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Novel: [Night Without Borders]
Chapter 48: [An Alternative Approach]
Author: [Chen Dong]
Translator: [Shadow Knight AK]
Editor: [Shadow Knight AK]
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The room was warm.
Initially, Old Liu did most of the talking while Qin Ming listened attentively.
Eventually, they both began brainstorming together.
Qin Ming was filled with anticipation and a hint of excitement.
In this dangerous environment, he yearned for his Third Awakening, desperate to avoid another harrowing experience of being hunted by Giant Beasts.
If he were strong enough, the people of Golden Rooster Ridge and the Three-Eyed Sect wouldn't dare treat them as expendable resources, sending them underground to mine.
Old Liu took a sip of water and said, "Once we enter the mountains, we must carefully observe the terrain and plan our escape routes before making any moves."
"Why do I sense you're not as confident as you seem?" Qin Ming asked suspiciously, worried that Old Liu might falter at a critical moment and cause problems.
"Caution is never a mistake," Old Liu replied. "We can't afford to lose. The place we're going contains rare Spiritual Substances and is extremely dangerous. Failure could cost us our lives."
Qin Ming grew more cautious. "Does Yinteng (Silvervine) Town have any explosives? Let's buy some!"
"Now that you mention it, you've given me an idea," Old Liu said. "We could consider those other locations as well."
It seemed he had alternative plans after all.
"Tell me about them."
"In the Great Mountain, near West Gully, there's a lake where a thrice-mutated old turtle lies dormant. Its entire body is a treasure trove, its blood brimming with Spiritual Substance. It's hibernating now. If we could dig it out while it's still drowsy, we could toss a explosive into its burrow. I think it might actually work!"
Old Liu grew visibly excited, almost ready to abandon their original plan and target the Spiritual Turtle instead.
Qin Ming tried to temper his enthusiasm, reminding him, "A turtle's shell is incredibly durable. A explosive might not even crack it. More importantly, the lake is vast. How would we even find it? Are we supposed to dig until the end of time?"
"You're right," Old Liu conceded, calming down. "Spiritual creatures are inherently stronger than other aberrants of the same tier. A thrice-mutated Spiritual Turtle would likely be impervious to explosives, especially since this species has long legs. When enraged, they can move surprisingly fast."
He shook his head, dismissing the idea himself.
The Spiritual Turtle had already undergone Third Mutation twenty years ago; it must be even more formidable now.
Qin Ming's expression darkened.
Sensing something amiss, he asked, "Old Man, are all these leads based on information from twenty years ago?"
"Don't worry, I'm not that unreliable," Old Liu retorted, shaking his head.
He then proposed another alternative: using explosives to scare the gibbons.
The massive blast would frighten the entire troop away, allowing them to raid the gibbons' lair for the Spiritual Substance.
Qin Ming stared at him with a peculiar expression.
"Why are all his plans so... unconventional?"
Old Liu said, "From the bottom of my heart, I'd love to wipe out that gibbon nest. They're utterly detestable!"
Qin Ming asked, "Old man, have you been bullied by these monkeys before? They're over twenty miles away, aren't they? That's quite a distance from here."
Old Liu pounded the table. "Protecting the people from harm—do you understand? In Emei Town, countless mountain travelers have had their prey stolen by gibbons, and some have even been dragged away!"
Hearing this, Qin Ming immediately knew Old Liu had personally encountered the gibbons and still harbored resentment.
"I don't think that's reliable," Qin Ming said. "What if we fail to scare them off and instead provoke their aggression? They'd chase us all over the mountains—that would be disastrous. Gibbons are notoriously vengeful creatures."
Old Liu countered, "While not foolproof, it's still feasible. Thirty years ago, someone created a massive diversion to lure the Mountain Tiger away from its lair, then successfully raided its den. It's a similar strategy."
"That's intense! Seriously impressive!" Qin Ming couldn't help but exclaim, realizing the Mountain Tiger was even more formidable than the old bull of Wild Bull Ridge or the old bear.
Old Liu shook his head. "The Mountain Tiger holds grudges. Even though it wasn't as powerful back then, it was still incredibly ferocious. Three months after the incident, it stormed into Yinteng (Silvervine) Town in the dead of night and tore those two apart."
Qin Ming, who had just been impressed by the pair and his mind buzzing with ideas, was now forced to calm down.
"I think all these alternative plans are unreliable. The first option—going into the mountains—is still the best."
As they stepped outside, they saw people from Golden Rooster Ridge entering the village.
Their mounts—Ground Chickens— were too distinctive; only they used these ground chickens.
"Golden Rooster Ridge still has people left? How did they not all die in the Great Rift Valley?" Old Liu murmured.
The villagers tensed at their arrival.
Golden Rooster Ridge had once been a band of bandits, and even after being recruited into the government, their true nature hadn't changed much.
"We're here to gather information," a middle-aged man riding a Ground Chicken announced. "How many Awakeners are in your village? Come register them."
Everyone's hearts sank.
Were they here for revenge?
Everyone knew that nearly all the Golden Rooster Ridge and Three-Eyed Sect members who had entered the Great Rift Valley had been wiped out, while every single Mountain Person had escaped unscathed.
Given Golden Rooster Ridge's usual behavior, it was highly likely they would vent their anger on the Awakeners who had fled back to the surrounding villages.
Xu Yueping whispered, "They've been probing some of the larger villages since yesterday."
Qin Ming retorted, "What do we care if Golden Rooster Ridge's people couldn't escape? They were the ones in power, yet they couldn't even outsmart the oppressed Mountain People. Who's to blame but themselves?"
Old Liu sighed, "They won't listen to reason. That's just how the world works. If you're strong enough, even High-Tier Aberrant from the mountains might personally attend your weddings and funerals. But if you're weak, even monkeys will bully you on the mountain. People need to become strong."
