Chapter 124 : Chapter 124
Chapter 124
Ji Qing realized that he was slowly coming to accept his identity as an Aberrant, both physically and psychologically.
Perhaps that tendency had been destined to appear from the very day he first encountered an Intelligent Aberrant. Compared with humans, whose actions and thoughts were both complex and obscure, the world of Aberrants was a little simpler and a little purer.
Take the people Ji Qing knew, for example...
Although Jiang Cuo was always complaining about and insulting his father, anyone with eyes could tell that his relationship with the man was anything but ordinary. Compared with the mother who never even appeared in his words, his feelings toward his father were far more complicated and profound.
Father Miao also complained about his own father again and again, yet he still did everything a son ought to do for him.
As for Gu Lingxue, there was no need to mention how painful and grinding her relationship with her parents was. Loving them was difficult, and hating them was difficult too. Ji Qing had once seen scattered comments and forum posts questioning the logic behind her behavior at the time. Why had she declared that she hated her parents one moment, only to rush off to rescue them the next when she learned they were in danger?
It really was strange.
Ji Qing had thought seriously about it.
But he understood the deeper meaning behind it, because he too had been raised by parents who possessed that same complicated quality.
Before hatred could reach its extreme, love had already reacted first.
That, more or less, was what kinship was: something awkward and difficult to understand. It was also the human soul, something Aberrants could neither comprehend nor learn. Ji Qing could accept his identity as an Aberrant, but he could not sever his connection to humanity.
At 15:23, along the Huangtie City-Ding’an City route.
The Ore Truck Convoy encountered its first small Aberrant Tide. As the convoy passed a green lake, several Mutated Ostriches that had been splashing in the water noticed it. Amid the yellow sand kicked up by the tires, they stretched out their long legs and charged toward the convoy.
Because the straight-line distance between the two sides was still more than ten kilometers, the ostrich flock could not scatter the formation. They could only cling stubbornly to the rear of the convoy.
Ji Qing picked up a pair of binoculars and leaned halfway out of the Armed Vehicle's window, calmly observing the state of the distant flock of Mutated Ostriches. The violent wind created by the speeding vehicle blew at the tips of his hair, and his ears rang from the force of it.
Ji Qing could feel the fine grains of sand scraping against his cheeks and fingers.
The feeling was strange, but not unpleasant.
He suddenly felt as though he were racing wildly across the Loess Plateau, his body carried along by the wind, growing lighter and lighter, while his field of vision rose higher and higher...
Yes. Ji Qing thought with an amused smile that this felt like the instant before flight.
But in reality, his expression remained steady.
He bent down calmly and said into the radio, “They’re only treating the pursuit as part of the fun. There’s no need to kill them. Driving them off will be enough.”
The next second, without even looking back, he stretched out a hand toward Xie Chang’an and said:
“Pass me the tear gas grenades for dispersal.”
Hearing that, Xie Chang’an immediately pulled over the sack at his feet that held the tear gas grenades and placed three round green canisters into Ji Qing’s hand.
The moment he received them, Ji Qing leaned back out of the Armed Vehicle.
By now, the Mutated Ostriches had already caught up with the convoy and were running tightly on its tail. They were astonishingly fast, and the sand they kicked up formed a towering yellow curtain behind them.
The leading Mutated Ostrich let out an excited screech, while the ones behind it strained to go even faster.
Rather than hunting, this felt more like a race. Ji Qing became even more certain of his judgment.
Even with some distance between them, he could still sense a strange exhilaration coming from the birds. Their state truly resembled the split second before marathon runners, pumped full of adrenaline, burst into their final sprint.
Tsk. So were they treating the convoy as the finish line, or as the prize?
Thinking expressionlessly, Ji Qing seized the right moment and hurled the three tear gas grenades in his hand. The three green canisters shattered on the ground at once, and thick white smoke billowed out from the broken shells.
But the Mutated Ostriches at the tail of the convoy charged straight through the man-made smoke barrier, trampling through the flying yellow sand.
