Transport vehicles were already prepared outside the academy. Emitting a soft blue light from their undercarriages, they hovered about fifty centimeters above the ground.
The inside of the massive metal cabins reeked of rust. The crowd filed in and took their seats.
Boom!
Amid a chorus of surprised exclamations and a sudden sensation of weightlessness, the vehicles took to the air, merging into the elevated 3D traffic lanes above.
"Three things..." Hu Xiang paced back and forth within the cabin, commanding everyone's attention. His slightly hoarse voice carried an aura of absolute lethal intent:
"First, obey orders absolutely. The world outside the city is not the academy, nor is it your home. I have the authority to immediately execute anyone who violates an order."
"Second, survival requires unity. Operating alone is strictly forbidden!"
"Third, the unexpected can happen anytime. Playing the hero is strictly prohibited!"
Su Chen noticed that countless students had already turned pale with fright the moment these words left Hu Xiang's mouth.
These were the exact same warnings written in the guidelines provided to them, even highlighted in red.
Hu Xiang emphasized again, "The outside is nothing like the inside. Even a single flower could harbor lethal danger. Any anomalies must be reported immediately. If your individual actions lead to the deaths of others, the compensation will be borne by your families."
Every single one of his words carried the scent of death and potent implications. A few students were already trembling uncontrollably. Hu Xiang shook his head inwardly; these kids were truly too sheltered.
His gaze casually swept over the boy named Su Chen, only to find him completely expressionless, not a single ripple disrupting his calm eyes.
'Truly fitting for a refugee. Words like this won't scare him.'
Hu Xiang harbored no prejudice against refugees; in fact, he believed that such unique experiences could be advantageous.
'It's just a pity he offended the wrong people,' he sighed inwardly.
Hu Xiang was a man of few words. After delivering his warning, he fell into silence.
The atmosphere in the cabin grew heavy, and for a while, no one dared to speak.
Zhou Zong and his lackeys had already formed their own little clique, which included Shen Ying'er, the exceptionally well-endowed girl, and a few others who hardly seemed like ordinary students themselves. At the very least, Hu Xiang's threats hadn't frightened them.
Because of the seating arrangement, it was hard to tell if Bai Fengxi was part of their group or if she was simply 'detached'.
"...In a while, Zhang Yunqing will be organizing a Nanfeng Academy Alumni gathering. I heard it might have connections to Yingfeng..." Zhou Zong suddenly brought up.
Although they were seated quite far apart, Su Chen's mental perception was extremely sharp, allowing him to hear it clearly.
The people gathered around Zhou Zong looked eager, especially Shen Ying'er, who leaned in intimately, frequently hinting at her hope that he could pull some strings for her. Zhou Zong, however, merely deflected her advances with vague answers.
Not long after, the transport vehicles came to a halt. As soon as Su Chen disembarked, the massive city wall filled his vision.
It was over ten meters tall, constructed from a type of black crystal that faintly emitted white light, stretching left and right almost as far as the eye could see.
This was the Morning Star Stone. Su Chen sized it up.
Hu Xiang was currently conversing with an officer stationed at the city gates. Naturally, they wouldn't open the main gates for a simple patrol group, so they were led to a smaller side gate instead.
Despite being called a 'small' gate, it was still three or four meters high.
"Get ready!" Hu Xiang barked. With a distinct click, the small gate slowly swung open, allowing a sudden rush of frigid air to seep in.
Everyone's hearts tightened as they couldn't resist peering out through the crack at the outside world. Su Chen was no exception.
It was currently daytime, meaning it was the "Day Mist" phase. The environment largely presented an ashen, greyish hue.
Ruinous, desolate, and rotted.
These were the words that instinctively sprang to Su Chen's mind. The visibility wasn't actually too poor; they could see quite far out.
"Move!" Hu Xiang shouted, taking the lead and stepping out. The others followed closely behind, filing out one by one.
Boom!
A massive tremor shook the ground behind them, making everyone's hearts skip a beat. The city gate had closed.
"Mom..." someone's voice quavered. Surrounded by endless fog, the fear in their hearts seemed to magnify infinitely.
"Look back every 10 to 15 paces. If anyone is missing or if you notice anything unusual, report it immediately," Hu Xiang issued his first command.
Bai Fengxi suddenly dropped back to Su Chen's side. Turning her head slightly, she whispered, "Zhou Zong shouldn't be in this batch. His intentions are likely malicious. Be careful."