He added, "Don't underestimate the old monsters deep in the Great Mountain. They have dealings with Chi Xia City's High-Ranking Figure. I heard it straight from the mouth of an old Mountain Patrolman I knew back in the day."
After registering, the two Golden Rooster Ridge members didn't linger and quickly departed.
"I bet they're looking to replenish their ranks," Xu Yueping speculated.
The crowd nodded in agreement.
Golden Rooster Ridge had suffered heavy losses and urgently needed to replenish its ranks with Awakeners.
Old Liu sighed, "Trouble's coming. Besides demanding recruits, they'll undoubtedly want money and supplies. Rebuilding their forces won't be cheap."
A heavy mood settled over the group.
The bandits of Golden Rooster Ridge had long oppressed the surrounding villages, and this situation seemed impossible to change.
As Qin Ming and Old Liu ventured into the mountains, their unease grew.
They cursed the people of Golden Rooster Ridge, denouncing them as nothing more than bandits, past and present.
"I wish we could wipe Golden Rooster Ridge off the map!" Qin Ming exclaimed.
"Watch your tongue!" Old Liu warned. "Someone might overhear you, and that would spell disaster."
"Oh, right. Grandpa, you mentioned that the High-Tier Lifeforms deep in the Great Mountain have close ties with the High-Ranking Figure of Chi Xia City. Is that true?"
Old Liu shrugged. "That's what some people say. I can't vouch for its accuracy."
"Then why did the Great Rift Valley massacre happen?" Qin Ming stared at the silent valley ahead, where countless humans and mutant creatures had perished three days earlier, the air still thick with the stench of blood.
"I suspect the mutant creatures siege of the Great Rift Valley might have been a tacit agreement between the High-Ranking Figure on both sides," Old Liu mused.
Qin Ming turned to him. "Why do you say that?"
"The number of mutant creatures in the Great Mountain has been steadily increasing, but their territory hasn't expanded," Old Liu explained. "Some of them needed to be culled. Meanwhile, the major clans of Chi Xia City have been growing rapidly in recent years. According to traveling merchants, each clan has its own monopolized industry. Direct suppression by the City Lord would be inappropriate. The Great Rift Valley massacre seems like a convenient solution."
"Grandpa Liu, you certainly have a vivid imagination!" Qin Ming remarked, glancing sideways at him.
"This old man traveled to Chi Xia City in his younger days and knows the place well. I've seen the world. If that Beast in the mountains hadn't shattered my foundation with a single claw, I wouldn't be in such a sorry state now."
The two continued walking, chatting as they went.
After venturing ten miles deep into the Great Mountain, Old Liu cautioned, "Enough talk. Once we're this far in, we shouldn't mention those ancient monsters lurking in the depths."
They walked further until they emerged into a primeval forest, eventually reaching the foot of a mountain.
"There's a Fire Spring hidden within this mountain," Old Liu said.
Only someone with his intimate knowledge of the Great Mountain would know about this place.
Moreover, Old Liu had already scouted the area and knew that the Fire Spring's glow had dimmed due to the mountain's geomagnetic disturbances—one of the reasons he chose this location for their operation.
A nest of Silverhead Ants thrived within the mountain, utterly dependent on the Fire Spring.
Without it, their activity would plummet in the bitter cold, rendering them sluggish and lethargic.
From the Blood Snake to the Spiritual Turtle, the gibbon, and now these Silverhead Ants, Old Liu consistently targeted unconventional creatures.
Yet Qin Ming had to admit these were indeed the best choices for their current situation.
Silverhead Ants were fiercely aggressive, their nests teeming with terrifying numbers.
Winter was the ideal time to confront them.
Another crucial factor: each nest could only have one Queen Ant. Though surplus Spiritual Substance existed to allow other Silverhead Ants to undergo Third Mutation, the Queen Ant forbade it.
"We'll need steel plates to protect our bodies," Old Liu said. "Armor alone won't suffice. A single bite from a Silverhead Ant won't kill you, but half your body will go numb for hours. If they swarm you, you'll be devoured alive."
These Silverhead Ants were far more formidable than the black ants Xu Yueping used for tea.
Ranging from the size of a baby's fist to that of an egg, they were relentlessly aggressive.
Their silver-striped heads gave them their name.
What makes these ants truly remarkable is their ability to brew honey wine.
They gather pollen, wild fruits, and even raid grain stores from the mountains, then harness the Spiritual energy of the Fire Spring to ferment a liquid that resembles both wine and honey.
They repeatedly extract the essence from the honey wine, allowing the refined liquid to ferment again, purifying it through multiple fermentations. This process eventually yields a unique Spiritual Substance—a pale golden liquid.
In major cities, honey wine brewed by Silverhead Ants commands astonishingly high prices, let alone the Spiritual Substance derived from the repeatedly purified essence.
Qin Ming and Old Liu followed a fissure in the mountainside, venturing deeper.
Qin Ming's scalp prickled with unease as they approached the dimly lit Fire Spring, swarming with massive ants.
Anyone with trypophobia would surely be overwhelmed here.
The silver markings on their bodies shimmered with a cold, metallic luster as they stood motionless.
The two retreated silently, beginning to survey the surrounding terrain and plan their escape route.
Over the next two days, they repeatedly entered and exited the Great Mountain, transporting all the necessary supplies.
"This is it—our final chance!" In the icy wilderness, their breaths formed white plumes in the frigid air as they prepared to act.
Qin Ming's mind churned with turmoil, not from fear or tension, but from the weight of his thoughts.
If they succeeded here, after his Third Awakening, fragments of his shattered memories would resurface.
What would he see this time?
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END OF CHAPTER
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