Chapter 2: Mutants (Part 1)

The three of them entered the large tent at the brigade headquarters, which was already filled with the captains and squad leaders of various squads. Qian Rongyao was still sitting on that large wooden stump. When he saw Guo Shier and the others come in, he nodded and said, “Alright, are everyone here?”
Qian Yiming, the captain of the First Squad, replied, “Lord Qian, everyone is here.”
Qian Rongyao said, “This is a routine meeting. As you all know, it’s our First Brigade’s turn for patrol today. We’ll start assigning tasks soon.”
“By tradition, the First, Second, and Third Squads are responsible for searching the central route, the Fifth and Sixth Squads for the left route, and the Ninth and Tenth Squads for the right route. The other squads will stay behind to defend the camp. Well, since it’s the Tenth Squad’s first time on a mission, Captain Yu should take extra care of them.”
Yu Lan, the captain of the Ninth Squad and a mid-level Spellmaster, was a middle-aged woman. She said, “Lord Qian, the Tenth Squad should stay behind, and the Eighth Squad should join us on patrol.” There was a hint of complaint in her tone, as if she didn’t want to patrol with Guo Shier’s squad.
Qian Rongyao replied, “The captain of the Eighth Squad is sick, as you well know. Without a captain, how can they go on a mission?” He then added, “Alright, get ready to set off. Captain Guo, stay behind for a moment.”
Guo Shier agreed and stood still with the three squad leaders.
Qian Rongyao said, “Since this is your first time on patrol, I’ll explain the mission to you. The main task of Camp 27 is to conduct regular patrols. If we encounter mutants… if there are few, kill them. If there are many… send an alarm signal immediately. Teams from other camps will come to hunt them. In that case, you don’t need to fight head-on; just return to the camp.”
Guo Shier nodded in agreement.
Qian Rongyao continued, “Mutants are easy to recognize. You’ll know them as soon as you see them.”
Guo Shier asked, “I have a question. Are mutants as skilled with spells as we are?”
Qian Rongyao shook his head. “They’re not as skilled with spells as us, but they’re born with certain spell abilities. Some of them are even beyond our control. However, their numbers are fewer than ours… Here are some materials specifically about mutants. Take a look for yourself.” He handed Guo Shier a talisman.
Only then did Guo Shier take his leave.

Mutants are a special race in this world. They resemble humans but are not humans. They have a human-like appearance, only much taller and stronger. What’s terrifying is that they are natural enemies of humans, especially for professionals. Among them, there are a few mutants who can strip professionals of their skills and incorporate those skills into themselves.

Among the mutants are the Aberrants—those mutants who have stripped professionals of their skills and eventually become Aberrants. These Aberrants are truly formidable; they can rival even the best among the professionals in terms of skill.

Guo Shieru broke into cold sweat. But soon he saw another passage. The souls of these mutants could be extracted by professionals, just like the souls of mutated beast tokens, to form Soul Beads. After certain processing, these Soul Beads could be used by professionals to enhance their spiritual strength.

From this perspective, the two sides were natural enemies, with little possibility of peaceful coexistence.

Last time, Guo Shieru had seen imprisoned mutants but hadn’t looked closely. The only thing that impressed him was their huge size; he hadn’t paid attention to anything else. At that time, he didn’t know that mutants and professionals were mortal enemies.

As he walked and read along the way, by the time he reached the 10th Squad’s camp, Guo Shieru had finished reading everything. He handed the token to Eagle Demon and said, “Uncle Eagle Demon, take a look. This world is really amazing—new mutants keep appearing. Maybe we’ll have to deal with them in the future.”

Eagle Demon didn’t look at it and instead put it in his token pouch. He said, “We’ll look at it on the way later, Shieru. You go and gather the team.”

Back at the camp, they immediately assembled the team. The team of over 200 people was assembled in less than 30 seconds, which satisfied Guo Shieru greatly. The team no longer showed any signs of laziness or listlessness; instead, it exuded a disciplined spirit and a strong will to act as one.

Guo Shieru said, “Alright, for this mission, I hope everyone can return! Remember, we are a team, not a bunch of scattered individuals! Let’s go!”

The group marched in neat rows toward the training ground.

Eagle Demon whispered, “Our main task is patrolling, not fighting. But this point system is damn annoying. Killing one mutant earns 10,000 points, which is a decent income for each member. But if we just report something, we only get 1,000 points for the squad, and 2,000 points after completing a patrol task. Isn’t this indirectly forcing them to fight to the death?”

Guo Shier had long known that the points earned from missions were very low. How many points could be gained from a mission entirely depended on how many mutants were found. If nothing was found, there would only be a meager 2,000 points, which would amount to a single digit per member. No wonder Eagle Demon was angry.

He said, “Let’s act according to the situation.” He was used to storing large amounts of supplies, and this time it finally came in handy. At least he felt at ease, as the supplies he carried would last for a long time. He didn’t care about points, even though points meant inheritance and advancement. But Guo Shier didn’t need those things—he just needed a chance, a chance to leave the Bo Yan Region.

