TTAETSC Chapter 32.2 - Always Ready

Meanwhile, the off-road vehicle below was slowly catching up on the uneven road. Jon looked up at the giant tree above, where Yuan Ye stood on a thick branch, with two entangled soft round masses in front of him.

One was pink, and the other was yellow-green. They seemed to be engaged in an intense battle.

Jon looked curiously for a few moments and asked:

"Captain, why did Officer Yuan Ye lead us into the occupied area? I heard from Grandpa Xu that it's very dangerous here."

Chen Xinyue had been paying attention to Yuan Ye's position while also keeping an eye on the surroundings. She glanced at Jon out of the corner of her eye and explained.

"Taking the official transportation route means we'll be on a very winding road. It'll take us a month to return to the Main City. But if we travel through this occupied area, we'll be taking a straight path, and as long as we don't encounter any major accidents, we can arrive in a week at most."

"Wow! That's actually a big difference!"

A sigh escaped Jon's lips. The thought of reaching the Main City in a week warmed his heart, as if the internal injury in his abdomen from being kicked had become less painful.

Chen Xinyue saw Yuan Ye begin to move toward the west side, and she reminded him.

"Be vigilant. We're about to turn a corner."

"Yes! Captain!"

At the same time, the little octopus was panting heavily as he lay on his stomach on Yuan Ye's shoulder, letting out an inward belch.

[Stamina +15]

[Reminder: Energy intake exceeded the stamina limit, stamina limit +15]

[Stamina: 370/370]

[Health: 170/510]

[Combat: 23+17 (Equipped with weapons, your combat force has significantly increased. Currently equivalent to an agile, vigorous young tabby cat.)]

[Defense: 30 (During your infancy stage, your body is very frail. It is recommended not to stray too far from your powerful protector.)]

The little octopus checked his data and found that his combat and defense values had improved correspondingly after his stamina and health values increased.

Hold on!

Not to stray too far from your powerful protector…

Ye Yunfan keenly perceived the hidden meaning of this sentence. Did it mean the notification panel had already defaulted Yuan Ye as his protector?

Could this data panel be conscious? Or was it similar to artificial intelligence? Or was someone manipulating it from behind the scenes?

Whatever the reason, Ye Yunfan felt a chill run down his spine. It meant someone had been watching him all this time.

But when he tried to communicate with the panel, there was absolutely no response. It really seemed to be just a simple display tool.

So Ye Yunfan gave up on the idea and planned to observe the changes in the data panel more often.

Fortunately, his stamina and health, the most important ones, were now considered full.

Although his health appeared to be only one-third, he apparently lost two hearts. This meant that no matter how much he replenished his health, his highest data would remain at one-third of the upper limit unless the upper limit increased.

But why had he lost two hearts?

Ye Yunfan thought deeply about it but found no clues. From the first second he opened his eyes in this world, he had only one heart left.

The only slightly useful information was the glass jar that had appeared in the same place as him.

That glass jar was likely left there by Yuan Ye, and its original owner was the person who gave Yuan Ye the candies.

Ye Yunfan pondered, and a rough direction began to form in his mind.

Previously, he had been caught by Yuan Ye through a freak combination of factors, which led him to follow the other man to the Main City. But now it seemed this might not be a bad thing.

Because the information and clues Ye Yunfan had gathered all pointed to the Main City as the only way to find further answers.

Main City…

He wondered what this human-ruled area looked like in the face of an otherworldly creature invasion.

The little octopus suddenly became curious. He looked up at Yuan Ye and found that the other man looked calm, leading the off-road vehicle below toward somewhere.

—He looked very familiar with this place.

The little octopus turned his head, craned his neck, and looked around. After following Yuan Ye for nearly one to two hours, he gradually noticed countless new battle traces around him.

They were called new because they were compared to the desolate ruins that had been abandoned for decades or even centuries. Among these ruins, he also found some buildings cut into smooth inclined surfaces.

Could Yuan Ye have been here before?

The little octopus couldn't ask the question out loud, but he already had an almost certain answer in his mind.

