Blind Spot
Chapter 267 - 249 Ambush 1

Chapter 267: 249 Ambush 1

In the command center,

Li Chengyi watched as the Blind Spot team members fought incessantly outside. The golden rings of fire around them gradually faded. That was an abnormal phenomenon caused by the recent use of the Blade of Destiny.

Rainbow Candy had clearly adapted quite a bit since earlier, wearing the Fantasia Floral Armor, which significantly boosted her speed and strength. She leapt and flipped across the sandy terrain with extreme agility.

With the High-Frequency Oscillation Knife prepared in advance by the Sea Wolves, in close combat, it usually took only about a dozen seconds to deal with a giant lizard.

But the lizards were simply too numerous.

The three teams combined had nearly twenty people. Facing two to three hundred giant lizards, they were clearly being overwhelmed.

’These giant lizards cannot be naturally occurring... their flesh and strength are obviously bioengineered...’

Li Chengyi recalled the documents he had seen on Sutan.

Due to chaos, an ineffective government, and warlord separatism, life was cheap in Sutan, making it exceedingly suitable for some bio-experiments to be conducted.

Among them, biotechnology was led by the Noel Group, which was unrivaled throughout Sutan.

Li Chengyi sat quietly in the command center, assisting everyone in killing the giant lizards by controlling the vessel’s fire control system.

Occasionally, at critical moments, he would use Flower Language Technique, subtly controlling the situation within range and rescuing Blind Spot Individuals.

After a little over ten minutes,

the last giant lizard was brutally stabbed through the head and fell to the ground.

Alisa panted heavily, disengaging her blue exoskeleton armor to reveal her face within.

Her entire body was soaked with sweat; even the heat absorption and sweat-wicking functionality of the exoskeleton couldn’t keep up with the demand.

Four people died among the three teams working together.

All from within the Sea Wolves’ ranks.

As the elite forces sent on this mission, they had never anticipated encountering such danger right from the start.

What they considered advanced gear was easily torn apart by those giant lizards within moments.

"Just bury them right here," Alisa said, seemingly a changed person.

"Perhaps for Blind Spot Individuals, dying in reality might be a form of good fortune." She approached a body scratched beyond recognition, taking a token from it to keep as identification.

"Boss, it looks like this mission really isn’t like what we expected," Wang approached her and said.

"Yes," Alisa said with a calm gaze as if a hint of fire was brewing within.

"If I die, you’re the next boss. Remember that, alright?"

"And what if I die?" Wang asked.

"Then that’s your problem. I’m not your mom," Alisa said, impatiently.

Turning away, she boarded the transport ship again.

The remaining members of the Sea Wolves briefly allowed themselves to feel the loss before swiftly returning to normal—eating and drinking as though those who had just perished weren’t their own.

However, Rainbow Candy noticed on boarding the ship that they each carried the tokens representing their deceased comrades with them.

This seemed to be one of their traditions.

"Truly a team with strong resolve..." Lei Shan also noticed this scene and was slightly moved.

"To be here, either one is overconfident and mad, or prepared and powerful. Everyone is mentally ready," Li Chengyi lamented.

"Indeed," Lei Shan nodded.

"We need to speed up and try to reach our destination within two days. A quick battle for a quick resolution. This desert may harbor many hidden dangers," Li Chengyi reminded.

"Do your intelligence channels have any new information?" Lei Shan frowned.

"There is some," Li Chengyi indeed had received some data regarding the Sand Thieves from Qiong An’s side.

"The previous Blind Spot teams were attacked by Sand Thieves, and these giant lizards are likely their doing. There have been many casualties. I suspect they are filtering us out," he said solemnly.

"Filtering..." Lei Shan muttered to himself.

"Or testing as well. If we are too weak, they naturally won’t bother talking to us. If we’re strong enough, they might have a different attitude," Li Chengyi suggested.

His goal was to find Harns directly. And now, the clues to Harns and the Book of Record were both marked at the Black Road Oasis.

That core territory of the Sand Thieves was the key strategic location.

"So, do you have confidence we can make it through this stretch?" Lei Shan asked tentatively, looking at Li Chengyi.

Just starting out and they’d already encountered trouble with the giant lizards. They knew without guessing that what followed would be even more dangerous.

"If we don’t continue on, we’ll die sooner or later," Li Chengyi sighed. "Actually, I have a better idea."

"Oh? Let’s hear it," Lei Shan said evenly.

"Brother Lei, most of the Blind Spot Individuals who can make it to Sutan have experienced much life and death, are not afraid of difficulties, and have the will to seek life in the face of death," Li Chengyi spoke earnestly.

"Individuals like these, even just one in the military, would be elite. Yet here, due to inferior equipment and lack of proper training, they would simply be buried in the desert. So..."

"So, Brother Li, are you thinking of gathering everyone together as much as possible? I’ve heard that the Garden of Fate opened a company called Mingyuan in Yi Country, aiming to improve survival rates for Blind Spot Individuals within the Blind Spot?" Lei Shan mused.

"That’s right. We Blind Spot Individuals are ostracized by society, abandoned by our own families, with no one to rely on but ourselves and our kind. Why then don’t we unite?" Li Chengyi asked.

