Chapter 23: Major Discovery
Behind him, Long Night and Number 88 followed carefully as well...
At last, he had entered the terrain where his skills excelled.
Tracking by footprints, two days had elapsed. After the mountains had been scoured by flash floods and the forests disrupted by wild beasts, could he still follow the trail of Number 325?
At least, they themselves were unable to track it.
But after trailing Lin Xiaosu for seven or eight hundred meters, their eyes lit up—a footprint appeared in the wet earth, the mark left by a special shoe.
This shoe was exclusive to the Hidden Dragon unit.
“Between these two, which do you think is the true talent?” Number 88’s voice drifted toward Long Night.
“Why can’t they both be talented?” Long Night replied.
“That’s true! Crescent Moon’s unique skills have rarely had the chance to shine—she’s always been floundering in fields she’s not good at. The fact that she’s achieved so much in those areas is proof enough she’s a genius!”
“But that’s not the main point. The main thing is, she still has one chance to awaken her abilities. That’s a privilege unique to second-generation gene talents. Some say, second-generation gene people are the most likely to ‘awaken’.”
Awaken!
Even uttered from their lips, those two syllables carried an endless aura of mystery...
“Second-generation gene people... truly a profound topic,” said Number 88. “As a master of the medicinal arts, what’s your view on second-generation gene people?”
“Our ancestors once said that disaster and fortune are intertwined—perhaps that’s the most accurate description for second-generation gene people...” Long Night suddenly raised her gaze, eyes fixed on Lin Xiaosu above.
Number 88 also looked up. “Did you discover something?”
With a swish, both appeared at Lin Xiaosu’s side.
From the side, Lin Xiaosu’s face revealed an unsettled, startled expression...
Taking a deep breath, Lin Xiaosu pointed toward a lone cliff ahead. “There—that should be where he sent the photos.”
Number 88 let out a breath. “Don’t worry, just climb to that cliff. You won’t fall.”
He thought Lin Xiaosu’s unsettled look stemmed from the danger of the isolated cliff, that as an ordinary person, he was afraid of heights.
Yet he could never have guessed that Lin Xiaosu had “seen” a truly harrowing scene.
When Number 325 passed through here, a white snake flashed through the grass—its speed was astonishing. Number 325’s reaction was equally uncanny, spinning on his heel and taking three steps forward.
Even so, he wasn’t able to completely avoid the white snake’s attack. As it slid past his leg, its scales suddenly flared open like a row of sharp blades, slicing a gash in his dragon armor.
Fixing his sharp gaze on the grass at his feet, Number 325 saw the white snake burrow into the earth.
He probably didn’t see clearly.
But when he found his dragon armor slashed open, he was greatly shocked.
This was what he meant by a “major discovery”!
There was something in these mountains capable of shredding dragon armor.
But as to what exactly, he hadn’t seen clearly.
Lin Xiaosu, however, had seen—it was a white snake, outwardly indistinguishable from any regular snake, except for the moment it struck.
Its speed exceeded that of normal snakes by at least tenfold.
Its scales could rip through dragon armor.
Dragon armor was formidable—Even the imitation dragon armor Lin Xiaosu wore couldn’t be easily torn by wild beasts of the mountains.
Lin Xiaosu’s lingering fright came from the realization that even with formidable equipment, and even with three Hidden Dragon experts at his side, he would be doomed if ambushed by this snake...
Even the three experts faced grave danger.
Lin Xiaosu climbed up to the isolated cliff, with Number 88 following. Glancing at his communicator, Number 88 nodded lightly. “There’s a faint signal here. Number 325 sent the photos from here.”
“Next, we need to track his descent. Did you see any traces of him going down while you were climbing up?” Long Night asked Lin Xiaosu.
“He didn’t go back the way he came down.”
“If he didn’t, it must have been that way...” Long Night pointed toward the spot where Lin Xiaosu had seen the white snake—there, a ridge led to another mountain range.
Lin Xiaosu nodded and returned to the forest where the white snake had appeared. Once again, he saw Number 325, mirroring his own actions, but even more pronounced.
He deliberately strode into the tall grasses...
He was using himself as bait, luring an unknown hunter to attack.
In his hand, he gripped a dragon-scale dagger, his mind utterly focused.
On the eve of the gene era, when miraculous genes were coveted by every nation, encountering a creature capable of rending dragon armor was a “major discovery.” Thus, Number 325 risked himself as bait to draw out the hunter—yes, at that moment, he made himself the lure. And the attacker was the hunter.
Of course, as a gold-ranked Hidden Dragon operative, he was a hunter as well!
It was a contest of skill.
Time ticked by...
Lin Xiaosu seemed to assume the role of his “observed” subject...
Unconsciously, he held his breath and focused...
Number 88 and Long Night exchanged a look, puzzled, but they sensed acutely that Lin Xiaosu had uncovered another mystery.
But what was it?
They followed his gaze but saw nothing.
In Lin Xiaosu’s “vision,” the full picture finally unfolded...
It was utterly breathtaking.