Su Chen looked up at Bai Fengxi's delicate profile. His mind felt extraordinarily active, and a strange sensation washed over him.
It wasn't affection or attraction, but rather...
'The feeling of a Professional.' Su Chen's eyes widened in astonishment. This woman had already assumed her profession so quickly?
Amid the panic and anxiety, the group gradually marched deeper into the wilderness, and Nanfeng City behind them slowly faded into the fog.
The fog appeared rather ordinary, and extensive research over the years had confirmed that it posed no direct danger.
However, it possessed the ability to block various communication devices and even suppress mental perception. Su Chen could already feel its effects; normally, he could roughly sense his surroundings within a ten-meter radius, but now, that range had shrunk to a mere three or four meters.
Su Chen reached out his hand, passing it through the thin mist. Hu Xiang occasionally pulled up a holographic screen, utilizing a specialized device to lock onto their coordinates and maintain their direction.
"Careful!"
Suddenly, a loud shout erupted from the front, accompanied by a subtle tremor running through the ground. Thanks to his Void-Rending Warrior trait, Su Chen acutely felt the flow of the fog rapidly accelerate. A shadow faintly materialized within the misty haze ahead.
Roar—
A deafening beastly roar resounded, striking terror into everyone's hearts. A black silhouette abruptly lunged out of the fog, accompanied by a nauseating rush of bloody wind and terrifying black bristles.
It was a massive wolf. Su Chen saw it clearly. The students practically broke rank and fled. The ambush was too sudden, and they had never experienced such a brutal, feral situation before.
Su Chen's eyes narrowed slightly. From the corner of his eye, he saw Bai Fengxi's expression turn deadly serious. With a flick of her wrist, a metal disc expanded across her forearm, swiftly forming into a small shield.
Su Chen could hear her slightly hurried breathing as her expression grew increasingly grave. With a subtle shift in his footing, he swiftly retreated and ducked behind Bai Fengxi.
Beside him, Bai Fengxi was utterly dumbfounded.
"Boom!"
At that exact moment, a streak of fire tore through the air like a descending meteor, plunging precisely into the black wolf's body. Waves of flame curled into the air as the giant wolf convulsed, pinned dead in its tracks mid-lunge.
"Get the hell back here!" Hu Xiang leaped atop the giant wolf's body and surveyed his surroundings with a sweeping gaze.
'Another intimidation tactic...' Su Chen wasn't surprised in the least. With this man present, it wasn't their turn to show off.
The City Patrol guards had formed a defensive formation at the very first sign of danger. The students were a pathetic sight, some even cowering on the ground, shivering uncontrollably. Yet, not a single one had managed to escape the guards' line of sight.
Hu Xiang observed them secretly. Only a handful had barely managed to maintain their composure. The only one truly worth noting was that girl; there was a faint hint of madness in her eyes, suggesting she was actually prepared for a life-and-death struggle.
'A Professional?' He raised an eyebrow in surprise. Reaching down, he grabbed the crimson spear lodged in the giant wolf's skull. With a flick of his wrist, the metallic spear collapsed inch by inch, shrinking to the thickness of an arm before he slung it onto his back.
The surrounding crowd gradually calmed down, Though everyone's legs were still shaking like jelly, none of them daring to look directly at the wolf corpse on the ground.
Zhou Zong felt his heart hammering wildly against his ribs. It took an immense amount of effort just to force his body to move again.
'Why use a Mutant to scare us this time? Haven't they always deliberately let a few people wander off in the past?'
"Headcount," Hu Xiang ordered. Bai Fengxi retracted her shield.
Only then did Hu Xiang notice Su Chen peeking out nervously from behind Bai Fengxi.
The cold-blooded tough guy couldn't help but feel his eyelid twitch slightly. He had clearly seen Su Chen deliberately dart behind Bai Fengxi to hide just moments ago.
'Incredible. No wonder someone wants him dead.'
"You're in for a treat tonight," Hu Xiang called out to his men, motioning for them to begin butchering the massive beast.
"Boss, what's going on? You didn't even give us a heads-up that you were gonna use a Mutant to scare these little brats," one of his subordinates grumbled in a low voice. "You gave us a fright too."
"I just wanted to see what you guys were made of. Is that a problem?" Hu Xiang cast him a sidelong glance, causing his subordinate to chuckle awkwardly and scurry away. Yet, Hu Xiang looked off into the distance with a trace of worry, before looking down at the holographic screen in his hand.
No one had informed him about this, either.