Book 3 Chapter 22.6 - The Ignorant Don't Feel Fear
That same night a vehicle fleet was currently moving along a rugged road, slowly heading north. This group of vehicles was made of three loading trucks and three armed off-road vehicles. In the boundless wilderness, this vehicle fleet was just like an ant on a night walk, appearing extremely insignificant.
The off-road vehicle at the very front suddenly came to a stop. Su got off the vehicle and looked into the darkness with a frown. Just now, a hint of fear suddenly fluttered past his mind. Su who had experienced who knew how many cycles of life and death knew that this was a sign of extreme danger.
Even though the vehicle fleet was still within the Black Dragonriders' central region of control, even if they were inside Dragon City, there was no guarantee of nothing unexpected happening, let alone in this desolate and uninhabited wilderness.
Li Gaolei walked out from the rear and asked, "Leader, why did we suddenly stop?"
Su frowned. His eyes narrowed as he gazed into the endless darkness. That vague feeling of alarm continued to linger about. This feeling of danger was extremely weak, and it appeared intermittently. However, the source was extremely clear, hidden just a bit ahead in the darkness, as if something was coldly watching this vehicle fleet.
Su's expression gradually became grave. "There seems to be someone waiting for us up ahead."
Li Gaolei also looked into the darkness, but he immediately gave up. Not even Su with his eight levels of perception ability could confirm anything, so there was no way he, who didn't even have four levels of perception ability, could notice anything.
The feeling of danger became more and more clear. This type of feeling was dark, cold, and moist, most likely coming from a member of the trials division. This urged Su to act decisively. "Have the vehicle fleet stop by the side of the road and set up a defensive position. Increase precautions and prevent anyone from closing in on our fleet. I am going ahead to take a look."
Li Gaolei unexpectedly noticed that while giving these orders, Su seemed to be exerting a faint chilling energy from his body. This was a perfectly disguised killing intent; if not for the fact that Li Gaolei had followed Su for a while, he wouldn't have been able to notice anything either. Li Gaolei suddenly remembered the first time he met Su. Back then, Su's power wasn't all that outstanding, but a few innate abilities and the wilderness environment allowed his combat strength to increase substantially. However, he wasn't invincible.
What about now?
Li Gaolei looked around the dark wilderness. Under this type of environment, even if there were ten of him, they would all still be easily killed by Su, right? Since the day he met Su, Su began to increase his own abilities at an incomprehensible rate. After a few more years, would this man who continuously rushed into battles to repay his debt end up standing at the top of the Blood Parliament?
As Li Gaolei walked towards the vehicle fleet, Su suddenly called him to a stop. He gave Madeline who continued to remain inside the off-road vehicle a look, and then said, "Protect her."
"I got it, leader." Li Gaolei nodded.
Even though Li Gaolei didn't understand this girl's history, he was quite clear on the fact that she occupied an extremely important place in Su's heart, to the extent where it might even surpass Persephone. Li Gaolei wasn't confident in Li's chances in her intangible battle against Madeline. Li Gaolei understood that this was also the reason why Su asked him to protect Madeline. If Li was the one in charge of this task, there might be some negligence, and this would also bring harm to Li herself.
Su carried the electromagnetic rifle on his back, and then he sprinted forward. The enormous rifle had long been wrapped in cloth. Not only did this cloth absorb energy, it also had the effect of absorbing electromagnetic waves. Otherwise, anyone would be able to discover Su's position from a dozen or so kilometers away.
As he watched Su's figure disappear into the darkness, Li Gaolei didn't know why, but he suddenly felt a trace of unease. He shook his head, casting all of the restlessness out. He himself entered Su's off-road vehicle and brought the vehicle fleet to the side of the road, concealing it properly. Then, they occupied the surrounding advantageous topography.
Madeline's posture didn't change this entire time. Even when the defensive position was completed, she continued to sit in the off-road vehicle without getting off.
That night, time seemed to go by especially fast. In the blink of an eye, half an hour passed. Su seemed to have blended into the darkness, yet to send any messages back.
Li Gaolei who was sitting behind a broken wall felt more and more anxious, and his breathing became rougher and heavier as well. He caressed the multi-purpose rifle at his side, but this murderous weapon with tremendous firepower couldn't bring him any feeling of comfort. A thick and heavy energy seemed to pervade the air, making him feel as if there was an enormous rock weighing down on his chest.
Li quietly reached Li Gaolei's side. Suppressing her voice, she said, "I feel a bit uncomfortable, as if something is currently watching us."
Li Gaolei knew that this extremely pure girl's intuition would occasionally be terrifyingly accurate, and this was in addition to the fact that he himself felt a bit uneasy. However, in front of Li, he laughed as if he had a card up his sleeve, saying, "Of course there's something not right, or else why would leader have us stay here in defense? Don't worry, leader already went after it. Did you forget? The darkness and wilderness have both always been leader's domain. I have yet to see leader be at a disadvantage under these types of conditions."
Li nodded, and then she felt slightly better. Extreme perception abilities, freakish concealment skills, and the incredibly powerful electromagnetic rifle made Su the king of night. Even if someone were plotting against the vehicle fleet, since Su already personally went after them, that person would definitely have to pay some price.
However, anyone that could make Su chase after them for half an hour couldn't be considered simple either. In the wilderness terrain, Su's running speed was actually much faster than that of off-road vehicles. Half an hour was enough for him to chase several tens of kilometers.
The wait was excruciating. Li and Li Gaolei would occasionally exchange some words at first, but as time went on, even the two of them sank into a state of silence.
An hour had already passed. Where did Su go? Why was there not even a bit of contact?
During this long and difficult wait, Madeline's expression suddenly changed. In a low voice, she said, "Someone is coming!"