Chapter 146: A Work Passed Down Through Generations (Patreon)

In the mountains north of the Hub, Saito and Little Chen crouched side by side between two cliffs, gazing out at a distant, out-of-the-way mountain path.

"Boss, can we really stake out a Landbreaker like this?"

Little Chen tilted her head and lowered the binoculars from her eyes, a note of doubt creeping into her voice.

They'd already been crouched here for over two hours. Forget spotting a single person — they hadn't even seen more than a few long-eared beasts.

As for that so-called mountain path, it was really just an obscure dirt track someone had cut long ago, now so overgrown with plants that it hardly looked like anywhere a person would ever come.

"Trusting the expert's word should be the safe bet."

Saito tossed a fruit over to Little Chen, then pulled out one still beaded with water droplets and took a bite himself.

The "expert" he meant was Rossi's older brother — Catello Wulfgard Luppino.

Compared to Rossi, who still carried a touch of childishness about her, this Wulfgard comrade fit the description of a pack alpha remarkably well: steady, sharp-edged.

"And besides, I don't think those Landbreakers are likely to take the usual roads."

Saito took another bite of the fruit, his expression thoroughly relaxed.

Endfield's Operators and the Syndicate's workers had already set up checkpoint after checkpoint along the main roads. If the Landbreakers wanted to slip into Valley No. 4 without anyone noticing, the mountain paths were their only option.

As for terrain as complicated as what lay before them now, that had been left to Endfield's sentry drones and two members of the Pack — their current goal, after all, was to track the Landbreakers' movements, not to start a fight outright. Gathering information was still the main task.

As for the two of them — officially here to investigate the Landbreakers' movements — the truth was simpler: neither of them could stand sitting idle on the Dijiang any longer, so Saito had talked Perlica into sending them down to help.

"But Brother Saito, even with all that said, I've got a bad feeling."

Chen Qianyu propped her chin on one hand, tossing the plump, juicy fruit up and down with the other.

"Oh? What makes you say that?"

Saito sat up straighter at that. Little Chen's instincts about matters like this were something worth trusting.

"Brother Saito, think about it."

"We were perfectly comfortable back on the Dijiang, and then one day, out of nowhere, we go looking for trouble by joining a dangerous mission — and on top of that, we split off from the main group to act on our own..."

Saito leaned back slowly without saying a word, settling into the blank, faraway stare of a man scrolling his phone alone on a subway car.

Little Chen didn't notice his silence. Instead, she raised a finger and pressed on, laying out her theory with total conviction.

"By how these stories usually go, what happens next is we get separated by some unavoidable twist of fate. Then I stumble onto the Landbreakers' plot and end up in a crisis, while you discover some mysterious hidden realm and get trapped inside, unable to escape for a while..."

"Stop, stop, stop!"

Saito's head was starting to hurt. He hurried to cut off Little Chen before she could continue.

"You... did you watch some cheesy movie these past couple of days?"

Chen Qianyu's story was so painfully formulaic that Saito felt he could practically finish the plot himself.

"How dare you slander an innocent woman out of nowhere!"

Chen Qianyu's eyes went wide immediately. Did Saito really take her for some clueless airhead? As if what she was about to say could possibly be that boring!

"Isn't the next part supposed to be that I find some mysterious treasure in the hidden realm, then show up just in time to save you when you're at your most hopeless?"

"Of course not!"

Chen Qianyu shook her head rapidly.

"What happens next is I let out a battle cry — Blood Sacrifice to the Origin God, skull offered to the skull throne — and mince eighteen Landbreakers finely into stew meat. Then, holding Nefarith's severed head high, I shout up at you—"

Chen Qianyu cupped the fruit in both hands, looking at Saito with a face full of reverence.

"Daddy, you can finally claim the throne!"

"......"

Saito's mouth twitched uncontrollably. For a moment he lost all power of speech — this plot was absurd beyond belief. What in the world was an "Origin God"? A god made of Originium?

Still, out of respect, Saito cupped his hands and asked, "May I ask which esteemed master wrote this masterpiece?"

"Oh, I dug it up a few days ago out of sheer boredom, from Endfield's archives. Apparently it's the work of some great director from Yan, back in the Terra era."

"Huh, what was that director's name again?"

Chen Qianyu scratched her head. She couldn't quite recall it — all that remained in her mind was the sheer shock she'd felt watching the film.

Whoa, movies could actually be made like that!

"Brother Saito, you don't like it?"

"Uh... it was, it was fine."

Though the plot had left Saito thoroughly stunned, out of respect he held back from criticizing Little Chen's taste to her face. He only quietly filed away a private resolution: never, under any circumstances, watch any work of art with Little Chen ever again.

But hearing Saito's response, Little Chen only grew more excited.

"Really? The archives have a bunch more of that director's works saved. We should watch them together next time."

"This—" Saito's expression went stiff, and he was just about to scrounge up an excuse to get out of it, when in the next instant his whole demeanor turned serious.

Seeing the change, Chen Qianyu let her smile fall too.

"Something's up?"

"Mm."

Saito nodded. He hadn't expected they'd actually stumble onto something.

On his Originium radar, a sizeable group was advancing from the far end of that rugged mountain path, heading straight for their position.

"About two kilometers out, at least fifty of them, carrying a large amount of Originium goods — probably a good deal of explosives too."

"And besides the Originium goods, I'm picking up something else. Something not good."

Saito's face was written over with disgust.

"Seems like what Rossi and the others heard wasn't all rumor."

That same sickening sensation — identical to what the Anchor had given him before. It was almost certainly tied to the Hyperdomain.

"Little Chen, notify Perlica and the Wulfgard right now."

"Got it."

Chen Qianyu immediately pulled up her Synchronizer panel and sent word to Perlica and the others.

Saito, meanwhile, called up his reactivated rapid-deployment system and armored himself in his weaponized power armor, the pitch-black longsword glinting with a cold, keen edge amid the forest leaves.

If these people slipped into Valley No. 4, the consequences would be unthinkable. They had to be stopped here, before that could happen.

"Brother Saito, notification's sent."

"Mm. Once Rossi and the others get here, we'll get ready to move."

"Got it."

Little Chen picked up her two longswords with excitement, clearly already primed for battle.