Even though Hu Chan searched and hunted actively, almost without any time to rest, even the cleverest cook cannot cook without rice.
Fifty kilometers away from the safe zone was, honestly, a bit too barren.
The small gods Hu Chan killed added up to earning Qin Siyang three or four thousand points, but neither of them felt much excitement.
Without finding Blood Moon Tarantula and Abyss Hounds, killing more small gods was nothing more than icing on the cake, with no real meaning at all.
The only gain was that Hu Chan found a nest of Blood Moon Tarantula.
Unfortunately, there were too few in this nest. It looked like leftovers after someone had already swept the place clean. There were only five in total. For one hundred identical point-value disc armors, this was nothing more than a drop in the bucket.
Who could always stay lucky and pick up treasure the moment they stepped outside?
Even if this trip ended up being a complete waste, everything was still within Qin Siyang's expectations.
Hu Chan had originally been very anxious, but seeing that Qin Siyang did not criticize him too harshly, he finally let out a sigh of relief.
Still, repeated disappointment did not discourage Hu Chan. Instead, he was even more excited and focused than when they first left the safe zone.
Because now even Qin Siyang no longer had much hope for the gains from this trip. If Hu Chan could hunt Blood Moon Tarantula and Corrosive Black Centipedes, wouldn't that be a huge surprise for Qin Siyang?
And if Qin Siyang was pleasantly surprised, maybe he would give him a surprise in return.
Thinking of this, Hu Chan urged again from the passenger seat, "President Qin, it seems we only have half a day left. We need to hurry up."
"I know, I know. You've been urging me over and over these past two days. I really don't know which of us actually needs the disc armor."
Qin Siyang glanced at the navigation map. They had arrived at another unfamiliar location.
"Let's try here. Search around a bit more. If there's still no gain this time, we'll head back to the safe zone."
"Don't do that. I can still squeeze in two more searches if I hurry! President Qin, don't worry, I can handle it!"
"I can't handle it," Qin Siyang yawned, "I haven't slept for two days. I'm really getting sleepy. I don't know if you took some pills or what, but you don't look sleepy at all."
Hu Chan hesitated, wanting to say something but stopping himself. In the end, he still couldn't change Qin Siyang's mind.
"Alright. I'll do my best."
Hu Chan once again climbed out of the underground drill cabin, leaving Qin Siyang alone inside to rest.
As usual, Qin Siyang idled away time in the driver's seat.
He waited for Hu Chan to determine the direction, then return to the drill cabin, after which the two of them would head together to the target location so Hu Chan could hunt the small gods.
After waiting for a while, Qin Siyang felt a bit hungry, so he went to the storage box to grab some food and drinks.
After eating and drinking his fill, he left the drill cabin again and dug a hole to take care of business for more than ten minutes.
After all this, at least half an hour had passed, yet there was still no news from Hu Chan.
Usually, Hu Chan would return to the drill cabin in about ten minutes.
"Could it be that we happened to stop right at a small god's lair, and Hu Chan found the god and killed it all in one go?"
"It's not impossible. I'll wait a bit longer."
Thinking this, Qin Siyang waited underground for more than another hour.
Only when he was yawning nonstop and feeling extremely sleepy did Qin Siyang realize that something was wrong.
Hu Chan was a sequence level five. Killing small gods was like killing chickens. Even if he ran into a small god's lair, two hours would be more than enough to clear it out and return.
His brows furrowed, 'Could it be that Hu Chan ran into some danger outside?'
'But even if he is in danger, Hu Chan should have found a way to notify me. How is there no movement at all for two whole hours?'
Qin Siyang let out a heavy sigh.
If Hu Chan did not even have a chance to cry for help, then the situation was extremely dire. The enemy creating this danger far surpassed Hu Chan in strength. Qin Siyang, who was not much stronger than Hu Chan himself, likely could not deal with it calmly either.
Should he go look for Hu Chan, or continue waiting in place and leave on his own if he couldn't wait any longer?
After thinking it over again and again, Qin Siyang finally decided to drive the drill cabin out to take a look.
After all, Hu Chan was helping him. If trouble arose, both emotionally and logically, he should not abandon him.
Qin Siyang immediately started the drill cabin and followed directly along the tunnel Hu Chan had drilled.
But just as he was about to exit the tunnel and reach the surface, Qin Siyang's gaze suddenly darkened. He slammed the accelerator to the floor and drove the drill cabin charging in another direction.
If there were enemies guarding the tunnel entrance, then he had to strike with surprise.
The instant he leaped out onto the surface, Qin Siyang quickly scanned the surroundings.
His gaze immediately locked onto one side.
Hu Chan, wearing armor, was sitting on the ground not far from the original tunnel entrance.
Qin Siyang did not go to Hu Chan right away, because with just a brief glance, he realized something was wrong.
Leaving aside why Hu Chan would be sitting at the tunnel entrance waiting for him to come out.
Just Hu Chan's sitting posture alone gave off something strange.
Legs crossed, back straight, shoulders open. Even with both hands casually resting on his knees, it still looked like a Buddhist or Daoist meditation posture.
For ordinary people, sitting like this was nothing special.
But Hu Chan was not an ordinary person. He was the Holy Son of the Zephyr Church.
If the Holy Son of the Zephyr Church sat like this on a regular basis, he would probably be deposed by the believers in minutes under the charge of "spreading heresy."
This absolutely could not be a posture Hu Chan chose himself.
There was definitely a problem.
At this thought, Qin Siyang slammed on the brakes and stopped the drill cabin. He did not immediately go over to pick up Hu Chan. Instead, he stayed at a distance, maintaining maximum alertness, and thought about what exactly had happened.
Just as he was hesitating and thinking, a faint glimmer of light streaked across the corner of his vision.
He focused his eyes and discovered it was actually a huge net woven from transparent fine threads, spreading out from the rear side of the drill cabin and casting down toward him.
'Enemy attack!'
Qin Siyang immediately changed direction and drove the drill cabin plunging back underground. He did not stop even after running for over a thousand meters.
Knowing how many bowls of rice he had eaten, avoiding danger both inside and outside the safe zone was his most important guarantee.
He did not dare to clash head-on with that silk net.
There was no doubt that Hu Chan was already under the enemy's control.
Even though Hu Chan was wearing tier 4 armor and was a sequence level five ability user, he had not been able to put up any effective resistance when the enemy attacked.
With such strength, Qin Siyang knew very well that he absolutely could not match it.
Of the Fifty-six strategies, retreat is best.
Vroom!
Qin Siyang stepped on the accelerator, and the drill cabin plunged straight back underground.
Moments later, Qin Siyang's figure completely disappeared along with the roaring sound of the drill cabin.
Only then did Hu Chan's body move slightly, and then, as if pushed by invisible air, he toppled to the side.
The transparent fine threads wrapped all over his body glimmered faintly under the starlight.
Then, the sand and gravel in front of Hu Chan suddenly bulged upward, and a figure drilled out from within the sand and stones.
This person shook off the fine sand and gravel on his body, revealing filthy, tattered clothing covered in dust.
Brown long hair, already in strands, covered his face, making it impossible to see his true appearance.
But through the gaps in the long hair, one could vaguely see a face even dirtier than his clothes, and a pair of puzzled eyes.
"He just ran away like that? That shouldn't be possible. He couldn't have sensed my aura, and even less could he have foreseen my method of attack."
[T/N: There's a monthly discount ongoing on my P@treon page for the next three days. You can get 20% off on your membership. Enjoy~
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