Apocalyptic Era: Starting from picking up a Bishoujo
Chapter 303 - 282 Dong Che Evil1

Chapter 303: 282 Dong Che Evil1

The appearance of the corpse was indeed thought-provoking, but the body itself had little worth mentioning. After studying it with Mazao for a while, we temporarily set it aside and continued to advance into the depths of the white mist.

While concentrating on observing the changes around us, I couldn’t help but worry about important affairs in the outside world.

Before tomorrow evening—or, considering it might be daytime now, perhaps "before this evening"—I must return to Moon Concealing Mountain City to meet with Water Navy Xuanwu. If I miss this chance, I may not be able to acquire the soul-healing Spirit Pill for Mazao anytime soon.

Since time within the white mist is twisted, it’s difficult to expect to return to the outside world punctually. It’s possible that the current daytime is not the second day’s, but the third, the fourth, or even farther in the future, or even a daytime from the past for all we know.

After pondering for a moment, I decided to continue believing in Mazao’s power.

If Water Navy Xuanwu really came to Moon Concealing Mountain City under the mysterious arrangement of Mazao’s Broom Star Physique, then no matter how long I stay in the white mist, I am bound to bump into him at some future opportunity.

Considering that Water Navy Xuanwu seems to have his own business to deal with in Moon Concealing Mountain City, my act of exchanging the Divine Seal Fragment with the Master of Divine Seal for answers might be a waste. After all, we’re certain to come to Moon Concealing Mountain City following Water Navy Xuanwu’s response, eventually getting involved with the events around the area, then meeting Yinyue and finding Changan’s soul. However, if I had not come to Moon Concealing Mountain City with Mazao ahead of time, perhaps Water Navy Xuanwu wouldn’t have arrived here either.

It sounds as though the order of time and cause and effect have been inverted—how could the motive Water Navy Xuanwu had from the beginning be canceled by our subsequent actions? This idea of mine is simply muddled. From an outsider’s point of view, I am probably indulging in nonsensical superstitions about Mazao’s Broom Star Physique.

However, I do believe in Mazao’s power that much, and in my experiences, such levels of absurdity are quite normal. I no longer deny the possibility of something simply because it is absurd and illogical, and I am also acutely aware that this way of thinking may well border on madness.

After walking quite a distance, the body was completely engulfed by the mist behind us. Maybe if we were to turn around and go back now, we wouldn’t be able to find that body again, like the mystical remains that run off on their own in some mountain folklore.

Subsequently, we encountered another change.

A figure emerged from the distant mist.

This time, the figure was clearly alive, standing upright, and slowly moving towards us. As we saw him, he must have seen us as well. He stopped in his tracks and seemed to take a defensive posture, then called out to us from afar.

"Who?"

The voice was a clear and neutral boy’s voice, fraught with overt caution and unease. I felt the voice was familiar, and Mazao seemed to react similarly. We exchanged glances, then I took the initiative to respond.

"Dong Che?" I asked.

"Hm?" The figure hesitated, "...Zhuang Cheng, senior?"

He approached us again, quickly revealing his appearance from the mist—his youthful face, snow-white hair, and antique white robes. It was Dong Che.

He looked at me in astonishment.

It’s impressive that he managed to recognize me by my voice just now. Currently, I still have the appearance of a twelve or thirteen-year-old, with a voice that has not yet fully passed puberty. Although I had revealed this form and spoken in front of him when I interrogated a senior researcher at Fufeng Base last time, that was only once. His memory and responsiveness are quite remarkable.

"Senior Zhuang Cheng, why are you here?" He asked in confusion, "And... how come you look almost the same as me?"

Almost like you? I’m certainly not as pretty as you are, I thought. But he must be referring to age.

Mazao moved closer to me as if wanting to stick by my side while watching Dong Che with heightened vigilance.

"My change into this state is due to some private reasons that I prefer not to explain to you," I said. "But before asking why we’re here, shouldn’t you explain to me first?"

"Explain... what?" He feigned ignorance.

"I specifically warned you during the day not to approach the Moon Concealing Mountain area these next two days, but it seems you didn’t take my words to heart," I said.

