443 Chapter 443: Human traces (2/2)
I shook my head sheepishly. ”Nope. I had to rely on your stealth device to mask my presence.”
Unfortunately, I had not reached the level of professional mercenaries yet. I lacked their Spartan training and other punishing regimens that they went through when they joined the Silver Wolves. I had a lot of catching up to do…granted, these professional mercenaries had several – or many, in some cases – years' worth of a headstart over me.
After posting sentries around the vicinity of the forest we currently resided in, Feng Hai then gestured toward Brown and his officers.
”Tell me what you found,” he ordered without any preamble. Brown nodded and stepped forward, projecting a hologram. It was a picture of the Belfrost Flower field, but other than that, I couldn't tell anything.
”We found tracks…human tracks. Evidence that someone had been here, picking Belfrost Flowers just recently. I would say three days, maybe four. They are no longer fresh, but from the absence of flowers in this patch, and here, it feels like there was a deliberate…picking of flowers. Not to mention we found several footprints in the soil. Faint, but still there.”
”That's good. So there's somebody in Yao Cai Mountains other than us.” I noticed that Feng Hai wasn't quick to instantly conclude that these belonged to Ling Dan. After all, the footprints could literally belong to anyone. While people rarely set foot here because of the dangers and monsters, that didn't mean there wasn't anyone foolhardy enough to try.
However, that presented a sort of dilemma. This could turn out to be a wild goose chase. We could follow those tracks, only to discover that they belong to another group of mercenaries, or a bunch of workers risking their lives to collect the Belfrost Flowers, and then having already left a few days ago after their job was done here.
Brown, fortunately, put paid to that suggestion.
”There are no signs of any vehicle tracks nearby, no immolation from the plasma jets of hovercraft, nothing…so we suspect that these pickers came on foot.”
”That makes it likelier that they may have something to do with Ling Dan,” Feng Hai mused as he stroked his chin thoughtfully. ”Do you know where they lead to?”
”Yes, sir.” Brown nodded sharply. ”The prints all lead southwest of here. At least the trail did. There were zigzags and detours here and there, but they all eventually lead in the general southwest direction.”
”Excellent.” Feng Hai beamed. Seeig his expression, I felt hope flare up inside my chest, and I was sure that many of the other mercenaries felt the same. ”It might not be much, but it's a start.”
”Should we scout ahead, sir?” Brown asked. ”We'll try to recover the tracks and reconnoiter ahead to see where they lead us to. It might be a trap.”
”You do that, but first…” Feng Hai raised his head and turned toward me. ”Richard. Can you send your Soul Beasts to do an aerial reconnaissance first? Have them all fly in the general southwest direction and get a visual.”
”Yes, sir.”
”If they were picking flowers here only three or four days ago and didn't have any transport, then they shouldn't have gotten very far,” Brent remarked thoughtfully as he rubbed his temple. ”Maybe they set up camp somewhere nearby.”
”Or maybe they parked their vehicles further down, in the valley of the mountains, or at the top, because they didn't want to accidentally ravage the field of Belfrost Flowers” Redfield grumbled sourly. He jolted when he noticed that everyone was staring at him, and frantically waved his hands. ”But it doesn't hurt to try, right?”
”I'll look out for any signs of vehicles, or landing scorches or whatever.”
”You do that.” Feng Hai nodded at me, and I shut my eyes. It didn't take me more than a few seconds to summon a flock of Corvus, and I sent them in the southwest direction. Unfortunately, my sense of direction wasn't the best, so I also summoned Pyxis. The Constellation compass appeared in my hand, pointing me in the right direction. Actually, I didn't even need to summon Pyxis because I had an in-built compass in my glasses, and at a thought-click I could bring it up on display on my lenses, but I felt as if I owed it to my readers to give Pyxis a cameo. That, and I just wanted to show off my knowledge of constellations (which was a major failure, given that I should have summoned Pyxis like several hundred chapters ago when I complained about my poor sense of direction).
”That way, huh?”
The flock of Corvus took off as one, their wings fluttering in the air as they soared high up. They sped toward the southwest, the rustle of their wings barely audible amidst the cricket cries and chattering of insects in the forest (thankfully not monster insects, or bugs that had not mutated because of the mystical energies that suffused the planet in the wake of Emergence events). I kept my eyes shut as I monitored the terrain below through their perspectives, trying to take in a much of the scenery as possible.
Fortunately, with a clear direction, I could send more of my Corvus out further. They soared over mountains and forests, sweeping their sharp gazes across valleys and plains, trying to look out for any sign of human encampments or transports, or at least signs of where their transports were. It was a long shot, but it was quite possible that these people were hired by Ling Dan himself to gather ingredients for whatever spirit mediine he was concocting.
Might as well try…an improbably lead was better than no lead at all.
”!!!”
It took another fifteen or so minutes before something caught my eye. Right at the foot of mountains, the distinct shape of a manmade structure stood out glaringly, its metallic surface gleaming in fierce contrast against the verdant scenery that surrounded it. There were people moving in and out of the structure, a bustling crowd that appeared to be ferrying cargo into the interior. Cargo that most probably possessed flowers and medicinal herbs, given the location.
Opening my eyes and grinning as tentative hope swelled up within my chest, I turned to Feng Hai and the mercenaries and reported the possibly good news.
”I think might have found something.”