"Even if the Blind Spot could pull us in at any moment, even if we could disappear suddenly and die somewhere. But at least we’ve tried! We’ve struggled!"

His words stirred something in Lei Shan.

Those who form teams already share this sentiment. And those daring to chase the clues to escape the Blind Spot are people of great determination and ambition.

"Then how will you distinguish the unstable elements within the team? After all, it’s often difficult to tell the difference between the mad and the elite," Lei Shan asked.

"If a person isn’t driven to desperation, who would willingly risk their life like a madman?" Li Chengyi countered.

"....Well said!" Wang entered the command center from the side. "Our former leader had similar thoughts, but... he had only implemented half of them before he died in the Blind Spot. So first and foremost, we need to make sure we live as long as possible."

"Living longer... Who can confidently guarantee they’ll last long in the face of the Blind Spot?" Lei Shan sighed.

"Yes, if the leader himself is an unstable factor, a group will have no cohesion at all," Wang nodded.

"Then we rely on the system. We absorb people with the same ideas, then gather strength and maintain the rules of the Blind Spot circle," Li Chengyi said.

"And..." his eyes narrowed slightly, "among the Blind Spot Individuals, there are many people with various talents. Perhaps one day, someone who can live in the Blind Spot for a long time will appear."

***

***

***

While the Blind Spot Individuals were desperately rushing toward Black Road Oasis to seize the Book of Record.

Salin Urban District.

In front of the ruins of a collapsed house.

The setting sun cast long shadows.

The boy Paine stood quietly by the roadside, watching his mother kneel in the ruins, crying and covering her face.

The sun was fierce, but their hearts were extremely cold at the moment.

A minor warlord conflict half a month ago had led to the Salin Urban District being mistakenly bombed with about a dozen missiles.

One of the houses that were hit was his grandfather’s family’s home.

After they arrived here, they couldn’t get in touch with their relatives at all. When they found the address, they discovered that the place that was once home had completely vanished.

"Maybe I will end up being the longest-living member of the family," Paine thought to himself.

None of the other normal people had lived longer than him, a Blind Spot Individual.

He quietly held his father’s ashes, standing at the edge of the ruins, simply watching his crying mother.

"Excuse me, are you Paine?"

Suddenly, a gentle female voice floated over from behind him.

Paine silently turned his head and saw a beautiful woman with radiant blonde hair slowly approaching him.

She was dressed in a simple black women’s suit, her eyes filled with a hint of regret and sympathy.

"Who are you?" Paine asked.

"Remember the Magician who spoke to you on the plane?" the woman asked softly.

"??" Paine’s eyes widened. How could he forget? That mysterious Magician had performed tricks that he simply could not discern as mere magic.

"It seems you remember," the woman said, coming to stand beside him, also gazing at the ruins before them.

"He sent me to find you."

"Why?" Paine asked.

"Do you want to save your mother?" the woman countered.

"Can you help me?" A glimmer of hope shone in Paine’s eyes. His mother had a terminal illness and probably wouldn’t live much longer.

Besides, being a Blind Spot Individual himself, he might not have much time left before he would join his family.

He had already given up hope.

But the person in front of him said...

"Paine," the woman spoke gently, "do you know? In this world, people are different."

"Yes. That’s why my mother got a terminal illness, that’s why my father died in space. That’s why my grandparents got bombed at home," Paine replied calmly.

"Here, take this." The woman took out an earpiece and handed it to Paine. "If you want to know why you’re so unlucky, maybe he can give you an answer."

Without hesitation, Paine took the pea-sized black earpiece from her palm and gently inserted it into his right ear.

"Good fortune to you," the blonde woman said as she turned and slowly walked away.

A soft hissing noise came from the earpiece, but it quickly became clear.

"Hello, Paine," Li Chengyi’s voice came through. "You can call me Magician."

"I don’t want my mom to die," Paine said calmly. "So, what can I do for you?"

He had understood the harshness of the world from an early age.

His father often told him that to gain something, one must give something in return.

"You are a sensible child," Li Chengyi sighed. "I can help treat your mother’s illness and extend her life. If it’s truly incurable, I can use cryogenic technology to freeze her completely, putting her into hibernation until medical technology advances enough to cure the disease, and then we can unfreeze her and treat her."

"So, what can I do?" Paine asked.

"You are special, Paine," Li Chengyi said. "In this world, everyone is different. So why does the world grant people different talents and abilities? Have you ever thought about that?"

"..." The question was a bit too profound for an eight-year-old boy.

"God created you and gave you special abilities because He wants you to do what you’re supposed to do in this world," Li Chengyi said.

"I don’t understand... what am I supposed to do?" Paine didn’t understand.

"Paine,"

Li Chengyi’s voice deepened.

"Your ability, your talent. It might just be the only light capable of finding the ultimate hope among us, the Blind Spot Individuals."

"In the Blind Spot, you can surpass everyone, everything, to find that light with the highest chance of survival."

"I... don’t understand what you’re saying," Paine hesitated.

"Come work for me," Li Chengyi said. "In exchange, I’ll help treat your mother."

"...Okay."