novelSurveying The Terrain
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Chapter 190: Surveying The Terrain
In the vast desert, the yellow sand raged.
"Qing Lin, are you certain that it's here?" Xiao Yan's face was filled with surprise as he watched the flat desert in front of him. The terrain here was extremely ordinary with nothing special that would attract one's attention and there were countless similar places within the deser. It was difficult for Xiao Yan to imagine that there were traces of a 'Heavenly Flame' in such a humble place.
Behind Xiao Yan were Xiao Ding and Xiao Li. At the same time, there were tens of elite members of the Desert Metal Mercenary Company. At the moment, however, they were all throwing suspicious gazes at Qing Lin in front of them who was leading the way. For these people who had lived in Rock Desert City for a few years or even more than a decade, this place was so extremely ordinary. Moreover, some of these people had even come here a couple of times to perform their assignment. They had never felt anything unusual here compared to other places...
Despite being the focus of everyone's attention, Qing Lin, who was a little timid, summoned up her courage, stared at Xiao Yan and said, "Young Master, based on my senses, the unusual occurrence that happened half a year ago originated from here."
Hearing this, Xiao Yan pressed his eyebrows together. He stood at a small sand dune, raised his head and took a look at the surrounding. His face was gloomy.
"There doesn't seem to be any special building or strange cave. But if Qing Lin is correct... since there isn't anything on the surface or in the sky... then, it might be here." Xiao Ding glanced at the surrounds before suddenly squatting down. His hand grabbed some sand and slowly let it fall as he said softly.
"Big Brother, you mean... it's underground?" Hearing this, Xiao Yan momentarily stilled as he said with a stunned voice.
"Yes, although there are many strong people who can use the twist in the air in the desert to create mirages that can fool people's eyes, the degree of distortion in the air surrounding the Rock Desert City is insufficient to create such wonders. Thus, after eliminating this possibility... since there is no mirage concealment and since our eyes cannot see it, then the highest possibility would be that it is underground..." Xiao Ding analyzed with a smile.
Nodding his head, Xiao Yan stepped gently on the ground. He immediately smiled bitterly, "Even if the secret is underground, it is impossible for us to randomly dig around."
"Haha, we naturally cannot. If we randomly dig holes in the desert, we might end up burying ourselves alive. However, Queen Medusa was able to go down, so I guess there should be some hidden passageway." Shaking his head with another smile, Xiao Ding said, "There happens to be some experts in terrain surveyance in our company. As long as we get them to survey the area, it should not be difficult to find the passageway to go underground."
Hearing this, Xiao Yan let out a sigh. He said with a smile, "Since it is like this, then I'll have to trouble them."
"Finding the passageway is a small matter... However, this place isn't far from the Rock Desert City. If we create such a huge commotion by surveying here, I am afraid that other strengths in Rock Desert City will become aware of it. The night in the Tager Desert is very short. If we only work at night, not only does it waste a large amount of time but we might miss some important places due to the darkness... In the Rock Desert City, with our Desert Metal Mercenary Company's strength, other small strengths would not dare to offend us. But the Sand Mercenary Company... may well come out and do something." Xiao Ding shook his head, frowned and said helplessly.
"Sand Mercenary Company?" Xiao Yan frowned.
"The Sand Mercenary Company is the most powerful strength in Rock Desert City other than the city's military power. Although in terms of overall strength, our Desert Metal Mercenary Company would not lose to them, their Company Leader, Lou Bu, is a Da Dou Shi. You should clearly know of the difference between a Da Dou Shi and a Dou Shi. Thus, if there is nothing important, we would normally not offend the Sand Mercenary Company. However, if we create a huge commotion by searching around here, it would arouse their curiosity. Under such a situation they would naturally not play the role of an observer." Xiao Li, who was on one side, said helplessly.
Hearing this, Xiao Yan pursed his lips. He quietly thought for awhile, then raised his head to watch Xiao Ding and Xiao Li. With a smile, he said, "It's alright. Big Brother, Second Brother, the both of you only need to worry about the search. However, please do not spread the news of the 'Heavenly Flame'. As for the Sand Mercenary Company. if they intend to interfere... then I will handle it."
"Hehe, all the people here have the backbone of the Desert Metal Mercenary Company. They are brothers who have followed us as we fought little by little to create this strength. The issue of keeping it a secret is no issue at all." Xiao Li patted his chest. However, he immediately said in a worried voice, "You can handle Luo Bu from the Sand Mercenary Company? Your strength..."
"Second Brother, relax. Since I have said this, I naturally have my confidence. You just need to send people to find the passageway." Xiao Yan smiled mysteriously.
Looking at the mysterious Xiao Yan, Xiao Ding and Xiao Li helplessly nodded their head. However, they did somewhat believe him. They knew that with Xiao Yan's character, he would never joke around about such a situation.
"It is really getting harder to see through this little boy." After mumbling in their hearts, Xiao Ding and Xiao Li exchanged gazes and saw the same feeling in each other's eyes.
"Alright. Since it's like this, Xue Lan, immediately hurry back to the Desert Metal Mercenary Company. Call all those members who specialize in surveying terrains over. We will try to find where the passageway is within a day." Xiao Ding turned around and ordered Xue Lan.
