NOVEL WEB CHAPTER 161
The Spirit Tribe's gathering place was a considerable distance from Bear Mountain, situated in the opposite direction from Black Feather Mountain—roughly twice the distance between Bear Mountain and Black Feather Mountain. Under normal circumstances, Velo and Lu Ming wouldn't cross paths again anytime soon.
But in the treacherous Black Mist Zone, accidents were seldom truly accidental; their absence would be the anomaly.
Four days later, on the 64th day of the Black Mist Calendar, Velo and Fala were forced to halt their journey.
Ahead of them, a Level 8 Mortal Realm exotic beast was feasting on a mangled corpse. Such a scene was commonplace in the Black Mist Zone and wouldn't usually warrant a second glance from Velo.
However, something about the beast and the remains gave him pause. He scrutinized them carefully, a frown forming on his brow.
"It's a human?" he murmured, turning to Fala. "Look closely. That corpse appears to be human."
Fala squinted, quickly confirming her grandfather's observation. "Indeed."
Though the body was ravaged by the beast, faint traces of human features and physique remained. More importantly, the remnants of clothing matched the style worn by those in the Nanxiang gathering place.
With growing concern, Velo cautiously approached, emitting a brief burst of aura that startled the beast into fleeing. Examining the body more closely, he confirmed his suspicions. "It's definitely a human, one of the new generation of Tribulation Transcenders."
This location was a four-day journey from the Nanxiang gathering place, based on Fala's (Level 9 Mortal Realm) walking speed. This meant the Nanxiang people would not venture this far.
The presence of this body, therefore, hinted at a new landing point for tribulation transcenders—another group had either arrived or was about to arrive somewhere nearby.
The discovery shifted Velo's priorities. The possibility of encountering another group of tribulation transcenders was far more significant than securing Origin Power Skills for Lu Ming.
"We need to find this new landing point," Velo declared, a sense of urgency in his voice. "This could be our chance to regain the initiative."
Fala nodded in agreement, her eyes scanning the horizon. The Black Mist Zone was a vast and treacherous landscape, but this unexpected twist offered a glimmer of hope.
The journey to the Spirit Tribe's gathering place was abandoned. Velo and Fala changed course, their eyes set on uncovering the secrets hidden within this new territory.
Velo recognized a pattern—the tribulation survivors typically entered the Black Mist Zone in city-based groups. New York had been the first, Nanxiang the second, and there were bound to be a third, fourth, and countless others, until the Black Mist consumed Lu Ming's original world entirely.
The landing point for each group was random, and based on the timing of New York and Nanxiang's arrivals, the interval between each group seemed to be roughly a month.
With the current date being the 64th day of the Black Mist Calendar, it was highly likely that the fourth batch of tribulation transcenders had already arrived in the Black Mist Zone.
Velo stood before the human corpse, deep in thought. After a moment, he shook his head. "Let's continue our journey back home."
Fala, surprised, questioned, "Aren't we going to investigate this new landing point?"
Velo shook his head again. "No. Compared to dealing with other groups of transcenders, I believe the potential rewards of returning to our tribe are greater. I don't want to spread ourselves too thin."
"But we can mark this location and investigate upon our return," Velo added. "We can also share the news with them, which could be seen as a favor."
The potential reactions of the Nanxiang people to this information didn't concern Velo.
Fala, ever obedient, heeded her grandfather's words. They left the corpse behind, continuing their journey towards the Spirit Tribe's territory.
Unbeknownst to them, a scarlet eyeball emerged from the surrounding foliage, its gaze fixed on their receding figures.
After Velo and Fala vanished from sight, a rustle of leaves heralded the arrival of another figure. The newcomer had an East Asian appearance, short stature—barely 1.6 meters—and wore casual clothes and sneakers. His attire marked him as a typical Earthling.
The only unusual feature was the back of his head, concealed by his hair. A passing breeze momentarily lifted the strands, revealing a blurred, monstrous face beneath.
"Tsk, I'm a step too late," the man muttered, a hint of frustration in his voice as he watched Velo and Fala disappear. The corpse lay before him, a potential source of information lost.
The man's motives remained shrouded in mystery, but his interest in the tribulation transcenders was undeniable. The Black Mist Zone's secrets were far from being fully revealed.
The man's lament was spoken in Japanese, but another voice responded in the universal language of the Black Mist Zone, comprehensible to all intelligent beings.
"Not late at all, Yamamoto. In fact, you've arrived just in time."
Yamamoto furrowed his brow, scanning the nearby trees. A grotesque figure emerged from the foliage—a long, serpentine creature with no head, only a single red eyeball where its head should have been.
It was impossible to categorize this being. Slowly, it slithered towards Yamamoto Yuichiro, climbing up his pant leg and wrapping itself around his neck like a living scarf.
Together, Yamamoto and the strange snake watched the direction in which Velo and Fala had disappeared. After a long pause, Yamamoto spoke, his voice tinged with disappointment.
"I am a step too late. Had I arrived sooner, I could have witnessed Akazawa's demise and savored the taste of intelligent life forms within the Black Mist Zone."
As if recalling a delectable meal, Yamamoto extended his tongue, licking the corner of his mouth. Sharp, inhuman fangs gleamed between his lips, and his dual pupils glowed crimson.
He was not human. He was a zombie.
The strange snake's body quivered as it responded to Yamamoto Yuichiro in its own sibilant tongue. "Yuichiro-san, your bloodlust is quite strong. You've only recently evolved, and you're already contemplating devouring a Level 3 Physique Realm expert."
Yamamoto grinned, his fangs glinting in the dim light. "Is Level 3 so impressive? If I, Yamamoto Yuichiro, cannot even handle such a weakling, then the resources our Undead Clan has invested in me would be wasted."
The snake emitted a strange, guttural laugh. "Indeed, as a seedling favored by the Corpse God, it's only natural for you to overpower a Level 3 Physique Realm being at this stage... But let's not dwell on such trivial matters. There's something else you should be more concerned about than those two Spirit Tribe individuals."
Yamamoto's curiosity piqued. "What is it?"
"I overheard their conversation," the snake hissed. "They mentioned a gathering place for Tribulation Transcenders in the direction they came from."
Yamamoto's eyes lit up with predatory interest. "The Tribulation Transcenders' camp?! Are they the first batch from New York? The second from Nanxiang? Or perhaps the third from Mist City?"
It couldn't be the fourth batch from Tokyo, for the last living person in Tokyo now lay lifeless at his feet. From that point on, Tokyo was a city of the dead, populated solely by zombies.
The snake's laughter filled the air once more. "I'm not sure which batch it is. But would you like to investigate, Yuichiro-san?"
Yamamoto's smile widened, revealing his grotesque fangs. "I'm very eager to find out..."