Beyond the Timescape

Chapter 12: Taboos of the Restricted Zone

Luan Ya’s eyes darkened with murderous intent at the Blood Shadow Squad’s blatant provocation. She shot a questioning glance at Captain Lei.

Captain Lei’s weathered face remained impassive. “Cross,” he ordered, his voice flat.

Cross didn’t waste a breath. He raised his longbow, drew the string taut in a single fluid motion, and loosed an arrow into the sky.

The projectile tore through the air with a piercing shriek. Like a streak of black lightning, it impaled the eagle circling high above.

A mist of crimson bloomed against the azure sky. The bird let out a shrill, agonizing screech before plummeting to the earth, slamming into the dirt right between the two rival squads.

Instantly, a man in the Blood Shadow Squad convulsed. He hacked up a mouthful of dark blood, his complexion turning a sickly, ashen pale.

It was his eagle. Unlike Luan Ya’s tamed hounds, this beast was tethered directly to his spiritual energy. The sudden severing of that connection triggered a brutal backlash, severely wounding him.

Killing intent radiated from the rest of the Blood Shadow Squad, but their captain held them back. He slowly rose from the dog’s corpse, ignoring Luan Ya to fix his gaze on Captain Lei.

Captain Lei met his stare with cold eyes.

The two leaders locked eyes for a long moment before each snorted in disdain.

“Let’s go,” Captain Lei said firmly, striding forward. Luan Ya and the others followed, with Xu Qing among them.

He could feel the deep-seated animosity between the two squads. Glancing back at the Blood Shadow Squad, he saw them waiting for Ma Si and Fat Mountain—two who would never appear again. Xu Qing remained silent, withdrawing his gaze as he trailed Captain Lei and the others, gradually leaving the camp behind.

The restricted zone seemed close to the camp, but the journey on foot took some time. After walking for over half an hour, they finally glimpsed the dark, sprawling forest in the distance.

From the outside, the restricted forest appeared boundless, its expanse unknown. It was midday, with intense sunlight, but the forest interior seemed like a separate world. Far off, they could see a storm gathering at the forest’s edge, with visible lightning flashing brilliantly, giving the entire zone an aura of mystery and danger.

Xu Qing observed all this silently as he followed. No one in the Thunder Squad spoke, but as they neared the restricted zone, he keenly noticed everyone’s muscles tensing, including his own.

When a bone-chilling cold washed over him, instantly dispelling all warmth, he knew he had entered the restricted zone. It felt as if all the familiar sights of the normal world had been erased.

The familiar, piercing cold awakened memories of the blood rain in the ruined city. He took a deep breath, his vigilance sharpening, instinctively gripping his iron spike tightly, just as he had in the ruins.

The difference was that the city lay in broken ruins, while here…

The trees twisted like vengeful ghosts, the muddy ground rotted like soil from the Yellow Springs, and the branches and leaves spread like claws blotting out the sky.

But the Thunder Squad was clearly familiar with this place. Carrying their weapons, they walked along a well-trodden path, each step deliberate. They skipped over spots that seemed normal and strode through areas that looked perilous. Other sections they avoided entirely, thus bypassing various dangers along the way.

Xu Qing followed closely, observing and memorizing everything.

He also noticed something odd: Captain Lei didn’t always lead. Sometimes Barbarian Ghost took the front, sometimes Luan Ya, with them alternating.

Their pace wasn’t fast, but aside from distant roars of ferocious beasts, the journey remained relatively safe. Even when poisonous insects appeared, they stayed away after Luan Ya lit a stick of incense.

After about an hour of silent travel, they stopped by a patch of mud and collectively sighed in relief.

Xu Qing watched as Luan Ya sprinkled some medicinal powder into the mud. Soon, a swarm of aggressive poisonous insects emerged. Unfazed, she waved her hand, scattering another powder that agitated the insects, causing them to disperse quickly and leaving the mud calm.

After this, everyone crouched down and began skillfully scooping up the mud to smear it over their bodies.

“Did you remember the details of the path?” Captain Lei asked as he applied the mud, gesturing for Xu Qing to do the same.

Xu Qing nodded, scooping up mud without hesitation. He glanced at Luan Ya, thinking she seemed knowledgeable about poisons.

“We skip areas where the leaves are severely withered but intact, indicating no beasts have passed—it means unknown dangers.”

“We tread directly on spots with beast droppings because animals instinctively choose safe areas to excrete, so it suggests no excessive hazards or man-eating quagmires.”

“As for the areas we avoid, it’s because of Barbarian Ghost’s nose. He’s sensitive and can smell the scent of dangerous mutated beasts. You’ll learn a lot on this journey; remember as much as you can.”

Xu Qing looked at Barbarian Ghost, who turned and grinned at him.

“This mud is from a place we discovered years ago, infused with shed skin from Night Lizards. Smearing it all over not only masks our scent but also provides some deterrence.”

“Ahead is our destination. To the north lies the Poison Dragon Pond. The restricted forest is divided into several areas by scavengers based on different terrains.”

“Poison Dragon Pond is one of them, but we’re not going there this time.” Captain Lei finished speaking as he completed his application.

Xu Qing had already finished. As he stood up, Cross, who had questioned his presence the day before, walked past and said coldly, “Watch your mutation points. The mutagen here is dense; stay alert. Once it exceeds the limit and you mutate, no one can save you.”

Xu Qing nodded, having long sensed this. He could feel the high concentration of mutagen in the restricted zone, though it was weaker than the peak levels in the city ruins. However, with his own accumulated mutagen, even just breathing caused a faint sting in the mutation points on his arm.

