Life Game In Other World
Chapter 440: Gathering Dark Clouds (Big - for Monthly Tickets)

Chapter 440: Chapter 440: Gathering Dark Clouds (Big Chapter for Monthly Tickets)

"The tribal chief is dealing with some matters right now, and it might take an hour or two before he can take you to see him."

The middle-aged man walked with He Ao along the paths within the camp, a look of disbelief still in his eyes, "Do you really have a way to deal with the Human-eating Mushrooms? The chief said these mushrooms are filled with the strangeness of non-normal living beings, and if left unchecked, they will devour all life in the surrounding wilderness."

His tone was somber, "We’ve tried many methods to no avail and have lost quite a few tribespeople. If there really is no solution, we may have no choice but to move away from this place where we have lived for generations."

"I just happened to hear about this kind of mushroom near Dawn City and learned some information about it," He Ao replied calmly, "but I’m not sure if the method will work. I need to run some experiments first."

"I hope your information is accurate."

The middle-aged man nodded, and at that moment, the three were almost at the tent the man had set up for He Ao.

The tent was near the camp’s perimeter wall, surrounded by fully-armed Wilderness Wanderers going to and fro, seemingly changing guard.

He Ao glanced at the soldiers and offhandedly asked, "The wilderness doesn’t seem very peaceful lately, does it?"

"The largest Wanderer Camp nearby was recently devoured by the Human-eating Mushroom," the middle-aged man sighed, "The Wanderer families in the vicinity are on edge. In these chaotic times, it’s inevitable that some people will try to take advantage of the disorder to loot and make a fortune, so we must be prepared."

"Your relationship with the Merck family doesn’t seem too good? I haven’t been out of the city for long, so I’m not too familiar with the situation in the wilderness," He Ao pondered aloud.

"The Merck family was originally an obscure, marginal small family. They’ve also received our help in the past. Their former High Priest was severely ill and was cured here," the man continued,

"Originally, our two families coexisted peacefully, but since their new High Priest somehow obtained a C-level Secret Medicine, advanced to C-level, and began expanding rapidly."

The middle-aged man’s tone seemed somewhat helpless,

"We have no desire to compete with them, but the recent appearance of the Human-eating Mushrooms has made them feel threatened. They’ve set their sights on us, thinking our family has hidden some treasures over the many years and wants to plunder in the chaos and exterminate our family.

"But we’re not easy to provoke. We’ve clashed a couple of times recently and have had the upper hand."

"So that’s it. Now I understand why those from the Merck family knew so clearly about your family’s location," He Ao said with a smile.

He knew the man’s last comment was deliberately made for him to hear, to demonstrate the strength of the Andavi family.

"Their spies have always been scouting the terrain around here," the middle-aged man spit out disdainfully,

"I reckon it won’t be long before we have another battle. Although their High Priest is an ungrateful creature, the cubs in their family are all brave warriors, who fight like they have nothing to lose."

He Ao nodded slightly.

He had seen the Merck family attack a convoy; those Wilderness Wanderers were more ferocious than the most vicious hyenas in the wilderness, able to counterattack despite being under machine gun and laser fire. Their organizational ability was not something ordinary, easily crumbled Wanderers could match.

But the Andavi family, which was coming out on top in small-scale conflicts, was probably not weak either.

At this point, the three had returned to the tent He Ao had stayed in the day before. The middle-aged man looked at He Ao and said, "Please Mr. Pete, wait here for an hour or two, and as soon as the chief is free, I’ll come right over and take you to see him. I’ll have someone bring your lunch over shortly."

With that, he paused, "And if Mr. Pete has any other needs, feel free to tell me."

"I do have a small request," He Ao said with a smile, "I was wondering if you have any Transcendent materials in stock. I need some materials to craft some items, as well as three Mithril Test Tubes. I am willing to pay for them."

Having said that, he entered the tent, rummaged through his luggage, and produced a piece of paper, on which he wrote down a few materials and handed it to the middle-aged man.

"Mountain Demon Beast’s fresh blood... Earthshadow Grass juice... Mountain Spring Water..."

The middle-aged man reached over to look, casually folding the paper and slipping it into his pocket, laughing, "These aren’t scarce things; you don’t need to pay for them. I’ll have someone prepare them and get them to you shortly."

He Ao did not refuse but simply responded, "Then it’s a bother."

"No trouble at all, Mr. Pete is someone the chief values, these things are trivial."

The middle-aged man laughed and said goodbye to He Ao, then left.

He Ao looked around at the sentinels, both hidden and visible, and shook his head as he returned to the tent with his daughter.

Although the Andavi family showed enough goodwill in their actions, their vigilance had not diminished.

