Chapter 36. The Two Realms of Yan Yan (Part 6): The Black Cat...
[Congratulations on defeating: Level 246 BOSS Multi-Armed Monster (Diamond Level)]
After the BOSS fell, a huge splash erupted from the lake, and gold coins rained down like raindrops, scattering across the scorched craters of varying sizes created by the skill, and onto the oasis land where only two trees remained, making a clanging sound.
The ground was littered with countless monster remains and broken tentacles. In the blood, there were not only gold coins, but also some pieces of equipment that shimmered faintly.
A few minutes later, the BOSS stopped spraying gold coins, and along with the BOSS treasure chest, a familiar golden mist was also released.
Just like the previous boss, this cloud of mist vanished without a trace after only a few seconds in the air.
With Red Tail on her shoulder, Lin Xiaoxiao stood behind Xiao Weizhi, her gaze fixed on the mist from the moment it appeared, afraid of missing any detail.
This time she saw it clearly and was fairly certain that the golden mist had been deliberately taken away.
When the fog dissipated, it was as if there was a transparent jar in mid-air that collected it all.
A mage dressed in a royal blue robe, holding a staff, left the front of the battlefield and walked up to the Dragon Fang Squad, who were just doing logistical work. He stood there and said with a smile, "Thank you for your team's contribution. I am Xu Yilang, a mage from the S-rank Tide Squad. It's a pleasure to meet you."
As Xu Yilang spoke, he slightly raised his chin, his eyes, hidden beneath his hat, staring directly at Lin Xiaoxiao behind Xiao Weizhi, as if he had come specifically for her.
Xiao Wei subconsciously turned her body to the side, blocking most of Xu Yilang's probing gaze, and smiled gently and calmly: "Vice Captain Xu, it's a pleasure to meet you. If it weren't for your support, we Dragon Fang wouldn't have been able to come and witness such a battle today."
According to the rules, a team like Dragon Fang, which had just been promoted to A-rank, was not qualified to participate in such a battle.
However, thanks to the guarantees of the captains and vice-captains of the Tide Squad, Dragon Fang, as a logistics unit, came along and witnessed a fierce battle that changed the very color of the sky and earth.
Xu Yilang lowered his eyes, using his eyelashes to conceal some of the emotions in his gaze, and a gentle smile appeared on his lips: "If there is an opportunity, our team can deepen our exchanges. Our captain has been saying for a long time that he wants to get to know a team of geniuses like yours."
Xiao Weizhi smiled and agreed: "Thank you, Deputy Captain Xu and Liao Zan. We look forward to your invitation from Hai Chao whenever we are free."
The two chatted for a few minutes in a tacit manner. Then someone called out to Xu Yilang, and he smiled and said goodbye, explaining that he had to take care of some matters.
Before leaving, Xu Yilang's gaze fell on Lin Xiaoxiao again. He smiled warmly at her, nodded in acknowledgment, and then strode away.
The entire Dragon Fang team keenly realized that Xu Yilang had come with a purpose. He didn't even try to hide anything, openly stating his position: he was here for someone in their team.
Wang Hao spat and muttered in a low voice, "This smiling tiger has ill intentions."
Li Junxuan took a deep drag of smoke, flicked the cigarette butt away, and narrowed his eyes slightly: "It's not just Smiling Tiger, their whole team is watching us."
Jiang Tao frowned and gritted his teeth: "Are they targeting us?"
...
The reputation of Hai Chao, an S-level team, is quite extreme among all the S-level teams in the capital. Every member of their team is extremely selfish, and they are always smiling and laughing as long as something is useful to them.
The two most realistic ones are: Xu Yilang, a water-based mage known as the Smiling Tiger; and Liu Yusong, a boxer known as the Greedy Money-Grubber.
Whenever those two appear, it means something or someone is being targeted.
As the group chatted, Xiao Weizhi moved again, blocking Lin Xiaoxiao behind him.
Liu Yusong, who was dozens of meters away, with bronze skin, a bald head, explosive muscles, a height of 2.2 meters, wearing a cardigan that revealed exaggerated abs, and a large circle of baby-sized black beads around his neck, was looking towards the location of the Dragon Tooth Squad. He nodded and smiled in goodwill.
Xiao Weizhi smiled gently, but his words were calm and collected: "Hold your positions and see what they want."
More than two hours later, after the site was cleaned up, most of the teams left, leaving only a few followers who were trying to scavenge for scraps in the now scorched oasis.
The members of Longya gathered together to discuss whether to continue exploring the wilderness or return to the residential area to rest.
After all, coming out with an S-class team to fight this BOSS today means the remaining half day is practically a free holiday.
Just as they were discussing things, Lin Xiaoxiao saw the black cat that had followed them at some point. It stood not far from them, its emerald green eyes fixed on Lin Xiaoxiao.
Its tail swished behind it, it turned and took a few steps, then turned back to look at her several times, as if reminding her to follow me.
Lin Xiaoxiao stretched out a finger and poked Xiao Weizhi's waist, leaned closer and pointed in the direction of the black cat, and asked in a low voice, "Shall we go and take a look?"