He took out a White Pill and placed it in his mouth, not swallowing it but letting it dissolve slowly.

Soon, everyone had finished smearing the mud. They exchanged glances and continued forward.

But the next part of the journey differed from before: their pace slowed further, and everyone drew their weapons.

Xu Qing scanned their weapons. Barbarian Ghost had a steel shield and a spiked club, Captain Lei wore gauntlets, Cross held his longbow, and Luan Ya produced a serrated dagger gleaming with a cold light.

A few days earlier, while staking out Fat Mountain, Xu Qing had gained other insights. With his sharp hearing, he overheard scavengers’ conversations and learned much previously unknown information.

For instance, regarding weapons, he now knew they were categorized as Dharma Treasures, Talisman Treasures, and Heavy Treasures.

Dharma Treasures were legendary and rare. Rumored to carry varying degrees of mutagen contamination, which increased with use and was extremely hard to cleanse, they were essentially non-renewable resources. Coupled with their immense power, they were exceptionally precious.

This gave rise to a special class known as Treasure Nurturers, often raised from childhood to dilute a Dharma Treasure’s mutagen with their bodies—something Captain Lei had mentioned before.

Besides Dharma Treasures, there were Talisman Treasures and Heavy Treasures. The former, though still uncommon, were more attainable compared to Dharma Treasures. The latter, Heavy Treasures, were common, typically crafted from special materials and usable even by ordinary people.

Xu Qing thought his iron spike might be a Heavy Treasure, and the weapons in the hands of those around him clearly fell into this category.

Time passed slowly as Xu Qing followed the Thunder Squad deeper into the restricted zone. Along the way, they encountered minor troubles, mostly handled by Barbarian Ghost alone. When stronger beasts appeared, Cross’s bow would shoot out.

As for Luan Ya, she primarily relied on her techniques, emitting an intimidating aura that caused approaching beasts to falter and grow sluggish.

Xu Qing also acted once, grabbing a venomous snake that shot from behind and crushing it.

After dealing with these incidents and observing that Xu Qing kept up without making any novice mistakes, Cross’s scrutinizing gaze softened, and he shared some experience.

“Kid, this restricted zone seems dangerous, but for us who’ve been crawling through here, it’s basically safe as long as we don’t encounter three situations. Remember these well.”

“The first is when unfamiliar mutated beasts from the deep zone come to the outskirts. This isn’t common, as we only operate in the outer areas. But if it happens, it’s extremely perilous because we only know the habits and abilities of outer-zone beasts. The restricted zone is vast, with diverse beasts and an endless array of bizarre abilities; a single slip-up means death.”

“The second is singing.” Here, Cross’s face showed apprehension. “There’s a legend in this restricted zone about singing. Those who hear it rarely survive, though I’ve never heard it myself. Among us, only Captain Lei has.”

Xu Qing looked at Captain Lei, who remained silent, merely glancing toward the deep zone with a hint of complexity in his eyes.

“Let me explain the third,” Luan Ya chimed in with a smile, looking at Xu Qing. “Kid, the third danger here is common: fog. When fog appears, it’s like going blind—you’re sure to get lost. It usually lasts a long time, and if you lose your way and can’t exit in time, trapped in the restricted zone, the corrosive mutagen will naturally increase, often leading to death.”

“But there are two ways to counter it: fire, or those with naturally strong or cultivated spiritual power. The former is a temporary fix; fire can dispel the mist in a small area and restore sight, but the fog is uncanny, and fire doesn’t last. The latter are rare, maybe one every few decades in the camp, and they usually leave quickly for better opportunities.”

“There’s a fourth danger: malicious ambushes by enemies,” Barbarian Ghost grumbled from the front.

Just as Luan Ya was about to speak, Captain Lei, who had been looking into the distance, suddenly changed expression and hissed, “Quiet!”

In the next instant, Cross drew his bow, Luan Ya’s eyes gleamed with a spectral light, Barbarian Ghost’s body swelled, and Xu Qing felt his hair stand on end. An intense threat emanated from the dark forest ahead.

Soon, ominous glints appeared in the darkness—pairs of eyes, cold and predatory, staring at them. There were many eyes.

As these eyes emerged, giant wolves covered in black scales, each the size of a water buffalo, slowly walked out. Looking around, there were at least dozens, with even more vaguely visible in the distance, likely numbering in the hundreds.

Each wolf emitted a rhythmic hum of spiritual essence around the second layer, causing Barbarian Ghost and the others to pale.

“Black-Scaled Wolf pack!”

“They usually live only at the border between the deep zone and the outskirts, not in this area. Why are they here?!”

Cross’s pupils contracted, and Luan Ya’s face turned somewhat pale. They knew all too well that while a single Black-Scaled Wolf was nothing, such numbers posed a severe test. Most critically, with the dense mutagen in the restricted zone, if their spiritual energy depleted too much, they’d have to absorb external spiritual energy to replenish it. During combat, there’d be no time to filter out the impurities, leading to rapid accumulation of mutagen and exponentially increasing mutation risk.

Xu Qing’s breathing grew slightly ragged under the immense pressure from the wolf pack.

“You all retreat first; I’ll hold them off for a bit,” Captain Lei said gravely amidst the group’s shaken spirits, stepping forward slowly.

A tangible ripple of power at least double Cross’s erupted from Captain Lei as he advanced.

The wolf pack paused, their gazes fixed on Captain Lei.