Chapter 39: Above the Wilderness
Shortly after Gu Chen left, Li Wenhui’s cries startled the dormitory supervisor making his routine rounds. Upon arriving, the supervisor immediately spotted the body on the floor and his face flushed with horror.
“Who did this?” the supervisor asked, turning to Li Wenhui.
“It was Gu Chen,” Li Wenhui replied shakily.
Gu Chen? Hearing the name, the supervisor found it hard to believe. He knew this student well—an orphan with no family to rely on. During holidays, when others went home, Gu Chen, unable to afford rent, would sneak into the dormitories to stay. Initially, the supervisor had expelled him several times, but after understanding the situation, he chose to turn a blind eye.
Suddenly, several middle-aged men dressed in black appeared in the hallway. The man leading them wore a grave expression as he hurried to the corpse of Li Renjie. Confirming the death, a fierce murderous aura radiated from him.
“Who did this? Who dares to kill the heir of the Li family? I’ll tear him to pieces!” he roared.
The supervisor’s face paled with apprehension. He recognized the man—it was Wang Chongshan, the Li family’s steward, a Level 29, peak second-tier assassin. Once renowned, Wang had been gravely injured in the Abyss some years ago, greatly diminishing his strength. He had since taken the position of steward for the Li family. Regardless, a peak second-tier assassin in a small town like Lin City was not to be underestimated. Apart from the principal, perhaps only the vice principal could suppress him—and neither was present today.
The supervisor stepped aside; this was beyond his jurisdiction since the victim was the Li family heir.
Seeing Wang Chongshan’s arrival, Li Wenhui saw a savior and hurried forward to recount the events.
“Gu Chen! A mere lowly commoner dares to kill the Li family heir!” Wang bellowed. “I will ensure you die without a grave!”
He pulled a lantern from his portable space. Under its light, a faint trace of energy appeared, marking the direction Gu Chen had fled.
“Chase him! A newly promoted student won’t get far! Bring him back—I want him to accompany the young master in death!”
With that command, Wang Chongshan and his men surged forward, following the lantern’s guidance.
---
Outside the school, Gu Chen hailed a car at a secluded intersection, heading swiftly out of the city. The vehicles here were powered by energy crystals, speeding along dedicated lanes.
Within minutes, Gu Chen reached the city gates.
According to Shenxia Empire law, no professional below level 10 may leave the city alone. Those wishing to exit must be accompanied by at least one level 10 or above professional.
A young city guard spotted Gu Chen’s youthful face from afar and sneered, “Another student trying to sneak out. Let’s see if I can catch you.”
The city guard captain glanced at Gu Chen and slapped the young guard on the back of the head, grumbling, “What’s wrong with students? Even if he’s a student, he’s already level 10. You didn’t get into a prestigious academy and have only reached level 9 after all this time in the army, and you want to catch him?”
Gu Chen wore the Black Butler insignia, and the captain, a second-tier professional, could instantly tell his level.
“Level 10? Impossible! The newbie dungeon just opened yesterday. A student leveling to 10 today? Is this even human?” The other young guards turned to look at Gu Chen with envy. Rising to level 10 by the second day was unprecedented. If nothing else, this student’s admission to the capital’s academy was a foregone conclusion.
Such talent left them no chance to curry favor; trying to stop him was pointless.
Gu Chen passed through the gate unimpeded.
---
Meanwhile, at the Li family estate, patriarch Li Xiao received the news that his beloved son Li Renjie had been killed in the Lin City No. 1 High School dormitory.
The living room was a mess, and the servants outside knelt in trembling fear.
Li Xiao’s face darkened like stormy water, veins bulging on his forehead.
“Gu Chen! A contemptible lowly commoner dares to murder my son!”
“Mobilize everyone; scour every inch of the land. Even if we have to overturn Lin City, find him for me!”
“I will personally kill that brat to honor my son’s spirit!”
Li Xiao ground his teeth, eyes gleaming coldly, as if he longed to tear Gu Chen apart alive.
Yet at that moment, Gu Chen had already successfully left the city.
Passing beneath the pale blue light curtain of the city gate, the once bright sky suddenly grew gloomy.
Gu Chen surveyed the surroundings; all he saw was a thin veil of black-gray mist. Visibility was poor—beyond five meters, everything blurred; ten meters was the limit.
He instinctively glanced back. The entire city was enveloped beneath a translucent hemispherical barrier. Beyond it, endless black fog swirled, isolated by the light dome.
“So this is the wilderness? It seems even harsher than what the textbooks described.”
---
Gu Chen reached out, grasping a handful of the thin black mist, which slipped through his fingers like smoke.
No one knew how this black-gray haze had formed; it had existed for as long as recorded history.
Of course, the Abyssal mutants also existed.
They had always been there.
In the wildlands, one faced the true Abyssal mutants, multiplying danger manyfold.
One had to remain constantly vigilant, wary of sudden attacks emerging from the mist.
Thus, utmost alertness was essential.
Gu Chen unfolded a map and summoned the Blood Clan Lord to lead the way, heading toward the Abyss. Soon, they vanished into the black fog.
Not long after, a low, guttural roar echoed from afar.
Following the sound, Gu Chen peered through the mist and faintly saw several professionals engaged in fierce combat with mutants.
One kilometer beyond the city gate, the wildlands began to reveal the presence of mutants.
Gu Chen spotted a mutant figure wandering five meters ahead. Instantly, a series of information appeared before his eyes:
[Rotpoison Warlock]
[Level 10]
[Health: 11,350]
[Attributes: Strength 93, Agility 98, Spirit 65, Constitution 75]
[Skill: Bite]
This was a level 10 mutant with large portions of its body rotted away. Its tattered clothes were stained with mottled blood, and it was surrounded by buzzing insects and a nauseating stench.
Judging by the attributes, the Rotpoison Warlock excelled in physical offense and defense, boasting decent constitution and over ten thousand health points.
Its agility was the highest, even surpassing assassins of the same level.
This meant that once it latched onto its prey, it was an unrelenting fight to the death.
Faced with such a fiend, ordinary professionals would rarely engage unless absolutely confident.
But Gu Chen had no such hesitation.
The Blood Clan Lord activated his skill without a word, unleashing a barrage of shimmering silver bullets that instantly drained the warlock’s health.
[Killed Rotpoison Warlock LV.10, Experience +626]