Chapter 49: Invisible  

“Did you actually think we’re useless?” Qian Dakui said while sitting in his seat. He did not want to get out of the car.

Zhang Chao and Yang Dawei were stunned. They did not know how to respond.

Qian Dakui did not wait for Luo Yuan to respond though, he just sighed before he added, “You’re a product of evolution, right?”

“Do you mean there’s an evolved survivor among the five of them?” Luo Yuan was shocked. He suddenly looked very serious.

“Yes! The guy who was walking in the back of the group is an evolved survivor.”

Qian Dakui stopped for a second. It seemed difficult for him to talk about this. “Actually his capabilities are just slightly higher than ordinary people’s, but his superpower is frightful. He can make himself invisible!”

Invisible? Luo Yuan frowned. He was not aware that evolved survivors could have that ability.

“A while ago, citizens of Hedong City and Donghu City got into a terrible fight that caused many severe injuries and deaths. The people from Hedong City suggested a negotiation half-way into the battle, and we didn’t want the battle to go on either, so we signed an agreement without much consideration. However, not a moment later, more than 10 people died just out of the blue. Perhaps everyone would be dead now if we hadn’t scared that guy with our guns!”

“Then why do you still want to come? Aren’t you afraid that he might come back and attack you?” Luo Yuan asked curiously. He did not really understand them, nor did he believe that helping him find the dead bird’s body was their only motive.

Qian Dakui suddenly looked awkward. Luo Yuan might not have a lot of social experience, but Qian Dakui was even worse. He was incapable of hiding his emotions. Luo Yuan knew he was not telling the truth to him. He looked at Qian Dakui and asked, "So, are you going to point a gun at me?"

Zhang Chao looked panicked and slowly moved his hand to the short knife in his boot while Yang Dawei touched the handle of his knife. They could not hide from Luo Yuan anymore.

As Luo Yuan stared at them, they instantly turned pale and drops of sweat started forming on their foreheads. Qian Dakui looked just as frightened. He hadn’t been this scared even when he was facing gigantic mutated beasts. He quickly said, “Everybody, don’t move! Brother Luo, please don’t misunderstand. I didn’t expect us to bump into them.”

Luo Yuan looked even more serious.

Qian Dakui knew he could not hide it anymore so he said, “Alright, I have an idea. We have been resting for a few days since the fight. We actually wanted to try and make some more money in other places, but when you mentioned the feathers, I thought we should stay.”

Luo Yuan knew something was wrong if Qian Dakui was trying to pressure him. Although he was not comfortable with it, it did not make him angry. He said, “That’s fine, all I want to know is if you really have the feathers.”

“Of course! Why would I lie to you?” Qian Dakui said immediately, sounding regretful.

“That’s good then,” Luo Yuan said.

Everyone felt relieved. They realized they had all been sweating just from that short conversation. “Brother Luo, I guess you’re an evolved survivor too?” Qian Dakui asked hesitantly.

Luo Yuan looked stunned as he nodded his head. That was a good way for him to hide his special abilities. Zhang Chao and Yang Dawei exchanged a look, both of them looking amazed, while Qian Dakui had an “It’s true, huh” expression on his face.

Luo Yuan changed the topic, “Alright, now what? Where should we go?”

He opened the door and got out of the car. “Since we have a lot of time on our hands, how about we look for the body of the mutated bird?” Qian Dakui suggested.

“That’s a good idea. Let me use the washroom first.”

He walked towards a burned tree and stopped right under it. He smiled and touched the handle of his knife with his hand. A green light flashed and then disappeared as blood spilled out. There was the sound of someone moaning in pain. Suddenly, a person slowly appeared up ahead and walked towards Luo Yuan. He was covering his abdomen with his hands as blood dripped from his wound. He looked pale as he said, “That’s impossible! How did you see me?”

It was the man who had smiled at Luo Yuan earlier. However, now his smile seemed to have been replaced by fear and madness. Qian Dakui and the others looked shocked as they quickly drew their weapons out and stayed on alert. "Just a small trick," Luo Yuan said slowly. "If you tell me where all your buddies are, I might consider letting you go."