Xiao Weizhi grabbed her small hand that was poking his waist, and following the direction she pointed, looked at the black cat that had followed them without him noticing, and replied in a low voice, "Okay."
After telling everyone they wanted to go for a walk and getting their consent, the two of them held hands and followed the black cat a few meters behind it.
When they reached the muddy lakeside, the black cat stretched out one of its front paws and kept splashing the water, glancing at Lin Xiaoxiao every few splashes.
He repeated the motion more than ten times, but seeing that she still didn't react, he shook his head and snorted, looking at her as if she were an idiot.
Lin Xiaoxiao asked Xiao Weizhi beside her, puzzled, "Is it telling me to wash my hands?"
Xiao Weizhi's answer was followed by an uncertain pause: "Maybe it would allow you to reach into the water?"
Upon hearing this, Lin Xiaoxiao found a spot about 2 meters away from the black cat, squatted down, and reached out to touch the murky lake water. An identification message appeared out of nowhere:
[Mysterious Lake (Special): This lake contains trace amounts of life elements, effectively nourishing the bodies of all living things... Perhaps something is hidden at the bottom of the lake, causing the water to mutate. Go down and search; you might find an unexpected surprise.]
Lin Xiaoxiao quickly told Xiao Weizhi about her discovery.
Xiao Weizhi immediately used a [Water Repellent Shield (Bronze Level)] skill, took Lin Xiaoxiao into the lake, and searched around.
Finally, in a relatively hidden spot in the center of the lake, they found a basketball-sized stone, its entire surface a vibrant green, resembling the finest jade.
The stone was submerged in water, emitting a faint green glow around it, which upon closer inspection appeared to be a light effect caused by the refraction of light by the lake water.
The moment Lin Xiaoxiao touched it, she knew the details of the stone:
[Life Stone (Diamond Grade): When soaked in water, it can convert ordinary water into low-grade life water (it will be diluted if the area is too large). Keeping it nearby can nourish the body, increase life elements, and extend lifespan.]
[Special Note: Stones that grow beneath a special plant's Tree of Life for many years, constantly imbued with life energy, are upgraded to diamond-grade resources. These are highly sought-after items by many beings nearing the end of their lives.]
Upon obtaining the stone, Lin Xiaoxiao and Xiao Weizhi both came up with an unusually 'reasonable' conjecture regarding the emergence of the diamond-level BOSS that had appeared earlier.
Could this oasis, the pack of ugly sand foxes, and the diamond-level boss be all because of the appearance of this Life Stone?
By the time they returned to the surface from the bottom of the lake, it was already five o'clock in the evening.
As the sun sets, the sky is filled with vibrant red clouds, which, combined with the vast, barren red earth, create a stunningly desolate beauty from afar.
A gentle breeze carried the heat, which had dropped from over 60 degrees Celsius at noon to the current 45 degrees Celsius. The Longya team members, riding their bikes home, had sweat beading on their faces from the heat.
The reason for this is that their cooling item, the one-time use item [Cooling Jade], expired halfway back.
【Cooling Jade (Bronze Grade) (Disposable Item): Created by a Silver-grade or higher item maker, this item features cooling runes drawn on cold jade. Once activated with magic, it keeps the wearer's body temperature at a comfortable 27 degrees Celsius for 36 hours.】
Back in the tent, just as Xiao Weizhi went to wash up.
The black cat suddenly jumped from its cat bed to the ground, approached, and kept pawing at Lin Xiaoxiao with its paws, making urgent noises and meowing twice, as if it wanted something.
Strangely, despite possessing the ability to hear the voices of all things, she couldn't understand what the black cat was saying.
So all I could do was awkwardly keep asking it if it wanted this or that.
Finally, it took out the Life Stone it had acquired that day and placed it in front of the black cat. Only then did it stop its urging cries. The cat circled the Life Stone a few times, nodded in satisfaction, then jumped on it, found a suitable spot, curled up into a ball, tucked its front paws under its body, and closed its eyes to rest.
Lin Xiaoxiao put her hands on her hips and sighed helplessly. She was no longer so afraid of this strange black cat, but not being able to understand its speech and having to guess at many of its actions was exhausting.
After dinner, everyone went to rest.
At midnight, the sharp whistle of the assembly order sounded again: 'Beep—beep—'
Not long after the whistle blew, the lights in the previously dark residential area began to come on one after another. The professional squad members got up alertly, put on their professional attire, grabbed their weapons, and ran towards the gate.
Longya and his group were also among them. Xiao Weizhi was carrying Lin Xiaoxiao, who was unable to run fast, while Chen Feng was carrying Cheng Cheng and Liu Huihui...
In ten minutes, I ran several kilometers and successfully arrived at the entrance of the residential area.
Standing halfway up the mountain and looking down, countless flames, stretching endlessly in the darkness, surged toward the north, their numbers even greater than the lava ant swarms they encountered on the first day.
Everyone instinctively gasped.
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