Perhaps Yuan Ye had been to this place before, and might even have cleared out a wave of otherworldly creatures. This could explain why, as the battle traces around them increased, the attacks on them grew fewer and fewer.

Screech—

More than an hour later, the off-road vehicle came to a halt on a relatively flat area. Few buildings stood nearby, most obscured by lush vegetation, as if they had once marked the outskirts of this fallen city.

Thud.

The car door closed and locked.

Chen Xinyue and Jon got out of the car and walked toward Yuan Ye.

Jon looked around in all directions, confused, then asked, "Officer Yuan Ye, what are we doing here?"

The latter raised his head, his heterochromatic eyes narrowing slightly as he faintly glimpsed the darkening sky through the canopy of leaves that obscured both the heavens and the earth.

"It's getting dark."

Yuan Ye's response seemed somewhat evasive.

The little octopus followed his gaze and looked around. His previously calm heartbeat suddenly quickened. His two round, triangular ears stood alert, as if sensing the vague danger around him.

After a moment's thought, he understood Yuan Ye's meaning:

It was getting dark, so they needed to find a safe place.

Generally speaking, monsters like to come out and move around at night.

Pat.

Captain Chen gently patted Jon on the head.

"Within three hours before dark, we must find a safe shelter. Forgot?"

"Captain, I... I definitely know. I've memorized the mission handbook several times…"

The curly-haired puppy looked very aggrieved, muttering faintly to himself.

"But this doesn't look like a shelter at all."

Indeed, the surrounding flora was lush and thriving, with bizarre shapes. Some tree trunks twisted like pythons, while others had canopies that strikingly resembled human faces. Thick vines wound around the trees, and flowers gave off pungent scents.

Occasionally, when the night wind blew, the rustling was enough to make one's scalp tingle.

The little octopus scanned the surroundings several times and had to agree with Jon. There didn't seem to be any hiding places here, and it looked very dangerous.

Yuan Ye said nothing. He drew his long knife and walked straight toward a place covered with dense vines, where many dark purple flowers bloomed. The smell, however, was extremely unpleasant, like the stench of rotten eggs.

[Reminder: Detected ingestion of unknown toxin.]

[Health -1]

[Toxin Resistance +1]

"!!!"

These things are poisonous too?!

The little octopus instinctively shrank back against Yuan Ye's neck, his tentacles curling tightly. At the same time, Yuan Ye's steps almost faltered, but he quickly regained his balance.

Buzz—

Yuan Ye stabbed forward with his knife, and at once several white lines extended outward in all directions.

Juice splattered.

The piled and entwined vine wall was instantly torn open, revealing a gaping opening the size of a person. At this opening, the vines had turned into pools of minced meat-like pieces.

A unique bitter smell of plant stems and leaves spread out—

[Reminder: Antidote ingested, poison neutralized.]

[Health +1]

Little octopus: "...?"

He looked at Yuan Ye with surprise and a hint of astonishment.

So had he just gained free toxin resistance?

The remaining vines that had not been chopped suddenly trembled. They seemed to have woken at that moment, and they swiftly receded like a tide.

Soon, a semicircular hole appeared in front of them.

"This is…"

Chen Xinyue reacted quickly.

"The entrance to the underground air-raid shelter ruins from the old days?"

Yuan Ye didn't answer. Though her question seemed to seek information, her tone was very certain. He simply replied indifferently.

"Hide the car."

"Okay!"

This was basic training for military investigators. Chen Xinyue quickly drove the car into the entrance with Jon's help and swiftly disguised it.

Before leaving, Captain Chen glanced at the underside of the car and discovered that many barnacle-like things had grown on the chassis at some point.

She narrowed her eyes slightly.

Jon looked puzzled. "Captain?"

"It's nothing."

Chen Xinyue stood up as if nothing had happened, brushing the dust off her legs.

"Let's go."

The little octopus, perched on Yuan Ye's shoulder, followed him into the pitch-dark entrance.