There was no sign of their speed decreasing.
Ji Qing had expected that. Completely calm, he stretched his hand back toward Xie Chang’an again and said, “Three more gas grenades, and one flashbang.”
A heavy metallic weight settled into his right palm.
Only this time, along with the familiar heaviness, there was also an extra silver-white flashbang, lighter than the others.
Ji Qing gripped the flashbang separately in his left hand, then repeated the same process as before. He found the right moment and threw the tear gas grenades at a closer distance. Once the white smoke had spread to a certain extent and the ostriches had drawn even nearer, he swiftly hurled the flashbang from his left hand.
Screee—
The flashbang let out a sharp explosive shriek, like the cry of an infant.
At once, the rear of the convoy was swallowed by a sheet of white.
When the harsh light faded, the smoke barrier formed by the three tear gas grenades reappeared before everyone’s eyes. One minute, two minutes, three minutes...
Time slowly passed, yet the ostriches never appeared again.
Ji Qing immediately had his answer.
So he dropped neatly back into his seat, shut the roof hatch with one hand, picked up the radio with the other, and said calmly, “Done.”
“Amazing!” “Nice one, kid!”
Praises from the people in the other vehicles immediately rang out through the earpiece. Even the driver could not help giving him a thumbs-up.
“Incredible, kid,” the driver said, his eyes full of admiration. “Your timing was perfect! I can’t even see the ostriches anymore from here. Where did you learn that trick? Your judgment is seriously impressive!”
“Kid, how did you manage to stop them without provoking them?”
From the womb. Ji Qing answered instinctively in his heart.
But that obviously was not something he could say aloud.
So he deliberately put on a troubled expression and said, “I’m not really sure either. I guess you could say I just relied on instinct.”
“That instinct is incredible,” one of the convoy members sighed over the earpiece. “I never thought in my life that we’d get through this so easily. Kid, how can we get in touch with you? If we drive out again in the future, how are we supposed to contact you?”
Was this... poaching the team leader right in front of the team members?
Before Ji Qing could fully process it, someone else had already answered for him. Zhou Que snatched up the radio and shouted, “Ji Qing doesn’t have time! He has to stay with us!”
The scene fell silent for a moment.
As expected of Zhou Que. Ji Qing was caught between laughter and helplessness.
The dead silence on the convoy channel was quickly broken, and the vehicle filled with the hearty laughter of adults.
Zhou Que asked in confusion, “What are you laughing at?”
“Of course we’re laughing at ourselves.” Father Miao laughed heartily when he heard that.
One of the drivers said awkwardly, “I almost forgot that you’re all students.”
Another driver chimed in, “Exactly, exactly.”
One of the accompanying personnel in the Armed Vehicle asked curiously, “Are all students at Ability High Schools as capable as you? Do they all take Commissions like you do? This is my first time seeing high school students working as hunters. It really feels new and strange.”
“No.” Zhou Que let out a snort after hearing that, his tone full of pride. “It’s only because we’re the strongest.”
“Then that really is impressive!”
Zhou Que immediately replied in smug satisfaction, “Hm-hm.”
Listening to the conversation in his earpiece, Ji Qing could not help laughing softly.
If Ji Qing himself was being treated by the convoy as a proper wasteland hunter, then Zhou Que was quite simply being treated like a child. Before boarding the vehicle, Ji Qing had deliberately paid attention to the age range of the convoy members. Most of them were middle-aged adults in their thirties and forties.
In other words, quite a few people in the convoy had probably already built families and careers.
As a high school student who had not yet entered the adult world, Zhou Que’s protests probably looked to them like a child refusing to admit defeat. Of course, this was not something that could be said directly in front of Zhou Que. That would definitely make him angry.
With that thought, Ji Qing smiled helplessly.
Then his gaze quietly shifted toward Xie Chang’an in the next seat. Xie Chang’an’s reaction was exactly the same as that of the adults in the convoy. Under such a harmonious group atmosphere, his mood had become particularly relaxed.
