her toward the exit.
Soon, the group walked out of the abandoned commercial street and arrived at the surface exit.
Nourished by the silent drizzle, the mutant plants they had cleared out not long ago had already grown back to completely conceal the entrance.
The moment Gu Xi approached, the plants covering the entrance acted as if on command, silently parting to the sides like a receding tide.
Without breaking her stride, Gu Xi soon reached the surface.
It was noon, but the sky was a gloomy gray, the clouds hanging oppressively low. Despite the rain, the air was hot, and the fine drizzle seemed to sizzle into steam the moment it touched the ground.
The water vapor drifted like a thin veil on the wind, shrouding the entire mountain forest in layers of mist.
Perhaps it was because the clouds hung so low, but Qi Xiang felt a stifling sense of oppression.
The sudden feeling made her very uncomfortable.
She subconsciously edged a few steps closer to Gu Xi.
As she did, Qi Xiang noticed that the raindrops were veering away from Gu Xi, as if an invisible umbrella was sheltering her.
Qi Xiang glanced at Gu Xi in surprise but said nothing, only inching a little closer to her side.
"What’s that smell?" ’It’s sickeningly sweet.’
Qi Xiang suddenly covered her nose and mouth, her brow furrowed slightly.
A breeze swept through the mountain forest, carrying a faint, indescribable scent. It drifted into everyone’s nostrils, making their heads spin and their limbs grow stiff.
Wei Heng’s brow tightened. He held his breath. "Be careful. This smell..."
Nearby, the others had already pulled out gas masks. They were the ones Gu Xi had given them when they first entered the underground commercial street. Thankfully, everyone had kept them handy.
Wei Heng: "..."
After silently putting on his gas mask, he looked up in the direction the smell was coming from.
That direction... was exactly where Ye Junhan had been heading earlier.
A faint worry grew in Wei Heng.
Gu Xi’s gaze traveled past the gloomy sky, as if piercing the void to land upon some unknown entity.
’...It’s here.’
’The little thief that parasitized the crooked-neck tree and secretly hid my Xidao.’
’But how did it run into Ye Junhan and his group?’
Gu Xi quickly expanded her perception, trying to contact the perfectly evolved form of Unknown No.1.
Her intuition told her there had to be some connection between the little creature that had been following her, seeing her as one of its own, and the little thief that wanted to hide her blade.
Strangely, however, no matter how she tried to call out to the little creature, her perception remained completely blank.
"This smell... do you think Mr. Ye’s group... could have caused it?" Qin Yi asked, hesitant.
"It’s hard to say." Qi Xiang, being something of an expert, explained, "Some creatures have special reactions when faced with mortal danger. For example, mutant skunks will release a foul gas, electric falcons will discharge high-voltage electricity, and plants usually bloom ahead of schedule..."
"So you’re saying this smell could have been released by a powerful mutant animal, or perhaps a blooming mutant plant?" Qin Shi calmly summarized from the side.
Qi Xiang nodded. "Very likely." ’But I can’t rule out a man-made cause, either.’
Just then, the walkie-talkie on Zhao Li’s shoulder crackled to life with Yang Liu’s voice. "Zhao Li, are you guys okay? A strange smell suddenly appeared here at the camp. Fang Rui says this stuff can likely paralyze the nervous system..."
"We’re fine."
Hearing Zhao Li’s voice, Yang Liu on the other end clearly breathed a sigh of relief.
The strange smell had drifted over from the direction of the commercial street. Since Gu Xi and the others had just wiped out a large number of infected there, Yang Liu had instinctively assumed the smell originated from their location.
Now, upon learning that wasn’t the case, Yang Liu exchanged a few more words with Zhao Li before quickly ending the call.
Learning that the smell had reached the camp and that people were already affected, Qin Yi gasped. "Just how powerful is that thing? You don’t think something happened to Mr. Ye and his team, do you?"