The path beneath their feet sloped downward, its surface sticky. With each step, they could hear the leather soles of their shoes pressing against some slippery substance.

It felt like a mixture of decaying plant matter, damp soil, and some other secretions.

The flashlight's beam couldn't penetrate the darkness, illuminating only a deeper void beyond.

The little octopus studied the surrounding walls. He guessed they were made of concrete, but the surface was already covered with a thick layer of black mucus, making it impossible to confirm.

The downward tunnel was dimly lit and winding. After walking several tens of meters, a faint light appeared ahead.

Those were fungi, growing in the dark, damp corners. They could be described as colorful mushrooms, resembling children's doodles.

Countless spores floated in the air, glowing with a faint fluorescence.

"Officer Yuan Ye, you're so awesome."

Perhaps the heavy silence in the air prompted the talkative Jon to speak softly.

"Have you been here before?"

This was also what the little octopus wanted to know. He tilted his head, waiting for Yuan Ye's answer.

"Mm."

Just one word.

Jon suddenly realized. "Old Doctor Xu said you saved him in an occupied area before. Is it this occupied area?"

"Mm."

Yuan Ye tilted his head slightly. He felt the little jellyfish's tentacles stepping on his shoulder and neck through his clothes, and it was somewhat ticklish.

He paused, as if noticing the little guy's intensely focused gaze, and then spoke a few more words.

"This occupied area used to be called the City of Self-Reformation in the old days. It was very advanced in biomedicine."

Yuan Ye had discovered this during his last search for medicines. He usually paid little attention to these things, but he suddenly wanted to say something about the whole occupied area.

City of Self-Reformation…

The little octopus thought deeply, but he had no impression of it at all. Besides, his homeland was divided into provinces and cities. There was no such thing as a "City of XX."

"I see, I see."

Jon had always perceived Officer Yuan Ye as cold and ruthless, so such a friendly conversation now felt like a dream.

The curly-haired puppy was pleasantly surprised and felt very liked.

He carefully recalled and realized that Officer Yuan Ye's attitude toward him had improved only after that shot he had made on the spot.

Sure enough! Strength is the strongest pass!

Jon inwardly encouraged himself, determined to work hard and become Officer Yuan Ye's friend!

Though this goal seemed… less feasible than surpassing his captain one day.

Chen Xinyue didn't pay attention to Jon's wild thoughts. She studied the tunnel and saw human skeletons in a corner.

But they were completely intact. They didn't look as though they had been torn apart by otherworldly creatures.

—This meant it was very safe.

Captain Chen let out a silent sigh of relief. It seemed her decision to beg Mr. Yuan Ye to travel together was indeed the right choice.

As they ventured deeper, the tunnel grew increasingly winding, with numerous intersections and doors along the way.

Yuan Ye effortlessly guided one octopus and two people through it. Half an hour later, he opened a heavy, rusty iron door.

Rumble!

The sound seemed particularly loud in the narrow space, amplified by echoes.

The room opened, and dust flew everywhere.

Chen Xinyue carefully scanned every corner with her flashlight. She found several human mummies and skeletons inside, a few wooden boxes piled against the wall, and a simple cot.

"This doesn't seem dangerous."

She walked in first, found an oil lamp, and lit it. Then she searched the whole room again, making sure no suspicious creatures were lurking inside.

The warm light from the oil lamp lit up the pitch-black room, casting long, distorted shadows of the humans against the walls.

As for Yuan Ye, upon entering, he went straight to the boxes piled in the corner.

The little octopus was very curious, and at the same time, he was seriously contemplating.

He thought that Yuan Ye bringing Chen Xinyue and Jon here was more than just finding shelter for the night.

Otherwise, the other man wouldn't have headed straight for that wooden box as soon as they came in. Was there some important item inside?

Was it related to Yuan Ye's mission?

The little octopus stretched his neck, staring unblinkingly at the wooden box Yuan Ye had pried open. Jon, equally curious, dared not approach too closely, but followed behind, stretching his neck to peek over.

Click—