It seemed that his impression of Zhou Que had completely changed.
Ji Qing found that inwardly amusing.
Xie Chang’an himself was still a child, yet now he was starting to think of his classmate as one too. That sort of change was rather interesting.
Before Xie Chang’an noticed his gaze, Ji Qing had already looked away first.
The way he observed people was subtle enough that Xie Chang’an noticed nothing. After all, Ji Qing had years of “reconnaissance and counter-reconnaissance” experience at school. Ever since elementary school, he had been guarding against teachers and parents suddenly appearing and snatching away his phone.
Looking back now, it really was somewhat nostalgic.
At 18:23, the sun was about to set.
Following Father Miao’s instructions, the convoy decided to rest at a nearby Safe Point. Since the presence of nine vehicles was far too conspicuous, all the vehicles other than the transport trucks carrying the ore were dispersed and concealed around the Safe Point.
The moment Ji Qing’s feet touched the ground, his body involuntarily swayed.
Even someone who never got carsick would feel dizzy after spending the entire day in a vehicle.
Frowning, Ji Qing shook his head hard to keep himself clear-headed.
His gaze fell upon the dim horizon in the distance, then the forest not far away, then the nearer hills, and finally Xie Chang’an beside him, whose face was deathly pale as he braced himself against a rock with one hand and dry-heaved at the ground.
Right... I forgot Xie Chang’an got carsick, Ji Qing thought belatedly.
Because Xie Chang’an had cooperated so perfectly in the car, Ji Qing had completely forgotten how badly he had suffered from motion sickness during the Winter Break Practicum. It seemed that after they parted at the start of the term, Xie Chang’an had spent quite a lot of effort getting himself used to riding in vehicles...
Wow. So this was what a manga protagonist was like? Ji Qing felt a surge of admiration.
Just then, the driver from Ji Qing’s vehicle jogged over and asked, “Where are we heading next?”
“Let’s meet up with the people from Vehicle 7 and Vehicle 4 first, then head to the Safe Point,” Ji Qing said automatically. He glanced at the setting sun, remaining calm and composed. “Please remind the others over the channel to stay alert. We’ll be over shortly.”
“Got it.” The driver nodded.
Ji Qing then turned his head sharply and called out, “Xie Chang’an, how are you? We still have some walking to do in a bit.”
“I... I’m fine.”
Hearing that, Xie Chang’an forced himself to perk up and showed a strained smile.
Ji Qing fell silent.
To be honest, he did not really want to believe Xie Chang’an’s words.
So Ji Qing simply turned to one of the convoy men beside him and said, “Sir, if this guy keels over later, can you carry him for me?”
The man answered readily, “Sure.”
The question and answer took place right in front of Xie Chang’an, so it was impossible for him not to hear it. Xie Chang’an froze on the spot and protested weakly, “I’m not that frail...”
Unfortunately for him, Ji Qing, as one of the leaders, had already walked off.
Fine... Xie Chang’an thought blankly.
While despising himself, he also admired Ji Qing to the utmost.
From the early hours of this morning until dusk tonight, the convoy had encountered no fewer than four or five Aberrant attacks, yet almost all of them had been resolved one by one under Ji Qing’s direction. By now, even the client could not help praising Ji Qing’s breadth of knowledge and experience.
Before the Commission began, Miao Weiyong had still been worried that the hunters might act rashly. During the Commission, however, Miao Weiyong had already come to largely approve of Ji Qing.
By contrast...
Xie Chang’an’s thoughts suddenly turned toward himself.
He suddenly felt a little inferior.
But before that inferiority could take root in his heart, the man whom Ji Qing had entrusted with this important duty asked bluntly, “Do you need me to carry you now?”
At that instant, Xie Chang’an felt as though someone had stabbed him through the heart.
After a long silence, Xie Chang’an once again forced out a difficult smile.
“...Not for now.”