Chapter 658

"Do you want to reconsider? After all, Cangbei is not safe at this time."Hua Ping's voice carried some advice, yet also seemed to carry a warning, as he spoke to Ning Chen.

Ning Chen hated it most when others criticized or pointed fingers at his thoughts or actions, so upon hearing Hua Ping say this, he replied with a cold, hard tone: "Sorry, I have already made up my mind. If you called to ask me to stay, then you can hang up now."

Perhaps because Ning Chen's attitude was too harsh, Hua Ping was stunned for a moment on the other end, then quickly said: "No, I wouldn't exactly call it persuading you. You going to Cangbei is your own choice; I know I can't change anything, but I hope you understand the current situation in Cangbei and protect yourself."

Hua Ping's attitude softened because he sensed that Ning Chen did not like being advised.

Sure enough, after hearing this, Ning Chen said: "Mm, before coming to Cangbei, I already learned everything about this place. I know better than you what is hidden in a place like Cangbei."

Hearing this, Hua Ping could only stiffly press his lips together: "You must be very careful."

After all, the two were merely in a cooperative relationship; saying too much else would only make the relationship more rigid, so even though Hua Ping wanted to advise him, he could say nothing in this situation.

Ning Chen simply made an "Mm" sound, then said nothing more and hung up the phone.

Regarding the police's thoughts, Ning Chen could actually guess a little; it was simply that the people on the police side felt it was a loss because they could no longer cooperate after his death.

But they did not expect that Ning Chen would definitely go to Cangbei; no one could dissuade him.

After hanging up the phone, Ning Chen boarded the helicopter.

The pilot glanced at Ning Chen, smiled, and nodded at him; Ning Chen looked back and nodded lightly in return.

As usual, the pilot checked the operating equipment inside the aircraft; after adjusting everything and confirming the equipment had no problems, he reminded Ning Chen to fasten his seatbelt, then took off.

At that moment, Ning Chen seemed to think of something; he turned his head and asked the pilot: "By the way, after dropping me at the destination, will you return first, or stay with me inside the destination?"

The pilot's answer showed not a shred of hesitation: "Of course, I'll return first. A place like Cangbei is too dangerous; it's not suitable for staying long. You constantly have to worry whether your life will be taken by someone one day; it's better to return first and wait for orders."

Although that was indeed the logic, Ning Chen still had some concerns.

It would be best if the pilot could stay in Cangbei on standby at all times, but Ning Chen could not force him to stay, so he chose to ask for his opinion: "If I wanted you to stay in Cangbei..."

But the pilot shook his head quickly and fearfully: "That won't work. I have elders above and children below; I really can't endure this trouble... I'll land by the river south of Cangbei; you can get off there. I dare not enter Cangbei territory; after all, a place like that... you understand."

Ning Chen had to drop the topic.

Actually, he could understand; after all, if any ordinary person went to a place like Cangbei, they would feel afraid; it was best not to force such things.

Thinking of this, Ning Chen asked another question: "In recent years in Hua Guo, are there many people who go to Cangbei to work?"

Otherwise, why would he need to go to Cangbei to find someone?

Hearing this question, the pilot paused for a moment, his tone somewhat concerned: "You might not even need to know the answer to this question."

After all, his boss was a carefree second-generation heir who could fly to scenic spots all over the world to check in.

Ning Chen said: "You tell me."

"Alright,"the pilot said,"it's not exactly many people, but there are always some poor people who want to find opportunities. But a place like Cangbei, you know... either you become someone else's source of wealth, or you die in the hands of those greedy people. Anyway, wanting to make money there is basically impossible."

"But still, many people go there. I have a colleague who went to Cangbei after hearing that propaganda... he went three years ago, and to this day, his whereabouts are unknown."

Hearing this, Ning Chen's facial expression did not change.

He actually knew nothing about these things; before this, Ning Chen was just an ordinary person.

The fate of those people was almost imaginable in its cruelty.

"Forget it,"Ning Chen said,"I understand; no need to say more."

At least from this conversation, Ning Chen learned that in recent years, many people from Hua Guo had indeed gone to Cangbei to seek a way to survive.

But why did Chu Muyu go to such a place?

Although the records stated that Chu Muyu came from a poor family, they also stated that he was a young genius who could pay tuition with scholarships alone.

Moreover, after graduating from school, a bright and smooth path awaited him; why would he be so foolish as to go to a place like Cangbei that eats people without spitting out bones?

Ning Chen could not figure it out, but he kept thinking hard about it.

His intuition told him that if he could solve this puzzle, then he would not be far from finding Chu Muyu.

At this time, the pilot was flying the plane with his full attention; whatever Ning Chen did could no longer attract his focus.

The helicopter was relatively fast; one day later, Ning Chen asked where they were now, and the pilot told him: "We have already covered half the journey."

Ning Chen then breathed a sigh of relief.

Going to Cangbei was indeed a challenge for Ning Chen; before this, although he had fought with mercenaries and members of the Gulf families, entering a den where everyone was a villain made him somewhat nervous.

Late on the second night, they finally arrived at the destination; Ning Chen had managed to rest a little on the helicopter, but it was only a light doze before they reached the destination.

The pilot rubbed his slightly tired eyes; his eyes were now covered in red blood vessels, but this level of exhaustion was actually a common occurrence, so after a brief farewell to Ning Chen, the pilot decisively started the helicopter and left the place without looking back.