Luo Yuan had looked around the place earlier, but had not noticed anything strange about it. Apparently, his partners were not there. Invisibility was just a small trick for Luo Yuan. It was enough to trick his eyes, but not his senses. Luo Yuan had noticed the man when he was about 10 meters away. He could have killed him if he’d wanted to, but he decided to get more information out of him. To him, a man who couldn’t use chemical weapons was not a threat. However, ordinary people owning modern weapons were extremely dangerous. Luo Yuan needed to know where all those people were in order to kill them. He had already initiated the fight, and he did not plan on getting killed while he was hunting in the forest.

“Impossible! It was just a coincidence. You can’t possibly have seen me! You were just lucky.” He did not seem to have been listening to what Luo Yuan had said.

Apparently, he was so overconfident he was willing to risk his own life. Zhang Chao held his sniper rifle as a warning while Qian Dakui and Yang Dawei walked towards him. They seemed shocked as they looked at the man who had haunted their dreams. Yang Dawei said, “It’s him! The evolved survivor?”

The man looked at them arrogantly as he regained his confidence. He then looked at Luo Yuan and laughed like a maniac, “I haven’t suffered a severe injury like this since I survived the evolution. Anyway, you won’t be so lucky next time!”

The next second, the man had disappeared.

Bang!

Zhang Chao fired, but he missed because of the people blocking him. Luo Yuan smiled coldly as he stepped confidently on the ground and leaped over 10 meters ahead of them in an instant.

The Zhanmadao sliced across something invisible, producing a green flash before an arm flew into the air. The man appeared again, falling to the ground. He was in severe pain and suffering from massive blood loss. He looked very pale, but he was strong and did not make any sound except for a single cry of pain. Luo Yuan said angrily, “Your trick is useless against me, so stop testing my patience! Tell me where your friends are!”

“The first time could be a coincidence, but the second one probably isn’t. You really can see me, or sense me.” The man looked at Luo Yuan helplessly as he added, “I can tell you where they are, but I want to know how you can see me!”

Luo Yuan could sense that the man was stubborn and he knew it would be useless to say no. “Alright,” he said.

“Our captain was not happy with Donghu citizens, so he sent me here to kill you. If you follow the small road for 3 kilometers, then you will find them. Good luck to you!”

“How do I know that what you just said is true? You could be trying to lead me into the habitat of a mutated beast,” Luo Yuan said as he smiled.

“I don’t need to lie to you!” the man said, looking mad. “Those are not my buddies, they’re just my comrades. Evolution might have gifted me with invisibility, but my speed and power are just like anybody else’s. I help them kill humans and they help me kill mutated beasts. It’s a fair trade.”

"Alright, I believe you. You can go now." Luo Yuan could see that the man was extremely arrogant and he kind of liked him for that. He had already lost an arm and had a cut on his abdomen. He’d be lucky to survive.

Yang Dawei wanted to stop him, but he did not say anything when he saw the calm expression on Luo Yuan’s face.

“You’re not going to kill me?” The man looked touched.

“You’re no threat to me,” Luo Yuan said. “Plus, I can see you thanks to my senses!”

“An instinct?” The man looked confused while his body shook. He had not expected the ability that he had been so proud of to be so easily beaten.

“Let’s go!” Luo Yuan turned around and told Qian Dakui.

Zhang Chao hesitated for a moment, but when he saw Qian Dakui shake his head, he released the buckle and stood up with his sniper rifle. Luo Yuan had heard the sound of flowing water when they’d first arrived at the entrance of the forest. He turned around and saw the man use his left arm to slit his own throat with a short knife. Luo Yuan looked at him as he fell to the ground. Then he turned around again.

When something you’re so proud of is deemed worthless by others, you suddenly find your life to be meaningless. That was an extremely stubborn person and the first evolved survivor Luo Yuan had met. The white clouds were spread evenly across the sky like scales on a fish. Beneath them was a borderless forest, so green and lively compared to the sky above.

It was a new forest grown from farmland in just a few months time. Although it could not be compared to older forests that had already existed for thousand years, it was already on that scale. Big trees with meter-wide trunks were pretty common. In other words, this forest was lusher and more active than the older ones. The farmland had already been covered, and the footprints of farmers on it would never be found again.

There was a gray layer of humus on the ground that felt soft and loose when you stepped on it. It was the result of grass being defeated by natural evolution. However, some grass had managed to survive it by adapting to the dense environment and limited sunlight, and evolving into climbing plants that grew up big trees to absorb the sunlight and nutrients. There were several people walking carefully down the small road.