"Moon Concealing Mountain..." He seemed to be talking to himself, "So, this place is called Moon Concealing Mountain?"

"You don’t even know where you are?" I asked.

"No, I know. It’s just... How should I explain this..."

He cautiously observed my expression, as if he feared that I would lose my temper before he could finish explaining.

"It’s okay, we’re not in a rush now, you can explain it slowly."

Although I spoke in a calm tone, I had a thought hidden in my mind. If Dong Che’s response was unsatisfactory, depending on the situation, I did not exclude the possibility of killing him on the spot.

-

Dong Che offered us an explanation, but its content was as obscured and vague as the white fog itself.

First of all, he did not intentionally break the promise between us. On the contrary, he claimed to take our agreement very seriously. What I originally agreed with him on was not "not to approach the area around Moon Concealing Mountain" but "not to approach the west side." To prevent himself from inadvertently breaking this promise, he had even taken a train deliberately towards a town in the east to put some distance between himself and the forbidden area.

After getting off the train, he walked outside the station. However, as he walked, a mysterious white fog emerged in the station’s passageways. He immediately realized he was caught up in a strange phenomenon and tried to extract himself from the fog but to no avail.

Even I wouldn’t necessarily find it easy to escape the scope of the white fog, let alone him, a demon hunter of achieved level. No matter how nimble or observant one is, there are times when some predicaments can’t be overcome by talent alone. He kept running in the fog, not only failing to escape but also witnessing even stranger changes around him.

The ground beneath his feet, unknown to him, changed from the hard stone flooring to a wild, grass-covered mountain terrain. The walls of the station’s passageway were no longer in sight, but instead, it had become an endless thicket of mixed woods.

He wandered within for no less than ten hours. Being a demon hunter of achieved level, he could maintain his health without food or water for months, but if he were to be trapped in the fog endlessly, even he would be worn out. While he was troubled, he encountered a young man dressed as a mountaineer in the fog.

This young man had nothing to do with the strange events; he was just an ordinary person who got caught up in them, and Dong Che recognized this at first glance.

Originally Dong Che thought this young mountaineer, like himself, was lost in the station. However, the young man he encountered claimed to be a traveler who was climbing an off-limit area of a mountain called "Moon Concealing Mountain." During the climb, he accidentally fell into this white fog and completely lost his way.

Although Dong Che found himself in a dire situation, where even he was struggling to save himself, he still considered himself a demon hunter dedicated to Governance Ideology and couldn’t possibly turn a blind eye to an ordinary person in peril. Hence, he took the young traveler under his protection and continued to explore the fog.

After an indeterminate amount of time, they finally encountered a change.

They found Hu Family Village.

As the shopkeeper and the regulars at the foothill Moon Conceiling Mountain City had said, Hu Family Village was now a small mountain hamlet with just a few households. They led a self-sufficient life in the mountains, occasionally gathering and selling mountain delicacies in Moon Concealing Mountain City, and purchasing daily necessities like salt and sugar, or others tools for production, and so on.

Villages that appeared amidst strange phenomena were often suspect. Who knew who these villagers were or even if they were human. Thus, Dong Che was extremely cautious around them. Yet, the villagers did not show any malice and warmly hosted Dong Che and the young traveler, even actively proposing to guide them out of Moon Concealing Mountain.

However, there was an unexpected complication. The young traveler had done his research before entering Moon Concealing Mountain. He knew about the existence of Hu Family Village and even learned of its specific location in Moon Conceiling Mountain from elders in the town and marked it on a map.

He also had a compass in his hand. Although it was an area close to a Different Space, the compass still functioned effectively without being disturbed by any strange magnetic fields.

Of course, once caught in such fog, even a hundred functioning compasses would be of no use. However, he did not realize this and believed that knowing his position on the map and his bearings, he could find his way out. Perhaps he also distrusted the villagers in such a remote and harsh place. Therefore, he left without telling anyone, including Dong Che, and dashed back into the fog on his own.

After learning about this, Dong Che immediately realized the other party might be in danger – this was a mountain shrouded in strange phenomena, and any rash actions could lead to destruction. Thus, he quickly returned to the fog, hoping to rescue the traveler before his potential death.