Chapter 577: Distance II (1/2)

Chapter 577: Distance II

Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation

There were two wild animals fighting. They looked like panthers, but with a small patch of white hair on their forehead. Rui Bing and Sang Kan had never seen such a strong panther. These two were deep into the fight, too absorbed to notice the two human observers near them.

They were strong and quick, leaving holes in the ground wherever they fought. Even rocks around them were vulnerable. Just a single swipe from their paws could smash the rocks into pieces. The panthers dashed around like heavyweight mechs, shaking the ground beneath them.

One of the panthers was flung against a cliff. Huge rocks rained down from above, kicking up a cloud of dust everywhere. Through the dust, Rui Bing and Sang Kan heard roaring from both panthers, and the sound of rocks crushing. The low rumbling sounds of impact were terrifying.

Both panthers were facing off against each other in a fierce battle, but Aried was still snoring lightly on Sang Kan's back.

To their surprise, the fight between the two leopards did not end conclusively. After a stalemate that lasted for minutes, both animals left the field simultaneously.

When they were far away, Sang Kan heaved a long sigh of relief. ”What powerful animals! Even back in the Archipelago, we don't see many that are so strong. Additionally, they look intelligent.” The Sang Tribe was experienced in fighting wild animals. They had a better understanding of wildlife than normal people.

Sang Kan was complimenting the panther animals. He had seen many wild creatures, and hunted almost all of them, but never had he seen such powerful panthers. The Sang Tribe had always respected strong creatures. Of course, this did not mean they would hold back when fighting against said creatures.

Rui Bing said nothing. She was still nervous from their encounter with the two strong panthers. They had extraordinary strength and speed. Their intelligence made them terrible foes to deal with.

The two panthers also made Rui Bing and Sang Kan more nervous, despite having left the purple mist.

They advanced more carefully. Even though there did not seem to be many of these panther animals, who knew what other creatures lived here?

The long mountain ranges were interspersed with barren and green mountain peaks. This phenomenon did not scare them. Back in the Archipelago, there were much scarier things like strong gravity regions. Besides, there was nothing much they can do except to move forward.

They moved quickly but carefully, for fear of drawing the attention of native wildlife. These creatures could survive despite living near the red-tailed beasts. It showed how strong they were. They must be extra careful now, moving in the territory of these unknown creatures, or suffer the consequences.

Fortunately, with the dense foliage around them and Sang Kan's experience as a hunter, their problem of food and water was promptly solved. Sang Kan could always find some tasty wild fruits or other food sources for them. Rui Bing and Aried, both inexperienced in surviving in the wild, enjoyed their food.

They dared not build a fire to grill meat, to avoid attracting the attention of strong wild creatures. Those two panthers they encountered earlier would have been enough trouble to deal with, even with Rui Bing's Guardian. Besides, Aried could hardly defend himself. If it was just Rui Bing herself, she would not have needed to be so careful.

The mountain ranges stretched further than expected. They could only see mountains all around them. Every time they crossed one mountain, another would come into view. Fortunately, they did not encounter anything stronger than the two panthers they saw earlier.

Their journey was long and uninteresting. They crossed the mountains day after day for three months, but still remained within the mountainous region. The weather changed unpredictably, being stormy in one moment, then windy in the next. Even Sang Kan was wet all over, much less his teacher, Aried. Rui Bing, however, had Guardian to shield her.

Soon, Aried fell sick, perhaps due to the rain. This put their travels to a halt. Aried was old. It would be dangerous if he was left untreated for too long. Since they had no medication in hand, Sang Kan had to find suitable plants in the forest to treat him.

Aried's temperature fluctuated wildly. He was now barely conscious. Rui Bing and Sang Kan worried for him. They found a cave and settled down.

…

Ye Chong kept a firm hand on the stronghold's expansion. The students took turns going out to seek battle, and the results were apparent. As more and more real combatants were produced, the overall battle capacity of his army increased significantly. From the highest casualty rate of 20 percent at the beginning, they were now able to reduce their casualty rate down to nearly zero. The students got more and more used to fighting. However, there were now only 4700 students left in the stronghold.

Currently, there would be students heading out for battle every day. They would bring back with them the animals that they hunted. The wild game was delicious, much tastier than the basic nutrition in the stronghold. As a result, the students became more motivated to head outside for battle experience.

With the aid of the improved Hummingbirds, exploratory work into Darkniss progressed quickly. For now, Ye Chong had already increased the coverage area by 125 times compared to when he first started. However, the operation had also cost Ye Chong more than three thousand improved Hummingbirds.

Ye Chong did not find the spatial window to Western Frost, but he did find the one that led to Northern Lands. This was an important discovery, as it would directly affect the future of the stronghold.

The war between Eastern Cloud and Western Frost did not extend to Northern Lands. Ye Chong had already found seven shooters in Darkniss, and he had held them all captive. Without fighter aircrafts, the shooters were defenseless against their mechs.

Life in the stronghold was structured. Even though it felt a little dull to some of the students, most of them were happy with their current situation. They were living the dream of their lives, achieving greater strength through their own hard work and earning respect from other people.