If he could find a secret realm and enter some other continent, Guo Shier was confident he could break free from the control of the Gu Xi Long family. But right now, there was no such chance. He could only wait patiently and do his best to improve his strength, ideally reaching the rank of Great Sage.

They arrived at the sports field. A total of eight teams were scattered across it, with only Guo Shier’s Tenth Squad arranged neatly. Each squad formed a square formation, and the three squares together exuded a formidable presence that made people hesitate to underestimate them.

However, this formation was extremely strange—professionals here had never seen it before, and they pointed and discussed it curiously. Guo Shier didn’t care. He led the three squad leaders, standing upright like pines alongside his teammates. Especially Guo Shier and Eagle Demon, whose sharp gazes swept back and forth. When those professionals met their eyes, they quickly turned away, not daring to look at them.

Soon, eight flying vehicles descended—one for each squad. Qian Rongyao led the First, Second, and Third Squads into the front vehicle. Guo Shier’s Tenth Squad was on the last vehicle, and he led them in as well.

Once inside the flying vehicle, Guo Shier said, “This vehicle can only take us to the Zhao Mo Yuan area, where we’ll wait for our return. Sao Niu, how many times have you taken this route?”

Crazy Bull had resigned himself to this nickname and said, “Countless times. This route is difficult to navigate. There’s a strange airflow in the air, and even flying talismans won’t work. Only those above the rank of Sage can barely fly; others have to walk the whole way.”

Guo Shier was surprised. “No flying talismans? How is that possible?”

In the Chen Xiao Sect, even a spellcaster had flying talismans, and they weren’t difficult to create. Guo Shier couldn’t believe that some of his teammates didn’t have any.

Crazy Bull said, “Flight talismans have to be exchanged for points, or you can craft them yourself, but how can you find the materials in this damned place? That’s why many people don’t have flight talismans.”
Guo Shier asked, “How many people don’t have flight talismans? Raise your hands!”
After counting, Guo Shier found that over thirty people didn’t have flight talismans. He nodded and said, “When we get back, I’ll craft them for everyone.” Those without flight talismans cheered. By then, the flying vehicle had already taken off and was heading toward their destination.
After flying for half a day, the vehicle arrived at the destination.
The professionals from the Tenth Squad got out of the flying vehicle. Qian Rongyao had already set off with the First, Second, and Third Squads, and the team on the left route had also just left. Guo Shier’s Tenth Squad was responsible for the right route, along with Yu Lan’s Ninth Squad. Since Guo Shier’s flying vehicle was at the back, on the ground, aside from eight flying vehicles, only the members of the Ninth and Tenth Squads remained.
Yu Lan’s Squad didn’t wait for Guo Shier’s squad and set off right away.
Guo Shier shook his head. He realized there was no coordination here at all; almost every team was acting on its own.
“Sao Niu, is this Zhaomo Yuan?”
Crazy Bull replied, “Yes, this is Zhaomo Yuan. From here, we’ll soon enter a wide canyon, about a hundred li wide. We’re responsible for patrolling this canyon, which is called Suigǔ Gorge.”
Guo Shier asked, “Why are there mutants in this canyon? Where does it lead? How long is it?”
Crazy Bull shook his head. “I don’t know. This patrol route is predetermined; nothing else is specified.”
Guo Shier said with a bitter smile, “Damn it, we don’t know anything. What’s the point of this patrol?” After thinking for a moment, he added, “The Eagle Demon Squad follow me, the Crazy Bull Squad on the left, and the Ningxin Squad on the right. Move in groups and spread out!”
Crazy Bull and Ningxin led their squads to separate and move forward.
Guo Shier and Eagle Demon walked at the front of the group, chatting casually as they went. The area was extremely desolate. After about half an hour of walking, they saw towering mountains that reached into the clouds. They were just as barren and lifeless, with no plants on the steep peaks. The dark brown rocks resembled dried blood, and a wide canyon could be seen not far away.
Eagle Demon said, “This must be Suigǔ Gorge!”
Guo Shier nodded. “That’s right. It’s this canyon. It’s quite large… The weather here is really hot.”

Near noon, the scorching sun baked the earth, and the rising heat waves distorted the distant scenery. The temperature on the ground was extremely high; Guo Shier estimated it to be at least over sixty degrees. Fortunately, everyone was a professional, so they could tolerate such heat, though they were extremely thirsty.

As they approached the canyon, some scattered white bones appeared on the ground. Moments later, the squad entered the canyon. Guo Shier exclaimed, “How many creatures must have died to fill this place… so many white bones!”

The ground was covered with broken bones. As they went deeper into the canyon, the bones piled up, cracking underfoot with each step. Guo Shier said with a wry smile, “Broken Bones Gorge… truly apt, with bones everywhere!”

Suddenly, the Eagle Demon said, “My soul feels uneasy.”