Ning Chen watched the helicopter fly away from his sight helplessly and sighed.

He carried a suitcase; the temperature at this time was appropriate, neither cold nor hot, but since the sky had not fully brightened, Ning Chen had to carry the suitcase, look at the map on his phone, and walk forward.

The system had not planned a specific location for Ning Chen; the information it gave him was even just a general location, stating only that the person last disappeared within the Cangbei region, probably in Cangbei, and as for whether they were still there, perhaps the system itself did not know.

Ning Chen felt somewhat helpless; since he had never been here before, he chose to go to the urban area first to find a temporary place to rest.

At night, it was relatively quiet here; after Ning Chen walked to a place where buildings were visible, he found that at night, every household door was tightly closed, and these buildings looked somewhat dilapidated, not very similar to those in Hua Guo cities.

At this time, some dim yellow streetlights were still on along the road; the road was not very bright, there was no sound, and on the walls, one could still see those absurd patterns.

It seems there is no place to rest here, Ning Chen thought to himself.

But he currently had no means of transportation; for now, he could only drag the suitcase and walk aimlessly forward.

Until he walked under a bright white streetlight and saw a knife beneath the streetlight.

It seemed to be a sharp fruit knife; the blade was sharp and still stained with some sticky substance, dark red, looking just like blood.

Ning Chen slowly squatted down, looking down at the knife; he did not choose to pick it up; his intuition told him this was not something he could get involved in, and as for what exactly was on the knife, that was quite intriguing.

He did not expect to encounter such a thing within an hour of arriving here.

Ning Chen gave a bitter smile, then stood up, planning to find a place to lean against for a while, wait for dawn, and ask the residents of this area where those outsiders finally went.

In the end, he managed to find a wind-shielded wall; although leaning against it was not comfortable, he could barely survive the night.

Ning Chen did not fall into a deep sleep; in every night since Si Shiya went missing, after obtaining the system and new abilities, Ning Chen slept lightly.

Almost as soon as there was any sound around, Ning Chen could detect it immediately and react quickly.

Fortunately, the night here was passably quiet; Ning Chen slept until dawn, only opening his eyes suddenly when he heard the door beside him being pushed open.

He looked up toward the source of the sound, then met the eyes of a man stepping out through the door.

The instant their gazes locked, Ning Chen quickly put on a wary expression, while that man was clearly frightened by Ning Chen; after opening the door, he stumbled backward several paces.

Seizing the opportunity, Ning Chen rose from the ground, took a few steps forward, and spoke, using the Cangbei language: "Hello..."

523. Extracting Information

The man's expression was as if he had seen a ghost; he kept watching Ning Chen while backing away in large strides.

Ning Chen immediately stepped in front of the man and reached out to block the door, which was not particularly sturdy.

The man was startled by Ning Chen's move; with both hands gripping the edge of the door, he strained his whole body, trying to shut it.

As a result, the man's face turned slightly pale, yet he still failed to budge it even an inch.

Ning Chen said without changing his expression: "Please don't rush; I'd like to ask you a few questions."

The man said nothing, only shaking his head in terror as he stared at him.

Ning Chen frowned, as if realizing something.

Everyone here is too strange.

Seeing that Ning Chen still blocked the doorway, the man evidently gave up; he snatched up a broom leaning against the wall and thrust the wooden handle at Ning Chen's face.

Ning Chen instinctively tilted his head aside, dodging the man's move; the man was clearly panicked, his hand movements quickening, driving Ning Chen outward as if chasing away rats.

After dodging a few times, Ning Chen grew slightly angry; his hand accurately seized the bottom of the broom, pushed it forward, then pulled it back, forcing the man to retreat several steps and release the broom.

Ning Chen tossed the broom aside and asked: "Now, can we talk properly? I bear you no ill will; I simply wish to ask you some things."

The man looked at Ning Chen and seemed to realize he could not resist him; if this continued, he would likely provoke the other.

So the man stepped aside, though entirely unwillingly.

Ning Chen entered calmly; the first thing he saw was the furnishings inside the room.

Everything was dilapidated and old, appearing to have been used for a long time without replacement; there was only a lightbulb hanging on the wall, not very bright, somewhat dim, just enough to illuminate the black graffiti on the walls.

Calling it graffiti was generous; it was merely some black, chaotic lines.

After one glance, Ning Chen withdrew his gaze; with his long limbs, he appeared unexpectedly tall in this cramped room; simply standing there, he seemed much taller than the man.

The man did not close the door; instead, he glanced outward fearfully, leaving a crack in the door, then stepped inside.

Looking at the somewhat thin and gaunt middle-aged man before him, Ning Chen asked: "I'd like to ask, where have foreigners from other places gone?"

Hearing him ask this question, the man's facial expression relaxed slightly, as if relieved: "Anyway, they are not here."

Hearing this vague answer, Ning Chen frowned lightly and asked again with great patience: "Then where are they?"

"In various cities; they are everywhere," the man said; though still somewhat afraid, a clear loathing surfaced in his eyes as he answered this question: "If those people hadn't come to divide our resources, how could we not even have enough to eat?"

The man's voice was unexpectedly hoarse, as if sanded by sandpaper; hearing this sound, Ning Chen suddenly felt somewhat uncomfortable.