Passionate yet cautious, knowing just how to measure their actions, perhaps this was one of the reasons the family had endured in this wilderness for so long.

——

The sunlight penetrated through the gaps between the mountain ranges and spilled into the deep valley.

Five young men in blue-grey uniforms, their complexions somewhat pale, climbed over a small hill and looked ahead at the vast and bustling camp.

The leader of the group raised his wrist, and a holographic electronic map projected from the wristband on his arm.

The map displayed the exact scene of the camp.

The five exchanged glances and sprinted down quickly, reaching the camp’s gates in the blink of an eye.

"Halt," the sentry at the gate raised his gun, "Who are you?"

The leading young man raised his hand; the wristband shone again, projecting a blurred emblem into the air.

This emblem depicted stars and the sea, but unlike common emblems, the sea was on top while the stars were below.

"We’re here to see your High Priest."

The leader slowly spoke out, his voice raspy.

······

Ten minutes later, the five young men entered the most luxurious building deep within the camp.

Seated in the place of honor was a man dressed in expensive silk formal wear, each strand of hair meticulously groomed.

He appeared to be in his thirties, with a stern visage and an authoritative presence even without showing anger.

He saw the five young men walk in and laughed softly, "Are you the special squad from the corporation? May I know what brings you here all of a sudden?"

His gaze briefly swept over both sides of the building; behind each side door, numerous fully-armed Wilderness Wanderers laid in wait, ready to storm in and riddle the five young men with bullets at his command.

"We’re looking for someone, and we need your help."

The leader apparently did not notice his movement, continuing in a hoarse voice.

"That’s easy," the man laughed heartily, "Send me the information, and I’ll have people look for them immediately. This entire wilderness is under the Merck family’s control; as long as the person your corporation is looking for is in the wilderness, I can find them."

He rose from his seat and slowly walked in front of the young men, smiling, "I won’t lie to you; ever since I’ve received the corporation’s investment, I’ve been toiling night and day, constantly striving to repay the company’s kindness. For such a minor matter, you can directly contact our family’s liaison in the future, there’s no need for you to come all the way here."

His laughter was relaxed and natural as if it came from the heart.

"That person is very strong."

The leader said expressionlessly and slowly.

"How strong?" the formally dressed man chuckled, "On this wilderness, it’s all my territory, even a Giant Dragon would have to lie low."

"Capable of killing a powerful C-level warrior in two moves."

The leader spoke slowly.

"Oh, oh, oh," the man in formal wear guffawed, "So you have come to capture that person?"

"Yes."

The leader answered hoarsely.

The formally dressed man looked at the leader, then at the four others behind him, his gaze sharpening.

A train of thought seemed to flash through his mind, then he smiled and said, "Could you show me the data on the person you’re looking to capture?"

"Yes."

The leader raised his hand and sent a document to the formally dressed man through the local network.

The man lifted his bracelet, and a somewhat haggard photo of a seemingly honest and reliable middle-aged man was projected.

He looked at the photo and chuckled, "Appearances can indeed be deceiving."

Then he paused for a moment, pondering, "I feel like I’ve seen this man somewhere before."

"He has a daughter, about sixteen years old, very beautiful."

The young leader reminded him.

"Can’t remember, but it was definitely out in the wilderness."

The man smiled and turned off the projection, "I’ll have these details sent to all the families, so everyone can start looking. As long as he’s in the wilderness, we’re bound to find him... But..."

"Once found, there’s no need for your men to take action. Confirm his location, then directly inform us."

The young leader’s expression remained calm.

"That’s not it," laughed the man, "The sons of our clan are all brave souls, not the kind to fear death. It’s just that..."

He paused, only continuing when he saw a flicker of confusion cross the young leader’s face, "There’s one place in the wilderness even I cannot control, and according to tradition, it’s the most likely place that the group’s fugitive might seek refuge."

"Where?"

"The Andavi family."

"Hmm?"

The young leader clearly didn’t know much about the Wilderness Wanderers’ power near Limen City.

"They’re an ancient family that’s been passed down through many years," the man said with a light chuckle. "They’re in decline now, it’s been a long time since they’ve had a C-level, but over the years, they must have hidden many valuable things. They particularly like to shelter powerful outsiders and their family members are also quite attractive."

He looked at the young men before him, "I’m actually planning to assault their camp. Would you be willing to join me for support? Once the camp is breached, you can have the first pick of Transcendent items, beauties, and treasures."

"Are you asking us to help you assault the Andavi family camp?"

The young leader asked calmly.

"Precisely, it’s the fugitive... Pete, who is very likely to be in that camp, so I invite you warriors to take a look,"

the man replied with a smile. "You all look like elite forces from the group, and you must have brought mechas when you left the city? You can join us in your mechas and if we spot Pete, we can capture him quickly."

