Chapter 150 Why Are You Here Too?

Chapter 150 Why Are You Here Too?

What!?

Fang Ran froze instantly.

He stared at the screen for a while, still unable to believe his eyes.

DT332?

He subconsciously raised his head, slowly scanning his surroundings again.

Tall, dense trees, low, lush shrubs, moss-covered rotting logs and stones...

The seemingly ordinary forest exuded an eerie strangeness everywhere.

Had he… returned to this mysterious place again? What was Cui Ming and the others’ purpose in sending him here?

In his daze, the system’s map automatically opened.

Although this area hadn’t been fully explored during the last mission, every place the sentry had traversed was recorded.

The map showed it was a spruce forest.

Fang Ran zoomed in on the map, finding not only a terrain overview but also notes left by the sentry at the time.

"Note 1: The magnetic field is peculiar, capable of blocking terminal signals and even suppressing a sentry's levitation ability."

"Note 2: The spruces in the forest have mutated; they are adept at camouflage and deception, easily disorienting people."

"Note 3: Newbies needn't bother. Sentries below A-class should be prohibited from entering."

"Noted by: Sentry 97, 3S-class"

"......"

So this was indeed the forest that had trapped Fu Zhangzhou and the others.

Fang Ran recalled the events from that time.

In this forest, Shen Ke went missing and was later rescued by Zheng Mingyu along with Wen Qi...

It all seemed to have begun in this very place.

No.

It was too dangerous to stay here.

He had to find Fu Zhangzhou first.

The sensation in his Spiritual Sea earlier indicated that the sentry must be nearby, at least within the same area as him.

This thought brought him some reassurance.

Fang Ran cautiously stood up.

He began to follow the map’s directions, heading towards the outskirts of the forest.

The forest was eerily quiet.

The wind gently swept through, rustling the leaves and branches among the trees and flowers.

Sunlight filtered through the tree canopy, its shifting patches swaying slowly.

It was a scene of apparent tranquility, yet it sent a chill down his spine.

Those mutated creatures seemed to be lurking behind this stillness, silently watching him.

Fang Ran could only brace himself, nerves taut, and slowly move forward.

Suddenly, faint, rustling sounds reached his ears.

Swish, swish, swish...

He couldn’t help but stop.

It sounded like… footsteps on dry leaves and twigs?

Was it a person… or one of those things?

Fang Ran’s heart skipped a beat. He immediately turned, ducked behind a large tree, and crouched down.

After observing for a while, the small path remained empty.

Only a few leaves occasionally drifted down.

Was it just an illusion caused by his overly tense nerves?

He let out a slight sigh of relief, about to stand up.

Just then.

A slight weight settled on his shoulder as a hand suddenly rested there.

"Guide Fang Ran."

The person’s voice was very soft, very light, like a demon’s whisper, echoing faintly in his ears.

Fang Ran shuddered, a chill slowly creeping up his spine, making his head buzz.

Someone was behind him?

"Guide Fang Ran."

The person called again, "Guide Fang Ran, is that you?"

Fang Ran froze, a question forming in his mind.

Someone he knew? And the voice sounded somewhat familiar...

Summoning his courage, he slowly turned around and immediately gasped.

Although the light under the trees wasn’t abundant, he could still clearly see the person’s face.

Wen Qi!!?

Wen Qi, who had been missing for over ten days, was standing right in front of him, safe and sound.

Wen Qi was still wearing the center’s guide uniform, though it was somewhat wrinkled.

His face was pale, with a few scrapes on his forehead. He spoke softly, and there was a hint of fear in his eyes.

"Guide Fang Ran, what are you doing here too?"

"Were you also captured by those people?"

Fang Ran was stunned for a moment, then slowly stood up.

What was this person talking about? Wasn't he the one who got captured?

"Guide Wen Qi, weren’t you the one captured by the Raiders?"

Wen Qi’s face also showed confusion. "I’m not really sure either."

"That day in the rooftop garden, those masked sentries rushed us. I wanted to hide, but Shen Ke... he suddenly appeared."

"It was him... who pushed me towards that group."

Fang Ran couldn’t help but frown.

Strange.

This person’s account was completely different from Shen Ke’s.

Shen Ke had said he tried to save Wen Qi but was kicked away by the Raiders.

But according to Wen Qi, it was Shen Ke who pushed him?

Who was lying?

"Guide Wen Qi, where have you been these past ten-plus days? Weren’t there several other guides from District 5 taken with you?"

Fang Ran scanned the surroundings again, confirming that only the two of them were nearby.

"Where are the others? Where are they?"

"Ten-plus days?" Wen Qi looked stunned. "You mean it’s already been over ten days?"

"I just woke up this morning. When I woke up, I found myself alone in this forest."

He shook his head, looking dazed, and touched the scabbed wound on his temple, as if he genuinely had no idea what had happened.

"There’s no one else..."

"Just now... I heard footsteps over here, and when I walked over, I saw you."

"Guide Fang Ran, did you come looking for me? Or are you here for a mission? What exactly is this place?"

Fang Ran watched him silently.

His expression showed no flaws, yet many things didn’t add up.

Wen Qi implied that he had lost memory of the past ten-plus days and appeared here for no reason...

Was that possible?

But he himself had also fallen into a fissure and arrived here completely unharmed.

"..."

"I... ended up here by accident too."

Fang Ran chose his words carefully, omitting the actions of Cui Ming and the others earlier.

"Fu Zhangzhou and the others are nearby. They should be here soon."

"Really? That’s good." Wen Qi nodded, looking relieved. "So, do we stay here now? Or go to a safe place first?"

Fang Ran had originally planned to leave the forest to see if he could restore communication and contact Fu Zhangzhou and the others. But now Wen Qi had suddenly appeared...

He couldn’t figure out this person’s situation.

If what he said was true, then with both of them being guides in such a perilous place, they wouldn’t stand a chance if they encountered mutated creatures or Raiders again.

But if this person was lying, then he had another agenda. Acting with him would be even more dangerous.

Just as he was deliberating, rustling sounds came from around them again.

Fang Ran quickly looked up.

A familiar figure appeared behind the distant bushes.