mchenry-crisis.org Chapter 162 Earth Dragon King
Chapter 162 Earth Dragon King
Song Chen didn't dislike her parents receiving awards, nor was she ungrateful to Shen Qingshan for putting on this show; she was simply uncomfortable with it.
After thinking for a moment, Song Chen decided not to go in and just stay here to see her parents' smiles.
A few minutes later, a voice came from behind.
"How is it, Scholar Song? Are you pleased?"
Song Chen didn't turn around. He had already sensed a mid-stage fifth-order spiritual energy fluctuation. He went around the back door of the garrison commander's mansion and silently went up to the roof.
With steady steps and long, even breaths, he showed no murderous intent; it was Shen Qingshan, whom he had met once before.
Shen Qingshan walked over to him and stood side by side.
"I sent someone to the martial arts gym to call you, hoping you could also come on stage, but here you are."
Song Chen didn't respond.
"How do you feel?" Shen Qingshan continued to ask.
Song Chen remained silent for two seconds.
"Aside from being a little awkward, everything is fine."
Shen Qingshan chuckled: "Your mother is quite the talker."
She wasn't like this before.
"How could a mother not be happy when her son slays a fifth-tier beast king with a single strike?"
Inside the hall, the awards ceremony was still ongoing. Li Xiuying was exchanging phone numbers with Li Guohua and a few others, habitually saying, "Teacher, please take good care of my Song Chen in the future."
They quickly shook their heads and said, "Song Chen is someone I need to look up to now."
Outside, Shen Qingshan stood up.
"Let's go, let's talk somewhere else."
Song Chen glanced at him; the smile on Shen Qingshan's face was gone, the same one he had when he presented the award.
He knew what they were talking about; it was the fifth-tier beast king.
It appeared twice on the outskirts of Anning City, and then disappeared twice.
The capital city sent Grandmaster Lu Chenzhou to investigate, but Lu Chenzhou is not currently in the city.
Song Chen stood up and followed Shen Qingshan.
……
Garrison Commander's Office.
This is Shen Qingshan's personal territory, decorated just like its owner, without any unnecessary ornamentation.
A metal desk, two chairs, a map of Anning City's defense zone hanging on the wall, and a cactus on the windowsill—the only thing that seemed to bring life to the table.
Shen Qingshan closed the door, gestured for Song Chen to sit down, then went around to the back of his desk, took out a tactical tablet from the drawer, unlocked it, and pushed it over.
On the screen is an investigation report marked "Top Secret".
"You must know very well what happened when the Beast King first appeared, so I won't go into details. Here are the psionic data from back then; you can take a look."
Song Chen picked up the tablet and turned to the first page of data.
The psionic energy fluctuation curve suddenly jumped, soaring from background noise to the threshold of the fifth-order peak, and then disappeared after three seconds.
"And the second time?"
Shen Qingshan tapped his finger on the table: "This time it's the same signal, and the intensity is also at the peak of the fifth tier, but this time the signal lasted for ten seconds, enough for the psionic radar to lock onto the type."
He leaned over and swiped to the next page on the tactical tablet.
The information on the screen made Song Chen's gaze freeze.
Type: Earth Dragon King.
Features: Its scales are dark gold, and its four claws have extremely strong digging ability, allowing it to move at extremely high speeds through rock formations.
Song Chen went over the words "Earth Dragon King" in his mind twice, and finally understood what kind of creature it was.
"When did the Grandmaster from the Capital Sect arrive?" Song Chen asked.
"On the third day after the second signal appeared, he squatted alone near the signal source for ten days."
"What was the result?"
"Only one thing is certain: the Earth Dragon King is no longer there."
Song Chen swiped her fingers across the tablet, flipping to the investigation report left by Lu Chenzhou.
The report was very brief; grandmaster-level martial artists never write lengthy reports when conducting investigations.
In short: the Earth Dragon King lingered near the signal source, claw marks were found twelve meters underground, and the digging direction pointed southeast.
The trail went cold after 100 kilometers, making it impossible to locate the creature further, indicating that it had left the area surrounding Anning City.
The last page of the report is a map.
The path that the Earth Dragon King dug underground was marked with a red line, extending southeast from the location of the signal source, crossing the wilderness, passing through several abandoned villages and towns, and finally stopping at the ruins of Changqing City.
Song Chen's gaze fell on this place name, where the Earth Dragon King had stayed the longest.
Where is Lu Chenzhou now?
"He judged that the Earth Dragon King might just be passing through Anning City, and that his real target was elsewhere, so he continued to chase him in the southeast direction. He had been walking for almost ten days. Before he left, he told me that if there were any more anomalies in Anning City, I could contact him directly."
Song Chen put down the tactical tablet and carefully considered this information.
Something doesn't feel right.
But I can't quite put my finger on what's wrong.
"I want to go and see the ruins of Evergreen City."
Shen Qingshan looked at him: "With your current strength, if that fifth-tier peak Earth Dragon King were to return, could you defeat him?"
"have no idea."
"Does that mean they can escape?"
"You can run if you want to."
Shen Qingshan nodded. He had seen the battle footage of Qinghu Base City and recognized Song Chen's speed. Under full power, even a peak fifth-tier cultivator might not be able to catch up.
"Do you need any help?"
Song Chen thought for a moment: "Is there anyone familiar with the terrain of the Changqing City ruins? Someone who can find their way around, not a combatant."
Shen Qingshan picked up the communicator on the table: "Yes, wait."
Soon, Xie Yunqing arrived at the office, carrying a metal research case.
Her hair was tied into a low ponytail at the back of her head, revealing a face with well-defined features.
Twenty-seven years old, second-tier strength, researcher at the Anning City Psionic Research Institute, specializing in the analysis of alien beast behavior.
She looked at the young man, momentarily dazed.
"Thank you, Researcher." Song Chen spoke first.
The person who came was none other than Researcher Xie, whom he had met during the actual combat training.
Xie Yunqing came to her senses.
"Song Chen. It really is you."
"it's me."
"I've seen the video of Qinghu Base City, and you... have changed a lot."
Song Chen didn't respond to that question, but instead asked, "Are you familiar with Changqing City?"
"Yes, I do. I conduct surveys on the distribution of strange beasts every year."
"Let's go then."
Xie Yunqing nodded.
She's not a talkative person, and neither is Song Chen.
The two of them left the city in a very straightforward manner. Song Chen put his arm around her shoulder, activated the Wings of Gale, and the two figures rose from the ground and sped off in the southeast direction.
Xie Yunqing only had time to grip the handle of the research case tightly before the sound of the wind filled her ears.
We arrived in Changqing City in less than ten minutes.
When the ruins of Changqing City came into view, Xie Yunqing's face turned a little pale. With her strength, flying so fast was similar to the feeling of an ordinary person riding a roller coaster.
Song Chen landed on the roof of a half-collapsed six-story building at the edge of the ruins and let go.
Xie Yunqing steadied himself, took two deep breaths, then opened the research kit and took out a portable psionic detector.
Looking at the familiar ruins, Song Chen felt a deep sense of emotion.
It was here that I earned my first kill points, and it was here that I became number one in Nanjiang Province.
The two came down from the roof and walked along the main road of the ruins.
Changqing City has been abandoned for many years. The asphalt road surface is cracked by weeds, the walls of the buildings on both sides are peeling off, the windows are just dark frames, and traces of low-level monsters can be seen everywhere.
But there was no trace of the Earth Dragon King.