Chapter 97: The Courtyard

So Lu Xi’an and Yao Wei returned the way they came once more.

When Yao Wei drove to the edge of the jungle earlier, Lu Xi’an had her stop the car.

He glanced and saw that the New Human’s head and body were still lying quietly on the ground.

The wolf pack was likely scared off by the New Human’s abilities and didn’t return to scavenge.

Lu Xi’an then picked up the New Human’s head and threw it onto the car roof, between the tires.

The space in the middle of the tires was just right to fit a head, no need to worry about securing it or taking up space.

After doing this, Lu Xi’an opened the driver’s door and said to Yao Wei, “I’ll drive now.”

Yao Wei promptly scrambled to the front passenger seat and asked, “Why did you pick up his head?”

That head can’t be eaten.

Lu Xi’an smiled and replied, “To scare people. Didn’t that woman say before? This New Human alone terrified the people in the urban area of Mengxin City.

“So if we bring his head back and scare the people in the urban area of Mengxin City, it should save a lot of trouble, right?”

Yao Wei thought it made sense and nodded, “Mhm.”

There were no roads to the west of the jungle turn-off; the man and woman from the urban area of Mengxin City had come from the west, crossing the grassland on foot, not along the road.

Therefore, they went north for a while, reaching a T-junction, and then, as shown on the map, turned west.

This westward direction was actually southwest; the distance was neither short nor long—at least much closer than going to Tongzhou County.

By the time the two reached the urban area of Mengxin City, it wasn’t dark yet.

The style of this city was just like Tongzhou County; everything was doing its utmost to display the vastness and emptiness of Mengxin City.

The roads were extremely wide, and the buildings, whether tall or short, were very sparse, so Lu Xi’an and Yao Wei could see the city’s tower from a great distance with a single glance.

However, this was also due to the tower being the tallest and thickest building in the city, wider at the top and narrower at the bottom, looking like a cooling tower.

Lu Xi’an stopped the car and looked into the city for a long time.

Yao Wei asked, “How do we get in?”

Lu Xi’an pondered for a long time and said, “Let’s do it like we did when we went to Tongzhou County… If we can’t assess the situation inside the city, maintaining visibility and being aware of our surroundings is the best approach.

“But it will be tough on you, making you face the danger.”

Yao Wei said, “It’s fine, if I’m in danger, you driving isn’t safe either.”

Lu Xi’an: “…”

That was indeed the truth.

Yao Wei opened the car door and climbed onto the roof, still with a bow and arrow in hand, a pistol at her waist, and bullets chambered, just like before.

As for the short crossbow, she hadn’t mastered it yet and felt it wasn’t reliable to use, so she left it in the car.

Lu Xi’an, on the other hand, checked the drone; seeing that it had been charged quite a bit, he flipped the switch and had Doggy control the drone to take off.

“You haven’t brought Doggy yet.”

Lu Xi’an said as he opened the car door, lifted Doggy up, and handed him over.

Yao Wei reached out and took him. Lu Xi’an sat back in the car and said again, “Don’t forget to put that head out,” then closed the door.

Yao Wei said, “Mhm.” Then Lu Xi’an heard a slight movement; it was likely Yao Wei taking the New Human’s head out from between the tires and placing it somewhere.

The air-ground coordination formation was re-established. Lu Xi’an engaged the gear and stepped on the accelerator, driving into the city.

The rugged and wide city was like a deep-sea beast with its mouth agape, easily swallowing them whole.

It was quiet in the city, as if all living things inside had already been dissolved by the beast’s gastric juices. The wind blew, making it feel incredibly desolate.

This silence and eeriness, like the calm before a storm, kept Lu Xi’an and Yao Wei from relaxing their guard as they bumped along the city’s roads, their minds constantly on high alert.

But until they drove up to the giant tower, this eerie tranquility remained unbroken by anyone.

The giant tower was located within a high-walled courtyard, resembling some high-end company headquarters or a critical base.

The courtyard’s main gate was gone, the guard booth in front was rusty, and the window glass had long since shattered.

Lu Xi’an ordered Doggy to remotely control the drone to fly up and scout the courtyard. After confirming there was no danger, he drove the car inside.

The courtyard was also empty, overgrown with weeds, extremely desolate, and devoid of any people.

“Not a single person…”

Lu Xi’an murmured, “Were they scared by our formation and didn’t dare to come out, or are the only people left in this city those two who were going to Tongzhou County?”

“I don’t know.”

Yao Wei’s reply from the car roof did not surprise Lu Xi’an.

However, Lu Xi’an thought about it and felt it was unlikely that only those two people were left in the city.

Given Chai Xin’s caution when talking about this place, there should have been more than just one or two people here. Even if the New Human had fought with the locals upon arrival, they shouldn’t have eliminated everyone, leaving only two.

And even if it were a coincidence and that was the case, why wouldn’t those two survivors bring Chai Xin with them if they got word from him to go to Tongzhou County?

—With only those two left, whether they could subdue Chai Xin was still a question.

“Let’s have Doggy send the drone in to take a look first.”

Lu Xi’an had to follow the usual procedure.

What he had Doggy control the drone to go to was certainly not the launch tower.

In this courtyard, besides the launch tower, there was also a large building.

The building was grand, and judging by its shape and scale, it was once a very eye-catching structure.

But now, time had passed, and wind and rain had eroded it, making the building no longer possess its former glory. It was dark and deserted, like a haunted building.

Lu Xi’an didn’t know the building’s former name; the nameplate at the entrance was long gone. As the drone flew in, its flashing signal lights became the only highlight inside the building.

Then, someone appeared.

Lu Xi’an saw two people cautiously emerging with their hands raised high, looking at the car roof with utter shock; it was likely Yao Wei on the roof who had intimidated them sufficiently.

“We were captured by that person! We didn’t do anything!”

The two people said with trembling voices, filled with fear.

Lu Xi’an raised an eyebrow.

“That person” likely referred to the New Human they had killed, and what did “didn’t do anything” mean?

“What else do you want to do?”

Lu Xi’an asked.

“Nothing else! We really aren’t doing anything!”

One of them said, “He wanted to find you himself, it has nothing to do with us! We don’t know how to use that resonance instrument either, he was operating it all by himself!”

It seemed these two people also knew about the resonant gene scanner.

Lu Xi’an remained composed and said, “You two come out first.”

After the two people walked out of the building, Lu Xi’an asked again, “Are there any other people inside the building?”