For the smell to travel so far, get diluted by the air, and still affect people back at the camp meant that its source, whether a mutant animal or a mutant plant, had to be incredibly powerful.
And since there had been no word from Ye Junhan’s group, it was highly likely they had run into it...
Gu Xi, however, didn’t think so. ’The little thief that wanted to hide my blade might not be that powerful, but it’s silent and formless, making it nearly impossible to guard against.’
She thought for a moment, then turned back to Wei Heng. "Ye Junhan and his team have probably run into trouble. I’m going to provide backup."
"By yourself?" Wei Heng raised an eyebrow, clearly disapproving.
Qi Xiang quickly grabbed Gu Xi’s arm. "Gu Xi, why don’t we all go together?"
She paused, and before Gu Xi could say anything, she raised three fingers on her right hand beside her head as if taking an oath. "Don’t worry, I definitely won’t hold you back."
The Qin sisters exchanged a look and quickly chimed in, "Neither will we." Before he left, Mr. Shen had repeatedly instructed the two of them to stick close to Gu Xi.
This was not the time to let Gu Xi out of their sight.
Zhao Li and Zhang Wen also quickly declared, "We’ll go too."
"No need." Gu Xi refused, her reason direct and simple. "I’m faster alone. You all... head back to the camp and meet up with Yang Liu’s group. Once I find Ye Junhan, I’ll bring them back."
Zhao Li froze for a second. ’So, what she’s saying is that we’d just slow her down.’
Qi Xiang and the others didn’t seem to find anything wrong with her statement, but Zhang Wen and Zhao Li looked at each other. "...?"
Gu Xi had a nagging feeling that something was wrong. The intelligent lifeform that had been following her this whole time, always active in her perception, was now playing dead.
She gave Wei Heng a few quick instructions, then shot off into the distance.
After a long moment, Wei Heng withdrew his gaze and looked at the others. "We should get going, too."
"Go where?" Qi Xiang asked him, pulling an umbrella out of her cloth bag.
Wei Heng was about to say they should head back to camp and meet up with Yang Liu’s group when Qin Shi suddenly spoke up. "I think we’d better follow her and see what’s going on."
"I think that’s a good idea," Qi Xiang agreed with a nod, opening the umbrella and moving to the Qin sisters’ side.
Wei Heng hesitated.
Worried that their captain might be in trouble, Zhang Wen and Zhao Li also silently sided with the women.
Wei Heng: "..."
’Fine. In truth, he wanted to follow her, too.’
There was just one problem.
Gu Xi was too fast, and with the rain, any tracks she left would be quickly washed away. They only knew her general direction... even if they chased after her now, they might not be able to find her.
"That’s easy to solve." Qin Shi looked serious as her gaze fell on the Mutated Rat King, which had straightened up and adopted an arrogant air the moment Gu Xi had left. "We have it, don’t we?"
"It?" Zhao Li followed her gaze and frowned slightly. "It can track Gu Xi?"
Zhao Li was skeptical.
"Well, we’ll find out if we ask it, won’t we?" Qi Xiang walked over and gently nudged the Mutated Rat King, which came up to her calf. "Can you find Gu Xi? If you can, give us a squeak."
The Mutated Rat King: "..." ’Damn it, trying to get me to work for free again.’
’Now that the terrifying woman was gone, it had no intention of indulging these two-legged beasts.’
The Mutated Rat King narrowed its beady red eyes, shot the group a disdainful glance, then arrogantly turned around, presenting its plump rear end to them.
Qi Xiang raised an eyebrow. "Hah!"
After a moment of thought, she took out a piece of vine that had been conjured earlier. She dangled it and said, "I guess it can’t. Oh well. In that case, how about some roasted red rat for dinner tonight?"
"SQUEAK!" The Mutated Rat King’s little golden ears twitched. ’Hold on, did she say roasted *sweet potato* or roasted *rat*? She’d better make herself clear!’
The others: "...!"
’This thing really is sentient, isn’t it?’