"As for attacking the camp, there’s definitely no need for you to exert yourselves. You only need to be onlookers, calmly awaiting the outcome. What do you think?"

The other four young men all looked toward the young leader, while the young leader stared back at the well-dressed man.

Going there, they obviously couldn’t just be onlookers. If the fight went well, they would happily take their benefits and leave. If it went poorly and danger arose, they could get dragged into it.

This was a mission dispatched by the group.

If they agreed, it would essentially mean using the resources of the group for a private job.

However, carrying out such external missions was common practice as the group couldn’t monitor them; it was normal to take some private jobs on the side.

The group internally turned a blind eye to it.

The young leader watched the man for a moment and, under the man’s expectant gaze, slowly nodded, "All right."

----

Andavi Family Camp

He Ao looked at the Mithril Test Tube in his hand, with pale green liquid flowing inside.

This was the third Secret Medicine, the "Talent Sequences 56: Assassin."

What he had requested from the middle-aged man were the auxiliary materials for "Onlooker," "Mercenary," and "Assassin." Of course, he had also added a few unnecessary ingredients to conceal his real purpose.

The method to extract Talent Sequences from a corpse was simple: use auxiliary materials related to the desired Talent Sequence as bait at the corpse’s wounds or other significant locations to lure out the soul’s Talent Sequences.

Then, by mixing the auxiliary materials and slightly adjusting the recipe according to the Secret Medicine formula, a new Secret Medicine could be synthesized.

He Ao had extracted the "Onlooker," "Mercenary," and "Assassin" Talent Sequences.

He had just taken "Onlooker" and "Mercenary," and since he had mastered these two Talent Sequences before, there was no gap in promotion, so he could take them in succession.

The proficiency rating of the Talent Sequences was interesting; as long as the soul had experience, that was enough. It did not depend on the condition of the body; in fact, the soul’s proficiency would influence the integration of the Talent Sequence with the body.

Feeling the "Mercenary" Talent Sequence fully integrate with his body, He Ao lifted the "Assassin" Secret Medicine in his hand and drank it all in one gulp.

An intense power erupted within his body, and by now, he could skillfully channel this power throughout his body.

When all the dust had settled, He Ao felt a surge of power completely unlike before welling up inside him and he slowly exhale a breath.

With his current physical constitution, activating Super Memory shouldn’t be as burdensome as before.

He drew back the curtain and walked out of the room.

Ennie was sitting on the living room couch, staring at her wristband.

Her own wristband had run out of power last night while she was playing with it, but she had a solar charging panel, and had recharged it some in the morning, although not much.

So she was very careful with her wristband.

She heard the sound of the tent curtain being pulled back and lifted her head to look at He Ao, who had just walked out.

Then her eyes widened in surprise, "Dad, you look handsomer... no, it’s not that... you seem to have gotten younger."

"Your dad was always handsome."

He Ao kept a straight face and reached out to ruffle his daughter’s hair.

"Blah blah blah, vain dad!"

Ennie made a funny face at He Ao.

"Pack up your stuff," He Ao glanced at the opened suitcase on the floor, "If it gets chaotic later and things get blown away, you’ll be crying your eyes out."

"Huh?"

Ennie blinked in confusion, "Why would it become chaotic?"

He Ao smiled at his daughter, crouched down, and pinched her face just like when she was little,

"Dad just discussed with an uncle about how the High Priest of the Merck family suddenly became C-level. Known condition one, the materials needed to reach C-level are hard to come by; known condition two, the Andavi family should have some control over the surrounding Wildlands and have very informed intelligence.

"So, where did the High Priest get the key item to advance to C-level?"

"Outside these Wildlands! Or..." Ennie pondered for a moment, then looked at He Ao with some astonishment, "From the city?! But what does that have to do with the chaos that’s about to happen?"

"Then, why do we need to leave the city?"

"Because there’s someone in the city trying to kill us... Dad, are you saying that the Merck family could be in cahoots with the people from the city who are after us?... But how could they find their way here? No one should have seen us here, right?"

"They don’t need to find us, the Andavi family is already one of their targets," He Ao said with a smile as he stood up and patted his daughter’s head, "But this is just a guess, it might not be true. However, it’s always good to pack up your belongings. Remember to pack mine as well."

"All right."

Ennie stood up and pouted, "Dad, you just want to find an excuse to make me do chores."

He Ao just smiled and didn’t speak. He walked out of the tent and stretched lazily.

His joints made cracking sounds.

And in the distant sky, clusters of dark clouds were gathering.

A storm seemed to be approaching once again.