"Ah, yes. Leave this matter to me!" Nodding her head with a smile, Xue Lan swiftly turned around and blew a whistle from her mouth. A camel that was a short distance away came galloping over. Her pretty figure leaped beautifully onto its back before Xue Lan drove off, galloping it towards the distant Rock Desert City and leaving a trail of yellow dust along the way.
Seeing Xue Lan gradually disappear from his sight, Xiao Yan let out a gentle sigh. He slowly squatted down and extended his hand into the searing hot sand. He muttered softly, "'Heavenly Flame'... does it really exist below?"
Not long after Xue Lan left, she brought back all the members of the Desert Metal Mercenary Company that were skilled in surveying the terrain. Soon, all of the members arrived at Xiao Yan's and the others location. Under Xiao Ding's order, forty terrain surveying members divided their work and began to conduct the surveyance with precision.
Being a huge strength in the Rock Desert City, there were naturally numerous gazes watching Desert Metal Mercenary Company's every move. Not long after Xue Lan brought a large number of people out, there were a couple of wandering team who appeared close to where Xiao Yan and the others were and watched Desert Metal Mercenary Company's actions with faces that were filled with curiosity.
The area outside Rock Desert City which had the possibility of a 'Heavenly Flame' hiding there was a secret already tightly sealed by the people that Xiao Ding had assembled. Thus, those mercenaries and other people who came over to observe were all mercilessly stopped outside.
Following the progress of the surveyance, the surrounding people watching also increased. Although Xiao Ding had announced that the Desert Metal Mercenary Company's large maneuver was because it wanted to hunt for a rank three Magic Beast, the surrounding crowd continued to gradually grow larger.
Standing on a sand dune, Xiao Ding and the others watched the human crowd. They could not resist shaking their head helplessly and bitterly smiling, "Looking at the way things progress, within half an hour, the Sand Mercenary Company will send someone over."
Xiao Li knitted his eyebrows together. his face faintly contained a cold and ruthless aura. His hand shook as a tungsten steel long spear appeared in his palm, which he violently inserted into the sand dune. With a cold voice, he said, "If they really provoke us too much, that Sand Mercenary Company can forget about living peacefully. Other than Luo Bu, all the others in the Sand Mercenary Company are softies."
Xiao Ding smiled faintly. His lowered eyes also flashed a similar cold glint.
On one side, Xiao Yan, who was seated on the sand dune, also let out a soft laugh. He lifted his delicate and handsome face and used his squinted eyes to stare at the hot sun in the sky. A cold arc appeared and disappeared from the corner of his mouth.
Sweeping her cautious gaze over the three brothers, Qing Lin suddenly realized that these three people were indeed worthy of being real brothers. Regardless of how different their characters were, there was a ruthlessness in their bones that would chill people. These kinds of people were fine if you did not provoke them. Once you did, they would be like a wounded hungry wolf in the desert who would stare intently at you, waiting for the moment when you became relaxed...
Back then, just because of the humiliation from Nanlan Yanran canceling the engagement, Xiao Yan could abandon the comfortable life in his clan, clench his teeth tightly and fight with Magic Beasts in the mountain range, bear the loneliness and isolation in the desert and endure tough training for three years. If he could he be so ruthless to himself, just think about how he's like to his enemies.
When the blazing sun in the sky began to descend, a disturbance suddenly occurred among the surrounding audience. A group of around forty mercenaries slowly split the crowd and walked over in a manner that stood out.
"It's the Sand Mercenary Company. Looks like there will be a good show..."
"Hee hee, the Sand Mercenary Company has finally become impatient." Seeing the mercenary company that had walked over, numerous whispers broke out among the surrounding people who were watching.
"It seems I still overestimated that guy's patience..." Seeing the company heading over, Xiao Ding shook his head and ridiculed.
"Let's go and take a look. Before the situation clears, Luo Bu will not appear. The one leading the company now seemed to be the one second only to Luo Bu within the Sand Mercenary Company, Mo Xing. Hehe, Someone who was once defeated by me still dares to find trouble with us." Xiao Li coldly laughed as he gazed from a distance.
"Yes." Xiao Ding nodded his head. He waved his hand. Around him, twenty members of the Desert Metal Mercenary Company were gathered. Thick cold weapons were held in their hands as they walked out of the blockade region and indifferently watched the small group of mercenaries walking over.
The two groups slowly met and the atmosphere between them was a little tense. Being two powerful strengths in Rock Desert City, they had quite a number of conflicts in the past.
"Halt. The Desert Metal Mercenary Company is conducting a mission here, please do not interfere." Lifting his eyes, Xing Ding said in a calm voice as though he was conducting an official business.
"Hei, Company Leader Xiao Ding. I have never heard of the Mercenary Association announcing such a mission. Moreover, the surrounding tens of kilometers of Rock Desert City are public places. There isn't anything wrong with me bringing people over, is there?" A man with a somewhat feminine face walked out from within the group of the Sand Mercenary Company. His gaze swept across the people inside the blocked off region as he laughed.
"Mo Xing, if it were not for Luo Bu interfering, you should have become a cripple now, no?" Xiao Li threw a glance at this man who appeared to need a beating as he smiled with ill intentions.
With his face twitching slightly, the man called Mo Xing, swept his gaze at Xiao Li with some fear and enmity. He took a step back and coldly said, "A forthright person does not hide anything. Our Company Leader is also interested in this place, so..."
"So you can get lost..." Indifferent words suddenly spat out from the smiling Xiao Yan who was watching icily by the side.
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