Chapter 928 - 288: Parents

The closer they got to the River of Eternal Darkness.

The tremors coming from the soul became clearer and increasingly unavoidable.

Even though he knew in his heart that the anchor point he carried would counteract the effects of the River of Eternal Darkness’s extinction, every cell in his body couldn’t help but start trembling.

"You feel it, right? The terror of the River of Eternal Darkness."

"No matter how many times you come, you can never get used to this fear; it’s the body’s instinctive reaction."

When Big Golden Fur said this, his voice trembled too, proving his words were true.

They continued forward.

In the air, wisps of black vapor were visibly floating,

and as they sensed Han Zhan and Big Golden Fur approaching, these vapors began to converge towards the two.

A drop of black vapor enlarged in Han Zhan’s eyes.

All he could do was watch helplessly, clearly feeling the terror of this drop of black vapor, yet unable to make any evasive action!

Han Zhan, whose power even surpassed that of the gods, was suppressed by a single drop of black vapor!

If he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes, Han Zhan wouldn’t have believed it himself.

This is the River of Eternal Darkness!

Just as this drop of black vapor was about to fall onto Han Zhan’s forehead, the medium-sized event anchor point on him emitted a silver glow.

As his vision lost focus, turning entirely to ink, Han Zhan felt his spirit, about to be lost in endless darkness, seemingly anchored, ceasing its drift.

Han Zhan’s gaze refocused, as if saved from drowning, suddenly awakened, gasping for breath.

Looking up again, the black vapor that had been close to him had vanished.

"Alright, the vapors within the surrounding range of the River of Eternal Darkness have all been attracted here and neutralized by the anchor point."

"We’re safe for now."

Big Golden Fur’s eyes still had traces of black that hadn’t completely faded, indicating he had experienced the same ordeal as Han Zhan.

Only, he had gone through it countless times before and had already built up psychological endurance.

"While the vapors in the surrounding area haven’t spread back, let’s quickly scavenge along the riverbank."

Big Golden Fur nodded to Han Zhan, as if greeting, then headed off to the distance on his own.

This was his way of allowing Han Zhan to have this "safe zone" and preparing to explore another area, a special consideration for the "novice."

Han Zhan refocused his thoughts and turned his gaze back to this riverbank.

Just as Big Golden Fur said, the riverbank at the source was more likely to yield valuable finds than other places.

The riverbank had plenty of "debris," and figuring out whether these had truly valuable items required scavengers like them to carefully pick and discern.

For a moment, Han Zhan seemed to return to his childhood, remembering following his parents to the riverbank, searching under stones for hidden crabs.

He overturned a stone.

Underneath was a plastic bag, empty inside.

Han Zhan looked away and quickly moved on to the next target.

The black vapor in the air could spread over at any moment; he had to hurry.

Over the next half hour,

Han Zhan overturned more than twenty stones, dug over a dozen raised mud pits, and explored several riverside caves that might hold treasures.

It’s not entirely a matter of coming up empty-handed.

He found a few album discs, a backpack with cartoon designs, and some exercise books, including unfinished summer homework.

The items were nostalgic but practically useless.

No trace of antique artifacts was found.

Just as Han Zhan thought he was about to get nothing, he suddenly spotted a dark pit.

These pits, eroded by the power of extinction from the River of Eternal Darkness, were the likeliest places to find something valuable.

Full of anticipation, Han Zhan reached into the pit, probing by feel.

From afar, a figure was also approaching, exploring step by step.

The bright light illuminated the newcomer clearly, especially her red and blue ponytails.

Dawn Number Four.

She was also scavenging here.

It wasn’t a surprising occurrence, just a coincidence.

Dawn Number Four spotted Han Zhan, half-kneeling on the ground and digging in the pit, with a flash of surprise in her eyes.

After pondering for a moment, she approached Han Zhan, speaking up first:

"How’s it going, have you found anything?"

Han Zhan shook his head with a bitter smile and motioned to his side, indicating his finds for Dawn Number Four to see.

Dawn Number Four glanced over, confirmed they were all junk, then focused again on the pit Han Zhan was exploring.

"My intuition tells me you’ll find something in that pit."

One could say Dawn Number Four might have a hidden talent for speaking things into existence; as soon as she finished saying that, Han Zhan raised an eyebrow, feeling something in his hand.

It seemed to be... a rope? Han Zhan decided to pull it out for a look.

Immediately, he tugged forcefully, pulling the "rope" from the pit.

When Han Zhan looked at his find, his pupils widened suddenly.

That black "rope," when unfurled, formed a "T" shape, leaving Han Zhan dumbfounded while Dawn Number Four, who leaned closer, spat lightly, turning her head away.

Han Zhan could only forcibly remain calm, pretending indifference as he said, "Haha, in our time, these were common on the streets, with black representing sensuality and mystery."

He finished speaking, just about to toss it aside when he noticed the black rope somehow had a knot tied at its end.

With a mischievous impulse, Han Zhan gave it another hard pull.

Ah, yes.

This time, he pulled out a white lace version.

Because of his mischievous tendency.

Han Zhan: "..."

Dawn Number Four: "..."

Double awkwardness.

"White represents purity." Han Zhan, at a loss for words, explained.

Seeing Dawn Number Four remain silent, he impulsively asked another question:

"Uh, both of these are women’s items. Do you want them? I can... "

"Shut up!" Dawn Number Four immediately pushed back.

Just as she was about to scold Han Zhan for his teasing remarks,

not far off, Big Golden Fur’s agile figure appeared before them.

He seemed to have something held in his mouth.

After running over, Big Golden Fur placed the item at Han Zhan’s feet.

The latter picked up the item from the ground.

It was a yellowing photograph.

Standing beside him, Dawn Number Four, sharp-eyed, upon seeing the photo in Han Zhan’s hand, uttered an "Ah" in surprise.

"This young man in the photo looks... a lot like you?"

Big Golden Fur must have noticed this similarity, which is why he rushed over and handed the photo to Han Zhan.

"And the man and woman standing behind you in the photo, who are they?" Dawn Number Four asked curiously.

In the photo, besides the young man, there were two middle-aged individuals, smiling, standing on either side behind him.

Han Zhan opened his mouth, a mix of indescribable emotions stuck in his throat, making his voice a bit hoarse.

"Those are my parents."