As Number 325 took a step forward, a white snake shot out from underground, fast as lightning—it didn’t even seem alive, more like an arrow.
It shot straight for Number 325’s abdomen.
Number 325’s reflexes were extraordinary.
Suddenly, with a hand clad in a specialized, faintly green-glowing glove, he seized the white snake.
The snake’s tail whipped like a sword, slicing across his chest. The dragon armor split in two, blood spraying.
Yet Number 325’s expression remained calm as water, his grip unwavering on the wildly struggling snake.
The snake’s struggles were unprecedented—a mere two-foot snake in his grasp thrashed with a force like a giant crocodile. Number 325’s face contorted with exertion, veins bulging—he was using all his strength.
Still, the snake repeatedly used its tail as a blade, shredding his dragon armor bit by bit, carving chunks from his flesh.
For the first time in his life, Lin Xiaosu witnessed such a savage, desperate battle. His heart clenched with tension.
Eventually, the white snake went limp.
It seemed Number 325 would finally succeed in capturing this rare snake.
But then, a new twist unfolded...
From a cave behind Number 325, two men dressed as hunters suddenly rushed out...
The moment they moved, their speed was beyond belief...
Blades flashed in their hands. Number 325’s eyes flew open wide as a dagger pierced his chest. Had his dragon armor still been intact, perhaps the blow wouldn’t have penetrated, but the white snake had already shredded it.
If not for his exhausting battle with the snake, he could possibly have dodged this fatal strike. But the unprecedented struggle had left him drained.
On this remote mountain, his life ended in the most improbable manner.
He was dead.
The prize he had fought so hard to win became someone else’s. The two killers swiftly cleaned the scene, erasing all traces of blood. Soon, the grass looked untouched—explaining why nothing seemed amiss at first glance.
Lin Xiaosu shifted his foot, brushing aside the turf.
Long Night’s gaze sharpened, and she gasped in shock.
Number 88 also spotted the bloodstains on the ground.
He knelt, a silver needle from his glove probing the blood. His glasses flashed with light as they searched the database. Even here, out of signal range, his glasses had a storage function, containing Number 325’s genetic data. By comparing the samples, he quickly reached a conclusion: “It’s him!”
“He’s wounded—how was he injured?” Long Night’s face darkened.
Suddenly, a barely discernible figure rose from below—it was Crescent Moon.
In moments, she had crossed two mountain peaks, scanning the distance, but found no sign of her target. She could only rejoin the group.
Upon catching up, her heart sank. “C! You rascal, again you...”
Her words broke off as she saw Long Night’s grim expression.
Her voice softened. “Sister Long Night, what’s wrong?”
Long Night didn’t answer, instead turning to Lin Xiaosu. “A Hidden Dragon agent wounded—this is no small matter. We must hurry...”
Lin Xiaosu walked toward the cave.
In a flash, Long Night was at his side, fully alert.
As she had said—a Hidden Dragon agent wounded was serious indeed.
Usually, a fully armed Hidden Dragon operative was nearly invulnerable. If one was wounded, it meant a major crisis had occurred.
Lin Xiaosu locked onto the cave—there could be danger inside.
Long Night dared not walk ahead of Lin Xiaosu for fear of disturbing any clues, but she was poised to respond instantly to any threat.
The cave was dim and seemed untouched by man, but careful inspection revealed traces of human activity.
Light gleamed ahead as the four passed through to the other side—where a broken cliff awaited.
Below the cliff was a pool of water.
“Does the trail end here?” Long Night exhaled softly—she had been holding her breath the entire time.
Lin Xiaosu nodded. “He went down from here. Let’s take a look.”
He pointed at a stone—the edge freshly broken, clear evidence someone had recently descended.
“Go!” Number 88 pushed off with his toes, his suit unfolding like a glider as he leapt down from a height of dozens of meters.
Crescent Moon spun through the air, darting down more than ten meters in a flash, landing on a tree, and perching steadily on a branch.
Long Night reached out, grabbing Lin Xiaosu’s belt. “I’ll take you down!”
Lin Xiaosu felt the wind rush past his ears as Long Night’s clothing billowed.
Her suit was different from Number 88’s. His was a standard fitted Hidden Dragon uniform.
Hers, by contrast, resembled a common autumn shirt—something ordinary, widely seen. Yet when she spread her arms, it too acted as a glider. Clearly, her garment was also dragon armor, but so refined that it had become indistinguishable from everyday wear.
Lin Xiaosu had always been curious about her rank within Hidden Dragon.
Number 88 seemed to be in charge, with her assisting, so her apparent ranking was lower—understandable, since Hidden Dragon’s official members numbered in the tens of thousands, and being Number 88 was already a high position.
Yet, Number 88’s tone toward her was exceptionally gentle, and Long Night rarely spoke. But when she did, Number 88 obeyed without hesitation.
From this, it seemed Long Night’s status surpassed Number 88’s.
Now, another proof emerged—her dragon armor was more advanced than Number 88’s.
What could her identity be?
This was the train of thought running through Lin Xiaosu’s mind as he glided down from above.